As of today, Jiang Huai had not yet figured out the full extent of Chu Xianning’s Qi Gazing Technique.
Therefore, at this moment, he came to the Spirit Boat’s deck, and for a moment, he didn’t dare disturb Chu Xianning. If his Master found out about his essence leaking again, it would be troublesome to explain. The sense of unease brought by Jiang Zhi had quietly spread in his heart, furrowing his brows and making his eyes dim.
Jiang Huai sighed softly, looked at the dark clouds in the distance, and took out tea leaves to brew himself a pot. The Spirit Boat used by Jiang Zhi was of superior quality and would arrive at the Dragon Clan the day after tomorrow. This was a direct journey from the Eastern Region to the depths of the Northern Region. If Jiang Huai were to ride his sword, his spiritual energy would likely be exhausted before he arrived.
This world was also divided into seventy percent water and thirty percent land. At this moment, the Spirit Boat had reached the sea surface and was speeding across it. Jiang Huai gazed at the splashing waves before him and the sea fish swimming alongside the boat, gradually becoming distracted. It was only when he snapped back to attention that he began to seriously sort through everything in his mind, trying to unravel the situation, at least to find a method that would bring him peace of mind.
He was accustomed to a lazy and carefree life and found it difficult to bear this uncertainty swirling in his heart. He took a sip of tea, but it tasted bland and tasteless. He threw in half a piece of sugar, and upon drinking again, it felt a little too sweet. He simply put down the tea.
He looked around and suddenly noticed Jiang Zhi by the railing, who had appeared at some point without any prior trace. At this moment, Jiang Zhi was wearing a red dress. The bright red palace dress made her skin as fair as milk. The hem of the skirt fluttered in the wind, revealing slender and fair calves beneath. The strapped high heels she wore further accentuated the graceful curves of her legs.
Jiang Huai suddenly recalled the moment she had embraced him and cruelly humiliated Jiang Xiaohu with her fair and soft thighs. At that time, she had tightly gripped his neck, her nails digging into his flesh, and then lowered her head to bite his shoulder, as if indulging in lust, but also as if she had suffered some grievance, unwillingly. This contrast left Jiang Huai baffled. After a moment of hesitation, he stood up and walked to the railing.
The wind blew on his cheeks, dispelling some of the worries in his heart. Jiang Huai turned his head to look at her profile. Her face was truly beautiful, especially her captivating eyes. They didn’t reveal any seductiveness but seemed like the most precious gems in the world, always stirring greed and drawing one’s gaze.
“Aren’t you going to accompany your Master? Why are you here with me?” Jiang Zhi, without even looking back, gazed at the endless sea before her and spoke softly.
Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment and mumbled, “My Master knows the Qi Gazing Technique. If she finds out I did something bad again… I haven’t figured out how to explain it to her yet.”
Jiang Zhi glanced at him sideways and said faintly, “You have so many women around you, and she’s not oblivious. Are you still afraid to explain yourself to her?”
“After all, it’s something unclear between me and you, Sister. I’m afraid my Master will worry.”
“Unclear?” Jiang Zhi slightly raised her head, pondering Jiang Huai’s choice of words. After a moment, she chuckled, seeming to agree that it was indeed unclear.
Her lips moved, and she said softly, “So, you feel wronged?”
“That’s not it…”
“Tell me the truth.” Jiang Zhi’s tone became colder again. After a moment, Jiang Huai frankly replied, “A little bit wronged, I suppose.”
“How are you wronged?” Jiang Zhi’s voice remained cold. Jiang Huai scratched his head, saying, “After all… I don’t like it like this…”
“Don’t like what?”
“Just… just doing these bad things…”
“But I saw you seemed to be enjoying it and not truly resisting. You didn’t show an expression like mine, where being humiliated is worse than being killed. You were just shy of speaking about it and afraid of me.”
Jiang Zhi finally turned her head and looked into his eyes. “I won’t harm you, Jiang Huai.”
“Won’t… harm me?”
“Perhaps what I did before seemed unfair to you, but I won’t harm you. On the contrary, I will protect you well until you reach the tenth realm and can break through the Heavenly Gate.”
Jiang Huai was speechless for a moment. Just as he was about to say something else, he saw Jiang Zhi turn around. Her dress was blown by the wind, and strands of hair danced around her cheeks, but her eyes remained as pure as ever. “For the past thousand years, Ziyun Pavilion has been under my control. You can consider me a businesswoman, but when it comes to you, I’m not making a profitable deal.”
“You can ask what price the entire Monster Clan would have to pay if they begged me to resolve their Heavenly Punishment. Even if they were willing to give everything and beg before me, I wouldn’t deign to spare them a glance. But for you, I am willing to act.”
“And the price you have to pay is merely to satisfy some of my small eccentricities, nothing more. Everything in this world is a transaction. If you don’t want to pay anything and just want to reap the rewards, where are there so many good things falling from the sky?”
Jiang Huai, who had been somewhat agitated, listened to Jiang Zhi’s words and thought, *hiss, it seems to make sense.*
“I still don’t understand. What exactly do you hope to get from me, Sister? After all, we are not related, and you have no reason to treat me this way…”
“When you reach the tenth realm, you will know,” Jiang Zhi replied calmly, cutting off any further questions from Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai had no choice but to remain silent. However, a moment later, Jiang Zhi took a step forward. Jiang Huai subconsciously took a few steps back, but the next moment, he was grabbed by the collar by Jiang Zhi and pulled forcefully in front of her.
Jiang Zhi lowered her head slightly and said, “It seems you have many complaints about me, but it doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t dare to say them anyway, so just keep them in your heart. The more you hide, the deeper the suppression.”
Jiang Huai looked at Jiang Zhi with increasing confusion. Her knuckles were slightly white. For some reason, Jiang Huai felt that the Jiang Zhi before him looked very fragile, though he couldn’t clearly articulate why.
She was so powerful, and no one in the world could defeat her with a single sword. Yet, standing before him now, Jiang Huai felt as if she were like a fragile piece of glass, causing him an indescribable ache of pity.
A moment later, Jiang Huai shook his head fiercely. *No, I feel pity for her? Then who will feel pity for me?*
Jiang Huai’s heart immediately turned cold and indifferent again. *No, this world is always like this. If you are kind to others, you will appear more easily bullied. But when he looked at Jiang Zhi’s eyes, Jiang Huai’s mind became chaotic. He suddenly asked softly, “Can I hug you, Sister?”*
“Hug me?” Jiang Zhi’s cold eyes trembled slightly. She didn’t immediately agree to Jiang Huai’s request but retorted, “Why hug me?”
“Just… I suddenly want to hug you?”
“You say something crazy out of the blue, and I should agree?”
“I’m just asking… If I can’t, then I can’t…” Jiang Huai looked at her pitifully. Jiang Zhi looked at his expression, sneered, and then curved her lips slightly. “How many times do you still owe me?”
“Seventy-seven times.”
“Add ten more, and I’ll agree.”
Jiang Huai looked at the playful smile on her lips. After a slight hesitation, he nodded. “Deal!”
Jiang Zhi released her hand that was gripping his collar. Jiang Huai then stepped forward and gently embraced Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Zhi was tall and slender, but Jiang Huai had just seen the abundance beneath her skirt. Embracing her, she felt surprisingly soft. Jiang Huai’s movements were not heavy; he simply placed his arms around her and gently hugged her back, very softly.
Jiang Zhi’s body suddenly stiffened. She didn’t know if she should reach out and gently hug Jiang Huai back. She felt the events happening at this moment were absurd, and she didn’t understand why Jiang Huai suddenly wanted to hug her.
Was it because he was uneasy and wanted to appease her? Or was it for some other reason? At this moment, she started to feel flustered. She heard Jiang Huai softly inquire, “Sister, you smell so good. Is it the scent of flower dew, or some kind of perfume?”
“Neither.” Jiang Zhi replied in a deliberately cold tone.
“Then what is it?”
“I’ve had it since birth.”
“Can I come closer to smell it?”
“As you wish.”
Jiang Huai slightly lowered his head, bringing his nose tip close to her neck. A wisp of heat landed on Jiang Zhi’s skin. Her body trembled again for no apparent reason. She suddenly realized her body felt somewhat weak, as if she had inexplicably let down her guard at this moment, and being held by him didn’t feel unpleasant.
*Damn it, this little guy has charmed so many women. He always has these strange methods. You’ve lived for two thousand years, you can’t be fooled like those naive girls.*
“Sister seems very unaccustomed.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Zhi asked coldly.
“I just feel like your body is a bit stiff. It’s not that it’s stiff to hold, it’s very soft and fragrant to hold, but I just feel like Sister looks very awkward.”
“I’ve never been hugged like this before, and no one has the right to hug me like this.”
Jiang Zhi answered very frankly. Even many years ago, when she followed her Master to cultivate, her Master had never hugged her like this. From the moment she joined the sect, her Master had forbidden her from interacting with any man who tried to charm her. But even without her Master’s instruction, Jiang Zhi, who followed her Master’s teachings, had never even looked squarely at any man.
Her beauty was no less than any fairy who had fleetingly appeared throughout history, but most of the time, she only wore a mask when facing others. Only when she was alone would she remove it and admire herself in the mirror.
“If you say so, Sister, then I am truly lucky.”
Jiang Zhi’s voice remained deliberately cold. “You are the luckiest person in this world. You are simply living in fortune and unaware of its blessings.”
“No, I’ve always been very content. From birth until now, my luck has indeed been extremely good, especially since I met you.”
“If you think a few words can make me open my heart to you, you must be overly self-indulgent.” Jiang Zhi stood still and ultimately did not raise her hand to hug Jiang Huai. But Jiang Huai simply said softly, “I’m probably not narcissistic to that extent, but if I could, I really want to understand Sister more. If you are willing to tell me your story, I will listen very attentively.”
Jiang Zhi let out a cold laugh. “Why are you suddenly talking about this?”
“Because Sister is mysterious and beautiful, isn’t it normal for me to be curious?”
“You want to sleep with me?”
“Sister, you know me. I’m not that kind of lecher.”
Jiang Zhi just sneered. “I won’t tell you my story, nor do I need you to listen. Have you hugged enough? Let go if you have.”
“Just a little longer!”
Jiang Huai sniffed the faint fragrance on her neck and looked at her delicate pink earlobes. It was strange. Her tone was cold, and her ears, which were previously as clear as white jade, were now slightly flushed.
Jiang Zhi did not forcefully push Jiang Huai away. Instead, she let him continue to hold her. The sea breeze blew around them. After a while longer, Jiang Huai let go and stood obediently in front of Jiang Zhi. Looking at her hair, which was messed up by the wind, he reached out and carefully tucked her hair behind her ear. Looking at her face, he winked at her. “Sister’s hair is messy from the wind. Why don’t we go back to the room, and I’ll re-braid it for you?”
“As the number one prodigy of the Eastern Region, aren’t you disgusted by your current fawning behavior?” Jiang Zhi crossed her arms, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.
Jiang Huai, however, looked incredibly innocent. “It’s all genuine emotion. I’ve realized, Sister.”
“What have you realized?”
“No matter why Sister is good to me, it’s always right to try and please someone as powerful as you.”
Jiang Zhi glanced at him coldly, then walked towards her room, saying faintly, “When you were seducing those fairies and Saintesses, were you also this shameless?”
“I’m not kneeling before you like a servant, so what’s there to be ashamed of?”
Jiang Zhi had already reached the door. Jiang Huai lowered his head slightly, feeling a bit dejected. It seemed Jiang Zhi wasn’t swayed by this approach. But a moment later, he heard Jiang Zhi’s voice in his ear. “Why aren’t you following?”
Jiang Huai looked up and saw her indifferent eyes. He quickly ran to her side. “I’m coming, I’m coming! I thought Sister was disgusted with me. I braid hair very well, you’ll know soon.”
“Be normal.”
“Okay.” Jiang Huai restrained his foolishly innocent demeanor and nodded obediently.
*Hmph, you forced me to be shameless first.*
*I’ll lick you to death! I’ll lick you until you’re disgusted!*
