Jiang Huai groggily woke up from the table he had collapsed on.
Mu Yao was gently poking his face with her finger. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up slightly, seeing Mu Yao, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, and the Chess Saint, who still appeared incredibly clear-headed, in front of him.
“Where is Senior Mu?” he asked hazily.
“He got very drunk and went to rest,” the Chess Saint replied softly.
They had been drinking at the wine table for nearly two shichen. Jiang Huai had passed out, leaving only the elderly Master Mu to stubbornly hold on. The Chess Saint, however, had remained unfazed throughout. Eventually, the father and son, fueled by alcohol, began reminiscing about the past. All their past grievances were gradually let go of amidst the wine. And then… Jiang Huai had drunkenly collapsed on the table, completely unconscious.
His only memory was of the Chess Saint finally admitting he had drunk too much and suggesting they stop for the day. It seemed the relationship between father and son wasn’t as stiff as Jiang Huai had imagined or observed from the outside.
“I’m going back to accompany Mother for her birthday. I’ll come to Tian Xuan Sect when I have time,” Mu Yao said softly, pinching Jiang Huai’s face.
“Okay,” Jiang Huai nodded gently.
Mu Yao closed her eyes, her delicate pink eyelashes trembling slightly.
Jiang Huai was momentarily stunned, while the Chess Saint looked up at the sky as if he had seen nothing. Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment, leaned closer, and planted a kiss on Mu Yao’s white and tender cheek.
Mu Yao opened her eyes, the flush on her cheeks burning even hotter. She let out a soft hum and handed Jiang Huai a pouch, winking at him. “Here, for you.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll know when you open it later.”
Jiang Huai silently put away the Qiankun bag. Mu Yao, hopping and skipping, came to the Chess Saint’s side and looked at Jiang Huai, “Then I’m leaving.”
Jiang Huai watched her as she walked several steps away, but Mu Yao suddenly turned back, tilting her face up slightly. “Remember to miss me.”
Jiang Huai looked into her eyes, gave a helpless smile, and nodded gently. “Of course.”
He waved to her, and the Chess Saint summoned a spirit boat. After they boarded, he used his cultivation to summon spirit chess pieces that surrounded the spirit boat, increasing its speed severalfold. In an instant, it turned into a stream of light. Jiang Huai came back to his senses, picked up the Qiankun bag, and opened it. Inside was a bead made of transparent chess pieces, and within that bead was a burning cluster of… sword-quenching fire.
The moment he was stunned, Mu Jianghe walked in from outside the door and said softly, “Are they gone?”
“Mm,” Jiang Huai nodded gently, still holding the cluster of sword-quenching fire in his hand. He felt a little awkward for a moment, then Mu Jianghe chuckled helplessly, “I gave this to that scoundrel proactively. It was something that rightfully belonged to him. He’s not a sword cultivator, so how he distributes it is his own business. I won’t pursue it.”
In a flash, Jiang Huai understood. Mu Yao had probably asked the Chess Saint to get another cluster of sword-quenching fire from Mu Jianghe when she stood on tiptoes and whispered to him. This matter, which Jiang Huai had casually mentioned, Mu Yao had remembered clearly and found a way to deliver it to Jiang Huai.
His heart suddenly felt a little warm.
Jiang Huai silently vowed in his heart that he would absolutely not bully Little Ji Mu within a month before Mu Yao arrived at Tian Xuan Sect. He would let her have her fun freely.
Jiang Huai carefully put the cluster of sword-quenching fire into his System Backpack, stood up, and said, “Then I should be going too, Senior Mu.”
“Go ahead,” Mu Jianghe waved his hand.
“I will always remember your kindness in gifting me the fire. If the Mu family ever needs me in the future, I will repay the favor personally.”
Mu Jianghe burst into laughter, shaking his head. “No need for such formalities. Yao Yao likes you, and you’ve passed my test. This should have been given to you.”
Jiang Huai was slightly taken aback. “Did Senior Mu know from the beginning?”
“The way Yao Yao looks at you is that of a lover. How could I, an old man who has lived for a thousand years, not see it?”
“Then why did Senior Mu deliberately make things complicated back then?”
“Since you want to be Yao Yao’s Dao Companion, you must at least have sufficient strength that I can acknowledge. If you are too weak, and the path of cultivation is long and arduous, how can I rest assured knowing you will be by her side in the future? There are many people in this world who enjoy gossip, and what can silence those mouths is your cultivation level.”
Jiang Huai knew that he and Mu Jianghe had different views, and since he couldn’t argue, he didn’t insist. He could only smile helplessly. “But thank you again, Senior Mu. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Go on,” Mu Jianghe waved him goodbye. Jiang Huai walked out of the courtyard and used the spirit artifact for transmitting messages that Ji Qingxuan had given him to contact her. Soon, he saw a spirit boat rising into the sky above the Mu family’s residence. He rode his sword into the air, boarded the spirit boat in an instant, and Ji Qingxuan, wearing an ice-blue dress, was already waiting on the spirit boat.
***
Ji Qingxuan did not say much.
She merely pointed out the room where Jiang Huai would rest and told him they would arrive in two days, then continued to look at the sky with a cold expression. Jiang Huai glanced at her cold profile, from her cheeks all the way down to her ankles, and then decided not to seek further trouble, heading directly to the room prepared for him.
But just before his left foot stepped through the doorway, a “ding ding ding” sound suddenly echoed in Jiang Huai’s ear.
【Ji Qingxuan is not feeling well at this moment.
The small portion of the Dragon Heart that the host refined earlier was the heart of the Dragon Emperor’s bloodline. It is an object of utmost purity, Yang, supremacy, and evil. Because the host transferred most of it to Ji Qingxuan, her body will be uncomfortably hot for the next two days. The only way to alleviate this is to dual cultivate with you again, relying on the Dragon Emperor’s bloodline in your body to completely refine the Dragon Heart power.
At this moment, Ji Qingxuan’s consciousness is already somewhat unfocused due to the burning Dragon Heart power. This is the perfect opportunity for the host to coax her into dual cultivating with you again.】
【Mission Objective: Turn the cold and aloof Ji Qingxuan into someone soft and weak, unable to speak clearly and starting to beg for mercy.】
【Mission Reward: Experience Scroll *1, Fox-Teasing Stick *1 (Can forcefully lower the intelligence of fox clan creatures and play with them)】
Upon hearing this mission, Jiang Huai immediately hurried into the room and closed the door heavily.
He had seen Ji Qingxuan’s cold expression very clearly just now. Before, when her body was invaded by the medicinal power of the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill, she had been so resolute as to ask Mu Yao to tie her hands, without seeking any comfort. How could he dare to coax Ji Qingxuan into dual cultivating with him again? If Ji Qingxuan gave him a cold glance and mocked him, he would probably want to roll around on the ground in shame.
As long as Ji Qingxuan endured these two days, it should be fine.
A moment later, as Jiang Huai lay on the bed, he began to wonder if Ji Qingxuan, unable to bear the torment herself, would come to him for dual cultivation… Should he politely refuse, or reluctantly agree? No, Ji Qingxuan had agreed to dual cultivate with him before because he was about to die. If he refused her because she was physically uncomfortable, wouldn’t that make him a hypocrite?
Although it seemed like he had been acting like that for more than a day or two.
Jiang Huai rubbed his head, clutched the quilt, and curled up in the covers, pretending to be dead. He silently prayed in his heart that Ji Qingxuan would endure these two days with strong willpower.
Yes, Ji Qingxuan, you are the Grand Princess of the Central Province, an Eighth Realm cultivator at the young age of twenty-three. You can do it.
***
Four shichen later.
The sky had already turned to night, and Ji Qingxuan had returned to her room.
She had been tormented by the Dragon Heart power within her body all day. Countless crazed desires had arisen in her mind. At first, she could suppress them slightly, which was why she had deliberately adopted a cold demeanor. But now, her craving had become increasingly intense. Even though she sat cross-legged at this moment, chanting the Heart-Clearing Incantation countless times, it was still useless.
She could clearly sense the discomfort in her body, just like the day she had taken the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill given by Jiang Huai. No matter what she did, she couldn’t easily suppress it.
Ji Qingxuan bit her lip tightly, not even daring to move rashly. This was because the last time she had moved carelessly, the flames seemed to burn even more fiercely. She tried to hold her breath and calm her mind, but resentment quietly welled up within her.
Did Jiang Huai know that she was suffering greatly at this moment? Did he already know everything and was now waiting for her to come to him, knock on the neighboring room, and then softly plead with him to help her refine the Dragon Heart power?
The moment she thought of this, Ji Qingxuan’s anger surged, and the Heart-Clearing Incantation she had chanted thousands of times lost its effect. She gritted her teeth tightly, and a faint mist appeared in her eyes.
Grand Princess of the Central Province… she must never depend on others, she must never be subservient, never!
As Ji Qingxuan thought this, her body had already become soft and weak, collapsing onto the bed. Her snow-white skin was now covered in a delicate pink hue. Her body, due to the heat, had begun to sweat, which once again soaked her ice-blue dress, clinging to her collarbone. She took a deep breath, and her legs beneath the skirt hem finally drew together slightly, shifting uncomfortably.
It was useless.
Ji Qingxuan gritted her teeth and chanted the Heart-Clearing Incantation again.
Her body suddenly convulsed and trembled, but the heat did not alleviate by half; instead, due to her self-stimulation, it became even more intense and surging. She had always been unfazed in front of everyone, as calm as a white lotus in a pond. Now, she had been tormented by desire to this degree. It seemed the Dragon Heart power and the Dragon Heart within her body were catalyzing each other, stirring up some almost instinctive emotions.
No matter how much she tossed and turned on the bed, she couldn’t alleviate it by half. Her head felt like it was being scorched by flames, growing more intense. The thought that Jiang Huai most likely knew about her current embarrassing state, yet had no intention of actively helping her, and was probably waiting for her to come and beg… Ji Qingxuan became increasingly shy and annoyed, filled with resentment.
He looked like a gentleman, but he was truly a bastard!
The unexplainable anger made the flames in her body burn even hotter, and even her reason was gradually being burnt away. The more she thought, the more she hated. The more she hated, the more she hated. Her mind began to recall all her memories of Jiang Huai. She remembered the humiliation of yesterday, lying in bed with her buttocks sticking out and her tongue lolling. She remembered when she had him pinned beneath her, how he had deliberately turned his face away, pretending to be aloof. Finally, Ji Qingxuan’s reason was completely burnt away, and she drew her sword.
At this moment, Jiang Huai was fast asleep in the next room. The instant he woke up, he suddenly felt Ji Qingxuan, clad in an ice-blue dress, sitting on his lower abdomen, with the sharp edge of a sword resting on his neck.
Jiang Huai didn’t dare to move, afraid that with a slight tremor of her hand, his head would roll off. His voice trembled slightly. “Wh-what’s wrong? Grand Princess…”
Damn it!
Perhaps it was instinct, but Jiang Huai subconsciously wanted to remind the Grand Princess to be rational. What the heck, did he have a rebellious streak? The more Ji Qingxuan told him not to call her that, the more he wanted to. Could it be that he had gotten used to arguing and bickering with Little Ji Mu every day recently?
Ji Qingxuan’s voice was clear and cold, trembling slightly at this moment. “I told you, my name is Ji Qingxuan.”
“I, I, I, I was wrong. Yes, yes, yes, I’m sorry… Ji Qingxuan… What’s wrong?”
“You know… I would be tormented by desire, right?” Ji Qingxuan’s eyes stared at him chillingly.
“The Dragon Heart power will make your body uncomfortably hot, but as long as you endure for two days, it will all dissipate, and you will regain consciousness. I think when you took the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill before, you tied your own hands rather than comforting yourself, so I… I didn’t think to mention this matter…”
“You didn’t think to mention it?” Ji Qingxuan sneered. At this moment, her reason was almost completely burnt away. The sword edge was still on Jiang Huai’s neck. “If you dare to move, your head will be gone.”
With that, Ji Qingxuan tapped Jiang Huai’s clothes with her fingertip. With just a light tap, Jiang Huai’s clothes were all torn apart. When she had sat on Jiang Huai before, her scorching hot skin had made him uneasy. She leaned closer coldly, her white and tender toes gripping the bedsheet tightly, her slender waist straightening slightly.
Jiang Huai didn’t dare to move. At this moment, the sharp edge of her sword still seemed to gleam with a faint cold light, and the oppressive chill made his hair stand on end and his heart race.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
Earlier, he had taken advantage of Jun Anshui’s coma, taken advantage of Bai Jin’s dazed state, and dual cultivated with Wanwan when he was severely injured. Now, retribution had finally arrived. He, Jiang Huai, would one day be forced… and humiliated!
This was too humiliating!
Jiang Huai thought indignantly, but subconsciously extended his hand and gently supported Ji Qingxuan’s body. “Take it slow… you won’t be able to move later.”
“Shut up!” Ji Qingxuan’s embarrassed and angry voice rang out again. Jiang Huai obediently retracted his hand. With no obstruction, Ji Qingxuan’s entire body tilted down. In an instant, her eyes widened, and her body felt like it had been electrocuted, completely losing all strength.
Even her white and tender feet, which had been on the bedsheet, were now lifted as her body sank down, almost kicking Jiang Huai in the face. Jiang Huai quickly grabbed her ankle and looked at her slightly reddened eyes. Jiang Huai was momentarily unsure of what to do.
Perhaps it was because she had pointed her sword at him, which made Jiang Huai a little defiant. So, Jiang Huai remained silent, just sitting there innocently looking at Ji Qingxuan. They stared at each other, and a few crystalline sweat beads appeared on Ji Qingxuan’s forehead.
After a long while, Jiang Huai cautiously asked, “How about… I help you up a bit first?”
