The date of the Five Regions Grand Competition draws nearer.
Jiang Huai was flipping through this month’s Ziyun Pavilion notes. Most of these notes were used to record bizarre anecdotes from the regions, or where rare heavenly treasures appeared. They could even be used to post marriage proposals, requests for lost items, or missing persons through spirit stones.
This month’s Ziyun Pavilion notes were mostly dominated by the news of Jiang Huai of the Tian Xuan Sect. At the banquet held at Li Qiushan, he, a cultivator at the Fourth Realm of the Seventh Realm, defeated a cultivator at the Second Realm of the Mahayana stage by himself. He also easily defeated twenty-eight cultivators at the Seventh Realm. The entire article exuded how terrifying this child was, with rumors even spreading that he was the reincarnation of a Sword Immortal, a darling of the Heavenly Way.
These past few days, Jiang Huai had been at the Guanxue Sect, receiving numerous spirit pigeon messages. Most of them were marriage proposals from sect families, each containing a painted portrait of their young lady, her age, cultivation level, and personality and hobbies, all preserved through Daoist magic. Damn it, Jiang Huai had already received dozens of them. To maintain his gentlemanly image, he had to spare a little time to politely decline them.
As Jiang Huai was flipping through the notes, he suddenly received a transmission from Li Qiushan. He immediately mounted his sword and head towards the mountain gate of Li Qiushan. Seeing Li Qiushan’s grave expression, he scratched his head in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Mu Jiaoyang, who was supposed to accompany you to the Five Regions Grand Competition, has now withdrawn.”
“Ah? Why?”
“It is said that after receiving the news of your brilliant performance at the Tian Xuan Sect, he suffered from cultivation deviation, his blood and qi flowed backward, and his meridians were shattered. He will now need several years of careful recovery.”
“I see.” Jiang Huai felt a mix of amusement and helplessness.
“Aren’t you worried at all?”
“There’s nothing to worry about. I am sufficient on my own,” Jiang Huai replied softly.
Li Qiushan originally wanted to advise Jiang Huai against being too arrogant or impetuous. However, Jiang Huai’s current expression was one of gentle sincerity and modesty. He then thought again, even Dao Xuan Elder, who had cultivated for over eight hundred years, could not gain any advantage against him and still appeared to not have used his full strength. Thinking about this Five Regions Grand Competition… his words were not entirely boastful.
“The elders of our Eastern Region are discussing whether to send our third-ranked participant to accompany you in the Five Regions Grand Competition?”
Jiang Huai shook his head. “That’s probably not necessary… Besides, the lowest cultivation level in this Five Regions Grand Competition is the Seventh Realm. They are not at the Seventh Realm. Forcibly challenging across realms and suffering too many losses that damage their Dao heart would ultimately be detrimental to their cultivation. Mu Jiaoyang is an example.”
“Relax, Sect Master,” Jiang Huai said with a gentle smile. “I will win.”
***
Snowflakes fell, and the New Year was approaching.
The Five Regions Grand Competition did not last long. Including travel time, it would only take one month, and it would be New Year’s Eve right after it concluded.
These days, Jiang Huai still followed his routine: one day he would go to Wanwan’s courtyard to engage in a battle of wits with the succubi there, and the next day he would stay in the courtyard to play chess and chat with Chu Xianning. His relationship with Chu Xianning had progressed rapidly recently. He felt that ever since his Master had said those words to him that day, she seemed to have become even more pampered. Although she still hadn’t actively kissed him to this day, Chu Xianning no longer avoided him when Jiang Huai leaned in to kiss her delicate pink lips before sleeping every night.
But if he wanted to kiss for a little longer, Chu Xianning would reluctantly push him away. At first, Jiang Huai thought Chu Xianning was just shy. Until one time when the kiss lasted a bit longer, Jiang Huai vaguely smelled a strong floral fragrance.
Chu Xianning, who had always been cold and abstinent, would become fragrant when her tongue was teased.
With Jiang Huai about to embark on his journey, Mu Yao and Xu Qing also needed to return to their sect. Before they parted, Jiang Huai specifically spent two nights with Xu Qing and Mu Yao. He slept soundly with Xu Qing one night; Xu Qing was well-behaved and shy, only needing a gentle hug to fall asleep obediently.
Mu Yao was different. She always wanted to bite Jiang Huai again. Although she was serving Jiang Huai, she seemed to treat it as humiliating him, and took great pleasure in it. So, Jiang Huai played along and pretended. Because this girl was always cautious and slow, he accidentally poked her when he couldn’t hold back, causing her eyes to water and her pupils to turn white. She pounded his chest with her small fists for a long time, only stopping after Jiang Huai kissed and coaxed her.
As soon as Jiang Huai agreed, she immediately stopped crying and sat on his chest.
Jiang Huai watched the two of them leave on the spirit boat. Luo Qingyu had endured too much recently. Due to Jiang Huai’s Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation secret technique, she also needed to go into seclusion for cultivation. Therefore, Jiang Huai accompanied her to Qingxuan Sect. After spending two more days with Luo Qingyu and Luo Yueguan at Qingxuan Sect, Luo Qingyu obediently went into seclusion, while Luo Yueguan activated the spirit boat and returned to Tian Xuan Sect with him.
Then, she and Jiang Huai, along with Chu Xianning, would head to the Northern Region together for this Five Regions Grand Competition. Li Qiushan would travel alone on a spirit boat. Two days before their departure, Jiang Huai spent more time with Wanwan and Fufu. These days were Jiang Xiaohuai’s revenge time. Hmph, now that he had no helpers, he found it easy to bully Wanwan and Fufu. His sisters turned against each other on the bed, one shouting, “Wanwan can’t take it anymore, quickly go bully Fufu,” and the other shouting, “Fufu can’t take it anymore, you should go bully your elder sister.” While saying that his sister should share his troubles, he also said that his elder sister should let his younger sister have her way.
As a result, Jiang Huai eventually placed Wanwan’s body on Fufu’s, bullying one for a while and then the other, ensuring neither could escape.
***
The Northern Region was a five-day journey away.
Jiang Huai, Su Qingyi, Chu Xianning, and Luo Yueguan boarded Luo Yueguan’s spirit boat. Their rooms had already been arranged. This time, Jiang Huai did not have to worry about where he would sleep each night. Tonight it would be Chu Xianning, tomorrow Luo Yueguan. A subtle balance seemed to have been struck. During the day, they would tease Su Qingyi, and the four of them could play mahjong together to pass the time.
It was a pity that the mahjong was very proper, only playing for small amounts of spirit stones. Thinking of this, Jiang Huai suddenly hit his head again.
Damn it, he had also been corrupted by the succubus meme. He found it somewhat unaccustomed that the stakes in mahjong were so proper.
He had been frequently venturing into the succubus’s lair during the past period, which also brought a side effect to Jiang Huai.
“I can’t take it anymore… How could you… still, still want to bully…”
Luo Yueguan grunted through clenched teeth, her cheek resting on her arm. Her voice was so wronged that she sounded like she was about to cry. Jiang Huai was slightly stunned for a moment. Snapping back to reality, he thought, right, all his energy was now focused on bullying Luo Yueguan alone. Even though Luo Yueguan’s body was resilient, it still seemed like a bad idea.
“It’s all because of the Overlord Art,” Jiang Huai said as he returned to Luo Yueguan’s side. At this moment, she was lying on her stomach, gasping for breath. Looking at Jiang Huai’s face, tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re going to bully me to death…”
“No, no.” Jiang Huai hurriedly leaned closer, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. He watched her small fists pound his chest again for a while, gently caressing her fingertips until he felt her buttocks gradually recover. Luo Yueguan slowly puffed out her cheeks. “Next time, I’ll use foot punishment on you twice first. Bullying me like this… even if I give you that place as well, you’ll still wear me out to death…”
She said this, but after resting for a while, Luo Yueguan regained some energy. Turning her back to Jiang Huai, she slightly spread her snow-white, slender legs and whispered, “I’ll clamp my legs tightly. You’re not allowed to take advantage of me when I’m not paying attention…”
Luo Yueguan’s legs were already crystal clear and soft. Now that she closed her legs, in a short while, they became extremely slippery and hot.
***
The next day, early morning.
During the morning tea, Jiang Huai was playing flying chess with Su Qingyi, while Luo Yueguan and Chu Xianning sat opposite each other. Luo Yueguan’s cheeks were slightly puffed out. She looked at Chu Xianning, who was dressed in a dignified and aloof white dress, and her first sentence was, “You… you’re not fulfilling your responsibilities at all…”
“What?” A hint of vigilance flashed in Chu Xianning’s eyes.
She had a feeling that Luo Yueguan’s expression meant she was up to her old tricks again.
“You, you know, your good disciple… last night, last night she almost played me unconscious…”
“Serves you right,” Chu Xianning showed no hint of sympathy.
“You, you still have the nerve to say that… You know he has the Overlord Art and the Dragon Emperor Bloodline, and his blood and qi are already turbulent. When you sleep with him, you… you do nothing? You only bully me? Even, even just coaxing me with your feet?”
Luo Yueguan’s words were full of righteous indignation, but Jiang Huai, who was pretending to play flying chess with Su Qingyi but secretly eavesdropping, broke out in a cold sweat.
Chu Xianning slightly tilted her head. “Aren’t you enjoying it immensely? Then I’ll just give it all to you.”
She showed no guilt, and instead, a faint hint of schadenfreude gleamed in her eyes. Luo Yueguan pouted and drew circles on the table, cursing Chu Xianning.
Fortunately, the topic was quickly dropped due to Chu Xianning’s cold demeanor. Jiang Huai secretly sighed in relief.
At night, he quietly pushed open Chu Xianning’s door and saw that the lamp in the room was still lit. Chu Xianning was sitting by the table, writing in her diary.
She was wearing a white silk nightgown, its hem hazy and slightly translucent. Seeing Jiang Huai enter, she said calmly, “Sit.”
“Sit?” Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment, then noticed that a chair had already been placed by the bedside. He dazedly sat on the chair. Chu Xianning put away her pen, came to the bedside, and sat facing him.
Chu Xianning stared at him intently for several seconds, then reluctantly turned her face away. The snow-white, slender legs under her skirt slowly lifted and were placed on his lap. She didn’t look at Jiang Huai but gazed at the lamplight by the side and whispered, “Flower dew, you apply it.”
Jiang Huai understood. He lowered his head and looked at Chu Xianning’s delicate, snow-white, fair jade feet. He reached out and gently held them in his palm. They felt so smooth it was almost difficult to grasp. As the crystal-clear flower dew was slowly applied to the sole and arch of her feet, her white and tender little feet seemed to faintly glow under the lamplight. Chu Xianning then grudgingly turned her head slightly and whispered, “Just… once.”
After a few seconds, she whispered again, “It’s not because I suddenly wanted to reward you. It’s just that Luo Yueguan was so incessantly nagging, so noisy.”
“I understand, I understand.”
A moment later.
Chu Xianning’s slightly cool feet after applying the flower dew slightly closed. But in an instant, she felt them become hot and couldn’t help but tremble her calf.
“You… you’re not allowed to stare at me.”
“Then what should I look at…”
“Look down… watch how you are humiliated by my feet… Don’t… look into my eyes…”
Chu Xianning always suspected that no matter how many times, when doing these bad things with Jiang Huai looking into her eyes, she would still feel flustered and confused.
