Chapter 20: Jiang Ye

Jiang Ye was about to turn around, close the two heavy black-lacquered gates, and follow quietly.

He saw a figure, lost and soul-less, with light footsteps, stumbling out from the shadows of the outer courtyard.

It was Lin Xiaohe.

Jiang Ye's movements paused imperceptibly, his old gaze indifferently sweeping over the girl's face, which looked particularly pale and even somewhat distorted in the dim light.

Tear stains were not yet dry, her eyes were empty, and all the previous shrewdness, calculations, and deliberately piled-up smiles were gone, leaving only the confusion and pain after being fiercely slapped by reality.

"Almost forgot, this snobbish girl hasn't left yet."

A cold realization flashed in Jiang Ye's heart.

"Jiang... Old Man Jiang..."

Lin Xiaohe approached, her voice trembling uncontrollably, as thin as a mosquito.

This was probably the first time since she entered the martial arts academy that she had looked directly and taken the initiative to greet this gatekeeping old man.

She raised her tear-stained face; those eyes that were once full of ambition and calculation were now soaked with heavy regret and pleading, and the cheeks that were slightly baby-fat looked unusually fragile in the tear light.

"Old Man Jiang... do you... do you know where Zhang Zhang Shixiong Hu Hu Shidi Shi Lei usually walks?"

She asked this question almost in a choked sob, every word permeated with cautious probing and humble expectation.

Jiang Ye just glanced at her and guessed that this snobbish little girl must have been dumped by Hu Tian and was now mostly wanting to find Shi Lei to eat the grass again.

"Not clear."

Jiang Ye responded with a flat voice.

He didn't even look at Lin Xiaohe a second time. After saying these three words, he turned around without hesitation, his arms exerting force that looked slow but was actually steady.

Creak—Bang!

The heavy academy gate, with unquestionable decisiveness, slammed shut behind him.

That muffled sound was particularly clear in the quiet night, and it also seemed to nail the coffin lid on the last bit of luck in Lin Xiaohe's heart.

Outside the gate, Lin Xiaohe stared blankly at the closed gate.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't make any sound.

Finally, like a puppet drained of all strength, she left with stumbling steps.

Inside the gate, Jiang Ye stood still for a moment, listening intently.

Until Lin Xiaohe's stumbling footsteps went far away.

He no longer disguised himself!

Those eyes that looked old suddenly opened!

The light in his eyes was bright, sharp as a cold blade out of its sheath; where was there any sign of old age?

His mind moved slightly, and the true intent of the Spirit Ape's Thousand Changes in his sea of consciousness flowed through his body like mercury.

Inside his body, two hundred and six bones were simultaneously moved by invisible and dexterous hands, emitting a series of extremely slight, yet dense crackling sounds like rain hitting banana leaves.

That was not a fracture, but the most subtle adjustment and reshaping.

The spine that had been hunched for decades, as if injected with molten iron, slowly straightened, section by section.

The shoulders that were slightly loose and drooping tightened, his neck raised, and his entire figure instantly grew taller, straightening by more than an inch.

The changes in his face were even more astonishing.

The cheekbone muscles lifted slightly, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smoothed by an invisible hand.

Although the old base could still be seen, the overall outline was completely different.

From the original kindness and roundness, it became angular, his eye sockets seemed to be deeper, and between his brows, a lingering, fierce, and evil aura naturally gathered.

In an instant.

Standing in place was no longer the harmless gatekeeping old man who seemed to be blown down by a gust of wind.

But a tall, thin, cold-faced old man with sharp eyes like an eagle, exuding an aura of someone not to be trifled with.

The current Jiang Ye, if you said he was a fierce bandit who robbed houses, some people would believe it.

Spirit Ape's Thousand Changes, existing in one heart! Changing appearance, only in an instant!

Jiang Ye moved the joints of this brand-new body slightly, feeling the sense of power contained within.

He didn't have any delay, and didn't even need to look in a mirror.

With a light tap of his feet, he jumped over the high wall of the martial arts academy like a light swallow, following the direction Hu Tian and the others had left.

Anxi County, South City, Mirror Lake.

The lake surface was as flat as a mirror, reflecting the sparse stars in the sky and the scattered lights on the shore.

In the middle of the lake, several exquisite pavilions with flying eaves and arched roofs, brightly lit, stood independently on the water, connected to the shore by winding corridors or small painted boats; it was the private banquet place favored by the dignitaries and wealthy merchants in the city, Lake Heart Small Building.

"Hu Hu Shidi Hu, you are willing to spend money; this place is not cheap."

Su Yan stepped onto an exquisite small boat leading to one of the independent water pavilions and teased softly.

As the eldest lady of the Su family, she naturally came here often and knew that the expenses here were not small.

Hu Tian's heart jumped, but a humble and sensible smile piled up on his face, and he answered preparedly:

"Zhang Zhang Shixiong Xu Xu Shijie Su Yan is joking; you and Zhang Zhang Shixiong Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi are both people of noble status. Being able to appreciate my face and attend the banquet is already a great honor. How dare I neglect you? Naturally, I chose the best place in Anxi County to be worthy of the two senior sisters."

"You are quite good at talking."

Su Yan heard this, smiled faintly without committing, and said no more.

Liu Yiyi had always been cold in demeanor, having no reaction to the surrounding scenery and Hu Tian's flattery, only silently following the small boat as it swung toward the center of the lake.

Not long after, the small boat docked in front of a water pavilion hanging with a plaque reading "Listen to the Rain Pavilion."

The three climbed the steps and entered the elegantly decorated private room, burning with faint sandalwood.

The carved windows facing the lake were open, and the night wind carrying water vapor blew in slowly, dispelling some of the stuffiness in the room.

"Two senior sisters, please sit down; the wine and dishes will be here soon. Before serving, allow me to toast the two senior sisters with tea instead of wine, thanking you for appreciating my face."

Hu Tian waited for the two to sit down, hurriedly picked up the blue porcelain teapot already prepared on the table, and poured a cup of clear tea for Liu Yiyi and Su Yan each; the amber tea soup rippled slightly in the white jade cup, and the fragrance was quiet.

This was what Zhang Wang had instructed him before; as long as he brought the two to the private room of Lake Heart Small Building and let them drink a cup of clear tea.

Then his task would be completed, Zhang Xu would appear immediately, and then he could find an excuse to leave.

Seeing that the cup was only clear tea, not wine, Su Yan's vigilance also faded a little, her cherry lips parted slightly, and she sipped a little.

Liu Yiyi, out of etiquette, lifted the teacup slightly with her fingertips and sipped a little with her lips extremely lightly.

Seeing that both had taken a sip of clear tea, Hu Tian's heart suddenly relaxed.

The things Zhang Wang had instructed him to do were all completed.

"Zhang Zhang Shixiong Hu Hu Shidi Zhang Xu should be here soon."

Hu Tian just had this thought flash in his heart.

Knock knock knock...

There was a knock on the door outside.

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi only thought it was the wine shop maid coming to serve the dishes and didn't care.

As a result, the person who pushed the door and entered was a face—Zhang Xu—pale and carrying a deliberate excitement and suppressed excitement.

"Zhang Xu?! Why are you here?!"

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi's faces sank almost at the same time, and cold light appeared in their eyes.

Two gazes like tangible cold ice instantly nailed onto Hu Tian, whose face changed suddenly on the side.

They hadn't heard Hu Tian mention that he would invite Zhang Xu; if they had known, they would never have stepped into this place for half a step.

"The matter is..."

Hu Tian was illuminated by those two cold, bone-piercing gazes, and only felt that the blood in his whole body was about to freeze.

Especially Liu Yiyi's eyes; I don't know if it was an illusion, but it made him feel a faint killing intent.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, wanting to open his mouth to explain.

"Hu Hu Shidi Hu Tian reached the entry level of fist arts today and entered the inner courtyard, which is a great happy event! As the senior brother who has the best relationship with him, of course I have to come and celebrate!"

Zhang Xu interrupted Hu Tian and gave him a wink.

Hu Tian suddenly understood, knowing that Zhang Xu was hinting that he could leave.

"Two senior sisters, Zhang Zhang Shixiong Hu Hu Shidi Zhang Xu, I have a severe pain in my abdomen, I'll go relieve myself first... excuse me! Excuse me for a moment!"

He immediately found an excuse, not daring to look at Liu Yiyi and Su Yan's cold eyes, and left the private room as if fleeing.

Hu Tian had just rushed out of the room when Zhang Wang, who had been waiting outside the door, grabbed him and laughed lowly: "Hu Hu Shidi Hu Tian, well done! Let's go, brother will take you to have fun elsewhere; as for the subsequent matters, the Young Master will handle them himself!"

Without saying a word, he dragged Hu Tian, whose mind was not yet settled, onto another small boat and rowed toward the shore quickly.

Inside the private room, the atmosphere had dropped to the freezing point.

Su Yan wore a mask of frost, staring at Zhang Xu, who was sitting at the table with ease and even a trace of pride, and sneered:

"Zhang Xu, if you want to invite us to dinner, you can just say so. Why go through so much trouble, using a junior brother who just reached the entry level? Such sneaky behavior, don't you think it's cheap?"

Although Liu Yiyi did not speak, the coldness in those cold eyes was ten times worse than Su Yan's sarcasm, as if it could freeze the air.

Her hand on her knees was already slightly tense.

Both were intelligent, and Zhang Xu's abrupt appearance, Hu Tian's panicked escape, and thinking of the various oddities before, how could they not understand that this was simply a trap carefully designed by Zhang Xu.

"Sigh, the two senior sisters really misunderstood me; I really just came to celebrate with Hu Hu Shidi Hu Tian."

Zhang Xu sighed, spread his hands, and made a helpless and aggrieved look.

"Is that so."

Su Yan sneered, stood up abruptly, her dress moving without wind, "Then we'll leave first, I hope you and Hu Hu Shidi Hu Tian eat and drink well."

Saying that, she and Liu Yiyi stood up at the same time and were about to leave.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Xu also showed his cards and stopped pretending.

The feigned helplessness and grievance on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a ferocious smile mixed with lewdness, pride, and madness:

"I advise the two senior sisters, it's better not to rush to leave."

"Otherwise... when the drug takes effect later, and you start acting like a spring on the way, making a fool of yourselves..."

"If you are seen by some blind peddler or passerby, and some unbearable rumors spread, then the reputation of the two senior sisters will really be ruined."

"Drug?!"

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi heard this, and their faces changed drastically at the same time.

In a flash of lightning, they suddenly remembered the clear tea that Hu Tian had enthusiastically served.

A trace of extremely faint, previously ignored strange dryness, at this moment, seemed to be suddenly ignited by this sentence, like a spark falling into a dry grass pile, and began to spread quietly from the depths of the lower abdomen!

"You dare to drug the tea?!"

Su Yan was both shocked and angry, her voice trembling slightly due to extreme anger, and she shouted and questioned.

"You are looking for death!"

Liu Yiyi's reaction was more direct and intense.

Cold light flashed in her cold eyes, and killing intent erupted like substance!

Almost the moment she realized she had been drugged, she moved her body slightly, her right hand together like a knife, bringing up a sharp whistling sound, stabbing straight at Zhang Xu's heart. This blow was made with anger and without reservation, just to kill him on the spot.

However, just as the finger wind came out, she felt something was wrong.

The force that was originally flowing in her body was now like being entangled by an invisible spiderweb, running sluggishly.

A more scorching, more numb strange feeling spread to her limbs and bones as she forcibly urged her force.

That finger stabbing at Zhang Xu's heart suddenly dissipated most of its strength, its speed dropped sharply, and it became soft and powerless.

Zhang Xu had been prepared, and seeing this, he was not surprised but happy, dodging sideways lightly, and laughed loudly:

"Zhang Zhang Shixiong Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi, you'd better save your strength to have fun with me later."

"Martial artists below the Transformation of Force realm cannot resist the drug power of Beauty's Drunkenness."

"The more you want to use force, the faster the drug will take effect!"

Sure enough, Liu Yiyi missed a blow, and the originally fair-as-jade cheeks instantly flew up with two amazing flushes, her breathing became rapid, and a trace of faint confusion emerged in her originally cold beautiful eyes.

"Zhang Xu, you are crazy!"

Su Yan also felt the dryness in her body rising rapidly, like a prairie fire, making her limbs soft and her heart beating like a drum.

She supported herself on the table, her fingernails almost embedded in the hardwood, and shouted: "Do you know the consequences of attacking me and Yiyi at the same time?! Do you think your Zhang family can cover the sky with one hand? Can your father protect your dog life?!"

She never expected that Zhang Xu would dare to be so arrogant, stupid, and crazy!

This was no longer simple lust, but complete madness!

Provoking both the Su family and Liu Qingshi at the same time, he was simply seeking his own death!

"Zhang Zhang Shixiong Xu Xu Shijie Su Yan, you guessed right, I am crazy!"

A slightly crazy smile appeared on Zhang Xu's face, and a pathological flush appeared on his originally pale face.

He stood up abruptly, forcing himself step by step toward Liu Yiyi, who seemed to be standing unsteadily but was still staring at him with cold killing intent, his eyes flashing with disgusting possessiveness and revenge pleasure:

"You still want to suppress the drug power? Stop dreaming!"

"Once the drug power of this Beauty's Drunkenness sticks, even the most chaste woman will become a shameless slut!"

"Honestly, I have thought about this day for too long, too long! Especially you, Liu Yiyi!"

He stared dead at Liu Yiyi's beautiful face, which was dyed with crimson due to the drug and anger, and became more and more breathtaking, his voice hoarse with excitement:

"You pretend to be an ice mountain saint who doesn't eat human fireworks all day, and you don't look at me! Today, I will tear off this layer of your fake high-minded skin!"

"I want to see, when the drug power takes full effect later, what kind of hungry, thirsty, and active-seeking lowly look you, this ice mountain saint, will become! Hahaha!"

"Zhang Xu! If you dare to touch me..." Liu Yiyi bit the tip of her tongue, the intense pain giving her a moment of clarity, her voice like a blade tempered in ten thousand years of cold ice, word by word, carrying a determination to burn with her: "I swear, I will exhaust everything after the fact to smash you into ten thousand pieces! And then, kill myself!"

The cold killing intent and determination in this oath made Zhang Xu's arrogant footsteps pause, and a trace of instinctive fear flashed on his face.

Liu Yiyi's eyes made him have no doubt that she would do what she said.

But the next second, this fear turned into a stronger anger and shame.

He was actually scared by a woman who was about to become his plaything?!

"Kill me?! Kill yourself?!" Zhang Xu's face twisted, roaring madly: "I will touch you today! To die under the peony flower, to be a ghost is also romantic! When I have played with you enough, let's see how you..."

Before the words fell.

Creak.

The tightly closed carved wooden door of the private room, as if hit by an invisible violent force from the outside, swung open inward with a bang.

The cold lake wind wrapped in water vapor surged in, instantly extinguishing half of the candles in the room, and the light and shadow shook violently.

"Who?! Which thing that doesn't know life or death dares to ruin my good..."

Zhang Xu was furious, turned his head abruptly, and scolded sharply.

However, his scolding stopped abruptly, as if his throat had been strangled by an invisible big hand.

At the door, in the dim light and shadow intertwined with moonlight and water light, stood a figure as straight as a spear.

It was an old man with a thin, cold face and white hair and beard.

No extra words.

No extra movements.

The old man's figure moved slightly, as if he had just taken a step forward normally.

But this step was faster than the limit of Zhang Xu's visual capture.

He only saw a blurred afterimage flash by, and the next moment, a withered but seemingly containing the power to split mountains and crack stones fist had already been printed in the center of his chest.

Bang!!!

A muffled sound.

He didn't even have time to feel the pain, only feeling a terrifying force that was irresistible and overwhelming, and his chest visibly sank.

Immediately after, his whole person was like a kite with a broken string, and like a heavy stone bullet thrown with full force, his feet left the ground, flew backward, and slammed into the wall of the private room.

Boom!!!

The solid wooden wall was easily pierced and shattered under this overwhelming impact.

Amidst the flying wood chips, Zhang Xu's figure did not decrease in momentum, drew a miserable arc, and with a splash, slammed into the cold, pitch-black lake water outside the window, splashing waves a foot high, and was quickly swallowed by the surging waves, with no half-breath left.

"Did he wear inner armor."

The white-haired old man looked at the cold lake surface, his eyes narrowed slightly.

He could clearly feel that the force of the punch just now hit Zhang Xu and was blocked by a layer of soft armor.

Otherwise, just that punch would have directly shattered Zhang Xu's chest and opened a big hole for him.

He was thinking.

Two refreshing fragrant winds wrapped around him.