Chapter 256: The Old Jiang

“How to pluck flowers...”

Yin Qingqing’s lips couldn’t help curling into a faint smile; she extended her pale, slender middle finger and gently hooked it before Jiang Ye’s eyes, her tone now tinged with mischief, “You use this to pluck them...”

As she spoke, some image seemed to surface in her mind, and she burst out laughing.

But her laugh triggered her chest wound, turning the laughter instantly into a cry of pain: “Sss... ah...”

She curled her body, gasping sharply for air.

Jiang Ye looked at her with a cold, expressionless face and said coolly, "My fists don't mess around with you."

Upon hearing the word “fists,” Yin Qingqing quickly clamped her hands over her mouth; her clear, stream-like eyes shimmered with a thin sheen of tears—wanting to laugh but daring not to, mixed with agony, her expression grotesquely twisted.

Moments later.

She finally caught her breath, carefully moving her small hand away, no longer smiling or jesting, and looked at Jiang Ye with a pitiful expression:

“It’s true.”

“I only took a little of their blood with my fingers.”

“Those rumors about the Flower Plucker...”

“All those claims of bedding countless men and women...”

“Were entirely made up by others.”

She paused, as if fearing Jiang Ye wouldn’t believe her, and hurriedly added, “Think about it—I’m a woman, and I don’t have that thing. What flowers could I possibly pluck?”

Jiang Ye stared coldly at Yin Qingqing’s pale, slender middle finger and said sharply, “Why do you take the pure blood of women?!”

Yin Qingqing pulled her hand back and, pitifully, whispered two words: “For alchemy.”

“Alchemy?!” Jiang Ye’s eyes narrowed slightly; he recalled how she had sought his essence-blood, and his brow lifted. “So, abducting those men with strong blood qi—was that also for extracting essence-blood to make elixirs?”

Yin Qingqing nodded rapidly like a chick pecking grain. “Yes, yes, yes! No wonder you’re Jiang Zhushi—your insight truly leaves Qingqing in awe.”

Jiang Ye’s brow furrowed slightly.

Using the pure blood of women and the essence-blood of men to forge elixirs...

Such an evil alchemical formula was utterly alien to the orthodox alchemy of Danling Peak.

He let out a cold laugh, his gaze falling on Yin Qingqing’s face like a blade:

“Tell me—how did a direct disciple of the Danling Peak’s Sect Master come to walk this dark path?”

At these words, Yin Qingqing’s face instantly darkened with regret; she let out a long sigh:

“Ah, Jiang Zhushi, this whole affair begins with my training expedition to Miaozhou.”

“More than half a year ago, I accidentally discovered an ancient hermit’s cave deep in the northern mountains of Miaozhou. Inside, I found a secret cultivation technique for gu shu and a formula for the Yin-Yang Harmonizing Elixir.”

“This elixir is forged by combining the yin-blood of women and the essence-blood of men; consuming it nourishes the blood and qi, greatly aiding cultivation—far surpassing ordinary elixirs by several times.”

“As someone obsessed with alchemy, encountering an unprecedented ancient formula... the temptation was simply too great to resist...”

“After returning to Linzhou, I couldn’t hold back—I felt the urge to try it.”

“And then... it spiraled completely out of control...”

Jiang Ye gazed at her with a cold, expressionless stare, saying nothing.

Training expedition to Miaozhou, stumbled upon a miraculous discovery, and thus strayed onto this dark path.

At first glance, it sounded plausible.

But judging by Jiang Ye’s rich life experience, this tale was three parts truth, seven parts lie.

Miaozhou’s terrain was unique, with one hundred thousand towering mountains.

Even the Primordial Elders of the main sect dared not venture deep into them lightly.

How could a mere Qi Condensation cultivator like her so easily find an ancient hermit’s cave?

Although Jiang Ye knew nothing of gu shu,

he knew it was the secret art of Miaozhou’s Cultivation Sect.

Ordinary martial artists who found the manuals couldn’t even master them—yet she had, in just half a year, refined gu shu to the point of controlling Qi Condensation martial artists...

Was she some kind of gu shu prodigy?

Seeing Jiang Ye remain silent, merely staring at her with those cold, ancient eyes, Yin Qingqing felt a chill crawl up her spine; she shrank her shoulders and cautiously added:

“Jiang Zhushi, although this formula is evil, I have my limits...”

“The ones I target are all scoundrels who deserve to die...”

“For example, that girl from the Wang family—she abused her clan’s power, ruined countless lives. She was a pervert who enjoyed tormenting young girls.”

“She had already killed countless maidservants.”

“And her brother, also wielding his family’s power, committed atrocities—forced decent women into prostitution, truly the worst of the worst!”

Jiang Ye let out a cold laugh, then shifted his tone: “What about Master Fang of the Weapon Forge Hall?”

Yin Qingqing sneered, her voice laced with unhidden contempt:

“He’s a beast too. On the surface, he’s a master smith of the Weapon Forge Hall, pretending to be upright.”

“In secret, he’s done countless vile deeds—several gambling dens in Chengdong are tied to him, and he colluded with that Wang family’s young master in human trafficking.”

“I swear to you, this is all true. If you spend a little time investigating, you’ll find out for yourself.”

Jiang Ye’s brow lifted, a mocking curve tugging at his lips: “So according to you, you’re not a demon—you’re a righteous hero?”

He stepped forward, leaning down, his ancient, cold eyes locking onto Yin Qingqing, his voice suddenly turning icy: “Then why did you attack me today? Do you see me as a villain too?”

Yin Qingqing froze.

Ah.

No.

Not you.

The killing intent you just unleashed...

Could that possibly be anything good?

But of course, she dared not say this to Jiang Ye; instead, she offered a pitiful, pained smile:

“Jiang Zhushi...”

“I never intended to target you at first...”

“It’s just that your blood qi was too overwhelming...”

“The temptation was too great—I was momentarily bewitched, and did this foolish thing.”

“So now that I’ve fallen into your hands, it’s clearly my just punishment.”

As she spoke, she genuinely adopted a resigned expression, her hands limp at her sides, her head tilted slightly against the cave wall, like a fox caught by the nape of the neck—both pitiful and cunning.

Jiang Ye looked down at her with a cold, expressionless face: “Tell me, how should I deal with you?”

Yin Qingqing shifted her clear, stream-like eyes, licked her blood-smeared lips, and panted slightly:

“Jiang Zhushi... Jiang Zhushi...”

“If... you spare my life today...”

“I’ll serve you as your slave or maid!”