Chapter 266: Going Down the Mountain, to Watch the Show! (2)

She had once thought Zheng Lin, though domineering, was at least dignified, at least knew how to respect her...

Who would have thought he’d reveal his true colors so eagerly on the eve of their wedding?

This bastard!

He actually went so far as to...

She has a clean freak’s aversion to dirt!

“Young Lady... are you in there...”

The maid’s cautious voice still came from outside the door:

“The time is nearly here—we still need to retouch your makeup...”

“Young Master Zheng’s bridal procession will arrive shortly...”

Hearing this, Jiang Chuxue snapped back to her senses amid her rage.

She was no ordinary woman who only knew how to weep and wail when faced with trouble.

Otherwise, she never would have climbed from a tiny mountain village to her current position.

Since it’s already happened, no amount of anger can change it.

Right now, the most urgent thing is to ride in grand style on Zheng’s eight-man palanquin and become the Zheng family’s young mistress.

Only then, with the Zheng family’s full resource backing, can her martial path go further.

If she now turned on Zheng Lin out of momentary fury, all her years of planning would come to nothing.

As for what happened last night, there’s plenty of time ahead—she had all the time in the world to settle this account with him slowly.

“Just think of it as being bitten by a dog.”

Jiang Chuxue fiercely comforted herself, “After all, from today on, he’s my husband...”

Moments later.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the churning rage and humiliation in her chest, flicked her hand to unlatch the door, and her voice returned to its usual cold sharpness:

“Come in!”

Only after receiving her permission did the maid cautiously push open the chamber door, head bowed, carrying cosmetics.

“Y...Young Lady...”

When she looked up, the maid froze in shock.

Before her, Jiang Chuxue’s eyes were bloodshot, hair disheveled, the priceless crimson wedding robe hanging open haphazardly, revealing the crumpled inner garment beneath.

Her sharp, exquisite face glowed with an unnatural flush, utterly unlike the noble, icy beauty she’d worn during yesterday’s makeup trial.

Had she not known today was the wedding day, the maid might have thought Jiang Chuxue had just finished her bridal night...

Of course, what startled her most was Jiang Chuxue’s lips—unusually swollen and red.

The maid immediately asked with concern: “Young Lady, did you... eat something last night? Your lips seem allergic...”

Hearing this, Jiang Chuxue shuddered violently. A vision flashed in her mind—her stomach convulsed uncontrollably, and the nausea surged again.

“Gag... gag...”

She clapped a hand over her mouth, gagging several times, then snapped her head up—her swollen eyes blazing with icy killing intent as she hissed through clenched teeth:

“Do you want to die?!”

The moment the words left her lips.

Jiang Chuxue unleashed a sharp, piercing aura that slammed into the maid.

“Ahh...”

The maid’s face turned deathly pale as she stumbled backward, legs buckling, voice trembling uncontrollably: “Young Lady... I won’t speak out of turn again...”

“Hm?!”

Seeing this, Jiang Chuxue frowned slightly, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

Just now, the Metal qi she unleashed seemed weaker than before.

In the past, when she was furious, even the mere outward release of her Metal qi would leave this maid’s face slashed with multiple bloody wounds.

“Could it be because I just lost my virginity, and my internal qi is unstable...?”

She pondered inwardly, but didn’t dig deeper.

Now wasn’t the time to investigate this.

With her current appearance, she truly needed a thorough retouch.

She stared coldly at the trembling maid and ordered: “Hurry over and fix my makeup!”

“Y...Yes, Young Lady...”

The maid, face filled with fear, hurried forward, her hand still shaking as she picked up the powder puff and carefully dusted powder over Jiang Chuxue’s still-swollen face.

Jiang Chuxue closed her eyes, letting her apply the makeup, but the killing intent in her eyes grew fiercer.

She had already decided—after the wedding, she’d eliminate this maid.

She would not allow anyone to see her in such a disheveled state.

Not even a lowly servant.

Layers of powder covered the swollen eyelids, the tear tracks, and every trace of true emotion on her face.

When the final stroke of rouge was applied, the bronze mirror once again reflected the cold, noble Jiang Zhenchuan.

Tianyun Peak.

Jiang Ye, seated cross-legged beside the Qingyan herb field, radiated blinding golden light.

The radiance was razor-sharp, making him appear like a divine weapon about to be unsheathed.

Even the surrounding air hissed faintly, sliced by invisible sharpness.

As time passed.

The golden glow on his body grew stronger—from pale gold to bright gold, then nearly pure white, as if a miniature sun were bursting outward from within him.

The Qingyan leaves brushed by this golden qi silently severed, their cut edges smooth as mirrors.

The next instant.

The blinding golden radiance retracted into Jiang Ye’s body like a whale drinking water.

Immediately after—

He abruptly opened his eyes, two concentrated beams of golden light shooting forth, piercing through the courtyard wall over ten meters away, leaving two tiny holes with mirror-smooth walls, as if pierced from within by an invisible blade.

Jiang Ye slowly stood, sensing the changes within himself, a faint smile curving his lips.

Now, his sensitivity and absorption of Metal qi had increased several-fold compared to before.

He flicked his hand—his fingertip instantly surged with dense, solid golden-white true gang.

The objects within this courtyard were no longer sufficient to test the power of this golden-white true gang.

He aimed it at his own arm and thrust sharply.

*Clang—*

A crisp, metallic ring exploded through the courtyard.

A faint blood mark appeared on his arm.

“Good.”

Seeing this, Jiang Ye nodded slightly in satisfaction.

After absorbing the essence of the Metal Spirit Body, his golden-white true gang’s explosive power had subtly approached that of the Great Sun Heavenly Flame true gang.

In terms of single-point penetration, it even surpassed it.

He flicked his hand again—the gleaming curved blade flew into his palm through the air.

The moment his fingers gripped the hilt, a strange, unprecedented sensation surged through his entire body.

He felt the blade was no longer a weapon, but an extension of his own body—every groove, every curve of the blade was vividly clear in his perception.

“So this is the Metal Spirit Body’s resonance with metal.”

Jiang Ye silently savored this mystery.

No wonder Jiang Chuxue, at mid-stage gang qi, had defeated Lu Tianhao, whose gang qi was nearly perfected.

With the Metal Spirit Body, as long as she held a weapon, she naturally gained a significant advantage.

After a long while.

Jiang Ye reluctantly sheathed the curved blade.

He changed clothes and slowly stepped out of the courtyard.

Time was up—it was time to go watch the show.

In another courtyard.

Zheng Feng paced anxiously back and forth, his footsteps wearing thin the courtyard’s blue stone tiles.

“What to do... what to do...”

His handsome, refined face was twisted into a knot.

He knew full well—today was the wedding day of Jiang Chuxue and his “dear older brother,” Zheng Lin.

Not just him—even his sister Zheng Hui knew.

At this moment, the young girl stood nearby, her face filled with worry as she sighed:

“Brother, she’s a bad woman—stop thinking about her...”

Zheng Feng’s expression stiffened slightly; he smiled bitterly and shook his head: “I’m not thinking about her... I’m just...”

He didn’t even know what he was just.

Was it the humiliation of being forced to attend?

Was it the humiliation of old scars being torn open in public?

Or the helplessness of knowing all this yet being unable to do anything...

Perhaps both.

Just then.

"Zheng Zhenchuan, we should go watch the show."

Jiang Ye's voice came from outside the door.