Chapter 272

The feud between Duze Duze Honglian and Jiang Jiang Qinge had already emerged long before they entered the Sacred Zhu Xuan Star Academy.

After all, one was a direct disciple of the two lords of House Luolan Mansion, the other the eldest daughter of Duze Mansion; both were similar in age, so people inevitably compared them in every possible way.

Yet these comparisons always ended with Jiang Jiang Qinge emerging completely victorious.

And Duze Duze Honglian was an extremely proud person; each such comparison only deepened her fury, and from then on she regarded Jiang Jiang Qinge as her greatest rival.

Added to this, Duze Mansion and House Luolan Mansion were already enemies, which led to repeated clashes between them on many levels, further deepening their enmity.

As both later entered the Sacred Zhu Xuan Star Academy together, Duze Duze Honglian continued to struggle against Jiang Jiang Qinge, but whether she admitted it or not, the gap between them kept widening.

This was likely the most frustrating thing for Duze Duze Honglian.

Yet she had always maintained her pride, never willing to abandon her struggle against Jiang Jiang Qinge—but on this day, facing the strange contamination that might devour her flesh to the bone, Duze Duze Honglian's inner defenses finally shattered.

She had begun to beg for help from her greatest rival.

After speaking those words, Duze Duze Honglian seemed to have exhausted all her courage; she clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and refused to look at Jiang Jiang Qinge's face.

Yet Jiang Jiang Qinge's expression remained cold and calm, showing no trace of triumph despite Duze Duze Honglian's submission—after all, these years it had only been Duze Duze Honglian who regarded her as a rival, while Jiang Jiang Qinge's gaze had long since moved beyond her.

"I'm not certain I can remove such deep-level contamination."

Jiang Jiang Qinge spoke softly, causing Duze Duze Honglian's heart to sink; she opened her eyes and tried to shake off Jiang Jiang Qinge's support—her pride would not allow her to beg further.

"But I will try my best. Don't overthink it—because if I don't try, you'll eventually become a puppet controlled by the Smiling Demon, strengthening its power and threatening our stronghold."

Hearing Jiang Jiang Qinge's latter words, Duze Duze Honglian fell silent.

"All members of your two squads must remain before the Smiling Demon Mirror long enough to display a genuine smile, while being scanned for any trace of Smiling Face contamination; afterward, you must remain under our supervision and cannot leave freely until your suspicion is completely cleared." Jiang Jiang Qinge, without further regard for Duze Duze Honglian, turned her gaze toward Ye Ye Qiuding and the others and said.

The "Smiling Demon" was the name they had given this Great Catastrophe-level anomaly over the past period.

Upon hearing this, members of both squads grew uneasy—it meant they would be confined and monitored from now on.

"I'm not targeting you specifically, but you're the only ones who directly confronted the Great Catastrophe anomaly; and since Duze Duze Honglian was deeply contaminated, you may not have escaped entirely—some contamination might be undetectable even to yourselves."

"Therefore, these measures are necessary. No one can be exempt. If you refuse, we will enforce them by force." Jiang Jiang Qinge's expression grew colder.

It must be said that Jiang Jiang Qinge still held great prestige within the Sacred Zhu Xuan Star Academy; seeing her cold expression, Ye Ye Qiuding's group dared not argue further and could only nod in assent.

Thus, the group began standing before the Smiling Demon Mirror, each forcing a strained, unnatural smile.

As the inspections proceeded, many students breathed a sigh of relief—no one lost control.

Yet while they relaxed, Li Luo frowned; his gaze met Jiang Jiang Qinge's, and both saw the same worry in the other's eyes.

Forcing a smile before the mirror only worked against shallow seeds of malice; passing the test did not mean Ye Ye Qiuding and the others were harmless.

Another reason was... their seeds of malice were too deep, too strong—even the mirror test had no effect.

But this was only a guess; they could not ban Ye Ye Qiuding's group from entering the stronghold based on a guess—it violated protocol, and abandoning them outside would only empower the Smiling Demon if it consumed or controlled them.

So for now, they could only allow them to enter the stronghold and then place them under strict surveillance.

"Senior Qiu Bai, Tian Tian, take your teams and escort them to their quarters for centralized monitoring." Jiang Jiang Qinge paused briefly, then spoke.

Senior Qiu Bai and Tian Tian nodded and led a few others to take Ye Ye Qiuding's group away.

"Can you walk?" Jiang Jiang Qinge asked the weakened Duze Duze Honglian.

Duze Duze Honglian clenched her teeth, shoved away Jiang Jiang Qinge's hand, and tried to walk on her own—but after two steps, her legs went weak and she collapsed toward the ground.

Yet she did not fall helplessly; Jiang Jiang Qinge reached out, slid her arms beneath Duze Duze Honglian's knees, and lifted her into a bridal carry.

Whoosh.

A few faint murmurs rose from the surroundings; glances filled with peculiar interest fixed on this scene.

Duze Duze Honglian had always carried a cold, aloof, elegant aura in the academy—fiery red lips, a voluptuous figure—drawing countless admirers of the opposite sex.

Yet no one had expected Duze Duze Honglian would one day be carried in a bridal hold by Jiang Jiang Qinge.

The contrast was overwhelmingly stark.

Duze Duze Honglian, cradled in Jiang Jiang Qinge's arms, first froze in shock, then struggled angrily: "Jiang Jiang Qinge, put me down!"

"Do you think we have time? The Smiling Demon will appear soon—and when it does, it will trigger the seed of malice inside you. No one will be able to save you then." Jiang Jiang Qinge asked coldly.

Duze Duze Honglian fell still; her struggles weakened.

Jiang Jiang Qinge shook her head—Duze Duze Honglian's contamination was too deep; if other students touched her, no one knew whether it might spread. That was why she had to handle it herself—otherwise, she'd have just dumped her on Li Luo to deal with as a chore.

She said no more, carrying Duze Duze Honglian to a residential Shi Ta, entering a stone chamber, and placing her on a stone bed.

"Lie face down." Jiang Jiang Qinge said coolly.

Duze Duze Honglian hesitated, then lay face down on the bed; next came a sharp ripping sound—Jiang Jiang Qinge tore her clothing apart, exposing her smooth, slender back.

And there, slowly writhing, the strange smiling face.

Jiang Jiang Qinge stared at the strange face for a moment, then pulled out a jade vial containing shimmering powder—the purification dust used to activate the Purification Tower.

She poured the purification dust directly onto the strange smiling face on Duze Duze Honglian's back.

Ssssh!

The moment contact was made, black smoke erupted violently, as if water had been thrown into hot oil.

Duze Duze Honglian's body instantly tensed; her fingers clenched, veins bulging on her hands—she was enduring excruciating pain.

Yet she refused to show weakness before Jiang Jiang Qinge; she bit her lips hard, making not a single sound.

Glug.

On her back, the strange black face suddenly opened its mouth wide, and with two puffs, spat out all the purification dust that had fallen upon it.

The dust had turned pitch black, its purifying power completely neutralized.

Faintly, as if, mocking laughter echoed.

"Purification dust won't work—it dissolves by consuming my flesh." Duze Duze Honglian's face was drenched in sweat, her voice hoarse.

"This smiling face has fused with your flesh."

"To purify it, you must first shatter it, sever its connection to your flesh, then eliminate it—otherwise, even if you purge it later, you'll have no chance of survival." Jiang Jiang Qinge said.

"How can you shatter a mark left by a Great Catastrophe-level anomaly? Even with your Ninth-Rank Light Phase, it wouldn't be easy, would it?" Duze Duze Honglian said.

Jiang Jiang Qinge thought for a moment, then nodded slightly: "It is indeed a bit difficult, so I need an assistant."

Duze Duze Honglian didn't react for a moment.

But Jiang Jiang Qinge had no mood to explain too much to her. She called out toward the door: "Come in."

Then a figure pushed the door open and walked in. Duze Duze Honglian raised her head, and her startled gaze fell on Li Luo, who walked in with a similarly bewildered look.

Their eyes met. Li Luo was at most a little dumbfounded, but Duze Duze Honglian suddenly felt her blood surge with rage and shame—her back was still bare as she lay on the bed, and now this man, Li Luo, had just walked in like that?!

For a moment, Duze Duze Honglian nearly fainted from mortification and fury.

Jiang Jiang Qinge, are you two doing this to me on purpose?!