Chapter 273: Don't Bring Shame Upon Yourself

"Jiang Jiang Qinge, what do you mean?!"

Du Ze Duze Honglian endured it again and again, but finally couldn't bear it anymore; yet she dared not rise, so she pounded the stone bed, gritting her teeth in fury.

Jiang Jiang Qinge paid no heed to her rage, her voice still calm: "If I were currently at the Tian Gang General Rank, I could certainly remove the corruption for you—but I'm not, so I need assistance."

Du Ze Duze Honglian snapped: "There are so many female students here with solid strength—why not find them? Why summon Li Luo? He's only at the second stage of the Xiang Shi Realm—what help could he possibly be?!"

"Li Luo possesses Dual Xiang power; though it's fleeting, its potency surpasses ours. It's perfect for dispersing this smiling corruption."

"Moreover, Li Luo once encountered the 'Smiling Demon's' malevolent illusion, yet he broke free using his Dual Xiang power—and suffered not a speck of corruption."

Jiang Jiang Qinge stood beside the stone bed, gazing down from above: "That's far superior to you."

Du Ze Duze Honglian froze. They had all encountered that malevolent illusion—they knew its corruption's intensity. Even seasoned veterans like them had nearly fallen victim. Yet Li Luo, a mere second-stage Xiang Shi, had escaped unscathed?

Du Ze Duze Honglian was skeptical, but she knew Jiang Jiang Qinge's nature—she had no interest in lying to her without cause.

But… could she really let Li Luo come here to remove the corruption from her back?

At this moment, she lay bare-backed on the bed, utterly humiliated. If Li Luo touched her back, tracing over it… the thought made her feel dizzy.

"Du Ze Duze Honglian, I already told you—I have no time to waste here. Had I not feared that when the 'Smiling Demon' appears, your corruption would activate and turn you into a flesh puppet, causing chaos in the outpost, I'd have simply left you here under surveillance." Jiang Jiang Qinge spoke coldly.

"At a time like this, bury those thoughts of yours. If you're embarrassed, that's your own fault. If you hadn't greedily chased those Purification Tower points, you wouldn't be in this situation."

After being harshly scolded by Jiang Jiang Qinge, Du Ze Duze Honglian's temper flared, ready to retort—but then she remembered the smiling mark on her back, swallowed her words, and turned her head to the other side of the stone bed, falling silent.

Clearly, she had no choice but to accept Li Luo's presence.

Seeing the argument end, Li Luo awkwardly stepped forward. He hadn't expected to walk in on this—Jiang Jiang Qinge's methods were truly ruthless.

"You really want me to do this? Isn't that inappropriate?" he murmured.

Jiang Jiang Qinge's expression didn't change: "At a life-and-death moment, minor proprieties don't matter. And…"

She glanced at Li Luo: "I'm only asking you to assist me in suppressing this smile—nothing else."

Li Luo had no reply. He simply said: "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

"Activate your Dual Xiang power to temporarily shatter the smile, severing its connection to her flesh. Then I'll act and purge the corruption." Jiang Jiang Qinge spoke succinctly.

Li Luo nodded—it wasn't complicated.

He said nothing more, his gaze descending to Du Ze Duze Honglian's back. He glanced once, then nodded inwardly.

Du Ze Duze Honglian's figure was indeed excellent—her jade-colored back slender, smooth, with flawless, supple curves. Yet the writhing, eerie smile upon it marred the beauty with an aura of dread.

With Jiang Jiang Qinge watching, Li Luo dared not stare. Inside him, his two Xiang Palaces trembled, two streams of Xiang power surging forth, merging into one.

Light bloomed from his palm.

Then his hand gently descended, settling upon Du Ze Duze Honglian's bare back.

Skin contact was unavoidable—Du Ze Duze Honglian's body instantly tensed, trembling faintly.

Hum!

Dual Xiang power erupted, striking the smile directly.

In that instant, a shrill cry seemed to ring out—the eerie smile writhed violently, then burst with a *puff*, dissolving into black threads that wriggled like worms, burrowing into the surrounding flesh.

Du Ze Duze Honglian let out a muffled groan, sweat beading on her cheeks, fingers clenched tight, tendons standing out.

This pain was fiercer than before.

Jiang Jiang Qinge seized the moment—brilliant, sacred Light Xiang power erupted, and she poured every grain of purification dust from the vial in her hand.

The Light Xiang power enveloped the purification dust, settling upon Du Ze Duze Honglian's smooth, jade back—glowing brilliantly, dazzling to behold.

Hiss! Hiss!

As Jiang Jiang Qinge exerted full force, after a few moments, wisps of black vapor began rising from Du Ze Duze Honglian's back.

Seeing this, Li Luo quietly exhaled—he knew the purification was working; the corruption within Du Ze Duze Honglian was being purged.

This process lasted nearly half an hour.

Half an hour later, as the final wisp of black vapor rose from Du Ze Duze Honglian's back, the eerie smile vanished completely.

Jiang Jiang Qinge exhaled softly, wiping sweat from her brow. Removing corruption seemed simple—but in truth, she had to manipulate with extreme precision, inch by inch, battling the malevolent forces until they were forced out of Du Ze Duze Honglian's body.

Du Ze Duze Honglian, pale-faced, lay sprawled on the stone bed, equally exhausted—how could she not be affected, with two forces clashing within her flesh?

"Make him leave!" she immediately urged. Li Luo standing nearby made her constantly uncomfortable.

Jiang Jiang Qinge nodded at Li Luo: "You may go."

Li Luo shrugged. So I'm just a tool—used and discarded.

Yet for Du Ze Duze Honglian, this prickly rose, he had no desire to get entangled—he turned and left without hesitation.

With Li Luo gone, Du Ze Duze Honglian's tense body slowly relaxed, her expression turning complex.

"Don't you dare think that because Li Luo saw your body, you now have to follow some boring romantic script."

Jiang Jiang Qinge wiped her hands, speaking coolly: "My House Luolan Mansion has many rooms, but we don't welcome troublemakers like you."

Hearing this, Du Ze Duze Honglian burst into a furious laugh: "Do you think I'd ever want to join your fallen House Luolan Mansion?"

Then she sneered: "Jiang Jiang Qinge, what if I just flick my finger and make Li Luo utterly infatuated? Then I break off our engagement—wouldn't that be amusing?"

"You?" Jiang Jiang Qinge seemed to smile.

Her laugh felt like an insult to Du Ze Duze Honglian. With only the two of them present, she no longer cared—she rose to her knees on the stone bed, exposing her upper body like carved jade to the air.

She tilted her head up, thrust out her chest, her curves breathtaking.

"What about me?" she sneered.

Jiang Jiang Qinge stood before the stone bed, her slender, graceful figure framed in stillness. Arms crossed, her calm eyes looked down upon Du Ze Duze Honglian.

"Your assets are indeed impressive. But Du Ze Duze Honglian—over these years, which single thing have you ever surpassed me in?"

"So…"

"Don't bring shame upon yourself."