Chapter 188

At dusk, the three of them returned to Luojing on a single horse.

Nangong Ye dared not show his face in front of his disciple and returned first to his secret base.

Xie Jinhuan brought Seeing Mo Mo with him, fearing ambush by a super-grade cultivator en route; now that they were back inside the inner city, near the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Protector Temple, the black-clad man's chance of daring to strike was extremely low—he finally exhaled, first delivered Seeing Mo Mo back to Wang Fu, then went to the Lin residence to check on Wan Yi's condition.

At dusk, Su Su, who had no duties that day, leaned on a reclining chair outside the alchemy room, turning pages of a book with great interest.

Meiqiu squatted on the backrest of the chair, tilting her head to observe alongside, still chatting idly:

"When Xie Lang capsized in the Northern Sea, soaked in water, made Empress Dowager Guo lie flat on the deck, and the two locked eyes and secretly fell for each other—where were you then?"

"Gū jī?"

Meiqiu's eyes were full of confusion.

Xie Jinhuan thought Guo Ziyan was truly inventive; he didn't interrupt now, but walked into Wan Yi's bedroom.

But upon entering, he found the room utterly transformed—not only had the skin-lubricating lotion and other small items vanished, but even the four-piece bedding set had been replaced, making it look like the chamber of a celibate goddess.

And the curvaceous, bespectacled woman was kneeling and leaning over the bed, earnestly making the sheets, her plump, round moon swaying gently with each motion…

?

Xie Jinhuan had originally worried Wan Yi was frightened and anxious, but seeing this scene, he forgot why he'd come, tiptoed closer, and pinched the hem of her skirt:

Hū~

Lin Wanyi, focused on making the bed and thinking of her master, was suddenly covered by the flipped-up hem—she startled, twitched, tried to rise but was held fast by the moon, her eyes instantly flaring with embarrassment and annoyance:

"Xie Jinhuan?!"

"Don't worry, keep doing what you're doing. I went to Danyang last night and bought you a box of rouge—let me test if it matches your skin tone…"

"Huh?"

Lin Wanyi, baffled, wriggled and struggled to free herself:

"Where are you testing the rouge? Move! If you keep this up, I… hey, no no no…"

Bo bo bo bo…

Half an hour later.

Lin Wanyi, breathless and utterly defeated, lay on the pillow, holding the rouge box, gently biting her red lips, glancing at the big pork trotter beside her:

(→_→)!

Xie Jinhuan leaned against the bedhead, holding a black cloth sack, examining it carefully:

"This is the Jiazi Lotus? Master Bu is truly generous—I'll have to repay him properly later…"

Lin Wanyi had been caught by her master yesterday, too embarrassed to show her face all day; to prevent her master from noticing again next time he visited, she spent today cleaning the entire house, wiping down every table and chair.

And now this big pork trotter returns—and all her effort is wasted!

Am I, little auntie, just a doormat?

Lin Wanyi wanted to be angry, but Xie Jinhuan had rushed to save her Master Bu overnight and even got injured—how could she truly resent him? She even felt a pang of heartache.

After glancing at him for a moment, Lin Wanyi still pushed up her weary body, leaned close, and took his wrist to check his pulse:

"You're not allowed to come at night anymore. I asked you to teach me a cultivation technique, but you've never done anything proper. Yesterday, my master saw everything…"

Xie Jinhuan comforted her: "Alright, alright, I'll clean up right away—I'll make sure it's spotless. By the way, where is Master Bu? Since he's here, shouldn't I, as a junior, pay my respects?"

With her master's backing, Lin Wanyi's gaze was quite firm:

"My master originally planned to stay overnight, but you scared him off. Who is my master? The strongest demoness of the Southern Frontier—besides her mastery of witchcraft and illusions, even her martial prowess could take on two of you. If you ever dare to disobey again, I…"

"Understood. You've got someone above you—used to be one, now there are two…"

"Pfft~"

"So, you like being on top?"

"I don't! Hey, you—"

…

——

On the other side, the Protector Temple.

Dong dong dong~

Inside the Buddha hall, the soft tapping of a wooden fish echoed; Monk Wu Xin sat cross-legged before the statue, teaching several young monks Buddhist sutras.

Along the outer corridor, Senior Brother Fa Chen walked slowly, turning his prayer beads, beside him a monk from Fan Yun Temple, stationed in Jingcheng, murmuring:

"Mount Zihui has truly lost all shame—under the guise of recruiting a son-in-law, they've made Xie Jinhuan handle their sect's disputes and plan to challenge our temple to a duel. This violates all norms…"

Monk Fa Chen, appearing around forty, wore prayer beads around his neck, his features gentle and kind, his tone mild:

"Xie Jinhuan has genuine ties with Mount Zihui's disciples—not fabricated on the spot. If Mount Zihui truly wishes to foster a marriage, using their sect affairs as a trial and entrusting this young man with it, that's perfectly reasonable in the martial world. If Xie Jinhuan loses, Mount Zihui won't renege…"

"Senior Brother Fa Chen, what are your odds for this battle?"

Monk Fa Chen turned his beads, pausing briefly:

"Even a rank-one demonic cultivator skilled in combat has fallen to Xie Jinhuan's hands. Our chances of winning this battle are less than one percent."

"Huh?"

The Fan Yun Temple monk found this utterly unbelievable—a rank-one Buddhist monk versus a mid-stage Rank 2 martial cultivator, and the odds are so low? But he still trusted Fa Chen's judgment:

"So we won't accept this duel?"

"We entered Mount Zihui under the banner of 'Buddhism and Daoism jointly suppressing demons.' If we refuse to accept their challenge, won't Mount Zihui's refusal be perfectly justified?"

The Fan Yun Temple monk realized this was true, scratched his bald head:

"Then what should we do?"

Monk Fa Chen thought carefully for a moment, then turned and entered the Buddha hall. Soon after, he emerged, cradling a wooden box containing a "Jin Gang Club."

The Jin Gang Club was entirely golden, inlaid with red gems, carved with intricate patterns, its tip like black jade.

Upon seeing this object, the Fan Yun Temple monk immediately grew solemn, bowed respectfully:

"Is this the Demon-Subduing Pestle used by Bodhisattva Yu Nian?!"

Monk Fa Chen nodded:

"This object is indestructible. If you can so much as touch Xie Jinhuan with it, he will suffer grave injury and be defeated. If you cannot win even while wielding this, then there is nothing to be done."

The Jin Gang Demon-Subduing Pestle, left by Bodhisattva Yu Nian, is the Tiantai Temple's family treasure. Its effect is simple and clear: suppress evil and drive away demons, indestructible, capable of easily shattering anything outside of Immortal Artifacts, including weapons.

Because the Zen Meditation School excels at defense, their defense is nearly invincible; wielding this object means possessing thick skin and tough flesh while retaining the ability to kill with a single strike.

The only flaw of this object is that it is too short; the Buddhist sect dares not use it while letting go, otherwise, if seized by an opponent, one cannot withstand it oneself.

The monks of Fanyun Temple were somewhat afraid to accept this precious object, and after thinking for a moment:

"For the junior disciples to fight on the arena while wielding an Immortal Artifact, isn't that a bit..."

"Using the ancestral magical tool of the Zen Meditation School for Fanyun Temple is more legitimate than borrowing martial arts external aid from Mount Zihui. Moreover, Mount Zihui is not without Immortal Artifacts; as long as they can produce one, you can let them give it to Xie Jinhuan to use."

The monks of Fanyun Temple felt this made sense, and immediately said no more, carefully accepting the box...

——

The moon rose above the branches.

Xie Jinhuan played with Wan Yi, and in the middle taught her a move called Coiling Dragon Circling the Mountain—roughly a train of bento boxes...

Seeing the sky had turned completely dark, Wan Yi feared her master would come over to check the room and catch them red-handed, so she dared not play anymore, letting him return to Wang Fu first, and telling him not to come over these next two nights to avoid an awkward encounter.

Xie Jinhuan came to find Wan Yi during the day as well; because the Sixty-Year Lotus was too precious, the sooner it was returned, the safer it was, so he did not stay long, helped Wan Yi tidy up the room, and then turned to head to Fengyi River.

As night deepened, the two-story building standing by the river had lights on the second floor, and the sound of faint splashing water could be heard.

Seeing Seeing Bing Tuozi bathing, Xie Jinhuan did not enter the house directly; he came to the door and knocked as usual:

Knock knock~

"Honghong?"

The second floor clearly fell silent for a moment, and then a shadow appeared on the window.

Then the sound of 'knock knock knock~' footsteps arose, the second-floor window opened, revealing a face like cold jade. She wore a loose white home dress, her phoenix eyes calm and undisturbed. This time, she did not show the little disdain he liked best, but said flatly:

"Why have you come again? Go away. If there is no business, do not run here anymore..."

Xie Jinhuan picked up the cloth bag in his hand:

"I have come to return the Sixty-Year Lotus."

"?"

Nangong Ye was slightly stunned, looking at the cloth bag:

"Where did you get the Sixty-Year Lotus?"

Xie Jinhuan could not say it originated from the Wu Sect, so he casually explained:

"I found a contact through Yang Sichen, using sweet words plus some magical tools in exchange. The source is clean, no problems."

Is that so?

Nangong Ye did not believe it for a moment, but she had indeed deeply experienced Xie Jinhuan's eloquence, so after thinking for a moment she said:

"Have you harmed another woman again?"

"What do you mean 'again'? I treat people with sincerity; when have I ever deceived a Miss?"

Nangong Ye's lips moved, but upon careful recollection, it was indeed her own soft heart that gave this fellow the chance to eat and dig, so after slight deliberation, she disappeared from the window:

"Come in."

Xie Jinhuan entered the door so easily, feeling that Seeing Bing Tuozi seemed burdened with worries; immediately he leaped up and landed in the second-floor living room.

Nangong Ye sat cross-legged on the ground beside the small table lit by lamps, her eyes like an ancient well without waves, silent as she brewed tea.

Xie Jinhuan sat opposite her, placed the items on the table, and glanced around slightly:

"You are burdened with worries?"

Nangong Ye was currently indeed burdened with worries!

After all, she had arranged a duel with the demoness, and by the end of the month the winner and loser would be decided, but to resolve the Yang Poison, she would have to make the yellow-haired one suffer.

If making the yellow-haired one suffer, she must give some sweetness, right?

Moreover, even after giving it, she would have to rely on luck; if the luck was bad and Xie Jinhuan suffered for half a month, she would be unable to resolve the Immortal-Burning Gu, and then lose both the wife and the soldiers...

"Hmm... Qingming Sword Manor has some matters, and I must rush back at the end of the month to handle them, but the Yang Poison is not fully resolved, so... so..."

Xie Jinhuan found this somewhat amusing: "I thought it was a big deal; isn't it just detoxification? Anyway, there is nothing to do at night, I will help you resolve it; why are you too shy to speak..."

Nangong Ye was too shy to speak because she feared Xie Jinhuan would take the opportunity to climb the mountain.

But the Xie Jinhuan sitting opposite did not take the opportunity to make any improper demands; he simply took out the Fire-Adding Pill, threw it into his mouth, and glanced at the medicine bottle:

"Only six pills remain. If it is not resolved today, I must return to refine them. I hope the luck is better; otherwise, after tossing back and forth hundreds of times, I am fine, but it wastes time... Hah..."

Steam rose.

Nangong Ye knelt with knees bent, her expression like an ice lump, her cold brows seemingly without the slightest emotional waves, while her heart secretly chanted:

Do not soften, do not soften...

This fellow pushes his luck; truly, I cannot do that shameful thing again...

If it really comes to it, wait for him to speak first; that way I can occupy the initiative and suffer less bullying...

But Xie Jinhuan made no move for a long time; he was just sweating like rain. After secretly enduring for a quarter of an hour, he raised his hand and pressed his back, transmitting the qi mechanism carrying the extreme yang fire over, and then took the antidote.

The Yang Poison in Nangong Ye's body receded by more than half again, almost undetectable, so she thought it was resolved, and thus gathered her qi to try.

The result was that the Immortal-Burning Gu was inexhaustible; as long as a single spark of fire remained, stirring the qi would turn it into a prairie fire, rapidly spreading to the surrounding meridians.

"Is it resolved?"

"Still... not yet."

"Then try again."

Xie Jinhuan tossed the pill into his mouth, continued to stoke the Extreme Yang Fire, sweat rolled down from his chin; he merely took the Mao Jin to wipe the sweat, then stared blankly at the center of the living room.

"..."

Nangong Ye saw this look of a man burned silly and felt truly heart-wrenching.

But if her heart softened, she was lost; she could only clench her hands beneath her sleeves, turn her gaze elsewhere, and secretly recall Xie Jinhuan's misdeeds from yesterday.

Teasing words, touching without restraint, pushing his luck...

He wasn't this serious back then; now he's just trying to trick her heart into softening...

Absolutely no compromise; seeing that soft tactics wouldn't work, he would surely come forward to make demands himself in a moment...

... The living room was dim with flickering lights; the two stood in silent confrontation.

Seeing that Seeing Bing Tuozi wasn't rewarding him, Xie Jinhuan glanced at the ghostly wife dancing in the living room.

Her dance was enchanting, a delight to the eyes!

Nangong Ye gradually began to fidget; after such persistence for half a shi, with only two poison pills left, seeing that rascal beside her still act like an emotionless poison-removal machine, tossing them into his mouth without a shred of hesitation and making no improper demands, she raised her hand and pressed down:

"Won't you rest a while?"

Xie Jinhuan paused in his motion: "Prolonged pain is worse than short pain; if I rest a while, won't I still have to eat?"

Nangong Ye took a light breath and said with grave earnestness:

"I really can't anymore... your self-pity tactic won't work."

"I haven't asked you to do anything."

Xie Jinhuan tossed the pill into his mouth:

"I am sincerely helping you detoxify, yet you treat it as a self-pity tactic; truly chilling. If I wanted to take liberties with Miss, why would I need such a self-inflicted suffering method?"

Nangong Ye believed not a word: "You... if you don't use the self-pity tactic, what other methods do you have?"

Xie Jinhuan, his ability as the Duck King questioned, felt somewhat indignant; he rose, found paper and brush in the living room, then sat down opposite her again.

?

Nangong Ye looked slightly puzzled:

"What are you going to write?"

"Guess."

Xie Jinhuan wiped the sweat from his hands clean, then used a hard brush to sketch on the paper; his technique was extremely fluid, and in just a few strokes, he outlined the figure of an ice beauty.

The beauty's eyes carried an oppressive feeling like high heels stepping on a chest; her nose was high and straight, her lips full and plump, just like looking in a mirror.

Shasha shah~

The sound of the brush tip rubbing against the paper continued unceasingly.

Nangong Ye saw the portrait, looked slightly surprised, and opened her mouth to speak but stopped.

As it turned out, after Xie Jinhuan finished drawing her, he wasn't done; he outlined the figure of a Young Master beside her, holding a leaf and playing a tune.

Then came the large tree where the two sat, the maple trees covering the mountains, Shanhe and the autumn moon...

This was the scene of the two of them at the peak of the mountains in Yunling County, watching the demon-slaying at the Imperial Mausoleum, but the vegetation had changed, the composition had become very romantic, and one could even feel the fluttering of the skirt hem in the wind...

"?"

Nangong Ye truly hadn't expected that Xie Jinhuan could not only play tunes but also possessed this skill to charm women; her eyes grew a bit tense:

"What are you drawing these for?"

After finishing the drawing, Xie Jinhuan wrote in the blank space:

Autumn intent is sparse, maple leaves red; frosty forests fully dyed, evening clouds red.

The handwriting resembled a dragon rising from the land, permeated with a sword intent soaring to the heavens.

Just like the young hero in the scroll, playing a tune, glancing sideways at the woman beside him, his eyes filled with love...

After Xie Jinhuan finished, he put down the brush, picked it up to glance over it, felt quite satisfied, and handed it across:

"For you."

"?"

Nangong Ye felt this rascal was simply her nemesis; facing this burning-hot scroll, she didn't know how to handle it; after a slight consideration, she said solemnly:

"I don't want it."

"Really don't want it?"

"Don't want it."

"Then I'll redraw another one."

Xie Jinhuan crumpled the white paper into a ball, preparing to draw again.

Hua la~

As it turned out, unexpectedly, the Seeing Bing Tuozi opposite him, her eyes shook, then like a mother leopard, pounced forward, pinned him to the floor, snatched the crumpled scroll, and glared at him in anger:

"Why did you crumple it?!"

Xie Jinhuan, pressed down by her plump figure, slightly spread his hands:

"I thought you didn't like it, so I'd redraw one for you; if you liked it, you should have said so earlier; this is already crumpled..."

"You..."

Nangong Ye held the paper ball, her eyelashes trembling slightly, wishing she could beat up this rascal:

"You endured the fire poison and drew for so long; you certainly invested effort; if I don't want it, can't you keep it?"

"I privately hoarding your portrait; are you sure you have no objection?"

"..."

Nangong Ye had nothing to say.

After a moment of silence, she, almost straddling him, unfolded the paper ball to see if it was ruined; the result was:

Whoosh~

Xie Jinhuan rolled over and sprang up, 顺势 lifting Seeing Bing Tuozi into his arms.

Nangong Ye's face changed instantly, and he immediately tried to get off the bed:

"What are you doing?"

Xie Jinhuan slid his arms under her knees, holding Seeing Bing Tuozi in a train-bento-box pose, hands supporting her waist to keep her from getting down:

"You accepted my gift, so you must return the favor, right? Otherwise, it's meaningless."

Nangong Ye froze, her eyes turning slightly cold:

"I don't want this thing. If you don't let go..."

"Then tear it up."

"..."

Nangong Ye paused, glanced at the 'group photo' in her hand, her expression incredulous:

"How dare you! It's a gift from a friend. Even if I don't want it, tearing it up on the spot—what would that look like?"

"Then I'll tear it."

"Xie Jinhuan!"

Nangong Ye's robe rippled, yet she felt somewhat helpless; she simply stretched her hand far away, preventing the rascal from biting the scroll with his teeth.

This struggle lasted only an instant before Xie Jinhuan reached the sleeping chamber hung with curtains and drapes, maintaining his pose of holding her knees, and pressed down.

Thump~

Nangong Ye's knees were forced onto her shoulder, her eyes filled with humiliation, and she tried to push the rascal away.

Suddenly, she realized Xie Jinhuan was a martial artist with a foundation far beyond human; his close-quarters grappling ability was actually stronger than hers, a fragile Daoist at the peak of the First Grade. If he truly locked her down, and she didn't want to trigger the Yang Poison, it would be very hard to break free.

After a few shoves, Nangong Ye's eyes burned with shame and anger, yet she was helpless; she could only punch his shoulder once, then resignedly closed her eyes, her expression sorrowful, falling silent.

Seeing Seeing Bing Tuozi had given up struggling, Xie Jinhuan felt satisfied, loosened his grip, and leaned close:

"How about that? Wasn't this a self-inflicted suffering scheme? Soft persistence and hard bargaining, and you still yielded?"

"You!"

Nangong Ye reacted, suddenly flipping up, her phoenix eyes glaring at Xie Jinhuan, yet her cheeks flushed red; after holding it in for a long time, she finally said:

"I only let you do evil because I saw the Fire Poison attacking your heart. This is a self-inflicted suffering scheme!"

Xie Jinhuan didn't refute; he leaned close and pulled up the autumn quilt:

"Fine, then it's a self-inflicted suffering scheme. You let me do evil. Let's sleep."

Rustle rustle~

?!

Nangong Ye realized she had been drawn into a trap, clearly somewhat stunned!

What kind of tactics is this fellow using? I can't understand them...

But once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back; she could only grit her teeth and step back:

"Once the poison is cured, we can't do this anymore. If you break your promise..."

"We'll talk about it then. This poison depends on luck; it might take a year or half a year to cure."

"It must be cured before the end of the month!"

"Huh?"

Xie Jinhuan lifted his head, looking at the peerless beauty:

"How can I guarantee something that depends on luck?"

If Nangong Ye couldn't recover before the end of the month, she would truly lose both the lady and the soldiers; therefore, she said seriously:

"Try a few more times. If it's not cured, I... I won't be able to handle my sect's affairs. As for your suffering, I... I will suffer with you."

Xie Jinhuan nodded:

"I'll do my best. Actually, you don't even have to suffer with me."

Nangong Ye pressed her lips together, said nothing, simply pulled the quilt up to cover her face, and fell silent.

Seeing this little expression, Xie Jinhuan found it somewhat amusing:

"Let's make a bet. Within a quarter-hour, you will definitely moan."

"If I don't, then what?"

"Then I'll put in more effort!"

"You?... You are shameless!"

"Hehehe~ Heroine Mu, it's too late to regret it now..."

—

The next day.

The east turned white, and the autumn sun洒 on the terrace,

Xie Jinhuan, dressed neatly, sat on the terrace, holding a brush and drawing the portrait of Bingshan.

Nangong Ye, wearing a black skirt, sat upright and kneeling not far away, her face unadorned with makeup, her eyes gazing at the Fengyi River. Her profile exuded a sense of lonely pride, isolated from the world. After hesitating to speak several times, she said coldly:

"You finished the medicine within a quarter-hour yesterday. For the subsequent evil acts, I didn't stop you. Why haven't you gone back yet?"

Xie Jinhuan carefully outlined the portrait of the beauty, speaking softly:

"I crumpled the painting yesterday. I'm drawing a new one for you. Don't rush."

Nangong Ye's sharp edge had already been worn down by this fellow by more than half; she took a light breath and said no more.

After the painting was finished, she took it, and to prevent it from being torn again, casually placed it beside her.

Xie Jinhuan didn't linger any longer, and with a flowing motion, kissed her on the cheek:

Mwah~

Then he flew off the balcony and vanished without a trace.

"!!"

Nangong Ye clenched his fists, steadied his breath alone for a long while, only then suppressing the ripples in his heart-lake. He picked up the scroll to examine it, then took out the one he'd crumpled last night.

The one he'd painted this morning was clearly more labored, the paper neater, but last night's crumpled one seemed somehow more special…

Nangong Ye rubbed his forehead, stood up, and as a result stumbled slightly on the way down the steps. After pausing for a moment, he fetched a scroll mount, mounted both paintings, then hurried to the bathroom.

When he reappeared, it was already noon, his appearance restored to the Heartless Sword Immortal look of the Danding Sect — black-and-white Daoist robe, sword case on his back.

Once changed, she seemed to transform back from Muyun Hong into Nangong Ye; under this self-deception, her tangled emotions were pressed down a few degrees.

After scanning the balcony left and right, she rose lightly on her toes into the air, flying toward the Directorate of Astronomy to return the Jiazi Lotus…

———

Nine thousand characters.

Line-by-line fine-tuning is a bit slow, sorry or2

Didn't see the monthly ticket event, posted late, and as a result set the goal too high — just take a look or2

(End of chapter)