Chapter 208

After confirming Ma Feng was dead, the Divine Sword buzzed and trembled, then flew to Hou Jian's side and hovered motionless.

230 — An Unsolvable Curse, Encountering Two Women

Du Bingyan glanced at Ma Feng's corpse, then shifted her gaze to the Divine Sword and praised, "So this is the Rain Tribe's Divine Sword? It really is full of spirit."

Jiang Sishui nodded. "Full of spirit indeed, but a pity its power is a bit lacking."

"Jiang Dage, since the Witch Honored is so powerful, and the one who helps her complete the final step can ask her for one condition, why didn't you act yourself and instead let Ma Feng deliver that sword strike?" Du Bingyan asked, puzzled.

"Because of a curse."

"A curse? What curse?"

"According to the Rain Tribe, the Witch Honored possesses extraordinary divine power, and for one to become a Witch Honored is, in truth, a violation of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, the one who fulfills the Witch Honored's promise and completes her wish can only have three more years of life."

"Ah? Three years? Th-this… this…"

Jiang Sishui gave a faint smile. "Quite the scam, isn't it?"

Du Bingyan gave a slight nod of her delicate head.

"A thing like a curse — formless and elusive, yet terrifyingly uncanny. Better to believe it exists than to dismiss it as nothing. That's why I had Ma Feng deliver that sword strike."

"Is there really no way to resolve it?"

"A way to resolve it? There is, actually."

"What is it?"

"As long as the Witch Honored, before that person opens his mouth to make a request, completes the other's wish first, the curse is naturally broken."

"Ah? But… but the Witch Honored has long forgotten her past. Even if it were arranged beforehand, she wouldn't remember. If she doesn't remember the other's wish, how can she complete it ahead of time?"

"Yes, it's an unsolvable loop. That's why this curse has never been broken."

"Even if someone were to remind the Witch Honored, it wouldn't work?"

"…It should be that way. Otherwise someone would have thought of this method long ago, and the curse wouldn't be so fearsome."

"So that's how it is."

Jiang Sishui gazed into the distance at the sky and murmured, "The night of waiting is the longest of all."

Du Bingyan was startled. She glanced at Hou Jian, who was in the midst of her transformation, and said, "Jiang Dage, you're not thinking of abducting the Rain Tribe's new Witch Honored, are you?"

Jiang Sishui said frankly, "I do have that thought. But whether it ultimately works will depend on how much this new Witch Honored has forgotten. If it really won't work, then so be it."

Du Bingyan hesitated, then said, "Jiang Dage, is it very difficult for the Rain Tribe to cultivate a new Witch Honored?"

"Yes. And as the supreme leader of the Rain Tribe, the Witch Honored's fate is closely bound to that of the tribe. In fact, if they go without a Witch Honored for long, even their Ice Domain will perish."

"Ah? Then in that case, if we take their new Witch Honored away, wouldn't that be… wouldn't that be…"

"Too much? Isn't it?" Jiang Sishui spoke the words she found too embarrassing to say for her.

Du Bingyan gave a slight nod of her delicate head, then carefully watched Jiang Sishui, afraid he might be angry.

Jiang Sishui smiled and ruffled her blue-black hair. "Don't worry. If I take their new Witch Honored away, I'll return them an old Witch Honored, as well as an existence even more powerful than the two Witch Honoreds."

"Two existences more powerful than the new Witch Honored…"

Although Du Bingyan had no idea who Jiang Sishui was referring to, she trusted him.

So she asked no more.

Afterward, Jiang Sishui walked over to Ma Feng and poured a bottle of "Corpse-Dissolving Water" on him.

Even though Hou Jian wouldn't remember Ma Feng when she woke, it was best to leave not a single trace behind.

There was also Ximen Yu — a member of the Qinglong Society — who also needed to be cleaned up.

This mysterious and powerful organization — Jiang Sishui couldn't quite say he feared them, but for now he didn't want to provoke them.

Just as he was about to destroy the body and erase all traces, he sensed something and looked up.

He saw two women employing Lightness Skill, sprinting toward them at full speed.

They were none other than Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang, who had been pursuing Ximen Yu all the way here.

Unfortunately, their cultivation was vastly inferior to Ximen Yu's; when he was determined to break away, they simply couldn't catch up.

Had Ximen Yu not been poisoned by Lan Fenghuang's toxin — which allowed the latter to use poisonous insects to track and lock onto his position — the two would have given up long ago.

The moment the two women arrived, they noticed Hou Jian suspended in mid-air.

A snow-white robe, her whole body seemingly encircled by a swarm of blue fireflies, radiant light flowing around her, dazzling and resplendent, as though she stood within a river of stars — strikingly conspicuous in the deepening dusk.

"How beautiful…" Lan Fenghuang couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Ren Yingying, meanwhile, fixed her gaze on Jiang Sishui and Du Bingyan.

These lines still contain untranslated Chinese. Please provide the full Chinese text for accurate translation.

By now, Ren Yingying had long since removed her veil and bamboo hat, revealing a face of matchless beauty.

A flower-like grace in her bearing, a jade-like elegance in her poise; two touches of cinnabar on her lips red without rouge, a crescent of new-moon brows verdant without paint.

A face like the morning clouds, hair like dark clouds; a pair of almond-shaped eyes with rippling glances, as if holding a thousand words within.

Her charm like a begonia blossom in the wind, her bearing like a jade plum in the snow. A beauty from the golden house departing the imperial garden, a fairy of the Ruizhu realm descending to the mortal world.

She stood there, silent, still, unmoving — and yet she held a thousand perfections, ten thousand kinds of allure.

That beauty was in no way inferior to Du Bingyan's.

Lan Fenghuang beside her, though her looks fell short by three parts, had a seductive and coquettish air, similar to Dong Shisan Niang, holding no small attraction for men.

Jiang Sishui's gaze swept over the two women. Noticing they were looking at Ximen Yu, he asked, "Are the two Misses here for this man?"

Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang, feeling confident, stepped closer and discovered that Ximen Yu had already died from the poison taking effect.

Noticing the wounds on Ximen Yu's body, Lan Fenghuang said, "Did you kill him?"

Jiang Sishui shook his head. "I did fight him, but he wasn't killed by me."

Reading her expression, he immediately understood. "So the poison on this man was administered by Miss."

"Yes, this Miss administered it. So what?"

"Nothing much. I am Jiang Sishui. May I ask how the two young ladies are addressed?"

Jiang Sishui!

Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang exchanged a glance, both feeling surprised.

Through the content of the daily diary, they knew Jiang Sishui was heading toward Luoyang, but according to the itinerary estimate, the two sides should have met in the next day or two.

They did not expect that after being invited out by "July Fifteenth," they would coincidentally run into him.

Knowing Ren Yingying was always thin-skinned, Lan Fenghuang spoke up first: "I am Lan Fenghuang, and this is my young lady, Yingying."

Jiang Sishui felt slightly surprised: "You are the Five Poisons... no, the Five Immortals Sect's Lan Fenghuang? Yingying? Could it be the Holy Maiden of the Sun and Moon Divine Cult?"

Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang feigned surprise; the latter coquettishly said, "Does Young Master Jiang know us sisters?"

Jiang Sishui spoke vaguely: "I have heard of you, I have heard of you."

231 A high-end hunter appears in the guise of prey.

Lies are hard to sustain; to avoid the two women digging for the root, Jiang Sishui pulled Du Bingyan forward and said, "This is my wife, Bingyan."

Hearing Jiang Sishui's introduction, Du Bingyan was stunned at first, then a blush rose to her cheeks, feeling shy in her heart.

During these days, although the two had been close, they had never confirmed their relationship.

Now, in front of outsiders, Jiang Sishui addressed and introduced her this way, which caught Du Bingyan off guard while also making her feel ashamed.

However, she did not deny it; she nodded and smiled at the two women, acting with grace: "Hello to you both."

Du Bingyan?

The two beauties of Gusu folk?

The bride snatched away by the "Mountain Demon"?

She is so beautiful; no wonder Jiang Sishui was so proud after intercepting her back then.

Recalling the diary content, Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang had Du Bingyan's information flash through their minds and returned the greeting simultaneously.

Jiang Sishui pointed at Ximen "San Qiqi" Yu and said, "As far as I know, this person is the branch hall master of the Qinglong Society's 'July Fifteenth' division. Why have the two young ladies formed a grudge against him?"

While asking this, Jiang Sishui was extremely surprised in his heart.

Because Ximen Yu is a Grandmaster, and he is treacherous and cunning; calling him an "old fox" would not be an exaggeration.

Yet this old hand, who crushed his opponents in every aspect, actually fell victim to Lan Fenghuang's poison and was even chased by the two women...

This is too miserable, isn't it?

He has completely lost face for the Qinglong Society hall master!

Hearing Jiang Sishui's inquiry, Lan Fenghuang closed her mouth and did not answer; instead, she looked at Ren Yingying, fearing she might say the wrong thing.

Ren Yingying pondered in silence, seemingly having some concerns.

Seeing this, Jiang Sishui said, "Is my question too abrupt? If so, I will not ask."