Chapter 39

Yet she did not press further, saying softly, "This young monk's appearance does not reach one-tenth of that young master's, yet his cultivation surpasses him tenfold."

Jiang Sishui agreed wholeheartedly and was about to echo her words when he suddenly spotted someone, leaving him completely stunned.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying noticed his unusual reaction and turned to look as well, seeing a group of horsemen galloping from the direction the two experts had earlier come from.

There were seven in total, four men and three women; the moment Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying looked, her gaze was firmly captured by a young girl dressed in a lotus-colored gauze shirt!

An oval face, phoenix eyes, skin like congealed fat, wrists like frost, a neck like a tree grub, teeth like melon seeds, a clever smile enchanting, beautiful eyes glancing.

Her figure was slender and delicate, her demeanor dignified and elegant; her naturally red, plump lips were gently pressed together, resembling peeled lychees, fresh, tender, soft, and glowing with light.

Three thousand strands of black hair fell smoothly down her back, lightly tied with a silver ribbon.

A trace of childishness still lingered between her brows and eyes; at only seventeen or eighteen years of age, she already possessed a peerless beauty that crowned the world.

Most remarkably, the young girl seemed enveloped in a light mist of rosy clouds, giving her an even more dreamlike and ethereal quality, making her appear truly unlike a mortal being.

Clearly, Jiang Sishui, just like her, had lost his composure upon seeing this young girl.

However, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying had no time for jealousy at this moment; only one thought filled her mind—

How could there be such a beauty in this world!

At this moment, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying almost believed she was seeing a celestial maiden descended from heaven!

Not only her, but even Zhao Zhao Tianhao, despite his advanced age, revealed a hint of astonishment in his eyes upon seeing her.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Mengjiao felt even more ashamed by comparison; after staring blankly for a while, she instinctively turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with that celestial maiden.

Yet a thick wave of jealousy surged uncontrollably into her heart.

As for the numerous escort guards, needless to say.

Having traveled north and south for many years, they had never seen such an unparalleled earthly beauty.

It could be said that the appearance of the celestial maiden completely reset their upper limit of perception regarding beauty.

No wonder so many monarchs in history, to win a beauty's smile, committed many acts that later generations would deem utterly absurd.

If one encountered such a beauty, who would not be bewildered?

At the same time, the group of seven on the opposite side, upon spotting the escort caravan, secretly grew vigilant.

But upon seeing the banner of the "Central Plains Escort Agency," the four men immediately put their minds at ease.

The three young girls exchanged glances, their eyes communicating as if containing a thousand words.

Noticing the hidden urgency in the celestial maiden's expression, a young girl in red beside her whispered softly, "Cousin, there is plenty of time ahead; please calm yourself and do not rush."

Hearing this, the celestial maiden restrained her thoughts, nodded her head slightly, and rode forward with the others.

In the instant they brushed past the escort caravan, her gaze swept over everyone, lingering briefly on Jiang Sishui and Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying, before locking eyes with the former once more.

The moment their gazes met, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck them both, causing their heartstrings to tremble violently.

Red clouds climbed up the celestial maiden's earlobes, her cheeks growing slightly warm; she quickly turned her head away, staring fixedly ahead as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Sishui also shifted his gaze away from her, sweeping over the remaining four men and two women, especially the girl in red and the one in green.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying, standing nearby, observed his reaction and quietly nudged Jiang Sishui's waist with her sword hilt.

Stung back to his senses, Jiang Sishui saw Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying's calm expression, felt his heart skip a beat, and hurriedly reached out to grasp her soft hand.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying did not pull away, allowing him to hold her hand while rolling her eyes at him in return.

With the diary copy in her possession, she naturally knew of Jiang Sishui's philandering, and she also knew she was not the woman he loved most.

Yet even so, since she still chose to be with Jiang Sishui, it meant she had already accepted a future of sharing a husband with others.

After all, Jiang Sishui was too special; for a powerful man destined to reach the peak, having multiple women was perfectly normal.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying was a child of the martial world, following her heart in likes and dislikes; since she felt she loved this man, she would follow him.

As long as he had intentions toward her, she could care less about everything else.

Holding such thoughts, although Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying still felt a bit sour in her heart, her jealousy was not particularly intense.

Moreover, even she found that celestial maiden breathtaking; losing to such an unparalleled earthly beauty did not seem shameful.

"No matter what, I am Brother Jiang's first love, one step ahead of all of you."

Thinking this, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying's lips unconsciously curved upward slightly.

Seeing this, Jiang Sishui beside her thought she was plotting some way to punish him, causing his heart to pound with fear.

"Heroes emerge from the youth; heaven and earth gather their spiritual essence; truly, the new generation replaces the old."

Zhao Zhao Tianhao suddenly sighed with emotion, his face bearing a mix of helplessness and nostalgia.

Considering he had practiced martial arts for many years and was now over fifty, yet only at the early stage of Grandmaster, while the two young people just now, only half his age, were already no weaker than him.

How could Zhao Zhao Tianhao not feel ashamed?

However, he also knew that geniuses existed in this world, and geniuses were usually impossible to measure by ordinary standards.

Therefore, although Zhao Zhao Tianhao felt somewhat depressed, it was not enough to leave a knot in his heart.

Furthermore, the appearance of that celestial maiden made Zhao Zhao Tianhao feel even more astonished!

In his youth, his generation had also produced countless heavenly talents and beauties, yet the appearance of the celestial maiden still reset his perception of beauty.

For a moment, Zhao Zhao Tianhao truly felt he was old, and that this martial world no longer belonged to them.

Jiang Sishui and Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying exchanged a glance; neither knew what Zhao Zhao Tianhao was thinking, so neither spoke up.

The two returned to the carriage; Jiang Sishui felt somewhat guilty, thinking Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying was about to "settle accounts after autumn."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying did not mention the previous incident at all.

This left Jiang Sishui very puzzled.

However, although confused, he was obviously not cheap enough to look for trouble where there was none, so he was quite happy with the situation.

Just as one wave settled, another rose.

Not even an hour after the two returned to the carriage, they suddenly heard another outbreak of shouting and killing sounds.

The dense clashing of weapons merged into a single sheet; a killing intent soaring to the sky could be felt even from several dozen zhang away.

What is happening?

The two disembarked again and saw a group of people engaged in mutual slaughter ahead, numbering five or six hundred!

Their martial arts were not particularly high; the strongest among them was merely a Grandmaster, yet their methods in battle were exceptionally ruthless.

Poisonous arts, hidden weapons, traps, gang beatings... every sort of chaotic tactic was thrown in all at once.

After such successive attacks, even an ordinary Great Grandmaster entering the fray would either die or lose a layer of skin.

Zhao Zhao Tianhao waved his hand to halt the escort team, frowning tightly as he watched the chaotic battlefield before him, where fresh blood splattered everywhere and severed limbs flew through the air.

Undoubtedly, these people had fought until their eyes turned red with bloodlust!

The escort team absolutely could not pass through; if they got dragged into the conflict, it would be disastrous. They could only take a detour.

However, looking at the surrounding terrain, with high mountains, steep cliffs, and dense forests, not only would the road be difficult to traverse, but snakes, insects, rats, and ants would certainly be plentiful, making it extremely troublesome.

Jiang Sishui, perceiving his thoughts, smiled and said, "Chief Escort Zhao, perhaps we should wait a while."

Zhao Zhao Tianhao nodded. "That is all we can do."

"I wonder how far it is from here to Leigu Mountain?"

"At our current pace of travel, probably another two or three days."

"Two or three days? Then we will just make it in time for the 'Zhenlong Chess Gathering.' No rush, no rush."

"Could it be that Young Brother has confidence in solving that 'Zhenlong Chess Array'?"

This question undoubtedly touched on a taboo and violated the customs of the Central Plains escort agencies.

In the past, no matter how curious Zhao Zhao Tianhao might have been, he would never have asked so bluntly, but over the past few days, he had witnessed everything between Jiang Sishui and Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying and had tacitly accepted it.

Therefore, in Zhao Zhao Tianhao's eyes, Jiang Sishui was no longer merely a customer or an outsider.

Concerning his daughter's happiness, he also wanted to gauge Jiang Sishui's abilities and measure his worth.

Jiang Sishui shook his head. "The 'Zhenlong Chess Array' has existed for twenty years; countless grandmasters of the Way of Chess have returned in defeat. I have only dabbled slightly in the art of Go; how could I possibly solve it?"

"Then why are you going to Leigu Mountain at this time..."

"I am going to meet an old senior."

Zhao Zhao Tianhao suddenly understood, looking at Jiang Sishui's calm and composed expression with thoughtful consideration.

Although Jiang Sishui appeared frail enough to be blown down by a strong wind, the intuition cultivated from years of traveling north and south told him that this young man was not simple.

This was also one of the reasons he had not questioned Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying's choice in matters of the heart.

Jiang Sishui gazed toward that battlefield.

Living heads flew up one after another, with blood gushing from their necks like fountains.

Arms and legs were severed and flew away from their owners, accompanied by the victims' agonized wails.

Bags of poisonous powder were scattered over faces and heads; those struck scratched wildly in pain and itching, only to breathe their last moments later.