Chapter 40

But she didn't ask further, and said softly, "This little monk's looks don't match one-tenth of that young master's, yet his cultivation is ten times better."

Jiang Sishui agreed wholeheartedly and was about to chime in, when he suddenly caught sight of someone and froze completely.

Zhao Qiying noticed his odd reaction and turned her head to look as well, only to see another group of riders galloping over from the direction those two experts had come from.

Seven riders in all—four men and three women. The very first glance Zhao Qiying cast, her gaze was firmly captured by a girl in a lotus-colored gauze blouse among them!

An oval face, phoenix eyes, skin like congealed fat, wrists like frost and snow, a neck like silkworm larvae, teeth like gourd seeds, a charming smile, beautiful eyes that glance and gleam.

Her figure was slender and willowy, her bearing dignified and elegant; her full, naturally rosy lips pressed lightly together, like a lychee peeled of its shell—tender, soft, and glowing with a dewy luster.

Her three thousand strands of dark hair flowed smoothly down her back, loosely gathered with a silver ribbon.

Between her brows and eyes still lingered a touch of girlish innocence; at only seventeen or eighteen, she already possessed a peerless grace that outshone the world.

Most striking of all, the girl seemed lightly wreathed in mist and rosy clouds, lending her an added air of dreamy ethereality—she looked utterly unlike a mortal of this dusty world.

Clearly, Jiang Sishui, just like her, had lost his composure the moment he laid eyes on this girl.

But Zhao Qiying had no time for jealousy now; there was only one thought in her mind—

How could there be such a beauty in this world!

At that moment, Zhao Qiying almost believed she had seen a heavenly fairy descended to earth!

Not only her—even Zhao Tianhao, advanced in years as he was, showed a flicker of astonishment in his eyes at the sight.

Zhao Mengjiao felt even more self-conscious; after staring blankly for a while, she instinctively turned her head away, unwilling to meet the heavenly fairy's gaze.

Yet a thick surge of jealousy welled up uncontrollably in her heart.

As for the escort guards, there was even less need to say.

Though they had roamed north and south for years, they had never laid eyes on such an earthly marvel.

It could be said that the heavenly fairy's appearance completely redefined the upper limit of their understanding of beauty.

No wonder history recorded so many rulers who, to win a smile from a beauty, committed acts that later generations found utterly absurd.

Faced with such a beauty, who wouldn't be utterly bewitched?

At the same time, the seven riders on the opposite side, upon spotting the escort caravan, grew wary.

But upon seeing the banner of "Central Plains Escort Agency," the four men immediately relaxed.

The three girls, however, exchanged a glance, their eyes seeming to convey a thousand unspoken words.

Seeing the heavenly fairy's expression betray a hint of urgency, a girl in red beside her whispered, "Young Lady, there's plenty of time ahead—keep your composure."

Hearing this, the heavenly fairy finally restrained her thoughts, gave a slight nod of her lovely head, and rode forward with the others.

In the instant they brushed past the escort caravan, her gaze swept over the crowd, lingering briefly on Jiang Sishui and Zhao Qiying, and meeting the former's eyes for a moment.

The instant their gazes met, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck them both; the strings of their hearts trembled violently.

043 — Endless Strife, Lodging in an Old Garden

A blush crept up the heavenly fairy's ears, her cheeks warming slightly; she quickly turned her head away, fixed her gaze straight ahead, and put on an air of perfect nonchalance.

Jiang Sishui's gaze also shifted from her, sweeping over the remaining four men and two girls, especially the girl in red and the girl in green.

Zhao Qiying, watching his reaction from the side, quietly nudged his waist with the hilt of her sword.

Jiang Sishui, jolted by the pain, came back to himself; seeing Zhao Qiying's calm expression, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly reached for her soft hand.

Zhao Qiying didn't dodge, letting him hold her hand, and shot him a withering glare in return.

She had the copy of the diary in hand, so of course she knew Jiang Sishui's roving heart—and she also knew she wasn't the woman he loved most.

But even so, she had still chosen to be with Jiang Sishui, which meant she had already accepted a future of sharing one husband with others.

After all, Jiang Sishui was far too exceptional—a man destined to reach the peak, and it was perfectly natural for such a man to have multiple women.

Zhao Qiying was a daughter of the jianghu, following her heart in love and hate; since she felt she liked this man, she would simply follow him.

As long as he was willing, she could disregard everything else.

With such thoughts, although Zhao Qiying still felt a twinge of sourness, her jealousy was not particularly strong.

Besides, even she found the heavenly fairy breathtaking; losing to such an earthly marvel was hardly shameful.

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

As Zhao Qiying thought this, the corners of her lips curved up unconsciously.

Jiang Sishui, noticing from the side, assumed she was plotting some punishment for him and felt a sudden pang of dread.

"Heroes emerge in youth, heaven and earth gather the finest spirit—truly, a new generation replaces the old."

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

He had trained for many years, and now past fifty, he had only reached the Early Grandmaster Stage, yet those two young people earlier, half his age, were already no weaker than him.

How could Zhao Tianhao not feel ashamed?

But he also knew that geniuses existed in this world, and geniuses could rarely be measured by common sense.

Therefore, although Zhao Tianhao felt a bit sullen, it didn't become a lingering knot in his heart.

And the appearance of that heavenly fairy made Zhao Tianhao all the more astonished!

In his youth, that era had likewise produced countless prodigies and beauties, yet the heavenly fairy's arrival still redefined his understanding of beauty.

For a moment, Zhao Tianhao truly felt he had grown old, and that this jianghu no longer belonged to them.

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

The two returned to the carriage; Jiang Sishui felt a twinge of guilt, thinking Zhao Qiying was about to "settle the score later."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qiying didn't mention the previous incident at all.

This left Jiang Sishui quite puzzled.

But although he didn't understand, he clearly wasn't foolish enough to go looking for trouble, and was happy to leave it at that.

One wave had barely settled when another rose.

The two had only been back in the carriage for an hour when they suddenly heard another burst of shouting and fighting.

The dense clashing of weapons merged into one continuous roar, and the murderous aura rising skyward could be felt even from dozens of zhang away.

What's going on?

The two got out of the carriage again and saw a group of people locked in mutual slaughter ahead—five or six hundred of them at the very least!

Their Wu Gong wasn't all that high; the strongest was only a Grandmaster, but once they fought, their methods were exceptionally vicious and ruthless.

Poison Art, hidden weapons, mechanisms, gang beatings… every kind of messy, chaotic tactic was thrown in all at once.

After taking turns attacking like this, an ordinary Grandmaster going in would either die or be flayed alive.

Zhao Tianhao raised a hand to halt the escort convoy, staring at the chaotic battlefield ahead where blood sprayed and severed limbs flew, his brows tightly knit.

Without a doubt, these people had already killed themselves into a frenzy!

The convoy absolutely could not pass through; if they got dragged into the fight it would be disastrous, so they could only take a detour.

But looking at the surrounding terrain—tall mountains, sheer cliffs, dense thickets of forest—even setting aside how hard the path was to travel, there would surely be no shortage of snakes, bugs, rats, and ants, making it extremely troublesome.

Jiang Sishui read his thoughts and smiled: "Zhao Zongbiao, why don't we wait a while?"

Zhao Tianhao nodded: "It can only be like this."

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

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

"Two or three days—that's just right to make it to the Zhenlongqi Society. No rush, no rush."

"Does the young brother perhaps have confidence in solving that 'Zhenlong Chess Puzzle'?"

This question was undoubtedly somewhat taboo, and also didn't conform to the rules of the Central Plains Escort Bureau.

If it had been before, no matter how curious Zhao Tianhao was, he wouldn't have asked so bluntly, but these past few days he had taken in everything regarding Jiang Sishui and Zhao Qiying, and had tacitly accepted it.

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

With his daughter's happiness at stake, he also wanted to get a clear measure of Jiang Sishui's abilities and mettle.

Jiang Sishui shook his head: "The 'Zhenlong Chess Puzzle' has existed in the world for twenty years, and countless grandmasters of the Way of Go have returned defeated. My knowledge of Go is only slight—how could I possibly solve it?"

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

"To pay a visit to an old senior."

Zhao Tianhao suddenly understood, and looking at Jiang Sishui's calm and composed expression, fell into thought.

Although Jiang Sishui looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over, the intuition honed from years of traveling north and south told him this young man was no simple character.

This was also one of the reasons he hadn't inquired into Zhao Qiying's choice of affection.

Jiang Sishui gazed toward that battlefield.

Fresh human heads flew up one after another, blood gushing from their necks like springs.

Arms and severed legs flew from bodies, accompanied by their owners' anguished wails.

Pouches of poison powder were flung onto faces and heads; those hit scratched and clawed at themselves in agony, and within moments choked out their last breath and died.