Chapter 88

Although even if Zhao Qiying disagreed, he would still build a harem, but unless he truly had no other choice, he didn't want to use coercive methods.

Using force to overpower people is for dealing with outsiders, not with the women who share his bed.

……

With the matter at Thunder Drum Mountain settled, Jiang Sishui had originally planned to head straight for Manjueluo Shanzhuang.

Both to make good on the lie about "Wu Wu Ya Zi entrusting his daughter and Sun Nu," and for the sake of the "Minor Formless Art."

Of course, he also wanted to see what kind of elegance Li Qingluo, nicknamed "Yourong," possessed.

But Huang Yaoshi's family was still at the foot of the mountain, and he was still plotting against Huang Rong, so naturally he couldn't be in such a hurry.

So he arranged the four women within the protective range of the "Zhenlong Phantom Formation," telling them not to wander off.

This was, of course, to guard against Zhu Wushi.

Yesterday Zhu Wushi hadn't shown himself; disciples of the Longya Sect had even seen him with their own eyes "sneaking" down the mountain with a man in white, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't return.

Therefore, extra preparations had to be made.

Although without the remnant of "Shi Fang Ju Mie" anchoring it, the "Zhenlong Phantom Formation's" power had greatly diminished, holding off a Celestial Being for a short while was still no problem.

Even if the man in white beside him broke the formation again, it would still take time.

And with that little buffer time, it was enough for the four women to make their escape.

Out of consideration for a fallback, Jiang Sishui deliberately arranged them in a location with a complex terrain.

With Suxinghe, a local snake, leading the way, shaking off a Zhu Wushi unfamiliar with the area was no problem at all.

……

The foot of Thunder Drum Mountain wasn't particularly bustling; the little town only had a few inns, so Jiang Sishui asked around briefly and found them.

"Good lad, your fortune is no small matter. If I had to guess, you've only been in the Xiaoyao Sect for two days, haven't you?"

The moment Huang Yaoshi saw Jiang Sishui, he burst out laughing.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman, graceful and elegant — it was Feng Heng.

Although her daughter was already sixteen or seventeen, time had left no trace on her.

A lovely face, a slender figure, carrying the elegant poise of a lady from a great house — a sight that brightened the eyes.

Unfortunately, her complexion was a touch pale, not the radiant, plump-and-juicy-as-a-peach glow of a noblewoman her age.

This undoubtedly diminished her beauty by a few degrees.

Seeing Jiang Sishui, Feng Heng gave him a slight nod of greeting.

Jiang Sishui returned the courtesy, but inwardly felt a bit disappointed.

Because he hadn't seen any sign of Huang Rong......

"Where has that girl gone off to again? Sleeping in? She wouldn't have run off, would she?"

Jiang Sishui fretted inwardly.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. Hearing Huang Yaoshi's question, he said, "Regardless of whether it's early or late, I am already a man of the Xiaoyao Sect. What matters is that I've come to learn 'Flicking Finger Divine Power' from you, Senior."

Jiang Sishui spoke directly, without any dragging or dawdling.

Because neither he nor Huang Yaoshi liked beating around the bush.

Huang Yaoshi gave Jiang Sishui a meaningful look.

Recalling their first meeting, when Jiang Sishui had said he would wait until he'd learned profound internal force before coming to ask for instruction, he had assumed it was the ignorant prattle of a child, but now it seemed it wasn't quite so simple.

It was as if Jiang Sishui had known in advance that his cultivation was about to advance by leaps and bounds.

But from Jiang Sishui's answer, Huang Yaoshi could also tell the other party didn't want to discuss the matter in depth.

So he didn't press further either, and said decisively, "Fine, come with me."

Saying so, Huang Yaoshi took the lead.

Feng Heng and Jiang Sishui followed one after the other.

Stepping out the door, Jiang Sishui glanced back at the inn, had a sudden idea, and said, "We're just leaving like this, leaving your precious daughter here alone — wouldn't that be a bit unsafe?"

"Hm?" Huang Yaoshi whipped his head around, his gaze sweeping toward Jiang Sishui like a blade.

The moment his precious daughter was mentioned, Huang Yaoshi felt an instinctive wariness.

Especially when the one bringing it up was a young man.

Jiang Sishui's face was utterly calm, not the least bit intimidated. 3.7

Facing Huang Yaoshi's probing gaze, Jiang Sishui even showed a hint of puzzlement, as if he didn't understand why the reaction was so strong.

This made Huang Yaoshi swallow back the words that had just been on the tip of his tongue.

What if he'd read too much into it — wouldn't that just make him look self-flattering?

So Huang Yaoshi could only obediently shut his mouth.

At this moment, Feng Heng beside him explained, "Oh, her — she was making a fuss first thing this morning, and she's long since gone out."

"There aren't any experts in this town. Rong'er's Wu Gong may not match yours, but she can take care of herself."

"Besides, her father is right here. Even if she got into a conflict and made a scene, there'd be time to rush over."

Hearing this, Jiang Sishui understood, and extracted two key pieces of information.

First, Huang Rong already wasn't at the inn.

Second, Huang Rong hadn't run off, and would still come back.

With that, he was at ease.

097 Living Widowhood, the Resentful Feng Heng

The three of them hadn't gone far before Huang Yaoshi led them into a shabby little courtyard.

The courtyard was overgrown, choked with weeds, but at least it was quiet.

"Here will do."

Next, Huang Yaoshi began teaching the "Flickering Finger Divine Skill."

This martial art was not difficult for Jiang Sishui; with his extraordinary talent and profound internal energy, learning it was effortless.

However, he had not yet met Huang Rong, so he naturally needed to find a way to stay, and thus deliberately concealed his ability to stall for time.

……

As the sun rose higher, Feng Heng watched the two men—one teaching, one learning—in silence, then quietly left the small courtyard to prepare lunch for them.

Suddenly, a diary materialized out of thin air, hovering right before her.

Feng Heng got a fright.

What kind of technique was this—creating objects from the void?

Feng Heng was so startled she froze, her whole body rigid, not daring to move, nor daring to shout, afraid of triggering some bad consequence.

After a moment, when she noticed the diary made no further move, she relaxed slightly.

After some hesitation, she mustered her courage, carefully drew closer, then leaned in to take a look.

She saw a line of text written on the cover—

Jiang Sishui Diary Copy (Feng Heng Exclusive).

Like all the other women who had just obtained their diary copies, at first she had no idea what a "diary" meant, and could only guess from the name.

But why were Jiang Sishui's name and hers written on it?

Jiang Sishui's diary, exclusive to her?

If someone who didn't know the situation saw this, wouldn't they think there was some unspeakable special relationship between them?

Thinking of this, Feng Heng panicked, hurriedly tucked the diary copy away, wanting to find a place to destroy it.

But immediately after, she still could not resist her curiosity, opened the diary copy and began reading, wanting to know what was written inside.

【Character: Feng Heng】

【Appearance: 9】

【Favorability: 8】

"Appearance… favorability…"

Feng Heng blinked, then compared it against the grading standards above, and froze on the spot.

"Eight? Likes me? He likes me?"

Feng Heng was as if hearing thunder on a clear day, her whole person frozen in place, her mind completely unable to process it.

Jiang Sishui actually had improper thoughts about her?!

This… this was completely impossible to tell!

When they met just now, Jiang Sishui's gaze hadn't lingered on her for long at all, so how could it be…

Suddenly, Feng Heng shook her head again: "No, 'like' has many meanings, it can't be equated entirely with love—I mustn't misunderstand and make a fool of myself."