Chapter 9

Although she had always been confident, she would never dare claim she could surpass every woman under heaven.

Therefore, while Huang Rong was flattered by the unexpected favor, she could not help but curl her lips smugly: "You do have an eye!"

Huang Rong rested her small chin on her hand, her rippling eyes swirling, staring intently at the diary copy, wanting to see what Jiang Sishui would write about her next.

At the same time, who knew how many peerless and extraordinary beauties let out a discontented cold snort.

Yao Yue, who was hurrying toward Wuliang Mountain, darkened her face, and the air pressure around her dropped along with it, the atmosphere so tense it made one's heart panic.

The maidservants of the Yihua Palace behind her were silent as cicadas in winter, not understanding why their Grand Palace Mistress, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, had suddenly become like this.

At this moment, Yao Yue's heart was full of anger.

That the last person was not herself, Yao Yue had long anticipated, because the diary owner's favorability toward her was simply too low!

But seeing Jiang Sishui bestow the title of "Number One Extraordinary Beauty of Wu Xia" upon someone else with her own eyes, she was still seething with rage.

Although this title was merely Jiang Sishui's personal subjective assessment and could not represent objective fact, she simply refused to accept it and felt displeased.

Just think—her beauty outshone all of Yunzhou, she had even rejected the Dali Emperor's marriage proposal back in the day, and she had cultivated to the Late Grandmaster Stage at just over twenty years old!

Possessing both strength and beauty, where was she, Yao Yue, weak?

Now someone had, with a few words, placed someone even more outstanding above her head—how could she accept that?

"Jiang Sishui, is it? In Suzhou? I'll go find you, and see what gives you the right to look down on me, Yao Yue!"

Yao Yue bit her silver teeth, secretly hardening her heart.

……

South of Nanzhou, the land of the Hundred Yue.

Yan Lingji lay reclined on the bed, lazily stretching her graceful and enchanting body, one hand propping up her lovely head, the other toying with a cluster of flames.

Seeing the diary's praise of Wang Yuyan and Xiao Longnu, a trace of a smile surfaced in her bewitching eyes: "At most a tie, even I cannot surpass them?"

As she spoke, her slender hand lightly flipped, and on the title page was written—

【Character: Yan Lingji】

【Appearance: 10】

【Favorability: 10】

"Even with this I can't rank first, it seems I'm not the only one with a perfect score in both categories."

Yan Lingji's flame-lit index finger lightly covered her sandalwood mouth, and she said coquettishly: "Infatuated with me? You fickle fellow, I wonder if you want to experience my passionate fire, or my tender gentleness?"

"But I'm very unhappy that I didn't rank first."

"When the time comes, how will you coax me? Hehe…"

Just as she was thinking this, she saw the diary copy's contents update again.

【There are hundreds and thousands of beauties across the martial worlds; possessing them all would naturally be best, but the difficulty is considerable—even if I became the world's number one, it would still be so】

"Bah! You still want to possess them all! A thousand women—even if they were all given to you, could you handle them all?"

Seeing this, the women all spat lightly, feeling Jiang Sishui was entertaining a wild fantasy.

Let alone a thousand—even a hundred women could wear out the strongest man!

【But if I could only choose one, then I would choose Rong'er without hesitation】

"Rong'er? Is it Huang Rong?" The women's hearts stirred.

On the flower boat, Huang Rong's gaze also sharpened.

【Oh? Right, there's also Yan Lingji—I wonder if she exists in this world?】

【She is the number one goddess of national animation! Just like Rong'er's status in Wu Xia】

【Does "Tian Xing Jiu Ge" count as Wu Xia? It should, right?】

【If she and Rong'er were placed on either side and I had to choose, wouldn't I worry my hair white?】

"Tian Xing Jiu Ge? Am I a character from it?"

Yan Lingji's heart stirred, then she looked at the diary page with a face full of teasing, wanting to see how Jiang Sishui would choose between her and Huang Rong.

"Hmph! Fickle ghost! Just now you said you'd choose me without hesitation, and now you've changed your tune—truly detestable!"

Huang Rong clenched her small fist, wishing she could cross through space to give Jiang Sishui a good smack.

【Forget it, only children make choices—of course I want them all!】

Huang Rong: "…"

Yan Lingji: "…"

【But if I really could only choose one, perhaps… maybe… probably… alright, I would still choose Rong'er】

A brilliant smile immediately bloomed on Huang Rong's face.

The flame at Yan Lingji's fingertip suddenly snuffed out.

One woman was pleased, the other annoyed—their reactions were entirely different.

It was not that they had fallen for this fickle man they had never met after reading the diary; rather, Jiang Sishui's assessment was undoubtedly a kind of contest between them.

Most women were jealous by nature and liked to compete—just as Yao Yue would not allow herself to lose to Lianxing, Yan Lingji also did not want to lose to Huang Rong.

Especially since who knew how many people would see the result of this comparison.

"This stinky man, I must make him feel my Ice and Fire Duality."

The flame reigniting at Yan Lingji's fingertip burned even stronger.

【Yan Lingji is certainly a goddess-level bewitching beauty, and in terms of looks alone, she is even above Rong'er, but she is not as interesting as Rong'er】

【Not just Yan Lingji—Wang Yuyan and Xiao Longnu are the same】

【Wang Yuyan centers everything around her cousin Murong Fu; her entire life revolves around Murong Fu】

【If the two were in mutual love, that would be fine—it would be a kind of romance, but unfortunately Murong Fu's eyes only hold the restoration of his kingdom; he merely treats Wang Yuyan as a tool for learning martial arts】

【Murong Fu doesn't care about Wang Yuyan at all, yet Wang Yuyan has never been able to see this clearly, still calling 'cousin' this and 'cousin' that all day long】

Putting aside her martial arts talent, this fairy's soul lacked a self, resembling nothing so much as a "vase."

"A vase? So that is how you evaluate me?"

Wang Yuyan stood dazed, lost in thought, as the title page recorded:

【Character: Wang Yuyan】

【Appearance: 10】

【Affection: 8】

An affection score of eight meant merely liking.

And how much of this "liking" stemmed from admiring her external beauty?

"Do I lack a self? Is my cousin really just using me?"

A sharp pain pierced Wang Yuyan's heart; memories replayed in her mind, vividly showing every moment between her and Murong Fu.

Whenever Murong Fu came to see her, he only asked about martial arts matters; once done, he left, never lingering to cast a single glance at her.

Let alone any concern for her well-being or playful flirting.

Not once had that ever happened.

Thinking of this, Wang Yuyan's heart turned ice-cold.

【Like Wang Yuyan, Xiao Longnu was a shut-in, never having gone anywhere else from childhood to adulthood.】

【She was innocent and simple, ignorant of worldly affairs, not even knowing that buying things outside required money.】

【At the same time, because she had cultivated the "Jade Maiden Art" taught by her Master since childhood, she had nearly severed all emotions and desires, rarely experiencing emotional fluctuations, and viewing even life and death with extreme indifference.】

【In "The Return of the Condor Heroes," when Sun Nu, who had raised her since childhood, was killed by Hao Datong, one of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, she merely felt a pang of sorrow before returning to calm.】

【For in her view, everyone must die eventually; whether sooner or later made no difference.】

【Thus, from beginning to end, even when a closest relative passed away, she shed not a single tear.】

【At that time, she seemed less like a human and more like a block of ice stone.】

【Cold and indifferent.】

【Her simplicity made her endearing; one always felt that no amount of doting and loving was too much, wishing to pluck the moon from the sky just for her.】

【But if facing that cold and indifferent Xiao Longnu, she was no longer a fairy descended to the mortal world, but a celestial maiden from the Nine Heavens, completely untouched by the smoke and fire of the human world.】

【Such a cold, aloof, emotionless fairy—any man, I fear, would want to possess her exclusively.】

【Yet, if one were to earnestly fall in love with her, it would lack much of the fun.】