Chapter 93

"Is that so? Then I must thank the Divine Marquis for his kindness."

Jiang Sishui looked Zhu Wushi in the eye and said, word by word: "Might I ask if the Divine Marquis has ever heard of the two martial arts, the 'Art of Absorbing Power' and the 'Jin Gang Indestructible Body'?"

The Art of Absorbing Power!

The Jin Gang Indestructible Body!

Hearing those eight words—more sensitive than any other—Zhu Wushi's gaze suddenly turned cold.

At that moment, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees, shifting with Zhu Wushi's mood—piercingly cold, as though one had been cast into the bitter depths of late autumn or winter.

Watching Jiang Sishui's confident smile, Zhu Wushi slipped his right hand behind his back and, where no one could see, slowly clenched it into a fist.

With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he said: "Years ago, a Heavenly Being appeared in the Central Domain, styling himself the 'Tianchi Eccentric Knight.' His ultimate arts were the 'Art of Absorbing Power' and the 'Jin Gang Indestructible Saintly Art.' Is that what my young friend is referring to?"

Jiang Sishui nodded, then added: "After the Tianchi Eccentric Knight died, his ultimate arts were not lost—they were passed down through two disciples."

"The intelligence network of the Dragon Guard Shanzhuang covers the whole realm; I imagine this matter couldn't be hidden from the Divine Marquis, could it?"

Zhu Wushi's face seemed Covered with a layer of frost as he said coldly: "What are you trying to say?"

Jiang Sishui let a trace of true Qi show, as if ready to respond to any change at any moment, and said: "I myself am quite enamored with these two martial arts, so I wish to borrow the hands of the Dragon Guard Shanzhuang and ask the Divine Marquis to help me track them down."

"And in exchange, I will give the Divine Marquis two treasures of equal, incalculable value—the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom."

"What? What did you say?!" A sharp gleam exploded in Zhu Wushi's eyes, and he couldn't help but step forward.

Jiang Sishui, however, retreated three steps and said: "Don't be hasty, Divine Marquis. If you get anxious and I panic, I might just forget about the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom. When that time comes, no one will be able to produce it again."

Zhu Wushi took a deep breath, no longer pressing forward, and said in a low voice: "Do you truly know where the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom is?"

"Absolutely certain."

"How can I trust you?"

"How about this: I'll first tell the Divine Marquis the whereabouts of one of the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamoms, and you may verify it yourself. If it's correct, then bring the manuals to exchange for the other one. How about it?"

Zhu Wushi stared at Jiang Sishui for a long moment, then said: "Very well, this Marquis agrees. I only hope everything you've said is true."

As he spoke, his gaze, carrying a veiled threat, swept over Huang Rong.

Jiang Sishui hadn't even fled for his life without bringing this woman along, which showed just how important she was to him—Zhu Wushi took the opportunity to issue a warning.

You may have a "turtle shell," but she and those few people up on Leigu Mountain don't. Can you still protect everyone?

In truth, Zhu Wushi had not failed to consider seizing Zhao Qiying, Wang Yuyan, and the others as hostages.

But the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom was a matter of grave importance, allowing no margin for error, and since he couldn't gauge Jiang Sishui's temperament, he didn't wish to take risks.

What if Jiang Sishui was the type who yielded to softness but not to force, and in a fury tore off all pretense with him, smashing everything to pieces in a fit of spite—if they parted ways in mutual ruin, he would be left with nothing but regret.

After all, for Zhu Wushi, that woman waiting for the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom to save her life was his very "lifeline."

Jiang Sishui naturally saw his meaning and laughed: "The Divine Marquis seems just like me—a man who cherishes his fair ladies. Then matters between men should be settled between men. That's for the best, isn't it?"

Zhu Wushi's heart gave a jolt, and he felt even more grateful that he hadn't acted rashly a moment ago.

"One Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom is inside Princess Yunluo's little Mermaid Bright Pearl. Very well, I shall await the Divine Marquis's good news. Farewell."

Holding Huang Rong, Jiang Sishui slowly retreated, until he finally vanished from Zhu Wushi's sight.

Zhu Wushi's expression flickered between light and shadow, joy and worry mingling in equal measure.

The intelligence network of the Dragon Guard Shanzhuang covered the whole realm; years ago, it had happened to gather a piece of information about the "Xiaoyao Sect," mentioning that this sect possessed a martial art whose function was similar to his "Art of Absorbing Power."

Zhu Wushi was immediately intrigued, wanting to obtain it for a look, to see if he could draw inspiration from it and perfect the "Art of Absorbing Power."

If he could, his cultivation would surely advance another level!

After several years of investigation, he finally fixed his sights on Leigu Mountain.

To deal with the "Zhenlong Illusory Formation," he had even paid a great price to invite the Young Master of the Untraceable out.

Yet though the illusory formation was broken, the opportunity that should have been there was snatched away first by some Mao Touxiaozi.

To avoid drawing too much attention, he had not shown himself at the "Zhenlongqi Society," but had instead chosen to capture Jiang Sishui privately and pry out the "Northern Nether Divine Art."

But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he, a Heavenly Being, would actually fail at the hands of a Grandmaster!

This thoroughly disrupted all his plans.

And his original calculations had come to nothing.

At this moment, Jiang Sishui actually proposed a deal with him—and the contents of the deal made Zhu Wushi's heart pound with shock.

Although Jiang Sishui had not spoken plainly, every word and every phrase hinted at a secret buried deep in Zhu Wushi's heart; he could be said to be both alarmed and furious.

Fortunately, "misfortune is where fortune leans"—he had actually learned the whereabouts of the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom because of it!

This was an unexpected joy, so much so that the delight in Zhu Wushi's heart instantly overwhelmed all his negative emotions.

"Eighteen years—Suxin can be saved!"

The moment he thought of Suxin's former voice and smile, Zhu Wushi was seized with emotion; he turned and headed straight back to Jingzhou.

At the same time, he had to go confirm Suxin's safety.

Jiang Sishui's words had sounded an alarm in him; he had to be on guard.

……

On the road, Huang Rong kept turning her head to peer at Jiang Sishui, as though she had discovered some rare creature.

Jiang Sishui turned to glance at her and laughed: "You keep looking at me like that, and I still have no money to pay you back… Ah, I get it now—you can't be blaming me for not taking Chenciji Society to swindle that fellow out of a fortune, can you?"

Huang Rong rolled her eyes, couldn't resist punching him, and said irritably: "Glad you realize it! What's the use of saying all this now?"

"I was just startled by a Heavenly Being and forgot for the moment." Jiang Sishui wore a look of regret.

But in his heart he thought: Even if I had remembered, I still wouldn't say.

Huang Rong's eyes swirled, her voice soft and clear: "Hey, you're actually not that dumb—you even dared to negotiate terms with a Heavenly Being, and he couldn't do anything to you."

"Me, dumb?" Jiang Sishui was speechless: "Only Miss Huang would say that about me."

"Then with me saying it like this, do you like it or not?" Huang Rong leaned her pretty face close, putting on a threatening look.

Jiang Sishui laughed: "If you let me call you 'Rong'er' from now on, then I'll like it."

Huang Rong's face reddened. She turned around, leaving Jiang Sishui with nothing but the back of her head.

"Dreaming so sweetly — looks like the simpleton has really turned into a clever melon."

"Then Rong'er, you agree?"

"One million taels!"

"What?"

"You owe me another million taels, and I'll let you call me that."

"Fine, one million taels it is!"

"Hehe, what a fool."

The girl let out a silvery, bell-like peal of laughter and dashed ahead toward Leigu Mountain.

And with Zhu Wushi's interruption like that, Huang Rong seemed to have forgotten that deadly-serious question from the start.

Jiang Sishui did remember, of course, but he clearly wasn't stupid enough to bring it up.

"Rong'er, slow down, wait for me!"

103 Guo Lady becomes Jiang Lady — will Mu Nianci still appear?

Back at Leigu Mountain, Jiang Sishui introduced Huang Rong and Zhao Qiying's four women to one another.

Afterward, both sides regarded each other with a look Jiang Sishui couldn't read, sizing one another up.

At the Zhenlongqi Society, although Huang Rong was also present, Zhao Qiying's four women didn't know her, and with the tense situation at the time, they had no mind to pay attention to bystanders.

So this was the first time any of them had seen the girl Jiang Sishui had been pining over.

Huang Rong, for her part, had seen all of them before, but only now was it a proper introduction.

The atmosphere on the scene was a touch delicate. Jiang Sishui, who had already been harboring the idea of building a harem, immediately felt guilty and hurriedly beckoned: "A'Bi, come here!"

"Huh? Me?"

A'Bi pointed at herself in astonishment, clearly not expecting Jiang Sishui to suddenly call on her at this moment.

Jiang Sishui gave a slight nod, then turned and walked off with an air of studied calm.

A'Bi glanced at the women, lowered her head, and hurried after him.

After walking a good distance to a secluded spot, Jiang Sishui looked at A'Bi's uneasy eyes and said: "A'Bi, since you are one of our sect, I shall pass on our sect's divine Wu Gong to you. You must study it seriously."

Teaching Wu Gong?

A'Bi breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then felt a touch of doubt: "My seniority is so low — am I allowed to learn the sect's divine Wu Gong?"

Jiang Sishui smiled and said: "I didn't know before, but now I am the Sect Leader, so naturally I have the final say. If I think it's fine, then there's no problem."

A'Bi was understanding by nature. She knew full well that Jiang Sishui's move was truly for her good, hoping she would have the strength to protect herself in this jianghu where Wu Weizun.

Therefore, although she wasn't particularly passionate about martial arts, she agreed in one breath: "Thank you, Brother Jiang. A'Bi will definitely study seriously."

"Good, sit here!" Jiang Sishui pointed at a large bluestone beside him.