Chapter 94

Abi did as she was told.

What Jiang Sishui intended to pass on was precisely the "Northern Nether Divine Art"—after all, it was the unrivaled cultivation method for quickly becoming a top expert.

However, this art had one threshold: at the very start of cultivation, one had to forget all other martial arts and keep the mind free of distractions.

At first hearing, this didn't sound difficult, yet it wasn't something just anyone could do.

Jiang Sishui stated this requirement and let Abi try it first.

The result went very smoothly.

Because Abi originally didn't know several martial arts, meeting this condition wasn't hard for her.

So Jiang Sishui dissolved what little internal energy she already had, then began transmitting the "Northern Nether Divine Art."

During the process, to ensure the accuracy of the energy-circulation routes, Jiang Sishui inevitably had to point and prod at her body, taking the chance to gain quite a few liberties.

The two drew closer and closer, and Jiang Sishui tested Abi's bottom line again and again, trying to figure out this girl's thoughts and attitude.

The result was quite a pleasant surprise to him.

Looking at Abi's blushing, shy, and timid pretty face—showing only a maiden's reserve and bashfulness, with no trace of rejection—he knew there was hope!

So he pressed his advantage even further.

Abi, who had zero experience with men, retreated step by step, completely unable to fend him off; several times she made excuses to escape, only to be pulled back by Jiang Sishui.

Before they knew it, the sun had set behind the western hills.

When Ah Zhu called the two to come eat, Abi startled, broke free from Jiang Sishui's embrace, straightened her clothes, and said in a slightly flustered tone: "Brother Jiang, time to… eat."

Having said that, the young girl lowered her graceful head and ran off without looking back.

Jiang Sishui watched her slender, graceful back, unconsciously rubbing his fingers together—a lingering fragrance seemed to linger at his fingertips.

While his heart felt carefree and pleased, he also grew increasingly restless and eager.

When Jiang Sishui returned and saw the women he had only recently gotten to know getting along harmoniously, he couldn't help feeling a bit surprised.

Although he didn't know what they had chatted about, this outcome couldn't have been better, and he couldn't be bothered to inquire, lest it stir up unnecessary trouble.

In fact, it was nothing strange for the several women to be on good terms.

If Jiang Sishui had only these few around him, they would probably really be scheming against each other.

Yet they were well aware of Jiang Sishui's "big appetite," knowing he still had his eye on many other women—so what was the point of fighting among themselves?

Fight till both sides were wounded, fight till Jiang Sishui grew annoyed, and then let latercomers reap the benefit?

They weren't that foolish!

Far better to first build good relations, maintain their connections, and at least be able to look out for one another from now on.

And so, it was Jiang Sishui who reaped the benefit.

Tonight's meal was cooked by Zhao Qiying and Ah Zhu; Huang Rong also showed off her skill by making a beggar's chicken.

In the end, that beggar's chicken was divided up and finished off by everyone.

Clearly, Zhao Qiying and Ah Zhu's cooking was admittedly good, but Huang Rong was still a notch above.

To spare the two women's feelings, Jiang Sishui, with his belly already stuffed, carried out a "clean plate" campaign.

After the meal, the women said they wanted to go chat about a maiden's private matters, leaving Jiang Sishui to one side.

But in fact, they were leaving Jiang Sishui time to write his diary.

When Jiang Sishui pulled out his diary, the five women, in a place he couldn't see, sat in a circle, each with a copy of the diary resting on her knees.

【Today I went to find Huang Yaoshi. At first I didn't see Rong'er and thought she had left early, which worried me quite a bit. Luckily it was a false alarm.】

【"Flicking Finger Divine Skill"—I learned it after just one look. But if I learned it, wouldn't I have to leave? So I deliberately played dumb and managed to stall till noon when Rong'er came to deliver the meal.】

【Although I saw Rong'er once yesterday, how could watching from afar compare to seeing her up close?】

【The result didn't disappoint me. Rong'er is still that mischievous, clever little imp from the original work.】

【And from a series of details, I can tell she has a favorable impression of me.】

【The hardest part is the beginning—this is undoubtedly the best news.】

【And what surprised me most was that before my carefully planned "Abduction Plan" could even unfold, she actually took the initiative and said she was willing to roam the jianghu with me!】

"Abduction Plan?"

Huang Rong was stunned for a moment, then rolled her eyes.

This guy—he actually wanted to abduct her like some naive young girl.

In his eyes, was she really that easy to fool?

"Underestimating Rong'er—another one million taels added to your tab!"

……

Inn.

Feng Heng had just soothed Huang Yaoshi, who was so angry at Huang Rong's leaving without a word that his beard was bristling and his eyes glaring. Seeing the contents of the diary, she let out a soft sigh.

"Rong'er has grown up, and her heart has grown wilder too. Since she's made her choice, you must take good care of her (understood?)."

【Since Rong'er is by my side, there's no way I'm letting her slip away. She is destined to be mine in this life.】

【Guo Jing, the great hero Guo—my apologies, but in this world many things can be yielded; a woman, however, absolutely cannot be yielded.】

【Rest assured, I will definitely take good care of her and cherish her, let her live happily and peacefully, not spend her whole life trapped in one corner of the world.】

【Wait, even without me, Guo Jing might not necessarily meet Rong'er; even if they did meet, the two of them might not necessarily fall in love.】

【After all, the original plot has gotten quite jumbled.】

【Just like Wang Yuyan and Abi—in the original they both devoted themselves to Murong Fu, but in reality they didn't.】

【So it's clear the two cannot be treated as equivalent.】

【But if that's the case, can Guo Fu and Guo Xiang still appear?】

【After all, in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," they are the daughters of Guo Jing and Rong'er.】

"Now that Rong'er is with me, do they cease to exist?" Min.

104 Yang Guo, your Great Eagle is gone!

Ezhou, outside the walls of Xiangyang.

In a valley, Guo Xiang leaned against a massive eagle of fearsome, grotesque appearance and imposing, awe-inspiring aura, sitting on a large green stone while holding a copy of a diary.

The young girl looked utterly bewildered: "My eldest sister and I are Guo Jing and Huang Rong's daughters? This... this..."

She was indeed the second daughter of the Guo household, but her father was Guo the Great Hero, known as "the Great Hero among Great Heroes," and had not the slightest connection to Guo Jing beyond sharing the same surname.

Moreover, judging by the diary's contents, that Huang Rong might not even be older than her now!

To be a daughter of a peer in the book made Guo Xiang so embarrassed she kept picking at her toes.

"Ah, how utterly shameful!"

Thinking that someone among the diary copy's owners might know her and could be laughing at her right now, Guo Xiang felt both ashamed and annoyed.

This so-called "Eagle Knight and His Lady" is nothing but sheer fabrication!

"Huh? Eagle Knight and His Lady? Eagle?"

Guo Xiang's gaze sharpened, then she looked skeptically at the great eagle beside her.

She had encountered this great eagle while searching for the Pusiqu snake; at that time, it was hunting snakes.

Guo Xiang had never seen such a huge and spirited eagle; she instinctively cried out, instantly attracting the eagle's attention.

She expected the creature to attack her, but instead, the eagle merely glanced at her before turning its head and leaving.

Guo Xiang, being quick-witted, noticed the eagle's eyes were full of intelligence, quite unlike those of ordinary beasts.

Thus, no longer afraid, her playful spirit stirred, and she boldly chased after it.

Back and forth between the two, they quickly became friends.

Along the way, Guo Xiang discovered this eagle was incredibly formidable; although it could not fly, its skin was thick and flesh tough, weapons could not harm it, and its strength was extraordinarily great; even a typical Grandmaster could not defeat it in a direct confrontation.

To call it a Divine Eagle seemed not an exaggeration.

While Guo Xiang read the diary, the Divine Eagle also poked its head over, tilted its head, and stared intently at Guo Xiang's thigh with one eagle eye.

Judging by Guo Xiang's appearance, the Divine Eagle felt there should be something on her thigh, yet even as it strained its eyes until they nearly split, it could not spot a single hair.

Such a miraculous scene initially sparked the Divine Eagle's curiosity and interest.

However, after "studying" it for several days with no progress whatsoever, the Divine Eagle finally gave up.

Just as it hung its head, it suddenly noticed Guo Xiang looking at it with a strange expression, and immediately opened its beak to let out a cry.

That highly human-like gaze was clearly filled with inquiry.

Guo Xiang reached out to stroke its wing, her eyebrows and eyes smiling: "Eagle, from now on I shall call you 'Divine Eagle,' alright?"

The Divine Eagle stood up, puffed out its chest and raised its head, letting out a long, distant cry.