Mist drifted through the mountains.
With a few leaps, Jiang Tong landed steadily and stopped in front of a courtyard. He straightened his robes and lightly knocked on the courtyard door. “Sect Master Yao.”
After a moment, movement came from inside.
“Enter.”
The door creaked open. Jiang Tong hadn’t walked more than a few steps before he frowned and stopped. A screen partially shielded a hot spring. Steam billowed, and a blurry, curvaceous silhouette shifted behind the screen, seemingly soaking in the pool. A faint fragrance wafted through the air.
‘This crazy woman…’
“Sect Master Yao has quite the elegant hobby,” Jiang Tong said, cupping his hands. “Bathing so early in the morning—I won’t disturb you.”
He had no good feelings toward this woman. He had only come to ask a few questions and hadn’t expected that she would dare to let him in while she was bathing. It was a temptation—a blatant temptation.
Seduction aside, the thought that she was actually trying to seduce the Sword Fetus in his belly… he felt absolutely nothing. He deeply disliked women who treated their bodies as tools or even weapons, as they would inevitably treat him as a tool in the future.
“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I am wearing a bathrobe.”
The shadow rose from the pool, water trickling down her curves and splashing back into the water. Her shapely figure was concealed by the robe as Yao Xining sat at a white jade table, crossing her long, rounded legs.
“Alright, you may come in now,” she said with a smile.
Jiang Tong walked around the screen and sat at the white jade table, facing Yao Xining. A 20-year-old girl was fresh and delicate, while a 200-year-old woman was lush and refined. One could still see traces of her former youth on Yao Xining’s face, but it was overshadowed by a dangerous charm.
He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but the fragrance in the air seemed to have grown stronger.
“I knew you would come looking for me again.” Yao Xining’s lips curled into a smile as she pointedly looked behind him. “Where is Jiang Yueliu? Didn’t she come today?”
“Master is resting at home.” Jiang Tong glanced around the courtyard. “Where is Niexue?”
“She left early for a mission.” Yao Xining narrowed her eyes, wearing a faint smile. “In that case, it’s just the two of us in the courtyard…”
“If there’s something you want to say, say it now.”
“There is indeed something I want to ask, Sect Master Yao,” Jiang Tong said.
“Call me Aunt Yao.”
“…There is indeed something I want to ask, Aunt Yao.” Jiang Tong got straight to the point. “Ji Niexue once told me that my master changed her name a long time ago. I wanted to ask you if that’s true.”
“It is…” Yao Xining rested her chin on her hand, her expression unreadable. “What do you want to know? Jiang Yueliu’s previous name? Her experiences, or her past?”
Jiang Tong said, “This shouldn’t be much of a secret.”
“It’s not exactly a secret, but only those who were there back then know about her experiences.” Yao Xining calmly poured a cup of tea, her gaze growing more flirtatious as she stared at him without blinking. “Last time, I believe I proposed a certain condition…”
Jiang Tong looked into her eyes for a few seconds before turning away. “Forget it then.”
‘If I have to call her godmother, I might as well go home and ask Jiang Yueliu directly, pretending to be ignorant. I might find a clue that way.’
“Are you really that repulsed by the idea of acknowledging me as your godmother?”
Yao Xining’s eyes grew dim, and her breathing quickened. A trace of resentment flickered in her gaze. The fragrance in the air grew even stronger. Jiang Tong stood up, a frown deepening on his face.
He looked back; Yao Xining didn’t seem right. Her peaceful smile had vanished, replaced by an increasingly obvious charm. Her eyes were glazed with a watery mist, and her red lips were slightly parted. She seemed to be suppressing something, though she was just barely holding it within her limit. However, her eyes filled with surprise as she looked at Jiang Tong, as if she were confused.
“Jiang Tong,” Yao Xining finally couldn’t hold it back.
“Yes?” Jiang Tong was wondering what was going on.
“You… don’t feel anything at all?”
Jiang Tong thought for a moment before sudden realization hit him. He looked around and finally spotted several sticks of incense emitting thin wisps of white smoke behind the screen, right next to the hot spring. The smoke from the incense had been hidden by the steam from the spring, which was why he hadn’t noticed anything unusual earlier, aside from the fragrance.
“Soul-Bewitching Incense.”
Jiang Tong turned to look at Yao Xining, his gaze turning cold. “Sect Master Yao, what are you trying to do?”
Meeting his cold gaze, Yao Xining’s body actually felt weak. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at him. She had clearly controlled the dosage. She was at the Integration Stage, while Jiang Tong was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Although soul power was not directly tied to cultivation realms, her soul strength should have been significantly higher than his.
Under normal circumstances, Jiang Tong should have collapsed shortly after smelling it. She would have stayed conscious, giving her the chance to strip him, watch his face flush with shame, and then use a Record Stone to capture embarrassing evidence…
Jiang Tong might not care about others, but he definitely cared about his master. If she used the Record Stone as a threat, wouldn’t the natural Sword Fetus be forced to serve her obediently? Once she had that initial leverage, everything else would be simple. Yao Xining had been the Sect Master of the Shangyuan Sect for a long time; she had used plenty of ruthless methods.
But she could only do this to Jiang Tong. If she used other methods, Jiang Yueliu’s sword would not stay idle. Blackmail and enticement were the best choices.
Yet, despite her talking to Jiang Tong for so long, he was completely unaffected?
A wave of lingering fear washed over Jiang Tong. Fortunately, after emerging from the Spring and Autumn Bell, his soul power had increased significantly. ‘Otherwise, I really would have fallen for this woman’s trick.’
It seemed she hadn’t planned on a simple seduction; by lighting the incense, she likely intended to use even filthier methods. Jiang Tong looked at her, shook his head, and suddenly gave a small smile.
“I truly feel sorry for Ji Niexue for having a master like you.”
“You have no right to say those things to me.” Her scheme exposed, Yao Xining’s breathing quickened. She took a deep breath to suppress her inner agitation.
The Soul-Bewitching Incense’s primary effect was to entrance the soul, but its secondary, slower effect was to induce arousal.
“If you truly wanted the Sword Fetus, you didn’t need to use such filthy methods,” Jiang Tong said. “Let me tell you: if you wanted me to work myself to death for the Shangyuan Sect, all you had to do was be a little kinder to me when I was crippled, or not let Ji Niexue treat me as a rival when we were children. The human heart is made of flesh, after all. But the moment you saw I had the Sword Fetus, you started plotting, even stooping to such dirty tricks… Sect Master Yao, I can only say that you are truly vile.”
Hearing the word “vile,” Yao Xining suddenly trembled, her eyes filled with shame and indignation.
“You dare speak to an elder like that?”
She tried to circulate her Integration Stage cultivation, but after breathing in the incense for so long, her entire body had gone limp. Since Jiang Tong hadn’t collapsed, the accumulated effect of the incense had exceeded her expectations. She was already starting to feel dizzy.
“Because it’s the truth,” Jiang Tong said. He snapped off a branch with a *crack* and slowly walked toward her.
Jiang Tong was annoyed—very annoyed. He hated being schemed against the most, especially with such dirty methods. He had only come to ask a question; if she didn’t want to tell him, he wouldn’t have forced her. What was the meaning of this?
Watching him approach step by step, a hint of panic flashed in Yao Xining’s eyes. Her limp body tried to shrink back. “What are you doing?”
“Aunt Yao, to be honest, I’ve wanted to give you a thrashing since last time,” Jiang Tong said seriously.
He grabbed her by her robe and roughly hauled her up. Half of her body was draped over the stone table, her chest pressed against the surface so tightly it almost spilled from her collar. She had to clutch her full chest tightly to prevent herself from being exposed. Her misty eyes glared at Jiang Tong with pure hatred.
“Remember this: it’s called being too clever for your own good.”
Jiang Tong walked to her side and raised the branch, looking down at her. Yao Xining trembled under his gaze, an indescribable feeling rising in her heart.
“From now on, every time I hit you, you answer a question,” Jiang Tong said flatly. “I’m in a hurry, so you’d better not waste my time. Do you understand?”
With a *whoosh*, the branch *thwack*ed against her backside beneath the robe, leaving a red mark. Yao Xining’s seductive eyes widened. Her toes curled, and her legs trembled uncontrollably, her arches tensing into a curve. After a moment, she collapsed onto the white jade table like a heap of mud.
“Do you understand?”
It took Yao Xining a while to regain her focus. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and she bit her lip resentfully.
“Do you understand?” Jiang Tong made a move to raise the branch again.
“Un… der…” Her body twitched. In a hateful, trembling voice, she replied, “I understand…”