Chapter 96: You Saw Nothing!
Grandmother Ba, sitting on the low platform, shook her head, “Absolutely not. Unless the Supreme Emperor personally intervenes, we can’t guarantee victory against her. And the Supreme Emperor cannot leave the capital for such a matter.”
“Even the Chancellor can’t be certain of victory, and the Emperor would need his imperial guards to even suppress her, let alone capture her. Besides, we’ve already lost the God-Sealing Stones, and who knows when we’ll be able to create more. And even if we do, whether they’re effective against a supreme-grade divine crystal like that is uncertain. We don’t have time to experiment.”
“Since we know the South Pole Longevity has appeared and been absorbed, let’s abandon that path. Focus on the task at hand. Recall all your agents to Dàxīng City. We have a battle ahead of us against the Ghost Extreme Sect.”
The woman in black said, “Yes, Grandmother.” She paused, then asked, “Why not involve the Chongxian Sect? They’re enemies of the demonic sects.”
Grandmother Ba, her eyes closed, her hands clasped in her lap, said, “The Chongxian Sect cannot be trusted.”
She said nothing more, and the woman in black quietly withdrew.
Shi Hao sat in the carriage, his head out the window, looking back.
He had felt a gaze on him back at the palace, a strange sensation, like an invisible eye watching him from the sky.
If he hadn’t been using the Sacred Heart Clear Mirror Technique, he might not have noticed it.
He remembered the feeling and now looked back, trying to find its source.
He vaguely saw a mysterious aura rising from the palace, enveloping Dragon Head Mountain.
Wispy white clouds drifted in the sky above the mountain.
Normally, they wouldn’t have seemed unusual.
But now, with his heightened senses, as he looked at Dragon Head Mountain, he saw the clouds forming the shape of a giant eye.
Was the eye watching the entire mountain? He wasn’t sure if it was real or just his imagination.
Back at the Jade Flower Courtyard, Yue Ya’er spent the afternoon working.
She had sent her men to gather information.
Reports piled up on her table.
“Help me with these,” she said, sitting at the table, her head resting on her hand, looking bored.
Many things, although seemingly glamorous, were often tedious in reality.
Just gathering and sorting through intelligence reports was a headache. And Yue Ya’er clearly lacked capable assistants.
Shi Hao wanted to suggest she ask Xu Xiaoyan for help, but he hesitated, thinking it was probably pointless.
From the various reports, their assessment had been correct.
The Leopard Gate was collapsing without their intervention.
News of Jiao Han’s death had spread, and within a single day, the Leopard Gate’s strongholds had been attacked, their members killed or scattered.
Many had fled before even being attacked, while others, those with valuable skills, had been recruited by other gangs.
“This is the martial world?” Yue Ya’er said, stunned, “It’s so… fast. I’ve witnessed conflicts between prominent families. When one family falls, the others cautiously test the waters, scheming and plotting, weighing their options. Weeks pass before anyone acts, and even then, the conflict is quickly suppressed by those in power.
“But in the martial world… it’s like everything changed overnight.”
Shi Hao shook his head, “That’s how it is in the martial world. We live on the edge of a blade. We don’t have the same constraints as those established families. We’re all just… wanderers, with nothing to lose but our lives. We either die, or we rise to the top.
“And the Leopard Gate’s weak foundation is also a factor. Everyone knew the other gangs would attack, so they all pounced, trying to grab the biggest piece of the pie. With the Ghost Extreme Sect unwilling to intervene, the Leopard Gate’s collapse was inevitable.”
Yue Ya’er leaned back and stretched, “Grandmother told me to eliminate the Leopard Gate, to cut off the Ghost Extreme Sect’s influence. But they’re already gone before I even had to do anything. I guess I have nothing to do for the next few days.”
She wore a beautiful, wool, pleated dress, a flower-patterned whip tied around her slender waist.
She stretched her arms, leaning back, the lines of her figure accentuated by the pink dress.
Shi Hao also sighed in relief. With the Leopard Gate gone, he and Xu Xiaoyan were much safer in Dàxīng City.
Yue Ya’er called for two maidservants, “Prepare a bath for me downstairs.”
“Yes, Miss,” the maidservants replied. After a while, they returned, “It’s ready, Miss.”
Shi Hao stood up, “I’ll go for a walk in the garden.”
“Wait!” Yue Ya’er put her hands on her hips, “What if an assassin attacks me while I’m bathing?”
Shi Hao said, “But…”
Yue Ya’er said, “Hmph, stay here! I’m paying you to be my bodyguard, not a gardener.”
Shi Hao: “…”
A screen stood in the room, dividing it. Shi Hao sat on one side.
Two lamps stood on the other side, their light casting shadows on the screen.
The screen, which had seemed opaque before, now, with the light behind it, revealed silhouettes.
He could see Yue Ya’er undressing, assisted by the two maidservants, the curves of her body clearly visible.
He saw her, her figure slender yet alluring, step onto a small wooden platform and then into the bath.
He quickly averted his gaze, his heart racing, but he couldn’t resist another glance.
The two maidservants, after gathering her discarded clothes, came around the screen, giggling as they looked at him.
“No peeking!” Yue Ya’er’s playful voice came from behind the screen.
Shi Hao sighed… If I don’t look, how can I protect you? And if I’m not protecting you, what am I doing here?
The sound of splashing water came from behind the screen, and Yue Ya’er giggled, “Tell me the truth, why won’t you go see Sister Yuejiao? She’s so fond of you.”
Shi Hao said, “I told you, I have things to do.”
Yue Ya’er, leaning against the edge of the bath, her face towards the screen, the light outlining her hair, said, “But it’s strange. What’s the conflict between seeing her and doing your… things? Or are you… hmph, are you hiding something from her?”
Shi Hao said, “No… don’t be ridiculous.”
Yue Ya’er, splashing in the bath, giggled, “By the way, no peeking! If you peek, I’ll tell Sister Yuejiao.”
Shi Hao wasn’t particularly interested in peeking.
But her repeated warnings only made him more curious, the temptation hard to resist.
They chatted through the screen. After a while, Yue Ya’er stepped out of the bath.
By the light of the lamps, Shi Hao saw her silhouette as she bent down, drying herself with a towel.
The faint light outlined her figure, her youthful beauty strangely alluring.
“Miss,” a maidservant entered, “Miss Du Yuejiao of the Chongxian Sect is here to see you.”
Yuejiao is here? Shi Hao turned, startled.
A surprised gasp came from behind the screen.
Shi Hao looked back and saw Yue Ya’er fall back into the bath with a splash, struggling to regain her composure. She looked up, her voice filled with surprise and anxiety, “Sister Yuejiao is here?”
Shi Hao thought, Why is she more nervous than I am?
Yue Ya’er said, “So late at night… why is she here? Does she… does she know something?”
The maidservant said, “Well…” She didn’t know what the “something” Yue Ya’er was referring to was.
Yue Ya’er asked again, “Is she alone?”
The maidservant said, “She’s with Madam Wan, her aunt, who is also the acting head of the Brocade Cloud Sword Pavilion.”
Yue Ya’er said, puzzled, “Oh…” She hurriedly climbed out of the bath, her foot slipping on the wet wooden platform. She fell, crashing into the screen, pulling it down with her.
Shi Hao quickly jumped back. Yue Ya’er, naked and dripping wet, lay sprawled on top of the fallen screen.
Shi Hao’s gaze lingered on her smooth back, her rounded buttocks, the curve of her breasts… She looked up at him, and then, with a scream, the maidservant quickly covered her with a towel.
After a flurry of activity, Yue Ya’er, having dressed upstairs, finally returned.
Her slightly damp hair hung loose around her shoulders, her delicate face flushed crimson.
She wore a yellow wrap-around silk dress embroidered with small crescent moons.
She stepped out of the pavilion, took a few deep breaths, then turned and glared at Shi Hao, her small fists clenched, “You saw nothing!”
Shi Hao said, his face impassive, “I saw nothing.”
Yue Ya’er turned her back to him, her chest heaving slightly, and then sighed softly in relief… He had seen nothing. That was good.
She swayed her hips, making the pleated yellow dress flutter, and then walked away, her steps light and graceful.
Having confirmed he had “seen nothing,” her mood seemed to have improved considerably.
Reaching a side room in the main hall, she said, “Wait for me here.”
She walked towards the main hall, her voice sweet and welcoming, “Sister Yuejiao, it’s so late. What brings you here?”
A girl’s apologetic voice came from the main hall, “I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I need your help.”
Yue Ya’er said, “It’s no trouble at all, Sister Yuejiao. Anything for you. Please, have a seat… Oh, you’re still carrying that doll. You had it with you last time as well.”
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