Chapter 99: Blessing or Curse?
After several changes of direction, Shi Hao was certain they had lost their pursuers.
But he wasn’t taking any chances. They were hiding in a deserted garden, under the eaves of a building. He carefully placed Xu Xiaoyan on a stone step.
Looking down, he saw her face covered by his robe, her slender legs exposed. While carrying her, he had held her close, the robe covering her completely, but now, as she sat there, her legs curled up, the robe slipped, revealing glimpses of her… undergarments.
The girl, clutching the robe to her chest, peeked out, saw his gaze, blushed, and quickly jumped up, adjusting the robe to cover her legs.
She then bumped his chin with her head, “Pervert!”
Shi Hao chuckled, dodging her, “Hey, I was just helping you!”
Xu Xiaoyan snorted and turned away, “Still a pervert!”
Shi Hao thought, I’ve been quite fortunate these past few days. I saw Yue Ya’er naked last night, and just now, Xiaoyan was also… exposed.
Is this a blessing or a curse?
Xu Xiaoyan, clutching the robe to her chest, fumbled with the sleeves, finally managing to put it on.
The sleeves were too long, so she rolled them up, then crossed the lapels like a proper robe, her small figure enveloped in the oversized garment.
She sat back down on the steps, and Shi Hao sat beside her, “Those pursuers seemed to be all women. Were they from the Moon Lotus Pavilion or the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion?”
Xu Xiaoyan said sadly, “Moon Lotus Pavilion. I don’t want to be enemies with them, but they won’t leave me alone.”
Shi Hao hadn’t used the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique. Looking at Xu Xiaoyan, although her disguised face was plain, her eyes were downcast, and she was biting her lip.
To wash away the floral scent that had been attracting their pursuers, she had submerged herself completely in the pond. Her hair was still wet.
The man’s robe, although wrapped tightly around her waist, was loose at the neck, revealing her delicate collarbone and a hint of cleavage, suggesting a surprisingly well-developed figure.
“Pervert!” she said, turning to him, her disguised face contorted in a mock grimace, “You’re still looking? Even though I’m so ugly? You would even take advantage of someone like me?”
Her attempt to appear unattractive, however, only made her more appealing.
Shi Hao chuckled, “I told you, I think you look… charming.” He leaned closer, his voice teasing, “I’m not lying.”
Xu Xiaoyan clutched the robe to her chest, leaning back as he approached, her eyes wide.
Shi Hao, continuing his teasing, leaned in to kiss her, expecting her to shyly pull away.
“Brother… Brother Shi?” a weak, trembling voice called out.
They both turned… and saw Du Yuejiao.
She stood there, holding the doll, dressed in her crimson Daoist robe, her eyes wide with disbelief, tears welling up.
The setting sun cast a golden glow on her slender figure, her loneliness palpable.
“Yuejiao?” Shi Hao, startled by her sudden appearance, jumped up.
Tears streamed down Du Yuejiao’s face as she turned and fled, clutching the doll.
Shi Hao leaped onto the wall and gave chase. He saw her crimson robe disappear around a corner.
He followed, his speed increasing, then frowned… He couldn’t lock onto her energy flow.
It was a strange sensation, as if some force was blocking his Soul Chasing Locking Steps.
The Emerald Beauty, he thought, it must be that creepy doll.
He relied on the Soul Chasing Locking Steps to track people, but now, with the technique useless, and Du Yuejiao, desperate to escape, running through the streets and alleys, the distance between them increased.
She disappeared around another corner. He continued running, leaping onto rooftops, searching for her.
He saw a small figure flying away.
It was the doll.
Xu Xiaoyan, having been caught in a… compromising situation, was stunned.
Dressed only in a man’s robe, she couldn’t use her movement techniques to pursue them. She grimaced, then decided to leave, find some clothes, and then deal with this later.
She climbed onto the wall, barefoot, jumped down into a deserted alley, and walked away.
Suddenly, a woman with a drawn sword, her killing intent clear, blocked her path.
It was Du Yuejiao.
Xu Xiaoyan’s heart sank. Clutching the robe to her chest, she raised her other hand and said weakly, “Hi.”
Du Yuejiao, wiping away her tears, her face contorted in fury, approached her, sword in hand, “You witch! How dare you seduce my Brother Shi!”
Du Yuejiao, despite her usually sharp tongue, had been gentle and demure in front of her lover.
But now, seeing him with this… this ugly creature, her heart ached.
She refused to blame Shi Hao, convinced this witch must have used some kind of magic to seduce him.
Otherwise, why would he be with this… this ugly, crooked-mouthed girl, when she herself was so beautiful?
“Be careful what you say. I can sue you for slander!” Xu Xiaoyan retorted, her voice sharp, “I didn’t seduce him. He’s the one who’s been following me everywhere. Hee hee, if you can’t keep him, that’s your problem, not mine.”
Du Yuejiao’s anger flared. Her beautiful face twisted in rage as she swung her sword, unleashing a flurry of strikes towards Xu Xiaoyan.
Xu Xiaoyan, caught off guard, her left hand whipping outwards, barely managed to deflect the attack.
However, wearing the oversized man’s robe, its long sleeves hindering her movements, and without a belt to secure it, she struggled to defend herself, the robe slipping open, revealing her naked body beneath.
Du Yuejiao’s heart ached. Before parting ways with Shi Hao, she had practically thrown herself at him.
He had resisted her advances, speaking sweet words but not touching her. She had admired his restraint, seeing him as a virtuous gentleman, loving him even more.
But now, this ugly girl…
“So you’re that thief!” Du Yuejiao said sharply. She had fought this masked woman at the Yuan Dan Huo estate. Although her face had been covered, she recognized her whip.
This girl… this ugly girl…
To be inferior even to such an ugly creature… Du Yuejiao’s heart ached, her fury burning. She attacked with renewed ferocity, intending to kill her.
Xu Xiaoyan, dodging and leaping, retreated, “Hey, you’re attacking the wrong person! If you want to kill someone, kill that heartless man! Why are you attacking me?”
They were both seventh-rank, but although Du Yuejiao practiced orthodox Daoist techniques, Xu Xiaoyan’s style was more bizarre and unpredictable.
Xu Xiaoyan also cultivated Daoist internal energy, but her energy was unusually yin, and her techniques were more like those of the demonic sects.
This made her whip movements swift and unpredictable, her body flowing like water, then light as the wind, constantly changing.
Although hindered by the long sleeves and loose robe, occasionally tripping over it, and constantly risking exposure, she managed to hold her own against Du Yuejiao.
Xu Xiaoyan shouted, “I don’t want to fight you! Don’t force me!”
Shi Hao landed in a courtyard and saw the doll sitting under a crooked tree.
It sat there, as always, beautiful and pristine, its rainbow robe spotless, its presence unsettling.
He sensed two surges of energy rapidly approaching, but neither was Du Yuejiao’s.
He snorted, wiped his face, and his appearance changed instantly.
Two women landed on the wall behind him.
One was Huan Tingting, the Black Heart Enchantress. The other, dressed in a crimson robe, held a jade lotus, her figure curvaceous, her skin slightly tanned.
They looked at the young man’s back, then at the doll under the tree.
“The Emerald Beauty?” Huan Tingting whispered.
The object of their search had finally appeared.
They looked at the young man again. He wore a sword at his waist, his hands clasped behind him, as he slowly turned around.
His sharp, angular features, high forehead, and prominent hooked nose formed a memorable face.
Under their gazes, he said coldly, “I’m in a bad mood today. Get lost.”
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