Chapter 53
Upon careful consideration, the first time there had been some urgency. At that moment, she had grabbed Wei Jie’s neck, the situation was critical, and they were so close that mouth-to-mouth transmission was the only option.
But during the return of the inner dan, the circumstances were not so urgent, so there should have been other methods available.
At the very least, their lips did not need to be so intimately close!
Moreover, that unruly disciple had “failed” the transmission several times, shamelessly taking many liberties with her.
Qin Lingxiao was indeed Wei Jie’s disciple for many years and had accurately perceived his demonic master’s bad habits!
Realizing this, Xiaoxiao walked down the mountain with a burning fury.
For the past few days, Wei Jie had been out gathering information during the day, and judging by the time, he should be back soon.
Sure enough, upon entering the courtyard, she saw Wei Jie leisurely sitting there, listening to Yu Ling’er dragging Tang Youshu to complain about her.
When Cui Xiaoxiao entered the courtyard with a furious aura, even Yu Ling’er was startled, unconsciously lowering her voice by three degrees.
Wei Jie stretched out his long legs and was about to speak to Xiaoxiao. But she did not even look at him, only shoving him aside with her shoulder as she carried the box of pastries into the room.
Wei Jie had already heard Yu Ling’er’s disjointed accusations about his master seducing her grand-disciple in the small grove.
He did not think Xiaoxiao would actually establish the Harmonious Union Sect, but had probably been reminded of her late father upon seeing Tang Youshu.
Xiaoxiao had mentioned before that Tang Youshu resembled her deceased father. However, Wei Jie later probed and learned that Xiaoxiao was a posthumous child – her father had passed away before she was born, so she did not actually know her father’s appearance.
But perhaps her imagined image of her father overlapped with Tang Youshu?
It was at this moment that Xiaoxiao returned. Wei Jie had originally thought that after Yu Ling’er’s disturbance, Xiaoxiao would feel somewhat ill at ease upon seeing them again and would need him to reassure her.
However, he never expected Cui Xiaoxiao to stride in with an air of utter disregard, forcefully shoving him aside as if he had been the one holding Tang Youshu’s hand in the grove.
Wei Jie rubbed his shoulder and followed closely behind Xiaoxiao. Quite familiarly, he poured her a cup of water and handed it to her with a teasing look at her fuming face, “What’s wrong? Didn’t get enough liberties with your disciple, so now you’re all puffed up? Want to feel my hand instead?”
Xiaoxiao did not accept the water cup. Instead, she sat at the table and gave Wei Jie a sideways glance, “Let me ask you, is mouth-to-mouth transmission really the only method to transfer inner dan?”
Since returning his inner dan, Xiaoxiao had grabbed Wei Jie by the collar and sternly instructed him to forget about that incident, and neither of them was to mention it again.
Little did she expect that within just a few days, she would be the one breaking her own rule.
Wei Jie slowly revealed his white teeth in a smile on his handsome face, casually sitting beside her with his elbow propped on the table and his chin resting on his palm. With a slight air of innocence, he said, “Didn’t you say to forget about it? Why bring it up again?”
Wei Jie’s appearance leaned towards the demonic, but when he revealed a sincere smile, a pair of neat, charming fangs would show, adding an indescribable boyish charm that dispelled his innate aura of dark handsomeness.
Seeing such a dazzling, handsome smile, Xiaoxiao silently drank the water in one gulp, struggling to maintain her composure and not be bewitched by his charm.
“Qin Lingxiao told me there are many methods to transfer inner dan. Why didn’t you inform me?”
Wei Jie’s fangs slowly disappeared behind his thin lips, his eyes flashing, “When did you meet him? What else did he tell you?”
Xiaoxiao recounted Qin Lingxiao’s visit and the things he had said, then asked, “If you deceived me, what do you have to say for yourself?”
Wei Jie let out a cold laugh, “You injured his father, yet he came sniffing around, trying to instigate something between us and even giving you pastries? If I were his father, I would definitely use this unfilial son to practice sword strikes as a sacrifice to the heavens. What a waste of rice to keep raising such a good-for-nothing!”
Xiaoxiao was amused by his anger, “So you can’t stand him not holding grudges against me and not skewering me like a sieve?”
Wei Jie scrutinized Xiaoxiao from head to toe with an inquisitive gaze, “Can’t you see what Qin Lingxiao’s intentions towards you are?”
Xiaoxiao was not stupid – she was well aware of Qin Lingxiao’s apparent interest in her, especially after his false persona’s actions in the illusory city, which she remembered clearly.
Of course, this did not rule out the possibility that Qin Lingxiao harbored resentment and wanted to emulate his experience of secretly infiltrating Wei Jie’s sect, aiming to win her favor before finding an opportunity to avenge his father.
But for now, she wanted to set straight the man before her, nipping his improper thoughts in the bud before the demonic master could develop more fanciful ideas.
After all, she and he were not on the same path! The righteous and demonic could not coexist, nor could a master and disciple share the same bed!
Moreover, they were actually separated by two hundred years, with a ancestral master-descendant disciple relationship devoid of any other entanglement.
His methods of bewitching girls should be used on someone else!
However, this disciple of hers excelled at making mountains out of molehills.
When Xiaoxiao pressed the issue, he casually unwrapped Qin Lingxiao’s pastry box and nonchalantly said, “If even the master doesn’t know of other methods, how would a mere disciple like me know? He spouted a few words, and you’re already interrogating me? Who does he think he is?”
Xiaoxiao was rendered speechless by his frustrating attitude and could only coldly laugh, “Seems I can’t control this unruly disciple. I really should find you a strict wife!”
Wei Jie’s smile faded as he gazed inscrutably at Xiaoxiao, then shifted his gaze to the box. It contained customized pastries that resembled a fruit box at first glance. The pastries were shaped like peaches, apples, and adorable round rabbits, each one vividly lifelike, with fragrant fillings inside when opened.
This son of the Qin family had truly spared no expense!
He picked up an exquisite pastry and took an unabashed bite before frowning, “What a strange taste, truly unpalatable!”
Before Xiaoxiao could open her mouth, with a sweeping motion of his long arm, the customized pastry box worth ten taels of silver was tossed by Wei Jie out the window and into the pigsty in the courtyard!
Just look at that arrogance – if not told otherwise, one might mistake him for the esteemed sect master!
Xiaoxiao angrily slapped the back of his head, “How dare you take liberties with gifts given to me!”
However, Wei Jie seized the opportunity to grab her slender wrist and pull her into his embrace. Lowering his head, he leaned his forehead against hers and said in a low voice, “Alright, alright, my mistake. Why don’t… I take you into the city to buy better ones as compensation?”
Xiaoxiao was caught off guard, her face so close to his chiseled features, those curled lips carrying a mischievous smile. She felt her cheeks burning uncontrollably.
Without needing a mirror, she guessed her face must have flushed crimson.
Wei Jie’s piercing gaze was fixed on his adorable master in his arms. Those rosy cheeks seemed even sweeter than the peach pastries…
However, Xiaoxiao suddenly took a deep breath and forcefully pushed him away.
Qin Lingxiao was right about one thing – this demonic master was truly a natural when it came to bewitching young ladies!
If she wasn’t careful, she might lose her senses to him.
She had already suffered the misfortune of becoming demonized for his sake. If she also fell under his spell and lost all propriety, wouldn’t she be sacrificing even her life for him?
Wei Jie could discern when Xiaoxiao was truly angered and refrained from further provocation before the fierce kitten could scratch him. Instead, he said, “However, Qin Lingxiao did speak one truth – there are indeed people committing evil under the name of our Lingshan Talisman Sect!”
Over the past two days, he had taken some fox tribe members to investigate the situation. But they discovered wanted posters of him and Cui Xiaoxiao hung throughout the nearby county towns.
In the surrounding villages, there had been consecutive cases of residents being dragged into the forests while working in the fields, their blood drained, and their bodies hung from tree branches.
People firmly claimed to have witnessed the two individuals in the portraits committing these murders. The woman had long disheveled hair and a black armored figure, clearly having become demonized.
As a result, the officials had issued a high bounty, earnestly recruiting cultivators from all sides to apprehend these two “demonic masters” of the Talisman Sect and eliminate the threat to the people!
This experience was never described in the master’s secret manuals.
In other words, the numerous wrongful deaths of these villagers were indeed changes brought about by her arrival in this world.
Xiaoxiao paced around in a circle before asking Wei Jie, “Should we investigate those villages and try to find any clues?”
Wei Jie replied, “I’ve already been there. The victims’ shoulders were all crushed, and they died from excessive blood loss…”
Upon hearing this, Xiaoxiao immediately recalled how she had crushed the shoulder of Qin He, the pavilion master of Soaring Cloud Pavilion. It seemed someone intended to pin the blame for the villagers’ deaths on her by using that incident as a pretext.
The only one capable of such a ploy, while Qin He’s spirit bones were shattered and left incapacitated, was naturally the mastermind behind the scenes – that Ghost Sect’s Wanlian Master!
And that Wanlian Master was acting under the Prince Can’s orders, a poisonous snake on the same vine that needed to be completely uprooted!
So, if they wanted to uncover the true culprit and clear their names and that of the Lingshan Talisman Sect, they would have to meet with this Prince Can!
However, the Prince Can had remained secluded, so how could they arrange a meeting? Moreover, the king’s manor was guarded by divine artifacts that prevented outsiders from approaching. A direct assault would definitely fail to gain entry.
For the time being, Xiaoxiao had used silver talismans to enhance her invisibility talismans, greatly improving their effectiveness compared to before. She didn’t know if they could evade the senses of those divine artifacts.
Additionally, the silver talismans had a limited duration of less than an hour, but one hour would be enough.
The two of them decided to infiltrate the Prince Can’s Manor by night to get a good look at what demonic beings were hidden within!
Thus, the Talisman Sect group prepared to infiltrate Luoyi City once again.
However, upon nearing Luoyi City, Xiaoxiao’s keen eyesight immediately noticed some changes to the city’s moat.
Gazing into the distance, she could see that the four corners of the city moat were lined with human skin talismans soaked in fresh blood. These dripping blood talismans were connected, forming a blood net that seemed to envelop the entire city in a bloody aura.
Wei Jie had investigated many times and understood the purpose of these blood talismans, so he explained, “These are marking talismans for unwelcome guests. Anyone entering the city without passing through the main gates will have these blood talismans automatically attach to their body when crossing the moat. No amount of washing can remove them. From then on, no matter where they go, they will be detected by the talisman’s controller, with nowhere to hide.”
It seemed that after offending the four major sects, the Prince Can had become wary, fearing any uncontrolled individuals entering the city could pose a threat to him. Hence, he had set up these blood talismans to prevent cultivators from flying or sneaking over the walls and entering the city stealthily.
However, this presented a new problem. With those blood talisman lines formed, even if they used invisibility talismans, their bodies might still become contaminated and detected by the Prince Can’s subordinates.
To avoid being marked by the blood talismans, they could only enter through the city’s main gate.
Xiaoxiao saw that apart from the guarding officials at the gate, there was also a person with heterochromatic eyes – one eye resembled a snake’s, able to elongate into a slit pupil.
Whenever someone entered the city, this person would scrutinize their face intently, like a probing lamp, not letting anyone pass unnoticed.
According to Wei Jie, this heterochromatic person had replaced one of their human eyes with a snake eye from the Northern Marsh.
With such a snake eye, even if they used invisibility talismans, this person would immediately detect them. This was because the snake eye had a unique way of perceiving people, not by observing their outlines but by sensing their body heat.
No matter how refined the invisibility talisman, it would be ineffective against the Northern Marsh serpent’s eye. It seemed Wanlian Master knew about their previous use of invisibility talismans and, while disdaining the Talisman Sect’s inferior methods, had made thorough preparations.
Under such circumstances, it seemed impossible for them, as wanted fugitives, to sneak in through the main gate!
Regarding this issue, Wei Jie had already devised a plan. He had intentionally timed their arrival for when the gates were still open at dusk and arranged for performers from the local opera troupe to help them blend in.
When Xiaoxiao stared wide-eyed at the outfit Wei Jie handed her, she couldn’t help but exclaim in a low voice, “You… want me to wear this?”
Wei Jie nodded, “Not just you, I’ll be wearing one too… Hurry up, or we’ll miss the opera troupe’s flower carriage procession!”
The outfit Wei Jie gave Xiaoxiao was the dance costume of a belly dancer from the city’s opera troupe.
They would be joining the troupe’s flower carriage procession to enter the city.
Luoyi City had been holding a courtesan competition, with singing and dancing girls from surrounding cities coming and going incessantly.
Recently, the Prince Can seemed to be hosting some important guests and required courtesans from other places to bolster the occasion.
After all, with Siluan’s disappearance, Luoyi City’s opera troupe could no longer produce a beauty of her caliber.
Siluan did have a few loyal servants in the opera troupe, so Wei Jie was able to easily obtain two passes by leveraging his mother’s influence, just enough for him and Xiaoxiao to blend in.
After Xiaoxiao changed into the fiery red dance dress in the forest, she felt awkward tugging at the thin shawl, trying to cover her exposed slender waist. She looked up at Wei Jie and asked, “Dressed like this, are you sure I won’t be recognized?”
But when she looked at Wei Jie, he did not respond, his smoldering gaze fixated on her.
Xiaoxiao’s slender figure, dressed in her usual loose robes, gave the impression of a petite frame.
However, when she donned the thin shawl and long dress of a Western dance performer, it revealed that the seemingly delicate bamboo shoot was actually a succulent peach hanging from a branch…
The areas that should not have been small were decidedly not small at all…
Especially with her porcelain skin contrasted against the fiery red dress, her alluring eyes and graceful figure made her appear utterly enchanting.
The slender waist adorned with golden bells that jingled with every movement drew one’s gaze inexorably to the exquisite curves accentuated by the taut red skirt…
The once demure beauty had transformed into a reincarnated seductress with a mere change of attire, as if an entirely different person!
Wei Jie’s gaze roamed between her slender neck and ample bosom, his expression growing increasingly tense…
He regretted not carefully examining the dance costume earlier! He had never expected Xiaoxiao would appear so bewitching when wearing it!
Originally, Wei Jie had hoped she could inconspicuously blend in among the curvaceous and alluring dancing girls when passing through the gate guards.
But with her pure yet seductive appearance as a fairy-like seductress, how could she possibly slip by unnoticed?
This was the first time Xiaoxiao had worn such an alluring thin shawl and dance dress. She felt quite ill at ease, but when she had checked her reflection in the stream earlier, she found her appearance quite beautiful.
Although somewhat unbecoming, this was her first chance in her entire life to wear a pretty dress.
Her feminine vanity got the better of her, as she also hoped to hear some compliments.
She had originally expected Wei Jie to at least praise her looks upon seeing her, but instead he frowned with displeasure, remaining silent for a long while before finally opening his mouth, “You should change back. I’ll think of another way…”
Xiaoxiao’s expression fell slightly. Was she really that unsightly that he couldn’t even bear to look at her?
Thinking this, she no longer bothered covering up, tossing the shawl draped over her shoulder as she imitated Yu Ling’er’s movements, giving a light twirl of the fox dance.
Unexpectedly, Xiaoxiao was quite talented at dancing. As she swayed her supple waist and lightly leapt into a spin, her loosened hair ribbon came undone. Her raven tresses fluttered along with the whirling red dress, cascading over her collarbones when she came to a stop…In that fleeting moment, she resembled a fairy sprite emerged from the blossoms, or a celestial maiden banished to the mortal dust.
Wei Jie had never been one for rules and propriety, always acting as he pleased on a whim.
When Xiaoxiao’s swirling tresses brushed against his face, he could no longer restrain himself!
Before the golden bells on her slender waist had even stopped tinkling, Xiaoxiao found herself suddenly lifted up by Wei Jie.
The tall, handsome man gripped her petite waist and pinned her against the thick trunk of a large tree. Although much shorter than him, Xiaoxiao was now face-to-face with him at eye level.
Her back against the tree, with nowhere to escape, she nervously watched the man’s handsome face slowly approach hers.
Finally, she could only raise her hand to push him away, her voice trembling as she spoke, “Hey, what are you doing?”
Wei Jie’s gaze was focused intently on her red lips, his eyes burning with intensity as his prominent nose touched hers. In a low voice, he said, “Do you know how a dancing girl is supposed to accompany a guest and keep him company?”
Xiaoxiao knew she had a habit of inadvertently staring at handsome faces.
Now with his face so intimately close to hers, she couldn’t help but recall their previous inner dan transmission, a tingling sensation creeping up her spine. Unable to meet Wei Jie’s piercing purple eyes, she responded somewhat defiantly, “What does that have to do with anything? Are you implying that you know how?”
Wei Jie let out a low chuckle, “I’ve kept company with you on the eaves before…”
Xiaoxiao remembered that incident where Yu Ling’er had pushed her off, and couldn’t help letting out a snort of laughter. But after laughing, she quickly composed herself, inwardly reminding herself not to be so casual with him.
“Let me make this clear to you today. There are many good girls in this world, you can dally with whomever you like, just not me…”
Wei Jie studied her intently, his smile gradually fading, “Why? Because you’re my master? If that’s the case, I’ll immediately sever our master-disciple relationship…”
Xiaoxiao frustratedly ran her fingers through her long black hair, “…Even if I explain, you wouldn’t understand. In any case, we are not suitable for each other!”
How could she tell him that she had traveled back from two hundred years in the future? And that he was supposed to have died a few years later?
Apart from the nominal ancestral master-descendant disciple relationship, they had no other connection whatsoever?
However, her flustered appearance only made Wei Jie think she was struggling to reject an unwanted suitor’s advances.
The warmth in his eyes gradually cooled, his expression inscrutable as he stared at her with glistening purple eyes, his lips tightly pursed.
He looked at Xiaoxiao with such a gaze, like a puppy that had just been kicked out the door after wagging its tail in hopes of affection, evoking a sense of pity…
At this moment, the sound of hoofbeats came from outside the forest, accompanied by a man’s low call, “Hey, is Ah Jie here?”
Wei Jie knew it was the opera troupe’s carriage he had arranged to meet.
Xiaoxiao also let out a long sigh of relief.
Just now, under Wei Jie’s piercing gaze, she had almost felt a twinge of guilt, as if she had hurt him.
This just showcased the demonic master’s innate talent for bewitching women! As someone with fox demoness blood, he truly possessed an enchanting charm that could bewitch one to their demise!
By now, Xiaoxiao had no time to change clothes. Wei Jie could only turn and approach the carriage, requesting a thick cloak, which he handed to Xiaoxiao, saying in a flat tone, “It’s cold, wear this.”
Xiaoxiao couldn’t be bothered to point out that it was now late July and quite muggy at night.
She didn’t take the cloak, simply boarding the carriage.
After climbing aboard, she realized the carriage was filled with women of all shapes and sizes, even more glamorously adorned than herself, eyeing her up and down.
“Well, well, where did the madam find this woman? She’s quite a rare beauty!”Many of them were newly arrived from other places and did not recognize this wanted “demonic woman.”
Some even brazenly pinched Xiaoxiao’s arms and slender waist, remarking, “Truly the makings of a talented dancer! During the street procession later, you’ll need to put on quite a show!”
Xiaoxiao could only smile apologetically, learning from their conversation that tonight, many flower carriages carrying courtesans would parade through the city streets for the city’s nobles to choose from.
With the sudden disappearance of the enchanting songstress Siluan, this year’s courtesan title had become unpredictable.
The women had geared up their efforts, adorning themselves glamorously in hopes of emerging as the top courtesan.