Chapter 228: Just Kidding

“What are you doing here?!”

Seeing Qin Xuange’s figure, Chi Huang immediately broke out of her earlier dejection, straightened her back, and stood up.

She glared coldly, flames igniting in her crimson eyes, filled with resentment.

Losing to Qin Xuange made her feel terrible, but she accepted it.

After all, her strength was inferior, and she wasn’t entirely a sore loser.

But Qin Xuange’s blatant contempt and repeated taunts made it impossible for her to have any good feelings toward this Black Dragon Saintess.

“What? Am I wrong?” Qin Xuange wore black robes, which made her face look even paler.

She ignored Chi Huang’s hostility, casually found a seat, and waved her hand to signal the following maidservants to move further away.

Then, leaning back against the chair with a hint of exhaustion, her chest rose and fell slightly, her breathing somewhat hurried.

Her injuries were not yet fully healed.

“Practicing the sword with you is just a waste of his time,” she said flatly.

“Don’t blame me for speaking harshly. Over these years, you three clans — the Red Dragon, Yellow Dragon, and Azure Dragon — haven’t exactly held back from criticizing and mocking the decline of our Black Dragon Clan in private, have you?”

In recent years, as the Black Dragon Clan declined, they had suffered much ridicule from the others.

Of course, the White Dragon Clan was the exception.

Everyone knew that the White Dragon Clan viewed all groups equally.

They didn’t really think highly of anyone, so there was naturally no need to specifically mock anyone.

Chi Huang choked on those words, an unnatural flicker of guilt crossing her face.

She pursed her lips, momentarily speechless.

Given her proud and forthright nature, while she hadn’t specifically targeted Qin Xuange with malicious words, it was true that within the circle of “prodigies,” she had shown disdain and contempt for the weakening Black Dragon Clan in recent years.

Being called out to her face now, especially right after her crushing defeat, caused a sense of embarrassment — like being caught in a double standard — that immediately drained three points of her momentum.

Seeing Chi Huang speechless, Qin Xuange let out a cold snort from her nose, stopped looking at her, and turned her gaze toward Jiang Zhun, who stood with his sword.

She tried her best to make her voice sound steady.

“The current situation is urgent. The threat of the Outworld Heavenly Demons is growing daily. Young Lord Jiang possesses extraordinary talent. His time is precious and shouldn’t be wasted on pointless sparring.”

She seemed to deliberate over her words before continuing, “And…”

Hesitation and embarrassment flashed in her eyes as her voice dropped, and her gaze drifted to the side. “Um, if Young Lord Jiang has any free time, why not come and visit our Black Dragon Clan’s camp?”

Hearing this, Jiang Huai raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and looked at Qin Xuange. “To the Black Dragon Clan? For what purpose?”

He didn’t mention the outcome of the fight or the bet from the arena that day, treating it as a normal duel.

In fact, he really didn’t intend to force Qin Xuange to fulfill that “slave and maid” wager.

Watching her fight with Chi Huang that day, he clearly saw that Qin Xuange was no match for him.

“It’s just that… since Senior Qin Qingyue has left for the Immortal Realm, the Clan Leader said our Black Dragon Clan must also follow the Ancient Covenant and obey your commands, Young Lord Jiang,” Qin Xuange explained in a low voice, her eyes still avoiding direct eye contact with Jiang Huai.

“So, as Senior Qin Qingyue’s Husband, I would like to invite you to the Black Dragon Clan to take a look and oversee things…”

She mumbled the last few words, her confidence clearly lacking.

For a normal invitation, given Qin Xuange’s personality, she would have held her head high and been straightforward, never showing even a hint of timidity.

But now, facing the man who had defeated her with his own hands and witnessed her moment of humiliation, she didn’t know how to act.

She didn’t know how he viewed that bet, nor did she know how he would respond to the invitation.

She revealed a rare trace of vulnerability and confusion.

‘If he really brings up the matter of the maid and slave, what should I do? Would I really have to…’ Qin Xuange’s heart pounded with unease.

Jiang Huai’s gaze fell on her profile.

The cold wind swirled fine snowflakes past her slightly thin shoulders.

A few shimmering specks landed on her black robes and melted immediately.

He couldn’t tell if it was an illusion born from missing Qin Qingyue for too long or if her profile really did bear a resemblance to her.

For a moment, Jiang Huai seemed to see a trace of Qin Qingyue in Qin Xuange, though the woman before him appeared thinner and more fragile.

“Let’s discuss this later,” Jiang Huai said after a moment of silence.

He didn’t agree, simply setting the matter aside for now.

Had it not been for the Outworld Heavenly Demons pressing in and the importance of the overall situation, he truly wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with the Black Dragon Clan.

He couldn’t easily forget how the Black Dragon Clan had once relentlessly pursued and persecuted Qin Qingyue to the brink of death.

Thinking of the days when Qin Qingyue’s cultivation was still shallow, hiding and struggling to survive, a wave of heartache washed over him.

No one could accompany Qin Qingyue then; all that awaited her was fear for the future.

Thus, Jiang Huai hated the Black Dragon Clan in his heart.

He hated that they could have let Qin Qingyue go after casting her out, yet chose to obsessively hunt her down even as she rose to power.

Now that the Five Provinces faced a great catastrophe together, he didn’t want personal grudges to cause internal strife, so he set the matter aside.

Moreover, he sensed that Clan Leader Qin Qingran’s sudden invitation was likely not as simple as a gesture of goodwill or a genuine request for him to “oversee things.” It probably had something to do with the Nine Heavens Palace in his possession.

“Alright.” A look of disappointment flickered in Qin Xuange’s eyes. She sighed softly and didn’t push further.

“Back to sword practice!” Jiang Huai said no more, his gaze shifting back to Chi Huang. His voice suddenly turned stern.

Before the words fully landed, his figure flashed like a ghost.

The sword in his hand sliced through the cold wind, carrying a frigid Sword Intent as he relentlessly attacked Chi Huang again.

“You!” Chi Huang’s beautiful eyes widened in anger and anxiety, but knowing Jiang Huai’s personality — meaning what he said without hesitation — she could only suppress her roiling emotions, gritting her teeth as she met him with her sword.

In an instant, Sword Qi crisscrossed the platform. Crimson, black, and white colors intertwined as the sound of clashing metal echoed continuously.

Chi Huang was completely suppressed, barely able to parry.

Scrambling under Jiang Huai’s torrential assault, she lost all the bravado she had displayed while bickering with Qin Xuange.

In the warm courtyard, which felt like spring year-round, the scene was entirely different.

“Correct. Relax your wrist more. Let the Lingli flow through this Meridian, and let your intent follow the sword. Just like that.”

Chi Hong’s gentle voice sounded in Chi Lian’s ear. At this moment, she was pressed close behind Chi Lian. One hand lightly supported Chi Lian’s sword-wielding wrist, while the other was pressed against an acupoint on her back, meticulously guiding the flow of Lingli within her body and correcting the sluggish points in her Sword Formula and Gongfa step-by-step.

“Thank you for your careful guidance, Clan Leader. Many points that I couldn’t understand no matter how much I thought about them suddenly became clear after your explanation,” Chi Lian said in a low, grateful voice, feeling the Lingli flow smoothly through her body.

Chi Hong stayed close behind her, her beautiful eyes shimmering as she quietly observed the changes within Chi Lian’s body.

She sensed that not only had Chi Lian’s cultivation talent been raised, but the purity and thickness of her Lingli and her solid Root Foundation far exceeded those of Cultivators at the same rank.

This clearly wasn’t something that could be achieved through mere diligent cultivation.

‘As expected of the single-inheritance Yin-Yang Body.

The benefits from Dual Cultivation alone are enough to match decades or even 100 years of painstaking effort by an ordinary Cultivator.’

This world, truly…

Chi Hong felt a wave of envy as she sighed internally.

If all the women by Jiang Huai’s side could receive such a blessing, then her 100 years of bitter cultivation would seem like a joke in comparison.

However, she quickly felt relieved.

When has anything in the world ever been truly fair?

Talent, opportunity, and birth were all different. The blessing of the Yin-Yang Body was just another form of unfairness. Like Chi Huang, like Chi Lian.

“No need to thank me,” Chi Hong withdrew her thoughts, smiling radiantly, her tone carrying an elusive meaning.

“If you want to thank someone, you should thank that good Husband of yours.”

Before Chi Lian could ask in confusion, she continued on her own, “This was the condition Young Lord Jiang exchanged with me. I teach you the true legacy of the Red Dragon Clan, and he, in turn, goes to teach my useless disciple Chi Huang the sword.”

Chi Lian’s delicate body stiffened.

The joy she had felt from her progress in the Gongfa receded like a tide. Bitterness and confusion flooded her heart, throwing her mind into chaos.

“Husband is teaching… Saintess Chi Huang the sword?” She tried her best to keep her voice as gentle as usual.

Chi Hong seemed not to notice, still holding Chi Lian’s wrist and guiding her through the next sword stance, her tone feigning casual ease.

“Yes, just like we are now — teaching step-by-step, hand-in-hand. After all, Young Lord Jiang’s swordsmanship is superb, far surpassing Huang’er. It’s excellent for her to have him polish her skills properly.”

She added, seemingly offhand, “And by the way, it also strengthens the friendship between the Nine Heavens Palace and our Red Dragon Clan. Don’t you agree, little Chi Lian?”

‘Hand-in-hand, just like we are now…’ Chi Lian’s mind hummed.

She couldn’t stop herself from imagining: in a warm courtyard like this, was her own Husband pressed close behind Chi Huang just like Clan Leader Chi Hong was to her? Were his arms wrapped around Chi Huang’s waist, holding her hands? Was his breath brushing against Chi Huang’s ear? Were they also teaching swordsmanship with such “seamless intimacy”?

The images surfaced in her mind, throwing her into a state of panic.

“Focus, little Chi Lian.” Sensing her disordered breathing and wandering mind, Chi Hong’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she whispered a reminder in Chi Lian’s ear, her tone still gentle.

“Ah, I’m focusing.” Chi Lian snapped back to reality, her eyes involuntarily welling up with tears.

She quickly lowered her head and bit her lower lip, suppressing the rising bitterness.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

Chi Hong took in her reaction perfectly but remained expressionless.

She simply smiled and took a half-step back to create some distance, using words to guide Chi Lian through the rest of the Gongfa’s flow.

Looking at the woman before her, who was in utter disarray and filled with jealousy, she shook her head inwardly.

‘Could it be that in your eyes, I am such a petty, overprotective, and unreasonable Clan Leader?’

She had said those words to Jiang Huai then with a composed tone, as if she truly acted out of public interest.

Of course, she was lying. She was, in fact, very overprotective.