On the stage, the battle was shifting subtly.
Although Chi Lian began to counterattack, Chihuang, after all, had a higher cultivation and more combat experience, firmly maintaining the initiative throughout.
Chi Lian’s offensive didn’t pose much of a threat to her, but she found it equally difficult to quickly crush Chi Lian.
The opponent’s Lingli seemed inexhaustible, and her defense carried a peculiar resilience, especially that occasional flow of Black and White Qi.
This feeling of being unable to use her full strength yet unable to reach a quick decision was frustrating.
Chihuang grew increasingly anxious as the fight dragged on.
The shadow of her failures over the past two days, the doubts about her own strength, and the grievance of being unable to break through for so long intertwined.
Her sword techniques, while sharp, lost some of their composure.
“I am sorry, Miss. I cannot lose this match.”
“Afterward, I will certainly make amends to you.” During a gap where their swords clashed, Chi Lian spoke with her head lowered.
She carried the expectations of her Husband Lord.
She did not want to disappoint Jiang Huai.
She was very obedient and willing to follow all of Jiang Huai’s arrangements; she enjoyed listening to his commands.
She was also greedy, longing to receive more from him.
It was he who had chosen her back when she was lowly, giving her the identity of the Nine Heavens Palace Saintess and a brand-new range of possibilities.
Therefore, she had to win.
“Stop calling me Miss.” Chihuang’s voice was icy.
“Since you are the Saintess of Nine Heavens Palace, how is it proper for one Saintess to call another ‘Miss’? Are you humiliating yourself, or are you insulting Nine Heavens Palace?”
The battle continued.
Although Chihuang was anxious, she maintained a high-intensity offensive, attempting to deplete Chi Lian’s Lingli.
She could feel that although the quality of Chi Lian’s Lingli was high, her defense and counterattack strength were slowly but surely decreasing under the continuous output.
As long as she stalled and held firm, there would be a way!
Chi Lian, who had been focused on defense and occasional counterattacks, suddenly closed her eyes without warning.
Her hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and her legs pulled inward.
The Special Seal placed by Jiang Zhun himself was triggered.
Cheating? Perhaps. Chi Lian thought stubbornly at that moment—how could something given by her Husband Lord be considered cheating?
This was a protective treasure he had prepared for her in advance out of concern for her.
A warm and pure current was released, like a river breaking its dam, instantly surging toward her four limbs and bones, flowing into her dried-up Meridians and Dantian.
Chi Lian’s originally pale cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
She felt a warmth in her lower abdomen that was even somewhat hot.
The Lingli that had been nearly exhausted just moments ago recovered and surged at an alarming speed.
In the newly generated Lingli, the Two Energies of Yin and Yang belonging to Jiang Huai had clearly increased, blending perfectly with her own Red Dragon Spiritual Power, causing the Qi around her body to surge abruptly.
Chihuang immediately noticed the change in her opponent, her heart filled with shock and doubt.
She hadn’t seen Chi Lian take any Yang-essence Pill, nor were there any signs of her using a Forbidden Technique.
Why did the opponent’s Lingli suddenly recover, even appearing more continuous and profound than before? She could not fathom how Chi Lian had recovered.
Chi Lian opened her eyes, a flash of shyness passing through them.
Taking advantage of her abundant Lingli and recovered state, she no longer defended passively; her sword moves suddenly became proactive.
As she performed the Sword Arts of Nine Heavens Palace, though they were still not entirely proficient, they managed to push back Chihuang’s offensive when combined with that high-quality Lingli.
“That’s strange. How does Chi Lian’s Lingli seem inexhaustible? She clearly looked like she was about to collapse just now.” Below the stage, Zhu Siyao, who was clinging tightly to Jiang Huai’s arm, also noticed something was off and asked in a low, puzzled voice.
The corners of Jiang Huai’s mouth curled into a smile as he leaned close to her ear.
“Next time you go up to challenge someone, I’ll tell you when you need it.”
Zhu Siyao was confused at first, then she quickly spat and cursed in a low voice, “Pah! It’s definitely not a proper method! I don’t want to know!”
“Why are you so sure it’s not a good method?”
“Because you’re a lecher!” Zhu Siyao’s face reddened as she glared at him.
The scales of the battle finally began to tilt. Chihuang had been attacking for a long time, consuming a massive amount of mental energy, and her own Lingli was constantly being depleted in the high-intensity output.
In contrast, Chi Lian grew braver as she fought.
Although her techniques still had flaws, she gradually gained the upper hand by relying on the continuous flow of Lingli and the assistance of the Two Energies of Yin and Yang.
Ultimately, the end of this duel was almost mundane.
There was no world-shaking final blow, nor was there a tragic double defeat.
Chi Lian’s sword tapped the hilt of Chihuang’s sword, and the latter could no longer hold her weapon. With a clatter, it flew out of her hand and landed spinning on the ice not far away.
Chihuang stood in place, staring blankly at her empty hand.
The Lingli within her body was nearly at its limit, and a sense of emptiness washed over her. She had lost.
The arena fell silent for a moment, followed by an explosion of enthusiastic cheers and gasps of amazement.
No one expected that Chihuang, in whom they had placed high hopes, would fall here.
This seemingly lopsided challenge ended in such a manner.
“I won! I really won! Hahaha!” The little girl of the Azure Dragon Clan jumped up in excitement; she had bet on the underdog this time!
“Hehe.” Cang Ling quietly went to retrieve her winnings; she had also secretly bet on Chi Lian.
“It’s not that I’m being disloyal to my sister, it’s just that I saw Jiang Huai was quite clever. Since you’ve already lost, let me earn a bit,” she comforted herself.
On the stage, Chi Lian looked at the dazed Chihuang with mixed emotions.
She walked over quickly and habitually bent down, wanting to pick up Chihuang’s fallen sword to wipe it with her sleeve.
But halfway through the gesture, she paused.
Looking at the gorgeous Black Saintess Dress she was wearing, she instead took a Handkerchief from her bosom, carefully wiped the ice shards off the sword, and then held it out with both hands to Chihuang.
Her voice was soft. “Miss, your sword.”
Chihuang did not take the sword immediately. her eyes remained fixed on her slightly trembling palm, unable to accept the facts.
Two days, two consecutive losses. Losing once to Qin Xuange, who was in high spirits and could fight Jiang Huai to a draw, could still be excused as the opponent being too strong.
But this second match was actually lost to a Maidservant she had raised herself, someone who had once been timid and submissive.
For her, someone who had always been proud and was seen as the Hope of the Red Dragon Clan, this was undoubtedly a double blow that shattered her pride.
“Miss…” Seeing that she didn’t move, Chi Lian called out again in a worried tone.
Chihuang suddenly raised her head. Her eyes seemed a bit red.
She snatched her sword from Chi Lian’s hand without saying a word.
A red light flashed around her as she transformed into a Dao Stream Light and fled rapidly without looking back.
Chi Lian reached out her hand but eventually let it drop powerlessly.
She looked around at the various members of the Dragon Race cheering for her victory, then turned to look below the stage. Jiang Huai was smiling and waving at her, and Zhu Siyao was also smiling nearby.
The joy of victory, the guilt toward her former mistress, the relief of completing her Husband Lord’s request, and a subtle feeling intertwined in her heart, making her steps feel a bit weak yet light.
She walked down the Ice Platform step by step toward Jiang Huai, lifting her dress to perform an Etiquette and said softly, “Husband Lord, I won.”
After the competition ended, in a room filled with the atmosphere of spring.
Jiang Huai carefully checked the surroundings to ensure no one was there before saying to Chi Lian, whose face was flushed, “Alright, there’s no one here. It must be uncomfortable to wear it all the time, right?”
Chi Lian nodded shyly.
The hem of her black dress was gently lifted at the corner. Jiang Huai’s movements were gentle as he infused a trace of Lingli into his fingertips to carefully peel off the seal.
With a very faint tearing sound, the seal was completely removed.
Zhu Siyao, who had been curiously following them and craned her neck to watch, finally saw the full appearance of that seal.
On that palm-long special seal, there were a few curved red hairs and Jiang Huai’s handwriting.
“Little Female Dragon?!” Zhu Siyao read it aloud, and her entire face turned beet red.
She stomped her feet in shame and anger, slapping Jiang Huai on the back.
Her voice was both hurried and embarrassed.
“Jiang Huai! You, you, you! This is too improper! You even pasted it there! You have no shame!”
Jiang Huai took the hit and quickly put the seal away, defending himself, “You don’t understand. This is insurance. Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand!”
Chi Lian was so ashamed she wished she could disappear.
Her beautiful eyes were shimmering with tears of embarrassment and helplessness.
Zhu Siyao spat, turning her head away, though the tips of her ears were still bright red as she repeatedly cursed Jiang Huai as a “bad seed” and a “lecher.”
Late at night, in the quiet room where the Red Dragon Clan resided.
Chihuang was not meditating or Cultivating as usual, nor was she sleeping.
She wore thin sleeping clothes with her hair loose, completely devoid of the pride and sharpness of a Saintess from the daytime.
Like a wounded small beast hiding back in its den, she buried her face deep in the bosom of the person before her.
Her shoulders shook continuously as suppressed, fragmented sobs leaked out.
The one she was holding tightly was none other than the Clan Leader, Chi Hong.
Chi Hong was not in formal attire either, wearing only a loose red robe.
Her charming and mature face looked exceptionally gentle under the soft light.
She lightly held Chihuang’s shoulder with one hand while the other gently stroked Chihuang’s long hair from time to time, as if soothing a child.
Chihuang’s legs kept kicking as if this could vent the grievance and unwillingness in her heart.
Tears had already soaked the front of Chi Hong’s robe.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry anymore, Huang’er.” Chi Hong’s voice was filled with indulgence and acceptance.
“Didn’t your Honored Master tell you long ago? Not to be in such a hurry. Look at you, your personality is just too impatient and too competitive.”
Chihuang raised her tear-blurred face, her nose and eyes all red, and sobbed as she asked, “But I lost two matches in a row, and I even lost to… to Chi Lian… In the future… I…”
“Shush.” Chi Hong placed a fingertip gently against her lips.
“Winning and losing are common. What does it matter? Besides, Chi Lian’s current fortune is extraordinary; you’ve only suffered a temporary setback. Who in this world doesn’t lose? Back then, Qin Qingyue was chased everywhere by Wu Zhaohua, and now her man has even been snatched away. My Huang’er, don’t think so much.”
She pulled Chihuang back into her arms, resting her chin gently on the top of her head.
Her voice was soft, carrying maternal concern.
“Let your Honored Master take it slow and think of a way for you, alright?”
Chihuang hugged Chi Hong’s slender waist tightly and buried her face deeper, responding muffledly, “Alright, I’ll listen to Honored Master this time.”