“No need, why let her come?” Jiang Huai avoided Zhu Siyao’s burning gaze and looked up at the distance.
Zhu Siyao squatted on the ground, twisting her waist.
Finding it inconvenient, she simply knelt, looking down at Jiang Huai.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed, and her hands did not stop, making subtle sounds.
“Don’t look away, look at me!” She tightened her grip, applying some force.
“Hiss…” Jiang Huai sucked in a breath of cold air from the pain.
He instinctively tried to retreat, but Zhu Siyao held him tightly, making him unable to move.
“What are you trying to do?” He could only look down at her burning eyes, his voice weak.
She knelt on the floor, her red and black dress perfectly outlining her figure.
A triumphant look appeared on her beautiful, youthful face, as if she held the entire world in her hands.
She wasn’t sure if it was the world, but she certainly had Jiang Huai in the palm of her hand.
“Still trying to run? Answer my question.”
As she spoke, her other hand joined in, and she teased, “Look at you. You like her, yet you won’t let her help you.”
Jiang Huai replied, “I don’t like her.”
Zhu Siyao tightened her grip again. “Then why did you keep her? You have the heart of a thief but no courage, right?”
Jiang Huai refused to answer and simply stayed silent.
Footsteps came from outside. Both of them pricked up their ears, thinking it was Qin Qu doing something.
At some point, Zhu Siyao had learned how to control the rhythm.
When Jiang Huai’s breathing gradually became labored, she suddenly stopped and blinked up at him.
A look of discomfort crossed Jiang Huai’s face. He looked down and asked helplessly, “What are you doing now?”
“Didn’t you used to want this to end sooner?”
“Also, who did you learn this from?”
Zhu Siyao chuckled, very satisfied with her results.
She puffed out her chest proudly. “From Sister Su, of course.”
“Who told you to tease me yesterday? See if I don’t—”
Suddenly, everything went white before Zhu Siyao’s eyes.
She couldn’t even open her eyelids and began to cough incessantly.
“Cough, cough, cough! How could you do that!”
“Look at what you did to my hair!”
Angry and embarrassed, she shook her hair.
Her black locks were stained with white, which was very difficult to clean.
She had to use her Lingli to start clearing it away.
“It seems your lessons from Su Yingman weren’t thorough enough,” Jiang Huai said, having dressed himself, laughing from the side.
Zhu Siyao glared at him and muttering, “Just you wait. Sooner or later, I’ll make you beg me.”
Qin Xuange had finished brewing the tea.
She sat on a chair, resting her chin in her hands and staring blankly at the flowers nearby.
To be honest, she had expected it to be humiliating, as she would be ordered around like a servant.
If it had been anyone else, like Chihuang, she didn’t know how they would have bullied her.
But Jiang Huai had no such intentions.
He only asked her to make tea and the like, which prevented any feelings of resentment from arising.
Her previous worries had vanished. It seemed he didn’t intend to spread the word about this either.
He had even set a time limit, allowing her to leave whenever she wanted.
This made her feel much more relaxed, so much so that the bottleneck of her cultivation realm felt like it was shifting.
Hearing a slight noise, she turned her head. Jiang Huai was already dressed and walking out slowly with Zhu Siyao.
Today, he was dressed particularly formally in the Saint Son uniform of the Nine Heavens Palace.
It had a black base with a golden-threaded Black Dragon embroidered on it, giving him a very refined aura.
As for Zhu Siyao, she looked the same as usual, though her hair appeared more lustrous as if it had just been cleaned.
Her expression was somewhat unhappy.
“Young Lord Jiang,” Qin Xuange said, quickly standing up. She held the tea bowl and stood prettily by the table.
Since she had agreed to be his maidservant, it wouldn’t be proper to sit with him while he drank tea.
Jiang Huai strode forward, looking much more refreshed.
He took the tea bowl from Qin Xuange’s hand and downed it in one gulp without stopping to savor it.
His eyes seemed glued to her face, staring at her intently. “Thank you.”
Qin Xuange naturally noticed his gaze.
Thinking that she had made the right choice with her makeup, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.
“I am here to be Young Lord Jiang’s maidservant. There’s no need for such words.”
Jiang Huai didn’t comment.
He reluctantly pulled his gaze away from her face and said softly, “You can stay here for a few more days. When I return, I’ll discuss my cultivation insights with you.”
Zhu Siyao stood to the side with her arms crossed, making a clicking sound with her tongue.
Qin Xuange was startled and asked, “What is it? Is Young Lord Jiang leaving? Where to?”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No need. I’m going to the Red Dragon Clan, and I’ll go alone,” Jiang Huai replied.
Since he had found a method and his injuries were mostly healed, it was better to solve the problem as soon as possible.
At the very least, he had to figure out the mark of the Red Dragon Clan.
As for the marks of the Azure Dragon and Yellow Dragon, those would have to wait.
“I should go with you. I have nothing to do here anyway. Besides, Young Lord Jiang’s injuries haven’t fully healed. I can protect you,” Qin Xuange volunteered.
Jiang Huai glanced at Zhu Siyao, then back at Qin Xuange’s face. He said calmly, “Very well. You come with me.”
Within the residence of the Red Dragon Clan.
Chi Hong remained sitting cross-legged on a putuan.
The dragon tail behind her occasionally flicked the ground.
Her mature, charming face frequently showed a pensive expression, and various jade slips for communication were scattered across the table.
She was handling the affairs of the clan when she heard the sound of a blade cutting through the air, incredibly sharp.
However, though the swordsmanship was sharp, it lacked form and was completely chaotic.
Listening to it, Chi Hong couldn’t help but look up.
She saw Chihuang nearby, holding the Red Sword while practicing.
Her eyes were hollow, and the sword in her hand was swinging wildly without any technique, as if she were just going through the motions.
“Huang’er, come here,” Chi Hong said coldly after watching for a moment.
Chihuang jumped in fright and quickly sheathed her sword. She paced over to Chi Hong’s side guiltily and lowered her head.
“Honored Master…”
“Turn around,” Chi Hong ordered plainly.
Chihuang’s face flushed red. Reluctantly, she turned around and bowed slightly.
Two sounds of rushing air followed.
Snap! Snap!
The dragon tail behind Chi Hong turned into a whip and lashed out heavily against Chihuang’s buttocks, causing a ripple.
Chihuang grit her teeth in pain, let out a soft cry, and quickly turned back around.
She complained, “Honored Master, I’m already this old. Don’t hit me like that anymore. That’s for when I was a child.”
Only when she was young would Chi Hong use this method to discipline Chihuang to practice hard.
At that time, Chi Hong was not yet the Clan Leader, and Chihuang was not the Saintess.
Later, once Chihuang became the Saintess of the Red Dragon Clan, Chi Hong had stopped out of consideration for her pride.
“I think you’re asking for a beating!”
Chi Hong knocked her on the head with her dragon tail and said in frustration, “Look at you. Is that all you have in your head? If you don’t practice your swordsmanship properly, I’ll truly put you in solitary confinement. At least three years or more to let you calm your heart.”
Chihuang immediately panicked and rushed forward to grab Chi Hong’s arm, a flattering smile on her face.
“Don’t be like that, Honored Master. It’s just sword practice. I’ll practice well. Please don’t punish me.”
Seeing her fawning behavior, Chi Hong felt even more irritated.
Just as she was about to lecture her further, a voice came from outside.
“Clan Leader, the Saint Son of the Nine Heavens Palace, Jiang Huai, requests an audience.”