At the edge of the Red Dragon Clan territory, the astral winds howled fiercely.
Jiang Huai and Qin Xuange hid behind a giant boulder, looking toward the shimmering red light in the distance.
Qin Xuange furrowed her brows, the toe of her boot unconsciously grinding a pebble into the ground.
She turned her head to look at Jiang Huai, who seemed eager to jump into action.
Finally, she could not help but lower her clear voice.
“Young Master Jiang, the Red Dragon Clan currently has a Great Ascension Stage Clan Leader presiding over them, and their several Merging Stage Elders are not easy to deal with, either.”
“I have heard that several Elders have recently broken through their bottlenecks and entered the Great Ascension Stage.” She paused, her tone laced with worry.
“Even if your concealment methods are miraculous and far beyond those of the same rank, slipping past a Divine Transformation cultivator should be your limit.”
“The Spirit Sense of the Soul Formation Stage is like a net, let alone the Great Ascension Stage. Can you truly sneak in without making a sound?”
She held no hope, even feeling that the idea was somewhat delusional.
If the core territory of the Red Dragon Clan could be entered by two Nascent Soul cultivators as if it were a deserted place, it would be far too ridiculous.
Facing Qin Xuange’s doubts, Jiang Huai merely gave a mysterious chuckle.
“Don’t worry. Since I dared to say it, I naturally have my secret weapon.”
With that, he flipped his wrist.
A faint Spiritual Light flashed in his palm, and a seemingly ordinary Grey Robe appeared in his hand.
The robe was made of common material and had an ancient style; it even looked a bit worn out.
It had no fluctuations of Qi, and if it were thrown on the side of the road, no one would likely spare it a second glance.
“This is…?” Qin Xuange leaned in curiously to take a closer look.
After sensing it carefully, a flash of surprise crossed her beautiful eyes.
What amazed her was that while the Grey Robe was clearly being held in Jiang Huai’s hand, her Divine Sense felt as if it were sweeping through a void.
If she had not seen it with her own eyes, she would not have been able to perceive the existence of the robe at all, let alone lock onto it.
Jiang Huai lowered his voice and explained, “This is a life-saving treasure Qin Qingyue left for me. As long as you put it on, hide your Qi, and restrain your life force, even an ordinary Great Ascension Stage cultivator might not easily discover the person hiding inside unless they deliberately scan a specific area repeatedly and carefully with their Divine Sense.”
As he spoke, he shook out the seemingly small and somewhat shabby Grey Robe, opening it fully.
It was just barely enough to accommodate a cloak-like space for a bit more than one person.
He waved at Qin Xuange and signaled with his eyes. “Quick, get in.”
Qin Xuange’s eyes flickered. Especially when she heard the phrase “This was left to me by Qin Qingyue,” the corners of her mouth curled into an extremely complex arc — part sigh, part self-mockery.
She looked at the unremarkable robe and then at Jiang Huai’s expectant gaze, hesitating for a moment.
“Hurry up, don’t dawdle. Be careful not to be spotted by the outer patrols,” Jiang Huai urged in a low voice, glancing left and right.
Qin Xuange took a light breath and no longer hesitated.
With a swift movement, she moved closer and squeezed into the narrow space held open by the Grey Robe along with Jiang Huai.
Although the concealment effect of the robe was powerful, its range of effect was indeed limited.
As soon as they entered, the two of them immediately felt the cramped nature of the space.
The area was only enough for two people to stand pressed tightly against each other.
Qin Xuange’s tall frame had to bend slightly, leaving her almost completely pressed against Jiang Huai’s body.
Jiang Huai could clearly feel the curves of her delicate figure and the body heat radiating through their thin clothing.
To maintain balance and minimize their volume as much as possible, their arms inevitably overlapped.
One of Qin Xuange’s arms was even squeezed until it wrapped around Jiang Huai’s waist.
A few strands of her hair brushed against Jiang Huai’s chin and neck, carrying a faint fragrance.
In order to observe the outside world, Jiang Huai had to tilt his head slightly.
With his gaze lowered, he could see Qin Xuange’s profile right before his eyes.
That face, which had been meticulously refined and bore an extremely high similarity to Qin Qingyue’s, was now at such a close distance that even the tiny fine hairs on her delicate skin were vaguely visible.
Her breathing was slightly hurried, and her warm breath brushed against the skin on the side of Jiang Huai’s neck, bringing a slight itch.
Their bodies were pressed together seamlessly, and they could almost feel each other’s heartbeats.
The interior of the robe was dark, with only a tiny bit of light filtering in from the outside, adding a hint of a hidden and ambiguous atmosphere.
Qin Xuange’s body was noticeably stiff, appearing very uncomfortable with such intimate contact.
Her earlobes turned faintly red in the dim light.
“Actually, Young Master Jiang…” Qin Xuange suddenly spoke, her voice kept extremely low.
“What is it? Did you notice something abnormal?” Jiang Huai immediately stopped his intended movement and tensed up, asking cautiously while trying even harder to restrain his Qi.
Qin Xuange turned her face slightly, her lips almost touching Jiang Huai’s earlobe.
Her warm breath drifted even more directly into his ear canal, causing Jiang Huai to shudder involuntarily.
“Actually…” she paused, her tone carrying a hint of teasing. “I didn’t necessarily want to follow you inside. After all, it’s really too crowded in here.”
Jiang Huai: “?!”
His face instantly heated up. He gave a dry cough and responded guiltily, “I-is that so? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“It’s fine.” Qin Xuange’s voice took on a teasing quality that was neither a smile nor a frown.
At such close range, the joke was even clearer.
“I believe this certainly isn’t a case of Young Master Jiang intentionally inviting me in just so the two of us would be squeezed this close together, right?”
She tilted her head slightly. In the dim light, Jiang Huai seemed to see a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“I believe that with Young Master Jiang’s character, you wouldn’t do such a thing on purpose, let alone have expectations for it.”
Jiang Huai’s ears burned from her questions. He could only give two dry laughs and repeatedly deny it. “Naturally, naturally.”
As they talked, they “flowed” silently toward Chi Hong’s location under the cover of the Grey Robe, moving like two shadows merged into one, guided by the faint sensation coming from the Red Dragon Mark on Jiang Huai’s lower back.
Inside the quiet room of the Red Dragon Clan Leader’s residence.
Chi Hong was not handling official business.
Instead, she was reclining on a lounge chair covered in soft fur, playing with a crimson crystal in her hand.
She furrowed her brows slightly, but a subtle and playful smile hung on her face.
At that moment, a respectful, low report from an attendant came from outside the room. “Lord Clan Leader, we have investigated secretly as you ordered.”
“It is Young Master Jiang Zhun and Saintess Qin Xuange of the Black Dragon Clan. They are using a strange concealment treasure to sneak into our clan’s station and are currently heading toward your residence.”
The smile on Chi Hong’s face deepened.
She shook her head gently, set down the crystal in her hand, and spoke with a hint of lazy lament.
“Sigh, honestly… a little thief has actually snuck into our home. It’s impossible to guard against.” As she spoke, she stood up elegantly.
She was wearing only a thin, form-fitting red gauze garment.
As she rose, the soft silk swayed gently, outlining the shocking curves of her mature and voluptuous figure.
Through that layer of thin gauze, the contours of her red hair — meticulously cared for, smooth, and neat — were faintly visible, adding a bit of the lazy and seductive charm of a mature woman.
“Honored Master, what are we going to do now?” Beside her, Chi Huang, who had been practicing sword practice, heard the commotion.
She immediately withdrew her sword stance and leaned in toward Chi Hong with excitement, her red Dragon Eyes full of eagerness.
Chi Hong turned her head and looked at her disciple, whose thoughts were not entirely pure, deliberately asking, “Huang’er, tell me. If someone dares to secretly sneak into our Red Dragon Clan’s important grounds with unclear intentions, how should we handle it according to clan rules?”
Hearing this, Chi Huang immediately straightened her back and answered without thinking, “Of course we capture them on the spot and bring them back for careful interrogation! If they harbor ill intent, we must use harsh torture!” As she spoke, she rubbed her palms together excitedly.
Chi Huang could not help but lament in her heart. ‘Master is truly too shrewd, being able to lure Jiang Huai over this way.’
If they captured Jiang Huai, then the initiative would be entirely in their hands.
“Mm, well said.” Chi Hong nodded with satisfaction and reached out to tidy her slightly messy hair at her temples.
“In that case, let’s go, my dear disciple. Follow your master to go catch some people.”
“Yes! Honored Master!” Chi Huang’s eyes lit up, and she immediately followed Chi Hong’s pace.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, unhurriedly went to meet the direction Jiang Zhun and the other were sneaking from.