As Mu Xiaoyao emerged from Fang Jie's room in the soft morning light, her face still flushed with a captivating blush. This scene was witnessed by Shen Qingshan. She glanced at Mu Xiaoyao's graceful back, then at the open door of the room, and the next second, she walked in without hesitation.
"A night of passion?"
Looking at Fang Jie lying on the bed with a somewhat strange expression, Shen Qingshan asked as she approached.
Fang Jie was startled, and said with some annoyance, "Can't you be a little more innocent?"
Shen Qingshan tossed her long hair, sat down beside Fang Jie, and smiled, saying, "Since you have the ability to do it, don't you have the guts to admit it? Don't talk about your morality, and don't say you can't."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and slowly ran it across Fang Jie's exposed pectoral muscles. Her fingers were long and beautiful, and the gentle gliding across his pectoral muscles was undeniably alluring. Already somewhat irritated, Fang Jie was further annoyed by this provocation. Looking intently into Shen Qingshan's eyes, he said seriously, "Do you believe I could strip you naked and beat you up right now?"
Shen Qingshan's gaze lingered on a certain prominent bulge under the thin blanket, and she couldn't help but chuckle, "I believe you."
Her fingers lightly traced Fang Jie's lips, then moved down his cheek, gently caressing his earlobe. Fang Jie's face flushed, a rare sight. His lips were embarrassed, his earlobe was embarrassed, and especially the location of Shen Qingshan's gaze made him even more awkward. For a strong and young man, an erection in the morning was perfectly normal. Besides, not long ago, a beautiful woman with a graceful figure had been lying beside him.
Seeing that Fang Jie's breathing had become heavy from her teasing, Shen Qingshan withdrew at just the right moment, stood up, turned around with a flourish, and left. What annoyed Fang Jie most was that she stopped at the door, turned back, and smiled sweetly, saying, "You know I'm terribly weak right now. If you were to do anything forceful, I naturally wouldn't be able to resist. So, you asked if I believed you could strip me naked? I believe you, but unfortunately… you don't have the guts. And… now I believe it too, that you and Mu Xiaoyao are truly innocent."
Her gaze teasingly swept over Fang Jie's erection under the thin blanket, then she smiled brightly and pouted, the meaning of which was unclear.
Watching Shen Qingshan leave, Fang Jie lifted the blanket to look at his rock-hard erection, and couldn't help but sigh, "If you're so thirsty, why didn't you just pull the blanket off yourself?"
Pull it off…
This made him laugh out loud. Last night, his relationship with Mu Xiaoyao was indeed innocent. He had truly obeyed Mu Xiaoyao's orders, only caressing her soft breasts a few times through her clothes. Before he could even slip his hand inside her clothes to truly grasp those full breasts, Mu Xiaoyao kicked him onto the bed without any mercy.
Perhaps he was truly exhausted, but Fang Jie actually fell into a deep sleep amidst the sensual atmosphere. Or perhaps Mu Xiaoyao's body fragrance really did have a calming effect; he slept very soundly. When he opened his eyes, Mu Xiaoyao was already sitting on the edge of the bed, tidying her clothes. Through the slightly open front of her clothes, he could see a patch of fair and tender skin.
Fang Jie greedily stared at her for a few moments, then noticed a subtle, intriguing resentment in Mu Xiaoyao's eyes. Then, this unfathomable beauty kicked Fang Jie onto the bed again. Mu Xiaoyao blushed for some reason, glared at Fang Jie, and got up and left.
Even now, Fang Jie still didn't understand why Mu Xiaoyao glared at him, kicked him, or blushed…
After getting up and dressed, Fang Jie tried moving around a bit and, finding nothing wrong, breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the broken knife the old cripple had given him, picked up the table, and leaped out of the second-floor back window into the small backyard. The moment his feet touched the ground, Fang Jie felt a surge of power coursing through his body.
He gripped the broken knife and practiced a left-handed sword technique for an hour. Then, after practicing a right-handed technique for half an hour, the sun was already high in the east. Covered in sweat, Fang Jie felt so good he couldn't help but shout. Almost instinctively, he punched a thick locust tree in the backyard.
Then… Fang Jie froze, staring at the bowl-sized crater he'd punched in the locust tree, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He looked down at his fist and found that not even a scratch had broken the flesh.
Could I really be practicing cultivation? He couldn't help but ask himself this question, then dismissed the thought.
He couldn't sense the primordial energy of heaven and earth, so he couldn't convert it into internal energy for his own use. So-called cultivation was the process of converting primordial energy into internal energy. He couldn't sense anything, he didn't even have a dantian (energy center), so how could he cultivate?
Second floor, back window.
Looking at Fang Jie standing somewhat dazedly in the backyard, Chen Qingshan couldn't help but turn to Mu Xiaoyao beside her: "You...can you tell what's wrong with him?"
Mu Xiaoyao slowly shook her head; she couldn't find the answer either.
Just then, the large dog leaning against the window suddenly remembered something: "Little Waist, do you remember when Fang Jie mentioned to us before leaving Fan Gu that he met a master at the Yunji Dog Meat Shop, the one who forcibly broke the poison in his body and gave him something to eat?"
"Fang Jie said a while ago that the person was very likely Yang Qi, the Prince of Zhongqin of the Sui Dynasty who disappeared ten years ago."
The large dog asked, "Is it true that what he gave Fang Jie to eat... changed Fang Jie's constitution?"
Shen Qingshan was silent for a moment before saying, "In this world..." "There are very few elixirs that could potentially alter one's constitution."
"The Bodhi Seed of Buddhism, the Lesser Golden Elixir of Taoism."
Mu Xiaoyao looked at the young man outside and said earnestly, "These are the only two elixirs I know of."
"The Lesser Golden Elixir has the miraculous effects of bringing the dead back to life, reviving the dying, and healing flesh and bones; that's beyond doubt."
Daquan shook his head and said, "But I've never heard of anything that can change a person's constitution. No matter how you look at it, it's impossible. As for the Bodhi Seed... even more impossible."
They talked quietly upstairs, their tone filled with concern.
Fang Jie, seemingly frozen in the backyard, was actually pondering deeply. What was wrong with him? Why had his body changed so drastically? Back in Fan Gu, he was a young man who only dared to hide in the shadows and shoot arrows at bandits. Now, he felt as if his body were a drawn sword, and also an extremely hard shield.
He slowly extended one finger and pressed it against the locust tree. The muscles in his right arm instantly tensed in one direction, and his finger plunged into the tree as easily as piercing tofu.
He still couldn't sense any spiritual energy, nor any internal strength.
...
...
After lunch, Fang Jie told Mu Xiaoyao and the others, then left the shop with Qilin, seemingly aimlessly walking down the street. He occasionally stopped to look at the items on the roadside stalls, picking out two inexpensive but reasonably well-made ornaments to give to Mu Xiaoyao and Chen Qingshan when he returned.
With such a conspicuous man as Qilin by his side, he couldn't avoid attracting attention wherever he went. Fang Jie couldn't help but turn back to Qilin and laugh, "Brother Qilin, I'll still have to take you with me when we go out. All those pretty girls on the street will look at you first, then look at me second. It's so cool!"
Qilin chuckled憨厚ly, "When we were on the run with Mo Ningzhi, pretending to be you, Shen Qingshan said that because I'm too conspicuous, I can't escape the pursuers no matter where I go. She said she'd never forget me even after three years."
Fang Jie smiled, "She can joke?"
Qilin shook his head, "She can now. Before, when she said that, I could feel that she might stab me to death with her sword at any moment."
Fang Jie fell silent.
"Fang Jie, I've always been puzzled. During those three years with us, Shen Qingshan was as cold as the sword in her hand. From sunrise to sunset, she might not say a word to us. For three years, she just kept killing. Not only me, Heng Gun also told me that no one could predict whether Shen Qingshan would suddenly go berserk and kill us all one by one. But since she found you, why does she seem like a different person?"
Mentioning Heng Gun, Qilin's eyes darkened.
Fang Jie stopped, thinking carefully, and realized that the Shen Qingshan he remembered wasn't as violent as Qilin described. She had a cold and beautiful side, and also a very alluring one.
"Fang Jie, Mo Ningzhi once said… Shen Qingshan was so cold and ruthless because she didn't want to protect an imposter."
Qilin's expression suddenly froze after saying this.
While Fang Jie was still pondering the meaning of Qilin's words, Qilin nudged his shoulder. He looked up and found Qilin staring straight ahead with some embarrassment.
Fang Jie followed Qilin's gaze and saw someone standing not far away, watching him.
A very beautiful woman.
"Mo...Mo Ningzhi."
Qilin stammered the name, causing Fang Jie's heart to tighten inexplicably.
...
...
This was a quiet teahouse, simply furnished but very clean. Fang Jie and Mo Ningzhi sat facing each other at a table by the window.
Qilin, Ye Xiao Tie Nu, and another person stood silently at the teahouse entrance, not exchanging a word.
Fang Jie had never lacked beautiful women since childhood; Mu Xiaoyao was one, and Shen Qingshan was even more so. But their beauty was in a completely different league from the woman before him. Fang Jie thought about it for a long time before finally admitting that Mu Xiaoyao and Shen Qingshan's beauty was earthly. Mo Ningzhi's beauty, however, was otherworldly.
She wore a simple, unadorned Daoist robe, typical of a low-ranking disciple of the Daoist sect. Her long hair was styled in a high bun, with braids cascading smoothly down her back. Although Fang Jie didn't examine her face closely, he was certain he couldn't find a single flaw. Her skin, features, and even her exquisitely beautiful neck were all so perfect they inspired admiration. Even sitting in this teahouse, this woman seemed detached from worldly concerns.
"I know your name is Fang Jie."
It was Mo Ningzhi who spoke first.
She didn't drink the tea before her, but her gaze on Fang Jie's face was anything but impolite. And that gaze carried an untainted purity. Although Fang Jie was certain this purity wasn't genuine. There was no resentment, no anger in her eyes. If she were truly a person of flesh and blood, why would she lack the emotions these people should possess?
She had shielded Fang Jie from danger for three years.
If it were Fang Jie in her shoes, he was certain he would have been tempted to kill.
"Hmm."
He hummed in response.
"I know you've always wanted to see what I look like, just like I was curious about what you look like."
Mo Ningzhi said calmly.
"Just so I can see what you look like?"
Fang Jie asked.
Mo Ningzhi shook her head and said, "You're taking the Martial Arts Academy's exam tomorrow, right?"
"Yes."
"Such a momentous event that will determine your future, you must be taking it very seriously, right?"
"Yes."
"So before the exam, you chose to wander the streets aimlessly. It seems aimless, but you did it on purpose. You wanted to relax, to calm your mind before the exam. Right?"
She asked again.
"Yes."
Fang Jie had to nod, a strong sense of unease rising within him. How could this woman so directly guess his inner thoughts? Why did someone he'd never met understand him so well?
"So I came."
Mo Ningzhi smiled, beautifully.
"I came to tell you that the moment you step into the examination hall tomorrow, I will go to your shop. Shen Qingshan is still weak and hasn't fully recovered. Daquan's injuries are even more severe; he's easily defeated. Perhaps… I might go there even before you leave home."
Fang Jie was taken aback, then shook his head and sighed, "You can't hurt them. I can take them with me."
"Can you bring them into the examination hall?"
"Why don't you just target me directly?"
"That's a foolish thing to say. If I kill you… wouldn't you be in pain?"
"You came to see me just to say these things to disturb my peace of mind, to prevent me from fully preparing for the exam? I must say, your approach is somewhat childish and laughable."
"No."
Mo Ningzhi stood up, looked at Fang Jie earnestly, and said, "I'm here to collect a debt, and… I'm not in a hurry."
After saying this, she turned and walked out of the teahouse.
Fang Jie took a deep breath, but found that he really couldn't calm down, even though… he was certain that this woman wouldn't do what she said. Even if… he was certain this woman only wanted to unsettle him. He picked up the teacup on the table, took a slow sip, and sighed, "You really can't offend a woman."
Her threatening words weren't just a means to unsettle him; the meaning behind those words was.
In short, it boils down to four words:
You owe me.
And her purpose boils down to five words:
I'm here to cause trouble.