Chapter 25

◎Thud, smack —— fall!◎

Chi Lu originally wanted to say that.

But when the words reached her lips, they inexplicably got stuck, and after turning around and around, they finally became: “Give me your hand.”

She successfully got a hand that was as white as snow and had red plum blossoms on it.

The bath that Ying Lianyi had prepared not only healed the wounds inside, but also didn’t neglect the outer surface of the body.

Jing Shuxing’s hand was originally good-looking, and under the enhancement of the spiritual medicine, it looked even more beautiful. He reached out his hand in the shadow, and the back of his hand was so white that it was almost transparent under the fragmented sunlight, revealing clearly visible veins.

Chi Lu also discovered that not only were Jing Shuxing’s hands good-looking, but his waist was also slender. Combined with his stretched arm, it was the kind of “ape arm and wasp waist” that everyone praised.

Chi Lu’s gaze went up and down, sizing up Jing Shuxing, and Jing Shuxing knew nothing about it.

He reached out his hand until it was caught by Chi Lu, then he asked softly: “What do you want me to do?”

Chi Lu smiled with her lips pursed: “Why didn’t you ask me first?”

Jing Shuxing’s face was slightly condensed, a flash of tangled emotion passed, and his throat moved up and down, as if he wanted to say something. 

In the end, he swallowed all his words: “I am not an ungrateful person.”

Memories surfaced in his mind, and Jing Shuxing couldn’t help but recall that lament filled with intense sorrow.

“I have never been trusted by you.”

But he has never trusted anyone either.

Jing Shuxing was hesitating, hesitating about his attitude towards Chi Lu, hesitating about his inner choice, hesitating whether he could try to trust her.

“What are you thinking about?” A clear, bell-like laughter came, interrupting Jing Shuxing’s thoughts.

Jing Shuxing suddenly came back to his senses, shook his head with a smile on his lips, and didn’t answer.

From Chi Lu’s tone, Jing Shuxing could no longer hear a trace of sadness. Since she had already forgotten that sentence, he wouldn’t deliberately upset her for no reason.

Seeing Jing Shuxing’s silence, Chi Lu raised her eyebrows lightly and teased him on purpose: “Guess what I want to do?”

“Let me see, what sensitive points do you have on your hand.”

She manipulated her spiritual power, sucked away the heat from the wet handkerchief, and suddenly stuck the cold, water-soaked handkerchief on the back of Jing Shuxing’s hand.

The chill entered his body, and Jing Shuxing gasped unexpectedly, quickly pulling his hand back.

He covered the back of his hand, not knowing why Chi Lu did this, nor knowing how he should react.

Jing Shuxing leaned back slightly, his face full of astonishment and bewilderment. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes, staring blankly ahead.

His expression was uneasy, as if he had been bullied by Chi Lu.

Chi Lu originally just wanted to let things go, but seeing this scene, she couldn’t help but have a mischievous thought.

She hooked the corner of her lips, smirked, pinched the handkerchief into a triangle, and stretched it towards Jing Shuxing’s neck.

If that place was chilled, the reaction would definitely be greater.

In the next instant, Chi Lu’s wrist was firmly grasped.

Jing Shuxing seemed to be trapped in painful memories, his expression suddenly turned cold, and he almost subconsciously pressed down with his hand, pressing down along the edge of the bed.

Everything happened too fast, in a flash, Chi Lu didn’t even react, and was imprisoned by Jing Shuxing in a small space. Her lower back was cushioned on the soft mattress, her body tilted downwards, and if it weren’t for her arm being pulled, she would have uncontrollably slid down.

The cage that Jing Shuxing imposed was not strict. He was just stronger than Chi Lu, and completely relied on brute force to restrain her. As long as Chi Lu could control her spiritual power, she could easily overthrow him. 

Chi Lu’s fingertips slightly loosened, and the handkerchief in her hand fell to the ground. The wet silk and water stained the brown wood, making a dull sound as it broke through the air.

The sound of it hitting the ground was like a thunderbolt, shattering Jing Shuxing’s solemn expression.

He came back to his senses, understanding that it was not the cold, shimmering iron instrument, but something completely different – a soft and non-aggressive handkerchief.

The chill that came from his neck, he hadn’t felt it for a long time. The last time he was threatened by the cold wind and iron thorn at his throat, his eyes still reflected his not yet dead mother.

That time was the 15th of July, the Ghost Festival.^[1]In Chinese culture, the Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism or Yu Lan Pen Festival in Buddhism, is traditionally celebrated on the 15th night of the seventh month in the lunar … Continue reading

Jiang Yumu held a dagger with intricate patterns, pressing it against the neck of Jing Shuxing who was still a child, constantly murmuring: “Why?”

“Why is it that I clearly gave birth to you, yet he still doesn’t favor me, he can’t even give me a glance. You are the eldest son, the eldest son, why can’t even you help me capture his heart?”

The little boy who was pressed under her, his eyes lifelessly reflected Jiang Yumu’s frenzied posture, listening to her constant complaints, complaining that she had exhausted all her schemes, but still couldn’t get a single glance from City Lord Jing Yi.

How long Jiang Yumu had been in such a state, Jing Shuxing couldn’t remember. 

He only knew that a long time ago, before he could remember, his birth mother had already lost her sanity.

She was like a madwoman, repeatedly begging her husband for mercy. For this, she did not hesitate to use her own body as a vessel, conceived a child, and after giving birth, she proudly took credit to Jing Yi:

“Look at his aptitude, look at his talent, he is our combination, I gave birth to a human-shaped weapon for you, which can be used as a major weapon for Fengyue City in the future.”

“…Am I good enough?”

It is often mentioned in the story that the world-renowned genius formation cultivator, trapped by love, groveled at Jing Yi’s feet, begging him for mercy.

Unfortunately, she got nothing.

So Jiang Yumu became even more aggressive. In order to attract Jing Yi’s attention, she used her own child as a wooden stake, nailed full of runes and formations on his body, and applied all her lifelong learning to Jing Shuxing.

Day after day, year after year.

The memory of that night, Jing Shuxing could recall at any time, flashing back in front of his eyes without any difference.

The little boy snatched the dagger, grinned, and slanted it against his birth mother’s carotid artery.

Ten years ago, on the 15th of July, the Ghost Festival, Jing Shuxing’s eyes reflected the frost of cold iron, with a full face of curse marks, he stepped out of Fengyue City with a smile. 

He walked through the wandering mountain spirits and ghosts, walking alone, hoping to see the light of day in the dark night.

After that year, he never let ordinary cultivators get close to him again, until Jing Yi stepped on the shattered stones, and with one palm, he split open his spiritual platform, finally falling to the point where he was once again being close to others and manipulated by them.

Perhaps because the current situation is too similar to the past, Jing Shuxing’s body acted first before his brain could react, just like how he treated the woman who fell into madness back then, pressing the person who bullied him close to him under him.

When his rationality returned, Jing Shuxing’s tiger’s mouth^[2]tiger mouth in here is the tiger mouth part of a hand. clamped Chi Lu’s slender and white wrist, the force was so great that the girl couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

“Hiss——it hurts!”

Jing Shuxing was startled and immediately let go.

Chi Lu lost the force of pulling, her body was already lying on the bed, after Jing Shuxing let go, she uncontrollably slid down, she screamed, stretched out her arms, and randomly grabbed forward.

Jing Shuxing heard her scream, and at the same time reached out in the direction of the sound, and was grabbed by the sleeve by the panicked and mistaken Chi Lu.

A great force came, poor Jing Shuxing had no spiritual power, and lost his calm, under Chi Lu’s pull, the whole person fell down with her.

“Thud, smack——” 

There were two muffled sounds, and low panting sounds spread from under the bed.

Jing Shuxing fell back onto the ground, trying to struggle up, but repeatedly failed. He noticed something strange at his waist, and his handsome eyebrows slightly furrowed: “What… are you doing?”

A strange sensation came from his waist and abdomen.

This temperature, this situation.

Could it be——

Jing Shuxing’s breath suddenly stopped, his thoughts seemed to be stuck, and he tried hard to avoid that overly stimulating assumption.

Chi Lu’s knee hit the ground, causing a sharp pain.

She was rubbing her kneecap hard. Upon hearing Jing Shuxing’s question, she glanced back at their positions, and casually answered:

“I’m sitting on you, wait a moment, my leg hurts a bit, I can’t stand up for now.”

The author has something to say:

Comrade Chi Lu, you are a person of integrity, but I’m afraid you might not have any breakthroughs in this lifetime.

Pict of “tiger mouth” :