Chapter 60: The Splendor of Spring and Killing Intent
Once he had deployed all three abilities to their utmost, he finally found a tiny sliver of a clue in a clump of shrubbery. This clump of shrubbery was slightly different from the ones in front of it.
This shrubbery all vaguely leaned in the same direction. It was obvious that something had passed by here and caused this bit of change.
With The God’s Eye careful discerning ability, Jiang Chen finally found a few footprints in the surrounding grass – so faint that they could barely be detected.
These footprints were concealed very well. Jiang Chen quested all along the way and followed them to a sea of bamboo. Jiang Chen’s body was like an ape’s as he swung through the sea of bamboo, continuously hanging onto this clue and not letting go.
Finally, after half an hour, Jiang Chen appeared in front of an entrance to a secret underground chamber, deep within the sea of bamboo.
Jiang Chen took out one Layered Feather Throwing Dagger, and surreptitiously followed the course of the underground chamber.
There was actually a world of its own the further he went into the secret chamber. The entrance was small, but a vast expanse came into view after threading through a long hallway.
What Jiang Chen had wholly unanticipated was that this vast expanse was actually an underground palace. The palace wasn’t large, but all the furnishings that should’ve been there were all present.
A large jade bed was installed at the end of the palace.
But an even more astounding scene was present on the jade bed.
Madame Jade was presently naked and had been placed in the center of the jade bed. There wasn’t a shred of clothing on her body, and all of her places of importance were on full display.
The six female disciples of the North Sect were placed on both sides, three on each side. The three on the left had also been similarly stripped with not a scrap left on their bodies.
The silk robes of the three girls on the right had been partially unfastened. Although they hadn’t been completely unrobed, important places disappeared and reappeared like smoke. Including Wen Ziqi, all of them bore expressions of fright and horror as they looked at the person standing at the head of the bed.
That person was that honorary disciple who had been the messenger.
Jiang Chen did not rush to reveal himself. Separated by such a distance, the honorary disciple hadn’t discovered him either.
“Tsk tsk, it is indeed the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Haha, the old and young of the North Sect of the Star Argus Palace have all been captured in one net by me. Ah, this is excellent indeed!”
The person’s voice carried a few tones of abnormal betwitchingness. A pair of evil eyes swept over the tempting bodies as he emitted a low roar like that of a beast’s.
These North Sect girls were all martial dao practitioners, each with lithe and graceful figures. Particularly Madame Jade – her figure was even more superior compared to those of the female disciples.
If these female disciples were mostly budding flowers, then Madame Jade was a blossomed fresh flower full of the amorous feelings of a young married woman.
“Should I eat the old one first or taste the young one first?”
The person smiled evilly, but his gaze stopped on Wen Ziqi. “This lass is genteel and refined, and blushes even when she speaks. She must have a particularly distinctive flavor when tasted. She’s the one.”
The person bent down as he spoke and began to undo Wen Ziqi’s clothes.
Wen Ziqi’s eyes displayed a desperate, horrified fear as her tears rolled down like beads.
Jiang Chen knew that it would be rather unkind if he continued watching like this.
Coughing lightly, he walked out from the shadows and said with a trace of a smile, “Brother, you know how to enjoy amorous happenings alright. How could you relish such wonderful things by yourself?”
The person was as if struck by lightning and his body suddenly dashed away, landing in a corner. His hand had already grabbed the hilt of a short sword as his sinister eyes pierced towards Jiang Chen.
“Who are you?”
Jiang Chen laughed faintly. “Are you Shen Rong? Or Shen Rong’s honorary disciple?”
The person laughed heartily. “Shen Rong? Honorary disciple? Haha, they’re but bodies I use when I hunt and pluck flowers. If you want to find them, you can only go to the netherworld.”
“This is to say that you’ve already killed the Star Argus Palace’s South Sect’s Sectmaster Shen Rong? You were disguised as Shen Rong from the very beginning?” Jiang Chen understood everything all at once.
Shen Rong and that honorary disciple who had carried the message were actually all the same person, and that was the person standing in front of him. It was more than likely that this person was that Lotus Harvester.
“Haha, just who are you? Don’t you think that you’re asking too many questions?” The person’s tone was dark and cold as his eyes locked onto Jiang Chen, seeming to want to seal off all avenues of retreat with his gaze alone.
“Lotus Harvester, you’ve got some nerve in hunting and plucking flowers in a sect’s sphere of influence.” Jiang Chen snorted coldly.
A sliver of surprise flashed through the person’s gaze. “You know me? Huh. Are you also from those interfering busybodies at the Six Panel Door? Trying to enforce justice on behalf of heaven?”
“You’re correct.” Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
“Blockhead. Fool.” A trace of an odd smile suddenly appeared on the Lotus Harvester’s face. “If I haven’t met a thousand people trying to carry out justice on behalf of heaven, I’ve met at least eight hundred. All these people are now sleeping soundly in the netherworld, you’re the next one.”
“You’re quite confident.” Jiang Chen also smiled.
“Why wouldn’t I be confident towards someone who’s already half dead? Do you know why these women are lying here without being able to move at all? I didn’t seal their acupoints.” The Lotus Harvester smiled leisurely.
“What? You mean, the… the smoke from the candles are poisoned?” Jiang Chen’s face changed drastically.
“At least you’re not a complete idiot. You should die, must die, for disturbing my sexual pleasure. Give me your head in apology!”
The Lotus Harvester suddenly moved and his figure dashed forward like a ghost or a goblin.
It was said that the Lotus Harvester’s qinggong was extraordinary, and his movements indeed lived up to its reputation. The short blade in his hand turned into a flash of cold light as it chopped towards Jiang Chen’s neck.
Jiang Chen’s body wavered and tottered, as if he might fall down at any moment.
To the Lotus Harvester, this looked like the struggles of its prey and it further stimulated his wildness.
“Die!” The Lotus Harvester waved his blade and stabbed downwards.
The anticipated scene did not occur.
The short sword didn’t land in a chop on the neck. More accurately speaking, the short sword chopped empty air.
That wavering and tottering opponent suddenly vanished where he stood.
“Ah, not good!” The Lotus Harvester’s reaction was quick as he abruptly turned his body, sweeping his short sword out in the space behind him.
At this moment, a flash of cold light came from an unknown location. It was like it didn’t need to follow the rules of space as it instantaneously shot to his throat.
A flying dagger!
A perfect angle, a perfect hit.
Jiang Chen’s Layered Feather Throwing Dagger was as thin as a feather as it melted into the thin air. It cleaved space apart as it flew into the Lotus Harvester’s throat.
The Lotus Harvester clutched his throat in a death grip as his eyes bugged violently like a dead fish’s. He stared at Jiang Chen with a face full of incredulity.
He had never thought that he would perish in such a place like this.
He didn’t understand. Why was the other fine after falling victim to the poison in the candle smoke? Why had the other been able to find this place and easily, thoroughly understand his identity?
But, the Lotus Harvester would have no chance to find the answers to all these in this lifetime.
How would he have known that for a great master of alchemy who had occupied all the various planes such as Jiang Chen in his past life, the poison methods of him, the Lotus Harvester, was akin to child’s play.
Jiang Chen walked up and relieved the Lotus Harvester’s body of its head with a light stroke of a blade. He enveloped it in a cloth bag at his waist with a smooth motion and rolled the Lotus Harvester’s head inside.
He picked up the Lotus Harvester’s short blade as well, and searched out a few other things from the Lotus Harvester’s body.
According to the requirements of the mission, the head of the Lotus Harvester was required for inspection after killing the Lotus Harvester, and he also needed to obtain some sort of token from the Lotus Harvester. This short sword was naturally a type of token.
Jiang Chen rolled all the random things on the Lotus Harvester’s body into a cloth bag, and hung it on his waist in a fluid motion.
Walking to the front of the big bed, the seven females from the North Sect were all staring with wide eyes. Their expressions were both awkward and full of the desire to be saved.
Jiang Chen had seen countless women in his past life, and naturally wouldn’t lose his composure in such a scene with naked bodies lying all around. His gaze sweeping past all the ladies, Jiang Chen shoved a pill into Wen Ziqi’s mouth.
“Swallow it.”
Wen Ziqi’s limpid eyes blinked. There were still traces of tears hanging on her long eyelashes, but she swallowed the pill obediently.
This pill was the antidote to those substances that would numb the nerves.
Jiang Chen had fully prepared these basic equipment the last time he’d visited the Hall of Healing.
Pills produced by the Hall of Healing would naturally not be an ordinary product.
A moment after Wen Ziqi had taken the pill, her hands and feet regained some of their movement. She struggled to sit up, and her hands subconsciously moved to put her clothes on.
Except, the pill had just taken effect and she didn’t have enough strength in her hands. With a shake of her hands, the robe slipped down and ended up revealing, in detail, the splendor of spring that was her chest.
A pair of jade peaks as adorable as doves fell right into Jiang Chen’s view.
What a beautiful sight. Jiang Chen’s heart also lurched slightly as he turned around and didn’t stare continuously instead.
Wen Ziqi’s elegant face had already blushed to the back of her ears at this time. It was a good thing that Jiang Chen had turned his back so that she didn’t continue to wallow in awkwardness.
She hastily wrapped her clothes around herself and said lowly, “It’s alright now.”
Jiang Chen turned around and placed a bottle of pills in front of Wen Ziqi. “Give these to your master and your fellow sisters. You’ve fallen victim to the Lotus Harvester’s schemes. It was great fortune amongst unfortuitous circumstances that you were unsullied.”
“He… he was the Lotus Harvester?” Wen Ziqi’s face turned pale with fear when she heard the Lotus Harvester’s infamous name. Her heart pounded furiously in her fright.
Madame Jade was the first to recover her movement ability after taking the pill.
She had been touched by the Lotus Harvester earlier and the flush of intimacy had yet to fully disperse from her face. There were still traces of lustful desire fading in and out in her charming eyes.
“What is the young hero’s name? Little girl here thanks you for saving my life.” Madame Jade’s tone was young and ignorant, in stark contrast to her stern manner as cold as ice and frost earlier.
Jiang Chen’s thoughts perked. Judging from this tone, he knew that the Lotus Harvester had probably employed some methods on Madame Jade, and her desire had not yet dissipated.
He smiled wryly. “I am a nameless nobody, my name is not worth mentioning. Since you are fine now, I shall take my leave.”
Madame Jade sighed lowly and spoke bitterly, “Young hero, you’ve seen all there is to see from both young and old from the North Sect of the Star Argus Palace. What a philanderer. If you leave just like this, I’m an old woman and thus afraid of nothing. But who will prove the innocence of these girls in the future?”
Jiang Chen rubbed his nose. “I think this is a bit of an exaggeration?”
Madame Jade smiled in a gently and lovely way, “Who was it just now who was enchanted by my chest and the area between my legs just now?”
Jiang Chen felt greatly depressed and aggrieved. He admitted that his eyes had stayed on Madame Jade’s body for a few seconds just now. That was because her young woman’s body was the most special, the most curvaceous.
But it hadn’t been as exaggerated as she said. Enchanted by herl, now what the heck was that?
“Madame, although I am young, I know of the strict rules of conduct between men and women. I absolutely will not speak even half a word of what has happened today after I leave. If I violate my words, then may I die from ten thousand arrows piercing my heart.”
“You… you don’t need to swear such a blood oath.” Wen Ziqi’s face flushed red again as she hastily spoke up, and then added another sentence. “We all believe you, you’re an upright gentleman with strict morals.”
Wen Ziqi thought of the awkward scene just now. The scenery of her chest hadn’t originally been displayed, but her own hands had failed and allowed a thorough look for the other.
When she thought of this scene, Wen Ziqi felt uncontrollable embarrassment.
Jiang Chen nodded his head lightly and took in a deep breath. He knew that it was not advisable to remain in this place for long. If he lingered any longer, and Madame Jade tried seducing him every now and then, he may actually fail to hold his position.
After all, a colorful scene littered with naked, jade bodies, and exuding fragrances such as this one, wasn’t one that any male could easily defend against.
Seeing that Jiang Chen could resume a clear and bright heart under such a short time frame and walk towards the outside, Madame Jade also privately admired him. How could an ordinary young man have controlled himself under these circumstances?
“Young hero, I may not have enough face as an old woman, but can I ask for your honored name on behalf of my pathetic disciple?”
Madame Jade was a quick witted person and knew that Jiang Chen was at least somewhat kindly disposed towards her disciple Wen Ziqi, given that he had given her the antidote first.
Jiang Chen’s body halted slightly and he responded faintly, “I am Jiang Chen of the Jiang Han territory, here to execute the Lotus Harvester by royal order. Everyone, we shall meet again some day!”
He disappeared from where he stood with a point of his toe, like a wild goose flying to the unseen world, after he had spoken.