Chapter 19: Dao Companion
No one knew how much ti had passed before the Twelve Celestial-Demon Forms gradually dissipated. Those who had their minds captivated were slowly coming back to their senses, realizing what had happened. Everyone fell into disbelieving silence, the courtyard was dead quiet, even Yue Xiao and Ye Long were speechless for a long ti.
Ji Yaoge let out a heavy breath, knowing that her actions might have been too much, but there was no other choice given the situation earlier. She calmly walked to the front of the dance hall and cupped her fists in salute to the two senior sisters.
"How is this possible? Only three days," Yue Xiao was still murmuring, looking incredulously at Ye Long.
Ye Long had left for a day, and she had no idea how Ji Yaoge managed to master the Twelve Celestial-Demon Forms. For a mont, she was also too shocked to speak. In the vast courtyard, only Ji Yaoge's steady voice could be heard, "The dance is over. Thank you, Senior Sister Ye Long, for your guidance and Senior Sister Yue Xiao for your pointers. I still have chores to attend to in the Cangling Pavilion, so I won't linger. Please excuse . Farewell."
With that, she turned around and left, not even asking about the trial results.
She had neither the pride of achieving sothing amazing nor the cautiousness of soone with low cultivation. What she had was the confidence of soone who had done their best, and the result was clear for everyone to see. Why would she need their judgnt, right?
"Ji..." Ye Long was about to call out to Ji Yaoge.
"Did you teach her this?" Yue Xiao interrupted her.
"I..." Ye Long didn't know how to explain. She had taught Ji Yaoge the Celestial-Demon Dance, but mastering the Twelve Celestial-Demon Forms was unexpected. She had only demonstrated once, and who knew Ji Yaoge could comprehend it on her own? Explaining it would seem unbelievable.
Yue Xiao mistook Ye Long's hesitation for guilt. Her red lips pressed into a line, eyes reddened, pointing a trembling finger at Ye Long, "You helped her hit and even taught her the Twelve Forms? Fine, you're sothing..."
"I didn't... Don't cry... Don't cry..." Ye Long sheathed her curved blade, frowning as she tried to comfort her.
Yue Xiao's tears rolled down her cheeks. Seeing Ye Long approach, she stomped hard on her shoe, "Ye Long, you're sothing!" Then, pushing her away, she stord out of the dance hall and flew away.
Ye Long jumped in pain, clutching her brow, and chased after Yue Xiao.
————
Ji Yaoge walked quickly along the path to the Cangling Pavilion. As she turned past a wall covered in nine layers of bougainvillea, soone blocked her way.
Under the clusters of crimson flowers, Ren Zhongping stepped out leisurely, shadows of flowers cast on the ground. With a light flick of his sleeve, he smiled, "Congratulations, Junior Sister, for mastering the Twelve Celestial-Demon Forms in such a short ti."
Ji Yaoge licked her lips, "It's all thanks to Senior Brother Ren. Without your 'help,' I wouldn't have had the chance to practice the Celestial-Demon Dance."
Her words were calm, but her clear eyes exuded a captivating charm, making her ordinary face seem particularly lively.
Ren Zhongping chuckled softly, "Junior Sister still holds a grudge?"
"I wouldn't dare. I'm thanking Senior Brother," Ji Yaoge lowered her eyes, appearing shy under his intense gaze.
Ren Zhongping squinted, recalling her graceful dance moves earlier, and suddenly felt an itch in his heart. His voice turned low and seductive, "Since you're thankful, shouldn't you show so sincerity?"
This shaless man! Ji Yaoge clenched her fist but maintained her composure, "How does Senior Brother want to thank you?"
"Do you rember our agreent from the other day?" Ren Zhongping said, brushing a strand of hair from her temple, his fingertip grazing her cheek.
Ji Yaoge leaned back slightly, "How could I forget? Now that the trial is over, I was just wondering when Senior Brother would have ti so I could co find you."
"No need to wait. How about now?" Ren Zhongping, enjoying the feel of her warm, smooth skin, suggested.
"Not now. It's broad daylight, and people are coming and going. It wouldn't be proper. Besides, I have important matters at Cangling Pavilion. How about..." Ji Yaoge paused, her voice enticing, "tonight at Hai hour? Will you wait for , Senior Brother?"
Ren Zhongping stroked his chin and laughed, "Alright, I'll wait for you in my cave at Hai hour."
Ji Yaoge smiled in agreent. Once Ren Zhongping left, her expression turned cold.
————
After confirming Ren Zhongping had left, Ji Yaoge didn't return to Cangling Pavilion. Instead, she circled around to the west side of Chi Xiu Palace, outside the Luanhe Forest.
The afternoon sun was still blazing, and there was no one in the Luanhe Forest. She looked around cautiously to make sure no one was there before stepping into the forest.
Ji Yaoge had a habit of thoroughly understanding anything she had suffered from before. After her previous encounter, she had learned everything about the characteristics of Luanhe. This plant was cultivated by the sect and harvested by assigned disciples. Approaching it was simple. Luanhe could sense the temperature of living creatures and attack them. As long as the area below the knees was frozen when approaching Luanhe, it wouldn't react.
Luanhe was the main ingredient for Chunxing Powder, an aphrodisiac. However, excessive use could harm the soul, causing fainting or even turning into an idiot. Chunxing Powder was hard to make, but Luanhe grass could be picked freely. There were no regulations within the sect.
Ji Yaoge took out a low-quality frost charm she had prepared beforehand and cast it on herself. A layer of visible white frost covered her legs and shoes, making her feel a chill. Only then did she proceed into the forest.
Ren Zhongping was a big problem that needed to be dealt with quickly. From the day he approached her, Ji Yaoge had been planning counterasures. These were her gifts for Ren Zhongping.
The Luanhe flowers were still blooming densely, clusters of them glowing in the forest. Ji Yaoge held her breath and stepped in cautiously. The Luanhe did not react, so she took out her Qiankun bag and hung it on her waist. The Qiankun bag, the standard equipnt for every disciple, was used for collecting herbs. It could hold much more than its apparent size.
Picking Luanhe required quick and precise movents. One had to accurately pluck the entire flower without damaging the stem and leaves below, or else it would trigger a reaction from the whole cluster. This was not difficult for Ji Yaoge. With sharp eyes and swift hands, she efficiently filled her Qiankun bag. The frost charm lasted about half an hour. As the frost began to lt, Ji Yaoge weighed the Qiankun bag, satisfied with the amount collected, and hurried back to her cave.
————
By dusk, there were still two hours left until her appointnt with Ren Zhongping. Ji Yaoge took out a simple mortar and pestle and placed them on the table, then emptied the bag of Luanhe into a basket, which was now full.
Thump, thump—
She donned leather gloves and swiftly ground the Luanhe into a juice.
The stopper of a jade tube popped open, and Gao Badou erged, floating into the air. He dipped his feelers into the mortar and quickly retracted them, disdainful, "What are you doing?"
"Grinding flowers for juice," Ji Yaoge replied without looking up, sweat dripping from her forehead.
"With so much Luanhe, who are you planning to seduce?" Gao Badou exclaid.
"Ren Zhongping," she replied.
"...," Gao Badou was stunned, then flew above her, lying down, "Finally decided to use your beauty tactics?"
Ji Yaoge pulled him down and tossed him aside, "These are for you."
"What?!" Gao Badou's feelers stiffened in shock.
"Ren Zhongping's cultivation is much higher than mine. Ordinary charm techniques won't work on him. I need external help. You'll absorb the extracted Luanhe juice. With your cultivation, you should be able to suppress its toxicity temporarily. When I reach Ren Zhongping, I'll cast a spell to confuse him, and you inject the poison into him," Ji Yaoge explained while continuing to grind the flowers.
"I'm not doing it!" Gao Badou refused.
Ji Yaoge raised her head, the sound of the pestle grinding against the mortar was nacing.
"Don't you want to know if your enemy has co to Shuangxia Valley?"
"I still won't do it. Besides, with your cultivation, how will you confuse him?" Gao Badou flew away from her, afraid of getting a drop of the juice on himself.
"With this," Ji Yaoge placed the bottle of marrow bee venom given by Ye Long on the table.
Ren Zhongping was at the late Foundation Establishnt stage and also practiced charm techniques. With her current level of charm skills, she couldn't beat him. She had to rely on tricks. The marrow bee venom could forcibly enhance her senses, allowing her to control emotions at a Foundation Establishnt level. Coupled with the Luanhe poison to disrupt his soul, she had a good chance.
Gao Badou, well-versed in many things, recognized the content of the bottle imdiately.
"Are you crazy? This stuff will damage your ridians if used too much."
"I know my limits. I'll be fine," Ji Yaoge continued grinding.
"Don't expect to go crazy with you," Gao Badou considered going back to sleep in his jade tube.
"Gao Badou, there's a biannual cultivator market in Tiyu Prefecture. Many cultivators bring items to sell and trade there, including various techniques..."
Gao Badou's eyes lit up.
"Help this once, and I'll take you there. Deal?"
Gao Badou fell silent.
Ji Yaoge didn't push him, continuing to grind the flowers.
Under the starry night sky, she filtered the ground flowers and extracted a cup of poison, placing it on the table, quietly watching Gao Badou. After a mont of inner struggle, Gao Badou's feelers quivered, "You said it, don't forget."
"Deal," Ji Yaoge nodded.
Gao Badou heroically dived into the poison. After all, people die for wealth, and birds die for food. He couldn't resist this opportunity.
Ji Yaoge prepared other things. Since it was an act, it had to be done thoroughly.
She changed her clothes.
————
When everything was ready, Gao Badou had absorbed all the poison. His body didn't grow larger, but his abdon showed a blood-red hue, giving his body a strange golden-red color. He quickly burrowed into the jade tube, his voice trembling, "The dose is too high. I can only last for the ti it takes for an incense stick to burn. Hurry up."
Ji Yaoge sealed the tube and walked out.
Outside, the moonlight bathed the ground, the mountains filled with the sounds of wind, insects, and animals. Ren Zhongping's cave was on another nearby peak, not far but requiring passage through a small forest. Ji Yaoge moved quickly and soon reached the forest's edge.
Whoosh—
Just as she saw the moonlit ground beyond the forest, a faint sound alerted her to an ambush.
Instinctively, Ji Yaoge dodged to the side, evading the first attack but not the second, which followed swiftly. Although the attack was fast, it wasn't harmful. Before she realized it, she was bound by a green rope, immobilized.
"Who's there?" Ji Yaoge was shocked, looking up at the trees, realizing soone had been hiding there undetected.
A familiar voice, cold and devoid of gentleness, spoke, "Senior Sister, where are you going so late?"
"Bai Yan?"
From the dense foliage, a face erged, still blurry but with eyes that shone with an unpredictable light, fixed on Ji Yaoge.
"It's been a long ti since I saw you dressed like this. Why the sudden change tonight?" Bai Yan jumped down from the tree, holding the other end of the rope, circling Ji Yaoge slowly.
Tonight, she had abandoned her plain diagonal-collared dress for a yellow open-collared skirt, revealing a bright green undergarnt adorned with a white lotus. Her waist was cinched tightly, and her hair was styled in a slanted bun, exuding charm.
"Why sudden? I used to dress like this. What's wrong with changing back?" Ji Yaoge struggled but couldn't break free from the rope, "What are you doing? Let go."
"Are you dressed like this to see Senior Brother Ren?" Bai Yan's voice was low, almost unreadable.
"So what if I am? It has nothing to do with you. I've told you before, this is my business. Don't ddle!" Ji Yaoge's voice turned cold, anger rising.
"Nothing to do with ? When you begged before, you didn't say that. Now, you've forgotten once you crossed the river. Or have you found a bigger backer and now despise ?" Bai Yan's face was shadowed, like wearing a mask, no longer gentle.
"I haven't. I don't rember the past," Ji Yaoge said, clenching her fist to break free.
"But I rember every word you promised clearly. I hoped you'd recall it yourself, but it seems that's not possible now. No matter, I'll remind you," Bai Yan tugged the rope, pulling Ji Yaoge into his arms.
"Senior Sister, you promised Bai Yan that once I reached Foundation Establishnt, you'd beco my Dao Companion."
Ji Yaoge's eyes widened in surprise.
"Now, you're going to seduce another man right in front of ? How can I let go of the rope?" Bai Yan's lips nearly touched her ear.
Ji Yaoge took deep breaths to calm herself, but before she could explain, the jade tube at her waist suddenly trembled.
The ti for an incense stick to burn was running out.
She had no ti to explain.
"We'll discuss this later. I'm eting Ren Zhongping for sothing else. If you don't believe , follow , but I have a condition. You stay outside and listen for my signal. If there's danger, I'll call you."
Ji Yaoge had to compromise.
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