CHAPTER 956: CHAPTER 465: JIANG’S TROUBLES_2

She even examined carefully, comparing it roughly with the measurements Jinxiu had taken for her earlier, so she could better refine her body and achieve harmony with a man.

"Heh, each one more lascivious than the last."

Luo Wanqing brushed her sleeves and left the room.

Jiang Wan said with a smile, "Why does it seem like this Empress is a bit jealous too? Could it be that this lad has some magical power, and whenever he has been intimate, he always captures a woman’s heart? If that’s the case, Junior Sister must be careful."

Li Guanshi ignored the other’s teasing and said blandly, "I’m going to find someone, at the latest I’ll be back tomorrow."

With that, the woman’s figure disappeared from where she stood.

In the room, only Jiang Wan and Dugu Luoxue remained.

Jiang Wan finished tending to the man’s recovery with care, and gazed at the snow-white Dugu Luoxue, her eyes landing on the book in her hands, and curious asked, "It’s often said that going beyond emotions is supreme, but if one has not drowned in the sea of emotions, how can they speak of riding the waves out of it?"

Dugu Luoxue turned a page of the scripture, the shadow cast by the thorny hairpin just obscuring the words "heart is like a mirror" on the page: "Miss Jiang, have you heard of snow covering green pines?"

Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow, "The thicker the ice over a thousand miles, the stronger the bones it shows?"

Dugu Luoxue gently shook her head.

The quick-witted Jiang Wan was instantly enlightened, understanding the underlying meaning Dugu Luoxue intended to convey in their discussion, she laughed disdainfully, "Isn’t it like guarding a full garden of spring hues, yet insisting on talking about barren landscapes?"

Both women were cultivators with deep insights into their paths of practice, engaging in sharp exchanges without yielding to each other.

And Jiang Wan’s former "Theory of Entering Emotion" and Dugu Luoxue’s "Path of Abstinence" were practically as opposed as water and fire. Regarding the so-called abstinence and absence of passion, Jiang Wan treated it with much disdain.

Dugu Luoxue smiled without speaking.

Jiang Wan did not continue to debate the path with her, casually washed her face, and said, "I’ll go sleep for a bit, Master Dugu, please keep an eye on this lad for me first."

"Alright."

Dugu Luoxue nodded slightly.

Walking to the door, Jiang Wan suddenly glanced back, smiling brightly at the woman as serene as a lotus in the corner: "Then what if a warm spring suddenly arrives?"

"Hmm?"

Dugu Luoxue raised her head in confusion.

In the twilight, half of Jiang Wan’s face was cast in shadow, with only the strange smile at the corner of her lips visible: "When the snow melts, it’s easiest for the cliffs to collapse—Master Dugu, be careful."

Dugu Luoxue’s expression momentarily showed a trance.

When she snapped back to reality, she found Jiang Wan’s graceful figure had already disappeared.

Warm spring suddenly arrives...

Dugu Luoxue gazed at the pale-faced youth on the bamboo couch, and couldn’t help recalling the reckless thoughts she had while interacting with him.

The woman’s knees under the coarse skirt involuntarily tightened together.

Though she had resolved to temper her Tao Heart through immersion, each time at a critical moment, she would grow timid.

This time, returning to Wanshou Mountains and Rivers, besides having matters to deal with, she was eager to find something that could assist in refining her Tao Heart, and quickly clarify her relationship with Jiang Shouzhong.

Unable to cut it off, caught in a tangle... She was well aware that if this continued, it would not only harm herself but also Jiang Shouzhong.

Unconsciously, Dugu Luoxue approached the bedside.

Delicate fingertips, almost translucent, hovered above the man’s exposed waistline, the thorny hairpin in her hair trembling slightly with each breath, much like her trembling heart at that moment.

"The sea of desire... the sea of desire..."

The woman murmured softly, her eyes blurring with confusion.

The hem of her coarse woven dress unknowingly stained with tea, watermarks winding along the fabric’s texture.

This body, trained for thirty years, of icy skin and jade bones, was once again lost in the mist of the grand path, resembling a green lotus growing in a sea of poppy flowers, gradually sinking.

She suddenly understood the deep meaning behind Jiang Wan’s departing smile.

No matter how immortal-like a woman, no matter how proudly a goddess, they always possessed mortal flesh and bones, unable to truly achieve abstinence and lack of desire, unless they indeed abandoned their own flesh and bones.

Abandon...

In a daze, she caught a glimmer of insight.

Dugu Luoxue suddenly clenched her collar, the coarse fabric scrunching into a ball in her palm.

When she awoke, she found herself draped over Jiang Shouzhong, the thorny hairpin in her hair had somehow become askew, with black hair scattering over her shoulders, glowing faintly in the twilight.

The woman suddenly recoiled, frightened as she retreated repeatedly, her calf knocking against the chair legs.

The toppled stool hit the green brick, creating an empty echo.

She instinctively glanced beyond the door, relieved only when she saw no one appearing.

The stifling heat in the room gradually cooled.

Dugu Luoxue sighed wistfully: "Perhaps it’s not about giving up, but gaining."

...

When Jiang Shouzhong opened his eyes, the moonlight sliced through the half-opened wooden window.

He turned his head, only to see a gracefully figured woman sitting upright on a wooden stool, her head bowed as she flipped through a book.

The woman’s plain blue dress cascaded like a waterfall, her thorny hairpin glistening cold in the moonlight, resembling a fairy.

"Master Luoxue?"

Jiang Shouzhong looked astonished, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

Dugu Luoxue did not rise. She merely closed the book on her knees, a gentle and soft smile appearing at her lips as she asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Is your health okay?"

The woman’s voice was even softer than moonlight.

As she spoke, she raised her hand as if to check the man’s forehead, but halfway, she pulled it back, her fingertips tracing a shallow mark on the book cover.

"How did you end up here?"

Jiang Shouzhong propped himself up, suddenly feeling a chill brush against his skin. He looked down and froze instantly.

He was utterly stark naked.

Jiang Shouzhong hurriedly grabbed the thin quilt beside him, quickly wrapping his body, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face as he said, "I was planning to go to Water Moon Manor to find you, but you were all gone."

Dugu Luoxue seemed oblivious, still sitting upright like a pine tree. The book on her knees had unknowingly flipped to a new page as she softly said, "Recently, there were some incidents in the Wanshou Mountains and Rivers."

"Oh."

Jiang Shouzhong scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

Dugu Luoxue briefly recounted the events, finally adding in a somewhat reproachful tone:

"In everything you do, make sure to stay alive first. You may have good fortune, but that doesn’t mean the heavens will always favor you. Betting with your life is the lowest form of conduct."

"Yes, I understand where I went wrong."

Feeling the concern emanating from the woman’s heart, Jiang Shouzhong felt a warmth inside.

But learning that Ran Qingchen hadn’t been able to completely purify the Demonic Qi left Jiang Shouzhong somewhat regretful.

At that moment, Luo Wanqing entered gracefully, her phoenix-like eyes flickering over Jiang Shouzhong’s tightly wrapped quilt as she teased with a sweet smile, "Oh, what young gentleman is wrapped up like a dumpling? Haven’t I seen it all?"

The woman’s golden long dress shimmered like molten gold under the moonlight, adding a touch of elegance to the simple small room.

Seeing this woman, Jiang Shouzhong couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

With his current physical prowess, he truly wasn’t afraid of any woman. Even that fairy Jiang Yi, with her natural Charming Bone, was obediently subdued by him.

However, when it came to this Dazhou Empress before him, he truly was afraid.

This woman was completely a tigress—a kind that could devour a person down to their bones.

Anyway, each time he communicated with her, he was left with only half a life.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

Jiang Shouzhong awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Now you speak of etiquette?"

Luo Wanqing walked to the bedside, the peony embroidered in gold thread on her skirt faintly appearing and disappearing.

She leaned slightly forward, the tassels of the golden hairpin in her hair almost brushing against Jiang Shouzhong’s nose. "Why aren’t you calling me Xie anymore? Indeed, all men are the same. Once you put on your pants, you don’t recognize anyone, huh?"

The woman’s warm breath brushed over his Adam’s apple, causing Jiang Shouzhong to swallow unconsciously.

He instinctively glanced at Dugu Luoxue.

Dugu Luoxue sat still as ever, merely flipping another page of the Huangting Scripture on her knees.

The moonlight streamed over her plain face, making the entire room’s enchanting atmosphere seem three shades cooler.

Jiang Shouzhong chuckled dryly, "Thank you, Xie, for joking around. If I had known earlier you were the Empress, I’d have..."

"Would have what?"

Luo Wanqing’s smile was somewhere between teasing and serious.

Given Dugu Luoxue’s presence, Jiang Shouzhong intended to behave more properly, but recalling the grievances with the Dazhou Imperial Family, he couldn’t help but say:

"I’d have to ask you to give me a child."

Luo Wanqing paused, then burst into laughter, swaying like a flowering tree in the wind.

"A good rebellious disciple defying the emperor."

Luo Wanqing straightened up, her fingertips hooking onto the jade belt at her waist, the golden-threaded peony skirt sliding halfway off her shoulder, "It’s not too late. Why don’t Jiang give it a shot?"

Jiang Shouzhong was a bit stunned.

Big sister, are you serious about this?

Luo Wanqing glanced at Dugu Luoxue and laughed, "If Master Dugu feels awkward, you can always rest in the adjacent room."

"They say the deep palace is lonely, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. Has it really frustrated our Empress this much? Should I go buy a few incense candles to relieve the Empress’s loneliness?"

Jiang Yi stepped casually into the room, her cool female voice carrying a hint of sarcasm.

Behind her, Jiang Wan watched with an odd smile, her gaze toward the man laced with undisguised schadenfreude.

It’s not hard to create a whole bunch of romantic debts.

The challenge lies in how to keep all these golden canaries peacefully in the harem.

Kid, you’ll have your hands full in the future.