Chapter 44
“Get out!”
Yu Tai drew her sword and pointed it straight at him, completely disregarding Jiang Wenyi’s order not to neglect their honored guest.
Jiang Li’s expression did not change at the sight of the blade aimed directly at him. He maintained his usual impassive face and said, “That sword doesn’t suit you.”
Yu Tai curled her lips, her tone dangerous. “You’ll know whether it suits me after you try it.”
She twisted her wrist and thrust directly at the motionless Jiang Li.
Although he had angered her and the demonic qi inside her was roaring and surging, the suppression of righteous qi fortunately allowed her to retain her reason and keep her emotions under control.
Jiang Li rose lightly onto his toes and evaded Yu Tai’s attack, but the confusion in his eyes deepened.
The fragrance on her had grown stronger.
He turned, seized Yu Tai’s wrist, and squeezed hard, forcing the sword from her hand.
Caught off guard, Yu Tai was pulled into his arms. An exceptionally terrifying aura suddenly burst from Jiang Li. Scorching and domineering, it enveloped their surroundings and inexplicably stole her breath. It was as though a savage beast had clamped its jaws around her throat, making her entire body tremble.
“Yu Tai.”
Just as Yu Tai was trapped within the terrifying aura and nearly lost control of the demonic qi that had suddenly erupted inside her, a pleasing voice like a clear spring dripping onto stone reached her ears.
In that instant, the invisible shackles that had rendered Yu Tai immobile abruptly vanished.
She flung Jiang Li’s arm away, lowered her eyes, and walked toward the other man.
Strangely enough, when she heard Shu Li’s voice just now, the first thought to enter her mind had been-
*The way he says my name sounds wonderful.*
The final syllable curled upward slightly, almost as if he were acting spoiled.
Shu Li wore a veiled hat to conceal his appearance. Yu Tai went to his side and whispered, “Why did you come out?”
Jiang Li followed Yu Tai with his gaze until it landed on Shu Li. A peculiar look entered his eyes.
“You…” Confusion in his gaze, he approached them.
Yu Tai shifted, intending to stand in front of Shu Li, but Shu Li caught her arm.
It was strange. A man who could usually be knocked over with a single push had somehow found immense strength today. He forcibly pulled Yu Tai behind him.
Yu Tai could only watch helplessly as Jiang Li approached Shu Li.
Stopping in front of Shu Li, Jiang Li stepped closer, tilted his head, and sniffed through the veil. “You… smell wonderful.”
Yu Tai: “???”
*Was he a dog? Did everyone smell wonderful to him?*
Faced with Jiang Li standing far too close, Shu Li did not retreat. He asked gently, “Do you want to know why I smell so pleasant?”
Jiang Li nodded.
A jade-like finger extended from beneath the veil and pointed at the destroyed formation nearby. “Repair that first.”
Jiang Li glanced in the direction of his finger and raised an eyebrow. “Are you ordering me?”
Shu Li slowly shook his head. “This is a transaction.”
Yu Tai watched Jiang Li closely, ready to stop him at the slightest sign of trouble.
But astonishingly, Jiang Li seemed to take Shu Li’s words seriously. He casually took out a disk-shaped object and tossed it over. “I don’t know how to repair it. Take this as compensation.”
Shu Li caught it and asked, “Can you break through this?”
Jiang Li thought for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s a high-ranked formation personally refined by my Master.”
Yu Tai hastily poked Shu Li from behind.
*That was good stuff! Hurry up and keep it!*
“Fellow Cultivator, your word alone is hardly proof that it works,” Shu Li said, his voice thick with obvious disbelief.
Jiang Li was plainly not someone who tolerated doubt or provocation. He took the disk back from Shu Li and immediately ordered Yu Tai to bind it to herself with a drop of blood.
Seeing no reaction from Shu Li, Yu Tai forced a drop of blood from her fingertip onto the disk, thereby binding it to herself.
Jiang Li went outside and told Yu Tai to activate the formation.
A colorless barrier replaced the original formation and enveloped Yu Tai’s cave dwelling.
From the moment it activated, Yu Tai could clearly feel the surrounding spiritual qi growing denser.
Could this formation even gather nearby spiritual qi on its own?
It truly was a treasure.
Unaware of Yu Tai’s thoughts, Jiang Li stood outside and attacked the formation as he had before.
Compared with the fragile formation from earlier, the new one did not so much as ripple. It remained perfectly intact, and the disk even sent a message to Yu Tai, its owner.
*A cultivator is attacking the formation.*
Jiang Li withdrew his hand and looked at Shu Li as if to say, *See? I wasn’t lying.*
Shu Li nodded and chuckled. “Mm. It is indeed quite good.”
Then he took Yu Tai by the hand and led her inside.
“Farewell, Fellow Cultivator Jiang. We won’t see you out.”
Only then did Yu Tai realize that Shu Li had done it on purpose!
She looked back at Jiang Li’s dumbfounded expression and burst out laughing.
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
At some point, the setting sun, edged in gold, had sunk toward the distant mountains. Its afterglow covered the land, and several white cranes in the clouds prepared to fly over this mountain along their usual route.
For some reason, however, a human cultivator below was releasing his pressure without restraint today. The terrified cranes shed feathers all over the sky and turned away without hesitation to take another route.
Xia Mo had wandered off somewhere to play. Yu Tai entered Shu Li’s room and threw herself at him, knocking him onto the bed.
Looking rather exhausted, she pressed herself against Shu Li and kissed him briefly. Only then did she regain a little energy.
She braced herself to rise, but Shu Li pulled her back down. “If you’re tired, rest a little longer.”
Yu Tai was about to refuse, but his next words immediately captured her attention.
“Jiang Li possesses a pure-yang Dao foundation. He is a natural bane to demonic cultivators.”
Yu Tai froze. Forgetting to get up, she lay atop Shu Li and frowned up at him. “No wonder.”
She felt uncomfortable whenever she approached Jiang Li. Just now, it had even seemed as though her entire being were being suppressed.
“Never mind me. Who told you to go outside just now? That man’s temperament is unpredictable. If he had seen your face, do you really think he wouldn’t have recognized you?”
Shu Li looked at the wide-eyed girl before him and gently curled his lips.
“I’m not as remarkable as you imagine. A favored genius like Jiang Li naturally wouldn’t know who I am.”
“Enough nonsense. Stay away from him from now on.” She reached out and pinched his cheek.
Only after she had left a red mark on that flawless, porcelain-white face did Yu Tai withdraw her hand in satisfaction.
She was just about to rise when she suddenly remembered something. Leaning down again, she sniffed Shu Li’s neck.
Apart from the cool fragrance she had long since grown familiar with, there was no other unusual scent.
Judging by Jiang Li’s reaction, the fragrance he mentioned seemed to be present on Shu Li as well.
She sniffed herself, then asked, “Do the two of us smell the same?”
The girl’s soft body lay against his, and her warm breath on his neck moments earlier had tickled his skin. Gazing at Yu Tai, whose aloof mask had fallen away and whose round eyes were fixed earnestly upon him, Shu Li sat up and asked, “The scent shared by people who have mated?”
The System: [I can confirm that he’s making a dirty joke.]
Yu Tai: [Shut up. I’m not deaf.]