Inside the room.
When Jiang Ning pushed open the door, he saw Xiao Emei dressed rather indecorously.
Half of her delicate shoulder was exposed, and her fair legs extended from beneath the long robe, gleaming under the flickering candlelight.
The wide sleeves also made Xiao Emei's wrists appear especially slender.
It was obvious she was wearing nothing but that robe.
This half-revealing, half-concealing attire, designed to stir the imagination, made it clear that Xiao Emei understood men well.
Hearing the door open, Xiao Emei tugged at her collar, deliberately covering the cleavage at her chest.
She had already made up her mind moments earlier.
From what little she knew, deities capable of reincarnation were all once great gods in their past lives.
Those mighty beings chose to shed their divine forms and escape certain constraints by reincarnating as humans.
Such existences who in the entire Dongling Prefecture could compare?
Once she realized this, Xiao Emei's heart settled, and she accepted her current circumstances with ease.
In her eyes, this might not be a bad opportunity at all.
At the Moonwater Sword Palace, her future ceiling would at best allow her to catch up to the current Xiao Qiushui. Achieving the rank of Grandmaster would be harder than ascending to heaven.
But following a peerless powerhouse with limitless potential a reincarnated deity her future would be immeasurable.
The next moment, however, Xiao Emei's expression froze, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief.
Because the person who entered wasn't just Jiang Ning behind him was a young woman in green.
With a third party present, Xiao Emei couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
She hastily tightened her collar, covering her exposed shoulders, and tucked her pale, gleaming legs back into the robe.
"Xiao Lü, take her to rest," Jiang Ning said calmly. "And get her a set of clothes."
"Yes!" Though puzzled, Lü Yi complied without hesitation.
Soon after, Xiao Emei was led out by Lü Yi, and the door closed once more.
Jiang Ning swept his gaze across the room.
The most damaged area was the pit in front of his bed.
Under the force of his fist's explosive power earlier, while Xiao Emei hadn't been killed in one strike, the wooden floor and the ground beneath couldn't withstand the destructive energy, leaving behind a sunken pit.
The floorboards beneath his feet were severely cracked, some even charred.
Fortunately, the damage to the room was contained within his control and hadn't spread elsewhere.
After a glance, Jiang Ning went to bed.
The next day.
Yunlai Inn.
Bai Luoyu stepped out of his room and glanced at the neighboring door.
"Xiao Emei still hasn't returned?"
Then, his gaze turned toward the direction of Jiang Ning's residence.
"I'll go take a look," he thought to himself.
With that, he headed downstairs to the inn's first floor.
As he walked out the front door, he spotted Xiao Emei approaching from a distance.
Unlike her usual preference for white garments, she was now dressed in green.
Seeing Xiao Emei, Bai Luoyu couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise.
His eyes lingered on her attire for a moment longer, particularly on her hair, which was now coiled atop her head.
He remembered that every time he'd seen Xiao Emei before, she had worn her hair long, cascading like a waterfall.
This meant she preferred wearing her hair down. Yet now, it was neatly pinned up a first in his eyes.
His curiosity grew even stronger.
"Miss Xiao, where have you been all morning?" As Xiao Emei drew closer, Bai Luoyu fanned himself with a folding fan and greeted her with a smile.
"Just strolled around a bit and had breakfast outside," Xiao Emei replied, stopping in her tracks.
"Miss Xiao certainly has a leisurely spirit," Bai Luoyu said, choosing not to expose her. He had personally witnessed her climbing out the window last night, clearly heading toward Jiang Ning's place.
Moreover, he hadn't heard any signs of her returning all night how could he believe her words now?
Yet, despite his doubts, Bai Luoyu's confusion remained unresolved.
After a brief moment of contemplation, his thoughts turned to Jiang Ning, and he decided to let it go.
"Miss Xiao, I plan to visit Jiang Ning's residence again. Would you care to join me?"
At the mention of Jiang Ning's name, a peculiar glint flashed in Xiao Emei's eyes.
The events of last night were etched deeply in her memory, replaying in her mind all night long.
The impact of what had happened that evening had been too overwhelming.
A moment later, she nodded.
"I'll go with you. But I need to return to my room to freshen up and change. Would Inspector Bai mind waiting a moment?"
"Not at all," Bai Luoyu said, gently waving his fan. "I've got nothing urgent to attend to. I can wait."
A short while later.
Xiao Emei returned to her room.
She rummaged through several bottles of pills by her bedside, picking out the medicinal pellets she needed for recovery, and swallowed one.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she began channeling her energy to heal her injuries.
The brief confrontation last night had left her with severe internal wounds.
Her organs harbored hidden damage, and her limbs and body bore countless smaller, concealed injuries.
Her meridians were in complete disarray.
And this was with her inner energy shielding her. Without it, the extent of her injuries would have been unimaginable.
But even so, the injuries inside her body were quite severe. After a night of circulating her inner energy to heal, she had only managed to stabilize her condition somewhat, with little actual improvement.
At this moment, as she channeled her energy to heal, the recently ingested pill quickly dissolved within her, releasing a surge of medicinal potency that spread throughout her body.
Half an incense stick's time later
Knock, knock, knock
A rough, matronly voice called from outside the door: "Guest, your hot water is ready!"
Hearing this, Xiao Emei opened her eyes and glanced toward the door. With a flick of her sleeve, her inner energy surged, unlatching the bolt.
"Come in," she said before closing her eyes again.
The woman outside, upon hearing this, finally pushed the door open.
The next moment, she immediately lowered her head.
Inside the room, the curtains and hanging ornaments swayed as if stirred by an unfelt wind. Despite the doors and windows being shut, a swirling current of energy filled the air.
Instantly, she realized the gossip she'd heard was true the esteemed guest staying in this premium room was indeed a high-ranking figure from the commandery city.
Carrying two wooden buckets, she made several trips to prepare the bath, adjusting the water temperature before scattering a layer of rose petals on the surface.
"The hot water is ready," the woman said, head still bowed.
"Leave," Xiao Emei replied, eyes still closed.
"Yes."
A short while later, Xiao Emei rose from the bed and checked the doors and windows to ensure they were sealed. Only then did she approach the bathtub, undress, and let down her coiled hair.
The next moment, her heart ached.
Her once waist-length, waterfall-like hair was now shorter, with the ends singed and curled.
For a woman, hair was a second face.
The years she had spent growing out her hair had now been ruined, leaving her deeply distressed.
She then inspected her body, finding large patches of charred residue beneath her clothes.
Sighing, she stepped into the tub and began scrubbing herself clean.
Several hours later, Xiao Emei finally pushed open the door and stepped out.
She had coiled her hair up again.
The way her long hair was now pinned up gave her a mature, almost married air a stark contrast to the youthful aura she had when her hair cascaded freely.
Meanwhile, Bai Luoyu sat alone by a second-floor window, sipping wine.
Gazing at the bustling streets outside, he wore an expression of utter boredom.
He couldn't help but recall Xiao Emei's earlier words:
"Just wait a moment."
"Several hours have passed this is what women mean by 'just a moment'?!" he grumbled inwardly.
"Bai Luoyu!" Xiao Emei's voice suddenly rang out.
Turning, he saw her descending the stairs.
Now dressed in a white gown with her hair pinned up, revealing her slender, swan-like neck, she exuded an air of graceful maturity.
Bai Luoyu's eyes flickered with admiration.
In that instant, he realized that compared to the innocence of a young maiden, he much preferred the poise of a mature woman.
"Miss Xiao, all freshened up?" he asked, standing.
"Yes," she nodded. "We can leave now."
"Good," Bai Luoyu replied. "Let's go."
Jiang Mansion
Liu Wanwan opened the gate to find Bai Luoyu and Xiao Emei standing outside. By now, she was hardly surprised.
"Please, come in," she said politely.
Bai Luoyu glanced toward the eastern courtyard, where a beam of crimson solar essence descended from the sky, directly funneling into the compound. The corner of his lips curled into a faint smile.
"Brother Jiang must be cultivating again."
"Yes," Liu Wanwan nodded. "As long as it's sunny, A-Ning practices his martial arts every day during the hour of Si (9–11 AM)."
"The hour of Si..." Bai Luoyu murmured. "The Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique at minor mastery the next step is major mastery, where inner energy solidifies into a protective barrier."
"It seems that once Brother Jiang completes his sixth-rank bone tempering, his dual cultivation foundation will allow him to advance directly to the fifth rank."
"Such a foundation... truly remarkable!"
Beside him, Xiao Emei overheard his words. Unnoticed, the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.
Last night, she had personally experienced Jiang Ning's formidable strength.
Such terrifying physical power, such irresistible force that left her helpless to resist.
Coupled with the miraculous effects of his blood,
it made her realize that Jiang Ning couldn't possibly still be at the sixth rank of martial arts, as they had speculated, balancing both internal and external cultivation.
The sixth rank, Bone Forging, must have long been mastered.
Moreover, he had progressed even further than her in the fifth rank, Internal Strengthening.
His internal energy exceeded the accumulation of thirty years of cultivation and was superior to hers.
As for her cultivation, Xiao Emei was well aware.
By the age of twenty-six, she had already reached the level of "internal energy like the sea," possessing thirty years of cultivated power.
Now at twenty-nine, her growth in internal energy was far from just the three years of an ordinary person.
As the third-ranked on the Human List, a disciple of Xiao Qiushui, and the eldest sister of the Moonwater Sword Palace, her access to martial resources was abundant, and her internal energy growth far surpassed that of an average fifth-rank martial artist.
In three years, if not an increase of ten years' worth of energy, she had at least gained seven or eight.
Her current cultivation was no less than thirty-seven or thirty-eight years.
Yet in front of Jiang Ning, she felt a clear gap.
This meant Jiang Ning's cultivation surpassed hers, reaching no less than forty years.
Thinking of this, Xiao Emei couldn't help but inwardly sigh.
The purpose of last night's mission had been to probe Jiang Ning's limits, and indeed, they had succeeded in uncovering his true strength.
But at the same time, she had also lost her chastity and her freedom.
From now on, she would be under his control.
She then recalled her deductions about Jiang Ning, and her heart felt slightly more at ease.
These myriad thoughts flashed through Xiao Emei's mind in an instant.
Soon after,
the two stepped over the threshold and entered Jiang Ning's residence.
Walking through the front courtyard,
Bai Luoyu kept exclaiming in amazement as he looked at the sky above the eastern courtyard.
The frequency of the crimson solar essence descending strand by strand told him just how efficient Jiang Ning was at refining it.
"With such refining efficiency, no wonder he's achieved such strength at such a young age."
"I wonder just how stunning his archery skills his most renowned talent must be!"
Bai Luoyu murmured to himself.
At the same time, his confusion didn't lessen in the slightest.
Last night, he had seen Xiao Emei dressed in black, sneaking out under cover of darkness. In his view, she had been heading for Jiang Ning.
Yet now, looking at Jiang Ning, there seemed to be no change in him whatsoever.
The fact that he could still absorb solar essence and refine his internal organs meant Jiang Ning's body was completely unaffected.
This made him doubt his judgment from the night before.
Had Xiao Emei gone to confront Jiang Ning?
"If it wasn't him, then who was it?"
Thinking this, Bai Luoyu glanced back.
Just then, he noticed Xiao Emei's gaze also directed toward the eastern courtyard where Jiang Ning was.
"Bai Inspector, is something wrong?" Xiao Emei asked.
"Nothing at all!" Bai Luoyu shook his head, suppressing his doubts.
Meanwhile,
Jiang Ning sat cross-legged on a cushion, palms facing upward, continuously circulating his breathing technique to absorb and refine the solar essence.
As his organs were tempered by the solar essence, his internal energy grew stronger, and the progress of his Internal Energy Nourishment Technique steadily increased.
In the blink of an eye,
it was noon.
Even in winter, the midday sun under clear skies scorched the skin.
Huu
After refining the last wisp of solar essence, Jiang Ning exhaled deeply and slowly opened his eyes.
[Skills]: Literacy (Fifth Breakthrough 1577/6000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking, Exceptional Comprehension, Heavenly Eye)
Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Intermediate 3350/5000)
After glancing at his status panel, he closed it and stood up.
A moment later,
"Brother Bai!"
Jiang Ning arrived in the main hall.
Bai Luoyu quickly rose to his feet, a smile on his face.
"Brother Jiang!"
Xiao Emei also stood upon seeing Jiang Ning.
"Greetings, Commander Jiang!"
Hearing this, Bai Luoyu was taken aback and couldn't help but glance at Xiao Emei.
Suppressing his surprise, he turned his attention back to Jiang Ning.
"Brother Jiang, I've come to disturb your training again. I hope you don't mind?" Bai Luoyu fanned himself with a folding fan and smiled.
"Of course not! You're always welcome," Jiang Ning replied with a smile.
Why would he refuse the chance to build a good relationship with Bai Luoyu?
After all, Bai Luoyu was one of the most prominent figures in Dongling County.
Someone of his status was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
For Bai Luoyu to personally visit was nothing short of a miracle.
"Brother Bai, there's something I must apologize for first," Jiang Ning said.
"What is it?" Bai Luoyu looked puzzled.
Jiang Ning explained, "The fine wine from yesterday had unique ingredients, so after we finished it, there's none left for now. It'll take some time to brew more."
"I thought it was something serious!" Bai Luoyu laughed, then opened his right hand, revealing a white jade wine flask. "Since I'm visiting today, naturally, we'll drink my wine!"
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