Chapter 16  

When he saw her, Jiang Hao’s heart, which had remained so calm in the face of everything, pounded hard against his chest.

He hadn’t wanted to see this woman but suddenly his heart and mind had returned to normal. It meant that she had the Yin Gu. The antidote to his Gu poison.

This woman was the one he had spent the night with. Her beauty surpassed all.

‘One point is too long, one point is too short; one point is too white, and one point is too red; her eyebrows are like green feathers, and her muscles are like white snow; her waist is like a ribbon, and her teeth are like shells.’ When he saw her so suddenly, that was all he could remember.

“It seems you don’t remember me,” said Hing Yuye. She looked directly at Jiang Hao who stood frozen at the door of his house.

Her eyes were razor-sharm, and her expression was ice-cold.

“I don’t dare forget,” said Jiang Hao, bowing respectfully. “Senior, your arrival is a great honor. I am just… surprised.”

“Middle stage of Foundation Establishment. It seems like your advancement is very smooth.” Hong Yuye casually revealed the secret he had tried so hard to hide.

Jiang Hao panicked. He had been at the ninth level of Lifeblood Refinement Realm when he had met her. In just three months from that time, he had reached the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment Stage. If she investigated him, he was a goner!

‘But how did she find out with the purple mist concealing it?’ wondered Jiang Hao.

“Are you very confused?” Hong Yuye scornfully. “Your cultivation can be concealed, of course. But your body is honest. It doesn’t hide anything. The speed of circulation of your power, the strength of your breathing and the extension of your spirit tells me everything. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that you have advanced to the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment Stage recently. Your spirit is stronger than others but there are still limitations. If you combine everything together, it’s easy to know which stage you are in. Also, you advance right under my nose. Do you think I am blind?”

Jiang Hao was speechless. Hiding one’s cultivation was harder than he thought. It seemed he was still lacking in knowledge. He needed to research more on it. He was more worried about the purpose of this visit since she had been standing near the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower all this time. It worried him. Fortunately, she didn’t have anything more to say to him. But she appeared interested in the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. That wasn’t good.

“Senior, is there any reason for this visit?” Jiang Hao asked cautiously.

Hong Yuye looked at the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower upon hearing his question. “Did you plant this?”

“Yes.” Jiang Hao nodded.

“How did you plant it?” asked Hing Yuye.

“I watered it with a bowl of water every day,” answered Jiang Hao truthfully.

Hong Yuye looked at him in disbelief. “That’s it?!”

“Yes,” said Jiang Hao.

Although it seemed unbelievable, he was actually telling the truth. Hong Yuye crouched down and touched the tender buds. “The plant is quite fragrant. When it matures, I will take it with me. Do you have any objections?”

“Senior, I can’t—”

Before he could even complete his words, the woman raised her head and snorted.

“Not yet, anyway,” he said fearfully.

A powerful force swept across the courtyard and pushed him back. He almost lost his balance. “I have no objections!” he cried.

He was terrified and surprised. Terrified because this woman was extremely strong and surprised because the force had been so strong and yet it hadn’t caused him much harm. He realized that the woman did not really mean to kill him. ‘How Strong is she?’ wondered Jiang Hao in shock and admiration.

Hong Yuye stopped her attack. She looked back at the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.

“This flower is mine now. Do not forget. Take care of it for me.”

“Of course. When do you want to take it with you, Senior?” asked Jiang Hao.

“When it blooms and bears fruit,” Hong Yuye said calmly.

Her voice, when it wasn’t angry or cold, was actually pleasant to hear. It was like a light spring breeze. Unfortunately, she was a thief who had threatened him and would take the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower away.

For now, her answer made him relieved. It was unknown when the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower would mature so he had enough time to figure something out. He wouldn’t have to worry about being punished for losing the flower for the time being. Elder Baizhi’s intention had been to… fish out the traitors.

‘Had Elder Baizhi intended to use the flower as bait to fish out this woman out of other traitors?’ he wondered.

Her beauty and power were incomparable. Perhaps the Heavenly Note Sect was looking for her. He did not dare say anything. He could only pretend to be okay with what she wanted.

Hong Yuye stood up and went into the house. Jiang Hao could only stand by and wait for instructions.

“I won’t let you work for nothing,” she said, as a piece of paper magically appeared on the table. “This is a Formation Map. There are no minimum requirements. Just follow the arrangements on it and it will help you block the dissipation of spiritual energy. With that flower and this, you can raise a lot of spiritual energy to benefit your cultivation.”

Jiang Hao was somewhat tempted. He had wanted to do this as soon as possible. It seemed he was attracting more trouble than it was worth. As for the other traitors, he wondered why they didn’t make a move.

Jiang Hao suddenly remembered that he had an ability that could answer all his questions. If he appraised the person in front of him, he might be able to make sense of the situation!

But he was scared. He didn’t know who this woman was, but he knew how strong she was. He didn’t want to be discovered. He hesitated for a while and then risked it. At least, he would have some answers.

He activated his ability and received the result instantly. But he was stunned.

“Do you have any questions?” Hong Yuye asked coldly.

“No, Senior,” said Jiang Hao quickly, hiding his surprise.