Chapter 64: The feeling of courting death

The morning sun had just risen, casting pale light.

In the tranquil, peaceful courtyard, Yuan Di followed the chef out of the room.

Watching his broad back, she furrowed her brows slightly.

This man’s demonic qi was overbearing and unparalleled, and his demonic body was exceptional.

Fighting him would yield few chances of victory—a headache.

In Yuan Di’s view, any trouble that could be solved by killing wasn’t trouble at all.

She only hated that the Human Sovereign had been ineffective in suppressing the demons, failing to completely slay the Demon Sovereign; she hated even more that the Four Generals had been too weak to beat the dog when it was down; and she also hated her own past foolishness for believing it was none of her business.

But if you lacked the ability to kill, that would be a real headache.

Thinking of past events, Yuan Di left Fengyue Tower and returned to the Wang Residence’s Anzhi Garden.

It was still early, and Wang Sandong was still fast asleep.

It had nothing to do with laziness—her body was simply too weak, easily fatigued, so she needed plenty of rest.

Coupled with yesterday’s overexertion, she naturally woke up even later today.

By the time she woke and ate breakfast, others were already about to eat lunch.

Holding a small vibrant pastry, she took a bite, and Wang Sandong’s eyes lit up.

“Mm, this is delicious.”

With that, she held the bitten pastry to Yuan Di’s lips.

“Yuanyuan, give it a try.”

Yuan Di was about to dodge and brush it off, but suddenly noticed that the bitten spot was exactly aligned with her own mouth.

Afraid of arousing suspicion, she had no choice but to change her mind on the spot and obediently opened her mouth for a taste.

The flavor was indeed good, and…

The texture was very familiar.

This was… that chef’s handiwork!

“Sandong.”

The newcomer sat down beside Wang Sandong, glanced at the pastries on the table, and smiled:

“The new chef’s cooking isn’t bad, is it?”

The newcomer was Wang Jinghong.

“Brother, have you eaten?”

Wang Sandong asked with a smile.

“Is this your breakfast or lunch?”

Wang Jinghong chuckled, then said:

“The new one was recommended by the old chef, said to be his junior fellow apprentice. I was worried his skills might be lacking, but he’s even better than the previous chef. These pastries are his work.”

He also looked at the congee in front of Wang Sandong.

“The congee is good too. I had two full bowls this morning.”

“New? Why did we change chefs?”

Wang Sandong asked.

“The original chef suddenly fell ill and needs to rest for a while.”

Wang Jinghong explained.

Wang Sandong took a sip of congee and praised:

“It really is good.”

The brothers chatted casually.

Yuan Di sat to the side, her mind pondering the chef’s motive for infiltrating the Wang family.

Suddenly, Yuan Di realized she should probably stand up and wait on them.

After all, she was a singing girl, unqualified to sit at the same table as her masters—especially with outsiders present.

But getting up now would be too abrupt.

Besides, she wasn’t really a singing girl, so there was no need to be so rigid.

She’d just sit tight.

As for that chef…

Hopefully, they’d coexist peacefully.

By evening, Zheng Xiao returned.

She brought back the five completed sanitary belts.

Wang Sandong kept three and gave the other two to Zheng Xiao, teaching her how to thread the belt with strings and put it on.

She even kindly offered to help her wear it.

Zheng Xiao was originally wondering why Wang Sandong was so concerned about women’s menstruation, even studying how to secure a sanitary belt so thoroughly.

What man would act like this?

But then she saw Wang Sandong reach out a hand, and in surprise, her train of thought was interrupted.

“Ah? No, that’s not necessary.”

Though she was a skilled martial artist, this was her first time encountering such a situation, and she grew a bit nervous.

“What, embarrassed? We’re husband and wife.”

Wang Sandong teased.

Zheng Xiao was speechless.

Yes.

They were husband and wife.

So she probably shouldn’t be shy.

But still…

Even as a husband and wife, no husband helps his wife change a sanitary belt, right?

“I’m just teasing you.”

Wang Sandong laughed.

Zheng Xiao gave a wry smile:

“Childish.”

She paused, then asked:

“What do you need these women’s things for?”

Wang Sandong said:

“I’m giving them to Yuanyuan.”

Zheng Xiao’s expression remained calm, clearly having guessed that earlier, and she wasn’t surprised.

She smiled:

“Giving such a precious thing to a singing girl. You must really love her.”

The implication was naturally that it was a bit wasteful.

Giving some silver would be fine, but why bother with such a carefully crafted item?

Then her face flushed red, and she was overcome with shame.

Seeing her awkward expression, Wang Sandong couldn’t help but smile and said:

“I think artifact forging is different from alchemy. Alchemy requires caution and meticulousness. Artifact forging is just the opposite—you need bold assumptions and careful verification.”

Yuan Di sat by the window of her room, watching through the crack as Zheng Xiao came out of Wang Sandong’s room.

Her curiosity was overflowing.

Zheng Xiao had clearly spent the entire night in the refining room.

Was she making something good?

After coming back, what did she go to Wang Sandong’s room for?

Could they be…?

No.

Wang Sandong’s body was far too weak.

Even if there were some miraculous pill that let her go at it for a while, she definitely couldn’t last this long.

But if that wasn’t what they were doing, why did Zheng Xiao have such a satisfied look on her face?

Was it because Wang Sandong’s “technique” was impressive?

That couldn’t be either.

With her frail body, even just using her hands for this long would be exhausting.

It was far too intriguing.

After much deliberation, Yuan Di finally couldn’t resist and went to Wang Sandong’s room.

Wang Sandong was sitting in meditation, cultivating.

Seeing her come in, she asked suspiciously:

“What’s up?”

Yuan Di stared at her face, as if looking for signs of fatigue, and discreetly sniffed the air in the room.

Had Zheng Xiao actually been deflowered by her?

Wang Sandong did seem a bit tired.

And there was a faint smell of blood in the room.

Or was she just imagining it?

“I’m leaving.”

Yuan Di turned and left.

Wang Sandong stared blankly at the closed door and muttered:

“Weird.”

Then, remembering the slight twitch of Yuan Di’s nose just now, she was suddenly alarmed.

Had Yuan Di detected the smell of menstrual blood?

If she found out…

That would be trouble.

The next day.

Wang Sandong asked Tianxiang for a pile of “Woman’s Fragrance” tea, and ordered the mansion’s servants to move many Tianjue Flowers from Chen Youde’s former residence—the only things that survived the great fire.

The flower bed in Anzhi Garden became the new home of the Tianjue Flowers.

Sitting in the sun, directing the servants as they planted the flowers while sipping “Woman’s Fragrance,” Wang Sandong personally poured a cup of tea for Yuan Di.

“It’s said that drinking Woman’s Fragrance tea for years will make your body give off a unique fragrance.”

Yuan Di frowned.

Recalling what might have happened between Wang Sandong and Zheng Xiao last night, she grew wary.

She strongly suspected that if Wang Sandong was too close with Zheng Xiao, she might use Zheng Xiao against her.

Wang Sandong was probably trying to control Zheng Xiao through affection.

Cultivators often had low emotional intelligence and were easy to manipulate.

Zheng Xiao was exactly like that.

“You’re a man. Do you need Woman’s Fragrance?”

Yuan Di asked in a low voice, a hint of mockery in her tone.

“No choice.”

Wang Sandong sighed.

“I’ve been on medication for years, so my body has a strange smell. I need Woman’s Fragrance to suppress it.”

Of course, that was a lie.

She just wanted to cover the smell of menstrual blood.

Sipping the tea in her cup, Wang Sandong mused that if she slightly improved “Woman’s Fragrance,” it might actually achieve the legendary lingering fragrance effect.

Or even make a sachet to wear, which might be simpler than drinking tea.

Lost in thought, Yuan Di suddenly reminded:

“Look at the flowers.”

Wang Sandong snapped back to reality, looked at the newly transplanted Tianjue Flowers, let out a soft laugh, and sighed:

“In this world, the more beautiful something is, the more deadly it is.”

Then she turned her head and looked deeply into Yuan Di’s eyes.

“Like you.”

Yuan Di gritted her teeth and sneered in response:

“Same to you. Or perhaps you’re even more so.”

“At least I never killed my own uncle, never killed my wife’s grandchildren, never killed my friend’s younger brother, and never killed my savior.”

Wang Sandong’s face changed dramatically.

The people Yuan Di mentioned flashed through her mind like a lantern show.

She closed her eyes and gave a bitter smile.

“I just wanted to survive.”

“Oh, right.”

Yuan Di continued to rub salt in the wound with a sarcastic tone:

“And I never killed my cousin either.”

The bitter smile on Wang Sandong’s face froze.

Yuan Di’s words pierced her like steel needles, stabbing into her heart and making her restless.

If she didn’t teach this woman a harsh lesson, she’d be suffocated.

Suddenly, Wang Sandong stood up, took a step forward, and stood before Yuan Di, who was still sitting in the soft chair.

She stared at Yuan Di’s moist, soft lips, her hands clenched.

The next moment, without hesitation.

She cupped Yuan Di’s face with both hands and kissed her fiercely.

Yuan Di’s eyes flew wide open, her heart seeming to skip a beat.

Her arms trembled slightly, and her mind had already locked onto Wang Sandong’s vital points.

But in the end, she didn’t strike.

Because Zheng Xiao was walking from the direction of the Qin Room, watching with great interest.

The servants planting flowers nearby were also sneaking glances.

At that moment, the only “defense” Yuan Di could muster was to clench her teeth tightly.

Maybe she should open her mouth and bite off her tongue!

Yuan Di thought viciously.

But she still didn’t do it.

If you can’t tolerate small things, you’ll ruin big plans.

But still…

Being kissed by a man was utterly disgusting.

So disgusting she wanted to vomit.

If not for her profound cultivation and strong suppression, she would have thrown up long ago.

Thump, thump, thump…

The violent heartbeat echoed in her ears.

It must be from anger.

It must be.

Wang Sandong, you little beast!

Sooner or later, I’ll kill her!

Smack.

A light sound escaped when their lips parted.

Wang Sandong released Yuan Di.

Looking down at her stunned little face, a playful smile curled at the corner of her lips.

She skillfully pinched Yuan Di’s chin and asked softly:

“How’s your young master’s kissing technique?”

Yuan Di clenched her teeth tightly, not saying a word.

Even though she worried that Zheng Xiao might see through her, in the heat of her fury, she simply couldn’t play along with Wang Sandong’s act.

The fact that she hadn’t slapped Wang Sandong to death was proof enough of her astonishing restraint.

Wang Sandong sat back down, looking relaxed and at ease, but deep down, she was already regretting it.

Too impulsive.

She had been suppressing herself for too long, and she actually went and kissed Yuan Di.

What if Yuan Di really was a man…

Although it didn’t seem that disgusting, and even felt kind of strangely amusing…

But if she provoked this demon lord, what would be the consequences?

Would Yuan Di completely lose her mind?

Especially if she later discovered that Wang Sandong was actually a woman…

That scene would be even more thrilling.