Chapter 136 - 98: The Grudge-Holding Shangguan Luoxue

Chapter 136: Chapter 98: The Grudge-Holding Shangguan Luoxue

Chu Lingzhu’s cheeks flushed slightly as she began to treat his wound.

She first soaked a clean cloth in hot water and carefully wiped away the blood around the wound. Then, she took a jade box from her medicine kit.

The box contained threads as fine as hair, shimmering with a faint golden light.

It was Golden Cicada Silk, a special thread used for stitching wounds that wouldn’t leave a scar.

"Brace yourself."

Chu Lingzhu picked up a special silver needle, threaded it with the Golden Cicada Silk, and began skillfully sewing the lacerated flesh together, one stitch at a time.

Beside them, Lan Rou’Er didn’t dare to watch. She kept her eyes covered, only occasionally peeking through a gap in her fingers.

But her gaze lingered more on the man’s abs.

"I never would’ve guessed. You’re actually pretty skilled at this."

Jiang Mu clicked his tongue in amazement.

This suturing technique was far ahead of its time. It almost felt like modern surgery.

He asked curiously, "Have you ever treated a patient like this before?"

Chu Lingzhu replied as she focused on her stitching,

"I’m a female physician; I usually only see female patients... You’re the first man I’ve ever treated with my own hands."

As the young woman was bent over treating his wound, the angle was... rather delicate.

Furthermore, her summer clothes were thin and the collar was loose. With her movements, a tantalizing view came right into Jiang Mu’s line of sight.

He had a clear view of her pure white undergarment.

It was embroidered with a few small, elegant flowers.

Beneath it, a snowy, jade-like expanse rose and fell gently with each breath.

Jiang Mu didn’t look away.

A glance is instinct; to keep looking is appreciation.

’As a man of honor, I’m merely appreciating the aesthetics,’ he told himself.

Just then, Lan Rou’Er, who had been silent, suddenly spoke in a small voice, "Lord Jiang, how are my aunt and the others?"

Jiang Mu froze and pulled his gaze away.

Seeing the anxiety in the young woman’s eyes, he decided to be blunt.

"Your aunt, Madam Han, and your cousin, Han Yushu... are both dead. A Demon appeared there. Besides the two of you who escaped, there shouldn’t be any other survivors from the entire Han Mansion."

"D-Dead?"

Lan Rou’Er’s delicate frame trembled, and she stood frozen in place.

Shock and bewilderment were written all over her pale face. After all, they were the relatives she had lived with for many years.

The shock of their sudden deaths was still palpable.

Chu Lingzhu sighed softly.

"Dead is dead. They devoured your family’s fortune back then. They pretended to care for you, but they were really just exploiting you. You know that as well as I do."

"And just the other day, your aunt was trying to give you to some official as a concubine. If I hadn’t given you medicine to make you ’sick’ and scare him off, you would have been defiled long ago. You wouldn’t even be standing here now, would you?"

Lan Rou’Er lowered her head and stood silently by the bed, her expression downcast.

"Alright, from now on, you’re with me."

Chu Lingzhu declared authoritatively, "As long as I have a solid meal to eat, I won’t let you have just broth."

After comforting her friend, Chu Lingzhu fetched a clean silk bandage for Jiang Mu’s wound.

"Arms up."

She walked to the side of the bed, motioning for Jiang Mu to cooperate.

Jiang Mu obediently spread his arms.

Holding the roll of gauze, she leaned forward, reaching her arms around Jiang Mu’s sides to wrap the bandage around his back.

The posture made it look as if she were throwing herself into his arms, wrapping them tightly around his waist.

The two were pressed extremely close together.

Jiang Mu could clearly feel the warmth of her body and the soft press of her form through her thin clothes.

Chu Lingzhu, however, paid it no mind, focusing on wrapping the gauze.

Her silky, jet-black hair cascaded down.

The ends of her hair lightly brushed across Jiang Mu’s chest, creating a faint, ticklish sensation.

It sent a tingle through him.

It was as if the sensation traced a path over his skin and burrowed straight into his heart.

Because her movements were a little wide, her already revealing collar gaped open even further.

This time, it wasn’t just a glimpse of the edge.

Startled, Jiang Mu didn’t dare to steal another look and quickly averted his eyes.

’This is sinful.’

’My dreams tonight are destined to be... risqué.’

Just then, Jiang Mu felt a sudden stir within his sea of consciousness.

He focused his mind and summoned the Demon Slot.

Beside the Demon Slot, the black vortex that had been spinning and condensing finally stilled, forming a pitch-black Demon Pill.

’It’s finally ready!’

Overjoyed, Jiang Mu immediately fed the Demon Pill to Shadow Number Two.

’Number One ate one and unlocked Instant Teleportation. I wonder what grand prize I’ll get this time.’

Jiang Mu was filled with anticipation.

As the Demon Pill sank into the body of Shadow Number Two, the once-illusory figure trembled violently.

A ball of fire erupted around the Demon Shadow.

It wasn’t a real flame, but more like a violent surge of energy.

The Demon Shadow began to twist and expand.

A moment later, the flames retracted, and the Demon Shadow grew calm again. A layer of dark red light now flowed across its surface.

At the same time, a stream of information flowed into Jiang Mu’s mind.

’An explosion?’

Jiang Mu was stunned.

Shadow Number Two’s new skill was self-destruction.

It was essentially a bomb.

The force of its explosion was equivalent to the power of Jiang Mu self-destructing with a full-strength attack at his current realm.

Most importantly, this skill could be remotely controlled, just like Instant Teleportation.

He could place the Demon Shadow anywhere within a three-hundred-meter radius and detonate it with a single thought.

After detonation, the Demon Shadow would dissipate, but it wouldn’t be completely destroyed.

It would require a period of being nurtured by Demonic Qi to reform—in other words, a cooldown period.

’Excellent!’

Jiang Mu was ecstatic.

’Isn’t this basically a remote-controlled C4 in human form?’

The self-destructive power of a proper Third Realm Star Official Cultivator was absolutely terrifying.

’If I use this properly, ambushing people is going to be incredibly satisfying.’

’From now on, if someone pisses me off, I’ll just toss a shadow their way. BOOM! And the world will be quiet again.’

...

...

「At the same time, in the Underground Palace of Hu State City.」

On the Cold Jade Platform, Shangguan Luoxue listened quietly to Ran Qingshan’s report.

As he spoke, Shangguan Luoxue released her Divine Sense to scan the entire city. As expected, she caught a few lingering threads of karma belonging to Beitang Batian.

However, they had been severed by a Secret Skill, making it impossible to track his precise location.

Besides, with her grievous injuries still unhealed, it wasn’t wise for her to forcefully use a profound scrying art like the "Taixu Divine Calculation" to dig any deeper.

"It’s not surprising for an old monster of his caliber to have a few life-saving trump cards."

Shangguan Luoxue withdrew her Divine Sense, her voice cold and detached.

"However, by resorting to possession as a Ghost Cultivator, his foundation is ruined. It will be nearly impossible for him to reclaim his Star Position and return to his peak."

"Issue the order for a city-wide manhunt."

"Deploy the ’Thousand-Mechanism Compass.’ It’s designed to see through the disguises of possession. As long as he’s still in the city, he’ll have nowhere to hide."

"Yes!"

Ran Qingshan bowed to accept the order.

Although he had already been mentally prepared, receiving personal confirmation from Shangguan Luoxue still sent a huge shock through him.

’Beitang Batian...’

’The former overlord of Glazed Island, here in Hu State City of all places.’

’Truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable.’

"By the way,"

Shangguan Luoxue said suddenly, "who was that person injured by Beitang Batian?"

’To survive an encounter with an old monster like that during a possession attempt, and even force him to retreat... this person is rather interesting.’

Ran Qingshan answered quickly,

"My Lady, he is the Hall Master of our Eighth Hall. His surname is Jiang."

"He was originally a notorious profligate, but after a family tragedy, he turned over a new leaf and joined the Demon-slaying Bureau. He has since changed his name to Jiang Mu."

"Jiang Mu..."

Shangguan Luoxue repeated the name under her breath, as if trying to recall something.

After a moment, she said flatly,

"I remember him."

"You know him?"

Ran Qingshan was astonished.

He never expected that Shangguan Luoxue, so far removed from worldly affairs, would actually know a minor Hall Master.

’Could Patrol Envoy Ling Ye have mentioned him to her?’

A sudden thrill of excitement coursed through Ran Qingshan.

’If even General Shangguan holds Jiang Mu in high regard, then the boy’s future is truly limitless!’

’Xiaojiang, oh, Xiaojiang, you’ve really struck gold this time!’

Ran Qingshan couldn’t contain his joy. He was just about to seize the opportunity to put in a good word for Jiang Mu, praising his talent and accomplishments.

Just then, Shangguan Luoxue’s cold voice cut through his pleasant thoughts.

"Of course I do."

She tilted her head slightly, an inscrutable light glinting in her violet eyes.

"Back on the day of the Fog Demon invasion, I used my Dharma Aspect to patrol Hu State City..."

"He called me a beast."

Ran Qingshan: "..."