Chapter 172 - 108: Ling Ye: I Can Be Gentle Too...

Chapter 172: Chapter 108: Ling Ye: I Can Be Gentle Too...

A puzzled expression appeared on Ling Ye’s face.

Before Jiang Mu could speak again, she seemed to remember something and added,

"A lot of people think Water Director is the perfect choice for a wife. She’s gentle and virtuous, and she comes from a good family. I think so too.

Someone even held a ’most desirable wife’ poll back in the day. She came in second, which shows everyone has good taste."

She paused, her confusion returning.

"Though I still don’t quite understand why I was ranked first. It’s so strange..."

"..."

Jiang Mu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, "Sister Ling, did you and Water Director have some kind of falling out in the past?"

"No, we didn’t."

Ling Ye blinked her clear, wide eyes. "And I wasn’t badmouthing her. I was just stating the facts. She’s actually a really nice person..."

’Oh, Ling Ye... You may not have been badmouthing her, but between the lines, you were implying she’s doomed to be second best. That she’s just not as good as you in any way!’

He wisely kept his mouth shut, refusing to continue this dangerous topic.

After a moment, Ling Ye asked quietly, "Xiaojiang, do you prefer women who are a bit more gentle and mature?"

"Not necessarily."

Jiang Mu felt a bit awkward.

’Why does everyone think I’m some kind of Cao Cao reincarnate, with a thing for older, married women?’

Ling Ye just said, "Oh," and didn’t press the matter.

She turned her head to look at the sunset, which was gradually painting the horizon in shades of gold and red.

A gentle evening breeze swept by.

It lifted a few soft strands of her dark hair, blurring the scenery before her eyes into a dreamlike haze.

In that moment, her eyes seemed to drift, lost and uncertain.

It was as if they held a deep pool of water, reflecting the afterglow of the sunset and hiding an ineffable, tangled melancholy.

Like the first flower bud forming quietly by a stream, hiding beneath tender leaves, shyly revealing a hint of color. It longed to bloom but feared the unknown wind and rain, uncertain for whom it should release its fragrance. ℯℯ𝑙.

She whispered softly, her voice scattering in the wind, "Actually... I can be mature and gentle, too."

"What?"

Jiang Mu, who had been lost in thought about the potential situations they might face on the Yan City mission, hadn’t heard her clearly and turned to look at her.

A blush crept up Ling Ye’s pretty face. She shook her head. "Nothing."

A young woman’s heartfelt thoughts, like a needle dropped into a deep pool, sank without a sound.

...

That night, the group arrived at a relay station belonging to the Demon-slaying Bureau to rest.

The station wasn’t large. It had only two small, private courtyard rooms; the rest were large, communal sleeping quarters.

The two private courtyards were naturally reserved for the highest-ranking members, Tian Wenjing and Ling Ye.

Furthermore, considering Ling Ye was a woman and would need privacy for washing and bathing, they specifically arranged for her to have the more secluded and quiet courtyard.

Jiang Mu and the other Hall Masters and ordinary Demon Slayer Envoys had to squeeze into the communal quarters.

No one had any complaints about this.

Being on a mission, roughing it was common. Having a roof over their heads and a bed to sleep in was already a luxury.

After a simple dinner, Tian Wenjing returned to his room to rest.

Ling Ye, not wanting to spend more time alone with Jiang Mu and invite gossip, also returned to her own courtyard.

The rest of the group gathered in the main courtyard, drinking, warming themselves by the fire, and shooting the breeze about everything under the sun.

As the current hotshot of the Demon-slaying Bureau, Jiang Mu was naturally surrounded by people. The atmosphere was lively, with everyone chiming in.

In stark contrast was Wen He, sitting alone in a corner, drinking by himself.

Because of his various past antics, his reputation within the Bureau was in tatters, and few people were willing to talk to him.

Wen He just kept his head down and drank.

His face wore an expression of arrogant loneliness, as if he couldn’t be bothered to associate with such vulgar company.

Perhaps because Jiang Mu was eloquent and knowledgeable on a wide range of topics, someone in the crowd, as the conversation flowed, started egging him on. They asked this former man of the world to tell them some juicy stories about brothels to broaden their horizons and liven things up.

Jiang Mu, spurred on by the crowd, downed a few more mouthfuls of cheap liquor and decided to start recounting the story of *Jin Ping Mei*.

At first, when they heard Jiang Mu was going to tell a story from a book, the crowd was a bit unenthusiastic, thinking it would be boring.

However, as Jiang Mu’s particularly vivid descriptions, tinged with a certain street-wise flair, unfolded, the room gradually fell silent.

The only sound was the rising and falling of heavy, suppressed breathing.

Even a few subordinates from the Third Hall, who had been sitting near Wen He pretending to be uninterested, couldn’t help but secretly prick up their ears.

"’As the saying goes, a sliver of Warm Jade, so small upon the waves; a pair of autumn lotuses, touching lightly on the ground. And so, the Golden Lotus slipped off her embroidered shoes, revealing a pair of bare, white...’"

Just as Jiang Mu was getting to the good part, spittle flying in his excitement, suddenly—

"AHEM! AHEM!"

An authoritative cough rang out.

The crowd, utterly captivated, was instantly furious. ’Who’s the blind fool interrupting at a time like this?’ they thought.

One by one, they turned their heads, their faces filled with uncontrollable rage.

They saw Tian Wenjing standing nearby with his hands behind his back, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Seeing who it was, the crowd’s burning rage instantly turned to terror.

They all fell silent as cicadas in winter.

Some pretended to gaze at the stars, others looked down to count ants, and still others feigned straightening their clothes or wiping their Sword Scabbards.

The scene became incredibly awkward.

"It’s so late. What are you all doing, not sleeping?"

Tian Wenjing snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally landing on Jiang Mu, the one leading the risqué storytelling.

He clearly intended to make an example of him.

Just as he was about to reprimand the young man, another cool, female voice suddenly spoke up:

"Jiang Mu, come here. I have a mission to assign you."

It was Ling Ye, who had appeared out of nowhere.

The woman, still wearing her veil, her aura as cold as frost, completely ignored Tian Wenjing and beckoned to Jiang Mu.

"Oh, coming."

Jiang Mu answered and trotted over eagerly.

Tian Wenjing opened his mouth, but found he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more. With a fierce glare at the others, he flicked his sleeves and stormed back to his room.

’That woman is way too protective of that young brat.’

...

Jiang Mu followed Ling Ye to the courtyard room where she was staying.

The moment they entered, Ling Ye whispered irritably,

"What was all that vulgar, filthy nonsense you were spouting! I don’t know where you get these crooked books! Don’t you ever speak of such things in public again. It’s detrimental to an official’s decorum and corrupts public morals!"

Jiang Mu nodded obediently.

"Yes, Sister Ling. I’ll remember."

Remembering his past, Ling Ye felt a sense of helplessness and couldn’t bring herself to say more.

Instead, she adopted a serious tone and said,

"In a few hours, after everyone is sound asleep, come to my room. Remember, don’t let anyone see you."

Hm?

Jiang Mu’s heart skipped a beat, and his expression instantly became a little suggestive.

’In the middle of the night?’

’And I can’t let anyone know?’

’Could it be... she was secretly listening earlier, too?’

’Her heart stirred by spring, overcome by loneliness?’

Seeing the strange look that was gradually creeping into Jiang Mu’s eyes, how could Ling Ye not guess what he was thinking? Her pretty face flushed, and she said, annoyed and embarrassed,

"Don’t get the wrong idea! We’re parting ways tomorrow, and I want to teach you a few more things to help you stay alive.

There are too many prying eyes during the day, so it’s not convenient to demonstrate.

But at night, I can’t have you staying in my room for too long. It would easily attract gossip and needlessly ruin my reputation.

That’s why I’m telling you to come quietly when it’s late and everyone’s asleep."

Jiang Mu came to a sudden realization. ’So she’s just passing on some skills. I was the one with the dirty mind.’

"Understood," he said, nodding.

"Good. You can go now. Remember, be smart about it and don’t get caught."

Ling Ye warned him again, her tone serious.

Walking out of the room, however, Jiang Mu felt a little troubled.

’Not letting anyone find out?’

’That’s going to be tricky. This relay station is full of masters with high Cultivation Levels, especially Tian Wenjing.’

’Sneaking into Ling Ye’s room without them noticing will be difficult.’

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration.

’I’ve got it!’

With a thought, Jiang Mu tossed Demon Shadow Number One into Ling Ye’s room.

The Demon Shadow could last for two hours.

When the time comes, all he’ll need is a single thought to use Instant Teleportation and appear inside the room.

’Without a god or ghost knowing!’

’Heh heh, I’m a genius.’