Chapter 254 - 130: Black Mountain Buddha Lamp Fire

Chapter 254: Chapter 130: Black Mountain Buddha Lamp Fire

Jiang Mu held his breath at the bottom of the pool. Through the swirling mist and shimmering water, he could faintly hear sounds from outside.

"All of you, leave us."

The voice was cool and clear, tinged with a lazy, magnetic quality that commanded respect.

It was none other than the Tree Demon Granny.

Empowered by his Earth Inspection Star Divine Ability, the mist above the water’s surface gradually thinned in Jiang Mu’s vision.

A woman in a black, floor-length gown approached at a leisurely pace.

She had the same appearance as before: a young matron of about thirty. Her dark hair was swept up in a high chignon, fastened with several blood-red, beaded hairpins. Her face was devastatingly beautiful, the corners of her eyes and brows carrying a natural, cold charm.

Beside her, Yu Xiaoqian’s head was bowed low.

She had the timid look of someone who had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished.

"Granny... I’m sorry."

Yu Xiaoqian’s voice trembled. "I’m useless. I failed to capture the scholar, and I’ve disappointed you."

Si Rumeng didn’t scold her. She simply gave her an indifferent glance and spread her arms.

"Never mind. If he ran, he ran. Help me disrobe."

"Yes."

As if granted a royal pardon, Yu Xiaoqian hurried forward obediently.

The black gown slid off like flowing water, revealing a mature, voluptuous figure. Her skin gleamed in the steam, her waist slender, her hips full, and her legs long and straight.

The woman lifted a delicate foot, her jade-like toes dipping lightly into the water and sending ripples across the surface.

Then she slowly stepped into the pool.

The water climbed up her body inch by inch, first kissing her taut calves, then covering her smooth thighs, and finally rising past the small of her back...

With a gentle lift, the water cradled the curve of her hips.

She leaned languidly against the side of the pool, letting her black hair spread across the surface like ink-dark algae.

Submerged at the bottom, Jiang Mu watched her completely exposed body through the shifting, shimmering light, feeling incredibly awkward.

’What a coincidence. Of all the times to take a bath...’

Just then, a jade tablet slipped from Si Rumeng’s discarded undergarments and fell into the water with a CLINK.

Jiang Mu’s eyes were sharp, and he saw characters carved on it in small seal script.

—Si Rumeng.

’So that’s the Tree Demon Granny’s real name?’

’It sounds rather elegant.’

A slender hand reached into the water and retrieved the jade tablet.

Jiang Mu watched the fair wrist, now so close, and thought, ’This must be her true body. Although her aura is almost identical to her clone’s, this substantial feeling, originating from her very essence, can’t be faked.’

"This is the Tree Demon’s true body, but her condition is off."

Ji Hongyuan’s voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a playful tone.

"She’s suffered severe internal injuries, and there’s an external power desperately suppressing her Cultivation Level. I can’t tell if she’s suppressing it herself to heal or if someone has placed a seal on her."

’If someone placed a seal on her, doesn’t that mean I have a chance to launch a surprise attack?’

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Mu’s eyes.

"Don’t be hasty. If it’s the latter, she’ll be easy to kill. But if it’s the former, it means she can release the suppression at any moment and unleash a devastating strike. You want to bet your life on it?"

Ji Hongyuan said.

A chill went down Jiang Mu’s spine.

After a moment of hesitation, he dismissed the thought of attacking and remained a motionless stone at the bottom of the pool.

On the surface, Si Rumeng scooped up a handful of water and poured it over her jade-like shoulders. Droplets traced the lines of her collarbones before rolling down into the valley of her chest.

She turned her head to look at Yu Xiaoqian on the bank.

"You, come in too."

"Yes."

Yu Xiaoqian slipped out of her gauze dress, revealing the body of a young girl, as fresh and tender as a new sprout.

If Si Rumeng was a ripe, juicy peach, then Yu Xiaoqian was a white pear blossom just beginning to open on its branch.

A pure, innocent beauty shone through her youthfulness.

She entered the water and swam behind Si Rumeng. Taking a towel, she began to carefully wash her back, still muttering apologies.

Si Rumeng snorted, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing.

"You silly girl. Do you think I don’t know your nature?

I send the other girls to seduce men, but I never send you. Do you know why?"

Yu Xiaoqian froze for a moment and whispered:

"Because... because I’m too clumsy. I can’t learn those seductive arts."

"Clumsy? There are plenty of clumsy ghosts in this world."

Si Rumeng said lightly, a hint of resignation in her voice, "It’s because you’re too naive and too kind."

"Kind?"

Yu Xiaoqian paused, stunned, then hastily defended herself. "Granny, I’m a vicious ghost now! I’m very fierce! I really did want to capture that scholar for you to feed on, I swear!"

Si Rumeng turned around, a faint, knowing smile on her lips. "If you had really captured him, could you have brought yourself to kill him?"

Yu Xiaoqian nodded emphatically. "Of course I could!"

But facing Si Rumeng’s eyes, which seemed to see into her very soul, her voice grew quieter and quieter until she lowered her head and stammered:

"I... I think so."

"Hah."

Si Rumeng let out a soft laugh and leaned back against the pool wall, her tone becoming uncharacteristically gentle.

"Humans and ghosts walk different paths. The more handsome a man, the more deceitful and cruel his heart. With your temperament, if you were to truly fall in love, you would only end up with your soul shattered beyond recovery."

Yu Xiaoqian’s cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head, feeling guilty, and didn’t dare to say another word.

An image involuntarily surfaced in her mind: the foolish scholar, poisoned and collapsing as he tried to save her.

Just then, Yu Xiaoqian suddenly cried out, pointing at Si Rumeng’s hair.

"Granny! Your hair..."

Jiang Mu stared intently.

He saw Si Rumeng’s beautiful black hair turning white, inch by inch, at a visible rate. In the blink of an eye, it had become a cascade of pure white.

Yet her face remained radiant and beautiful, her skin whiter than snow.

The white hair, far from making her look old, added a strange, tragic, and breathtaking beauty to her appearance.

Like a sorceress from a snow-capped mountain.

Si Rumeng picked up a lock of white hair, her expression dazed for a moment before she smiled bitterly. "It’s nothing. The power from this month’s incense offerings was cut off, that’s all. This is just the backlash."