Chapter 9: That's Just Fine
After Zhao Qingshan left, Jiang Li began practicing array formations and talisman crafting in the clearing behind his bamboo hut.
Other cultivators honed these arts through experience and insight, but he relied on his system to boost proficiency. Sadly, both were costly, and he rarely had chances to use them.
As for swordsmanship? He hadn't practiced in ages.
Despite his many romantic entanglements, Jiang Li usually cut ties cleanly after each fling, with no further contact. So, in truth, he had few real friends in Xuantian Daoji Sect.
Xuantian Daoji Sect was one of Zhongzhou's three great sects, alongside Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect and Dark Moon Blood Fiend Sect. Among them, Xuantian was likely the weakest.
This generation's young disciples lacked true prodigies. Every five years, Zhongzhou held a grand competition to allocate spots for the Zhongzhou Secret Realm. Last time, the other sects secured fifteen slots each, while Xuantian managed only seven, yielding little. With the next competition nearing, Xuantian's decline seemed inevitable.
Five years ago, Jiang Li had competed, earning one of Xuantian's rare slots. He'd explored the secret realm alongside… Mu Bingning.
Thinking of her, he could only shake his head.
He'd pursued Mu Bingning for a month, initially confident she'd accept. Her reactions suggested she might.
He'd genuinely liked her. Her cold, haughty demeanor hid a kind heart—his type exactly. The loftier, the more he wanted to see her humbled; the icier, the more he craved her warmth.
He'd seriously imagined spending centuries with her—a life that wouldn't be dull or lonely. But she not only rejected him, she humiliated him thoroughly.
He felt tricked.
Mu Bingning was the real cunning one. That month, her icy facade seemed to thaw, only to crush him when he thought victory was his.
He didn't hate her—it was karma.
So he leaned into it, playing the fallen playboy. She wouldn't feel a shred of guilt anyway.
His bamboo hut sat in a grove, beside a patch of land he'd reclaimed to grow flowers. The seeds were rare and finicky, but every bloom was vibrant, a rare comfort in his monotonous Hidden Sword Peak life.
Bai Sheng's dress was done. He'd deliver it to her mansion tomorrow.
She was, technically, his hundredth target these years—kind of monumental, though thinking so felt shameless.
His shift in behavior stemmed from his lousy system. It issued no tasks, offering only one function: embrace a woman with over 90 favorability to copy a random ability, like a lottery.
The system sucked. Its second reward—dual cultivation with someone at 90 favorability to freely choose an ability—remained unused.
Early on, it displayed favorability above targets' heads, but on the third day, Jiang Li deleted that module.
Yes, deleted.
If progress was just cold numbers, it'd be too dull.
He could've won Bai Sheng in less than three days, but meeting her, he scrapped his usual tactics.
Gentle souls deserved gentleness.
She reminded him of his childhood sweetheart from his past life—timid yet kind. But when she stabbed him, she hadn't hesitated.
He missed her sometimes, but guilt and apologies were pointless. She wouldn't hear.
The past was gone.
At dusk, Jiang Li sat by the grove's lake, fishing rod in hand.
Foundation Establishment allowed fasting, but he craved flavor. His decade-honed cooking skills would be wasted otherwise.
Big White guarded his side. Small fish were hers, big ones his. Today, luck was awful—Big White ate six small fish, while he caught nothing. Poking her head, he watched her lick her paws.
No fish, so he grabbed a chicken from the grove—free-range, tender. With his stash of spices, he made chicken mushroom stew and rice. Soon, the aroma filled the grove.
Cooking was another flirtation skill honed over years. Alone, he savored the tender stew, tossing scraps to Big White, who watched eagerly.
She preferred his cooking to fish.
He'd raised her five years, and aside from getting fatter, she showed no signs of evolving. His garbage system spewed plenty of duds—he was used to it.
Staring at the leftover stew, he took out a spirit jade, infused it with energy, and connected to Praying Moon Pavilion's jade. "I made chicken mushroom stew. Want some?"
"Busy. Save it—I'll come later," Yue Ji replied.
He set down his chopsticks, waiting. Half an hour later, Yue Ji arrived in her black qipao, sat across from him, and dug in.
In front of him, she dropped all pretense—barely minding her image. They were, in a way, childhood friends.
Dusk dimmed the grove, so he lit firefly stones tied to bamboo, brightening the yard. After sating her appetite, Yue Ji paused. He asked, "What kept you?"
"Swatting flies," she huffed.
"Flies?"
"Your Hidden Sword Peak's fly—Qian Tingsheng."
The name rang a bell.
Qian Tingsheng, Hidden Sword Peak's senior brother. Even Jiang Li had to call him that. Four years ago, they'd sparred, Jiang Li narrowly losing.
He hadn't faced Qian since—his cultivation was too low to qualify. Curious, he asked, "A Heavenly Mechanism Sect leader scared of his pestering?"
"Please. I'm the only one in Heavenly Mechanism Sect—'leader' is just a title. No one takes it seriously. His skin's thicker than a city wall. Came to Praying Moon Pavilion with cash, demanding I personally show him spirit swords, but he just stared at me, practically drooling."
Jiang Li stifled a laugh. Her words were likely exaggerated.
He wasn't worried. Yue Ji's savvy could outwit sword-obsessed dolts easily. She'd never be taken advantage of—he hadn't managed it himself.
"Sister's harassed by creeps, and you can't swoop in to shoo them off?" She pouted, her dark eyes dewy, gazing at him.
He blinked innocently. "I can't even get the upper hand with you. Worried some guy will?"
She sneered, "You've taken plenty from me."
He opened his mouth to argue but recalled all the times he'd teased her. Speechless, he knew her openness was for him alone.
No other man could touch a finger—she'd never allow it.
She loathed men, heart and soul.
Except Jiang Li. To her, he was probably a puppy—safe to tease.
"I knew you don't care about Sister."
"How should I care?"
"No matter. Sister doesn't care either. Before coming, I told him I was visiting my Junior Brother Jiang Li to discuss swordsmanship."
Her sly smile gleamed, dark eyes gauging his reaction.
He'd just picked up a mushroom with his chopsticks. Stunned for a second, he gave a wry smile. "You're really stirring trouble for me."
"In this sect, I've got no one but my Junior Brother Jiang Li to rely on," she teased, leaning in to snatch the mushroom from his chopsticks with her teeth.
"What if he beats me bedridden for three months?" He winked.
"Then Sister'll nurse you in bed for three months. How's that?"
"That's just fine."
He opened his mouth, biting the chicken she offered with her chopsticks.