Chapter 12: What a Fool… (2-in-1)

In the Zilin Hall of the Violet Mist Holy Land, a young woman sat high upon a jade throne.

She propped her chin with one hand, a light veil concealing her peerless face. Yet, that pair of clear and charming peach-blossom eyes was soul-snatching, perhaps even more moving than the legendary Saintess of the Joyful Union Sect.

Her long, slender legs were crossed. Even though she wore a long, tasseled dress, the faint outline of her legs against the fabric was enough for one to imagine what a perfect pair of jade legs they were.

However, below the jade throne, no one had any disrespectful thoughts, nor did they dare to. Besides, they were busy arguing.

“Wang Sanpao! How does your Sword Hall handle things? We finally found the Myriad Demons Sect’s Ghost Charm Hall, but what about you!
“They all got away! Those demonic sect members actually slipped away right under your noses! Are you all freeloaders?! Or are your brains made of swords?!”

The Spirit Tool Hall’s Master was burning with rage! The reason was none other than the fact that their Spirit Tool Hall forged swords for these guys day and night! They had put aside all other matters, but they never expected these sword-wielding idiots to be so useless!

Wang Sanpao’s old face flushed red: “Gong Juren! You still have the nerve to talk! What kind of swords did you forge?! For grandma’s sake! They explode while you’re using them! WDNMD [Wo de ni ma de / Fuck your mother]!”

“Ah, ptooey!” Gong Juren spat on the spot. “What does a geoduck know! Explosions are art! You big oaf, you blame us for your own lack of strength?”

“Alright, alright, we’re all family, let’s not hurt our harmony,” the Book Peak’s Master, Scholar Shu, tried to mediate from the side.

But they didn’t appreciate it: “Scholar Shu! Stop trying to smooth things over! Your Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting Peaks, after so many years, how many Nascent Soul realm cultivators do you have?! Even your great disciple’s combat power is inferior to Rakshasa Hall’s Luo Hansan’s daughter!”

“MMP [Ma mai pi / Motherfucker]! Wang Sanpao! How dare you speak like that?!” The Rakshasa Hall Master immediately became indignant. “On what grounds do you insult my daughter!”

The four Peak Masters of Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting were furious: “Luo Hansan, you’ve gone too far! Besides, the senior disciple-brothers of the Spear Hall and the Fierce Wind Hall are pursuing the flower of our Poetry Peak! What the hell do you stinky old men from the Spirit Tool Hall and Sword Hall know!”

“Heh heh, no wonder the Spear Hall’s spear tips have grown blunt, and the Fierce Wind Hall no longer has any ‘Endless’ (Tenth Realm) martial cultivators. So that’s how it is!”

“I’m about to lose my temper!” The Fierce Wind Hall Master directly ripped his shirt off.

The Spear Hall Master even manifested a chrysanthemum spear: “Come! I’ll make your chrysanthemums bloom all over the mountain!”

In the Zilin Hall, the thirty-six Hall Masters and one hundred and eight Peak Masters of the Holy Land were successively drawn into the dispute.

One could only say it was fortunate the Saintess was present, otherwise they would have really started fighting.

“Stop arguing.”

From the jade throne, the young woman spoke slowly. An incomparably sharp sword qi instantly filled the hall. It was as if a sharp sword was hanging over everyone’s head. The scene immediately fell silent.

“We ask for Your Highness’s punishment!”

The thirty-six Hall Masters and one hundred and eight Peak Masters simultaneously cupped their hands and bowed their heads.

All cultivators had their own pride. It was hard to imagine that these people, whose lowest realm was the third level of Nascent Soul, with many at the Jade-Pu realm, and even some Immortal realm Hall Masters and Peak Masters, would bow their heads to a young woman like this, without the slightest resistance.

It wasn’t her status they respected. What the hell was status!
The most important things in the cultivation world were strength and potential!

A young woman with a bone age of eighteen was already at the mid-stage of the Jade-Pu realm, one of the Upper Five Realms. Was that not enough?

Everyone believed that, barring any accidents, under her leadership, the Violet Mist Holy Land would not only be the sole Holy Land in Qianye Province, but would become the “sole” Holy Land of the nine provinces in all the known territories!
“Punishment? Then let’s cut the monthly stipends of all your peaks and halls by twenty percent next month,” Jiang Qingshang said faintly.

The moment the young woman’s crisp words fell, everyone’s face turned green. This was simply more painful than cutting off their own flesh. But they still didn’t dare to say anything.

Fortunately, it was only for next month. The month after next, they’d be fine fellows again!
Jiang Qingshang paid no mind to their expressions and asked directly, “Hall Master Luo, how is the matter I asked you to handle?”

“Replying to Your Highness.”

Luo Hansan stepped forward, his eyes filled with pride.

“My Rakshasa Hall has investigated the entire population of seven million in Luo City! We didn’t even spare the family sows! We found no abnormalities! If that Lin Xun appears out of thin air in Luo City in the future, I, Luo Hansan, will eat the Alchemy Hall’s furnace!”

“It’s good that there’s nothing.”

Jiang Qingshang breathed a sigh of relief. At least her fool was safe. And if that Lin Xun really dared to appear, she wouldn’t mind letting him see some blood!

“You’ve done well in this matter. Also, your daughter is excellent, I like her very much. Your Rakshasa Hall’s monthly stipend won’t be reduced next month. Of the deductions from the other halls and peaks next month, half will go to your Rakshasa Hall, and the other half to your daughter.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

The Rakshasa Hall Master bowed again, the smile on his old face almost reaching the heavens.

Did he, Luo Hansan, care about those stipends? Alright, it was indeed a lot of money.

But the most important thing was that his daughter had gained Her Highness’s appreciation! Half for his daughter, this meant she was being marked for special cultivation!

As long as she became Her Highness’s confidante, the long-term potential benefits for the Rakshasa Hall would be inestimable. Luo Hansan was willing to trade a year’s worth of the Rakshasa Hall’s stipend for it!

Luo Hansan was even thinking about whether he should try to make another daughter with his wife tonight.

As expected, the other Hall Masters and Peak Masters also understood this point! Their envy, jealousy, and hatred were practically written on their faces!
How did this scoundrel get his daughter to hook up with Her Highness! This is going too far!

“Your Highness! My Sword Hall’s new direct female disciple has long admired Your Highness!”

“Your Highness, my Medical Hall’s Du Shuxue is not only extremely beautiful, but has also deeply inherited my true skills. Her future potential is by no means inferior to mine. I hope she can gain some experience by Your Highness’s side!”

“Your Highness, my Book Peak’s Shu Momo has profound literary fortune! She is willing to serve Your Highness like a dog or a horse!”

“Your Highness, my Alchemy Hall…”

“My Black Shark Hall…”

The Hall Masters and Peak Masters of the various halls and peaks shamelessly and crazily recommended their people! The Rakshasa Hall Master was stunned!

Fuck!
This bunch of shameless guys! I didn’t expect them to be so blatantly shameless! And they were just looking down on me for “selling” my daughter?
In comparison, the Fierce Wind Hall, Spear Hall, and a few other halls and peaks were much quieter. Look how composed they are!

And if they knew what Luo Hansan was thinking, they would definitely fight him!

For grandma’s sake!
If it weren’t for the fact that my peaks and halls are all full of burly men, would I be fuming with my eyes wide open?!

As for recommending male disciples?
Are you kidding?
Towards those male disciples, has Her Highness the Saintess ever shown a pleasant expression? Male disciples didn’t even have the qualifications to be the Saintess’s tools, let alone become her confidantes.

“So noisy.” Jiang Qingshang spoke softly, but this slow, cold, crisp sound made everyone fall silent. No one spoke again.

Jiang Qingshang naturally knew their intentions, but she only needed one person to protect Lin Pei. What did she need the female disciples from their halls and peaks for? Send them all to protect Lin Pei? And they were all pretty, too…
Hmph… I’m not willing…
“Punishment Hall, the interrogation of those few Gu-Poison Sect disciples, how did it go?”

Jiang Qingshang changed the subject.

“Replying to Your Highness.” A six-foot-tall muscle-bound man stepped forward. “Our sect used a hundred different tortures, but those few from the Gu-Poison Sect have mouths that are too tough! We simply couldn’t pry their intentions out of them.”

Jiang Qingshang’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly. “Wind-Listening Hall, the other day at the Gu-Poison Sect, who was it that broke in?”

“This…” The Wind-Listening Hall Master’s forehead was dripping with cold sweat. “Your Highness… according to rumors, that person did not use any techniques. It’s said that with just a forceful grasp, the great serpent formed by the Gu-Poison Sect’s formation array was… was choked to death.”

“Hiss~~~~”

In the great hall, listening to the Wind-Listening Hall Master’s report, everyone sucked in a cold breath of air! The temperature in the hall dropped by several degrees.

What the hell? Without using any techniques, just with a forceful grasp, the great serpent formed by the formation array was gone?
This person is terrifyingly powerful!
“You don’t know anything about anything!” Jiang Qingshang said with light anger.

“We ask for Your Highness’s forgiveness!”

The Wind-Listening Hall Master and the Punishment Hall Master immediately wilted.

“Add more manpower! Within three days! I want all the information on that person!”

As her words fell, the young woman stood up. The hem of her tasseled skirt draped down to her heels, her jet-black hair just reaching her waist. She descended the jade steps and left the great hall with lotus-like steps.

“Yes!” Everyone stood on both sides, bowing with clasped hands.

After Jiang Qingshang left, everyone wiped away a bead of sweat. This aura was countless times stronger than the previous Holy Master’s…
“Wait! I forgot to report to Her Highness! The Saintess of the Myriad Buddha Province is coming to visit next month, representing the Bodhi Holy Land to participate in the Violet Mist Grand Ceremony.”

“The Saintess of the Myriad Buddha Province? She has come out of seclusion?” Everyone was very surprised.

“Wasn’t she gravely injured by the Demon Lord, causing her realm to fall?”

“I don’t know either, that’s the news from the Myriad Buddha Province anyway…”

“Forget it, have a female disciple go to the Saintess Peak and have Her Highness’s handmaiden pass on the message.”

One person suggested, and everyone nodded.

In fact, everyone was very curious about this Saintess of the Myriad Buddha Province, because there were too many rumors about her.

In this world, there were no female Buddhist cultivators, and she was the only female monk in the world. She was also just eighteen, only ten days younger than the Violet Mist Saintess. But in terms of seniority, all the Buddhist temples in the world had to call her Senior Sister.

She had been adopted by the abbot of the world’s number one Buddhist temple—the Hidden Buddha Temple—since she was a child.

She could recite Buddhist scriptures while still learning to speak, could debate Buddhist principles with various disciples at the age of five, became famous throughout the world at the age of six by participating in the Myriad Buddha Debate, entered Buddhism at eight, and was accepted as a direct disciple by the abbot of the Great Thunderclap Monastery at ten! And not a single monk in the world objected.

At fourteen, she entered the Dragon Gate realm and roamed the world, tempering herself in the mortal realm, but she encountered the Demon Lord Lin Xun.

No one knew what exactly happened between the two of them at that time.

The world only knew that when the Saintess of the Myriad Buddha Province returned to the Hidden Buddha Temple, there were no scars on the young woman’s body, but her realm had dropped by three levels, and she had already grown three thousand strands of black hair.

“What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?”

Jiang Qingshang, having returned home, sat in the courtyard, looking up at the night sky. Her dark brows were slightly furrowed, and her bright, black-jade-like eyes were a little dazed.

Lin Xun walked over and sat down beside her, gently smoothing her brow.

Jiang Qingshang held his large hand and placed it on her own well-proportioned legs.

“No, I was just thinking about how to make someone tell the truth.”

“Qing’er… when I went to Chunfeng House before, I really won a prize and was dragged in, and I only listened to one short tune.” Lin Xun hurriedly explained, his hands restlessly stroking his wife’s long, slender legs that had not a trace of fat.

Jiang Qingshang didn’t slap away her husband’s pig trotters, just smiled. “Of course I know. You don’t have the silver to go drinking flower wine.”

“That’s right.” Lin Xun breathed a sigh of relief, while thinking to himself that he absolutely could not let Qing’er know he had earned some private money by selling his drawings.
“What’s that in your hand, husband?” Jiang Qingshang looked at the paper in Lin Xun’s hand.

“Oh, the parent of a student at the academy is a bookstore owner. Recently, some of his novelists have been slacking off all day. He asked me if I had any ideas, so I wrote a few.”

“Can I see?”

“Of course.”

“Lock them in a small black room?” After reading the first page, Jiang Qingshang asked doubtfully.

“It’s to lock those who write novels into small black rooms, just big enough to fit one person. Then, they are only given food every day, no one talks to them, and there’s not a single sound, so they can focus on writing. They can’t come out until they’re finished.”

“This method? Is it effective?”

“It should be quite good. Some editors in my hometown treat their ‘code monkeys’ [writers] like this,” Lin Xun said.

The young woman, already immune to the strange words from her husband’s mouth, seemed lost in thought. And just as she was about to think of something, she felt her body lift into the air.

When she came to her senses, she was already being carried by her husband, running towards the house.

“Forget it, I’ll reward him well tonight.” The young woman, inspired by her husband’s words, leaned gently against Lin Xun’s chest, her heartbeat accelerating.

Three days later, Jiang Qingshang sat on the main seat of the Zilin Grand Hall. The Punishment Hall Master ran over:

“Your Highness, those people from the Gu-Poison Sect have all confessed. The Gu-Poison Sect came for the demonic sword. Your Highness’s method of interrogation is fresh and unconventional. I have learned a great deal.”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

“Then I would like to befriend this person even more! This person is definitely a one-of-a-kind genius!”

“What genius? He’s just a fool.”

The young woman’s tone was still icy, but under her veil, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

Foolish enough to marry me.

Foolish enough to want to spend a lifetime with a wife of ‘unknown origins’ like me.

Foolish enough to be clung to by me forever, until our hair turns white.

What a fool…

…

…

(End of this chapter)