Chapter 447: Mysterious Jade Pendant

It was already past eleven at night when Chen Erbao left the villa community.

The red sports car had taken a beating today. After Feng Qingwan had thrashed it, it was probably near its limit. So, Chen Erbao drove slowly along the road back to his apartment.

Just moments ago in the car, he had forced and humiliated Feng Qingwan, who went home in tears. Chen Erbao, on the other hand, felt a secret thrill of satisfaction.

Regardless of how the plan against Huang Baiwen was progressing, at least he had reaped some rewards.

He parked the car downstairs, took the elevator up, and opened the door to his apartment. Seeing that the lights in both rooms were off, he lightened his steps and tiptoed inside.

On the large bed, a lovely figure was wrapped in the blankets, her back to him.

Chen Erbao quickly stripped off his clothes, gently lifted a corner of the blanket, and slipped in.

He habitually wrapped his arms around her from behind. The moment his hands cupped her full breasts, Chen Erbao froze.

‘They don’t feel the same…’

The beauty in his arms whipped her head around, her eyes wide with disbelief and alarm, and opened her mouth to scream.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Chen Erbao clamped a hand over Song Yao’s mouth and quickly explained:

“Don’t scream! I went into the wrong room by accident. It wasn’t on purpose!”

As he said this, his other hand was still on Song Yao’s breast, and he even gave it a subconscious squeeze or two.

Shame flashed in Song Yao’s beautiful eyes, quickly replaced by a fierce glare at Chen Erbao.

Chen Erbao quickly removed his hand and whispered:

“Don’t make a sound. I’m leaving right now…”

When he saw Song Yao nod, Chen Erbao carefully removed the hand covering her mouth. Then, with an awkward laugh, he grabbed his clothes and scurried out of the room.

After closing the door behind him, Chen Erbao finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the non-existent sweat on his forehead.

‘Damn it, my head must be completely scrambled today. How could I walk into the wrong room?!’

‘If Xia Qingxue found out I’d climbed into her junior sister’s bed, then…’

‘Then again,’ Chen Erbao thought, ‘even if she found out, knowing Xia Qingxue’s personality, she probably wouldn’t say much. She might even insist I take responsibility for Song Yao.’

Shaking his head, he pushed the wild thoughts from his mind and carefully entered the room next door.

Xia Qingxue wasn’t asleep. She was wearing a thin nightgown, sitting cross-legged on the soft, large bed, cultivating with her eyes closed.

Hearing the door open, she opened her eyes and looked at Chen Erbao.

“Are you finished?”

Xia Qingxue was a little puzzled when she noticed Chen Erbao walk in without any clothes on, but she didn’t ask about it.

Chen Erbao, feigning composure, set his clothes aside, sat on the bed, and pulled Xia Qingxue into his arms as he lay down.

“I’m not finished yet. I probably won’t have much free time over the next few days. With the Huang Group helping the Celestial God Sect, it’ll be hard to track them down for a while. We can’t rush this; we have to take it slow…”

Xia Qingxue thought Chen Erbao was about to pull her into another session of dual cultivation. A shy look flashed in her eyes as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

But to her surprise, Chen Erbao didn’t try anything. He just held her and pulled the blanket over them, seemingly ready to go to sleep for real.

“We’re not… cultivating tonight?”

Xia Qingxue couldn’t help but ask, feeling his large hand resting on her chest.

Chen Erbao said seriously,

“Getting proper rest is necessary too. Let’s just sleep tonight. We’ll cultivate another day.”

“Mm…”

‘He felt he wasn’t really in the right headspace, probably because of his guilty conscience…’

The night passed without incident. Chen Erbao woke the next day as the sky was just beginning to lighten. He got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. By the time he was done and went to the living room to cultivate, Xia Qingxue was also awake. She stretched her slender, graceful body and began to get ready.

Song Yao liked to sleep in and usually didn’t get up until late morning, so Chen Erbao wasn’t worried about bumping into her. He simply went shirtless in the living room, performing breathing exercises. Scenes from yesterday’s battle flashed through his mind, and he would occasionally strike a strange pose as he mulled over the lessons he’d learned.

‘As expected,’ he thought. ‘Real combat is the key to improving one’s strength. If you just train in isolation, it’s easy to be defeated by a weaker but more experienced opponent.’

He cultivated until just after eight in the morning, then went back to his room to rinse off in the shower before returning to the living room.

Xia Qingxue was once again dressed in a simple, white, long dress. Although the weather was turning cold, she was a Grandmaster now, after all. Her resistance to the cold had increased dramatically, so she didn’t need to wear extra layers.

She stood on the balcony with her back to the living room, quietly performing her breathing exercises. Invisible to the naked eye, wisps of Daoist rhythm swirled around her, making her look even more exquisitely beautiful and ethereal.

This was the unique breathing technique of the Pure Maiden Divine Skill. Chen Erbao was all too familiar with this aura; he could even feel a response stirring within his own body.

Xia Qingxue sensed his presence as well and turned to face him, a serene smile on her face.

“I feel like ever since I broke through to the Grandmaster Realm, my five senses and my body have become much sharper. I can even sense the air flowing around me…”

Chen Erbao poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the balcony doorframe, explaining,

“The Grandmaster Realm is a mark of ‘sainthood’ among mortals. Only by reaching this Realm can you be considered beyond the scope of ordinary people. Generally speaking, to deal with a single Grandmaster, you would need at least three others to corner them; otherwise, it’s almost impossible to pin them down. That’s why Grandmasters are so respected in the Ancient Martial Realm.”

Xia Qingxue nodded, her expression thoughtful.

“Our Miaoyin Sect used to have a Grandmaster as well. The day the Celestial God Sect attacked, our Sect Leader never appeared, for some reason. That’s what led to the disciples’ utter defeat…”

“The Celestial God Sect’s Grandmaster must have intercepted your Sect Leader. If they made a move, they must have been fully prepared… By the way, what is it the Celestial God Sect is after, exactly?”

Chen Erbao couldn’t help but ask, the question piquing his curiosity.

Xia Qingxue hesitated for a moment but quickly regained her composure. She pulled open the collar of her dress, reached inside with a slender hand, and drew out the Jade Pendant that hung from her neck.

It was a Jade Pendant of a uniform, lustrous green, carved with strange patterns.

Chen Erbao’s eyes immediately lit up.

He could feel a dense fluctuation of Spiritual Qi coming from the Jade Pendant.

‘It’s another Spirit-Containing Object! And the concentration of Spiritual Qi is incredibly high—more precious than any other Spirit-Containing Object I’ve ever found!’

‘To think the Miaoyin Sect had a treasure like this hidden away…’

‘But even so, would the Celestial God Sect really send a Grandmaster to hunt her down just for this? A Spirit-Containing Object is precious, but it’s not irreplaceable…’

‘Unless the Jade Pendant holds some other secret.’

Chen Erbao stepped closer and took the Jade Pendant to examine it.

The Jade Pendant was still warm, carrying Xia Qingxue’s warmth and her faint scent. The patterns on it were complex and profound, but other than that, he could see nothing out of the ordinary.

Chen Erbao scratched his head and placed the Jade Pendant back inside the neckline of her dress.

“What are you two doing!”