Chapter 499 - 167: She Doesn’t Buy It, That’s How Wildcats Are, Jiang Ruxian’s True Intentions (Part 3)

"My lady, you said you had to go out tonight and ordered us not to follow. But... how did you end up like this?"

"Who hurt you?" the maid asked, her face filled with urgent concern.

Tantai Qing opened her eyes, seeming to finally let her guard down. She whispered, "It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I trusted him again, and I was wrong..."

Seeing her in such a state, the maid grew even more worried. She lowered her voice, "My lady, were you... taken advantage of? Your lips... they look a little swollen..."

Tantai Qing froze, subconsciously reaching up to touch her lips, but she stopped her hand mid-air. Shaking her head, she said, "Don’t speak of this to anyone."

As she spoke, waves of clear light pulsed from her body. Her complexion instantly improved, and the unnatural look on her face returned to normal, but her aura grew even fainter.

’Who in the world could have done this to her lady, who was like a Goddess in her eyes? They deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces!’

"Let’s return to the manor first. We’ll deal with the rest later," Tantai Qing said with a wave of her hand.

"Yes, my lady." The maid said no more, helping Tantai Qing to her feet. A cloud of mist then rose from beneath them, carrying her away from the area.

The others followed behind as an escort, remaining vigilant as they quickly departed.

Meanwhile, by the time Jiang Lan returned to the palace residence arranged for him in Prince Zhong’s Mansion, it was nearly 3:00 AM.

With his current power, he could perfectly conceal his aura, making it impossible for even an Eighth Realm cultivator far superior to him to detect his presence easily.

The current Prince Zhong was at the Seventh Realm Dharma Realm, and he was the strongest expert in the mansion.

The previous generations of Prince Zhong were all secluded in cultivation deep within the clan’s lands, having long since stopped meddling in the affairs of Prince Zhong’s Mansion. Although these powerful figures were watching over it, the mansion’s foundation was still far from comparable to that of a Saint’s Noble Family.

Jiang Lan had sent people to investigate the Four Great Royal Families. To this day, not a single Eighth Realm Tribulation Bridge Realm expert had ever appeared among them.

If it weren’t for Jiang Ruxian, he could have moved freely through the manors of the Four Great Dukes without being detected by anyone.

Of course, as a qualified master of time management, Jiang Lan had used the Dust-clearing Skill to wash his scent away several times before returning to Prince Zhong’s Mansion. This was to prevent You’Er from picking up any smells, just as she had a few days ago.

The palace was nestled deep behind high walls and green-tiled roofs. Through the window lattice, the faint glow of a lamp could be seen.

Jiang Lan paused for a moment before pushing open the palace doors.

’The lamps were all out when I left. Not only has someone been here, but they still haven’t left.’

"Not sleeping in the middle of the night? Raiding my chambers like this... should I treat you as an assassin?"

He pushed his way into the hall. Without even looking up, he already knew who it was.

Jiang Ruxian sat on the edge of the bed, her hands crossed demurely in her lap, looking perfectly serene.

"Not sleeping in the middle of the night? Gallivanting about outside... were you having a secret rendezvous with some woman?" she asked with a smile, though her eyes were fixed on Jiang Lan.

"What else would I be doing?" Jiang Lan shot back casually.

Although Jiang Ruxian had not met with him in public, her presence was an unspoken understanding between the two of them.

Jiang Ruxian got off the bed and stood before Jiang Lan. "I don’t believe you," she said.

"You don’t smell like one of those vixens." A corner of her mouth lifted into a smirk.

Jiang Lan nonchalantly pushed her aside. His gaze fell upon the turned-down covers and the impression on the bed where someone had been lying, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Who said you could sleep in my bed?"

"I got a little tired waiting for you, so I took a short nap. You don’t mind, do you?" Jiang Ruxian noticed his gaze, and her eyes, as luminous as the moon, blinked playfully.

"I do mind," Jiang Lan said, his face expressionless.

"We used to sleep together when we were little. I wonder who it was that had nightmares and held onto me so tightly. And now you’re disgusted by me," Jiang Ruxian said, feigning heartbreak.

"I don’t remember. I have no impression of that," Jiang Lan said, withdrawing his gaze, his expression still a placid mask.

"Then I’ll help you remember."

Unbothered, Jiang Ruxian sat down at a nearby jade table with a smile. She crossed her long, slender, pale hands and rested her chin on them.

"I don’t need such useless memories."

Jiang Lan’s brow remained furrowed. "Get out. I need to rest..." he said coldly.

"I’m not leaving." Jiang Ruxian met his gaze, still sitting there unhurriedly.

"If you won’t leave, then I will..."

Jiang Lan made a move to walk out of the hall.

"Don’t. I’ll just sit for a little while, then I’ll leave."

"I know you don’t want to see me right now. That’s why I didn’t have the Fourth Prince tell you I was here. But I figured you must have guessed I was around, and rather than us both pretending, I thought it would be better to just come see you."

Jiang Ruxian stood up and grabbed his sleeve. Her eyes shimmered with a misty light, giving her a pitiful, heart-rending look.

Her beauty was already sublime and otherworldly, like that of a Fairy. Now, with this feigned pitiable act, she was the very picture of a tragic belle. Any man in the world who saw her would have his heart break with sympathy.

"If you knew, then why did you still follow me here? Don’t you know that this will only make me detest you more?" Jiang Lan, however, remained unmoved. He pulled his sleeve from her grasp and continued to frown at her.

"I have the Emperor’s orders. I dare not disobey."

Jiang Ruxian reached out and waggled the golden plaque at her waist that signified the Emperor’s personal presence.

"Useless emperor..." Jiang Lan muttered, glancing at it.

Jiang Ruxian blinked and laughed. "On the night of the Feng Jun ceremony, you called her Junxi right in front of me. How has she become a ’useless emperor’ now?"

"That’s just a private term of endearment between husband and wife," Jiang Lan said offhandedly.

The words "husband and wife" made Jiang Ruxian fall silent.

No matter what, Jiang Lan and Emperor Xia had completed the wedding rites and were now husband and wife in name and fact.

’What right did she have to criticize them?’

"So what if you’re husband and wife? That’s merely a bond constrained by worldly rites. To a cultivator, a mortal lifetime is but a fleeting moment. Why be burdened by it? Besides... if a man can take a wife, he can naturally divorce one too." Jiang Ruxian’s chest heaved slightly, but she tried to keep her tone calm, affecting an air of someone who held worldly customs in contempt.

"So it seems that in your eyes, both Emperor Xia and I are nothing more than common mortals?" A mocking smile seemed to play on Jiang Lan’s lips.

Jiang Ruxian froze, then shook her head. "That’s not what I meant."

Jiang Lan said flatly, "Even now, you still have that same high-and-mighty attitude. I’ve told you before, I don’t need your pity or your charity. You have the talent of a Banished Immortal, destined to become a true Immortal from birth. Go and seek your immortality. That is the path you should walk. Why must you come down to this secular Red Dust and cover yourself in filth..."

"Jiang Lan..." Jiang Ruxian clutched her chest, suddenly cutting him off.

Jiang Lan’s words halted. Seeing her like this, a flicker of pity seemed to stir within him, and he said no more.

"I know you hate me, resent me, detest me, and don’t want to see me right now. But I have never, ever felt pity for you or intended to give you charity. And I have never put on a high-and-mighty act in front of you."

Jiang Ruxian looked straight at him, her eyes filled with a sharp, blade-like persistence. "You can curse me, humiliate me, and mock me, but you cannot deliberately twist my true intentions."

At her words, Jiang Lan averted his gaze, his expression remaining calm.

But Jiang Ruxian persisted, "Why don’t you dare to look me in the eye?"

Jiang Lan said nothing.

"It’s because even you can’t deny what’s in your own heart. That’s why you keep pushing me away, time and time again..." Jiang Ruxian took several steps forward. In her crystalline, black-gem-like pupils, Jiang Lan’s calm, deep-set face was reflected.

Still, Jiang Lan said nothing.

Suddenly, Jiang Ruxian threw her arms around his neck. Giving Jiang Lan no chance to refuse, she tilted her face up and met his lips in what was half a kiss, half a bite.