After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 40

“Lu Jiu!” Jiang Mianhao couldn’t bear to listen any longer and blurted out, “Did Xiu Xiu offend you in some way? There’s no need to speak to her so harshly.”

 

Hearing her defensive tone, Ye Qingge merely let out a cold laugh.

 

This grass spirit is truly foolish—only she could be deceived by this monster’s tricks.

 

“Mianhao,” Ling Lan tugged at Jiang Mianhao’s sleeve, “didn’t you want to try the bayberry ice jelly? Let me take you to get some.”

 

Jiang Mianhao was pulled inside but couldn’t resist glancing back repeatedly.

 

“Boss! One bowl of ice jelly,” Ling Lan called out as she dragged her companion into the shop.

 

The hanging door curtain blocked Jiang Mianhao’s view.

 

Outside, Mi Xiu, who had been acting pitiful, wiped her tears, a trace of malice flashing in her eyes.

 

But she maintained a smiling face and asked, “Lu Jiu, aren’t you going to have something to eat?”

Watching how effortlessly this person switched between emotions, Ye Qingge snorted coldly. “Done pretending?”

 

“Pretending what?” Mi Xiu feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lu Jiu.”

 

Ye Qingge didn’t bother responding.

 

Instead, she raised her hand, channeling immense spiritual power into a whip that lashed out fiercely.

 

Mi Xiu couldn’t dodge in time and took the blow directly.

 

The girl in purple instantly revealed her true form. A purple scorpion crawling on the ground.

 

Ye Qingge withdrew her hand, coldly watching the creature squirm.

 

All that talk about being a mimosa, about being mistreated by her family, about being unable to take human form for three thousand years; it was all nonsense.

 

This evil scorpion had killed a passing mimosa, stolen its body, and pretended to be a plant spirit.

 

“When did you find out?!” Mi Xiu dropped her act, panic flashing in her eyes. That whip strike had nearly destroyed half her cultivation. “And who are you? How do you possess the Dusheng Whip?!”

 

Ye Qingge ignored her questions and retracted the whip.

 

Gritting through the pain, Mi Xiu pressed on. “The Dusheng Whip is a secret weapon of the Heavenly Emperor. Are you the Heavenly War God? Or one of the former Empress’s nine daughters?”

 

Her questions went unanswered.

 

Ye Qingge cast a cold glance at the flailing scorpion and sent a sharp ice blade flying toward it.

 

Just as she had pinned the mimosa’s leaves to the doorstep during their first meeting, this time she nailed the scorpion’s pincers to the ground.

 

Mi Xiu writhed in agony, struggling incessantly.

 

“If there’s a next time,” Ye Qingge said coldly, “I will exterminate your entire clan.”

 

With that, she flicked her sleeve dismissively and entered the ice jelly shop.

 

The battered scorpion continued to struggle where it lay, gradually growing still.

Inside the shop, the two friends sat together.

 

Jiang Mianhao couldn’t help but lift her head to peer outside.

 

“Here’s your ice jelly, honored guests!” The waiter waved his towel and set the bowl on the table.

 

Ling Lan thanked him and paid with silver, dismissing the waiter.

 

“Mianhao,” Ling Lan waved a hand in front of her friend’s face, “stop looking.”

 

Jiang Mianhao remained uneasy. “Lanlan, do you think they’ll end up fighting? What could Xiu Xiu have done to offend Lu Jiu so much?”

 

Hearing the concern in her voice, Ling Lan asked nonchalantly, “If they did fight, who would you worry about?”

 

“Lu Jiu, of course!” Jiang Mianhao answered without hesitation, then added, “But Lu Jiu isn’t the type to pick fights for no reason.”

 

Though she had already guessed the answer, Ling Lan still felt a pang of disappointment hearing it confirmed.

 

She lowered her eyes to hide her feelings. “Yeah, they won’t fight.”

Unaware of her friend’s melancholy, Jiang Mianhao’s thoughts were entirely preoccupied with Lu Jiu until the door curtain was pushed aside and Lu Jiu walked in.

 

“Green Wine is here!” Jiang Mianhao sprang to her feet, waving her hand while scanning Green Wine from head to toe. Only after confirming she was unhurt did she relax. “Where’s Xiu Xiu?”

 

Ye Qingge approached and replied, “Sudden illness. She went back.”

 

Jiang Mianhao made a sound of acknowledgment, wanting to ask more but ultimately staying silent.

 

Three bowls of ice jelly arrived. Jiang Mianhao alone ate two portions.

 

Then she complained about being too full, grabbing Ye Qingge with her left hand and Ling Lan with her right.

 

They wandered up and down the streets, the long afternoon slipping by this way.

 

As soon as night fell, Jiang Mianhao dragged them to the lawn.

 

The lawn was already packed with people, their chatter and laughter filling the night air.

 

Then, movement appeared before them.

The previously noisy crowd gradually quieted down.

 

Though there were no stars in the long night, the people’s eyes shone brighter than any star.

 

Jiang Mianhao stood nervously beside Green Wine, excitedly rubbing her hands.

 

Ye Qingge glanced at the person beside her, sensing her apprehension.

 

So, she freed a hand and held hers.

 

Seeing the offered hand, Jiang Mianhao felt a warmth spread through her chest and clasped it back.

 

She shifted slightly closer to Ye Qingge.

 

Shoulder to shoulder, standing side by side in the crowd.

 

Their hands pressed together, fingers interlaced. Neither spoke.

 

Above them, the prepared fireworks began blooming in the sky, one cluster after another.

 

Small balls of light shot straight up, bursting into brilliant blooms at their peak.

Purple, blue, and red lights transformed into large flowers, scattering into fine, fragmented points as they fell.

 

The once-dark night seemed to blossom into a momentary starry sky.

 

“Wow!” Jiang Mianhao couldn’t help exclaiming in wonder, her face tilted upward as she watched the fireworks bloom.

 

She had never seen such beautiful scenery.

 

With both hands clasped, she knew Green Wine had also looked up.

 

“Green Wine, look!” Jiang Mianhao pointed with her free hand. “That one just now was silver-white!”

 

Before Ye Qingge could respond, Jiang Mianhao’s outstretched hand was caught by someone.

 

Ling Lan’s hand covered hers, their fingertips pointing skyward together.

 

A young man in blue behind them spoke shyly, “Quick, make a wish upon the fireworks! They say people holding hands under fireworks will never part.”

 

The young lady beside him blushed quietly, saying nothing but holding his hand.

 

Ling Lan turned her face, meeting Jiang Mianhao’s gaze.

 

Just then, a firework burst open. Green and pink colors mingling before scattering downward.

 

Jiang Mianhao tightened her grip on Ling Lan’s hand.

 

From that moment on, Ling Lan barely looked at the sky again; her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Mianhao.

 

“Did you make a wish?”

 

The gentle voice sounded by her ear. Jiang Mianhao turned her face, but before she could speak, her lips brushed against something soft.

 

Ye Qingge, slightly taller than Jiang Mianhao, had been half-crouching to speak with her.

 

Already standing shoulder to shoulder, when Jiang Mianhao turned, their faces were mere inches apart.

 

As her lips met softness, her nostrils filled with a pleasant fragrance.

 

Fireworks continued blooming overhead, one after another.

But Jiang Mianhao no longer had the heart to look up, for she had fallen into Green Wine’s eyes.

 

Those golden pupils reflected the flickering flames of the fireworks and within the flames, she saw a person.

 

That person was herself.

 

The place her lips had just brushed was Green Wine’s cheek—so soft.

 

With each firework’s descent, everything darkened momentarily before welcoming the next bloom.

 

The surroundings were noisy and chaotic, yet Jiang Mianhao couldn’t hear a thing.

 

Her gaze fell upon Lu Jiu’s lips, a pale pink that stood out starkly against the darkness.

 

The two were so close that their noses nearly touched.

 

Jiang Mianhao felt her heart racing, pounding madly in her chest.

 

Fireworks fell and bloomed again, casting all their light upon Lu Jiu.

 

She couldn’t help but recall Lu Jiu’s face bathed in sunlight that day.

 

Jiang Mianhao swallowed and instinctively leaned forward.

 

The fragrance grew closer, and that hint of pink drew nearer.

 

Just as she was about to touch it, Ye Qingge turned her head away.

 

Jiang Mianhao’s leaning face ended up resting on her shoulder.

 

“You’re only allowed to hold hands,” Ye Qingge’s voice was low. “But your wishes must be for me.”

 

Jiang Mianhao felt her ears tingling, and the little deer in her heart came alive.

 

It leaped wildly, refusing to calm down.

 

Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the night sky.

 

A blade drew blood, and the smell of rust quickly spread through the air.

 

“Bandits are here~”

 

Someone shouted, and in the next moment, the crowd grew restless.

 

Ye Qingge straightened and turned to look.

 

She didn’t see any bandits, but a flash of purple light appeared at the edge of the crowd.

 

It moved incredibly fast, accompanied by the ringing of bells.

 

The people, already on edge, instantly grew agitated, scattering left and right.

 

The three who had been holding hands were pushed apart.

 

Hearing the bells, Ling Lan grew alert.

 

Jiang Mianhao, shoved a few steps away, was slower to react and stood on her tiptoes, scanning the chaos. “Lu Jiu! It seems there are bad people.”

 

“Come here,” Ye Qingge beckoned.

 

Ling Lan reached out to grab Jiang Mianhao’s arm.

 

But as soon as she extended her hand, someone frantically running behind her collided with her, giving her a hard shove.

Ling Lan stumbled a few steps.

 

“Ouch!” Jiang Mianhao was also shoved, stumbling forward.

 

Ye Qingge stepped in, reaching out to firmly pull her into an embrace.

 

“Lu Jiu,” Jiang Mianhao wrapped her arms around Ye Qingge’s waist, shaking her head. “I don’t know why, but my head suddenly feels so dizzy.”

 

Ye Qingge listened to the ringing of bells and the frantic movements of the crowd around them.

 

She tightened her hold on Jiang Mianhao and softly reassured her, “It’s alright.”

 

Jiang Mianhao buried her face in Ye Qingge’s chest, breathing in the scent of her clothes.

 

But the bells continued to clang in her ears.

 

Her head grew even dizzier, and her heart began to race with inexplicable panic.

 

A hand gently pressed against her back and in the next moment, Jiang Mianhao returned to her original form.

 

The charming young girl transformed into a small pot of grass.

 

The bell sounds that had just disturbed her mind were miraculously blocked out. The little grass swayed its leaves and asked, “What’s happening?”

 

“Those bells are meant to bewitch people,” Ye Qingge said, raising her hand. A small bag appeared in her palm. “Your foundation is still unstable, but the bell sounds can’t affect your true form.”

 

As she spoke, she adjusted her movements.

 

The little grass was carefully placed into the bag, and Ye Qingge adjusted the strap, tying the drawstrings into a neat bow.

 

Tucked safely inside, the little grass grew quiet, asking no more questions.

 

Ling Lan watched her outstretched hand, despondently empty, having caught nothing.

 

The crowd was in utter chaos, and the romantic atmosphere from the fireworks had completely dissipated.

 

Ye Qingge observed Ling Lan’s lingering hand, then, with a flick of her finger, sent the wooden sword landing steadily into her palm.

 

“Do you want to learn the move I showed you last time?” Ye Qingge’s tone was calm.

 

Amid the clamoring crowd, her voice rang out clear and melodious.

 

Ling Lan lifted her head in surprise, answering without a second thought, “Yes!”

 

Ye Qingge hummed in acknowledgment, then reached out to tuck a stray blade of grass back into the bundle. “Sit steady.”