Chapter 189 Yaksha Seeks Flowers
When Yue Mingzhi rode through the streets on horseback, Chao Chengwen stood on the attic, his withered fingers gripping the railing tightly.
The top scholar had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and skin as white as jade. Every frown and smile of his attracted girls from all over the city to throw fruit at his carriage.
“What a handsome scholar…” Chao Chengwen muttered to himself, his cloudy old eyes swirling with unspeakable jealousy and hatred.
He subconsciously touched his deeply lined face.
When he was young, his classmates ridiculed him as "the reincarnation of Zhong Kui" because of his face.
His face led to the old emperor publicly mocking him at the Qionglin Banquet: "Minister Chao is highly talented, but unfortunately, he is ugly and plain."
Chao Chengwen recalled that year when he ranked third in the imperial examination, but was sent to a remote prefecture because of his ugly appearance.
On the day he left the capital, people on the street were talking about it: "Look, is that the third-place scholar of this year's imperial examination? He looks like a demon..."
"Aren't all the third-ranked scholars handsome men? How come they look like this?"
"Why did His Majesty appoint such a person as the third-ranked scholar? Has His Majesty lost his sight?"
"Shh... keep your voice down..."
Over the years, he has been navigating the political landscape step by step, doing everything in his power to suppress those who are beautiful.
If they encountered a handsome scholar, they would always make things difficult for him in every way.
When the Ministry of Personnel was selecting officials, he would always send those handsome and refined officials to remote and desolate places.
"Men should value talent, not appearance!" He often declared righteously in court, "Those who are handsome are often preoccupied with romance; how can they be loyal to the country?"
After saying that, he would give a meaningful glance to his good-looking colleagues.
On the night he successfully possessed the body, Chao Chengwen staggered and lunged at the bronze mirror.
The old face reflected in the mirror was no longer the one with deep wrinkles.
His sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards towards his temples, his phoenix eyes were full of affection and laughter, and even the curve of his lips was just right.
He trembled as he touched the unfamiliar, handsome face, feeling the unique elasticity of the young skin through his fingertips.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Laughter squeezed out of his throat, eerily chilling.
His twisted smile was reflected in the bronze mirror: "Now...it's finally my turn to be the handsome man..."
I heard soft snoring behind me.
Chao Chengwen turned around and saw Wei Yingnan sleeping on the bed.
A flash of disgust crossed his eyes, and he kicked the woman to the ground.
"Does an ugly woman deserve to sleep in a carved bed?"
The newly acquired voice spoke harshly, with a somewhat discordant hoarseness.
Chao Chengwen put on a brand new brocade robe.
He burst into laughter, pushed open the door, and headed straight for the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
With such a handsome face, I'm going to show it off tonight among all the beauties.
When Chao Chengwen stepped into Zuixianlou, all the guests were so surprised that they forgot to move.
"Master Yue-Yue?" The madam's fan fell to the ground with a thud.
Everyone knows that the newly appointed top scholar never frequents brothels and never even glances at a beautiful woman who is trying to woo him.
"What? You're not welcome?"
Chao Chengwen lightly lifted the courtesan's chin with his fingers.
"You flatter me, sir!" The courtesan was the first to recover, her surprise half-hidden behind her silk fan. "I just didn't expect you to be in such a good mood today..."
The girls then swarmed around him, but all kept a respectful distance.
One of the bolder men offered a wine cup and cautiously asked, "Madam, do you know that you..."
"Why bring up that ugly woman!" Chao Chengwen's suddenly raised voice startled the girls.
Realizing his lapse in composure, he quickly put on a flippant smile: "I've simply... figured it out."
These words were like breaking a spell, instantly enlivening the entire room.
"It should have been done long ago!" The son of the Vice Minister of Rites slammed his fist on the table, drunk. "What kind of talk is it for a top scholar to spend his days with an ugly old woman!"
"Indeed! With your looks and character, you are destined to be a dashing figure." The crowd echoed.
"Who is more handsome, me or the third-ranked scholar?" he asked deliberately.
"Oh dear! The third-ranking scholar is merely handsome, while your appearance," the courtesan chuckled, hiding her smile behind her silk fan, "would make even Pan An feel ashamed of his own looks."
Chao Chengwen laughed loudly, "Well said! Reward me!"
He casually tossed Yue Mingzhi's jade pendant to the ground, and the sound of the pearl and jade shattering was even more melodious than celestial music.
In a corner, a young maid whispered to the old woman, "Strange, didn't Lord Yue used to hate people talking about his appearance the most?"
Before she could finish speaking, the old woman pinched her: "What nonsense are you spouting! Can't you see the master is happy today?"
Amidst the laughter of the entire room, Chao Chengwen greedily basked in every admiring glance.
The songstress peeled grapes for him, the courtesan poured him fine wine, and there were countless affectionate glances in her eyes.
These were things he could only dream of before.
...
Such a perfect appearance, once you've tasted the joy of being adored by millions, you can never go back.
Chao Chengwen glared venomously at Lu Yao and her apprentice, then suddenly his eyes lit up and he revealed a seductive smile.
"Grand Preceptor..." He deliberately used Yue Mingzhi's clear and melodious voice to sigh softly, his eyes slightly reddening, revealing a hint of vulnerability, "Your situation in the court is difficult... If you are willing to cooperate with me, my students will surely be able to quell the criticism against you..."
Lu Yao sneered coldly, "Why would I care about those barking dogs?"
Undeterred, Chao Chengwen took another half step forward.
He knew all too well the destructive power of this appearance; even the most beautiful courtesan would find it hard to resist.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes welled up with tears, and even her voice trembled with a perfectly timed sob: "Please..."
“Little Yao’er,” Chu Xuanji suddenly interjected, raising an eyebrow with interest, “this old scoundrel is using his beauty to seduce you.”
Lu Yao felt a chill.
"...I can no longer hold back my sword."
With a flash of light, the peach wood sword in her hand was already pressed against Chao Chengwen's throat.
The sword tip pierced the skin, and beads of blood slid down the slender neck.
“Kill me, and Yue Mingzhi will die too!” Chao Chengwen suddenly grinned maliciously. “His soul is slowly dissipating within my decaying body!”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yao's lips curled into a chilling sneer: "Then let it be his fate."
Chao Chengwen stared at Lu Yao in disbelief.
This face that captivated countless people couldn't stir even the slightest ripple in this woman's heart.
He laughed maniacally, his laughter mixed with two voices: "What a heartless woman! No wonder she got to this position!"
Before Chao Chengwen could finish speaking, a sharp "snap" was heard, and Chu Xuanji's Crimson Scale Whip struck the bronze lamp in the corner of the secret room like a thunderclap.
The flickering flame at the wick is the soul fire that sustains the body-snatching technique!
"You guys!" Chao Chengwen realized he had been tricked.
It turned out that their conversation with him was all a deliberate attempt to distract him.
He rushed over in a panic, trying to stabilize the soul fire, only to see Lu Yao already drawing a golden talisman in mid-air.
The talisman, like a flowing light, was precisely fixed onto the bronze lamp base.
The lamp shattered with a crack, and a wisp of soul imprisoned within drifted out like a wisp of smoke.
It was precisely because Yue Ming knew that his soul had been stripped away!
"What a clever feint attack..."
Chao Chengwen gritted his teeth.
Only now did he notice that Chu Xuanji's position had blocked the path to the array's core.
Every provocation from Lu Yao led him away from the center of the formation.
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