The room was silent. In the dim candlelight, Xu Jiao's figure was reflected on the window.
A few breaths later, voices could be heard coming from inside the room.
"Brother Chao, it's my fault this time. I was too soft-hearted. After all, we've lived together for so long, and I couldn't bear to give her too much powder at once, and as a result..." She started to cry softly at the end.
When Xu Jiao speaks, it's as if she has a piece of candy in her mouth, soft and sweet, even when she sobs, there's still a hint of sweetness.
The bed creaked loudly as the tall man approached Xu Jiao. With a stretch of his long arm, Xu Jiao's soft body leaned against him, his large hand gently stroking her back and waist.
"My dear sister, don't cry. I was just too anxious. Please don't be angry. I apologize to you."
As Zhao Chao spoke, he lowered his head slightly, and the shadows of their lips touching appeared on the window frame.
A series of clicking sounds rose and fell as the two began to breathe heavily, their cumbersome clothes gradually falling to the ground as they were torn apart.
Shi Lan frowned and glared at the window frame, her face full of dissatisfaction.
I thought I'd hear something substantial, but these two... well, they got so engrossed in their own thoughts that they started talking nonsense after only a couple of sentences.
Can't we just have some fun anymore?
Shi Lan muttered two curses under her breath, too lazy to eavesdrop, and turned to go back.
Inside the room, Xu Jiao hummed softly a few times. Zhao Chao actually spoke up, "Jiao-mei, with Shi Xiao-mei running away, our cultivation is in jeopardy, and the ghost fire is hot on our heels. Our cultivation levels aren't high enough yet; if we rashly confront him, we'll just die. It's better to..."
Upon hearing that she was mentioned, Shi Lan quickly stopped and obediently squatted back down under the window to watch the shadow puppet show.
Xu Jiao gave a soft hum, but instead of answering Zhao Chao, she pulled her arm away from him.
Zhao Chao quickly reached out and hooked his arm around her, lifting her into the air and gently placing her on the table. He coaxed her softly, "Jiaojiao, don't be angry. I had no choice. We're in this together now. Gui Huo already knew you had also mastered the Demonic Spirit Sect's secret techniques. This is a good opportunity. If we don't take this chance to finish him off, we'll never have a good life again."
As he spoke, he brought his head close to her neck and made smacking noises. Xu Jiao initially resisted and refused to give in, but after a while, she started moaning incessantly, and her slender legs boldly hooked around Zhao Chao's waist, rubbing back and forth.
Soon, loud creaking sounds filled the room, and the table rattled violently, clearly indicating a fierce battle was underway.
Shi Lan was so anxious outside that she was scratching her head and wished she could open the window and ask the two who were working so hard what kind of secret skill allowed them, who were so useless, to have the confidence to deal with the ghost fire at the fifth level of the Condensation Realm.
The candlelight flickered inside. After half an hour, the commotion finally subsided. Zhao Chao, panting heavily, said in a low voice, "These past two days, Jiao Mei has worked hard to lure some more fat sheep over. Let's pull off a few heists. As long as our cultivation levels rise to another level, even without Shi Xiao Mei, we'll have a 70% chance of defeating the Ghost Fire."
After some exercise, Xu Jiao's voice was soft and charming, like a cat that had eaten its fill. "Alright, I'll do as Brother Chao says, but this time you can't take the lead like before, because this time I'm talking about a higher level."
Whether it was Xu Jiao's coquettish words or her finally agreeing, Zhao Chao's interest was piqued again. He only mumbled an "Mm" before picking up Xu Jiao and going inside.
The noise inside the house resumed, and Shi Lan, knowing that a new round of battle had begun, curled her lip, turned her head, and went back inside.
The next morning, Shi Lan disguised himself again as a handsome young man and arrived at the lobby downstairs early. He found an inconspicuous spot, ordered some food and drinks, and ate them slowly and leisurely.
Xu Jiao walked down gracefully in a peach-pink dress, followed not far behind by Zhao Chao, who looked righteous.
Xu Jiao walked through the hall, enveloped in a fragrant breeze. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Shi Lan with interest, but when she saw that the handsome young man had only ordered a dish of salted peanuts, she frowned in disdain and walked out without looking back.
The street was bustling with people. Shi Lan leisurely followed behind Xu Jiao, watching her pick and choose. Finally, with Zhao Chao's prompting, she spotted a tall, burly man.
"Senior brother, are you a local?" Xu Jiao moved gracefully and shyly to the big man, nodding slightly.
The burly man was picking through something at the stall when he heard this. He paused, turned his dark face, and stared blankly at Xu Jiao.
Xu Jiao covered her mouth and giggled, then softly asked again. Seeing the burly man shake his head, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face. "Is that so? In that case, I've disturbed you."
Xu Jiao has a delicate and beautiful face, and her eyes are extremely beautiful. Especially when her eyes are moving, she exudes a unique charm that makes people's hearts itch.
The burly man couldn't bear to see her looking unhappy, so he quickly said, "Junior sister, don't worry. I have two good friends here who are from this area. If you don't mind, you can come with me to ask them."
"Well then, thank you very much, senior brother," Xu Jiao raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling like spring water. The burly man unconsciously swallowed, his large, fan-like hand rubbing the hem of his clothes uncomfortably, leaving a watermark in the blink of an eye.
Shi Lan frowned, marveling at how easily Xu Jiao had managed to charm the burly man.
I really don't know whether to say that the men in this world are too ignorant, or to criticize Xu Jiaomei's remarkable skills.
As evening fell, Xu Jiao returned to the inn with the burly man and two men dressed in tight-fitting clothes.
Shi Lan returned to her room early and leaned against the window, where she heard the neighbors calling for their waiters to take turns bringing up wine and dishes.
After a slightly awkward exchange of pleasantries, and a few drinks, the man's voice grew louder, occasionally punctuated by the woman's cheerful and gentle laughter.
Shi Lan curled her lips into a cold smile. "To die beneath a peony is to die a romantic death."
I wonder if these people would still be able to laugh so happily if they knew that the woman they were so desperately flattering and praising was someone who would skin them alive, gnaw on their bones, and suck their marrow, even if she smiled on the surface, she was secretly plotting how to kill them.
As night deepened, the laughter and chatter from next door lingered. Xu Jiao's soft, coquettish words and teasing made the group feel as if they had been injected with adrenaline, and they were reluctant to leave.
Shi Lan felt she couldn't hear clearly enough, and seeing that no one was outside, she simply used the same trick again, hiding under the window to eavesdrop. As a result, she overheard Xu Jiao urging the three people to escort her to the nearby Heqing Town, saying that there was a cousin there who was the same age as her.
The three men were already completely infatuated with her, and when they heard that there was another beauty, they immediately agreed and set off early the next morning.
Having heard this news, Shi Lan knew that these people wouldn't die tonight, so she went back to her room to cultivate and recuperate.
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