Chapter 57 057 He lost control.
--
The next day.
Jiang Ling'er didn't know what time she fell asleep last night. When she woke up, the sunlight streaming through the window sill shone on her face, almost blinding her. She felt clean and refreshed; clearly... someone had washed her. Her clothes were neatly arranged within her reach. Jiang Ling'er seemed not yet fully recovered from the chaos of the previous night; her almond-shaped eyes blinked, lingering sleepiness in them...
"Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
The little poisoner tied a large bundle of firewood and stood it upright in the corner of the wall. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead, turned to the side, leaned his back against the door, and looked at her with dissatisfaction.
This is the first time I've seen someone meticulously wipe their sweat with a handkerchief after chopping wood.
Jiang Ling'er stared in disbelief at the pile of firewood in the corner. It was more than enough for one day; she wouldn't need to chop firewood for the next four or five days.
"You did all of this?"
The little poisoner remained noncommittal and walked into the house on his own. Unlike her exhausted look, or the pitiful appearance of a drowning puppy the night before, he was now full of energy, his eyes and brows radiating a compelling youthful spirit.
After washing his hands in the basin, he unbuttoned his outer garment and took off his shoes as he climbed onto the bed. His warm fingertips caressed Jiang Ling'er's equally warm nape, and he pecked at her neck upwards with delicate kisses, murmuring indistinctly:
"Go back to sleep."
His arm slipped under the covers, pulling Jiang Ling'er closer and burying her in the thick mattress. A flurry of delicate kisses followed, tracing her neck and cheeks...
He was pushed aside with one hand!
Little Poison: "..."
Jiang Ling'er suddenly sat up in bed, about to throw off the covers and get out of bed, when the little poisonous creature grabbed her wrist.
Where are you going?
The little poisoner pouted, looking displeased, but Jiang Ling'er was even more impulsive and annoyed. She directly shook off his hand and glared at him:
Why did you touch my firewood?
To cover their food and lodging expenses, they took on many jobs, among which chopping wood was undoubtedly the most tiring. She took it on first, as if afraid that the little poisonous creature would snatch it away.
It wasn't that she truly loved chopping wood, but rather that conditions in the north were so harsh, with freezing temperatures and sparse population; even birds were rarely seen. In addition, she had to get up early and work late every day to search for news of that lousy Lingxiao Sect and the idle little immortal Taoist priest. She couldn't catch sparrows in the morning and practice plum blossom stakes at noon as she used to, so she could only entrust all her cultivation to chopping wood every day.
He channeled his power into his palm, repeatedly imitating and rehearsing the complete Thunderclap Palm technique that the old镖头 (bodyguard) had used in his mind. In this way, he used his palm as an axe and used the force of his palm to shatter these hard logs!
She even marked the firewood. For the first two days, she was not used to it and could only slap her hands until they bled. But she got much better after that. By the tenth day, she was able to break a piece of matchstick with her palm!
Her happiest moment each day was counting how many pieces of firewood had broken, not even letting a wood shaving go unnoticed, because these were all the tangible results of all her hard work, so every piece of firewood here... was her treasure!
These... these little poisonous creatures all knew about it, and now, they've all been destroyed by him!
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth in anger, but froze when she clenched her fist, slowly opening her ten fingers to look at her hands—
Her skin was fair, delicate, and smooth, with slender and well-proportioned bones and flesh. There was not a single scratch or bruise, nor any chilblains from being soaked in cold water every day in the winter. Even the calluses on her fingertips and the base of her thumb were gone.
These hands are beautiful, yet unfamiliar.
These are actually her hands.
How could this be her hand!
Not only his hands, but his entire body, including his hair, was completely transformed, becoming fair and tender, clearly healed by the ghostly flames on the little poisonous creature's body.
But he had promised her he wouldn't cure the chilblains and calluses on her hands.
"You...you...you...you..."
Jiang Ling'er was so angry she couldn't speak. It wasn't that she was being ungrateful; she was a girl, and naturally, she loved beauty. But beyond being a girl, she was a renowned bodyguard, the former young master of the world's number one bodyguard, and one of the few female bodyguards in the entire world! What bodyguard who rode through the martial world would have such delicate, fair hands?
Which one would have it?!
Even the brothers and sisters in the escort team would compare their scars in their spare time. Each wound was a testament to the hardships of licking blood from the blade, and each wound was a mark of honor and merit. If you were to ask who Jiang Ling'er admired most in the entire world's number one escort team, it wouldn't be the old head escort, nor would it be her former fifth uncle, who was also her master, Uncle He Yong. It would be the old escort master, Scarface Six, in the escort team.
Scarface Liu got his name from the six terrifying scars on his face that were so deep that the bone was visible. He was not the most skilled in martial arts within the escort agency, but he was the most intimidating.
With just six scars on his face, he could win battles without bloodshed and even stop a child from crying at night. Those six scars alone would prevent anyone from looking down on him!
Those six scars!
Although Jiang Ling'er's hands didn't have any ugly scars, they did have some old injuries... all gone. The frostbite was gone too, but the thin calluses on her fingertips and the base of her thumb were from years of hard work, day after day, slapping herself repeatedly! Just like that... just like that, gone!
All gone!
Jiang Ling'er opened her lips, but before she could speak, her eyes reddened.
"Hey, don't..."
The little poisoner, who had been nonchalant, was lazily watching her with one hand under his head. But when he saw Jiang Ling'er's eyes suddenly redden, he froze for a moment and sprang up from the bed!
Jiang Ling'er felt an urge to cry as she thought this, but little did she know that the little poisonous creature was even more aggrieved than she was.
"Hey, please don't... You didn't cry when you suffered so much at the hands of Di Qing and Huo Wu... I'm begging you, please don't cry..."
"Who told you to use Netherfire to heal the calluses on my hands without permission! And I didn't even cry!"
Although Jiang Ling'er was domineering and arrogant, she was not spoiled and rarely cried. She didn't shed a tear even when she fought so fiercely with Di Qing and Huo Wu. Even when she cried in front of the old镖头's grave, she would only bury her head in the snow. She was very concerned about her image. Therefore, seeing her red eyes, I was more flustered than frightened.
Seeing Jiang Ling'er's eyes growing increasingly red, the little devil scratched his head, looking quite helpless. Seeing that he couldn't coax her, the little devil gave up, appearing even more aggrieved than Jiang Ling'er.
"I...I...I can't control it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the small room fell into complete silence.
Jiang Ling'er was suddenly stunned. The scenes from last night seemed to explode in her mind like a thunderclap in a clear sky.
Last night was more excessive than any time before...
Jiang Ling'er had long since discovered that the Netherworld Ghost Flame on the little poisonous creature could be controlled at will, not only preventing her from inhaling it, but also changing in countless ways according to his mood.
The more excited one is, the higher the flames will rise, and vice versa.
Last night... the ghostly fire raged, illuminating almost the entire room.
He lost control.
Jiang Ling'er's face suddenly turned bright red, and so did the little poisoner.
The little poisonous creature stared at her intently, then suddenly moved.
He took her hand, his slender, green fingers held firmly in his palm, and pressed a kiss to her fingertips with his thin lips. The sensation on his lips sent a shiver down Jiang Ling'er's spine.
"Just today." Jiang Ling'er stared blankly as he held her hand, pressed it against his cheek, and looked at her with eyes that sent chills down her spine, eyes that held a hint of cautious pleading. "Just today, let me heal you. I won't care how thick your calluses get afterward... okay?"
Although it was unintentional this time, heaven knows he had been annoyed by the numerous injuries on her hands for a long time! Although it wasn't his intention, it was still a case of unintentionally getting what he wanted.
It's just that she's been wronged.
After saying that, he grabbed her hand and kissed it on the lips.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Instantly, an electric current surged from the fingertips he had kissed, coursing through Jiang Ling'er's body. Her long eyelashes trembled, and her scalp tingled! Her whole body was covered in goosebumps, and her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.
Jiang Ling'er rarely acts like this; in her twenty-four years of life, this seems to be the first time she's ever done this.
This...is unlike her.
Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with a layer of mist, her hands were clenched tightly, and she couldn't help but breathe softly.
The little poisoner seemed to sense something; their cheeks, both flushed, shifted their gaze from shyness to a slightly aggressive intensity, fixing it on her crimson lips. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he leaned in—
The scorching breath brushed against her face, and Jiang Ling'er's long eyelashes trembled suddenly, as if she had been burned. She quickly turned her head away, and the little poisoner's kiss landed on the corner of her lips.
It's happening again, it's happening again.
It's starting to feel sticky and gooey again, making my scalp tingle.
This is really bad.
Jiang Ling'er panicked, her body reacting before she could think. She didn't even know what she was hiding from, and by the time she realized what was happening, it was already over.
Actually, this kind of intimacy wasn't the first time, but this time it was clearly different, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
The little poisoner was naturally dissatisfied. His initial shyness only lasted for a moment before his usual rascality returned. The hand on her waist became firmer, and he left fleeting kisses on her lips and cheeks.
The ghostly flames on her body were gradually spreading like wildfire, their tongues licking and kissing her.
Jiang Ling'er trembled all over, dodging left and right. In the past, she hadn't felt anything, and would kiss him whenever he asked. Sometimes, this little poisonous creature would pounce on her and bite her like a little wolfhound. Although she couldn't always handle it, she could generally endure it, because compared to the wisps of ghost fire outside her body, the little poisonous creature's direct pecking and biting could transfer more ghost fire to her.
Driven by her survival instinct, she greedily and frantically absorbed the Netherfire from the small poisonous object, sometimes even more proactively than the creature itself. But for some reason, it wouldn't work today.
Today... today I just can't look this brat in the eye!
That's really strange!
The little poisonous creature seemed to find it amusing, displaying remarkable patience, even using its newly grown stubble to prick her.
The lazy morning light shone on them through the window frame, bringing them a rare moment of comfort.
Jiang Ling'er seemed desperate to cover something up, and no matter how she dodged or avoided him, she couldn't escape. Seeing that the little poisoner's breathing was becoming increasingly heavy, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered something. She asked him:
Do you remember what you promised me?
The little poisonous creature paused, its stubble rubbing against her neck he stopped abruptly, its hot breath still spraying on her neck. After a long while, it reluctantly mumbled:
"It's a cash-on-delivery transaction; how can you buy something and then return it?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling'er narrowed her eyes, but couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Want to back out? Have you forgotten... forgotten what you said last night?"
Of course, the little poisonous creature remembers.
I remember it very clearly.
Every moment, every smile, everything that happened is deeply etched in my mind.
--
"Let me see you."
"no!"
"...I'll just take a look."
"No! No, no, no, no, no!"
The flickering light of the tiny candle flame swayed in the cramped room, and the intertwined figures stretched and elongated ambiguously in the candlelight.
Jiang Ling'er was caught off guard and was pulled into the bathtub, even choking on some water. By the time she realized what was happening... she was already inside.
She only had time to cover the little poisonous creature's eyes tightly with one hand!
From beneath my palm came the muffled, hoarse voice of the little poison creature, tinged with grievance:
"I want to look at your face while I do..."
Before the little poisoner could finish speaking, not only were his eyes covered, but his mouth was also covered!
Jiang Ling'er whispered fiercely in his ear, "Don't you dare say it!!!"
They'd done everything intimately together, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work today. She just didn't want him to see her... aroused.
This time is different from any other time, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
After a moment of silence, the person whose eyes were covered and mouth was gagged suddenly slammed into her head violently.
Jiang Ling'er let out a soft "hmm," gasped, and bit her lip tightly to keep the sound from escaping, not daring to move.
No one spoke again, and the two remained silent for a while. Jiang Ling'er was the first to lose her temper and suggested a compromise:
"Okay, you take that skirt back, and I'll let go."
The person whose eyes were covered by her remained silent for a long time. Jiang Ling'er belatedly realized that she was still covering his mouth, so she quickly let go of his mouth. His soft lips brushed against her palm, leaving a sullen sound.
"...You really don't like it."
Jiang Ling'er immediately blurted out, "I like it!"
The last syllable still carried the tremor from before.
Jiang Ling'er paused, realizing something, and coughed softly, this time much quieter:
"But... not now."
Seeing that he had fallen silent again, Jiang Ling'er's last bit of patience disappeared, and she gritted her teeth in his ear: "Just tell me if you're backing out or not!"
The hand gripping her waist suddenly tightened, and the little poisoner frowned slightly as if in discomfort. Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening:
"Oh...oh, the Gu worms have flared up again? It hasn't flared up for a long time!"
The little poisoner didn't speak, so Jiang Ling'er quickly let go of his hand, only to meet a pair of beautiful eyes that were burning with black flames, staring at her as if they wanted to devour her completely.
Jiang Ling'er was suddenly startled, realizing she had been tricked.
"You made..."
Before the word "explode" could be uttered, it was already being devoured by a storm of kisses.
The waves surged and splashed.
"You...you lied to...people..."
The words were smashed to pieces in the raging wind and rain. Jiang Ling'er was furious, and a hint of red appeared at the corner of her eyes. She took a fierce bite on the "slave" mark on the little poisoner's left shoulder as if to vent her anger!
The storm subsided for a moment, and then a familiar, hoarse voice, filled with exasperation, rang in my ears:
"Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you say!"
Jiang Ling'er finally felt comfortable.
Her lips, which had only had a brief moment to catch their breath, were quickly captured again.
Suddenly, amidst the humming and chirping, I caught a whiff of a familiar floral scent.
It wasn't the cool scent that little poisonous creatures usually had; where had I smelled it before...?
Without thinking any further, my whole body was already too weak to exert any strength. The water beneath me was getting colder, but my body was being scorched by the wildfire. This was what they meant by "experiencing both ice and fire".
Jiang Ling'er vaguely thought about it, afraid of slipping into the water, she could only hook her arms around the neck of the person in front of her, rising and falling with him...
--
Memories rush back.
Even if you try to resist the small poison, you can't.
Moreover, he didn't want to resist.
"Fine, I'll go then." He scoffed lightly, then suddenly paused, his voice hoarse, "Before we go... let's do it one more time."
The little poisonous creature grabbed her hand and pressed it down.
Jiang Ling'er paused, then her forehead twitched: "..."
The next second, the little poisoner was kicked off the bed by Jiang Ling'er:
"roll!"
Fifteen minutes later—
The little poisoner, looking sullen, glanced at her, reluctantly grabbed the package containing the red dress, and left.
Jiang Ling'er watched his departing figure, a slight smile playing on her lips, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with a tenderness and contentment she herself hadn't even realized she possessed.
Jiang Ling'er subconsciously rubbed her lower back. The Netherfire could heal her external injuries, but the soreness and numbness in her bones remained. She lazily stretched and muttered to herself:
"It's my turn."
He took the bamboo flute and then walked in the opposite direction from the little poisonous creature.
-------------------------------------
The little poisonous creature walked along with a sour face until it arrived at an unassuming tailor shop.
The short shop owner was stunned when he saw him, and then he turned and ran away!
However, the little poisonous creature seemed to have known he would run away, and with a stretch of its leg, the shopkeeper tripped.
He landed face down and took a hard fall!
The little poisoner grabbed the short shopkeeper's braid and pulled it up, revealing a pitiful face covered in blood from his nose.
It turned out to be a rather youthful face.
Even so, the boy still struggled to cover his face and eyes with both hands, not wanting the little poison to see his true appearance, nor wanting the little poison to see his.
"Big Brother, have you forgotten the rules of the Ghost Market? You can't show your true face..."
Even so, it was no use. He knew that the unique fragrance of the trumpet vines nurtured by the Great Lonely Mountain, which belonged to the Lingxiao Sect, would never dissipate from his body.
He could smell the faint fragrance of trumpet creeper on the little poisonous creature, and the little poisonous creature could naturally smell it too.
The little poisoner interrupted him expressionlessly:
"Remember, I will redeem it again."
The boy's struggling hands paused, and he couldn't help but secretly open one eye to peek at the small poisonous creature through his fingers:
"……What?"
The little venomous creature released its grip on his braid, took out a handkerchief from its bosom, and meticulously wiped every inch of him, from fingertips to wrists. Then, it tossed its bundle and the handkerchief onto him, its dark eyes fixed on him like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
"If you dare sell it to someone else, I'll kill you."
The boy swallowed hard, clutching the package in his arms tightly, and nodded repeatedly.
The little poisoner was about to take a step away when a familiar, sharp pain shot up from her chest. Her brow furrowed, her face paled, and she stopped in her tracks. She glanced sideways at the boy:
"I want all the remaining trumpet creeper flowers."
The boy shook his head, and seeing the little poisonous creature's handsome face growing increasingly dark, he was terrified but had no choice but to speak:
"No...nothing. They were all taken by that self-proclaimed 'old poison master's' 'closed disciple'."
Upon hearing this, the little poisonous creature's brows furrowed deeply, and a shadow fell between them.
"That...that person also left a message for my elder brother."
The little poisonous creature narrowed its eyes, its voice indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Speak."
"The trumpet creeper can only suppress the Gu worms within you temporarily, not forever. As long as you live... as long as you cannot escape your master's control, this is merely a small punishment."
As the boy spoke, he shakily held up two fingers to demonstrate.
Little X Poison: "..."
Seeing the little poisonous creature suddenly move, the boy quickly held the package in front of him:
"Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I was forced into this!"
Upon hearing this, the little poisonous creature scoffed, took out a trumpet creeper flower from its bosom, chewed it, and then left.
As the delicate fragrance of trumpet creeper wafted through the air, the venomous insects causing trouble in the chest cavity instantly subsided under the anesthesia of the trumpet creeper.
Unfortunately, the relief from the excruciating chest pain did not bring the slightest hint of joy to the little poisonous creature's strikingly handsome face.
His handsome face was gloomy, and his dark eyes were even more somber, devoid of any light.
He didn't have many trumpet creeper flowers left in his arms.
--
After leaving the tailor shop, Little Poison didn't go straight back to the inn. Instead, he wandered around several pharmacies in the small town of Qing Shi, but was kicked out of each one.
He tried to sell arsenic, poisonous herbs, and antihistamines to the pharmacy, but was rejected one by one.
He has only ever made poisons, never an antidote.
As the little poisoner walked through the streets and alleys with a bag full of poison, cursing these country bumpkins for not knowing their stuff, he was suddenly stopped by someone:
"Young man, I've seen you wandering around all day... looking for work, huh? Hard labor? Ten coins a day."
Upon hearing this, the little poisonous creature, as graceful as a swallow, paused and froze in place.
-------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Jiang Ling'er was secretly rubbing her back as she walked aimlessly along the long street. Sure enough, she found the person she wanted to see in no time.
The old man with gray hair and blind eyes.
Seeing that the man was indeed still searching for his money bag along the street, Jiang Ling'er felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. She quickly recounted the despicable things the little poisoner had done, and then bowed deeply to the old man.
"Sir, please tell me if there's anything I can do for you. I promise... I promise I will pay you back!"
After she finished speaking, the old man stared at her quietly for a long while, making Jiang Ling'er's heart pound.
After a long pause, he said calmly:
"Come with me."
Jiang Ling'er was slightly taken aback, then followed.
——
"Water, Uncle, massage?"
The old man led Jiang Ling'er to a small, inconspicuous shop. The small signboard in front of the shop had four large characters written crookedly: "Uncle Shui's Massage".
"Is your massage parlor pretty good?"
The old man is naturally "Uncle Shui" on the plaque.
Jiang Ling'er paused slightly, not understanding why, and subconsciously nodded.
"Does your back hurt?"
Jiang Ling'er was truly startled. Coming to her senses, she lowered her left hand, which had been instinctively supporting her waist. Uncle Shui, despite being blind, could accurately tell that her waist was uncomfortable...
"Uncle Shui, you..."
Jiang Ling'er was a little suspicious that Uncle Shui really couldn't see, but when she saw him step into the shop, she had no choice but to follow him.
"sit."
Uncle Shui stared in her direction with his eyes tightly closed, in front of him was a simple round wooden chair.
Jiang Ling'er sized him up and, based on her experience of spending many days with Aunt Yang, concluded that Uncle Shui was indeed blind.
Although she hesitated, she still sat down on the round wooden chair as instructed.
Uncle Shui didn't touch her directly. Instead, he covered her with a thick blanket and first tentatively checked her pulse three inches from her heart. He was slightly surprised:
"Your inner strength is quite impressive for your young age."
Jiang Ling'er knew that her family's Thunder Palm was a first-class external martial art. She had heard of internal martial arts but knew very little about them. In addition, she was young and had been lazy and playful in the past, so her internal strength was pitifully shallow... This was to be expected.
The difference between now and before is like night and day. She can’t quite put her finger on the difference, but she knows that there seems to be a small furnace in her lower abdomen, and every time she circulates her energy in her palm, the small furnace begins to steam and burn, and the palm wind carries a faint aura of lightning and thunder.
This has never happened before.
Breaking firewood with her palm is something that should never have been possible, but she did it.
But at that time, she did not know that this was related to the little poisonous creature Night Crossing and her Netherfire.
Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a long time, Uncle Shui understood the situation and sighed, "It's a pity that you have a small degree of internal strength, but you don't know how to channel and utilize it. Come, let me teach you."
Through the thick mattress, Uncle Shui pointed lightly at her right arm, saying as he spoke:
"Nothing in the world is more yielding and weak than water, yet nothing can surpass it in attacking the hard and strong, because nothing can take its place."
As he finished speaking, he placed a finger on her shoulder and gently patted it. It was a very light touch, but a tremendous force spread like ripples, instantly engulfing her entire body from her shoulder. Half of her body went numb, but after the numbness and tingling subsided, she felt incredibly refreshed. Even the pain in her waist was greatly relieved, as if a long-blocked road had suddenly been cleared. The small furnace in her dantian, which could only be activated with palm force, subtly heated up and actually started to run on its own.
While Jiang Ling'er was still in a daze, Uncle Shui's finger moved to her left arm again, and his deep, resonant voice flowed into her ears with each light touch of his finger:
“Though the bones and muscles are weak, the grip is firm. The penis is erect even though the harmony of male and female is unknown. This is the peak of essence.”
With another gentle tap, the immense force transformed into a surging wave, sweeping across her entire body and seemingly piercing a small hole in the small furnace within her dantian. The small furnace then transformed into a gentle, warm stream that flowed from her dantian along every meridian throughout her body…
My whole body felt alive again; it was an experience I'd never had before.
Jiang Ling'er's almond-shaped eyes lit up.
At this moment, she finally believed what the little poisoner had said: the small town of Qing Shi was truly a place where hidden talents resided.
"The softest thing in the world can overcome the hardest thing in the world. Let your inner strength become like water for your own use... Young friend, you still have a lot to learn."
Uncle Shui gestured towards her shoulder and patted it:
"From today onwards, you will entertain female customers in this little tavern. You may leave only when you have paid back all the money you owe me, understand?"
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The author's note: ①②③ are all from Lao Tzu.
There will be another update today! Oh, and I've enabled paragraph comments now, I don't really know what that is... Welcome everyone to join in! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2024-01-26 22:16:00 and 2024-01-31 10:59:46!
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