Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 332 - 192 Li Guanshi’s Advice_2

Chapter 332: Chapter 192 Li Guanshi’s Advice_2

Zhou Wanyue didn’t deny it and said with a smile, "This is a win-win for both of us, and I truly hope that my good sister from the past can achieve her heart’s desire. Don’t you wish the same?"

Zhou Wanyue pursed her thin lips, "Or perhaps... one day you, Ran Qingchen, will also fall into the web of love, lost over a man?"

"Of course not."

"Therefore, you should accept this sword and this flower."

The hall fell into silence.

Ran Qingchen’s face remained as calm as an ancient well without ripples.

However, the jade hands hidden beneath her wide sleeves quietly clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white, her gaze flickering and uncertain.

As the other person said, if she had the Ruqing Sword and the Western Region Heartless Flower... her pursuit of the Sword Dao could reach new heights, bringing unimaginable benefits.

More importantly, she could get closer to understanding her own mother, to know what her mother sought on the path of the sword.

But...

Is the affection she must give up really unimportant?

Why did her mother change from severing emotions to immersing in them when she was clearly wrong?

Ran Qingchen was very confused.

Without realizing it, her fingers touched the gold bracelet Jiang Mo had given her. This minor touch seemed to stir ripples across the lake of her heart, spreading slowly.

Ran Qingchen suddenly asked, "Do you have so little confidence in yourself?"

Zhou Wanyue was taken aback, understood what the other meant, and said with a light chuckle, "It’s not that I don’t have confidence, it’s just... I’m still lacking somewhat, so I hope you can make him lose hope completely. Once his heart is dead, someone will need to revive it. Do you understand?"

"I understand, so... I won’t take the Heartless Flower."

Ran Qingchen spoke with a cold tone.

Zhou Wanyue’s expression turned to astonishment, her face gradually chilling, but then she smiled again, "Why not?"

Ran Qingchen said proudly, "How I, Ran Qingchen, deal with ’affection’ doesn’t require the aid of external objects. Since I’ve sworn to immerse my emotions in the sword, then I will definitely do so! If I can’t, I don’t need your help.

As for that Shangguan gentleman, his liking me is his business, your liking him is your business, it has nothing to do with me."

Ran Qingchen added, "Here’s a piece of sincere advice, what’s mine, I fear if I gave it to you, you couldn’t catch it. What you can snatch away, is what I don’t want—what looks like precious delicacies to you mean nothing to me!"

"Slap!"

Zhou Wanyue slapped the table and stood up.

She stared at Ran Qingchen with a dark gaze.

After a long while, Zhou Wanyue smoothed the anger from her face, her expression becoming calm as she spoke, "I was too presumptuous. There’s another matter I’d like to discuss with you."

——

After informing Jinxiu, Jiang Shouzhong left the Liushan Division to head to an alley called "Taoye."

He remembered he had another task... that was the letter the empress had given him, instructing him to deliver the message to a woman surnamed Lin in Taoye Alley, and to inform her that Luo Mingtang was dead.

Jiang Shouzhong originally didn’t want to go, but he ultimately didn’t dare to defy the empress’s command, besides, he genuinely wanted to eliminate the potential threat posed by Luo Mingtang.

However, on his way there, an unexpected acquaintance appeared before him.

The woman wore a light purple long dress, her figure graceful, her waist like a bottle gourd, plump and firm. As she moved, her clothes fluttered elegantly, her black hair dancing in the wind, bringing forth a transcendent charm.

The most beautiful woman in the world, who was also the foremost female cultivator—Li Guanshi!

"It’s been a while since we’ve met, your cultivation has greatly improved."

The woman moved lightly, as if walking on ripples of water, carrying both the mature allure of a married woman and the ethereal grace of a fairy, yet her face remained shrouded in mystery.

Jiang Shouzhong frowned, "Did you come looking for me on purpose?"

Li Guanshi approached the man, appraising him up and down with a slight smile, "Indeed, there have been quite a few changes... I came to Qingzhou for some affairs, and just happened to sense your presence, thought we could chat casually."

Mengniang unknowingly stood protectively behind him, her face wary.

"Would you like tea, or wine?"

Li Guanshi asked.

Jiang Shouzhong hesitated, "Let’s have tea, you’re paying."

"All right."

Li Guanshi nodded lightly.

The two arrived at a tea house, and strangely, nobody seemed to notice Li Guanshi on the way, as if she were just an ordinary person who didn’t stand out in a crowd.

"How did you do that?" Jiang Shouzhong was very curious.

Entering the private compartment, Li Guanshi spoke indifferently, "To have a heart free of material desire is to embrace the clear autumn sky and tranquil sea..."

"Speak human language."

"I used magic."

Isn’t that a clear enough explanation? Why put on airs of profundity... Jiang Shouzhong curled his lips and asked, "Do you have any leads on the descendant of the Mo Family you’re looking for, and what do you want her for?"

Li Guanshi didn’t answer his question, but poured some tea and said with a light and breezy tone, "My disciple once swore that she would find a husband who could bed her annoying master. Jiang Mo, can you do it?"

Jiang Shouzhong was stunned.

What’s this, starting with such a bold topic right off the bat?

But would Ye actually say that?

"No, I should ask it this way." Li Guanshi’s lips curved into a smile as he looked at him amiably, "Jiang Mo, are you worthy?"

Jiang Shouzhong shook his head, "I am not worthy."

Li Guanshi laughed, "Is that an admission of self-awareness?"

Jiang Shouzhong said indifferently, "What I mean is, you’re not worthy of me bedding you; I’m not interested in you."

The woman wasn’t angry, but she did find it somewhat novel.

As one ranked among the list of breathtaking beauties, she was accustomed to flattery and compliments—it was rare to hear a man speak to her in this manner. The last one to do so was that Sword Demon who only sought his daughter.

Li Guanshi, in a particularly good mood today, ignored the cold glint in Mengniang’s eyes beside him and asked with a laugh, "Are you sure you’re not interested in me?"

The mist veiling the woman’s face dispersed, revealing an incredibly beautiful visage that epitomized celestial grace.

This was the first time Li Guanshi had shown her true face in front of Jiang Shouzhong.

Jiang Shouzhong, expressionless, said, "If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet. You could strip naked and try to seduce me now, to see if I develop any interest in you. If I lose... then pretend I never said anything."

Jiang Shouzhong had seen plenty of beautiful women.

Not to mention that both his wives were peerless beauties among mortals.

Even Ye with half her face ruined could still be described as "stunning," based solely on the remaining half.

Therefore, he believed his own willpower to be strong.

He wouldn’t let his lower body rule his thoughts in the face of any seductive beauty.

However, at this moment, Jiang Shouzhong truly understood what it meant to be an "exceptional beauty."

Li Guanshi was certainly gorgeous, her features exquisitely crafted as if by the divine. But if it were merely about her looks, it wouldn’t be enough to amaze. It was the aura she exuded from within that was key.

That superbly proud demeanor, solitary and aloof from the world, with an air of self-sufficiency.

That was what truly captivated the heart.

Ran Qingchen had a proud nature, and Ye possessed a pride deep in her bones, including his former wife Hong’er and the boss, Li Nanshuang... But their pride stemmed more from their own excellence, revealing a sense of absolute self-confidence.

Li Guanshi, in contrast, displayed a disdain for the world.

Seemingly standing above the clouds, as if she were the only scenery that mattered in this world.

She was very lonely.

Yet she, too, reveled in this loneliness.

Therefore, Jiang Shouzhong couldn’t really guarantee that if this woman were to strip naked and seduce him, that he could embody Liuxia Hui.

The mist returned to shroud Li Guanshi’s face, as she pushed the teacup forward with a smile and said, "Jiang Mo, I’m now aware that the cultivation technique you practice is the Taoist River Map, which happens to complement my Three Lives Longevity Skill... From this perspective, I am indeed somewhat interested in you."

"That’s not a good thing," Jiang Shouzhong stated rationally.

The woman in front of him was emotionally unpredictable. While she was clearly flirting, it inexplicably sent chills down one’s spine, giving a sense that within and without her words lay a bloodthirsty conspiracy.

"But it’s a pity that you’re too weak," Li Guanshi expressed regretfully.

Jiang Shouzhong frowned, "I don’t quite understand what you’re saying."

Mengniang, now ascended to the Feathered Transformation Realm, spoke up with much more confidence in the presence of Li Guanshi, "She is a stone woman. No matter how capable you are, you wouldn’t be able to break her barrier. Moreover, even if you could engage in Dual Cultivation with her, it would require forty-nine continuous days without a moment’s pause."

Jiang Shouzhong inhaled sharply.

Isn’t this a death sentence?

"You’re right," Li Guanshi said, stirring her tea gently and turning her head to look at Mengniang with a smile, "But a dying demon... shouldn’t really be here, right? It’s too ominous."

Mengniang’s face changed.

Jiang Shouzhong’s hand moved toward the hilt of the blade at his waist, "What, seeing Mengniang has regained her freedom, are you planning to kill her?"

Li Guanshi laughed dismissively, "It’s just a little snake demon, I’m not so petty. What I mean is, if you keep going like this... within five days, Mengniang will undoubtedly die."