Chapter 131: Chapter 127: I Have Pledged This Body to the Sword Dao, and Can No Longer Pledge It to You
Before long, Du Youqian and Fang Hua returned to the grand hall.
Fang Hua was a step behind, though you could still almost say they were walking side by side.
But her face was an emotionless mask, devoid of any life. No one knew what Du Youqian had said to her just now.
Just as everyone thought she would storm back to her original seat, she instead followed Du Youqian to his.
She coldly said to the two stunning female disciples who had been serving Du Youqian, "Get out!"
One of them stood up and leaned toward Du Youqian with a smile. "Oh, Senior Sister Fang Hua, have you finally come to your senses? Yearning for a man?"
Before she could even touch Du Youqian, Fang Hua shoved her away. "Scram!"
The female disciple couldn’t hide her embarrassment. She gave a sheepish smile. "Well, look at you, getting all serious. Senior Sister Fang Hua, if you really like him that much, I’ll let you have him."
The other female disciple glared at Fang Hua, but the first one dragged her away.
After they left, Fang Hua sat down right next to Du Youqian.
However, she was completely clueless about how to act. She didn’t offer Du Youqian food, nor did she encourage him to drink. She was like a block of ice, radiating a "keep away" aura.
Even Shuyue Hua frequently shot apologetic glances, silently asking Du Youqian to be more tolerant.
Du Youqian, however, didn’t mind. Keeping this woman by his side was simply a move to win over the Hundred Flowers Sect.
As long as she was by his side, that was enough.
Their relationship, harmonious or not, had no bearing on his cooperation with the Hundred Flowers Sect.
That night, the banquet concluded on a high note, with hosts and guests all satisfied.
Fang Hua accompanied Du Youqian to the side hall prepared for the most honored guest.
Du Youqian waved away the other Maids. After he entered, Fang Hua stood hesitating at the door, biting her lip.
"Come in," Du Youqian said faintly. "Find a place to sleep. If you don’t want to sleep, you can meditate. We’re both Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators. Meditating and Breathing for several hundred days and nights shouldn’t be a problem, so a single night will pass quickly."
Fang Hua thought for a moment, then entered with a stiff expression.
She didn’t speak to Du Youqian, but sat down warily in a corner, clutching her Sword.
Du Youqian paid her no mind. He sat down to meditate and perform his Breathing exercises, visualizing his Sword Intent in his mind. The night passed.
The next day, Fang Hua once again accompanied Du Youqian to tour the sights within the Blessed Land.
In total, she spoke less than ten sentences to Du Youqian. She was already used to being cold to people and didn’t like to talk much.
Besides, she always felt a little awkward in front of Du Youqian.
And Du Youqian had no interest in teasing her.
The two of them maintained nothing more than a cold, polite courtesy.
In the evening, Shuyue Hua summoned Fang Hua and got straight to the point. "How did it go? Why didn’t the Upper Envoy take your body?"
With her rich experience, she could naturally tell that Fang Hua was still a virgin.
Fang Hua shook her head. "I don’t know."
But in her mind, she couldn’t help but recall what happened after she had stormed out of the grand hall the day before.
At the time, she had been furious and mortified, her mind nearly blank. She had rushed to a deserted spot on the back mountain and, with a flurry of her Flying Sword, hacked an ornamental rockery to pieces.
But then she heard a gentle voice behind her. "It’s a good thing you’re only hacking at a rockery. If you were coming at me like that, I don’t think I could withstand it."
Startled, Fang Hua turned to see it was the Guardian Envoy from the Holy Blood Sect. She was so ashamed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into—he had seen her make a fool of herself again!
But the man just smiled. "Feeling indignant? Like you didn’t even get to show off your skills?"
Fang Hua said coldly, "Of course I’m indignant! I respected you as an honored guest, so I waited for you to draw your sword. I never expected you to use such a despicable trick. I know you’ve comprehended Sword Intent and that I’m no match for you, but to lose without even drawing my sword once is too much!"
The man laughed. "Who said you lost to me? I was just borrowing your sword to admire it for a moment. You ran out of the hall before we even started our spar."
An angry look crossed Fang Hua’s face. "Anyone could see that you seized my sword! And they’d think that since you took my Flying Sword so easily, I must be utterly helpless against you! You’re just being a scoundrel! If we had a real fight, I could have lasted at least a hundred moves!"
As she spoke, her nose tingled. She was so aggrieved and angry that tears started to well up in her eyes.
The man let out a soft "oh." "Please don’t cry! Or Fairy Shu will come looking to settle scores with me."
Fang Hua grew even more furious. "Who’s crying! Hmph, I’m not some weak woman who cries at the drop of a hat!"
With that, she fiercely wiped her eyes and opened them wide, as if to prove she wasn’t crying.
The man couldn’t help but chuckle. He laughed a few times, and under her gaze that practically screamed murder, he said, "You’re really quite pure-minded. It seems all your talent went into Cultivation and the Sword Dao, leaving none for understanding worldly affairs. Let me explain it to you!"
"As the Guardian Envoy of the Wu Kingdom, I need the cooperation of the Hundred Flowers Sect to do my job well. But the Hundred Flowers Sect has its own little schemes. On many issues, if you don’t cooperate with me, your Sect might gain greater benefits. Yet, you don’t dare to refuse cooperation, because I represent the Holy Blood Sect, understand?"
"That’s why Fairy Shu had you come and test my mettle. If I’m strong enough, she’ll back down and we’ll each take a step back. If I’m weak, then the Hundred Flowers Sect will naturally take a big step forward and swallow up more benefits."
"Since I understood Fairy Shu’s intentions, I had to win the challenge. But if I beat you soundly and made you lose face in front of so many sect members and disciples, Fairy Shu might have become furious out of shame, and that would have been counterproductive."
"So I used a little trick to subdue the enemy without a fight. This way, Fairy Shu would understand that I’m not to be trifled with, but most people in the hall wouldn’t understand what happened, allowing her to save face. See? Now that I’ve explained it, do you understand?"
Fang Hua wasn’t stupid, just simple-minded. Hearing his explanation, she understood everything.
But after hearing it, she grew even angrier. "Beat me soundly? You think you could?"
The man flashed an infuriating smile. "You think not? How about we exchange a few moves right now and see?"
"Bring it on!" In a fit of anger, Fang Hua released her Flying Sword.
The man didn’t back down, meeting her challenge with his own Flying Sword.
Fang Hua had assumed that his Sword Intent was only recently comprehended and wouldn’t be of much use in a real fight.
She believed that with her own Swordsmanship, lasting a hundred moves wouldn’t be a problem.
But once they actually clashed, she discovered that her opponent’s Swordsmanship was also incredibly polished and experienced.
Moreover, his sword movements were grand and majestic, overwhelming her with sheer momentum.
His Flying Sword moved like a Celestial Horse galloping through the sky—unpredictable and impossible to pin down.
Amidst the crisscrossing Sword Qi, she quickly found herself at a disadvantage.
After more than forty moves, Fang Hua was defeated.
However, after this defeat, she actually felt much better—perhaps because she had vented her frustration, or perhaps because she was thoroughly convinced of her loss.
She snorted. "I am not your match. Since I have lost, I am at your disposal."
The man laughed. "Excellent. Then for the duration of my Garrison in the Wu Kingdom, you will stay by my side."
"You!"
Stopping the mortified and furious Fang Hua before she could start cursing, the man explained, "When Fairy Shu had you challenge me, didn’t she hint at something? You should understand what she truly wanted you to do. You’ve just been unwilling to face it."
Fang Hua fell silent.
The man continued, "I greatly admire your Swordsmanship, and I have no desire to humiliate you. Just stay by my side. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. I want to cooperate with the Hundred Flowers Sect, and you will be the bond between us. Understand?"
Fang Hua was silent for a long time before saying, "I agree. But you must remember your promise. You are not to touch me. It’s not that I dislike you, but I have already dedicated my life to the Sword Dao. I cannot give myself to another."
"Alright!" the man smiled.
Recalling her behavior then, Fang Hua’s cheeks burned.
’It was just so embarrassing.’
’My actions were so childish.’
That was why she was deliberately so cold in front of Du Youqian.
It wasn’t because she disliked him, but because she was embarrassed.
"Fang Hua! What are you thinking about? Why is your face so red."
Her master’s words snapped Fang Hua back to reality, and she realized her cheeks were burning hot.
"It’s nothing, Master. It’s just that yesterday in the grand hall, I was defeated by the Upper Envoy without making a single move, and I felt indignant. So later, I fought him again."
"Oh?" Shuyue Hua’s interest was piqued. "How did the fight go? Tell your master everything in detail."
