Zi Shang's hot breath caressed Ye Jiuge's earlobe, delicate as jade. Immediately, it became as red as the red plum flowers that bloom in the snow. His eyes darkened; he could not help but lick it once.
Ye Jiuge felt her goosebumps rise. Without any reservations, she pushed Zi Shang's head away and said coldly, "Tell me, what do you really want? Otherwise, I will never cultivate these techniques!"
Although the techniques were excellent, she was afraid that she could not pay the price for them. Zi Shang did not seem like someone who was generous. Already, it was odd that he had saved her. Now, he wanted to help her become stronger. If he told her that he did not have any hidden intentions, she would not believe him.
"If you don't cultivate using these techniques, you will die!"
Zi Shang smiled lazily. His expression implied that it was up to her. The slender tip of his tail was still coiled around her small waist.
"Alright, I will practice them!"
Ye Jiuge gritted her teeth as she slapped the flirtatious tip of his tail away.
She was well aware of her body's condition. On the surface, it appeared that she had completely healed from her wounds, but inside, her body was riddled with problems. She could die at any moment!
Her grandfather was the family member closest to her. She could not die before completing her investigation into his whereabouts.
"Good child. As a reward, I have decided to give you an excellent item!"
Zi Shang's gaze was gentle as the edges of his lips curved into a smile as beautiful as the Queen of the Night cactus.
"What is it?"
At first, Ye Jiuge felt a slight anticipation. Then, she saw Zi Shang's long finger make a curving motion, and the Purple Lightning Wood flew towards her.
"This was originally mine." Ye Jiuge snatched the Purple Lightning Wood and stared at Zi Shang. She said angrily, "Other than that, my name is Ye Jiuge. I am not called 'good child'!"
"Okay, good child."
Zi Shang smiled wickedly. Just before Ye Jiuge exploded, he pacified her by saying, "Don't you feel like you have a special relationship with this piece of Purple Lightning Wood?"
Yes, I really do!
Immediately, Ye Jiuge's attention was redirected. When she had first obtained the Purple Lightning Wood from Dongfang Jianming, she'd felt a mysterious spiritual force clearly seep into her palm.
"Those idiotic human beings really see the Godly Heartwood as common Purple Lightning Wood. They do not understand its real secret!"
Zi Shang moved his finger, and the purple wood morphed into an illusion of a black flame quietly burning on his jade-like hands.
Although this illusion did not have any warmth to it, it amassed a terrifying amount of energy, as if it could burn everything to nothing!
"The Godly Heartwood's fire came from the heart. This kind of Godly Heartwood can not only forecast what flame best suits you, but it can also induce the opportunity of a chance encounter within your body. In the future, when you meet this kind of flame, you will feel a connection with it."
The Godly Heartwood had returned to a purple-colored wood. Zi Shang passed it to Ye Jiuge. "Look what kind of flame is yours!"
Ye Jiuge accepted the purple wood. Pang! It transformed into a small red flame resembling a red lotus in full-bloom. Faint purple lightning enveloped every petal.
"The flame of a red lotus? That's not right. How can it involve lightning? Most unexpectedly, this is the Red Lotus Lightning Flame!" Zi Shang said.
He could not help but smile. The Holy Lady was truly the Holy Lady; even the flame that belonged to her was unusual. And yet, the Red Lotus Lightning Flame was a Holy Flame. He did not know when she would have the opportunity to discover it. Zi Shang pointed to the flame, and the Red Lightning Lotus Flame surrounded by lightning immediately contracted into a solid state in the shape of a flame. It bore the appearance of a seven-inch long red needle with lightning hidden within.
Ye Jiuge was immediately attracted to the Lightning Fire Needle.
Her skill with needles had reached its peak. With her exceptional medical talent, it was even said that she was able to revive a dead person and regrow bones.
Now, this Lightning Fire Needle was linked to her heart and soul. It would enable her to develop her medical skills to their maximum potential.
Ye Jiuge pressed the Lightning Fire Needle into her body. Instantly, she was meditating at the bathing pool and cultivating the All-encompassing Scripture.
Zi Shang shook his head as he reflected on how this girl was born blessed!
To neutralize the first stage of the poison from the Nine Stages of Fractured Bones, she needed to gather seven kinds of spiritual medicine. However, Zi Shang had not expected Ye Jiuge to transmute the Godly Heartwood into the Lightning Fire Needle, which had the ability to repel evil and neutralize poison. Consequently, it led her to neutralize the first stage of poison immediately. She had proved herself worthy to be the Lady of Holy Blood—even fated for it. If that was so, then he should provide her with more aid.
Zi Shang's jade-like palms were laid flat on Ye Jiuge's thin bare back as he helped facilitate her technique cultivation. Black liquid dripped from her pores, drop by drop, dying the waters of the entire bathing pool black.
Spiritual practitioners from the vast lands and seas of Mainland China could only enter the state of a spiritual practitioner if they had experienced the most arduous nine stages of body cultivation.
After being spiritual practitioners, they became spiritual masters, great spiritual masters, and then spiritual kings. Every stage was split into three intermediary stages. Every time someone wanted to progress further, they faced an extremely difficult process.
However, with Zi Shang's help, Ye Jiuge unexpectedly cultivated from the first to the last stage in one rapid breakthrough. Directly, she entered the beginner stage of the spiritual practitioner. This speed was truly staggering.
When Zi Shang observed that Ye Jiuge was firmly established in her state and transformed into purple light, he returned into the contractual imprint on her wrist.
Ye Jiuge opened her eyes and noticed that Zi Shang was gone.
She lowered her eyes and stared at the purple spiritual core, which was as large as her thumb, in her elixir field. Near to the elixir core, she saw completely poisoned nerves in nine different and odd colors. These were the Nine Stages of Fractured Bones.
Ye Jiuge tried to use the Lightning Fire Needle to neutralize them, but she was forced to rebound outwards. Her cultivation was still insufficient, so she would only be able to neutralize them in the future.
Ye Jiuge got up and felt chills. She looked down.
F*ck!
As it turned out, she had been interacting with Zi Shang bare-naked for a long time.
Stupid, lewd snake. It is not surprising that he ran away so fast. It seems that he has taken tremendous advantage of her.
"Little Jiuge has judged me wrongly. With your scrawny figure, it is more fitting to say that you have taken advantage of me."
Zi Shang's languid voice filled Ye Jiuge's mind.
"Where are you? Why are you able to read my mind?"
Ye Jiuge was very startled. She immediately searched all the corners, but there was nothing.
"I am in your body, so naturally, I can read your mind."
Zi Shang chuckled.
That phrase 'in your body' was full of erotic feeling as it rolled off his tongue like a feather brushing past Ye Jiuge's heart.
She could not help but shiver all over.
"You like my voice." Zi Shang noticed her weakness and smiled even more charmingly, even though there was no way that Ye Jiuge would admit it.
Her face reddened. She stared at the purple imprint on her wrist and said fiercely, "I do not care what kind of demon technique you have used to hide in here. I do not allow you to read my thoughts. Otherwise, I will gouge out this imprint and dispose of it in the latrine pit."
She could endure letting him look at her body, but she would never allow her thoughts to be exposed.
"Okay!" Zi Shang agreed without any fuss. He stopped making noise.
When the snake demon suddenly became so understanding, it made Ye Jiuge feel uneasy.
She put on her clothes and scrutinized herself carefully in front of the copper mirror.
The young lady in the mirror had a pair of cold eyes, similar to deep waters where the bottom cannot be seen.
Although her facial features were delicate, her face was covered with bumps and grooves from her black scars, similar to the burnt skin of a toad. Incomparably ugly.
Ye Jiuge raised her hand to caress the black scar on her face. The poison had been embedded in her for too long; it had damaged the foundation of her skin. She needed to concoct a spiritual medicine to neutralize it.
She remembered that there was a spiritual medicine called 'Jade Complexion Paste' that could remove black scars. However, the spiritual herbs that were used to produce Jade Complexion Paste were extremely valuable, and it was not easy to obtain them.
"If you beg me, I can remove your scars without the help of Jade Complexion Paste!"
Once again, Zi Shang's graceful and pleasant voice resounded in Ye Jiuge's mind.
You, a self-centered show-off, are reading my mind again!
Ye Jiuge felt him ruffling her feathers, and she had the impulse to murder a snake.
"I regret to inform you that I don't have an uncle. You are incapable of killing me."
Zi Shang's deep laugh made her want to hit him.
"Can't you understand the human language?"
She had already mentioned that he was not allowed to read her thoughts.
"I am a demon!"
Whether he wanted to understand her or not depended on his mood.
Ye Jiuge had never seen such a shameless demon. Just as she was prepared to use the needle to prick the snake skin, an alarmed voice came from outside the door.
"Eldest Miss! Things are not looking good…"