[Wha- What???]
'Oh... So I subconsciously want to fuck her?'. Jiang Hao was amused.
Because of the Heavenly Extinction Yang Gu poison, his emotions have been quite dull when he was interacting with women.
Even when he was interacting with the Leng Tian he did not have any emotion, even though she was his type. Fierce and dangerous was his type back on earth.
Unfortunately, most women there were in a delusional world where they considered they were sort of a price, and they doll up like a good little vase for the man.
He wanted a woman who could smash a man's balls the moment someone touched them without consent.
And fortunately, in the cultivation world, women like them could be found if you looked hard enough. Clearly, Leng Tian was that type.
'I need to do something about the poison. At least to reduce the 'Sage state' effect'. He thought.
'But the most important thing about the appraisal result is the part that says the reason for the rise of the sect is in the courtyard.
So they think flower is the reason for the rise of the sect. I mean it is quite possible as the flower is a treasure at the peak level, but how do they know that?
Again...traitors in the sect or Elder Baizi intentionally leaked the info.
But... I know the flower is something that represents the previous sect master.
As the legend goes, the previous sect master elevated the Heavenly Note Sect from a second-rate sect to a prominent power resounding the Heavenly Note in all directions.
So the flower is quite possibly the reason for the immense power of the previous sect master.
Again, why does the previous sect master pay attention to me... enough to give her treasure to me? It can't be that she is stupid right?
It's known that the previous sect master is still in seclusion. She probably has finished her cultivation. Damn... I would be completely in the dark if I didn't have this ability'.
Jiang Hao held back his urge to whistle at the absurdity of the depth of the things that were happening around him.
He inwardly thanked Turtle for not dragging the system with him to his death.
"Junior brother... Are you listening to mee~?". Ming Yi noticed that Jiang Hao was dazed for a while and pouted like a little girl.
'Damn... she has been trained very well'. Jiang Hao chuckled inwardly.
If it was a normal person they would definitely feel the heartstrings being tugged when a woman as beautiful as her makes such expressions.
Her smooth white skin, with little to no imperfections on her face.
Her beauty coupled with her talent and strength in the Golden Core realm, truly ignited the hearts of many in a primal need to possess women like them. But compared to 'her'?
Psschh... Ptui... Pathetic.
"Ahh... sorry Senior sister. I was dazed for a while, thinking about how I was going to learn to make Grade 1 Talismans.
I don't have enough contribution points to buy the instruction manuals and the Heavenly Joy Pavillion is still after me". Jiang Hao instantly made up a lie with a 'sad' face.
He also mentioned his need for Grade 1 Talisman manuals intentionally. As he saw the Heavenly Saint Sect was going to befriend him to glean information out of him.
Nobody said 'One shall not use the traitors' right?
"Ahh... I see. They are definitely going too far. Junior brother can't possibly go against them after all".
Ming Yi too said with a thought. But inwardly she was questioning her beauty.
'Am I not beautiful enough for him? No. That can't be. Almost every man drools when I make these expressions, but this person didn't even bat an eye. Has he perhaps caught onto me?
Impossible. According to the information, he is only an inner sect disciple because he is exceptionally good at taking care of herbs and has a fairly decent enough constitution. Then...should I try my hand at charm arts?'
Ming Yi thought for a moment and inwardly shook her head. Her mission was just to glean information.
Not to murder anyone or make love crazed morons here and there like that idiotic woman from the Sunset Sect.
"Then Senior sister, I'll take my leave. I have to report to work now, or who knows what the Junior brothers would do". Jiang Hao turned to look at her and cupped her fists.
Then without waiting for her to say anything, he turned around and left towards the herb garden.
'I don't believe I can't make you look at me!'. She internally roared and took her leave.
Jiang Hao collected the bubbles like every day and tended to the plants that required his attention.
Normally he didn't need to do much and only needed to supervise the ones working here as he is an inner disciple.
It was a short day that day, and after about two hours he had nothing to do, so he thought about coming to the shack to create more talismans with the new papers he bought with his money.
He guessed that probably in another week he would be able to get 1000 spirit stones ready. The next day was the same, but he went to the market to again sell Leng Tian the talismans she ordered.
He stayed in the market for some time and then came home. He closed in on the gate and opened it to get inside.
He closed the gate and could only take one step inside when he was suddenly assaulted with a fragrance so pleasurable that he almost fainted from the sheer bliss of it.
It was as if a hundred imperial realm flowers were constantly ensnaring him with their fragrance.
He took a moment to calm himself down - Arguably more time than he would've liked to admit - and looked around, but wished he hadn't done so.
There in the corner of the courtyard, she stood looking down at the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower sprout.
Like a precious gem. Like an ethereal goddess with charm to capture the hearts of even the ones that severed their emotions.
With skin that repulsed sunlight as if it was unworthy to touch her presence. Azure eyes that contained boundless strength, wisdom, and resilience.
She was floating slightly above the ground as if the earth was unworthy of her majestic existence to walk on.
Her face was icy without a single emotion. But that only added more to her beauty.
She needed no charm arts; a simple glance with no aura amplification is enough to make one lose their minds.
She still wore a red robe, but unlike the one that day that was tattered, this one looked as if it swayed and rhymed with the Great Dao.
He didn't have any time to think about the flower when the emotions that were forcefully buried because of the 'sage state' of the poison infliction of the Heaven Extinction Yang Gi poison erupted in full force.
He felt light-headed and felt that his brain was so overloaded with emotions that he bled from his nose.
She turned her head a little and looked at him and that sealed the deal when his mind went into overdrive.
'Beautiful...too beautiful to even exist'. Jiang Hao thought in a daze.
However, somewhere... somewhere in his mind, he knew.
He knew something was wrong.
And then it erupted. His innate desire as a man to stand on the top.
As someone who dared to play with powerhouses above his levels, he too had an emotion that could trump this emotion of 'Love' that threatened to drown him whole.
PRIDE
He never considered himself an arrogant man. That's why he's still acting like the turtle did, albeit not as submissive as him.
He knew that without strength and background to back him up, he was nothing but an ant in this world.
So he needed time.
Time to collect information through his appraisal skills and put his plans into motion.
But, what was this?
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS?
Freezing in front of a woman? Being dazed in front of her beauty? Being a little pussy like the rest of the world?
'DON'T FUCK WITH ME!!!!!!!'.
Puchi
Followed with an internal roar, he infused Qi into the index and middle fingers of his right hand, then with a swift motion stabbed deep into his right thigh.
It still wasn't enough to focus, so he used all his willpower to twist his fingers.
He lost strength in his right leg and fell on one knee. But it was worth it. With this little window of 'clarity' he created, and the pain made his 'Love' dazed to shake.
With all the talismans he created, he had already mastered this ability to the utmost he could.
Now it doesn't even take a split second for him to activate it.
And the best part is, now that he had reached the perfected mastery over it, the ability now has the ability to affect not only his mind but his entire body, effectively granting him superior bodily control.
With the energy reservoir created through the Primordial Chaos Heart Sutra, he had ample energy to keep this ability running at 100% for at least half a day.
Now with his mind pure, devoid of any obstacle that might make him look like an average hobo who thinks with the head between his legs, he stood up.
He controlled his body to seal the thigh wound and gained stability.
The woman's cold impression showed a hint of surprise at the decisiveness of the man in front of her.
"It seems you do remember me". She looked directly into Jiang Hao's eyes, waiting for him to act as a normal man would, but all she could in those bleak and blank eyes was... void with a hint of annoyance.
"I do not think it's easy to forget a woman who barged into my house out of nowhere through the roof and tried to kill me in the middle of the night, Senior".
Jiang Hao's face had an expression quite similar to the woman and he answered in an indifferent tone. It's as if everything had become black and white to him.
The woman in no way thought he would outright say something like that. Although she was surprised she didn't show it on her face.
However, for Jiang Hao the situation is different. Now that Jiang Hao's mind is clear, he instantly started deducing what happened earlier.
'Yin Gu poison. So she took it, or she was attacked with it'. He thought. He still remembered the words of the librarian.
"This poison binds two people together for eternity. If they want to break out of it, they have to break through into the realm of the unknown."
Knowing that he didn't have to worry about her killing him, he answered without too much respect, but without any mockery.
He didn't have any exaggerated respect for the woman because, if she had broken through to the Realm of the Unknown, she had no reason to stay in this plane.
His tone didn't carry mockery because he wanted the first 'real' impression he instilled in the woman to be a memorable one in a positive way.
'According to novels I have read on Earth, there is always a higher plane in cultivation worlds, always a bigger dog, always a higher realm above the power ceiling of a certain world.
Sometimes, even gods become food for those Dao Ancestor Venerable Chaos Emporers. Who knows... maybe there is a realm above Return to the Void.
If she has broken through the shackles and still didn't kill me, then maybe she thinks there is no point in killing me.
If she has not broken through to the Realm of the Unknown, then she can't kill me because of the binding effect of the poison'.
Either way, it seemed that Jiang Hao was probably not going to kick the bucket yet.