129: 12th

Only Ling Hao and Liu Sisi were in the courtyard.

Ling Hao's gaze fell on her.

Liu Sisi was draped in a loose, plain-colored cloak; the hood obscured most of her face, revealing only her tightly pressed lips and a delicate, petite chin.

The cloak wrapped her up completely, but the tie was loose; it only needed a gentle tug...

Ling Hao's lips curled into a playful arc. "Speak up, what is it? You shouldn't... be here to ask for advice on the Dao of the Sword, right?"

Liu Sisi's delicate body trembled. She suddenly lifted her head, and the hood slid off, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face.

Under the moonlight, those stubborn eyes stared at Ling Hao, though deep within them flickered a complex light.

There was the admiration for the strong, the urgency to avenge her Revered Master, and even a hint of... an impulse almost like a moth flying into a flame.

Liu Sisi didn't speak; she just took a deep breath, grabbed the cloak's tie with her fair hand, and threw it open!

The cloak, like a wing blown off by the wind, slid silently to the ground.

Liu Sisi was wearing nothing but a misty, rose-colored thin gauze dance outfit!

The gauze was so light it felt weightless, covering her body as if it were barely there. The moonlight pierced through the thin gauze, hazily outlining the exquisite, undulating curves beneath.

Her snow-white shoulders and neck were exposed, her delicate collarbone like jade carving. Beneath the gauze, the full curves were faintly visible.

Her long, straight jade legs were faintly visible through the slit in the gauze skirt; her skin was as delicate as fine mutton-fat jade, glowing with a cold luster.

This attire was breathtakingly beautiful and carried a fatal temptation.

Liu Sisi's voice trembled slightly, her cheeks flushed with a faint crimson.

"This Junior... is willing to dance for Sect Master Ling once more, to... to thank you for your help."

With a flash of light in her hand, a long, azure-edged sword appeared.

There was no musical accompaniment, only the cold moonlight and the breeze in the courtyard.

The sword rose!

This sword dance was completely different from the one in the main hall of Liuyun Temple! It had less sharpness and more of a soul-entangling softness and silent temptation.

Her target was no longer the empty hall, but the man with deep eyes sitting by the stone table.

Her figure fluttered, the sword light was like silk, and her lotus steps moved lightly, as if guided by invisible threads, dancing slowly around Ling Hao.

Every spin, every slight tremor of the sword tip brought a faint, fresh maiden's fragrance that drifted into Ling Hao's nose, lingering incessantly.

Ling Hao leaned against the stone table, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface, a look of realization on his lips as he watched quietly.

Her intentions were not hard to guess—using her body as the price to trade for the power to avenge her Revered Master.

For a Golden Core Cultivator with an Earth-grade Spiritual Root to shake a fifth-grade Immortal Cultivation State, she had no choice but to rely on him.

In fact, even without this incident with Liu Sisi, Ling Hao had already marked the Cangmu Sect for destruction for daring to run wild in the Qing State.

As for now... there was no reason to refuse something delivered right to his mouth.

Liu Sisi performed a smooth spin followed by a backflip, the thin gauze sleeves fluttering like mist and flowing clouds.

Just as her body stretched to its limit backward, she tapped her toes, exerted force from her slender waist, and lunged forward.

The long sword in her hand traced a sharp, cold light, stabbing directly at a point three feet in front of Ling Hao's face!

This highly aggressive lunge caused her full breasts to tighten under the gauze, revealing the snow-white cleavage in a fleeting glimpse, while her delicate waist and firm abdomen were fully exposed.

She lifted her eyes, and those beautiful, watery eyes happened to collide with Ling Hao's smiling gaze!

The momentary eye contact felt like an electric current passing through! Liu Sisi felt her heart stop for a second, her cheeks instantly burning like fire.

Those eyes seemed to have seen through all her thoughts, making her incredibly shy. The originally sharp and smooth sword momentum faltered for a moment.

She suppressed the panic in her heart, bit her lip, and using the momentum of withdrawing her sword, twisted her waist nimbly, retreating to the side like a startled butterfly.

With this retreat, the cicada-wing-thin strap of the gauze dress on one shoulder slid off, revealing half of her round, snow-white fragrant shoulder and delicate collarbone.

She reached out to pull it up in a panic, and in the movement, the thin gauze swayed, the full curve on the other side also faintly visible; that temptation of half-refusal was more heart-fluttering than being fully exposed.

The sword dance grew more urgent as she spun and leaped around Ling Hao.

Her long hair cascaded and danced in the moonlight. Every time she got close to Ling Hao, the gauze dropped an inch, and the fragrance grew more intense.

The snow-white skin beneath the gauze glowed with an alluring luster under the moonlight.

Her sword tip sometimes grazed Ling Hao's clothes, stirring up a cool Sword Qi; other times it moved like a snake flicking its tongue, wandering by his side.

She no longer dared to look directly at Ling Hao, but her crimson side profile, slightly trembling eyelashes, and occasional glances revealed her inner nervousness and her desire to be close to him.

The sword dance was nearing its end, and the gauze was gone.

As the sword momentum gathered, Liu Sisi, using the elegant posture of sheathing her sword, moved her lotus steps lightly, like a swallow returning to the forest, and with a burst of fragrant wind and a hint of deliberate "exhaustion," fell lightly into Ling Hao's arms.

Her warm, soft, and supple body, carrying a maiden's fragrance and a slight sweat, instantly filled Ling Hao's embrace.

Liu Sisi lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling, her voice shy yet determined: "Please... help me... destroy the Cangmu Sect! Avenge my Revered Master! Liu Sisi... is willing... willing to serve by your side!"

Ling Hao looked playfully at the stunning body in his arms, feeling that lingering warmth. He lowered his head, his hot breath puffing against her sensitive ear, his voice low and teasing: "I refuse..."

Liu Sisi's delicate body froze, her face turning pale instantly, her beautiful eyes filled with panic and loss.

Was she not performing well enough? Or did he think she was only getting close for a transaction? Although she indeed was...

As expected... she had been too full of herself.

How could a powerhouse capable of suppressing the tree shadows covering the northwest of the Qing State like weak little her? In that case, she... had nothing left to trade.

"You... what do you want?"

Ling Hao chuckled, his large hand naturally covering her smooth jade back, feeling the texture of her delicate skin, sliding slowly down, sliding slowly down...

"Just by serving me once, you want to exchange it for the destruction of a fifth-grade Immortal Cultivation State? Aren't you... a bit too confident in yourself?"

Liu Sisi was stunned. "Then... three times?" Liu Sisi probed, her face flushing red from this intimate contact, "Five times?... Ten times?"

With every number she said, her face became more flushed.

Ling Hao shook his head, "Not enough."

Ling Hao's lips pressed against her small earlobe, declaring clearly, word by word: "It's a lifetime, understand?"

"Your whole life, everything you are belongs to me!"

Liu Sisi's beautiful eyes suddenly widened, the depths of her pupils reflecting Ling Hao's smiling face.

Panic and loss were instantly replaced by huge surprise!

A lifetime... by his side? Wasn't this... exactly the secret longing deep in her heart?

She nodded vigorously, her eyes glistening with water, without any more hesitation.

Ling Hao smiled slightly; she won twice, but didn't he also get a freebie?

"Are you sitting tight?..."

"? Mmm..."

The wind wailed, the leaves in the courtyard rustled, as if chanting the secret language of the night, covering up some subtle sounds...

The next day, the sun was at its zenith.

In the small pavilion in the courtyard, simple spiritual fruits and clear tea were placed on the stone table.

"Sigh, it's not as delicious as what Little Changning makes..."

Ling Hao reclined on the cushion, looking lazy. Chi Wanhe, in a pretty pink dress, was akimbo, cheeks puffed out, glaring angrily at Ling Hao:

"Revered Master! You are just a flower-picking thief! Last night, Sect Master Yun Menglu of the Yongyue Sect even came over to curry favor under the guise of delivering spiritual materials! Hmph! Are you saying the domestic flower isn't as fragrant as the wild one, is that it?"

Du Yuqing sat to the side, wearing a well-tailored dark-colored martial outfit. The dark color made her skin look whiter than snow, and the tight style perfectly outlined her curves that stood out above the rest.

She rested her chin on her hand, watching Chi Wanhe's angry look, a faint smile on her lips: "Senior Sister, Revered Master has his own reasons for doing things."

In her heart, whatever Revered Master did was right.

Chi Wanhe glanced at Du Yuqing and rolled her eyes. The Third Junior Sister was beyond saving.

Ling Hao heard this and laughed loudly, pulling the akimbo Chi Wanhe into his arms, his large hand giving her soft waist a punitive pinch, causing her to pout and squirm.

"What domestic flower or wild flower?"

He held Chi Wanhe, his gaze sweeping over Du Yuqing's heavy chest, then across the pavilion, "From now on, the flowers of this Three Provinces Realm..."

As he finished speaking, Chi Shuying, dressed in an elegant palace gown, walked over gracefully, giving Ling Hao a coquettish look with her beautiful eyes, and said softly: "Sect Master, the cloud whale ship and the Disciples returning to the Sect are all ready, and we can depart at any time."

Ling Hao heard this, stood up with high spirits, and waved his hand: "Good! Let's set off, return to the Sect!"

Presumably, Yu Lingshuang, Little Xue, and the many Disciples of the Sect must be impatient.