Chapter 64: Lying Through His Teeth
*Things like sexism and racism are purely for worldbuilding and to make it more realistic. Thank you for your understanding.*
"You? Want to accompany me?" Saying Chu Hua was surprised was an understatement. Not long ago, this Jiang had refused her advances and now he came to find her, hoping to be her escort?
'Could it be he regretted his diligence yesterday? Haha, hmm." Chu Hua's eyes glistened as she covered her mouth cutely and chuckled lightly with feminine charm.
"Waaaa! Fairy Chu is so cute! I wish I could be as beautiful as her!"
"In your dreams junior sister, Fairy Chu is a refined woman while you are still practically a child. She has not been here long, yet she has established such a strong presence, let alone advancing to Stage 3 at the age of eighteen! That already makes her a genius across the whole city, let alone within the Freedom Alliance, you can never compare to her."
"You!"
"What she says is true, Fairy Chu is indeed above average. However, compared to top geniuses like Wang Yufei who are nearing the peak of Stage 4 while being under thirty years old, she is still too far. For geniuses like that, becoming an elder-level character in the future is just a matter of time."
Chu Hua was indeed a beauty. Every movement she made incited reactions from the crowd and sighs of admiration echoed everywhere.
"But this so-called Jiang, hmph. He dares to court a lady like Chu Hua so openly? Someone needs to teach him a lesson."
"Don't even think about it. Didn't you hear what Fairy Chu just said? That brat has the protection of Elder Pi Xing's pavilion and even has a close relationship with Senior Wang! Attacking him is just asking to die. What we should be doing is establishing good relations with him."
The crowd were indeed scowling at Jiang's shameless behaviour, but when they thought of the force behind him, they all backed off. Most resentment dissipated into nothingness and some good feelings even formed.
After all, not only did he have good backing, he even had such battle power that he was able to defeat Senior Tang who had a higher cultivation than him! Defeating the strong as the weak was a characteristic that only special people had, and even stupid people understood that.
But in the hearts of the people, they still hoped Jiang would be denied by Chu Hua here. The more ruthless, the better. It would give them something to laugh about years from now.
"How could I refuse Cousin Jiang? Actually, I was just about to set out on a mission, so maybe we could go together? It will give us a chance to learn more about each other."
However, despite the hopes of the bitter crowd, Chu Hua smiled sweetly and accepted Jiang's proposal just like that!
"Did I hear wrong? Did Fairy Chu just say yes to him?"
"You didn't hear it wrongly, brother. Sigh, I guess we can't be bitter as not only are they near in age, we have to admit that this Jiang is indeed handsome enough for Fairy Chu."
"I will admit nothing, hmph!"
Jiang smiled with a mysterious charm that made some females in the crowd second guess themselves as their hearts thumped loudly. His eyes formed into crescent moons as a mischievous smile came across his face, however, that was part of his charm.
And then, under the eyes of the crowd, Chu Hua outstretched her jade-like arm and waited with a benevolent smile. Jiang did not waste time and took her arm, leading her away from the envious gazes that seemed to contain the heat of the sun.
"Junior Chu, you still have to lead me to the mission hall, this place is still like a maze to me, haha." Leading the beauty on his arm, Jiang laughed amiably.
"Actually, Cousin Jiang, the mission I have accepted this time is a bit special and isn't usually found in the mission hall. This is a mission that my master gave to me, but don't worry, I'm sure it won't be a problem if you come along." Chu Hua confessed, however, that she didn't seem to attach too much importance to it. From what she had already seen from the mysterious Jiang, he would only be more eager.
"Oh? How exciting!" And she was not wrong, Jiang exclaimed with childish excitement that would make a fertile woman's heart warm. He seemed just like a lively and cute child, yet had the handsomeness and gaze of a man.
"So Junior Chu, where do we go next?"
"We have some time to waste first, so how about you tell me about yourself? You are quite mysterious, you know." Chu Hua smiled in reply and even seemed like a sly fox as she playfully narrowed her eyes at the man on her arm.
"Me? Mysterious? I don't know what you mean?" An innocent expression came over Jiang's face as he started into Chu Hua's eyes, making her laugh and tug on his arm.
'He is quite funny, I have to give him that. Haha.' Chu Hua thought as she stared into the piercing eyes of Jiang and thought calmly. It looked as though she was having fun.
"A Stage 3 cultivator showing up out of nowhere and even being so close to Senior Wang? How can you not be mysterious!" Chu Hua laughed along and even got subconsciously closer to Jiang's arm and felt the warmth in his large-sleeved and comforting robes.
"Ah, okay okay. To be honest, I...am an alien." Jiang turned solemn as he shamelessly said outrageous words to Chu Hua, making her puff her cheeks and feign cute anger in her eyes.
"Cousin Jiang! If you keep on playing with me like this, I will just throw you away, hmph. There are plenty of lovely seniors that would love to be you right now!" Chu Hua bashed her head on Jiang as they walked. At this point, they were just walking and chatting aimlessly as they passed the time under the early morning rays of the sun.
"How can I let myself be seen through by a beautiful fairy such as you? I am afraid you'll get bored once there's nothing more to know." Jiang said with a simple smile as he looked at the cute angry expression on Chu Hua's jade-like face and crystal-clear eyes.
"Okay, since you put it like that! How about if you tell me something about you, I will tell you something about me? That way, we can both get bored of each other at the same time!" Chu Hua's anger turned to a sweet smile that seemed more genuine than before. Maybe, it was even real.
"Your genius is astounding." Jiang laughingly said as he turned away from the beauty and looked around him relaxedly.
"I know, right? The scholars of old simply are not in my eyes!" The beauty said sarcastically with a haughty heave of her chest and the twin peaks that rested there.
"Okay, first question! Ready?!" Chu Hua seemed overly excited and it make Jiang chuckle.
"Completely," Jiang replied.
Chu Hua jumped away and stood before Jiang as she playfully extended a finger to point directly at him while she smiled.
"Okay, mister mysterious, where did you come from?!" Chu Hua seemed to smile triumphantly as if she had the world in her hand, almost making Jiang put his head in his hands.
"Since you asked so nicely, I will tell you." Jiang first said with a smirk that made Chu Hua's sneaky grin widen.
"I lived with my father until I broke through to Stage 3. At that time, Cousin Wang came and took me away so I could cultivate further. If it wasn't for Cousin Wang convincing my father I had a future in cultivation, I would've succeeded him as my family head when he secluded himself. If that happened, I would have never come here so suddenly, and I wouldn't have met you, Junior Chu." Jiang took the time to explain considerably, seeing that Chu Hua wasn't a gullible little girl like she seemed on the surface.
"Your father sounds like a strong person, Cousin Wang? Surely he is a renowned character in the city? Maybe I have even heard of him?" Chu Hua inquired.
"Not really, Junior Chu. My father has about the same strength as Cousin Wang, maybe a bit less, so his name wouldn't be like thunder in the sky. I doubt you have heard of him." Jiang said knowingly.
"Oh? Try me?" For reasons unknown to Jiang, Chu Hua seemed like she really could know. That is if what he said was true.
"His name is Ke Lian Fu."
"You're right, I have never heard of him." Chu Hua admitted, even though she seemed too confident before.
"That's natural, Junior Chu. The Ke Lian family is just a small one that mainly does small trade between mortals in the City Lord's territory and the Freedom Alliance's domain. Most cultivators wouldn't care to learn their name. The reason I know Cousin Wang is because the Ke Lian family's range of influence is mostly within the Freedom Alliance's domain, and he befriended my father by chance when I was small." Jiang said with a bit of made-up knowledge on the spot.
"So simple?" Chu Hua seemed puzzled. Jiang sounded extremely convincing, and even after thinking for a long time, there was no reason for him to deceive her. The cultivators that were after her life could kill her with a flare of their nostrils.
Not that she was so suspicious of Jiang; she didn't really have any reservations towards him from the first time she saw him. She just had a strange attraction towards him as not only did he deny her advancements as no other man had before, he was even so young and attractive. Maybe she wanted to prove to herself that he wasn't someone bad because there was a kindle of hope somewhere in her heart, as childish as it was.
However, there was someone that Chu Hua would never forget, even if he was in her past. Even if the next time she mustered the courage to look for him, he had already become an old man.
That someone was Jin.
"Now, it's my turn, Junior Chu," Jiang said with a smile as Chu Hua seemed to have dazed off. His eyes formed into crescent moons and his sparkling orange eyes were staring right on through his eyelids at Chu Hua every second.
"Fire away, Cousin Jiang. Though I have to say, if you dare take advantage of me with your questions, I will make you regret it!" Chu Hua laughed, however, Jiang could only see a daring woman.
"Okay, I will keep it as simple as possible." Jiang started before he spoke with an inquisitive tone. "I heard from Cousin Wang that you only recently joined the Alliance? He said it was only a few weeks before myself, and I have to say I was shocked! You are already a core disciple, a status that many try to attain but fail."
"So my question is this: how did you become a core disciple right as you joined the Alliance? I am truly curious." As he spoke, Jiang could see Chu Hua's cheery and jovial atmosphere gradually turn darker and more solemn, a feature he did not overlook.
"Are you alright, Junior Chu?"
"Yes!" Instantly, Chu Hua replied with a lovely smile, the solemnity from before vanishing into thin air.
"It's just your question was so good, I had to think about it for a while! Haha..." Chu Hua laughed and awkwardly trailed off as she saw Jiang staring at her with an unchanging smile, making her scratch the back of her neck a bit.
In actuality, Chu Hua was struggling to come up with a good lie on the spot. She had been caught off guard and her mind was blank. She couldn't say that she was the last heir of a fallen family that ruled the Temple for several hundreds of years, and then met the illustrious Zheng Li to bargain for a core disciple position. Could she?
But then again, she couldn't say something that could be proven false after a single day of inquiring.
"I...uhm...haha..."
"It's alright if it's a sensitive topic, Junior Chu. I don't want to be insensitive; it was just a bout of curiosity after all. Don't mind me if the answer is not easily said." Jiang suddenly spoke with a kind smile.
"Ahhh...ah? Oh, yes, umm...thank you, Cousin Wang..." Chu Hua fumbled over her words and they just seemed to be spilling out subconsciously, as if her brain wasn't working.
"Forgive me, Cousin Wang, I am suddenly feeling quite ill. How about I meet you at the gates five hours from now? I will see you then." Chu Hua suddenly spoke with a complicated expression of guilt and self-deprecation.
"Junior Chu?" Jiang said with a confused expression, but Chu Hua was already quickly walking away from him.
"Junior Chu!" Jiang shouted after the receding figure of Chu Hua with a troubled look in his eyes.
'As I thought, that girl is hiding something profound. I have a feeling it is something related to my matters too. I must find this out.' A much more mature and almost cynical glint appeared in Jiang's eyes at that moment, betraying his appearance until now.
Then, he walked around the Freedom Alliance for a while, organising his thoughts as well as learning the layout of the inner circle. After all, he was planning to spend a lot of time here.
...
'Argh! What the hell was that?! What was I doing?! He surely suspects something of me now, even if he had no clue before! Goddamnit!'
Chu Hua screamed at herself and almost felt the urge to pull her own hair out in frustration. How could she be so stupid, so unprepared, so inexperienced, so naive?
'Sigh, I can tell he is an innocent kid. Just that harmless question could've toppled everything. I have to be more calculative than this! Otherwise, I will just end up dead.'
Chu Hua thought as she ran away back to her master's pavilion, passing the five hours that she had made up from nowhere.
...
"Where have you been, Cousin Jiang?"
A voice resounded as soon as Jiang entered his residence in the inner court. Looking over, Jiang saw Wang Yufei was silently cultivating with his legs up on a wooden chair until he had walked in just now.
"Entertaining myself. Have you been cultivating hard, Cousin Wang?" Jiang asked as well. He planned to just sleep for the remaining time until he was to meet Chu Hua again. He had already spent an hour admiring the Freedom Alliance's huge grounds that clearly showed they were the overlord of the city of over a dozen centuries.
Wang Yufei looked at Jiang solemnly. "I hope you haven't been seeing that vixen, Chu Hua. She's more crafty than she looks, and if she manages to see through you, there is nothing stopping my master from being called on to investigate you. Elder Pi Xing is incredibly strong and his name carries a lot of weight around here, so it is dangerous if you attract his gaze."
"Calm yourself, Cousin Wang. She is but a child before me. And this Elder Pi Xing, I am not afraid of him. Currently, I'm sure I can exchange blows with him. If I had my true cultivation, I can confidently say I could kill him." Jiang said with a bit of exasperation. This character, his slave, Wang Yufei, was too serious.
"Even if you can kill him, that doesn't stop him from foiling your...our mission." Wang Yufei spoke with a bit of difficulty. Even though his thoughts were influenced, he was still that same Wang Yufei he had been his whole life and he still retained his free will. From this, it could be seen that he was starting to give in to his current position as traitor.
"If I can kill him, I can hide from him. These big characters, I have lived among them for a while now and I know how they think. Their names strike terror, but in the end, they think a thousand times before they act. With all that thinking, they won't get much done. Me? I am different, Cousin Wang. While he is still thinking, I would have run a hundred circles around him." Jiang spoke.
"I know how to deal with them if things go awry. Don't fret, Cousin Wang. Our mission is perfectly safe in my hands. I know how to handle people like this. If it ever gets to that point, that is." Jiang spoke reassuredly to Wang Yufei. He could feel his unwillingness slipping, and before long, Wang Yufei would be just like him: a part of his King's, his father's, army.
"Besides that, I want you to use your master before Chu Hua does. I've already asked you, and you have no idea about this little lady's origin. Ask your master, Pi Xing, about her. Try to incite his curiosity and suspicion. Use him to find out more about her and take advantage of this thinker. As well as that, if she ever does try to use him against me, he will have a harder time believing her the more suspicious he is of her."
"Yes, Cousin Jiang." Wang Yufei said and watched Jiang recede into the chambers to sleep. However, after he was gone, Wang Yufei muttered some words that he thought were out of Jiang's earshot.
"Yes, master..."
Jiang grinned as he heard those words.
...
Four hours later, Jiang was waiting beside the gates to the freedom alliance. Noon had passed and it was nearing on afternoon as he waited silently. Of course, there were junior and senior sisters that crowded him from a distance, but he paid them no heed.
He looked to a ledge two thousand metres away from his current position on distant rooftops and thought. It was only less than twenty-four hours ago that he was standing there and waiting for the then-free Wang Yufei to come out.
Everything was going swimmingly.
*3,071/3,000 words*
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