PDLP Chapter 237 Hmm, First Kiss
Chapter 237 Hmm, First Kiss
Chapter 238 Hmm, First Kiss (First Update)
About four hours later, a faint light appeared on the horizon, and the demonic horse stopped in front of the entrance to a treacherous canyon.
Jiang Mu jumped off the horse and stretched his muscles, which had become stiff from the jolting.
I looked up.
Two black, knife-cut peaks stand facing each other, forming a narrow valley between them.
The surrounding area is covered with lush green grass.
However, the valley was shrouded in a layer of gray-green poisonous miasma.
"Is this the entrance to the trial in the Swamp of Fallen Souls?"
Jiang Mu dusted himself off, somewhat surprised. "The imperial court chose this godforsaken, poisonous pit as a training ground?"
Just then, a bird's cry came from mid-air.
A large eagle flew too low, and the edge of its wing just touched a wisp of grayish-green poisonous miasma drifting in the valley, instantly turning into a pool of scarlet blood.
A few charred feathers drifted slowly down to a spot not far from their feet.
Jiang Mu gasped, secretly marveling, "This poison is potent enough. I imagine that little poison girl, Lingzhu, would really enjoy this kind of place."
Ling Ye gazed at the swirling poisonous miasma before him and said, "This isn't the entrance to a secret realm under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. This place is called the Valley of No Return," a secluded sect in the martial world that exists on both sides of the law. They reside in this valley year-round, and their members rarely venture into the martial world.
"The current master of Wuhui Valley is surnamed Ye and named Ye Wujun. He is a great cultivator at the tenth realm."
Ten Realms?
Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow.
These deep mountains and forests are truly a place where hidden talents reside.
Ling Ye stepped forward, channeling his star power. His clear, cold voice pierced through the thick poisonous miasma, echoing through the valley: "Ling Ye, Inspector of the Great Qing Demon Slaying Division, has urgent business to discuss with Valley Master Ye!"
The sound echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time.
A moment later, a rustling sound came from the depths of the poisonous miasma.
A black python, as thick as a bucket, slowly emerged, its scales gleaming eerily. It raised its head, its cold, vertical pupils fixed on Ling Ye and Jiang Mu, and spoke in human language: "What brings you two here?"
The demonic aura emanating from this giant python had reached the peak of the sixth rank.
Ling Ye remained expressionless, took out the copper coin with a special attraction given to him by the blind fortune teller from his sleeve, and flicked it with his finger.
The copper coin landed in front of the giant python.
"I want to discuss a deal with your Valley Master Ye."
Ling Ye said coldly.
The giant python stared at the copper coin on the ground for a while, its fierce glint softening slightly. Then it opened its massive maw, curled its long tongue, and sucked the coin into its belly.
Then, without a word, it turned its enormous body and swam back into the poisonous miasma.
After a while, the thick miasma slowly parted to both sides.
A narrow path, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, was revealed.
A pretty maid dressed in green walked out gracefully.
She bowed slightly to Ling Ye, her voice as melodious as a nightingale's song, yet carrying a hint of coldness: "Inspector Ling, my Valley Master requests your presence."
"Stay close to me."
Ling Ye turned to Jiang Mu and gave him a word of advice, then led the demon horse and stepped into the narrow path where the poisonous miasma parted.
Jiang Mu followed behind Ling Ye.
The two walked along the path. On both sides of the path were strangely shaped poisonous plants and flowers, their colors dazzling.
Soon, they passed through the poisonous miasma.
Suddenly, a huge mountain gate built against the mountain came into view.
The architectural style inside the mountain gate is quite peculiar.
All the houses were built from giant, black logs and animal skeletons.
Atop one of the towers in the main complex, a black widow spider, as large as a house, was perched.
The spider wove a giant web that covered half the square.
The web was teeming with brightly colored scorpions, centipedes, and toads, resembling an aerial breeding ground for poisonous insects.
"Good heavens!"
Jiang Mu looked up at the large net, a chill running down his spine. "This place is a kingdom of poisonous demons."
"Keep your voice down."
Ling Ye turned around and warned in a low voice, "The people of Wuhui Valley are eccentric and reclusive, acting entirely on their likes and dislikes, and they have little respect for the imperial court."
Jiang Mu nodded, indicating that she understood.
These local tyrants who occupy the mountains and possess natural poisonous miasma as a moat certainly have the capital to disregard the imperial court.
It truly is a case of "coming with life, but not returning."
Following the green-clad maid to the entrance of a hall shaped like a giant toad, Ling Ye paused slightly, turned to Jiang Mu, and said, "Wait here for a moment, I'll go in and talk to Valley Master Ye about some things."
Although Jiang Mu was puzzled as to why they needed to meet alone, she didn't ask any further questions, nodded, and stood still.
Led by a maid, Ling Ye walked into the hall alone.
The interior of the hall appears much larger than the exterior.
The dome hangs high, and the walls are inlaid with countless luminous crystals, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.
In the center, there was a white jade chair.
There was a person sitting on the chair.
She was a middle-aged woman with a charming face but an unusually bloated figure.
She wore a loose, light pink robe, the layers of fat stretching the fabric taut, giving her an oppressive presence like a mountain of flesh.
This is Ye Wujun, the master of No Return Valley.
"Ling Ye, Inspector of the Demon Slayer Division, greets Valley Master Ye."
Ling Ye stopped a few feet away, cupped his hands in greeting, and remained as aloof as ever.
Ye Wujun was playing with the copper coin that Ling Ye had just given him in his chubby white hand.
Upon hearing the voice, she shifted her body slightly and forced a smile: "I already know why Inspector Ling has come."
However, I still want to confirm it again in person.
"Envoy Ling, have you really thought this through? Are you willing to offer all the Star Cores you've collected related to the [Bi Yue Wu] star system in this deal?"
The hall was silent.
Ling Ye lowered his eyes, his long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly, before he said calmly, "Now that I'm standing here, there's no reason for me to back out. I can give you the Star Pill."
A glint of light flashed in Ye Wujun's eyes: "Inspector Ling is indeed a straightforward person."
"but----"
Ling Ye abruptly changed the subject, his icy gaze fixed on the other person, "On the condition that you ensure my people can enter the secret realm."
"I know the imperial court has extremely strict control over secret realms. There have been martial arts practitioners who tried to infiltrate them before, but without exception, they all failed. You must assure me that your method will be foolproof."
Ye Wujun tilted her head back and let out a charming laugh: "Don't worry, Inspector Ling. In this Fallen Soul Swamp, the imperial court's reach isn't that far. My Wuhui Valley is the true master of this swamp."
The Soul-Swamp Secret Realm opened yesterday morning.
I can safely send your people in at any time without violating any of the court's restrictions.
At this point, Ye Wujun's smile faded, and he said seriously, "However, let me make this clear from the start. I'm only responsible for escorting people in and out. If your people encounter the imperial court's prodigies within the secret realm and are accidentally discovered, or if a conflict arises—then don't blame me."
"I understand."
Ling Ye nodded slightly. "You just need to ensure it's delivered safely."
"happy!"
Ye Wujun clapped his thick hands and said with a smile, "Then happy transaction."
The two walked out of the main hall.
Jiang Mu was leaning against the door, idly counting the poisonous insects crawling on the ground.
Upon seeing them come out, he immediately stood up straight.
Ling Ye introduced, "This is Valley Master Ye. She will help you enter the secret realm this time."
"Jiang Mu greets Valley Master Ye."
Jiang Mu bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.
-
Ye Wujun looked Jiang Mu up and down, his eyes shining: "What a handsome young man! He looks strong and has a lot of yang energy. He is a rare and promising talent."
Little one, what's so great about your so-called trial? Why don't you stay in my Valley of No Return and become my ideal husband?
"As long as you agree, you can squander all the rare and precious materials, spirit stones, and elixirs in this valley as you please—"
Jiang Mu was speechless.
This valley master—it seems he's been suppressing his feelings terribly.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Living in this godforsaken, toxic place year after year, surrounded by poisonous insects and strange people, it's no wonder you feel depressed.
Jiang Muqian chuckled twice, cupped his hands, and said, "Valley Master Ye is too kind. This junior is merely an ordinary person with dull and dull talents; how could I possibly be worthy of a fairy-like figure like Valley Master?"
Besides, this junior has a weak stomach and can't handle such lavish meals. It might even disrupt the feng shui of No Return Valley. Let's just forget it, let's just forget it."
Ling Ye, who was listening from the side, also had her eyebrows twitching, afraid that this outspoken young man would anger the other party, so she hurriedly urged, "Time is of the essence, Valley Master Ye, let's get down to business as soon as possible."
Ye Wujun glanced meaningfully at Ling Ye, then looked at Jiang Mu, chuckled twice, and didn't press the matter further.
She gently waved her plump hand towards the sky.
"唳—
—
Accompanied by a gust of wind, a huge white crane swooped down from the clouds and landed on the square.
The white crane's feathers are as white as snow, with a bright red crest on its head.
On the broad back of the white crane rests a flat viewing platform woven from green vines, surrounded by a fence.
It is large enough to accommodate three to five people standing without feeling crowded.
"Let's go up."
Ye Wujun swayed and landed gracefully on the rattan platform on the white crane's back.
Jiang Mu and Ling Ye then jumped up one after the other.
"rise!"
Ye Wujun lightly touched the ground with his feet.
The white crane let out a clear, long cry, flapped its huge wings, stirred up a gust of wind, and carried the three of them into the air, flying towards a towering main peak deep in the valley.
The wind howled, and the clouds rushed towards us.
Not long after, the white crane landed smoothly on the summit of the main peak.
The summit was bare, save for a massive natural cave. The cave entrance was shrouded in a barrier that shimmered with iridescent light.
Ye Wujun stepped forward, formed several hand seals, and then slapped the barrier with his palm.
The next moment, the barrier dissipated.
"Come in with me."
Ye Wujun turned around and waved, then stepped into the cave first.
The interior space was not large, only about ten zhang square. Stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, dripping water droplets.
There is only one well in the very center of the cave.
The wellhead continuously emitted a faint blue light.
Ye Wujun pointed to the ancient well and said to the two of them, "This is one of the dark entrances to the Fallen Soul Swamp Secret Realm. It is a naturally formed rift, which the imperial court's formations cannot detect at all, let alone stop."
She turned to look at Jiang Mu, "After you go in, you will be randomly teleported into the secret realm. When you come out, look for the pool of water emitting blue light in the secret realm; you can also come out from this well."
As he spoke, Ye Wujun took out a jade pendant from his pocket and tossed it to Jiang Mu: "Take this. These kinds of secret realms are usually only open for about six to ten days, and no one can say for sure what the exact time will be."
If you gain an opportunity inside and want to leave early, or if you sense that the secret realm is about to close due to vibrations, find the pool of blue light as soon as possible and crush the jade pendant.
It will pull you straight back into this well.
Jiang Mu reached out and took the jade pendant, nodding, "Thank you, Valley Master, I will remember this."
Ye Wujun suddenly reached out her chubby white hand and pinched Jiang Mu's handsome face, smiling as she admonished, "Little guy, let me give you one last piece of advice: opportunities are something you can't force. What's yours will be yours, and what's not yours, you can give your life for, and it still won't be yours."
Within this world, contentment brings lasting happiness. Greed leads only to a terrible end.
After saying that, the female valley master turned and walked out of the cave.
Only Jiang Mu and Ling Ye remained.
The pale blue light from the well shone on their faces, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
"Go ahead, I'll stay here and keep watch."
Ling Ye looked at Jiang Mu, his voice as cold as ever, but with a hint of tenderness within it.
Jiang Mu stood by the well, her eyes flickering.
He didn't jump down immediately. Instead, he turned around, looked directly into Ling Ye's eyes, and asked, "Sister Ling, tell me honestly—she wouldn't be so kind as to help me enter the secret realm without the knowledge of the high-ranking officials. There must be some conditions, right?"
Ling Ye's eyes flickered, avoiding his gaze, and she forced a smile: "It's nothing more than her wanting the Demon Slayer Division to turn a blind eye to the poisonous demons she raises in the Valley of No Return when they encounter them outside. It's a win-win situation."
"That's all?"
Jiang Mu looked suspicious.
A powerful expert at the tenth realm risked offending the imperial court to open a secret realm, just for such a flimsy promise?
"real."
Ling Ye reached out her soft hand to straighten Jiang Mu's clothes, then looked up at the man's face: "Little Jiang, perhaps I see you as a younger brother."
Maybe----
In short, no matter what, I just want you to understand that even if the whole world abandons you, I will never abandon you.
Gazing at the woman's captivating eyes and brows so close to him, Jiang Mu felt a sudden surge of intense passion within him.
It was as if by some strange twist of fate.
Jiang Mu suddenly stretched out his arms and grabbed Ling Ye's slender waist, then pulled her soft and fragrant body tightly into his embrace.
Ling Ye was suddenly attacked, and her beautiful eyes widened in shock.
The next moment, Jiang Mu lowered his head and kissed her two warm and soft red lips.
"Waaah————"
Ling Ye's mind went completely blank.
She stood frozen in place, even forgetting to struggle.
All that remained was the domineering aura of a man between his lips and teeth, relentlessly invading.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Water droplets fell from the cave ceiling, drip, drip.
A good while passed.
Jiang Mu only loosened her grip reluctantly when Ling Ye felt he was about to suffocate.
"you----"
Ling Ye finally realized what was happening, and her pretty face turned bright red.
Before the woman could be embarrassed, angry, or rebuked him, Jiang Mu leaped directly into the ancient well beside him.
Just as the figure was swallowed by the halo of light, a final, playful voice floated up: "Sister Ling, I won't give up on you either!"
The lingering sound echoed in the cave.
Ling Ye stood blankly by the well for a long time before slowly raising his hand and gently touching his lips with his fingertips.
The corners of her lips turned upwards, forming a slight curve.
But then, he let out a feigned sigh.
Ling Ye turned and walked out of the cave.
The mountain wind howled.
Ye Wujun was standing on the edge of a cliff not far away.
The wind whipped her wide robes, wrapping her bulky body tightly. From a distance, she looked like a giant fleshy nest standing on a cliff edge, ready to transform at any moment.
"Are you out?"
Ye Wujun turned his head, looked at Ling Ye's slightly flushed cheeks, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, "I really thought that Envoy Ling wouldn't be interested in men."
Ling Ye reverted to his usual icy demeanor, automatically ignoring the other party's teasing, and said calmly, "I promised you the Star Pills. Once Jiang Mu safely emerges from the secret realm, I will give you every single one."
-
"Sure. I've always been a man of integrity in business."
Ye Wujun answered very fluently.
She looked up at the sky. "The trial in the secret realm will take at least five or six days to complete. How about I instruct the servants to arrange a fine guest room for you in the valley?"
"No need."
Ling Ye flatly refused, "I'll stay right here and guard this place, I won't go anywhere else."
Ye Wujun shrugged his flabby shoulders indifferently: "Suit yourself. You're the sugar daddy, so you call the shots. I'll tell those three gang leaders to send you food and drinks every day on time."
Having said that, she summoned her servant, He Yue, to perform.
With a cry, the crane carrying the mountain of flesh soared into the sky and quickly disappeared among the cloud-shrouded peaks.
The mountaintop fell silent once more, save for the mournful sound of the wind.
Ling Ye slowly walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down on a flat rock.
He placed the longsword on his lap.
She gazed at the surging sea of clouds before her, and at the horizon where the clouds stretched out before her, her thoughts surging like the tide, drifting far away.
"I was born before you were born, and you were born after I had grown old."
Ling Ye gently stroked the cold spine of the sword and murmured, "If only I could have been born a few years earlier—how wonderful that would have been."
After a moment of disorientation, the solid feeling of her feet touching the ground made Jiang Mu open her eyes again.
He was currently in a dilapidated, abandoned temple.
The red walls surrounding the temple have long since crumbled into gray, revealing the moldy adobe bricks inside.
A Buddha statue several meters tall was laid out in the center of the hall.
The Buddha's body is incomplete; not only are both arms broken off, but even the face that should be compassionate and solemn is now only the left half, while the right side of the face looks like it was carved with some kind of great force, revealing the hideous stone fragments.
As Jiang Mu stepped out of the temple, the scene before him startled him.
Contrary to his expectations of a muddy and gloomy swamp, this place was instead a picturesque and refreshing mountain wilderness.
The lush greenery stretches endlessly, the streams murmur gently, and the air is even filled with the fragrance of grass and trees.
But despite its beauty, it was eerily silent.
There was no rustling of leaves in the wind, no chirping of insects or birds, and no babbling of a stream.
Everything was extremely quiet.
It was as if the entire world had been detached from the sound track, becoming a silent pantomime.
Jiang Mu didn't know much about this kind of secret realm, but he felt that apart from the extremely high concentration of spiritual energy, it wasn't much different from the illusion realm he had experienced before and Shangguan Luoxue's Dao Mansion.
On the way here, Ling Ye had told him about it.
The opportunities within the secret realm depended entirely on the luck of the three of them.
You either need to find an ancient grotto-heaven Daoist abode where the three elements combine to cultivate and meditate, or obtain the inheritance left behind by a fallen great being, or acquire a naturally formed magical artifact or rare and precious material.
But whatever it is, it is something that can help cultivators improve their cultivation level as quickly as possible.
After all, the secret realm that Yu Ting specially selected was intended to use top-quality resources to quickly cultivate top-level combat power capable of attaining the seventh realm or higher "Star Lord's Rank".
Only by reaching the seventh realm and these three levels can one truly embark on the righteous path of cultivation and begin the most brutal battle for star positions in the cultivation world.
They have secured their tickets to the great battle royale of the cultivation world.
Jiang Mu didn't deliberately search for it.
While responding to the silent world, I wandered aimlessly through the mountains and fields.
It's all about luck and chance; let's see what fate brings.
But reality slapped him in the face.
Jiang Mu wandered around the secret realm like a headless fly for most of the day, but he didn't encounter any ancient inheritances or even a single weed with a little bit of spiritual energy.
Two days passed, and Jiang Mu still hadn't gained anything.
"Damn it, could this secret realm be a complete waste?"
On the third day, Jiang Mu squatted by the lake, watching the fish leaping silently, and muttered to himself, stroking his chin, "Could it be that because I didn't get a 'proper ticket,' the opportunities in this world have been automatically blocked?"
If such a restriction really exists, then we're doomed.
This means that even if an "illegal immigrant" like him sneaks in through a dark passage, the secret realm's laws will automatically block out any opportunity right under his feet, and he won't be able to sense anything.
Wandering around aimlessly here is just a waste of your time.
Just as he was questioning the meaning of life, a slight tremor came from behind the distant mountains.
Although no sound could be heard, the waves of energy, like muffled thunder, were crystal clear to Jiang Mu's consciousness.
"Are there any living people?"
As soon as Jiang Muxin moved, she immediately concealed her aura and, like a ghost, followed the direction of the sound to reach Yi.
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