The seed, just buried in the soil, sprouted and grew rapidly with a flash of spiritual light in his hand, astonishing Su Luo and the others. It was as magical as the Void Vine that had previously connected to the Giant King's Court.
But what followed shocked Su Luo and the rest even more.
What had been a seedling just a quarter of an hour ago had now grown to be as tall as a person, bearing many bowl-sized, vividly red flowers.
They swayed gently in the night, unfurling their petals, appearing beautiful and alluring.
The woman suddenly beckoned, scooped a wriggling, live fish from the river, and tossed it towards the flowers. The moment it touched the leaves, a rustling sound arose, and pistils shot out like sharp thorns, piercing the fish's body.
The fish quickly became still, its body turning pitch black and rapidly decaying.
Xiao Jingchen's expression changed, and he pulled the woman back a step, saying with concern, "Rong'er, be careful. This Suoluo Wolf Poison Flower is very toxic. Once you approach its vicinity, you'll be attacked. Look at this fish!"
"Xiao Lang, do you feel sorry for this fish?" the woman asked him flirtatiously.
"How could I? I'm worried about you."
The woman smiled enchantingly, "I'm not afraid. Otherwise, why would I ask you to help me cultivate it? Thank you, Xiao Lang. You're so good to me."
Xiao Jingchen held her hand and said worriedly, "Rong'er, what exactly do you need these things for? I've already helped you cultivate many, all of them terrible. They're either poisonous or man-eating... Rong'er, I'm very worried about you."
The woman said nothing, only looking at him with her large, watery eyes. "Xiao Lang, do you trust me?"
Xiao Jingchen immediately replied, "Yes, of course I trust you!"
"Then don't ask anything," the woman said, extending her delicate finger to touch his lips, her eyes full of charm. "Oh, right, I have one more thing to ask of you, Xiao Lang. Can you help me one last time, please?"
Xiao Jingchen held her and smiled gently, "No matter what you need, I promise."
The woman leaned in, kissed him, and then whispered in his ear...
From a distance, Su Luo and the others watched, full of unspoken comments.
Is this man blinded by lust!
Shang Xie Shao Qing stood behind a tree, sneering, "This woman definitely has issues. How can Xiao Jingchen not see it? He's even cultivating so many poisonous flowers and grasses for her. Is he that desperate for a woman?"
Chu Tianshu looked ahead, "Should we capture this woman and interrogate her?"
"Second Senior Brother, you're too rough. How could you lay hands on such a delicate beauty?"
Su Luo said softly as she watched, "We don't know the woman's identity yet. Even if we want to question her, Xiao Jingchen definitely won't let us harm her. I think the best way is... why don't we just ask directly?"
It didn't matter if the woman answered or not. As long as she could get close, her identity could be ascertained.
No matter what she was hiding, she couldn't escape the scrutiny of the Divine Mirror.
Although everyone was unsure if the woman would speak, Su Luo had already walked out.
The rustling sound immediately startled the couple who were whispering intimately.
The woman suddenly shouted, "Who?"
She turned her head towards Su Luo and the others, and her expression immediately changed.
Xiao Jingchen was also startled, and then he realized that it was Su Luo and her group emerging from the dense forest, relaxing a bit. "Miss Su, Brother Li, why is it you?"
Hearing this, the woman's eyes flickered. Before Su Luo and the others could get close, she suddenly said, "Xiao Lang, since your friends are here, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving."
"Wait, Rong'er!"
But before Xiao Jingchen could finish speaking, the woman had already retreated swiftly and fluttered away.
She was so fast that even Su Luo couldn't get close in time.
Li Tianjue seemed to have anticipated this, and his figure moved like lightning, chasing after her. Xiao Jingchen shouted, "Brother Li, what do you want? Please don't mess around. She's my friend..."
Su Luo watched the distance, but after a moment, Li Tianjue returned.
Li Tianjue shook his head at her, indicating he hadn't caught up.
Su Luo's heart trembled.
Even he couldn't catch her... this showed how formidable the woman's skills were. Even if she had a head start, Li Tianjue's speed was not comparable to ordinary people. This indicated her mysterious origins and that she was by no means an ordinary person.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
Xiao Jingchen looked at them with some embarrassment.
Su Luo retracted her gaze and then smiled faintly, "Young Master Xiao, we apologize! We saw you earlier by chance and wanted to call out to you to have some supper together. But you didn't hear us and kept walking towards the outskirts of the city. We became worried and followed you."
Xiao Jingchen was instantly flustered. "Then just now... you, you all saw it?"
Shang Xie Shao Qing tapped his palm with his fan and praised, "Brother Xiao, that woman must be your confidante. Not bad, just a bit timid. She ran as soon as she saw us! What's her name, and which family is she from?"
Xiao Jingchen stammered awkwardly, "This... I only know she's called Rong'er, and nothing else."
Lu Jixing walked up to him and patted his shoulder. "Brother Xiao, you can't be like this. You don't even know her full name. Aren't you afraid of being deceived? We all saw you cultivating so many wicked flowers for her just now. Do you really believe she's a good woman?"
Du Wei pouted, "What decent woman likes poisonous flowers? Young Master Xiao, you've probably been deceived."
Frowning, Xiao Jingchen said sternly, "Everyone, I know you mean well, but I've known Rong'er for two years. I know her character best. Please don't speculate maliciously about her."
Seeing that Chu Tianshu was about to retort, Su Luo quickly said, "Young Master Xiao, please don't mind. We're also concerned about you. Since you say this Miss Rong'er is a good girl, then we believe in your judgment."
For someone in love, their IQ is almost zero.
Someone like Xiao Jingchen, who would even use his own lifeblood to cultivate poisonous flowers for someone else and disregard his own life, was already at the point of being brainless. She didn't need to say more, lest she alert the enemy.
"In the future, when you get to know Rong'er, you'll know she's truly a good girl."
Xiao Jingchen then smiled. "Oh, right, Miss Su, Brother Li, I plan to go to the Red Moon Empire. I'll be leaving tomorrow and probably won't see you again. I wanted to say goodbye to everyone."
Su Luo smiled faintly, "Your goodbye is a bit early. We are also going to the Red Moon Empire to participate in the Tianjiao Competition."
"Oh? What a coincidence!"
Xiao Jingchen's face was full of smiles, surprise, and joy. "Then aren't we going together! By the way, Rong'er also said she's participating in the Tianjiao Competition. Perhaps you'll see her at the competition."
Su Luo said meaningfully, "Is that so? Then I'm also looking forward to it."
...
Returning to the inn, Su Luo asked Li Tianjue about chasing the woman.
"Senior Brother, you didn't even catch her. Is she that formidable?" Not only Su Luo was confused, but Chu Tianshu and the others also found it strange.
Li Tianjue's gaze was somewhat complex. After a moment of silence, he said, "That woman's skills are extraordinary, like a phantom. I was about to catch up when she threw a handful of powder at me. After I dodged, I lost her trace."
Chu Tianshu exclaimed in shock, "Poison? There must be something wrong!"
Li Tianjue said gravely, "As far as I know, among beautiful women who are interested in poisonous plants and flowers, skilled in poison techniques, and possess that captivating power, there is only one person who meets all these conditions!"
"Who is it?" Everyone looked at him in unison.
"Hua Yao Niang Niang, Hua Xiang Rong, one of the Eight Ambassadors of the Dark Demon Ridge!"