Jiang Wuhen’s indifferent attitude forced Su Moyan to swallow her pride and make her request plain and simple.
To this, Jiang Wuhen simply smiled and said,
“So this is what you came to me about?”
Su Moyan nodded lightly.
“Yes…”
Jiang Wuhen raised his eyes slightly, his gaze imperious, and delivered three words in the most indifferent tone imaginable:
“On what grounds?”
In that moment, he seemed less like an Imperial Son and more like a true emperor. Exalted above all, unrivaled in his dominance. Every word he spoke brooked no argument.
For a woman like Su Moyan, pride was etched into her very bones. But when it came to pride, who in the entire Desolate Ancient Continent could rival Jiang Wuhen?
Since she was the one asking for help, she needed to act the part. No more putting on airs.
Jiang Wuhen’s attitude left Su Moyan momentarily stunned and at a loss. From childhood until now, no one had ever dared speak to her like this. Yet now, the Yaoguang Sacred Ground teetered on the brink, with tens of thousands of fellow disciples’ lives hanging by a thread. Faced with the supremely aloof Jiang Wuhen, she had no choice but to compromise.
“If the Imperial Son can save our Yaoguang Sacred Ground, every heavenly treasure, martial technique, cultivation method, treasure art, sacred bone, and anything else the Imperial Son desires within our sacred ground will be handed over to you…”
Su Moyan bit her lower lip, her expression conflicted.
Jiang Wuhen scoffed.
“The Yaoguang Sacred Ground is nothing more than a minor power with less than ten thousand years of heritage. Since its founding, not a single great emperor has emerged from it.”
“For a power like yours, even if you gave everything you had, how much would there be?”
“Or do you actually believe your Yaoguang Sacred Ground possesses treasures that my Heavenly One Immortal Sect does not?”
Jiang Wuhen’s expression was haughty, commanding respect without displaying anger.
At these words, Su Moyan’s face turned a shade paler. It was true. The Yaoguang Sacred Ground might be a sacred ground, but how could it compare to the Heavenly One Immortal Sect?
“If the Imperial Son is willing to save our Yaoguang Sacred Ground, then the Yaoguang Sacred Ground… is willing to submit to the Heavenly One Immortal Sect, for all eternity, with unwavering loyalty!”
Su Moyan spoke again, but both her tone and demeanor had noticeably weakened.
Jiang Wuhen’s cold smile remained.
“The strongest among the Yaoguang Sacred Ground is only at the fourth layer of the nirvana realm. Look across the entire sacred ground. How many capable talents do you have?”
“With threats from within and without, if I don’t intervene, the sacred ground will be completely destroyed within three days.”
“For a power like that, does it really matter whether it becomes a vassal of the Heavenly One Immortal Sect?”
“I’ll say it again. On what grounds?”
The icy words pierced Su Moyan’s pride. Cruel as they were, they rang true. She was indeed the Saintess, but with the Yaoguang Sacred Ground on the verge of collapse, once it fell, she too would become a prisoner. Her immortal jade spirit body, the very thing she took such pride in, would make her nothing more than another person’s plaything.
In contrast, as the Imperial Son of the Heavenly One Immortal Sect, Jiang Wuhen had more than one great emperor standing behind him. On this very trip, there might even be a great emperor guarding him in the shadows. The Youth Supreme, unparalleled in his nobility. The gap between their statuses was as vast as heaven and earth. What right did she have to negotiate terms with Jiang Wuhen?
“I…”
Her slender body trembled, her face pale. She stammered for a long while, but no words came.
Her pride, before Jiang Wuhen, was impossibly fragile, unable to withstand even a single blow.
She gradually realized that if she wanted Jiang Wuhen to act, she would have to cast aside every shred of pride and dignity. Only then was there a sliver of hope.
“If… Moyan stays by the Imperial Son’s side tonight, would the Imperial Son be willing to lend his help…”
Su Moyan’s face was pale and her body trembled as though it had taken every ounce of her strength to utter those words.
The immortal jade spirit body was her most precious possession. It was also the final card she had to play.
And those words caught even Jiang Wuhen by surprise.
【Ding dong, the host is ruthless and domineering, pressing step by step until the daughter of fortune had no choice but to offer herself. This is perfectly in line with villain behavior. Reward: 50,000 villain points!】
【Achievement unlocked: “Saintess, surely you don’t want to watch your sacred ground be destroyed, do you?”】
【Reward: 100,000 villain points!】
The system’s voice rang out in succession.
At the same time, behind Jiang Wuhen, Mu Yunxi’s eyes went wide with shock upon hearing those words. She didn’t find anything wrong with Su Moyan’s approach. It was Jiang Wuhen who had descended upon the Yaoguang Sacred Ground with such fanfare, keeping both sides in a deliberately ambiguous position. When the Saintess came to plead with him, he countered her at every turn, pressing her relentlessly. Su Moyan had no choice but to use her own body to please Jiang Wuhen.
Everything seemed to have been part of Jiang Wuhen’s plan all along.
“Hmph, bad man!”
Mu Yunxi muttered, silently reaching out a small hand to place it on Jiang Wuhen’s shoulder. Then she squeezed. Hard!
Jiang Wuhen winced in pain but didn’t show it. His expression remained calm as he looked at Su Moyan before him.
Compared to the cold, aloof, and ethereal demeanor from before, she now carried a hint of grievance and vulnerability that made her seem all the more pitiful. Jiang Wuhen could even see the faint glimmer of tears welling in her eyes. This delicate display only stoked the desire to conquer her.
But Jiang Wuhen was not a man ruled by his lower half. He knew exactly what he wanted.
He looked down at her, his gaze appraising, and smiled dismissively.
“You think… I came all this way just for your body?”
“Su Moyan, you’re rather overconfident.”
“The immortal jade spirit body is rare, I’ll grant you that. But do you really think I’d need such a thing to prove my way to the great emperor realm?”
At these words, Su Moyan froze. Of course. Jiang Wuhen didn’t just possess the supreme bone. He also held the ancient double pupils, unmatched throughout the ages. The emperor devil tyrant body. The Empress Successor. He was the Youth Supreme. The great emperor realm was merely a higher starting point for him.
Her immortal jade spirit body, which she took such pride in, was nothing more than chicken ribs to him. And without it, she was just an ordinary Saintess with a decent face. With Jiang Wuhen’s status, a mere wave of his hand would send countless women of far higher standing than her scrambling into his arms.
In this moment, despair filled Su Moyan’s expression. Her eyes brimmed with helplessness and bewilderment.
Jiang Wuhen took it all in. He rose slowly and smiled faintly.
“Keeping the Yaoguang Sacred Ground safe is not impossible.”
He paused there. A flicker of light returned to Su Moyan’s dim eyes.
“I’m in need of a maid to pour tea and water at my side…” Jiang Wuhen said casually.
At these words, Su Moyan immediately furrowed her brow.
A maid? Regardless of anything else, she was the Saintess of the Yaoguang Sacred Ground, someone adored by thousands. Even if she gave herself to Jiang Wuhen and obtained some recognized status at his side, she could accept that. But how could she serve as his maid? That was a step too far into degradation.
“Isn’t the girl behind the Imperial Son already a tea-pouring maid?” Su Moyan said coolly.
Before Jiang Wuhen could respond, Mu Yunxi spoke up with a sulky tone: “I’m his bed-warming maid…”
Jiang Wuhen: ???
Su Moyan: !!!
It was then that Su Moyan noticed this “bed-warming maid” looked rather familiar.
“I think I’ve seen you somewhere before. You are…” Su Moyan said, puzzled.
“Mu Yunxi, the legitimate daughter of the Mu Clan head from Tianxin City,” Mu Yunxi replied evenly.
Though her tone was calm, those words sent shockwaves through Su Moyan’s heart. The Mu Clan. The head’s legitimate daughter. Mu Yunxi! The Mu Clan of Tianxin City was a first-rate family with a great emperor in residence. In both heritage and strength, the Mu Clan far surpassed the Yaoguang Sacred Ground. Even so, Mu Yunxi still served as Jiang Wuhen’s maid. If she could stand on equal footing with Mu Yunxi, it would actually be a step up. Moreover, this might be the only chance to save the Yaoguang Sacred Ground!
With that thought, a flash of resolve appeared in Su Moyan’s eyes.
“Moyan… is willing to serve as the Imperial Son’s maid. For all eternity, loyal and true. No regrets. No betrayal!”
Jiang Wuhen raised an eyebrow.
“Being my maid isn’t as simple as you imagine.”
“Even if your main duties are pouring tea and water, there will be times when you’ll need to accept… certain excessive demands.”
“You need to be prepared for all of it.”
Jiang Wuhen said solemnly.
“Excessive demands…” Su Moyan murmured, her imagination running wild with a series of scenarios.
Then her gaze sharpened.
“Since Moyan has decided to become the Imperial Son’s maid, no matter… how excessive the demands, Moyan… will obey the Imperial Son’s… every word…”
Jiang Wuhen nodded with satisfaction.
“Good, very good!”
“Su Moyan, I hear the Yaoguang Sacred Ground has a ten-thousand-year cold pool.”
“Take me there. And along the way… let’s put those excessive demands to use.”
Su Moyan’s body trembled at these words. But she still nodded and cupped her hands in acceptance.
…
As night fell, Su Moyan stood outside the stone gate of the ten-thousand-year cold pool forbidden ground, gripping a standard-issue spear of the Heavenly One Divine Guard, her teeth clenched.
“Jiang Wuhen is bathing with Mu Yunxi in the cold pool, and he actually made me stand guard outside.”
“This is… way too much!”
