Chapter Sixty: Still Not as Beautiful as Madam Chen!

The sound of knocking slowly drifted into the room. Jiang Lin tucked the blanket around Nian Nian, then walked to the door.

“Who is it?” he called.

“King Tiger covers the earth!” came a deep, resonant voice from outside—surprisingly pleasant to hear. Was that what his voice sounded like?

Regardless, the passphrase still needed to be correct.

“Eagle eats mushrooms!” Jiang Lin replied in a measured tone, then added, “How much for a single undergarment?”

“Buy two, get one free—don’t need to pay!” came the response.

“Wait, Senior Chen, what’s wrong with your throat? Your voice sounds a little strange.”

“Oh... caught a chill, nothing serious.”

“I see.”

Though the voice was odd, the passphrase was answered. That meant there shouldn’t be any problem.

As Jiang Lin relaxed and opened the door, the moment he saw who was standing outside, he nearly collapsed—

A couple of days ago, when he’d returned, a masked new customer had come to purchase the undergarment of the wine-selling girl from the eastern quarter of Sun Moon City. Though his face was covered, the aura of martial energy he emanated was similar to that of Chen Jia, making Jiang Lin suspect he was Chen Huo, the Chen family patriarch—especially those eyes, which were unmistakable...

His gaze bore a hint of slyness, unlike the naive, innocent eyes of Chen Jia, but still strikingly similar!

Since the Chen family were all pure martial artists—especially Lady Chen, whose cultivation was said to surpass even her husband’s—and Jiang Lin happened to be seeking a martial artist as a teacher, he had seized the opportunity.

He stopped Chen Jia’s father, Chen Huo, from taking the undergarment, and softly called him “Chen Jia’s dad” to test him; Chen Huo instantly broke out in cold sweat, revealing his identity.

In the end, Jiang Lin struck a deal: he would keep the purchase secret, provide three undergarments, and issue a membership card for an ongoing twenty percent discount. In return, Chen Huo agreed to instruct Jiang Lin in the martial path.

[King Tiger covers the earth, Pagoda suppresses the river demon, and how much for a single undergarment? Buy three, get one free—yesterday was free!] These were their passcodes...

But though the code was correct, it wasn’t Chen Huo who had come—

“Ch... Lady Chen...” Jiang Lin stammered, staring at the woman at the door: clad in palace attire, her hair elegantly coiled, her features bearing a striking resemblance to Chen Jia, and, like her daughter, possessing a truly flat figure. Cold sweat began to bead on Jiang Lin’s forehead.

Lady Chen was famed for her beauty among the Sun Moon Sect, sometimes venturing out herself for errands. Jiang Lin had seen her twice before, and remembered her well...

But the question remained: why had Lady Chen come to his door, and why did she answer the passphrase?

“Greetings, Young Master Jiang.”

Lady Chen placed her hands before her and bowed slightly, her smile sweet with a hint of... nuclear kindness...

“Lady Chen, your late-night visit—are you... are you...”

A ripple of martial energy spread forth, enveloping Jiang Lin without disturbing the sleeping Nian Nian. Under the intensity of her aura, Jiang Lin found himself drenched in sweat, barely able to speak.

This lady—how terrifying!

“No need to be nervous, Young Master Jiang,” Lady Chen said gently, brushing dust from his shoulder. Though she was a head shorter, her beautiful eyes smiled unwaveringly at Jiang Lin. “I am merely a woman with a question for you. Would you be willing to answer?”

“Jiang Lin... will do his utmost!”

So this was a true martial artist? The first warrior of Sun Moon Sect—Chen Zhuang.

Martial artists had ten stages; cultivators, aside from two lost realms, had thirteen. Jiang Lin had heard that a true martial artist, even two realms below a cultivator, could crush their opponent’s head in close combat.

He hadn’t believed it before. After meeting Chen Jia, he began to suspect, though it still seemed unlikely that a cultivator two realms higher could be so easily overwhelmed.

Now, if anyone doubted it, Jiang Lin would gladly let them suffer a thousand-year rear attack!

Facing Lady Chen, the sense of helplessness was overwhelming—like a husky facing Godzilla...

“It’s nothing serious,” Lady Chen said, glancing at the child sleeping behind Jiang Lin. “There’s a child present; we wouldn’t want to wake them. And as a woman, it’s not proper for me to enter your room. Would you step outside and speak with me?”

“Of course!” Jiang Lin blurted.

“What?”

“I mean—certainly! Yes!”

He carried the tea set out, cast a soundproofing spell over the small thatched hut, and sat with Lady Chen face to face at a stone table atop Twin Pearl Peaks.

Jiang Lin brewed a cup of tea for her, his hands trembling as he poured.

“My apologies... Lady Chen, you’re so beautiful, I... I’m a little nervous...” Jiang Lin patted his uncooperative left hand—why was it shaking so violently?

“In truth, Young Master Jiang, you are quite remarkable,” Lady Chen said, accepting the quivering tea cup, nearly spilling its contents. “I released a bit of martial energy, thinking you’d faint within a few breaths, but you’re merely nervous—your mind is perfectly clear. That is impressive.”

“Heh... thank you, Lady Chen, for your praise... No wonder I feel...” Jiang Lin patted his still trembling hand. “It just won’t stop shaking... hahahaha...”

Oddly, though she praised him, Jiang Lin felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever... And Lady Chen claimed she’d merely released a bit of martial energy? If she unleashed it fully—

She was pure, overwhelming force...

“All right, I won’t trouble you further.” Lady Chen smiled, sipping her tea lightly.

In the next moment, the crushing pressure, as if Godzilla’s foot were resting on him, vanished instantly.

It was as if he’d gone from being a three-hundred-pound tank to a slender eighty-pound schoolgirl.

“Do you recognize this undergarment, Young Master Jiang?” she asked, setting down her tea. From her storage pouch, Lady Chen produced a peony-patterned undergarment.

“Hm? Only one?” Jiang Lin had expected her to pull out three.

“What?”

“N-nothing... I meant, this undergarment... is very beautiful!”

“Is it?” Lady Chen smiled slightly, and Jiang Lin felt Godzilla’s foot poised to descend once more.

At that moment, driven by a desperate urge to survive, Jiang Lin blurted,

“But no matter how beautiful it is, it can’t compare to Lady Chen’s beauty!”

“???”

“!!!”

Lady Chen paused for a moment, and Jiang Lin wished he could punch himself.

What on earth was he saying?

Just as he braced himself for a full blast of martial energy or a crushing blow, Lady Chen merely smiled, flicking his forehead with her slender fingers. “Young Master Jiang, you do have a sense of humor...”

He rubbed his forehead; it didn’t hurt much.

Just as Jiang Lin was about to explain himself,

“Boom...”

A thunderous crash echoed from behind him. Using his spiritual power, Jiang Lin peered into the distance—on a mountain peak, whose owner he didn’t know...

A gaping hole had appeared...