During the Qin Dynasty, he brought chaos to the seven kingdoms.

Chapter 12 It Got Hard

Xiao Mengjiang obediently went back to her room, leaving only Cao Yuan, Jing Ni, and Li Wu in the backyard—one man and two women.

In the courtyard, amidst the flowers and the moon, a lone man and two women should have been engaged in a tender and romantic affair.

But at the moment.

Jing Ni remained aloof, as if nothing could faze her.

Li Wu narrowed her alluring eyes, but her gaze towards Cao Yuan carried a hint of danger, as if to say—man, don't play with fire in front of the older women…

"Young master, Meng Jiang has gone back to her room. Now you can speak frankly with me and Lady Jingni about anything, but be careful what you say~"

Cao Yuan, his face stern, said in a deep voice, "Although Meng Jiang is not my biological sister, I have always cherished her more than my own sister."

"So, I'm warning you, don't even think about making a move on her!"

Li Wu chuckled, her laughter incredibly captivating. Combined with her stunningly beautiful face, it easily stirred the blood of Cao Yuan, an ordinary man.

"Young man, you're so adorable! Do you really think you have the right to talk to us like that right now?"

Cao Yuan suppressed his agitation and kept a cold face.

Whether I am qualified or not is not for you to decide.

"If you dare to use Meng Jiang as a pretext, yes, I can't do anything to you, but I can easily ruin your mission this time, believe it or not!"

The temperature in the courtyard suddenly dropped.

In July, the sweltering heat had not yet completely subsided, but Cao Yuan felt a chill.

The aura that Jing Ni unleashed vanished in an instant.

"Mission failed, you die."

She looked calmly at Cao Yuan, her expression indifferent, her voice ethereal, but her words were chilling enough to make one's heart sink.

Even though Cao Yuan was feeling uneasy, he didn't back down at all and directly confronted Jing Ni.

"Death is death, what is there to fear!"

A hint of surprise flashed in both Jingni and Liwu's beautiful eyes.

Cao Yuan had always been smooth-talking and slippery with them, but no one expected him to say something like this now and actually get hard in front of them.

"Are you really willing to risk your life for a girl with no blood relation?"

Li Wu looked at Cao Yuan with a deep and meaningful expression.

Cao Yuan pressed his hands on the stone table as he stood up, looked at the two beautiful women before him, and said, word by word, "If you dare, why shouldn't I?"

Li Wu was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "You are quite the romantic one."

Jing Ni looked coldly at Cao Yuan, a hint of appreciation appearing in her sharp eyes.

Regardless of whether someone is a friend or foe, or what era it is, people with loyalty and integrity will always be respected.

"As long as you have no ulterior motives, we won't do anything to her before we get the bronze box. But the prerequisite is that you can prove that you can get the bronze box. You should understand what I mean."

With Jing Ni's personal promise, Cao Yuan readily agreed, "No problem, I'll find a way to bring you the bronze box."

"However, it will take time. I have only recently gained some of Wuming's trust, so this matter should not be rushed."

Jing Ni had no objections.

At present, Cao Yuan is the only one with the best chance of successfully obtaining the bronze treasure box from Wuming. If she can avoid taking risks, she will naturally not step forward and confront Wuming, who is already at the peak of the Grandmaster level.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Cao Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled, saying, "Fu Nian will likely be arriving in Linzi a few days later. In the meantime, I will use the excuse of visiting Yan Lu to go to Wuming's residence and keep an eye out for him."

Since Jing Ni made a concession, he naturally had to show some sincerity, even if it was just as a formality.

Li Wu gazed at Cao Yuan, her beautiful, watery eyes filled with a mix of emotions. Finally, she smiled knowingly.

"I'm appreciating you more and more, young man. I wonder how many more surprises you have in store for me~"

"What's the use of just admiring? If you're so capable, let's have a real fight. I guarantee I'll give you a whole bunch of surprises..." Cao Yuan thought to himself before making an excuse to leave and go to Meng Jiang's room.

After Cao Yuan left, Li Wu put away her charming smile. She dared not play around in front of Lord Jing Ni.

"Lady Jingni, what do you think of him?"

Jing Ni gently drew out the Jing Ni Sword.

The Jingni Sword is slightly faded and worn, but its sharpness is still undiminished.

She joined her slender fingers together and gently stroked the sword, feeling its essence.

"Although Cao Yuan has some ulterior motives, he is, in fact, a kind and righteous person."

Li Wu was surprised; she hadn't expected Lord Jing Ni to have such a high opinion of Cao Yuan.

She said thoughtfully, "To earn the praise of those Confucian gentlemen is enough to demonstrate his character and ability. I believe that this Cao Yuan is no ordinary person; he doesn't seem to be a locksmith by trade. It's necessary to investigate him further."

Jing Ni sheathed her sword and nodded slightly. "You're right. Tomorrow, inform the Luo Wang people in the city to investigate all information about Cao Yuan, and make sure it's as detailed as possible."

Li Wu respectfully accepted the order: "Yes, Lady Jingni!"

What Jingni didn't know was that Li Wu, just like Cao Yuan, was having some ulterior motives.

She had always wanted to break free from the snare and escape her bound fate.

This is why she chose to follow Jing Ni on this mission.

To her disappointment, Jingni had no intention of helping her, or rather, she was not yet qualified to receive top-tier assistance.

But she didn't want to sit idly by and wait to die, to return to that eerie Eight-Dragon Assassin Group and face the sinister Qian Sha.

She wanted to take advantage of the investigation to see who the young man was that night and whether it was worth the gamble.

but……

"Lady Jingni, are you... really planning to spend your whole life on missions for the Luo Wang organization? Aren't you afraid of dying on a mission?"

Li Wu spoke softly.

She still wanted to try again. Cao Yuan was ultimately just an ordinary person who had never cultivated. No matter how capable he was, he was still just an ordinary person.

She still prefers Lord Jingni, a true powerhouse!

Instead of Cao Yuan, an ordinary person with no power to rely on.

Jing Ni remained silent.

She looked into Li Wu's eyes, and there seemed to be something flickering within them. It felt vaguely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before, as if she herself had experienced something similar...

"Go to sleep."

Jingni got up and left.

Li Wu looked dejected.

The night was deep and quiet as usual.

……

Cao Yuan entered the room and immediately saw Meng Jiang sitting on the couch, kneeling and hugging her fair legs.

The girl looked at Cao Yuan, her eyes filled with longing and sadness.

"Aman...have you finished talking?"

Cao Yuan looked at the slender and delicate girl on the bed, wanting to say something, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.

"...Meng Jiang."

Cao Yuan walked slowly to the bedside and called out softly.

"Um?"

Meng Jiang raised her head and looked at Cao Yuan, her bright eyes filled with expectation and hope.

Cao Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Meng Jiang, there are some things I can't tell you right now. Trust me, wait a little longer, and I'll take you away from here, okay?"

Meng Jiang nodded obediently, then suddenly asked with a hint of doubt, "Is Cao Cao planning to go to Xiaoshengxianzhuang?"

She knew that Mr. Zihan had invited Aman to Xiaoshengxianzhuang for further studies on several occasions.

Cao Yuan neither denied nor confirmed the allegations.

"Maybe."

He had some plans, but these plans all required him to first know what was inside the bronze box containing the secrets of the Azure Dragon, and whether it could solve the problem of his inability to cultivate due to his Spirit-Severing Body.

Xiao Mengjiang looked at Cao Yuan with a gentle yet firm gaze.

"Wherever Aman goes, I will accompany him."

Cao Yuan was deeply moved. In both his past and present lives, apart from his deceased parents, Xiao Mengjiang was definitely the best person to him!

Selfless dedication, without ulterior motives, giving quietly, without complaint or regret, unwavering and steadfast...

Aside from the fact that it's a little small, it's practically perfect!

Damn it, it's that genetic instinct to like big breasts!

"Let's go shopping tomorrow!"

"Okay, okay!"

……