Chapter 68: Temptation
After a night of drinking, a Bentley hybrid luxury SUV cruised slowly down the city streets, with nearly every driver passing by turning to glance at the female driver inside.
Zhao Peng, concerned for safety and other reasons, had decided to let Jiang Yao be the designated driver to take Zhong Yao home. This way, others might think it was just an inexperienced female driver sneaking out.
Zhong Yao reeked of alcohol, but her mind was still relatively clear. She looked at the girl beside her, who was intently gripping the steering wheel, and gave a wry smile.
“Don’t distract me; your car is so expensive, of course, I have to be careful!” Jiang Yao turned the car onto an empty street and then cautiously increased her speed, muttering, “It’s the middle of the night; if it weren’t for Zhao Peng’s orders, I wouldn’t bother being your designated driver!”
“Xiao Yao, have you ever been afraid of anything?” Zhong Yao rolled down the window to let out some of the alcoholic smell and suddenly asked.
“Afraid? Hmm… I’m afraid my sister won’t care about me anymore.”
Jiang Yao’s response was somewhat ambiguous.
“Don’t you fear those blood clans? Or the Hidden Arrows?” Zhong Yao looked at the girl beside her, her demeanor becoming more serious. “Hyacinth is just an exception; don’t let these leisurely days mislead you.”
“I’ve died twice, so what do I have to fear from them? In the future, it’s either battling the blood clans or opposing the Hidden Arrows. I only fear accidents, those unimaginable things happening.”
Jiang Yao snickered disdainfully, starting to steer the wheel. In the distance, a large luxurious community with excellent greenery was coming into view; it should be their destination.
Xiao Yao was sensitive to strangers but was excessively optimistic about the world. However, in my world, the scariest things lay plainly before me, visible and within reach, yet unavoidable…
Zhong Yao nodded gently, pulled out a cigarette, and fell silent.
“Hey, your family is really wealthy; living in a place like this, all the houses are villas.”
As the car slowly drove into the luxurious yet low-key community, the vehicle was filled with admiration. “No wonder Zhao Peng says that even if you don’t do what you’re doing now, you’ll never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life.”
“You were young and ignorant; didn’t I already say that when I was upset about this?”
Zhong Yao exhaled smoke rings out of the window, her expression blank. “Alright, just stop next to that fountain square ahead. I’ll walk back. How about you?”
“Of course, I’m getting a taxi; your community is so big that it would take an average person half an hour to walk out of here!”
As Jiang Yao unfastened her seatbelt, she adjusted her skirt, feeling awkward with the knife digging into her leg from her right side. However, she didn’t have the chance to touch it. Glancing at the smooth and delicate thigh of the girl in the dim light of the car, her heart suddenly raced, and she quickly looked away, clearing her throat. “How about we go to Longquan Mountain to enjoy the autumn during the National Day holiday?”
“Enjoy the autumn?”
Just as Jiang Yao was about to open the car door, her body froze, and she turned her head oddly. “My sister is still in advanced hibernation; what’s the point of me going out to play? Besides, shouldn’t you spend the precious holiday with your parents?”
“I’m a bit afraid of staying in that house.”
Zhong Yao had a sorrowful look, her cigarette butt nearly reaching the filter as she kept it in her mouth. “Every time I think there might be a monster sitting next to me, I feel uneasy. Uh… I’m not talking about you.”
As she spoke, Zhong Yao discreetly pointed at a distant three-story villa, looking increasingly helpless. “Look, doesn’t it look like a demon castle from storybooks? Full of monsters, and there’s even a Scissorhands.”
“Hey, your brother is the only normal one… No, he isn’t either, haha!”
Remembering how Zhao Peng described the situation with the Zhong family, Jiang Yao laughed out loud, feeling lighthearted, “Your brother is currently pursuing my sister; don’t think I can’t see through that. That day, he waited outside the club for about ten hours, which is the scariest thing for me!”
“Alright, we’ve talked enough; why are you surnamed Zhong while your brother is surnamed Qin?”
As Jiang Yao said this, her expression turned curious.
“My dad had an affair with a woman outside and told him to care less about me while he went to Japan… Anyway, I guess he took advantage of this.” Zhong Yao shrugged and pushed open the car door. “Alright, everyone go home; we’ll contact each other again in a couple of days!”
Jiang Yao hurriedly walked away while Zhong Yao stood dumbly by the fountain, her expression gradually awkward.
Zhong Yao was like her father, who also had many affairs… That’s how wealthy people are…
Why was he walking so far? Did she fear he was going to play with her?
Jiang Yao slowly walked along the walkway towards the community gate, occasionally pausing, sensing something was wrong, she abruptly stopped and turned back, her brows slowly knitting together.
A strange unfamiliar aura invaded her mind; if it weren’t for Jiang Yao reaching the intermediate knight level and having some recognition ability, she likely wouldn’t have noticed it before.
Zhong Yao slowed her speed, lifting her skirt, exposing her legs under the night sky, revealing the silver scissors on her belt. With a quick flash of her eyes, she grasped two daggers in her hands, then with a leap, Jiang Yao appeared in front of an ancient tree.
Without activating Blood Burst, her normal physical explosiveness was enough to perform the above actions. This was also the fundamental strength source of blood knights suppressing low-level blood clans and ordinary people.
With eyesight that could rival night-vision goggles, she scanned through the layered green trees, attempting to capture the direction of the uncomfortable aura.
“Maybe it’s a wandering blood clan hiding nearby? Or a subterranean knight?”
After glancing at the direction Zhong Yao had gone, Jiang Yao hesitated for several seconds.
In the silent standoff of the night, they remained still for several minutes without any further movement. Just as Jiang Yao was planning to quietly leave, a sudden aura fluctuation appeared nearby, close to a visibly noticeable tree.
“Give me some face! You want to follow me?”
Jiang Yao frowned and, with a quick turn, activated Blood Boil half a second later.
The invisible torrent of energy in the dark shattered the silence. Jiang Yao calculated the distance well, and a shadow flashed by; she was already hovering above the target, her daggers shining with a ghostly blue light.
Behind the large tree, a short man in black paused slightly, and as Jiang Yao descended from the sky, he turned his body while activating Blood Boil.
A long knife clashed against Jiang Yao’s two daggers, and their equally crimson eyes locked onto one another.
Both parties’ Blood Boil states were at the lowest level, indicating a tentative action in the face of unclear enemy lines. This was also a test from Wuyue Tang to Jiang Yao.
“Are you a knight? Quick reaction, huh… Haha, are you a ninja?”
Initially finding this the first encounter with a rival that could match her speed, she thought it might have some significance. However, seeing the other party dressed like a masked ninja amused her.
With a low derision, Jiang Yao twirled her hands, knocking the opponent’s long knife aside and simultaneously retreating seven to eight meters, preparing for a new round of aggressive advance.
Murmurs of unfamiliar notes escaped from the short black-clad knight’s mouth, then he leaped backward, Blood Boil fading as he vanished from sight.
“Not going to fight? You really are Japanese?”
Jiang Yao was perplexed, struggling to understand the opponent who was avoiding confrontation. However, she clearly heard the murmur, though the meaning remained unknown.
In the distance, the patrolling security vehicle of the community appeared. Jiang Yao thought for a moment, stowed her daggers, and vanished into the shadows of the trees.
…
Her father was probably not home again, and her mother had long fallen asleep. The entire villa was silent, except for a few exquisite night lights that glimmered.
Jiang Yao climbed the stairs holding a suit jacket. Just as she passed by the parlor, she saw He Jian Qingya dressed in formal wear walking out.
During the National Day holiday, He Jian Qingya’s school was also off, and she returned home as a scion of a noble family, making Zhong Jing’s mother beam with delight as if she were to treat her as a daughter-in-law right away.
“Brother Jing, you’re back!”
He Jian Qingya held out a warm towel, like a newlywed waiting to welcome her husband back home.
“Is this how Japanese women are?” Zhong Jing paused, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he accepted the other’s kindness. “It’s almost one in the morning; why aren’t you asleep?”
“Brother Jing must have drunk? Should have had a great time with many friends?”
He Jian Qingya did not answer Zhong Jing’s question but very considerately went to take Zhong Jing’s suit jacket, smiling happily at him. “You’re different from Japanese men; when you come home, you first care about whether I’ve slept or not.”
“Aren’t we still not at the boyfriend-girlfriend stage, Miss He?” Zhong Jing frowned, turning around slowly to take his suit jacket back from her hands. “Sorry, it’s too late; good night.”
“Isn’t it already decided by grandpa and uncle about our relationship? You can treat me as your fiancée! I’m working hard to learn how to be a good wife!”
He Jian Qingya once again took Zhong Jing’s jacket, looking at him as if she intended to take it to the bathroom to handle it.
Watching her figure disappear at the staircase, Zhong Jing finally sighed deeply, wearing a bitter smile as he walked toward his bedroom.
Back in the luxurious room remodeled from the parlor, He Jian Qingya’s smile gradually faded. Sensing something, she directly walked to the balcony and opened the door.
A young man in black leaped several times to reach the balcony of Zhong Jing’s villa on the second floor and then respectfully knelt on one knee.
“Miss, it was someone from Hyacinth; they should have sent Mr. Zhong home without disturbing you.” The black-clad youth lowered his head slightly, his tone calm.
“Yes, Brother Jing has always been close to Hyacinth; Hyacinth also has a unique connection with the Wang family… Bai Yu-kun, you didn’t expose yourself, did you?”
The two had been conversing in Japanese from the very beginning.
He Jian Qingya sat down on a chair on the balcony, slightly raising her hand as a beautiful kitten, appearing from nowhere, jumped into her lap, meowing while kneading with its paws, and yawning at the black-clad man kneeling a short distance away.
“Sorry, Miss, she discovered me first but didn’t formally engage… Bai Yu-kun bowed his head, sounding a bit dejected, “Although she’s a rare blood type and an intermediate knight, her actual combat power should not be inferior to mine.”
“How could an intermediate knight discover you first?” He Jian Qingya was taken aback, her brows furrowing slightly in disbelief. “Which lineage do you think she might be from?”
“Probably the same as my subordinate, the Caucasian bloodline… Otherwise, she wouldn’t have such speed.”
Sensing the aura from the girl in front of him was somewhat off, Bai Yu-kun buried his head even lower, seemingly a bit fearful.
“Caucasian bloodline? Don’t attempt to test them anymore; avoid exposing yourself.” He Jian Qingya contemplated, her face filled with more questions.
“Hi!”
Bai Yu-kun awkwardly shifted to a smaller kneeling position, nodding, motionless as he slowly lifted his head, only to find He Jian Qingya no longer on the balcony.
