Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen glanced at the white-haired old man with a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected the old man to speak up for Jiang Lanruo.
The dwarf suddenly spoke, "Jiang Chao is right. Only by retrieving the Nine Deaths Grass for Jiang Lanruo can we have a chance of survival."
The 'Jiang Chao' he mentioned was the white-haired old man.
Hearing this, Song Wen was even more surprised. Two of the four present were willing to risk their lives for the Jiang Family.
"Hmph!" The green-robed young woman snorted disdainfully. "Three-Inch Ridge, Jiang Chao wants to help Jiang Lanruo retrieve the Nine Deaths Grass to atone for his past sins. Do you also want to return to the Jiang Family? Haven't you suffered enough humiliation at their hands?"
"Why shouldn't I?" The dwarf retorted, his voice laced with anger. "I am also a member of the Jiang Family, merely guilty of violating their clan rules."
The green-robed young woman scoffed. "You merely defiled a few women from the Chi Family, and the Chi Family didn't even make a fuss. Yet the Jiang Family treated you as a heinous criminal, sending you to Rotting Miasma Ridge to die. If Jiang Yushan had committed the same crime, not a single hair on his head would have been harmed. Those Chi Family women would have been willingly sent to his bed. The Jiang Family despises you so much simply because of your ugly appearance, which they believe tarnishes their prestige. If such injustice had befallen me, I would have long ago rebelled against the Jiang Family and sworn eternal enmity."
After hearing this, the dwarf seemed to recall some tragic past. His eyes gradually turned bloodshot, flashing with angry light, and his breathing grew heavier, as if carrying scorching heat.
"Madam Wen, enough is enough!" the white-haired old man rebuked the green-robed young woman. "Provoking Jiang Wo and the Jiang Family will do you no good."
Madam Wen was the green-robed young woman's title.
"Hehehe..." she chuckled softly. "Jiang Wo? Who would name their own child 'Wo'? Three-Inch Ridge, your very birth was a tragedy. You shouldn't have even come into this world."
The white-haired old man's expression darkened, almost turning black.
"Madam Wen, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"
The green-robed young woman replied, "Nothing. I'm simply speaking the truth. Three-Inch Ridge has been bullied by the Jiang Family since childhood. He finally achieved cultivation success, only to be sent on a mission where nine out of ten die, on some flimsy pretext. Isn't it because you see him as weak and easy to bully?"
"You..." The white-haired old man glared at the green-robed young woman coldly, momentarily speechless.
The green-robed young woman continued, "Jiang Chao, you think you can atone for your sins so easily? To achieve Divine Transformation, you murdered Jiang Hu, the Jiang Family's peerless genius, and stole his Profound Spirit Creation Pill. When the truth came out, the Jiang Family spared your life because you had already reached Divine Transformation, but they still imprisoned you for two hundred years. Even if you successfully retrieve the Nine Deaths Grass this time, there's no guarantee that some members of the Jiang Family won't settle scores later. After all, Jiang Hu's mother, Ye Bing, is a daughter of the Ye Family and is now at the peak of Divine Transformation cultivation. Even if the Jiang Family lets you go, she might not."
The white-haired old man's gaze was as cold as a blade, as if he wanted to slice the green-robed young woman into a thousand pieces. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Madam Wen, it seems you're deliberately trying to stir up trouble and have no intention of retrieving the Nine Deaths Grass."
The green-robed young woman curled her lips into a faint smile. "Once we entered the Rotting Miasma Ridge, I never planned to leave alive. If you want the Nine Deaths Grass, go get it yourselves. I'm not going."
The white-haired old man said, "Aren't you afraid that Jiang Lanruo will personally enter the Rotting Miasma Ridge to settle the score with you?"
The green-robed young woman said, "This Rotting Miasma Ridge is teeming with demon beasts and poisonous insects. Jiang Lanruo won't find it so easy to kill me here. Even if I die, I'll make sure to summon hordes of poisonous insects and demon beasts to surround her, making her life miserable too."
Seeing that the green-robed young woman seemed determined to stay put and not proceed to Yin Spider Valley, the white-haired old man didn't press the matter further.
Instead, the dwarf named Jiang Wo approached her, his gaze fixed on her snow-white legs, exposed by her cross-legged posture.
"Madam Wen, the world says you're promiscuous by nature. If you agree to be with me, I'll do as you say and stay here in Rotting Miasma Ridge with you to fight Jiang Lanruo. What do you say?"
The green-robed young woman glared at the dwarf fiercely.
"Three-Inch Ridge, get away from me! Though I may be unrestrained, I'm not interested in every man who comes along. You're a freak born from incest within the Jiang Family. Haven't you ever looked in a mirror? Don't even dream of taking advantage of me."
With that, she glanced at Song Wen and the refined scholar.
"If Fellow Daoist Ai Kun and Scholar Kong Jin would like to have some fun with me, I'd be more than happy to oblige."
The dwarf's face cycled through shades of green and white. His fists clenched as he glared at the green-robed young woman for a long moment, but seemingly restrained by some consideration, he turned and walked away.
From their argument, Song Wen had gleaned some details about the old man and the dwarf's past.
The old man had killed a genius from the Jiang Family to achieve Divine Transformation, but his crime was exposed, and he was imprisoned for two centuries. He had only recently been released, which might explain why he was only at the Early Stage of Divine Transformation.
The dwarf, it seemed, had both parents from the Jiang Family. Inbreeding had resulted in his deformed birth, and he had been bullied relentlessly since childhood. Though he had achieved some success in cultivation, his inner cowardice and inferiority complex remained unchanged.
Deformed births were not uncommon in cultivation families, as these clans often arranged marriages between close relatives to preserve their bloodlines.
Most deformed infants were secretly disposed of at birth. It was extremely rare for one like Jiang Wo to survive and become a Divine Transformation cultivator. His survival was likely due to his exceptional cultivation talent.
From the aura the dwarf exuded, Song Wen estimated his cultivation level to be at the Mid Stage of Divine Transformation. The dwarf's obvious wariness of the green-robed young woman suggested that her strength was at least equal to his.
Now that Song Wen knew the backgrounds of the dwarf and the white-haired old man, he grew curious about the origins of the green-robed young woman and the refined scholar.
"Fellow Daoist," Song Wen began, addressing the scholar, "may I ask what grievances you have with the Jiang Family?"
The scholar, named Kong Jin, wore a bitter expression.
"I was originally the Ancestor of a medium-sized sect in the Qianchang Wilderness, living a carefree life. Alas, my disciples lacked foresight and offended someone from the Jiang Family, which led to my punishment as the Ancestor and imprisonment."
Song Wen turned to the green-robed young woman and asked, "Fellow Daoist Wen, how did you offend the Jiang Family?"
The green-robed young woman gave a charming smile and winked at Song Wen.
"Fellow Daoist Ai, if you truly wish to know my secrets, it's not impossible. Just promise to share a night of pleasure with me, and I'll tell you everything."
"Fellow Daoist, your beauty is unparalleled. To be favored by you would be the greatest blessing of my life," Song Wen replied, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.
Then, a look of sorrow crossed his face.
"However... I cultivate a Corpse Path Art, and my body is constantly ravaged by Corpse Qi. This has caused me to lose some physical function, leaving me with the will but not the ability. Alas..."
(End of the Chapter)
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