That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Chapter Sixty-Six Chen Sha

"If you're scared, then back off."

Jiang Jingming shook off the spot on his sleeve that was soaked with wine and smiled at her nonchalantly.

The dancer's emerald eyes were filled with astonishment and panic. She lowered her head, took a breath, and silently knelt away from him.

This development was completely unexpected.

Which link in the chain went wrong?

He was completely unaffected by the wine and music, so her seductive arts had no effect whatsoever.

The three women at the table to the right were more difficult to deal with than I had imagined.

She's a loud and shrewish young lady who's easy to read, but she's truly lawless and dares to kill people in public.

A silent maid with little presence, exuding a murderous aura, looking like she'd chase you to the ends of the earth.

There was only one woman left, a seemingly frail woman in white, who looked like she had never practiced martial arts.

The dancer considered herself a dangerous person who would kill without blinking an eye, so how could she sense such a terrifying aura from her?

The dancer bowed her head and retreated into the dancing crowd, not daring to look even slightly towards the right corner of the banquet hall, feeling a chill run down her spine.

For the first time in her life, she so desperately wanted to escape while on a mission, but she knew in her heart that she couldn't afford the consequences of running away either.

The dancer's heart was taut, but fortunately, she had developed muscle memory from dancing this dance a thousand times; otherwise, she would have stood out stiffly in the crowd.

Jiang Jingming silently drank his wine, observing her expression.

The other dancers in the hall did not appear to be her accomplices, so her accomplices must have been the musicians behind the screen and a maid in the mansion who had access to the wine served at the banquet.

What is the purpose of this scheme, or rather, the purpose of the people behind them?

Jiang Jingming's knuckles gently tapped the cup, unable to think of any possible reason for it.

Based on past experience, strange things always seem to happen to him, and tonight seems to be no exception.

But the dancer's seductive arts have already failed. Is this the whole plan of the person behind it all?

If not, what will her next move be?

Jiang Jingming looked down at the wine in his glass, which, reflected in the firelight, appeared a warm, orange-red color.

He suddenly remembered that he had learned about the art of seduction from Gu Tinghan.

It is said that this cool and aloof guy once encountered a woman with "ulterior motives" who kept pestering him for no reason and he couldn't shake her off no matter what he did.

The straight-laced Gu Tinghan was completely baffled, and finally came up with a bizarre thought process—he suspected that the other party had used seductive magic on him.

So he visited many famous doctors and finally succeeded in understanding the origins of this evil art of seduction.

In reality, there is no such thing as a trick in the world that can control someone's mind with just a glance.

So-called seductive arts must require the assistance of drugs, scents, or voices.

First, it disturbs a person's mind, then it uses seduction and arousal to finally succeed in its purpose, with an effect similar to hypnosis.

Therefore, the method to break free from seductive arts is quite simple.

People with naturally calm and tranquil minds, like Gu Tinghan, are extremely difficult to control with seductive arts.

If not, you only need to avoid one of the factors.

After careful observation, Gu Tinghan finally concluded that the woman had not used any seductive arts on him.

"..."

Thinking of this, Jiang Jingming glanced at Lu Zhao, who was already fast asleep beside him.

This guy is a perfect example of someone who has been successfully controlled by seduction techniques; I wonder what he's having a wonderful dream about right now.

The night outside the hall was deep and dark, and the guqin behind the screen finally came to an end.

It seemed that something that was supposed to happen hadn't happened, and the piano music gradually became more aggressive, as if urging the characters in the hall to hurry up with their performance.

Since the dancers were dancing to music, they naturally had to coordinate with the music. So, to the rhythm of the music, they twirled and swirled, and it was as if several golden lotus flowers had suddenly bloomed in the hall.

"Excellent! This is indeed the Sogdian Whirl Dance!"

Wen Fuxiao, who had been silent in the main seat for a long time, suddenly sat up, clapped his hands and laughed, seemingly very excited.

"Hey! You weren't even watching! If you're too old to stay awake, just go to sleep!"

Xie Yunqi slammed his fist on the table and cursed angrily.

Wen Fuxiao laughed twice, unconcerned about the young lady's anger, and simply waved drunkenly to the dancer.

"Pour the wine! Pour the wine! The guests haven't had enough fun yet, how can I not keep them company?"

"Please open your eyes and look around! We're clearly just playing along with your nonsense, you old bald man!"

Xie Yunqi slammed the wine glass on the table, making a loud "crack" sound, and looked like he was about to beat the old man up at any moment.

The dancers, unlike the young lady, could not freely express their emotions. The person who bought them was Wen Fuxiao, so they had no choice but to obey their master's orders unconditionally, even if the customer did not seem to want to cooperate.

The maidservant brought out another pot of warmed wine, and the dancers lined up and went around pouring wine for everyone.

Jiang Jingming swirled his wine glass as he watched them walk past him one by one.

The blue-eyed dancer seemed to have lost her soul from the beginning, her eyes lowered and her not uttering a word.

Jiang Jingming raised his glass, and she obediently poured the wine before slowly backing away.

So you've become so obedient?

Jiang Jingming glanced at A Qing with some curiosity, wondering if she had already drawn her sword, which was why the dancer was so frightened.

Another guest, Lu Zhao, was already completely drunk and unconscious, so the dancer took the wine and walked slowly toward the host on the stage.

"Come on, fill it up quickly!"

Wen Fuxiao raised her glass with a smile.

Jiang Jingming had just lowered his head and taken a small sip when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a flash of silver light out of the corner of his eye!

His heart tightened, he kicked the table aside, drew his sword, and leaped forward.

All that could be heard was Xie Yunqi's exclamation, followed by the clanging sound of clashing swords.

Jiang Jingming stopped at the last moment with the sword Wujiu in his hand. His fingers, gripping the hilt, trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he had forcibly withdrawn the immense power he had been building up.

The blue-eyed dancer concealed a tiny, gossamer-thin knife within her sheer dress, and with the gesture of pouring wine, she aimed the blade directly at Wen Fuxiao's throat.

But it was still half an inch off.

Before that, a flying sword pierced her heart, separating her from her blade.

The sword tip pierced the back of the main chair, pinning her firmly in place.

The splattered blood stained Wen Fuxiao's white robe red. He coughed, but his expression did not seem frightened; it was merely the weariness of someone who had been drinking.

Jiang Jingming sheathed his sword and turned to look back.

A tall, thin middle-aged man stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, the scabbard of his sword at his waist swaying slightly.

He approached slowly amidst the screams of the other dancers.

The candlelight illuminated a cold and gaunt face, with short, stiff stubble on his chin that made him look even more stern.

It was he who threw out his sword just now.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Blushing

Jiang Jingming's brows furrowed. With such strength and accuracy, this person was a true master.

A true master is someone Jiang Jingming finds difficult to determine a winner from.

Along his journey, no one had ever given him such a sense of pressure.

Xie Yunqi is all show and no substance, Lu Zhao is hardworking but inflexible, but this person is completely different.

The sword that pinned the dancer to her death was an ancient-looking sword, forged from fine iron, with ancient runes carved on its blade.

Jiang Jingming had seen Lu Zhao's sword before; it was similar.

This is the sword of the Divine Capital Guard.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Xie Yunqi covered his face in annoyance as soon as he saw the middle-aged man, as if he had met someone he really didn't want to see.

"Miss."

The middle-aged man didn't even look at her, but called out in a deep voice.

"..."

Seeing that there was no hope of avoiding him, Xie Yunqi had no choice but to stand up dejectedly and greet him in a reckless manner.

"Chen Sha? What a coincidence, what are you doing here?!"

"I am here in Fengling City on the orders of the commander to investigate the massacre of the Tingpu Manor family."

The middle-aged man called Chen Sha answered her question, but his eyes were fixed on Jiang Jingming, who was standing next to the main seat.

"Then... young lady, what brings you here?"

"Haha."

Xie Yunqi chuckled twice and decisively passed the buck to Wen Fuxiao.

"Master Wen, why do you think I'm here?"

Wen Fuxiao, who had been drunk just moments before, now understood her meaning and smiled as she scratched her disheveled white hair.

"Since Xie is passing through Fengling City, I'd like to treat her to a simple meal. Is that not allowed, Vice Envoy Chen?"

Deputy Envoy.

Jiang Jingming listened silently, and he understood the identity of the person who came.

The Left and Right Deputy Envoys of the Divine Capital Guard were second only to Xie Jichuan in rank.

The person who came to Fengling City to investigate the massacre of a family turned out to be such a big shot.

This person is not easy to deal with.

Jiang Jingming had only glanced at him briefly before making his conclusion.

"Strong liquor, dancing girls, and even assassinations—is this what Chief Secretary Wen meant by a casual meal?"

Chen Sha snorted coldly and glanced around.

The dancers were already quite frightened by this sudden situation, and when he swept his hand over them, their legs went weak and they all knelt down on the ground.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound behind the screen.

Chen Sha's eyes sharpened, and he gathered his strength, striking out with a palm.

"Get out here!"

The entire mahogany screen was blown away by the palm strike, and the musician who had been hiding behind the curtain fell to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Jiang Jingming turned his head to look and saw that the musician was actually a fair-skinned man. No wonder he played such a powerful tune—although he had ulterior motives.

At that moment, someone gently tugged at his sleeve.

Jiang Jingming turned around and saw Xie Yunqi winking furtively and gesturing at him.

"..."

I didn't understand.

Jiang Jingming shook his head honestly.

Aqing and Fang Zhiyi had gotten up from their seats at some point and walked to the pillar not far behind him.

Fang Zhiyi was even swirling a glass of wine in her hand, giving him a nonchalant smile.

"oops!"

Seeing that he couldn't understand the code, Xie Yunqi pursed his lips anxiously, and finally stood on tiptoe and leaned close to his ear.

"This guy is Chen Sha, the most difficult fellow to deal with in the Divine Capital Guard. He always loves to badmouth me! That damned Lu Zhao didn't even tell me that the person investigating the case was him!!"

The young lady did sound very angry.