Martial Saint with Passives

Suppressing his thoughts, he quickly began to search Liu Cang’s body. First, he found a good number of gold notes and some Top Grade Elixir Pills.

Next, he felt a book-sized roll of Beast Hide.

He took it out and saw it was covered in a script he didn’t quite recognize.

There were also small figures drawn on it.

Various points were marked on the figures’ bodies.

’It seems to be some kind of Secret Manual!’

Jiang Che vaguely recalled that this script belonged to one of the Ancient Races from tens of thousands of years ago.

’If I remember correctly, the Scripture Pavilion has books on this script!’

Jiang Che immediately stuffed it into his robes, planning to study it later.

Once he was done looting, he took out the Corpse-Dissolving Water that Ye Lianzhen had given him and carefully dripped a few drops onto the body.

TSSS—

It sounded like water dropping onto a red-hot pan.

A plume of white smoke immediately rose, accompanied by a pungent, sour smell.

Liu Cang’s body rapidly began to dissolve, and in just a moment, it had turned into a pool of murky yellow water that seeped into the soil!

All that remained was an empty set of clothes and a few personal items.

Jiang Che then took out his flint and steel and burned the clothes and other remnants to ash.

He then used a branch to carefully smooth over the tracks on the ground, even tidying up the trees that had been broken during the fight.

Once he had done all this, he checked the area one last time. Confirming that no obvious traces remained, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

’Now, it’s completely clean.’

He didn’t dare to linger, immediately turning to hurry back.

However, when he returned to the hill, his pupils shrank!

Liu Qing and Su Wan were pacing back and forth, as anxious as could be.

But Tang Qiaoqiao was nowhere to be seen!

"Junior Brother Jiang! This is terrible!" Liu Qing cried out the moment she saw Jiang Che. "Junior Sister Tang has disappeared!"

Su Wan added in a panic, "It was in the blink of an eye! We... we just looked away for a second, and she was gone!"

Jiang Che’s heart tightened. ’Something happened, just as I feared!’

He forced himself to remain calm. "Don’t panic! When did this happen? Which way did she go?"

"It was right after you left! As for the direction... we didn’t get a clear look..." Liu Qing’s face was etched with worry.

"The two of you, go to the manor as fast as you can and report the situation to my master, Dean Xu! Tell them Junior Sister Tang is missing and likely in danger! I’ll search the vicinity! Let’s split up!" Jiang Che said decisively.

’I have to send them away,’ he thought. ’I have too many secrets to let them follow me.’

Besides, their skills were average. He couldn’t afford to be distracted with protecting them.

Liu Qing and Su Wan were at a complete loss. Hearing Jiang Che’s plan was like finding a pillar to lean on, and they nodded quickly. "Okay! Okay! We’ll go right now! Junior Brother Jiang, be careful!"

Watching their panicked figures retreat, Jiang Che immediately crouched down. His All-Seeing Eye activated automatically as he carefully observed the ground.

He quickly discovered Tang Qiaoqiao’s footprints alongside another set belonging to a man, leading into the dense forest in a different direction.

’Xie Xingwen!’ Jiang Che’s eyes turned cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, he began to follow the tracks.

...

「In the dense forest.」

Xie Xingwen pulled Tang Qiaoqiao along at a light jog until they reached a quiet clearing in the woods.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her expression a mixture of excitement and thrill.

It turned out that after Jiang Che had left, she had been feeling bored when suddenly, a small pebble landed near her.

She looked over curiously and was surprised to see Xie Xingwen hiding behind a tree, beckoning to her!

She was instantly overjoyed. She hadn’t seen Xie Xingwen in a long time and had been thinking of him day and night.

Xie Xingwen put a finger to his lips, then pointed toward Liu Qing and Su Wan, signaling for her to sneak over quietly.

Tang Qiaoqiao barely hesitated. While Liu Qing and Su Wan were preoccupied with worrying about why Jiang Che was taking so long, she seized the opportunity, crouched low, and tiptoed away.

The moment she reached him, Xie Xingwen grabbed her hand and led her quickly away.

They didn’t stop until they had run a considerable distance.

"Brother Xingwen! I haven’t seen you in so long. I’ve missed you so much!" Tang Qiaoqiao said, tilting her face up, her eyes filled with adoration.

"Qiaoqiao, I’ve missed you too," Xie Xingwen said, his voice gentle as he pulled her into an embrace.

After a moment of tenderness, Xie Xingwen lowered his head to look into her eyes, his tone turning suggestive. "Qiaoqiao, last time at Cloud Mist Ridge... that thing we didn’t get to do... Look, there’s no one around. How about we...?"

Tang Qiaoqiao’s body stiffened slightly. The blush faded from her cheeks, replaced by hesitation and conflict.

She was no longer the same naive girl, completely blinded by love. Her mother’s words and the gossip of others had started to sink in.

She gently pushed him away a little and whispered, "Brother Xingwen... don’t... This isn’t right. I... I’ll go plead with my mother again. We... We can be together properly. As for that... can’t we wait until our wedding night?"

Her voice became as faint as a mosquito’s buzz by the end, and a deep blush returned to her cheeks.

An almost imperceptible flicker of annoyance and impatience crossed Xie Xingwen’s eyes.

’His father’s grand affair was imminent; where would he find the time to dally?’

He kept the gentle smile on his face, trying to coax her. "Qiaoqiao, it’s just that I like you so much, I was overcome with emotion... I can’t wait that long..."

This time, however, Tang Qiaoqiao was unusually firm, shaking her head. "No, Brother Xingwen. If my mother found out, she would be furious. Please, just wait for me a little longer, okay?"

’So the soft approach isn’t working...’

The smile on Xie Xingwen’s face gradually faded, and his gaze darkened.

He suddenly shot his hands out, violently pulling Tang Qiaoqiao back into his embrace. The force of his grip was so strong it made her cry out in pain.