Chapter 169: The Sacred Fruit

With a bitter smile, Qian Ye got up and walked towards Ji Tianqing.

Ji Tianqing widened her eyes, wary, “What are you planning to do? Qian Ye, you can’t be so unbrotherly as to really snatch my clothes, right? Hey, if you get any closer, I’ll scream for help!”

Li Kuanglan sneered from the side, “Go ahead, scream! Let’s see who runs faster when the natives come.”

Li Kuanglan’s sword techniques relied on speed to win. In terms of swiftness, she indeed had the capital to be proud, even Qian Ye couldn’t keep up with her without using void flash.

Among the three, if it came to a speed contest, Ji Tianqing was the weakest. However, she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. She turned her eyes, sizing up Li Kuanglan with ill intent, “There are many ways to make you run slower. I see you haven’t been doing well these past few days. So, are you really going to call the natives over?”

Li Kuanglan, remembering the scene from earlier, felt both humiliated and angry. She gritted her teeth, “Qian Ye, what are you waiting for! After restraining this wretched girl, I’ll show you her true form.”

Encouraged by Li Kuanglan, Qian Ye reluctantly stepped forward, saying, “Tianqing, if you have extra clothes, give her a set. I don’t want to use force.”

Ji Tianqing huffed, “As if you could beat me.”

Qian Ye found it hard to answer, only vaguely replying, “Outside the Great Maelstrom, it’s not certain.” What he meant was that inside the Great Maelstrom, he was bound to win. This wasn’t mere boasting; while Ji Tianqing’s attacks were powerful, they mostly relied on top-tier secret arts. Her body was on par with Li Kuanglan’s. Qian Ye, on the other hand, relied more on his formidable physique, allowing him to thrive in the Great Maelstrom. His advantage in strength was too great, something that couldn’t be compensated by secret arts.

Understanding Qian Ye’s meaning, Ji Tianqing simply spread her hands, raised her chest, and said, “I truly don’t have any extra clothes. If you don’t believe me, search me!”

Qian Ye found himself in a difficult position. To search thoroughly, he would have to do it closely. But Ji Tianqing was, after all, a girl. How could he bring himself to do it? The close contact with Li Kuanglan in the past two days had already been troublesome enough. He didn’t want to add to the complications.

At this moment, Li Kuanglan sneered, “What are you afraid of? Go search, don’t miss any place. I bet she won’t let you!”

Indeed, Ji Tianqing’s expression changed, appearing somewhat unnatural.

Qian Ye, however, refused to take the bait, smiling bitterly, “I really can’t.”

“Then hold her down for me, I’ll do it!” Li Kuanglan rolled up her sleeves and moved into action.

Ji Tianqing swiftly slid behind Qian Ye, evading Li Kuanglan’s grasp, and shouted, “I really don’t have any clothes! What I’m wearing now is a spare set. My original clothes were destroyed in the spatial channel. Unlike you, I don’t have such armor. How could ordinary clothes withstand that?”

Li Kuanglan knew she was telling the truth, so she stopped, sighing, “We shouldn’t have come here.”

Ji Tianqing was taken aback, but after a moment, she also sighed, “We’re already here. It’s too late to say this. Even if we knew this world would be like this, could we have stayed away? Could you really accept your fate and marry someone you don’t like?”

Li Kuanglan coldly replied, “Why should I marry? Since I put on men’s clothes, I’ve never planned to marry anyone. Huh?!”

Before she finished, Ji Tianqing suddenly struck, pinching her chest, instantly making her weak. Although there was no obvious change, they were no ordinary powerhouses. Seeing the slight unnaturalness in her demeanor and movements, they knew what had happened.

This time, Li Kuanglan lost all dignity, unable to say anything harsh. She only glared at Ji Tianqing.

Ji Tianqing stuck out her tongue, then stopped, standing properly as if nothing had happened. Li Kuanglan knew she couldn’t do much to her, even if her injuries healed. Without the Cold Moon Cage Sands, she wasn’t Ji Tianqing’s match. Eighty percent of her abilities lay in her sword techniques, unlike Ji Tianqing, who knew a wide variety of secret arts and could use almost anything as a weapon.

Li Kuanglan sighed, “Regardless, I won’t accept the family’s arrangement. Besides, what good does an arranged marriage bring? Is it worth more than our own value?”

Ji Tianqing coolly replied, “Who said it brings nothing? As long as the empire doesn’t have a female Celestial Sovereign, our fates won’t change. The higher our cultivation, the greater our value. There will always be some big shot interested in us. Like your sister, how proud she was, yet in the end, she entered the palace, didn’t she?”

Li Kuanglan fell silent, knowing Ji Tianqing was speaking the truth. In a way, women were still men’s subordinates, just to different degrees. The stronger one was, the more autonomy they had, but it was just a shift from one form of powerlessness to another.

Of course, throughout history, there were always those who resisted, some succeeded, some failed. Li Kuanglan’s switch to men’s clothes, Ji Tianqing’s versatile transformations, and Zhao Yuying’s wild independence were all forms of resistance. Yet, the overall structure never changed.

The Evernight World, on the other hand, was much better. Only among the werewolves were women relatively weaker. Vampires and demon descendants were basically equal, and in the common spider demons, women were even stronger. Because of the Night Queen’s existence, women in the Evernight World held roughly the same status as men.

In the empire, noble-born ladies could only fundamentally change their fate by having a female Celestial Sovereign, as Ji Tianqing suggested. Without becoming a Celestial Sovereign, women’s combat power was ultimately inferior, and any attempt at equality ended up being superficial.

Yet, how could someone like Ji Tianqing or Li Kuanglan, born with such pride, willingly submit to their fate?

After listening for a while, Qian Ye couldn’t help but interject, “Just choose someone you like, is it that hard?”

To his surprise, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan both turned to glare at him, yelling, “Shut up!”

Baffled, Qian Ye raised his hands in surrender, went to sit aside, and closed his eyes to cultivate. Ji Tianqing, meanwhile, pulled Li Kuanglan to the side, asking, “What are you going to do about that matter?”

“What can I do? Since my sister sent me here, she must have a solution, and I don’t need to worry.”

“Not necessarily. If that person really gets angry, even your sister might not be able to stop them, and you’ll still be sent away.”

“So what if he gets angry? Why should I fear? Besides, if he does, it’s probably him who’ll be embarrassed….”

“That’s not what you said before. I remember you said…”

“Shut up!”

The two walked to the far end, whispering like old friends. If not for their known history of rivalry, one might think they were genuinely close.

Qian Ye felt more and more puzzled by women. Such matters were better left to professionals, like Song Zining.

As twilight approached, Qian Ye finished his cultivation and stood up, feeling refreshed. Li Kuanglan was surprised, “Your injuries healed so quickly?”

Qian Ye nodded, “Just minor injuries, nothing serious.”

He had used the vitality steal technique to rescue Ji Tianqing, killing over twenty native warriors. However, the technique wasn’t meant for killing, and the large amount of essence blood extracted overwhelmed him, causing significant injury. In the forest, Qian Ye had expelled the excess essence blood, and a short period of cultivation restored his internal injuries.

Seeing the approaching dusk, Qian Ye lit a campfire and began roasting meat. His skills were far superior to Li Kuanglan’s, earning praise from Ji Tianqing. After dinner, the real challenge began as night fell.

While Qian Ye started to worry, Li Kuanglan casually chatted with Ji Tianqing.

“Tianqing, how long have you been here?”

“Three days, including today.”

Li Kuanglan thoughtfully responded, “Hmm, we arrived around the same time. Was it dangerous when you came through?”

Mentioning this, Ji Tianqing ground her teeth, “That damn channel destroyed most of my armor. When I came out, I was surrounded by a bunch of lousy natives!”

Startled, Li Kuanglan asked, “Are you alright?”

Ji Tianqing rolled her eyes, “Do you think I, the great lady, would be harmed? I killed several of them on impact, and the rest I slapped to death one by one. They aren’t very strong, just big and tough. And disgusting!”

It seemed she was lucky; upon entering the high-gravity environment, the natives absorbed the fall, leaving her unharmed. Unlike Li Kuanglan, who had crashed to the ground, and if not for Qian Ye, would have become a skeleton.

“How did you survive these past three days?” Li Kuanglan asked the key question.

Ji Tianqing blushed slightly, “This cursed place is full of strange things, never mentioned before. During the day, it’s manageable with my Ice Heart Prison secret art, which suppresses the instincts. But nights are the real ordeal.”

“How did you manage at night?” Li Kuanglan inquired curiously.

Ji Tianqing extended her hand, holding three white fruits, “These. After eating them, my blood circulation accelerates, and my vitality surges. Combined with my cultivation, I barely make it through the night.”

So simple? Li Kuanglan and Qian Ye exchanged glances, then looked at the three inconspicuous fruits, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

Qian Ye deeply regretted, while Li Kuanglan’s eyes twinkled, lost in thought.

Ji Tianqing, generous as ever, tossed a fruit each to Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan, saying, “Eat now. The effect will be felt soon.”

Qian Ye put the fruit in his mouth, finding it sour and fishy, not pleasant. It turned to juice when bitten, with no seeds or residue. After finishing, he felt a familiar taste, but couldn’t quite place it.

Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing ate the fruits as well. Li Kuanglan then asked, “Are there more of these? We can gather more tomorrow.”

Ji Tianqing, expressionless, replied, “These are the holy fruits of the four-armed natives, and I’ve already taken them all. The ones we just ate were the last three.”