Aromatic Flesh
Chapter 123.1: Demon Sect Leader’s Holy Maiden Concubine (15)

Kneeling before Gu MingYue, Jia Luo silently awaited her reply.

She knew there would be no going back once she made this decision, so she had thought long and hard before pleading with Gu MingYue to intervene and save the Shendai Sect.

Years ago, when she and Jia Ning were still ignorant children, they spent most of their days playing in the woods. One day, they stumbled upon the previous leader of the Shendai Sect as he pinned down their mother to a tree trunk and rammed her with an undeniable force. Their mother was dishevelled and gasping for breath, while their fathers stood not far away, faces placid as water and as cold as ice.

Their mother’s moans came in broken gasps, as though she was stifling herself, while her hair was loose and tangled, and her brows furrowed deeply into a knot.

She seemed to be in pain, yet the corners of her lips curved faintly upward, causing Jia Luo and Jia Ning to frown in confusion.

Why did the leader of the Shendai Sect bully their mother like this? Why did their fathers stand by so indifferently? Why did they not ask the leader to spare their mother?

No one answered Jia Luo and Jia Ning’s questions. The two were soon discovered by the adults, and then dragged back into LingZhao Palace like chicks being plucked by their necks. Within its walls lived Jia Ling, who was two years younger than them.

Jia Ling was the young master whom they had served since childhood.

The young master’s mother, who was also the leader’s wife, treated them with distance and unfamiliarity. They had thought it was because the leader emphasized propriety and distinction, but once they were a little older, they learned the truth…

As the seasons turned, she and Jia Ning grew from childhood into adolescence. Their mother had passed, and soon, two of their fathers followed; their disciples now led the South and East Halls, becoming the new generation of hall masters.

Every day, she and Jia Ning trained diligently in martial arts. This was mainly because the two fathers who served as the Sect’s Left and Right Protectors had little time left, and the Sect Leader’s end was also near.

It was only a matter of time before the positions of Left and Right Protectors would be passed on to them, and if they could not win the crowd with their martial prowess, how could they assist the next leader?

She had decided long ago that, given that those in the Shendai Sect were tainted with poisonous substances from birth, she likely would not live long too. She didn’t wish for longevity; instead, she wanted to live this short life without restraint.

As one of the few female heirs to the position of Protector in the Shendai Sect, she would stand at the top and enjoy a position second only to the leader himself, unhampered by the limitations imposed upon her from birth by her gender.

But this wasn’t all; tucked away deep within her heart was a secret shared by women everywhere. She hoped to find a person with whom she could spend her life with.

A partner loyal to her, and her only, to grow old together.

The Shendai Sect held no taboos against carnal love, yet no one could find a pair of lovers whose hands were joined in mutual reliance. Thus, such a love became the stuff of legend.

No one other than Jia Ning knew what she truly desired.

She had always been determined, and used her inner strength to suppress the poison’s effects, frequently immersing herself in the icy springs of ChuYun Valley when she could endure it no longer.

For eighteen years, this was her routine, until the accumulated poison threatened her longevity, but otherwise, she remained unharmed.

But everything changed on that fateful day.

The previous Sect Leader passed, and their young master succeeded to the throne, while both she and Jia Ning were promoted to the positions of Sect Protector.

The Shendai Sect welcomed a grand ceremony, and she drank slightly more than she usually did. On her way back to her room, her vision blurred, and she lost consciousness.

When she woke, she found herself in disarray. Once she confirmed the identities of the people beside her, she instantly understood.

The Hall Masters had used her as a remedy.

Yes, there were countless women in the Shendai Sect, but she was the only one who possessed martial prowess that rivalled any of the masters.

Consuming her as medicine would yield dual cultivation benefits, making it an efficient choice.

It was truly an unfortunate night.

Jia Luo remembered how unwilling she had once been to accept her fate. Even as Sect Protector, who held a position second to only the Sect Leader, in the Shendai Sect, she was still fated to suffer like all the other women here.

But she could not allow Jia Ning to destroy Shendai Sect.

With this thought, she turned to Gu MingYue, her eyes bright with hope.

These words had already left her mouth; she had already betrayed the Sect.

Even if she could never be forgiven, even if she was cast out, it would be a price she paid willingly.

She would save Jia Ning while also preserving the Shendai Sect.

Gu MingYue found her gaze unsettling, and she retreated, looking askance at her.

“What is this, Jia Luo? I don’t understand.”

“Of course the Madam understands. How else could you have freed the prisoner of the Sect Leader?”

Jia Luo’s voice was measured, but upon closer inspection, one might detect a hint of apprehension in her features.

Gu MingYue sucked in a breath of cold air – how did Jia Luo know? She had thought herself clever, but if Jia Luo knew, surely others did as well.

“The Madam’s qinggong¹ is truly exceptional, and Jia Luo is humbled by your skill. I saw you move through the night, and I knew then that you must have been an extraordinary individual, both in strength and intellect. If your martial prowess were not superior to the Sect Leader’s, how could you have deceived him? Jia Luo does not know your purpose here, but I suspect it must have something to do with the sect leader…”

Enjoy~

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