Xia Jiajia dismissed all the four elders and everyone else except for Hua Wuwu and Hua Baiyue before saying to everyone, “You may address me as Xia Jiajia instead of my other names. Saintess Fang Zhenfei is my name when I’m at the Blue Phoenix Sacred Sect and also my real name. But I will prefer you to address me as Xia Jiajia for now.”
“You must be wondering why I am the Divine Palace Master of the Hundred Flower Divine Palace and also the Phoenix Mistress of the Blue Phoenix Sacred Sect at the same time, am I right?”
Yuan Ji replied, “If you don’t want to share with me, it’s alright…”
Xue Qianxue chuckled softly as she cupped his mouth, “We are curious to know!”
Yuan Ji muttered, “Women…”
“What did you say?” All the maidens were suddenly looking at him with a cold gaze.
Yuan Ji smiled weakly, “Please continue.”
“This is actually a secret of the Hundred Flower Divine Palace. My mother is actually from the Hundred Flower Divine Palace while my second aunt is from the Blue Phoenix Sacred Sect. When my mother and second aunt had both passed away, I was forced to take over the leadership positions of both sects. Other than me, Hua Wuwu and Hua Baiyue are also from the Blue Phoenix Sacred Sect.” Xia Jiajia explained slowly.
Yuan Ji interrupted with a weak smile, “So that day when I was at the Sacred Maiden Ceremony, you already know that I was there?”
Xia Jiajia nodded with a smile.
Xue Qianxue and Ling Feiyue immediately said to Yuan Ji, “We told you so!”
Yuan Ji muttered weakly, “This is only a lucky guess.”
Yuan Ji turned to look at Hua Wuwu and Hua Baiyue, “But they are always with me. How did they inform you?”
Xia Jiajia replied, “They don’t have to. Your intentions are already known to me for several months ahead. Moreover I was following you.”
Yuan Ji was gasping, “You are following me?”
Xia Jiajia nodded. “I was there when you broke Maiden Feiyue’s heart and she was weeping outside your room.”
Yuan Ji: …
Ling Feiyue had suddenly lowered her head with an awkward look, “He is such a badass rascal…”
Yuan Ji was suddenly laughing softly. It was because he had suddenly realized something, “So Jiajia, you have actually sent Wuwu and Baiyue to protect me?”
Xia Jiajia nodded, “I’ve told them not to make it too obvious that they are there to protect you or else you will take advantage of them. But you take advantage of them nonetheless.”
Yuan Ji chuckled weakly. “Haha…”
“Jiajia…” Yuan Ji was actually quite touched. “That means that when I was at the Celestial Orthodox Sect for the very first time, you are also there.”
Xia Jiajia nodded with a bitter smile, “I didn’t expect that you will be so outrageous to flirt so directly with the Sacred Maiden.”
Xue Qianxue stammered weakly, “He is really a badass rascal! He keeps touching me nonstop. In the end, I had no other choice!”
That was a blatant lie.
But everyone, including Yuan Ji did not expose her because they knew that she was only defending herself out of shyness. If Xue Qianxue did not like Yuan Ji, she would have killed him on the spot.
Xia Jiajia inhaled a soft sigh as she smiled, “Actually I have no interest to meddle in the affairs of the celestial fraternity so the Hundred Flower Divine Palace and the Blue Phoenix Sacred Sect are not exactly well-known…”
“I have heard rumors that you are using maidens for your melting cauldron. This is pretty well-known.” Yuan Ji interrupted with a chuckle.
Xia Jiajia returned him an annoyed look, “Do not confuse the Hundred Flower Divine Palace with the Evil Cultivation Palace. But some days ago, I did have a lovely prisoner from the Evil Cultivation Palace here. She is the Little Princess from the Evil Cultivation Palace.”
Yuan Ji was startled as he stammered, “Where is she? Bring me to her.”
Xia Jiajia looked at him from up to down, “You know her?” She pretended to ask. Obviously she knows they know each other.
Yuan Ji sighed heavily, “Yea. I know her.”
“Just friends?” Xia Jiajia asked.
“Yea, just friends. Haha.” Yuan Ji replied with a sheepish look but all of a sudden, he noticed that the other maidens had a look of disbelief in their eyes. So he added, “Of course we are just friends. We’re just drinking friends. Don’t think too much. Where is she?”
He was actually thinking. I mustn’t let them know about my ugly past with Little Princess. If they know that I am her dual cultivation partner then they will surely look down upon me…
But still he was eager to know her whereabouts.
“Your drinking partner?” Xia Jiajia hummed sarcastically. “Do you know Little Princess status? Will she drinks with you?”
Yuan Ji replied shamelessly with a grin, “Not when your drinking partner is a Sword Saint and the Great Poet Ji Yuan. Haha.”
“But you don’t have your beard now. How do you expect her to recognize you?” Xia Jiajia giggled softly.
Yuan Ji was rolling his eyes. Crap. How am I able to out talk her? Jiajia is so smart. I can fool the others but not her…
But Xia Jiajia soon said, “She isn’t around anymore. Like I say, she was my prisoner a few days ago but she had since made her escape while my men were not paying attention.”
“Oh…” Yuan Ji replied. But he was actually secretly thinking. She probably charmed your men and slipped away. She is a really very charming maiden…
Xia Jiajia smiled as she said, “Feiyue, Qianxue. You must be curious why I had set you up too, am I right?”
Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue were both giggling, “That is right!”
Xue Qianxue asked, “So what brings you into the picture?”
Xia Jiajia sighed softly, “It is a long story. Let me start from the beginning first. 200+ years ago, I happen to be at the auction house…”
At that time Little Princess had auctioned off a portrait of a beardless Ji Yuan which she declared as the portrait of the Sword Saint Ji Yuan.
Xia Jiajia happened to be at the auction house when Hua Wuwu had informed her, “Our informant has told me that this is really the beardless portrait of the Sword Saint Ji Yuan. I really don’t know how she got his beardless portrait.”
Xia Jiajia took a second glance at the portrait as she muttered, “His beardless look is really handsome. I can’t believe that they are the same person.”
Hua Baiyue giggled, “I have heard that this Ji Yuan prided his beard dearly so how is it possible for Little Princess to have his beardless look?”