C63 The Item of Female Ruler!

Jiang Su had reached his limit with Wang Tian's incessant chatter. With a sense of finality, he stepped in front of Wang Tian.

Wang Tian's gaze was fixed on Jiang. It was then he noticed a stark white handkerchief tied around Jiang's waist.

"Jiang, I don't recall you ever carrying a handkerchief. Is that from the Compendium Pavilion?" he asked.

By now, they had ascended to the third floor, enveloped in silence. Only the four of them were present, and with Wang Tian's voice echoing loudly, the white handkerchief at Jiang Su's waist drew the attention of Su Wuyou and Lin Tian.

Both glanced at the handkerchief.

Lin Tian turned away nonchalantly. His sole reason for coming was to check on Jiang Su's well-being. The loss of such a talent would be a tragedy for him and the First Devil Sect. Assured that Jiang Su was unharmed, he lost interest in the other matters at hand.

However, Su Wuyou, standing to Lin Tian's right, was visibly stunned.

The handkerchief's design was understated, reminiscent of the Female Ruler's own. She remembered playing chess with the Female Ruler, who had used a similar pure white handkerchief.

The thought of pursuing Jiang Su vanished from her mind; she wouldn't dare compete with the Empress of Devil Sect for a man.

Yet, she feared her disciple might have already fallen hard for Jiang Su.

Oblivious to Jiang's subtle display, Wang Tian puzzled over Elder Wuyou's reaction and Jiang's lack of explanation.

Jiang Su brushed off the conversation, lightly patting Wang Tian's shoulder.

"Let's drop it. We should focus on our cultivation," he said.

With those words, Jiang Su hastened his steps, swiftly outpacing the rest.

Down on the first floor of the Compendium Pavilion, the onlookers saw a tall figure reclining on the staircase.

Descending from the second floor was a young man in white, a three-foot black sword in hand. His striking features were accentuated by his damp hair clinging to his forehead, his ink-black eyes, and the subtle smile gracing his face. His lips bore a natural hue, neither pale nor deep red, adding to his unique allure.

Relief washed over everyone as they saw their beloved prince charming unscathed.

They were struck dumb by his stunning looks, their screams piercing the air!

"Thank goodness our Eldest Senior Brother is unharmed. What would we do without him?"

"Amazing! The Cultivation World's most handsome man is still among the living!"

"Eldest Senior Brother is incredibly powerful. He's not just a pretty face; his abilities are formidable. Rumor has it that not even the Four Great Elders have set foot on the tenth floor."

Bai Yih was taken aback when Jiang Su emerged. He had actually survived!

These naive Outer Sect disciples couldn't see the truth, but he knew what those dozens of black smoke trails signified.

A battle between a Foundation Stage and a Nascent Infant Stage cultivator, and Jiang Su had triumphed.

He couldn't accept it. Someone must have aided Jiang Su. Aside from his looks, Jiang Su had no real talent, yet he had all the female cultivators under his spell!

Then, he was utterly floored. The handkerchief tied around Jiang Su's waist – that was the Female Ruler's!

In all the Ten Devil Domains, only the Female Ruler favored such a plain handkerchief!

He had learned this from a maid close to the Female Ruler, whom he had bribed.

Why did Jiang Su possess the Female Ruler's handkerchief?

It all made sense now; he had survived because the Female Ruler herself was assisting him.

As the Prince of Tianqi, Bai Yih was of exalted status. He could afford to wait out the demise of that crippled prince. Yet now, some lucky cook had been graced with the Ancestral Dragon Martial Spirit and taken as Chiu Yue's Head Disciple. And to top it off, he had caught the Female Ruler's eye!

How could he, Bai Yih, be outdone by Jiang Su?

Jiang Su descended the stairs with a stoic face, indifferent to the female cultivators' fervor.

He was merely a man. Perhaps it was their adulation that fueled Bai Yih's animosity towards him.

Their eyes met briefly, a silent exchange brimming with enmity.

Was Bai Yih challenging him now?

He still couldn't fathom why offending the kitchen chief, Ye Nong, had provoked Bai Yih, one of the First Devil Sect's Four Great Elders, to dispatch Nebula Pavilion assassins after him.

It wasn't until he heard rumors of Elder Bai Yih's affection for the Empress that Jiang Su realized his secret wasn't as well-kept as he thought; a few within the First Devil Sect were already whispering.

Jiang Su had concluded that Bai Yih's bitterness stemmed from the Empress marrying a worthless prince simply for his handsome face. Consequently, Bai Yih harbored jealousy and spite toward all attractive male cultivators in the Cultivation World.

Initially, Jiang Su found the notion laughable, but the envy, frustration, and animosity he now saw in Bai Yih's gaze when it fell upon him made the theory seem all too plausible.

Jiang Su never considered himself particularly handsome; the whole situation struck him as absurd. He wondered, if Bai Yih ever discovered that the two men he despised were one and the same—and that his idol was well aware of it—would he lose his mind?

He felt no sympathy for Bai Yih. Pursuing one's goddess was one thing, but harming others in the process was quite another.

Unrequited love was common, and love itself was far from perfect. Many stepped back from their infatuations with heavy hearts.

With a cold smirk, Jiang Su admitted he hadn't planned on severing ties with Bai Yih so soon. Yet, it seemed Bai Yih was on a self-destructive path, obviating the need for Jiang Su to intervene.

He offered a respectful bow to Su Wuyou and Martial Uncle Lin Tian. "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Wuyou and Martial Uncle Lin Tian. I have some cultivation techniques to complete, so I'll be heading back to Sword Wing Peak."

The Secretary, overhearing the exchange, quickly interjected, "Eldest Senior Brother, please wait. Don't forget to take what Lord Murong has sent you."

Struggling with the heft of the sack he dragged from beneath the long table, the Secretary, more accustomed to books than brawn, managed to bring it before Jiang Su with the aid of his spiritual force.

The contents of the sack were a mystery to all, but the spiritual energy brimming within it was palpable, ready to spill forth.

Jiang Su found himself at a loss for words once more. Wasn't his wife's uncle disdainful of him? The man had been anything but friendly, even coming to blows with Jiang Su.

So why, after Jiang Su had ventured to the last five floors, had he covertly prepared this sack for him?

Lord Murong and Elder Chiu Yue, both hailing from the same Devil Sect, shared a similar style of generosity—always presenting their gifts in these modest, unassuming sacks.

Jiang Su initially had no intention of taking the burlap sack, but the Secretary's gaze, with his large, pea-sized eyes brimming with pity, was hard to ignore. Moved by the sight, Jiang Su promptly tossed the sack into his Storage Space.