Secret of the Wooden Box

Later in the night, Shen Lie was already back to his group campsite.

Most of the protégés in his group was already sound asleep except for Jie Ying and the ones that were keeping the night watch during the night.

When Jie Ying saw Shen Lie, she was delighted and she was looking at him weirdly.

When they were alone in one corner of their campsite, she began to say to Shen Lie. "Are you sure that you want to give me this wooden box? This is obviously a profound treasure and I am too weak to even use it. Inside the box are all renowned divine swords and I can't accept something as precious as this."

Even though Jie Ying was the young mistress of her celestial sect but her celestial sect was small and also dirt poor. Even owning a divine sword was like a lofty dream.

When her celestial sect was stronger, they did have a couple of divine swords but their patriarchs had lost their divine swords in some faraway expeditions, trials or battles. Currently, there were no divine swords in her celestial sect.

Shen Lie took a curious look at her before returning a smile, "Hm? Naturally it is for you. When you are a saintess, this wooden box will be helpful to you."

Jie Ying inhaled softly, "Do you think that I have the talent to become a saintess? I don't think so. I am only an average cultivator."

Shen Lie smiled, "You will be and I will help you."

Jie Ying smiled weakly as she looked with disbelief at Shen Lie. "I don't understand. You are a lowly cultivator but you are able to use the divine swords in the wooden box. What cultivation realm are you really at?"

Shen Lie laughed awkwardly as he tried to look heroic, "I am Grand Sage Saint Shen Lie."

Jie Ying giggled softly when she had heard him, "I don't believe you."

Shen Lie: …

Jie Ying looked at him curiously, "Can you show me your profound animus? Then I can know your cultivation realm?"

Shen Lie smiled weakly, "I don't have…"

Jie Ying: …

Shen Lie really did not lie to Jie Ying; his martial foundation was as weak as the sand and he could not display his profound animus.

Shen Lie said weakly, "I am a soul cultivator and not a martial cultivator. Haha…"

Jie Ying's beautiful thin eyebrows were perplexed, "What is a soul cultivator?"

Shen Lie was immediately spirited, "A soul cultivator is a cultivator that cultivates the great dao of the soul."

Jie Ying asked weakly, "What is the great dao of the soul?"

Shen Lie answered awkwardly, "Just be yourself."

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying decided to ask another question, "This wooden box. Do you know of its origin? I have never seen anything like this before. There are 9 divine swords in this wooden box and an empty slot. But weirdly, the last slot in the box looked too big for any swords."

Shen Lie began to ponder before answering, "Actually when I have this wooden box, there are actually no divine swords inside. After I notice that this wooden box can hide the profound animus of the divine swords inside, I started to put the divine swords inside. The last slot is actually for a big scabbard…"

Jie Ying blinked her eyes as she interrupted, "Didn't you say that you have borrowed this wooden box?"

Shen Lie laughed, "I did. Because I have given it away. But the new owner insists that I bring this wooden box along for my protection."

"And you are giving it to me?" Jie Ying had a blanked expression as she looked at Shen Lie.

Shen Lie smiled, "That is because I am going to make you into a saintess and be part of my Carnation Goddess Painting."

Jie Ying asked softly, "What is this Carnation Goddess Painting all about?"

This was something that she did not have the chance to ask properly the last time.

Shen Lie smiled, "I am going to paint the naked figures of the 7 of the most beautiful saintesses in the Fenghua Great Continent in this Carnation Goddess Painting and I am going to pick one of them to be my Carnation Goddess. And they need to be chaste saintesses as well."

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying: …

"Why do you want to something this lewd?" Jie Ying was stunned. "And what make you thinks a lofty chaste saintess will strip for you?"

Shen Lie smiled, "This is not lewd at all."

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying: …

Shen Lie continued with a soft chuckle, "I will give these saintesses an option to pose for me or to be my depraved slave."

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying: …

Jie Ying: …

"I really can't believe that I am hearing this."

Then she asked with a look that was full of bewilderment, "Why do you need to pick a Carnation Goddess?"

Shen Lie solemnly said, "My Carnation Goddess will be my dao partner and we will rule this Fenghua Great Continent together."

Jie Ying had suddenly thrown the wooden box at Shen Lie and there were shimmering tears in her eyes, "Take this back!"

Shen Lie was startled, "Why?"

Jie Ying had got up with a hurt look, "If I lose my chaste body to you then are you saying that I can't be your Carnation Goddess anymore? In order to be your Carnation Goddess, I have to pose naked in front of 6 other maidens? I don't care if they are saintesses or not. I don't even care if I am a saintess or not. So good bye!"

When she had said that, she had started to walk away.

In her heart, she was crying; it was because she really liked Shen Lie and was willing to give up her chaste body to him. But Shen Lie was actually telling that she needed to be a saintess first and he would not be touching her because she needs to be chaste first.

She could accept posing the lewd part but she could not accept being the chaste part. And why Shen Lie could not pick a harem instead of sticking with only one Carnation Goddess?

But Shen Lie did not go after her; it was because he was thinking of the identity of his Carnation Goddess that had her back facing him and he could never capture her alluring slim body.

He could only weakly say, "Maybe Maiden Jie Ying is not the one…"

The day that he could complete the Carnation Goddess Painting was the day that he could choose his Carnation Goddess and completed his 100th profound treasure great dao. And the boundaryu of his cultivation realm would also increase to a new height.

But after seeing Jie Ying in tears, he had also remembered the bitter tears that were dripped by Saintess Sheng Feiyan in his soul sea...

Shen Lie trembled as he began to question himself slowly, "But I am a cultivator that pursues the ultimate dao of my own cultivation, am I right? Or this world has no need of a soul cultivator like me anymore?"

-----------------------

Author Note:

1. Shen Lie is confused right now.

2. What is Ji Yuan's wooden box doing here?

3. Happy 2023 New Year!