Second Encounter with Jasmine - Part 2

"Did you try to trick this princess?" Xing Tong suddenly asked, still held in Jasmine's arms.

"This princess?" Jasmine grinned, imitating her. He sat down on the grass and placed Xing Tong on his lap. The girl showed no resistance and calmly gazed at his face, devoid of any emotion.

"Answer the question," Xing Tong couldn't understand why she couldn't be as stern and cruel with Jasmine as she could be with Yun Che. If it were Yun Che, she would force him to answer questions just as she had done before when he refused to kneel before her. Xing Tong simply stepped on his head, demanding recognition as her Master and a ritual bow with his forehead touching the ground.

"Yes, much of what I told you was untrue," Jasmine nodded without hesitation. He no longer needed to complete the task and meet the deadline, so he spoke to Xing Tong in the manner he desired. Jasmine had grown fond of this girl and wanted to become her guardian in some way, but he understood that this desire was not currently feasible. He needed to become stronger.

"...," Xing Tong, still gazing at his face, nodded as if affirming her thoughts. "Second question: Did you do something to me that time to make me reveal everything about myself?" She narrowed her eyes, attempting to release her murderous intent but then changed her mind, knowing it had no effect on Jasmine.

"Yes, but my intention was to gain your trust, not to acquire information about you. Your origins and identity don't matter to me," Jasmine answered with the same smile. He continued playing with Xing Tong's hair, never letting her go. He knew children enjoyed receiving attention, so he treated them the same way he treated his own children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was their beloved grandfather until they grew up and were corrupted by the realities of life. It pained Jasmine to witness the transformation of the innocent children he once played with into adults who no longer saw him as a beloved figure but as a source of wealth. He dreaded the thought of how many of his children and grandchildren wished for his demise to inherit his property and wealth.

Xing Tong did not sense any falsehood in Jasmine's words. She had been looking into his eyes the entire time, as they could reveal a lot about a person. When she looked into his red eyes, all she saw was tenderness and love. However, it wasn't the love she had experienced as a girl; it felt more like the love of a relative.

"...Did you have a sister like me?" Xing Tong asked again after contemplating for a while. If he had a sister, it would help her understand why he looked at her in that manner.

No, I was the only one in the family.

"..." Xing Tong felt perplexed. "Then... why do you look at me like that?"

"It's a secret," Jasmine replied with a smile. He couldn't reveal that he felt like an old man at heart and saw her only as a child in need of guidance. If she knew, she might try to kill him.

"..." Xing Tong rolled her eyes at his response but didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she simply relished in the warmth she had long forgotten...

They sat in that position for over an hour until Xing Tong spoke up again.

"What about your strength? It surpassed the entire kingdom," Xing Tong asked skeptically. The last time she had seen him, Jasmine was in the Profound Realm, but now he had reached the True Profound Realm.

"I suppressed my power. Don't you think it would draw too much attention if a 13-year-old child were so strong?"

Xing Tong nodded as she leaned against his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

"By the way... I want to thank you for the life-giving water," Xing Tong expressed her gratitude. "Because of it, I didn't feel any pain when I saved that imbecile." She glanced at Yun Che, who was lying in the pool, recovering.

"Do you hate him?" Jasmine also looked at Yun Che, resting his chin on Xing Tong's head.

"Hm! I despise him!" Xing Tong recounted how Yun Che had spent the night with his little aunt on his wedding day and then attempted to flirt with his own wife. "And when he was expelled from the clan, he brought disaster upon himself in the form of people from the Xiao Sect. Now, this idiot is risking his life for the sake of training... though I am pleased that he finally understands that he is just an ant in this world and strives for more."

Xing Tong had already grasped Yun Che's character; he was a womanizer. However, he possessed knowledge, skills, and willpower that could rival even the supreme beings of these worlds.

"Haha..." Jasmine chuckled at Xing Tong's disdain. "He will achieve great heights in the future."

Xing Tong shivered. She turned her head to look into his red eyes and narrowed her own, asking a question.

"Your... 'prediction' again?"

"Maybe..." Jasmine replied.

They sat in silence for a while until Xing Tong spoke again.

"Listen... about the name 'princess'..."

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

Leaving the pool of black water, which contained the Demon Skull Vine with its potent poison that had also stimulated his body, Yun Che headed back to the waterfall.

"Hm! You spent ten seconds less in that pool than last time," Jasmine remarked haughtily as she appeared behind him.

"That's natural. Soon you'll see how I conquer this waterfall," Yun Che replied confidently, a fire of determination burning in his eyes and resonating in his voice. He refused to succumb to such a simple waterfall!

"Clap, clap."

"Just as you said, Jasmine, his willpower is astounding."

Bam!

Yun Che jumped to the side, turning around abruptly to face the source of the sound. Standing beside Jasmine was another child with white hair and red eyes. What shocked Yun Che the most was that Jasmine allowed this boy to be near her and address her so familiarly.

"Who are you?" Yun Che narrowed his eyes, cautiously sizing up the boy. If he was with Jasmine, he couldn't be an enemy, he reasoned.

"Call me Huang Sheng, Brother Yun," the boy introduced himself.

Yun Che immediately sensed a powerful oppressive aura emanating from Huang Sheng, despite his apparent age of thirteen. His instincts warned him to be cautious around this child.

"Huang Sheng? The Lightning Emperor? Quite arrogant, aren't you?" Yun Che felt a sense of apprehension, yet he trusted Jasmine. If she had brought this boy, he couldn't pose any threat to Yun Che.

[Huang Sheng - Lightning Emperor]

"You aren't even worthy of being around him with your current level of cultivation," Jasmine chuckled disapprovingly.

"..." Yun Che narrowed his eyes. He couldn't sense the boy's strength, but could he really be that powerful? "Jasmine... what level is he?"

"At thirteen, he's already at the True Stage 5 level," Jasmine replied, crossing her arms over her chest and observing Yun Che, who widened his eyes and blinked in disbelief.

"True Stage 5 at thirteen? Where did he come from!?" Yun Che took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"There's nothing surprising about it

, Brother Yun," Huang Sheng interjected, waving off Yun Che's astonishment. "You possess the Evil God Veins, so you will become even stronger soon."

"Evil God Veins!?" Yun Che exclaimed, shocked and annoyed. He thought the knowledge of his veins was a secret, and he stared intently at Jasmine, who turned her head away and avoided his gaze.

"That little witch spilled the beans!?" Yun Che muttered under his breath.

Jasmine, attempting to hide her embarrassment, snorted and interrupted him. "Don't you trust your master? If he knows, then he knows. But you keep quiet and don't disgrace this princess!"

"..." Yun Che found himself sweating. What kind of logic was this? He understood that girls sometimes thought illogically, but this was taking it to another level.

"Haha, calm down, Jasmine," Huang Sheng laughed, patting Yun Che's head, much to Yun Che's bewilderment.

Yun Che was at a loss for words. Jasmine, who had presented herself as cold and merciless, was now embarrassed like a child and turned away.

"I'm going to sleep," Jasmine declared.

"Brother Yun, we won't bother you anymore," Huang Sheng said, walking away from the waterfall. He found a spot under one of the trees and simply closed his eyes.

Once they were alone, Yun Che whispered to Jasmine, "Did you tell him about the Evil God Veins? Didn't you say there would be a huge price to pay for that information?"

Jasmine turned away from Yun Che, attempting to conceal her embarrassment.

"Hm! This princess knows what she's doing. Huang Sheng will be a valuable ally in the future. Don't disappoint me!" Jasmine said, walking over to sit next to Huang Sheng.

"...I don't understand anything anymore," Yun Che muttered, shaking his head. He refocused his attention on his training, determined to conquer the waterfall.