Chapter 1357: Spoiling the Wife

Venerable Zhenyan repeatedly retreated, as if facing a terrifying beast.

"You, what are you doing here again?" she stammered. "I told you not to come find me anymore."

Jiang Fan stood outside the secret chamber and said, "I just came to say goodbye. The Bodhisattva is coming to enlighten me. Perhaps, this is our last time..."

Before he finished speaking, the stone door immediately opened.

Venerable Zhenyan's face showed a hint of urgency: "Are you just going to let him enlighten you?"However, she then realized that Jiang Fan showed no urgency. Instead, he said with a half-smile, "You're very worried about me being taken away, aren't you?"

Venerable Zhenyan then realized that Jiang Fan had deliberately provoked her to open the door. Embarrassed and angry, she raised her hand to close the stone door, snapping, "You scoundrel, you'd better sever your worldly ties soon!"

But before the stone door closed, Jiang Fan swiftly slipped inside. His large hand unceremoniously wrapped around her soft, slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Venerable Zhenyan was instantly enveloped in a burning embrace. Her body felt weak and soft, unable to exert any strength.

"Let go!" she said, struggling symbolically twice before submitting.

Jiang Fan tilted her chin up. "Your father was right," he said. "You pretend to despise me, but your body is very honest."

Venerable Zhenyan lightly punched him. "You're still making fun of me!" she exclaimed. "If I had known earlier, I should have followed the example of other factions and sealed off your Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's teleportation array."

Jiang Fan smiled without speaking, simply holding the beauty in his arms quietly.

Venerable Zhenyan and Immortal Yunshang had somewhat similar experiences with him. The difference was that after Immortal Yunshang was with him, she became gentle as water. Venerable Zhenyan, however, still showed a little resistance, like a kitten unwilling to be tamed, occasionally trying to scratch him with her small paws.

"Hey, are you really not worried about the Bodhisattva enlightening you?" she asked. "When I received the notice from White Horse Temple, I was genuinely worried for you. I've been in Taicang Great State for so many years and have never seen the Bodhisattva leave White Horse Temple. His intention to enlighten you is absolutely serious!"

Jiang Fan grew serious and asked, "Are you confident you can deal with him?" One of the reasons he had come to Venerable Zhenyan was to discuss how to handle the Bodhisattva's enlightenment. Among the Venerables in Taicang Great State, Zhenyan was undoubtedly the one he trusted the most.

But Venerable Zhenyan shook her head. "I'm not confident," she said. "When we ascended to the Celestial Realm together back then, he sustained the lightest injuries. It's hard to say what his current strength is, but he's undoubtedly stronger than both me and Venerable Xinye."

Jiang Fan nodded slightly. Previously, a single Buddhist chant from the Bodhisattva had caused Venerable Xinye to fall into a daze for several breaths. If they were to fight head-on, Venerable Xinye would probably be long dead. Therefore, the Bodhisattva's strength was definitely above both Zhenyan and Xinye.

"It's fine," Jiang Fan said. "It's enough if you can just hold him off for a while. As fellow Venerables of Taicang Great State, even if you can't defeat him, he won't do anything to you."

To his surprise, Venerable Zhenyan looked conflicted. "I'm afraid I can't help you," she said.

"Oh? Venerable Zhenyan wouldn't help him?" Jiang Fan wondered. "What, was their relationship not deep enough?"He chuckled and said, "Let's talk in bed."

Venerable Zhenyan was startled for a moment before understanding Jiang Fan's meaning. Angrily, she raised her foot and stepped on Jiang Fan's instep, saying with a blushing face, "You pervert!"

She glared fiercely at Jiang Fan before explaining the reason. "It's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I can't!" she said. "I once promised the Bodhisattva to do something for him. If I dare to protect you, he will surely demand that I fulfill my promise, making me mind my own business, or even requiring me to help capture you."

Jiang Fan frowned deeply. "How did you come to owe such a huge favor?" he asked, puzzled.

An unrestricted promise was a very heavy burden. Especially for a Venerable like Zhenyan, who was bound to fulfill her promises, it was deadly. If the Bodhisattva were to demand she do something with a near-certain chance of death, she would be doomed either way.

Venerable Zhenyan sighed softly. "What else could it be for?" she said. "I've never asked anyone for a favor in my life. Only for Chenjing did I make an exception and seek help from the Bodhisattva."

She rested her forehead on Jiang Fan's shoulder, her voice weary. "Chenjing once failed in his attempt to break through to the Divine Transformation stage. When he resumed cultivation, he was too eager for quick success and suffered several cultivation deviations, making him unable to cultivate any further. So, I asked the Bodhisattva to intervene and seal away his past cultivation memories, making him mistakenly believe it was his first time cultivating. That's how he got back on track."

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. No wonder when he had dealt with Chenjing before, he hadn't detected any mindset of a second cultivation attempt from him.

Venerable Zhenyan continued, "Later, when he stumbled upon the misunderstanding between you and me in bed, he was deeply stimulated. His sealed memories were thus unlocked, making him recall his past and his covetous desire for me, which ultimately led to the current situation."

Jiang Fan fully understood. No wonder Chenjing's personality had changed so much and his cultivation had rapidly increased in a short period. It was because he had recovered his past memories.

He gently patted Venerable Zhenyan's back and kissed her forehead. "You sacrificed so much for him, yet he didn't realize it," he said. "It must have been difficult for you."

Agreeing to an unrestricted request from the Bodhisattva was practically risking her life to reopen a cultivation path for Chenjing. Unfortunately, he didn't cherish it.

For the first time, Venerable Zhenyan opened her heart to someone, and her heart softened. Her body, too, softly relaxed into Jiang Fan's embrace, no longer resisting. "It's all in the past now, it doesn't matter anymore," she said. "The problem now is what you should do?"

"Besides the Grand Wine Offering Priest, no one can protect you from the Bodhisattva," she said. "However, the Grand Wine Offering Priest strictly adheres to the state laws and never shows favoritism. It's not forbidden by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for the Bodhisattva to enlighten someone. Therefore, he can't help you either."

Jiang Fan deeply agreed. The most typical example was the Grand Wine Offering Priest of Great Desolate State, that drunkard. To counterbalance the six great demonic Venerables, she hadn't directly intervened; instead, she had let the Millennium Ginkgo Tree control them.

Given this, the Grand Wine Offering Priest also couldn't help. Jiang Wuya was currently nowhere to be found, and Lvzhu was inconvenient to keep by his side. He could only resist the Bodhisattva's enlightenment alone.

Venerable Zhenyan suggested, "Why don't you go hide in another state again?"

Jiang Fan replied, "What's the use of fleeing to another state? Can I just never return to Taicang Great State? The Bodhisattva is from this state; he could simply wait at the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion for me to return."

Venerable Zhenyan subtly frowned. "Then what should we do?" she asked.

Jiang Fan's eyes flickered slightly. "Don't worry," he said, "I have a fallback plan." He let go of Venerable Zhenyan and took out a fist-sized crystal emanating a sacred aura. It was precisely the Saint's Crystallized Shed, capable of reversing ancient giants.

He cut off a small piece and gave it to Venerable Zhenyan. "When you encounter a Giant King in the future," he said, "try to inject this into his body. If the opponent was transformed from an Asura, he will revert back to an Asura. In that case, you might be able to turn danger into safety."

Venerable Zhenyan was incredibly surprised and delighted. She had seen Jiang Fan use this item to revert a Three-Crowned Asura King from his Giant King state. With this item, she would have an extra chance of survival in a desperate situation if she encountered such a transformed Giant King. "Thank you, Jiang Fan!" Venerable Zhenyan happily accepted it.

Jiang Fan smiled. This was his second reason for seeking out Venerable Zhenyan. She was already his woman, and she would soon face the most ferocious Giant Kings. Of course, he couldn't be stingy.

Suddenly, he noticed a spiritual pond inside the room. Inside were nine fish, their bodies glowing with spiritual light. Jiang Fan paused, startled, and muttered, "These fish look strangely familiar."