Smack. She heard the sound of skin touching skin. It was a hesitant, gentle contact—nothing dramatic. Lady Simone was still broadcasting her audio drama live, but for some reason, Princess Embroidered Jade could only hear that one sound. Instantly, she felt a burning heat—some radiating from The Fool’s muscles and skin, some flaring up from deep inside herself.
The feeling was strange—totally different from any normal touch. Her arm trembled a little, and she wanted more, so she started moving her palm up and down. The Fool shot her a weird look, clueless why she was rubbing his right arm, but for Princess Embroidered Jade, this was a seismic event.
Maybe her mind was too drained to handle all five senses at once, so she focused everything on the feeling of skin. Sight and sound faded away. It was only a short distance, but with all her attention, it felt like a long journey. Skin on skin—touching, rubbing, pressing—sent a continuous current straight to her heart.
Her breathing grew heavier.
Then her eyes landed on The Fool’s hand. She wanted to try grabbing it. Her slender fingers slid down, brushing over his muscles like plucking a guitar string, hesitating a bit before stopping at his wrist. The pulse there throbbed powerfully, mixing with the ever-louder cries from Lady Simone’s audio drama, pounding at her heart like waves, driving her to go even further.
“No… I can’t…” She struggled, like someone caught in a nightmare trying desperately to wake up, but powerless. She drifted between clarity and dizziness. Her delicate fingers stopped moving, but couldn’t let go either. She lost track of time; her whole body felt hot and sweaty. A quick glance down—she really was drenched in sweat. Her long legs glistened, and her shirt clung to her chest, showing off every curve.
Suddenly, the scene struck her as oddly intense—a primal emotion was calling out to her. The sounds outside reached a fever pitch, tightening like a force building up to its breaking point, waiting to explode. In her daze, Princess Embroidered Jade almost saw a hallucination, and instinctively gripped The Fool’s wrist tighter.
“No… no…” She squeezed her eyes shut in pain, then suddenly opened them. Something inside her was boiling, and the second wave of mental collapse was getting stronger—she could barely resist. Rather than let Lady Simone torment her into oblivion with sound, she’d rather muster her last bit of sanity and fight back! Princess Embroidered Jade suddenly stood up, gritting her teeth and heading for the cave entrance.
Princess Embroidered Jade bit her lip, using pain and a surge of murderous intent to suppress the hallucinations and focus her will. Her steps were shaky, but her energy burst out as she bolted forward. Suddenly, she felt something tighten around her waist—a pair of strong arms hugged her from behind.
It was The Fool!
"Let—let go of me!" Princess Embroidered Jade struggled, her internal energy crashing wildly, causing the cave’s temperature to plummet. But The Fool didn’t let go. He braced his leg at the cave entrance to stop her charge, then pulled her down in a wrestling throw.
Bang! They hit the ground. The Fool cushioned the fall with his body, then rolled over and pinned her beneath him. He grabbed Princess Embroidered Jade’s wrists and held them firmly to the ground. Her struggles faded fast—she couldn’t summon half her usual strength. The rush of masculine energy made her go weak, and her forced willpower scattered completely. As Lady Simone’s audio drama reached its climax, with the leads screaming their lungs out, Princess Embroidered Jade felt herself slipping into the abyss.
"Ahem." The Fool cleared his throat, testing his voice, then leaned in and whispered, "Hey, hey, wake up! Snap out of it!"
His voice wasn’t loud, but it somehow cut deep into her core. Even in the chaos, Princess Embroidered Jade’s mind snapped clear. Amid Lady Simone’s sonic barrage, there was finally a crack in the wall.
Just that one crack was enough for her to catch her breath!
She shook her head desperately, then bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Finally, a bit of clarity returned to her eyes. "You okay?" The Fool let go of her wrists. "What just happened? Don’t rush out there—it’s way too dangerous."
Princess Embroidered Jade patted her face and shook her head. "No, it’s hopeless. Lady Simone’s Sound Skill can’t be broken—I can’t focus my will, and if I try to force out the poison, I’ll fail completely." She struggled to her feet. "If we just sit here, we’re doomed. Our only chance is to break out. While I’ve still got some strength, let’s run—split up. When she comes for me, you use that chance to escape the cave."
"Wait, you—"
"No time!" Princess Embroidered Jade suddenly remembered something crucial. She mustered her energy and whispered, "Right, Flower Shifter doesn’t know the full Bright Moon Divine Skill because her realm isn’t high enough. I—I’ll give you the complete Bright Moon Divine Skill and the true heirloom of our kingdom: the Supreme Spirit Affection Way. Swear to me—you must teach Flower Shifter the entire method!"
"No, listen to me first—"
"Swear it—now!" Princess Embroidered Jade grabbed The Fool’s shoulders, sounding just like an anxious little girl.
The Fool nodded. "Alright, but—"
"Alright means alright, no buts." Princess Embroidered Jade said weakly, "I may die today, so as the Princess Protector of the Flower Kingdom, I order you—effective immediately, you’re the Protector of our royal line. Heaven be my witness, if I fall, I’ll end myself. Now, listen—the secret of the Bright Moon Divine Skill is…" She was just about to continue when she suddenly staggered and fell to the side.
The Fool quickly caught her, holding her steady. Smack—a finger flicked her forehead, leaving Princess Embroidered Jade stunned. The Fool chuckled, "Don’t be so eager for a dramatic sacrifice. Let me finish what I’m saying first." He cleared his throat, as if preparing something, then asked, "Listen again—does it sound different now?"
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more!)
Princess Embroidered Jade didn’t even have the energy to struggle, but after hearing The Fool’s words, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Sound—Sound Skill?" She hadn’t noticed it at the edge of chaos, but now she clearly felt that The Fool’s words had cracked open a corner of Lady Simone’s Sound Skill, letting in a breath of cool air.
"How is that possible? How could it be Sound Skill?" Princess Embroidered Jade forced herself to sit up and looked The Fool up and down. "You… don’t tell me you’ve mastered the Bright Jade Technique?" Her voice definitely carried real internal energy—weak, but genuine.
"Yep." The Fool nodded. "I’ve started learning the Bright Jade Technique, so now I can use the Heavenly Dragon Way Sound." To be precise, he had about a year’s worth of cultivation.
"No way!" Princess Embroidered Jade was so shocked, she forgot all about Lady Simone’s Sound Skill for a moment. "In this environment, even sensing qi is harder than climbing to heaven—how did you…"
"What’s wrong with this environment?" The Fool looked completely clueless about why she was so surprised.
"What’s wrong? Everything’s wrong! With innate-level Sound Skill interference, any beginner trying to cultivate here would fry their brains in no time! You’d be lucky not to turn into a vegetable after a minute! So how did you… Wait, could you really have a Dustless Mind? Only someone with a true Dustless Mind could stay perfectly calm in this chaos!"
"Even if you do have a Dustless Mind, you still need to build up your internal energy. How did you manage that?" Princess Embroidered Jade was still struggling to accept it.
The Fool pointed at the pile of glowing stones. "With those."
Only now did Princess Embroidered Jade notice the stones. This weird cave and those glowing rocks should’ve stood out, but everything had happened so fast she’d ignored them. She vaguely remembered The Fool knocking a few off the wall earlier, but thought he was just messing around with them as instruments.
But now, she realized—ordinary stones couldn’t be used as musical instruments. These stones glimmered like stardust, and there was definitely something off about them!
Princess Embroidered Jade picked up a stone and examined it carefully. She tried to think, but suddenly felt dizzy, as if she might faint. She shook her head, forced herself to focus, and finally remembered an old legend. She couldn’t help but exclaim, "Could it be… Stardust Crystal Stone?!"