Chapter 519: Watch Me Confess for You

The Laundry Maid was reluctant to fight Lu Yang and his companions, but that did not mean she was incapable of it.

To think they actually fantasized about defeating her—did they truly believe she was made of clay?

A scroll hovered in midair, and from it surged an endless torrent of water, pouring down like an overturned waterfall to fill the entire secret chamber.

Seeing this, Lu Yang grabbed Squire Song by the collar and bolted for the exit; while he himself would be fine, Squire Song was a mere mortal and would drown within a minute if trapped inside.

The moment the four of them breached the surface, a resounding crash echoed behind them as the small building housing the secret chamber burst apart, and the water from the painting erupted like a subterranean spring, churning violently upward as the Laundry Maid stood atop the cresting waves, looking down at Lu Yang.

Lu Yang’s lips accidentally brushed against a few stray droplets, and his expression shifted as if he had made a momentous discovery.

"This is... fresh water!"

Tao Yaoye: "?"

Lan Ting: "?"

What on earth was Senior Brother Lu Yang talking about?

Why was he tasting it for salinity, and besides, wasn't it perfectly normal for it to be fresh water?

Feeling the bewildered gazes of his two junior sisters, Lu Yang gave a dry cough and feigned innocence.

Ever since the water ghost incident in Hanshui City, it had became a reflex for him to determine whether an opponent used saltwater or freshwater.

With a flick of her sleeves, the Laundry Maid split the rushing spring beneath her feet into three torrents, which coalesced into three massive water pythons that lunged toward the trio.

Utterly fearless, Lu Yang drew his Qingfeng Sword, unleashing an soaring surge of sword qi that cleaved the water python in two; though the serpent should have reconstituted itself, the strike was infused with countless microscopic slivers of sword qi that continuously pierced the water droplets, denying them any chance to reform.

Tao Yaoye unfurled her Thousand Illusion Umbrella, its brilliant red canopy serving as a sturdy shield that shattered the charging water python into formless spray upon impact.

The sash wrapped around Lan Ting’s waist flew forward, extending and lengthening to bind the water python rushing her way; the serpent thrashed wildly upon the ground, causing the earth to tremble as it desperately tried to break free from the ribbon's restraint.

"Good, very good! I truly underestimated you lot!" The Laundry Maid was secretly alarmed; her sudden ambush was potent enough to catch an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator off guard, yet it had been effortlessly deflected by these three youngsters.

"Disperse!"

At her command, the three water pythons melted like winter snow into a puddle on the ground, only to instantly reassemble into a waterfall spanning dozens of feet.

The cascading torrent crashed down, submerging the three of them.

"Ensnare!"

As the word left her lips, Lu Yang and his companions, the water from the painting, and the Laundry Maid herself vanished entirely, leaving behind only the bewildered Squire Song and the scroll that clattered onto the ground.

"Are we inside the painting?" Lu Yang muttered, looking down at his hands, which were now devoid of skin, bone, or blood—rendered in sharp, vivid shades of black and white.

He had become a figure within a painting, his entire being composed of splashed ink.

"Junior Sister Tao and Junior Sister Lan are nowhere to be seen; we must have been separated. That Laundry Maid actually possesses some wit."

This was not his first encounter with such a technique; back when his senior brothers and sisters took turns thrashing him, a senior sister skilled in the Dao of Painting had used this exact trick on him.

The method to break it was simple: defeat the caster to escape the ink-wash state.

Of course, if the caster defeated Lu Yang, he would also be ejected from the painting, though there was no need to dwell on how he came to know that particular detail.

"Is this inside the painting?"

Lan Ting observed her surroundings and quickly came to a realization.

The Laundry Maid stepped out from the shadows, prompting Lan Ting to raise her guard.

The Laundry Maid raised a hand to stay her. "Do not strike, I bear no ill intent."

"Little girl, name any wish and I shall grant it for you. The price is that you must spare my life."

From their brief exchange, the Laundry Maid knew that facing all three at once was impossible; it was far wiser to divide and conquer.

Wishes and prices were the fundamental laws established by the creator of the scroll, rules that even the Laundry Maid herself had to abide by.

Failing to fulfill an accepted wish would bring punishment, whereas successfully granting it would elevate her combat prowess to an entirely new tier.

"Any wish at all?" Lan Ting asked, her suspicion unabated.

"Speak freely, so long as it lies within my power."

Lan Ting ventured tentatively, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "For instance... if I confess to Senior Brother Lu Yang, could you make him accept me?"

The Laundry Maid scrutinized Lan Ting, noting her fair features and fine figure—precisely the type men adored.

"That is easily done."

With a twist of her body, the Laundry Maid transformed into an exact replica of Lan Ting. "Watch as I confess on your behalf!"

A nearly identical scene unfolded where Tao Yaoye was trapped, leaving the Laundry Maid utterly baffled as to what kind of charm this male cultivator possessed to have two such beauties so thoroughly infatuated with him.

"Senior Brother Lu Yang, we finally found you."

Splitting her form into two, the Laundry Maid assumed the guises of Lan Ting and Tao Yaoye, running toward Lu Yang with expressions of manufactured terror.

The two maidens threw themselves at him, leaving Lu Yang completely at a loss.

He had never encountered a situation like this before.

The duplicate Tao Yaoye looked up at him with tear-rimmed eyes, her face flushed like cherry blossoms, leaning against his chest enticingly. "Senior Brother Lu Yang, truth be told, I have always..."

The duplicate Lan Ting chimed in hastily, "Truth be told, this maiden feels the same..."

Lu Yang held up a hand, cutting them both off. "Junior sisters, how could I not understand your sentiments? Yet we are fellow disciples of the same sect; to engage in such a matter would violate proper ethics. How would the world perceive us?"

The false Tao Yaoye countered with fierce determination, "Senior Brother, I care nothing for the world's judgment!"

The false Lan Ting pressed urgently from the side, "Exactly, Senior Brother! What does the world’s opinion matter to us? We live for ourselves; why should we care what others think? Can their opinions dictate everything?"

Lu Yang grew increasingly conflicted, the weight of propriety pressing heavily upon him. "But my cultivation is still lacking and my experience insufficient. I fear I am not nearly as flawless as you imagine."

"It matters not, Senior Brother, being imperfect is fine."

"Yes, yes! Who in this world is truly flawless?"

Lu Yang shook his head. "It is still improper. Even if I were to agree, would the Sixth Elder and Palace Master Luo ever permit such an absurdity?"

"They will permit it!"

Lu Yang felt he had been tactful enough, but seeing his junior sisters so unyielding, he could only lay it bare: "But both of you possess Immortal Physiques, while I possess a Sword Spiritual Root and know nothing of your constitutions. Even if you take me as your master, I would have nothing to teach you."

"Take you as our master?"

"Indeed. Is it not because you saw my grand display in the finals, where I became the premier cultivator of the mid-Gold Core stage, that you wish to take me as your master?"

Having lived through two lifetimes without ever experiencing romance, Lu Yang was thoroughly incapable of comprehending the intricacies of a maiden's heart; even his Invincible Pill offered no guidance here.

However, he possessed a cheat code in the form of the Immortal Fairy. When she first awakened, she had confidently declared that as a woman herself, she understood the female mind better than anyone and could easily help Lu Yang pursue any maiden he fancied.

Even if the Fairy was unreliable in every other aspect, she surely understood these matters better than he did.

The Laundry Maid stood frozen.

The confession had failed, the wish went unfulfilled, and the Laundry Maid's aura plummeted instantly. Unable to sustain the painted realm any longer, the scroll forcefully expelled the three of them.

She stared at Lu Yang as if facing a mortal enemy. "I truly underestimated you... to think you had deduced my rules so flawlessly!"

Lu Yang's mind was a blank slate of confusion, entirely unable to grasp what the Laundry Maid was talking about.

And why, for no apparent reason, had they suddenly been let out?

Wasn't the goal to defeat the caster?

(End of this chapter)