Chapter 275: Courting Humiliation

"Jiang Qing'e, what's the meaning of this!?" Duze Honglian spat as she remained chest down on the bed, afraid to get up.

"If I were a Heavenly Dipper General, I could cleanse the corruption by myself," Jiang Qing'e said calmly. "But I'm not. So I need a helper."

"There are many qualified female students around, couldn't you get them?! What could a second-tier Resonant Master like Li Luo do?!"   

"He has dual resonances. Even though he can't hold it for long, the power he can produce is of a higher level than any of us. It's best suited to take down the corruption.

"Besides, Li Luo was taken in by the grinning demon's corrupting illusion realm once before. He broke out by himself thanks to his dual resonances, and he was completely uncorrupted afterwards.

"Something that none of you managed."

Duze Honglian couldn't believe her ears. A corrupting illusion realm powerful enough to trip up veterans like themselves—a mere second-tier Resonant Master had beaten them?

Then again, Jiang Qing'e had never been one to lie about these things.

Could Li Luo really be the one to help her cleanse the corruption?

She squirmed uneasily at the thought, her naked back exposed to Li Luo. If he was going to put his filthy hands all over her skin, she would probably faint.

"Duze Honglian, I'll say it once again. I have no time to care about your pride or modesty. When the grinning demon appears, it will trigger the corruption in your body, make you its puppet, and force you to turn on us. I will not have that happen," Jiang Qing'e said severely.

"Shelve your pride. Remember how badly it served you when it drove you to get those purification tower points and landed you in this."

Duze Honglian bit back an angry retort, the shame of the truth burning within her. She turned her head to the other side, implying her acceptance of Li Luo's presence.

Li Luo walked forward a little sheepishly. Jiang Qing'e had been pretty harsh.

"Must I really be here?" he whispered. "Seems a little inappropriate." 

"Life and death is at hand," Jiang Qing'e said, face unchanging. "Every other detail is minor. Besides, I only need you to help suppress the grinning face for a moment. Nothing else."

"Er, got it. What do you need me to do?"

"Use your dual resonances to scatter the face for a moment, separating the link with her flesh. I'll cleanse it then," Jiang Qing'e said tersely.

Li Luo nodded. A simple enough plan.

He carefully examined the grin on Duze Honglian's back, sizing up the problem.

Her figure was very good, and her skin was lustrous in areas not touched by the grin’s marring the complexion... He'd better stop staring, or Jiang Qing'e might kill him.

He called forth water and wood, resonant powers mixing within his palms in a soothing glow.

He pressed his palms against her back, and Duze Honglian stiffened at the contact. A light shiver ran down her spine at the warmth.

Weng!

The dual resonances attacked the grinning face.

A wrenching crack sounded, almost like a bone breaking. The grin was smashed right through the center, and the remnants formed thin, black lines that escaped deeper into the flesh.

Duze Honglian grunted in pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

This was even worse than before.

Jiang Qing'e pounced, her light resonant energy shining forth from one hand as she poured the purification dust with the other.

Purification dust infused with light resonant energy. It fell like golden sand, glittering and dancing on Duze Honglian's back.

Phish!

Black steam began to billow from Duze Honglian's back, escaping from every pore at speed.

Li Luo was encouraged by this. It meant the cleansing was working.

This process lasted for an entire hour.

Finally, Duze Honglian's back was no longer a billowing chimney of black smoke. When the last wisp faded away into the air, the grinning face was completely gone.

Jiang Qing'e retched from the exertion. She then wiped the sweat from her brow and squatted down. The cleansing was a straightforward process, but it had demanded clockwork control over her resonant power as she forced each piece of the corruption out of the body.

Duze Honglian looked to be in equally bad shape, fatigued by the various powers fighting within her body.

"What are you waiting for? Get him out of here!" she snarled weakly.

Jiang Qing'e nodded to Li Luo. "Go on first."

Li Luo shrugged. It's me, Li Luo, your tool. Use me and throw me away.

Still, it was always prudent to keep a safe distance from a thorny rose like Duze Honglian. He left quickly.

Duze Honglian's body slumped down further with relief, her expression complex.

"Best not pull the you've-seen-me-naked, now-take-responsibility thing on my fiance," Jiang Qing'e said mildly. "There are many empty rooms in House Luolan, but you're welcome in none of them for hanky panky business."

Duze Honglian snorted. "You think a lady like me would hanker after your little rascal?"

Then she suddenly smiled. "Say, Jiang Qing'e, at a crook of my finger, I could have Li Luo infatuated over me and divorcing you. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"You?" Jiang Qing'e said with a half-smile.

Duze Honglian felt vaguely humiliated by that. In the privacy of the room, she came to her knees, arching her back sensuously and showing off the full beauty of her curves.

"I what?"

Jiang Qing'e stood up, crossing her arms across her own ample chest.

"Not bad, I guess. But in all these years, when have you ever beaten me in anything? You'll just be courting more humiliation."