Chapter 3409: The Terrifying Mistress Tender Flower

But Mistress Tender Flower had no intention of allowing Daoist Chu to focus.

She leaned forward, resting her withered cheek on her palm. "This move of yours is quite bold. I like bold men."

Daoist Chu’s hand shook.

She giggled. "Oh, your fingers are trembling. Do you tremble like that when you hold hands too?"

Daoist Chu almost dropped his piece.

From the spectators area, Cattaleya was already pounding her fist on the floor, unable to breathe due to laughter. If not for the fact that there was a soul isolating barrier that didn’t let outside sounds disturb the competitors, her actions would have caused quite a bit of ruckus.

And it wasn’t jut Cattaleya either. Meng Bai and Elyon had given up and were laughing silently, clutching their stomachs. Lin Mu remained stunned, his expression frozen somewhere between disbelief and horror.

Mistress Tender Flower reached across the board and patted Daoist Chu’s hand. "Relax, dear. There is no need to be so tense. We are only playing Xiangqi. Later we can play other games."

Daoist Chu’s soul left his body again.

The match continued.

Mistress Tender Flower made aggressive and brilliant moves even while flirting relentlessly.

"Careful, little one, you are about to lose your chariot. You must protect your important pieces. Especially your heart. Unless you want to give it to me."

Daoist Chu nearly threw the board off the table.

"Senior," he whispered through gritted teeth, "can we please focus on the game."

"I am focusing," she said while blowing him another kiss. "On two games at once."

Daoist Chu wanted to cry.

Five more minutes passed.

Daoist Chu’s concentration eroded steadily like sand under ocean waves.

Mistress Tender Flower kept talking.

"Oh, that was a lovely move. Did someone teach you that? Or are you naturally talented in positions?"

Daoist Chu choked.

"That expression you just made was adorable," she added. "I want to see it again later."

Daoist Chu placed down his piece with shaking hands.

Mistress Tender Flower smiled and leaned even closer.

"You smell nice. Very nice. I would love to get closer later."

Daoist Chu could not take it anymore.

THUD

He slammed his hands on the table and stood up abruptly.

"I forfeit!" he said loudly.

The entire pavilion went silent.

Mistress Tender Flower blinked, disappointed. "Oh my. Already? We barely reached the midpoint."

Daoist Chu backed away step by step, trembling. He turned around.

WHOOSH

And ran.

He ran out of the pavilion, across the walkway, and sprinted straight toward the riverbank before promptly bending over and vomiting violently into the bushes.

Behind him, Cattaleya burst into such uncontrollable laughter that she fell off her seat. Meng Bai and Elyon were wiping tears from their eyes. Even a few elders in the pavilion chuckled knowingly.

Lin Mu simply stared, speechless, trying to process what he had just witnessed.

Mistress Tender Flower sighed dramatically, placed her hands on her hips, and said loudly, "Young people these days have no stamina."

Daoist Chu, who was still retching miserably in the distance, heard her and nearly collapsed again.

A few minutes later, Daoist Chu staggered back toward the others after purging every trace of terror from his stomach. His normally elegant robes were wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and his face had gone pale enough to resemble a haunted jade statue.

The moment he arrived, Cattaleya clapped her hands loudly and grinned as if she had just watched the performance of a lifetime.

"That," she said with a dramatic flourish, "was the greatest Xiangqi match I have ever witnessed. Truly, a masterpiece."

Meng Bai nodded with way too much enthusiasm. "I did not understand even half the moves but I understood the suffering. Those were profound techniques."

Elyon smirked behind his sleeve. "Master Daoist Chu, you have my deepest respect. You fought bravely."

Lin Mu placed a hand on Daoist Chu’s shoulder in sympathy.

"I am sorry," he said sincerely. "Truly sorry. I did not expect such an opponent."

He truly felt that even when compared to the Ephemera Tree, Mistress Tender Flower was a far more fearsome foe.

Cattaleya leaned forward. "Oh, I fully expected it. A woman named Tender Flower? Of course she would be terrifying. The more harmless the name, the more dangerous the being."

Daoist Chu glared weakly. "Please... please stop."

But Cattaleya was only getting started.

"But the way she looked at you," she continued, wiping tears from her eyes, "that spark in her gaze. The passion. The hunger. Daoist Chu, she likes you."

Daoist Chu twitched. "Enough."

Meng Bai chimed in with a serious nod. "Master Daoist Chu, you should be honored. She only flirts with handsome men."

"That is not comforting!" he snapped, mortified. "That is significantly worse!"

Even Elyon, the calmest one of the group, could not suppress a snort. "At least you did not lose because of poor skill. You lost because of psychological warfare."

Daoist Chu collapsed onto a bench and covered his face with both hands. "Do not remind me. My mind is still tainted."

Cattaleya grinned wickedly. "So what you are saying is... she defeated your mind before she defeated your king?"

Daoist Chu looked ready to vomit again.

Lin Mu stepped in before Cattaleya pushed too far. "Alright, let him rest. He still faced a formidable opponent."

"Formidable?" Cattaleya scoffed. "That woman is the incarnation of torment wrapped in pink silk."

Daoist Chu moaned. "Please stop describing her."

Meng Bai whispered thoughtfully continuing the teasing, "Master Chu, at least she seems very fond of you. She may bring gifts."

Daoist Chu jolted upright. "If she brings anything, I am running."

But fate had no intention of allowing him to escape so easily.

Half an hour later, as they prepared to leave the pavilion, Lin Mu’s sword heart trembled slightly.

He turned.

The others followed his gaze.

Mistress Tender Flower was approaching.

Daoist Chu made a sound similar to a dying duck.

She was holding something.

Many somethings.

And it did not please Daoist Chu at all.

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