Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 363 Heavy Rain Pear Blossom Needle

Chen Jie took the wine glass with one hand and smiled calmly:

"Master Ruan, I've long admired you!"

After saying that, Chen Jie placed the wine glass on the table.

Everyone around looked at Ruan Qingzhu.

but,

In everyone's eyes, Ruan Qingzhu seemed very ordinary in every way.

Not only her figure, but even her appearance, no one felt that she was outstanding.

She's not ugly, but she definitely can't be called beautiful.

When Xu Shichang introduced Ruan Qingzhu earlier, he referred to her as one of the three beauties along the Qinhuai River.

Everyone was very surprised, thinking that Lord Xu Shichang had said that on purpose to save face for Ruan Qingzhu.

This is the remarkable characteristic of the [Charm Technique] when cultivated to the state of being colorless and formless.

Originally, her appearance and figure were almost breathtakingly beautiful.

but,

At this moment, no one around them, including He Guangbao, who was extremely skilled in martial arts, saw anything unusual about Ruan Qingzhu.

Her allure could overshadow her unparalleled beauty.

Because Chen Jie cultivated a mental power technique, which happened to be incompatible with the [Charm Technique].

Therefore,
Ruan Qingzhu's seductive skills had absolutely no effect on Chen Jie.

Next, Ruan Qingzhu toasted and greeted the other adults around her.

She sat down naturally next to Chen Jie and said with a smile:
"Your Excellency has taken such good care of my Qingzhufang since you first came to Jinling. Tonight, I will make sure you have a good time."

finished,

She gently wrapped one arm around Chen Jie's arm, leaning against his side like a little bird seeking shelter.

Her seductive skills were not deliberately applied, but rather displayed naturally and effortlessly.

Fortunately, Chen Jie had already cultivated his "Bible Spiritual Cultivation Techniques" to the fifth level, otherwise it would have been difficult to detect.

While talking,

Ruan Qingzhu poured Chen Jie another full glass of wine, and then poured one for herself as well.

She held a wine glass, nestled beside Chen Jie, and brought the glass to his lips.

This scene has a distinctly romantic and poetic feel to it.

Chen Jie smiled calmly, and naturally put one arm around Ruan Qingzhu's waist.

Ruan Qingzhu narrowed her eyes, and the moment Chen Jie's hand wrapped around her, her body trembled.

Then,

She felt as if all her strength had been drained, and in an instant, her entire delicate body nestled in Chen Jie's arms.

"you--!"

this moment,
Ruan Qingzhu's expression suddenly changed, and she looked up into Chen Jie's eyes.

Although her seductive skills were terrifyingly strong, her martial arts skills were not high.

Chen Jie had one arm around her waist, and with the other hand, he held up a wine glass, his gaze lingering on her eyes with a dreamy look.

"What's going on? Judging from his appearance, he's probably been bewitched by me."

"But why—?"

She tried to break free from Chen Jie's grasp, but found that she couldn't move at all.

At this moment, Chen Jie's gaze seemed to become increasingly unfocused as he said:
"Master Ruan, I'd like to offer you a toast."

finished,

Chen Jie picked up the wine glass on the table and brought it to her lips.

The key is,
His left arm was around Ruan Qingzhu's waist, making her unable to move.

Ruan Qingzhu's expression changed completely, but at this moment Chen Jie brought the wine glass to her lips, and she couldn't do anything, so she could only open her mouth and drink it all in one gulp.

Everyone around laughed when they saw this.

There's no way around it, this scene is quite suggestive.

A smile appeared on Xu Shichang's face.

Heroes have always loved beauties; this is an eternal law.

Chen Jie was young and promising; he was not only the Grand Commander of Ximen Hall but also the Governor-General of Shandong.

Moreover, soon after he marries Princess Lingyue, he will become the prince consort.

If Chen Jie has always remained unmoved and possessed a deep and unsettling mind...

Then,

Xu Shichang and all the officials around him felt an invisible distance from him.

Now, seeing Chen Jie in front of a beautiful woman, it seems he hasn't restrained himself at all.

Suddenly, everyone around him felt that Chen Jie was approachable and easy to get along with.

Ruan Qingzhu tried to break free from Chen Jie's embrace, saying sweetly:
"Your Excellency, you are so strong, I can hardly breathe!"

She blinked her eyes, looking incredibly shy.

The others around couldn't help but laugh when they heard Ruan Qingzhu's voice.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jie, the commander of Ximen Hall, also liked this style.

but,

Why is he holding such an ordinary-looking Ruan Fangzhu?
Of all the dancers around her, which one wasn't more beautiful than her?

Only He Guangbao, sitting next to Xu Shichang, frowned slightly.

He was a fierce general by Guan Qilin's side, and his martial arts skills were unfathomable.

Obviously,

He could already sense that Ruan Qingzhu had used her seductive charm.

He noticed the expressions on the faces of everyone around him and wasn't surprised.

but,

Although Chen Jie seemed a little dazed, He Guangbao quickly realized that Chen Jie was faking it.

On the surface, Ruan Qingzhu appeared to be completely embraced by Chen Jie's arm.

She sat on Chen Jie's lap like a little bird nestled against him.

Under normal circumstances, in such places of entertainment, it's not inappropriate for people to just go along with the act.

but,

Ruan Qingzhu is no ordinary person.

He Guangbao had been sternly warned by Guan Qilin not to provoke Ruan Qingzhu lightly.

This woman's identity is not simple!
He originally wanted to remind Chen Jie.

But realizing that Chen Jie was not swayed by the [seductive arts], he shook his head and said nothing more.

Next,
Everyone laughed and relaxed.

The instruments began to play, and the dancers sang and danced.

Chen Jie, who was holding Ruan Qingzhu with one arm, loosened his grip slightly, took her hand, and said with a smile:
"Ruan Qingzhu! What a nice name. If I'm not mistaken, this isn't your real name, is it?"

Ruan Qingzhu was nestled in Chen Jie's arms, and when she saw that Chen Jie had let go of her, she tried to break free with all her might.

but,

For some reason, she couldn't break free from Chen Jie's control.

Chen Jie's hand was sometimes holding hers, sometimes around her waist.

Not only could she not break free, but she also felt completely powerless.

A moment later, she realized that her martial arts skills were far inferior to Chen Jie's.

Ruan Qingzhu's [Charm Technique] is at a very high level, but her martial arts level is only 'Great Perfection of Copper Skin Bright Strength'.

Her strength was never martial arts.

Therefore,
She tried to break free several times without success, and soon realized that her seductive skills could not affect the commander of Ximen Hall.

To those around them, it appeared as if the two were flirting.

Upon hearing Chen Jie's question, Ruan Qingzhu couldn't help but take a deep breath and force a smile onto her face as she replied:

“Governor, you’re mistaken. This is my real name. Why do you ask?”

Chen Jie nodded, a meaningful expression on his face, and said in a low voice:
"Oh? So that's your real name. That's interesting."

"Tell me, are you from the Taiping, or from the Green Gang?"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingzhu's body stiffened abruptly. The smile on her face also froze, and her breathing became labored.

"Governor, I don't understand what you mean? What Taiping and the Green Gang?"

in fact,

The moment Chen Jie sensed Ruan Qingzhu's aura, he knew she was a member of the martial arts world.

but,

He couldn't tell whether the other party was from the Taiping Ship or the Green Gang.

This is Nanjing, after all, and both the Green Gang and the Taiping Gang have their own forces stationed here.

Ruan Qingzhu's [seductive skills] are completely different from those of Lian'er, whom she met at Piaoxiang Tower.

Her seductive skills are not aggressive, but they are even more attractive.

Fortunately, Chen Jie had cultivated a method to temper his mental strength; otherwise, even if his Spirit Refining Realm had broken through to the 'Mid-Stage Guardian' stage, he would have been easily caught off guard.

The allure emanating from nature is even more deadly.

Seeing that Ruan Qingzhu was pretending to be deaf and dumb, Chen Jie was too lazy to waste words with her and went straight to the point:
"It seems that the influence of the Taiping and the Green Gang has been infiltrating Nanjing for quite some time."

"No wonder the rebels in eastern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu were able to gain momentum in one fell swoop and quickly gather an army of 300,000."

"You gangsters are rich and powerful, having purchased a large number of firearms and cannons. It seems you have big plans."

"What is your position and status within the gang? Are you in charge of this Green Bamboo Pavilion?"

"By the way, Qingzhufang! Hehe—you're from the Green Gang!?"

this moment,
Ruan Qingzhu's expression changed completely, and the smile on her face gradually disappeared.

She looked Chen Jie up and down with a look of horror, wondering how she had given herself away.

in fact,

When Ruan Qingzhu used her seductive skills, Chen Jie had already determined that she was a member of the gang.

To his surprise, the other party practiced seductive arts and had very strong mental power; he was unable to hear the other party's "inner thoughts"!
but,

During their conversation, Chen Jie quickly confirmed that Ruan Qingzhu was a member of the Green Gang by observing changes in the other party's emotions.

He then realized that the rebellions in eastern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu were mainly caused by the forces of the 'righteous groups'.

Although he was the Grand Commander of the 'Yituan' of the Daqian Dynasty.

but,

Ximentang had little power to restrain 'righteous groups' in other parts of the Daqian Dynasty.

Righteous organizations such as the Green Gang, Taipinghao, Gelaohui, and Red Lantern were far removed from Ximentang and were not under its jurisdiction at all.

The rebellions in eastern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu were very different from those in the Hanzhong region; they were not rebellions by vassal kings.

All of this was initiated by the "righteous group" forces, and several large gangs formed an alliance to launch an uprising together.

in fact,

Rebellion, often orchestrated by collusion between gangs, poses a far greater threat.

Because gangs have no principles, once they gain power, they burn, kill, plunder, and disregard the law.

Their methods were extremely cruel, and their gang members had very poor discipline.

Based on Chen Jie's understanding of the Taiping Ship and the Green Gang, this rebellion in eastern Zhejiang was definitely related to them.

Ruan Qingzhu was the head of Qingzhufang on the banks of the Qinhuai River, and his status in the Green Gang was not low.

and,

Xu Shichang and He Guangbao were both familiar with her, which shows that Ruan Qingzhu had been in Nanjing for a long time.

She was clearly not there to assassinate me, but rather to infiltrate Jinling Prefecture on purpose.

Because no one knew that Chen Jie would come to Jinling, and no one knew in advance that Chen Jie would follow Xu Shichang to Qingzhufang.

in addition,

Having heard Xu Shichang's true feelings, Chen Jie knew that the other party had no intention of harming him.

Therefore, the only explanation is that Qingzhufang has always been a property of the Green Gang, and it was a stronghold of the Green Gang in Nanjing.

The Green Gang's businesses were spread throughout the Great Qian Dynasty.

Originally, their base was in Songjiang Prefecture, but after Ximentang moved in, they cleaned up the entire Songjiang Prefecture several times.

The Green Gang had no choice but to withdraw from Songjiang Prefecture and move its headquarters to Hangzhou Prefecture.

Although he didn't know Ruan Qingzhu's purpose, he intuitively knew that the person in charge of Qingzhu Workshop wanted to deal with him.

She had clearly received orders from the higher-ups of the Green Gang.

Ruan Qingzhu did not answer Chen Jie's question, but from her expression, Chen Jie could basically guess the outcome.

Next,
Chen Jie let go of her hand and pulled Ruan Qingzhu to sit next to him.

Ruan Qingzhu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After breaking free from his embrace, a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and she looked wary.

Chen Jie smiled calmly and said:

"Don't be nervous. Judging from your expression, if others see you, they'll think I'm bullying them."

"From the moment you came in to dance, it was all about you trying to get back at me!"

"Stop using your seductive skills, they don't work on me!"

"However, your physique and the feel of your body are indeed very good. You must be proficient in jujitsu, right?"

Ruan Qingzhu was taken aback and quickly withdrew her [seductive skills].

at this time,

Chen Jie's right hand suddenly opened, revealing a hairpin.

The tip of the hairpin gleamed with a deep blue light.

"you--!"

Ruan Qingzhu was startled, and her expression changed drastically.

This was her trump card; the hairpin was a silent, hidden weapon—a pear blossom needle!

That's right, it's the world-famous hidden weapon!

Heavy Rain Pear Blossom Needle!
This is a unique hidden weapon of the Green Gang. The hairpin is hollow inside and has a spring installed, concealing eighteen highly poisonous steel needles.

If Chen Jie is bewitched by her seductive charm.

If she could instantly activate the mechanism of the hairpin, she could kill the person with a single needle at close range.

This is a top-tier assassination weapon.

Because it contains a potent poison, it instantly activates 18 steel needles that cover a three-meter radius around it, making it more terrifying than a handgun.

but,

Ruan Qingzhu never expected that her unique hidden weapon would be discovered and taken away by Chen Jie.

The key is,
She didn't even notice when Chen Jie took the hairpin from her hair.

hiss--!
Thinking of this, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She looked up into Chen Jie's eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered:
"What are you going to do with me? Kill me, or wipe out the entire Qingzhu Workshop?"

She knew her identity had been exposed, and she felt a little anxious.

The information must be leaked so that the Green Gang can prepare in advance.

Chen Jie, with his arm around Ruan Qingzhu's waist, smiled calmly and said:

"Why would I destroy your Green Bamboo Workshop? We, the Ximen Hall, and your Green Gang have always kept to ourselves."

"Qingzhufang on the banks of the Qinhuai River is famous. It would be such a pity if it were burned down like the Piaoxianglou of the Taipinghao."

“From now on, our Ximen Hall will be permanently stationed in Jinling City, and I will often come here to relax.”

“I don’t care who’s in charge of your Green Gang. Go back and tell him that our Ximen Hall will take over southern and northern Jiangsu and eliminate all forces in eastern Zhejiang.”

"You only have one path left, and that is—to submit to Ximen Tang!"

“If your Green Gang is not satisfied and wants to challenge Ximen Tang’s position, you can let him try.”

finished,

Chen Jie kneaded her waist and said calmly:
"Alright, let's not talk about that now. We've finally made it to the Qinhuai River tonight, and you just said you'd let me have a great time!"

Whether you can stay at Qingzhufang depends on whether your performance satisfies me.

Ruan Qingzhu was held by Chen Jie's waist, leaving her speechless for a long time.

call--!
After a moment, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Then,

She poured Chen Jie a full glass of wine, her face once again displaying a charming expression, and said in a coquettish voice:

"Sir, our Green Gang has never intended to challenge your Ximen Hall. Everything that has happened recently has been for our survival!"

"Don't worry, I will pass on the message to the gang leader!"

(End of this chapter)