When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

Jiang Mo had many clothes—men's attire, dresses, everything—but unfortunately, they were all stored in her Innate Space.

Of course, she could take items out of her Innate Space, but explaining their appearance would be difficult. Concealing things from Senior Sister was no longer the main concern; rather, she didn't want to become an oddity in everyone's eyes in front of so many people.

The group ran in one direction for a long time, stopping only after confirming there were no pursuers and when they were nearly exhausted.

First an intense battle, then a mad dash while carrying people—when they finally stopped, almost everyone was panting heavily. Despite their fatigue, some questions couldn't wait. The newly rescued cultivators, barely having caught their breath, were the first to inquire: "What exactly... what exactly is happening? And these... these people, why are they attacking us?"

Cultivators who encountered natives were almost always experiencing their first such encounter, because typically after the first encounter, they would be captured by these formidable opponents. Because of this, whether they had just escaped or just been captured, they were all completely bewildered.

The Xuanqing Sect and Crimson Blood Sect disciples were more fortunate. Though this was also their first confrontation with the natives, they had already learned much from Jiang Mo and the others. They immediately began chattering, regardless of the other cultivators' affiliations, even revealing the news of the merperson's appearance on the island. Perhaps the only thing they concealed was Nine Abyss Sect's involvement and unknown schemes.

The group communicated and rested in place, not forgetting to arrange people to stand watch nearby.

Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue, having served as the rear guard, naturally arrived a step behind the others and now stood at the outermost perimeter—this was intentional. Leaning against a tree, Jiang Mo was deeply troubled, wondering what to do about the large tear in the back of her clothes.

Yun Qingyue glanced at Jiang Mo's troubled expression, then at the tree she was leaning against, and suddenly said: "Be careful, there might be insects on the tree."

Hearing this, Jiang Mo instantly jerked away from the trunk, repeatedly patting her back, afraid that insects might have crawled onto her from the tree. After several pats, she found no bugs, only feeling her own bare back, which made her even more distressed. She cast a resentful glance at Yun Qingyue: "Were you deliberately teasing me?"

Yun Qingyue didn't answer, but the faint smile in her crystal-clear eyes seemed to provide the response. Seeing this, Jiang Mo felt both embarrassed and annoyed, yet couldn't truly get angry, her gaze toward Senior Sister becoming increasingly plaintive.

Finally, Jiang Mo approached helplessly, tugged at Senior Sister's sleeve, and pointed to her back, asking: "Do you have a solution?"

Torn clothing during combat was actually common. Even though cultivators' robes were durable, they could be ruined under various circumstances. During tribulation lightning, for instance, even the finest robes would be shredded after a few bolts. The issue was that damaged robes usually accompanied injuries, and in those cases, others would only notice the wounds, not the clothing.

But Jiang Mo's situation was different—her body was completely unharmed, making the large tear in her back clothing particularly conspicuous. As a woman, she couldn't simply ignore it and carry on unconcerned.

Yun Qingyue clearly couldn't leave her in this state either. She glanced at the crowd, who had finished their discussion and were preparing to interrogate the captives, then said: "Let's find a more secluded place, and I'll help you mend it."

Jiang Mo immediately felt relieved. After the ghost ship sailed south, the weather had grown increasingly hot. Though cultivators weren't bothered by temperature extremes, she didn't want to wear too many layers in such weather, which was why she wore only light clothing—an undergarment and an outer robe, both now torn. She didn't want to hide somewhere to fix her clothes alone; the Merperson Island wasn't safe, and if something unexpected happened, she might not even have time to get dressed.

The two found a relatively secluded spot, with Yun Qingyue casually fashioning a fine wooden needle from a tree branch. When they reached their destination, she patted Jiang Mo's shoulder and said: "Don't move, just stand still. I'll mend it for you."

Jiang Mo obediently stood in place, allowing Yun Qingyue to tear a piece from the bottom of her outer robe to use as thread.

Yun Qingyue worked quickly, soon preparing everything for mending. Focused on the task, she hadn't paid much attention to Jiang Mo's exposed back, but as she began handling the torn clothing, her gaze suddenly froze—on Jiang Mo's snow-white skin, a red mark stood out vividly, a long streak perfectly aligned with the tear in her clothing.

Her brows immediately furrowed with concern as she asked: "Are you injured?"

Hearing this, Jiang Mo shook her head and replied frankly: "No, I'm not."

Yun Qingyue's brow relaxed slightly. She gently touched the red mark, finding neither broken skin nor swelling. She realized what had happened—the blade hadn't merely cut through Jiang Mo's robes but had also struck her. However, the bone knife wasn't sharp enough to break through the skin; it hadn't penetrated her defenses.

This conclusion gave Yun Qingyue some relief, but fearing Jiang Mo might be careless, she sternly admonished: "Be more careful in the future. If it happens again, I won't help you mend it."

Jiang Mo nodded obediently without a word, seeming somewhat distracted—in truth, from the moment Yun Qingyue's fingertips touched her back, all her attention had focused on that sensation and her rapidly beating heart. She hadn't clearly heard what Senior Sister had said. But regardless of what Senior Sister said, she would simply obey and comply.

Seeing her compliance, Yun Qingyue felt reassured. Her gaze fell on the bare back before her, and for some reason, her heart grew somewhat disordered. However, to outside observers, no one could discern her current emotions—they only saw her wielding the needle to sew the clothes, quickly concealing that snow-white expanse once more beneath fabric.

༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺

Did anyone notice Yun Qingyue's actions and emotional changes at this moment? Yes!

Though the system's presence had weakened since arriving on the island, this didn't mean it wasn't there. In fact, it had been hiding in its host's consciousness, watching the drama unfold. But beyond spectating, it hadn't forgotten to monitor its host's task progress.

With no advancement in other tasks, the system focused on Senior Sister—for Jiang Mo, she was the beloved one she had yearned for. Simultaneously, for the system, Senior Sister represented either half or perhaps a third of the main storyline quest! Therefore, compared to its host, it actually wanted to see the two get together sooner.

So when its host accidentally exposed her back, after Senior Sister had already shown an avoidant attitude once, the system was more curious about Senior Sister's current feelings. Perhaps it could confirm for its host that Senior Sister had developed feelings for her?

Unfortunately, the result somewhat disappointed the system.

Just as Jiang Mo's heart was racing with scattered thoughts, she suddenly heard the system say: "Host, I think your previous scheming might not be working. Senior Sister still looks completely unmoved when facing your bare back—you might not have any attraction for her."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. Jiang Mo's expression immediately darkened, and her flushed cheeks quickly cooled.

The system continued as if it hadn't noticed: "Host, this approach isn't working. Why not just reveal your identity? You could advance your relationship based on your original connection." Then it shook its head: "But I think the chances of progress are slim. Senior Sister remains unmoved by your bare back—perhaps she simply doesn't like girls. If you don't believe me, you could try seducing her first to test..."

Before it could finish its jumbled thoughts, the system was shut in a dark room—or rather, Jiang Mo unilaterally cut off her connection with it. She felt somewhat irritated and wanted to turn around to see if Senior Sister was truly unmoved.

But in the end, she resisted the urge. As for seduction, that was even more impossible!

Jiang Mo had initially planned to first win Senior Sister's heart, then gradually reveal her identity, but plans can't keep pace with changes. Many events had occurred along the way, leaving no time to nurture their relationship. Moreover, Senior Sister was very familiar with her, and Jiang Mo always felt that Senior Sister might have already guessed her identity. Given this, even if she wanted to be enticing, she couldn't use such direct methods.

And as for seduction—that might work for humans, but for a tiger... tsk, the scene was too beautiful to imagine.

Jiang Mo's thoughts wandered chaotically, and she didn't know how much time had passed before she heard Senior Sister's cool voice from behind: "It's done, but be more careful with your movements in the future, don't tear it again."

Instantly collecting her thoughts, Jiang Mo agreed while reaching back to feel her clothing—the large tear was gone, both her undergarment and outer robe had been mended, though Senior Sister clearly wasn't skilled in needlework. Just touching it, she could feel the coarse stitches. She didn't mind, though, as few cultivators excelled in such crafts.

Jiang Mo's eyes brightened, and she thanked her earnestly: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for mending this for me. In the future, if there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask."

Yun Qingyue avoided meeting her gaze and turned to leave: "Let's go back and see if they've learned anything new from questioning the captives."