Chapter 334: Helping with Maintenance

The jade tube opened, and a faint light flashed.

The number on the dice in the tray was clearly six.

Big.

Ao Yao’s eyes widened, her green dragon eyes going round and round, pupils contracting slightly.

Her mouth fell open, forming a small circle.

Then she immediately closed the jade tube!

With a slam , the lid snapped shut.

She shook it wildly, the dice rattling clatter clatter clatter inside, and said seriously to Jiang Huai:

“No way, no way! This one doesn’t count! One more time!”

“Best of three!”

Jiang Huai helplessly turned his head to look at Cang Jing.

Cang Jing’s amber eyes were also full of helplessness. She gently shook her head and said nothing.

Jiang Huai sighed.

“Fine, one more time.”

Ao Yao immediately shook the jade tube again.

This time, she shook it very seriously, very hard. The tube flew up and down in her hands, the dice clashing crisp and rapid.

She closed her eyes, lips slightly pursed.

“This time… I bet big.”

Jiang Huai followed smoothly, “Then I’ll bet small.”

She opened her eyes, abruptly opened the jade tube, and a faint light flashed.

The number on the dice was five.

Big.

Ao Yao’s expression froze.

She stared blankly at the dice, lips trembling, fingers shaking slightly, the tube wobbling in her hands.

Then she suddenly closed the tube and shook it wildly again, her voice even more urgent than before:

“No way, no way! Best of five!”

Jiang Huai had no choice but to go along with her.

Once, twice, three times.

Every time, she lost.

Every time, she stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the dice.

The fifth time.

Jiang Huai opened the jade tube.

A faint light flashed.

The number on the dice was one.

Small.

He won again. Jiang Huai let out a sigh of relief.

“So I win this time, right?” The corner of his mouth could barely hold back a smile, he was straining not to laugh.

Ao Yao was devastated.

She plopped down on the ground, her little legs kicking wildly, embroidered shoes flinging in the air, skirt flipping, revealing a slender ankle wrapped in white silk socks. She muttered to herself, her voice filled with defeat:

“This isn’t right. How can I lose again and again?”

“No, this isn’t me!”

She had intended to help Jiang Huai—otherwise, she wouldn’t have volunteered to help him.

But she couldn’t accept losing like this.

Who was she? She was the Gambling Saint of the Azure Dragon Clan, a legend who had gambled since childhood and rarely lost.

And now she had lost five times in a row.

Five times! Unacceptable!

She closed her eyes, unwilling to face this cruel reality, her dragon tail drooping.

This reality seemed even harder for her to accept than cooperating with Jiang Huai to maintain the sword sheath.

“Can you help me now?”

Seeing her like this, Jiang Huai asked cautiously, afraid to trigger something unfortunate.

Ao Yao sniffled and mumbled, her voice muffled:

“Why do I always lose when I meet you?”

She paused, then raised her head, her green dragon eyes staring straight at Jiang Huai:

“I knew you weren’t anything good…”

She stood up, brushed off her dress, flicking the yellow dust from her pale green skirt.

Her small, childlike face tightened into a serious expression as she held the short sword horizontally in front of her.

“Watch closely, Wen Yijin…”

Jiang Huai took a couple of steps back, watching her small hands.

Those hands were very small, very white, and at that moment, they were gripping the sword hilt.

Ao Yao took a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell slightly, her shoulders trembling lightly as she slowly drew the short sword.

Pfft.

Cang Jing walked behind Jiang Huai and looked at the short sword curiously.

She did have some impression of this short sword—she had seen it in the clan, on the battlefield, and in countless encounters.

But she had never seen Ao Yao draw the sword.

The sword was now unsheathed.

There was no anticipated sword cry.

No crisp metallic sound.

Instead, a strange noise.

That noise was very soft, very thin, like silk gliding over water, like petals falling into a stream, like…

Cang Jing frowned slightly.

This sword… feels a bit off?

Is this a proper sword? Even if the scabbard were lined with leather, it wouldn’t make this sound, would it?

Ao Yao’s breathing was rapid and irregular. It took her quite some effort to draw the sword; it looked very strenuous.

Finally, the blade was fully out, glowing with a cyan luster, obviously no ordinary item.

Cang Jing couldn’t help but look at Jiang Huai, but found him looking as if this was nothing new.

What kind of sword is this? She thought she understood why Ao Yao was unwilling to warm it. If it were her, she’d be embarrassed too.

But her own sister might be willing.

Ao Yao relaxed completely, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, maintaining an elegant posture.

Though with her height, it was hard to maintain much elegance.

“See that?” Her voice was very soft, very gentle, tinged with weakness and shyness.

“In the future, when you draw the sword… like this… understand?”

Jiang Huai nodded quickly.

“Okay, I’ll draw it like this from now on.”

But Ao Yao shot him a glare, her green dragon eyes full of embarrassment and annoyance:

“You take that seriously? I’m not letting you draw it anymore!”

Then she took out a ribbon and handed it to Jiang Huai.

“Cover your eyes.”

Jiang Huai looked confused.

He took the ribbon, looked at it, then looked at Ao Yao, lips moving as if to ask something, but he didn’t ask anything.

Ao Yao asked him to do this, so she must have a reason, right?

It must be the necessary step for warming the short sword.

Obediently, he covered his eyes. The ribbon was also a spirit tool—though it was very thin, once on, he couldn’t see anything, only a blurry cyan.

The ribbon was soft against his skin, carrying a faint fragrance.

After waiting a moment, he seemed to hear Ao Yao whispering with Cang Jing.

Then, he was suddenly pushed to the ground.

The force was light but sudden. Caught off guard, he fell backward and lay on the ground.

“What are you two doing?” Jiang Huai asked in confusion.

Neither dragon answered him. He could only feel something circling around his wrists, around his ankles, binding him firmly to the ground.

It felt like rope, leaving him unable to move, not even any room to struggle.

Then something soft sat down on his stomach.

It was very light, very small, warm, and trembling slightly.

Based on the size, the weight, and the familiar faint fragrance…

It seemed Ao Yao was sitting on his stomach.

“Isn’t this warming? What are you doing?”

He twisted his body and asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

But Cang Jing hadn’t objected? Could this actually be useful?

“Hmph! Don’t move!”

Ao Yao shifted on his stomach, giving Cang Jing a look.

Cang Jing stood by, watching Jiang Huai blindfolded, tied up, and pinned under her sister. She watched Ao Yao’s flushed little face, her fierce yet timid expression, and hesitated for a moment.

Then she knelt beside Ao Yao and untied Jiang Huai’s belt.