"YOU"?

"So you're saying that this 'duel' was a trap from the very beginning? A scheme to free their heir from the so-called curse?" the lady asked.

"Ahh... I mean, I'm not saying you're a curse! I'm just... you get what I mean, right?" Jiang Chen said with an awkward smile.

"And if you were a curse, I'd be happy to be bound by such a beautiful one," he added, smoothly shifting from awkwardness to flirtation.

The lady simply stared at him coldly.

Guess she's not in the mood, Jiang Chen thought.

"Ahem. Yes, I think it's a trap," Jiang Chen answered seriously this time.

"I've gathered enough information to know that their 'heir' is considered the most talented among their generation. Are they really going to sacrifice their best disciple?" the lady asked, frowning.

"Are they dumb? No, of course not."

"If they didn't send their 'most talented disciple' for the duel, wouldn't that raise suspicion? Would you believe it? Would you accept it? No, you'd immediately suspect something was wrong. That's why they needed a more convincing cover—someone you wouldn't doubt. And who better than their officially acknowledged 'most talented disciple'?

Now, if they're willing to sacrifice this disciple, I can think of two possibilities:

First, their so-called 'most talented disciple' isn't actually that talented. The reputation was likely fabricated to fool others.

Second, they have another disciple—one much closer to them, possibly a family member. This disciple is probably weaker than yours, but they want to make him their true heir. To do that, they first need to remove the burden of this duel and eliminate the 'most talented disciple' who stands in the way.

Declaring this disciple as their heir now is nothing but a clever strategy to kill two birds with one stone."

The lady was silent.

"You understand now?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Yeah..." she murmured absentmindedly, deep in thought.

Then, suddenly—

"Haha… hahaha… HAHAHA…"

A cold, chilling laugh echoed through the room.

Jiang Chen shuddered. Her aura leaked out slightly, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Damn, she's strong... I'm still too weak!

Noticing his discomfort, she quickly withdrew her aura and composed herself.

Jiang Chen sighed in relief. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I want to kill them all," the lady replied, her voice icy.

"But you can't, can you? Since their 'heir' has run away, they're now insisting that only male successors should participate. They must have given a proper justification for that, right? What was their reasoning?"

"The duel originally started over a girl they both loved... so they're claiming only male successors should fight," she said thoughtfully.

"If they're doing this, it means they're still searching for a replacement sacrifice. But knowing your disciple is the opponent, they're struggling to find someone strong enough. That's why they're stalling, trying to push you into giving up on your disciple instead."

"His son..." the lady muttered, her eyes widening in realization.

"Hmm? What?" Jiang Chen looked at her puzzled expression.

"I think I finally know who their true heir is," she said with a cold smile.

"If you've figured it out, then you can demand him as their new heir for the duel, right?"

"But will they agree? If they were willing to sacrifice their 'most talented disciple,' there's no way they'd accept so easily," Jiang Chen murmured, lost in thought.

"Unless..."

"If we agree to their condition of replacing your disciple with a male cultivator and propose someone with a weaker cultivation base than their 'true heir,' they might accept. But on one condition—we demand that their true heir personally participate in the duel.

That way, the real challenge isn't just finding a male cultivator to replace your disciple. It's finding someone strong enough to defeat their heir. And to win, we'll need more than just strength—we'll need strategy."

The lady looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Are you some kind of professional schemer?" she asked in disbelief.

"How can you analyze their scheme so quickly and even come up with a counter-strategy?"

"Haha, I'm just smart, you know? Blessed with a good brain," Jiang Chen said smugly.

"But if we follow my plan, we'll need to find a male cultivator who is weaker than their heir in terms of cultivation but strong enough to win the duel."

"I think I've found him," the lady said with a sudden smile.

Seeing her go from cold and murderous to smiling in an instant, Jiang Chen sighed in relief.

That's how a milf should be—hot, not cold.

"Who is it? And where can we find him?" Jiang Chen asked curiously.

The lady chuckled.

"No need to look anywhere else..."

She turned to him with a bright smile.

"The most suitable person is right in front of me."

Jiang Chen felt a bad premonition.

"Wait... you don't mean—"

"I mean you, my genie."

Her smile shone like the evening sun, but for Jiang Chen, it was like the darkness of night descending upon him.