The moment she spoke, Lan Qiaoyan was startled. What in the world? She had been so careful to prevent it, so how did that brat get in touch with her daughter? To actually run into him here, it was simply unbelievable, a damned ill-fated connection?
Hearing that the boy refused to join Far-Gazing Tower and wanted to make his own way, she breathed a sigh of relief, then felt both annoyed and amused.
She had been worrying for nothing; that boy truly wasn't pretending after leaving the Living Prison. If he really liked her daughter, he wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
If he truly liked her daughter, with his shameless persistence and considerable means, she would be worried and afraid.
After realizing his affection was fake, she gnashed her teeth in frustration.
Is my daughter not good enough? That brat couldn't even be bothered to pretend.
Miao Yilan said wistfully, “I’ve become an accomplice.
I shouldn’t have lent him that money. Without it, he wouldn’t have been able to pull off something like this.”
“Haha.” Lan Qiaoyan burst into laughter.
Seeing her daughter turn her head, puzzled, she grabbed her hand, patting it and smiling. “Lanlan, do you believe that even if you hadn’t lent him the money, he would still have sold that top courtesan?”
Miao Yilan questioned, “Forty thousand gold isn’t a small sum.
He’s new here; strangers wouldn’t easily lend him such a large amount of money.”
Lan Qiaoyan shook her head, “Lanlan, you underestimate Shi Chun too much.
Do you think he was able to ride roughshod over East Nine Plains purely by luck? In that situation, the biggest key to success wasn't the forty thousand gold you lent, but the method he devised. As long as the method was valuable, he could naturally find people to invest.
For someone like him, that’s no difficulty at all. Your appearance here was purely coincidental; he must have been thinking about how to raise money long before this.
Even if you hadn't appeared, he would have called a halt to the situation in time to calmly raise money for himself. As long as he had that idea in mind at the scene, the situation was no longer controlled by the parties involved.
This Chief of East Nine Plains is a man of action, and for his own goals, he will firmly control the situation as necessary.
Lanlan, when it comes to this kind of survival skill in desperate situations, ten of you put together wouldn't be as good as him.
So, there’s no need to feel guilty about it. Whether you lent him the money or not wouldn’t change the outcome.
As for whether what he did was right or wrong, you have to consider their previous living environment. Their moral standards were never high.
They’ve just come out; give them some time, and if they want to survive in this world, they will voluntarily put on that universal yoke.
What truly surprised me was that that boy even looked down on Far-Gazing Tower.
His ambition is quite considerable, so how could he care to whom a courtesan sells herself? Lanlan, you and I have been more than benevolent to him. Whether it brings good or ill fortune is his own doing, so there’s no need to dwell on it anymore…”
Her comforting words to her daughter, from beginning to end, did not once mention worrying about the money not being repaid.
To her, that small sum of money was far less important than her earlier willingness to help.
Old Dong, back in the storeroom, let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Big Stone, who had followed him, whispered, “I thought you would reveal that the deed of sale was in our hands.”
Shi Chun didn't intend to return this time, at least not in the short term.
To fulfill his promise of repaying the money within three days, he had left Xiang Lan'er's deed of sale with them. If someone came to give them money, they were to hand over the deed.
Of the money received, fifty thousand gold was to go to Miao Yilan—that’s right, not forty thousand, but fifty thousand.
Miao Yilan had said she didn’t want interest, which was her kindness, but Shi Chun wouldn't do that.
Although she might look down on certain aspects of him, he least wanted to owe her. Those who truly understand his character know; those who don’t, he doesn’t seek to enlighten.
The remaining money was for Big Stone and the other two.
Old Dong whispered back, “How could that be? Without that deed of sale, it would be our money that's lost.”
Although he said that, he had almost revealed it earlier. He had only held back when he saw Miao Yilan's intention to stop the transaction.
If the transaction failed, they would indeed lose a large sum of money.
At this moment, the two felt no guilt whatsoever for having betrayed their Chief.
For such people, Miao Yilan actually hoped for their moral standards…
The sky was vast, the primeval mountain forests boundless. One mountain was always higher than the next, yet valleys were everywhere, occasionally vibrant with red, yellow, white, and purple, often with roaring waterfalls and countless babbling streams.
The group of four moved without touching the ground, soaring and landing continuously on the treetops, startling birds and fleeing beasts along the way.
Wu Jinliang's great saber rested on Bian Weikang's shoulder, the latter having voluntarily helped.
There was no other way; Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun's cultivation was already low, and carrying a great saber would only slow them down further.
In the cultivation world, there were faster and more convenient modes of travel—magic treasures and spiritual birds were both possible—but not everyone was privileged to use them.
The majority, like them, had to rely on their own two legs.
The group had already left Zhaotian City behind.
A strip of cloth tied with two knots, tangled on a treetop ahead, caught the attention of Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. Their eyes met for a moment.
This was the signal agreed upon with Cen Futong: once they caught up, they would send someone ahead to leave this mark, indicating they were ready. With the two slower ones as a hindrance, Cen Futong’s side had ample time to set this up.
Seeing the signal, Wu Jinliang suddenly called out to the man and woman ahead, “We’ve run quite a distance, aren’t you tired yet?”
Bian Weikang looked back, and before he could speak, Xiang Lan'er beside him kindly said, “My lord, our benefactors might be tired. Let’s rest for a bit.”
They were resting already? Bian Weikang felt they hadn’t run for too long, but hearing her words, he still stopped on the treetop and replied, “Alright, let’s rest for a while then.”
He felt it might be because his cultivation was high, and he had overlooked the feelings of those with lower cultivation.
To reduce Xiang Lan'er’s hardship, he had wanted to hold her hand to assist her, but Xiang Lan'er refused, reasoning that it wouldn’t be right to show favoritism with two benefactors accompanying them.
The group successively landed on the ground, finding a clearing with exposed rock to rest temporarily.
After exchanging glances, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang surveyed their surroundings, about to find an excuse to draw Bian Weikang away, when Xiang Lan'er suddenly spoke, “Having lived in towers for so long, I haven't tasted wild mountain fruits in years. Would our two benefactors like to try some? I’ll go pick some.”
“Perfect!” Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, exchanging glances, were about to agree when Bian Weikang quickly stood up and said, “Lan’er, I’m not tired. You all rest; I’m faster, I’ll go look.”
He was truly doting on the beauty, unwilling for her to suffer even the slightest hardship.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged another glance, thinking, This works too.
One nodded, the other politely said, “Then we trouble you.”
Xiang Lan'er also said softly, “Thank you, my lord.”
With that, Bian Weikang flashed away, disappearing into the depths of the mountain forest to search.
The scene suddenly became silent.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang’s gazes turned unusual.
The dead leaves on the moss rustled under Xiang Lan'er’s footsteps as she slowly walked away.
Raising her hand, she revealed a segment of her fair arm, then pulled back her cloak hood, revealing her exquisite beauty.
Almost simultaneously, Shi Chun raised his hand, pulling out the hairpin from his topknot.
His long hair immediately loosened and fell to his shoulders. This was the signal he had agreed upon with Cen Futong to take action.
Soon, several figures flashed through the forest, rushing towards them.
Four masked men in brocade robes landed in unison before Xiang Lan'er.
Seeing this, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang both revealed cunning smiles, but quickly stopped smiling, sensing something was wrong. Facing the sudden arrival of the masked men, Xiang Lan'er showed no trace of panic.
Not only did she show no panic, but she elegantly turned her back to the four masked men, facing Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang with a composed expression. Where was the delicate charm she had before? It was replaced by an aloof coolness, her eyes seemingly filled with disdain as if looking at two dead men.
In that moment, her demeanor was completely different from before, radiating an air of superiority.
The four masked men stood in a neat row behind her.
The scene was obvious; even a fool could tell that the four masked men were her people.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang instantly realized they had fallen into a trap.
Wu Jinliang swung his great saber in preparation for battle, and Shi Chun also swiftly drew his own saber from behind him.
The four masked men suddenly flashed out, two or three attacking together, almost simultaneously stabbing Xiang Lan'er’s body, instantly sealing several vital points.
“What?” Wu Jinliang, swinging his great saber, nearly had his eyeballs pop out, a strange gurgling sound coming from his throat.
“…” Shi Chun was also a little bewildered.
The turn of events was so sudden, so unexpected.
Not to mention the two of them, Xiang Lan'er’s astonished expression was also evident; she clearly didn’t understand why this was happening either.
One of the four masked men flashed to Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, and seeing them still holding their sabers in readiness, he immediately pulled down his mask, revealing his true face.
It was Cen Futong.
He pushed aside the blades pointed at them, “It’s me, stop acting, she’s already taken down.”
He then turned and pointed at Xiang Lan'er, who was slumped in his accomplice’s arms, “What’s the deal with this woman? She wasn’t panicking at all when she encountered robbers, and she even brazenly turned her back to the bandits.
Is this something they teach at Liyun Tower for serving men? She almost threw us off, my brothers haven't seen a scene like this. Brother Chun, if we had known this woman was so easy to take down, we wouldn't have needed to trouble our other friends; I alone would have been enough.”
Xiang Lan'er, slumped in the man's arms, finally understood what was happening. It turned out that Shi Chun, this “benefactor,” had hired people to ambush her.
Why would they ambush her? She felt she could guess it with her heels: it was nothing more than matters between men and women, coveting her beauty.
Speaking of coveting beauty, the masked man holding her chuckled, “This woman is usually very arrogant, she doesn’t accept every guest, and she claims to only perform, not sell her body.
Today I'll have to test how she feels, to see how precious she is.”
The voice sounded familiar.
Shi Chun recognized him as one of the individuals who had visited his residence last time. He truly didn’t know what to say about Cen Futong; he now understood that this was not someone he could work with.
As soon as the flirtatious words were uttered, the other two masked men also let out lewd snickers.
Xiang Lan'er’s eyes instantly flashed with murderous intent.
Cen Futong urgently warned, “Nonsense! She is not for you to touch, all of you stop!”
What a joke. She was to be offered to Master Lü.
If she were defiled now, it would be difficult to explain later.
Before he even finished speaking, Shi Chun had already flashed over, grabbing Xiang Lan'er in his hand.
His saber was immediately placed against Xiang Lan'er’s neck, maintaining a high degree of vigilance towards their surroundings.