CH 26

“You need not worry about it. I came here at the command of my master. He asked me to tell you, ‘What should be said and what shouldn’t be said, he leaves to your discretion.’ I’ve delivered his message, so I’m leaving.” Feng Hu picked Chu Feng up by his collar then vanished.

At the inn, Chu Feng was flung to the floor. Now that his face was in close contact with the ground, the ice cold temperature finally sobered him up a little. 

“Feng Hu? You’re in human form? I must be dreaming. Your face is so beautiful, what a waste for you to be a man!” Chu Feng spoke with bitterness at first, but then his words grew lewd, “I am in charge of my own dream. I order you to change into a woman for me, right now! Come here and let me kiss you . . .”

“Chu Feng!” An earth-shattering roar erupted from within the inn, followed by a heavy thud.

. . . . . .

They stood before a palatial hall. Its grand reception area and magnificent gate were befitting of such an elegant and stately building. The ceiling beams were carved with fine patterns, and luminous pearls were embedded at regular intervals. The floor was also decorated in the same style making the hall look like a fairyland. 

Pretty waitresses wove among the crowd, presenting delicacies to the guests who had come from afar. In the center of the hall, beautiful women danced gracefully, accompanied by musicians playing a variety of musical instruments. The melodious sound spread throughout the entire hall, creating an atmosphere of relaxation.

“The Hundred Flowers Tower is truly extraordinary. To be able to dine here is a real treat!” Hua Yan exclaimed with a look of wonder.

“It truly is.” Ye Mochen agreed.

This was the largest inn operated by the Hundred Flowers Sect, named Hundred Flowers Tower. Due to the upcoming festival, there were no vacancies. Anyone who was anyone would choose to stay here, surrounded by cultivators with power and status.

“Esteemed guests, can I get you anything?” The waitress was professionally trained and spoke in a pleasant and refreshing tone.

Gu Feng smiled. Previously, he had been poor and could only take Su Mujin to eat at roadside stalls. Now that he had money, he couldn’t let his partner suffer. He took the menu from the waitress’s hand, and while gazing at Su Mujin with adoration, he lovingly asked, “Xiao Jin, what would you like to eat? You order first.” As a good husband, he knew that being gentle and considerate was a must.

Su Mujin’s smile stiffen. Oh great, I’m one step too late and let him take the initiative. Things can’t go on like this. With this in mind, he pushed the menu back over and used the softest tone he had ever used in his life: “Gege, you can order first, anything is fine as long as you like it.” His expression was so sweet it was practically dripping with honey.

Gu Feng was once again rendered speechless. 

His companion failed to fall for his trick, and instead became more and more difficult to deal with!

“Eww, stop showing off, I’m getting goosebumps.” Ye Mochen snatched the menu and delicately handed it to Hua Yan. “Ladies first! Shijie, y-you can order.”

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“Ladies and gentlemen, can you guess which sect’s disciple will be able to take first place this time?” A man with a rugged appearance asked aloud.

“Without a doubt, it’s gotta be Taixu Sect. As the premier cultivation sect, they have an abundance of talent!”

“Not necessarily. In my opinion, Sword Pavilion’s Mo Ran has good potential. At his young age, he’s already reached the summit of the late stage of Nascent Soul. And to be able to become Dao companions with the Taixu sect master’s daughter, he’s surely worthy.” 

“My bet is on the Wandering Cultivators Union’s Tu Su. His blade skills have reached the pinnacle of perfection!”

“All of you are missing some vital intel. I heard that the reward for first place is Hundred Flowers Palace’s top treasure – the Fengming Qin. It’s rumored that old powerhouses who haven’t come out of seclusion to join the festival for many years will join the competition this time.  Compared to them, the rookies you mention are far too inexperienced.”

“Is that for real? If so, the competition this time will be fiercer than in the past, and we don’t stand a chance. But the festival is still a good excuse to flirt with the disciples from Hundred Flowers Palace.”

“Oh, definitely! One of the aims of the Hundred Flowers Palace in holding this event is to choose promising young heroes to form marriage alliances with. Even if we can’t hope to hook up with a high class cultivator, it’s enough to find a woman who is gentle and understanding.” 

. . . . . .

A lively discussion ensued and Gu Feng was able to pick up a lot of information just by listening in. His last life, he had wholeheartedly practiced cultivation and seldom paid attention to these things. After the festival’s competition award had been presented, he had been locked up, never to see the light of day. This time he would not make the same mistake.

“Right, I heard that very soon there’s going to be an auction held within the market. Xiao Jin and I plan to go have a look. Do you want to come with us?” Seeing that everyone had pretty much finished eating, Gu Feng invited them along.

“We had the same plan. Let’s go together!” Ye Mochen and Hua Yan nodded. 

Chu Feng’s expression was still foul, but he eventually nodded. Feng Hu was nowhere to be seen.

“Chu xiong, how did you get back last night? Where’s Feng Hu?” Gu Feng was in a mood for gossip. He had heard the commotion last night, but seeing the other’s bad mood he was a bit hesitant to inquire. Still, curiosity got the better of him.

Su Mujin looked over at Chu Feng with great interest, obviously wanting to know as well.

His sore spot had been poked, and Chu Feng exploded with anger, saying, “Last night I accidentally thought Feng Hu was a woman, so I kissed him and he punched me in the face. Are you happy? Are you satisfied?” 

“Ahem, Chu xiong, don’t be angry. Gege was just asking. We still have to hurry over to the auction.” Su Mujin saw Gu Feng trying to stifle his laughter, and had no choice but to try to smooth things over.

Although the Hundred Flowers Festival was still a month away, plenty of cultivators had arrived in advance. The streets were bustling, and not only had crowds of people headed to the markets, many cultivators had themselves set up stalls to do business.

“Hey, why are there so many people over there?” They were surprised to see a throng of people had gathered not far away, nearly blocking off the street entrance and making it difficult to see what was going on.

“Gu xiong, don’t you know what the main objective of the Hundred Flowers Festival is?” Chu Feng suddenly beamed with delight. Combined with his bruised face, it was a tragic sight. 

“The cultivation world’s competition to be number one!” Gu Feng unhesitatingly answered.

“Not so! The festival’s most important purpose is for matchmaking! The competition is just to determine who is most worthy of resources. All the businesses on this street belong to the Hundred Flowers Sect, and when the festival starts, the majority of their cultivators will gather here. Ahem, you ought to understand the reason, follow me.” While he spoke, Chu Feng took out a pill and swallowed it. His facial injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. He dusted himself off and donned a smile. Having put himself in order, he walked off to join the crowd.

Gu Feng and Su Mujin were nonplussed.

“Gege, do you understand?” Su Mujin asked in bewilderment. 

As for Gu Feng, he actually didn’t understand, but in front of his beloved he couldn’t lose face! With a gentle smile he said, “Perhaps it’s that during the Hundred Flowers Festival, because of the increase in people, there’s also an increase in business.”

“So that’s how it is!” Su Mujin suddenly realized.

“Cough, let’s go see what’s up. There are so many people, there ought to be something good.” Gu Feng was a bit awkward and coughed in order to shift the topic.

“Okay.” 

. . . . . .

“Sigh, the quality of male cultivators this time is disappointing. If their cultivation is okay, they’re ugly, and if they look good, their abilities aren’t up to par. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have come.” Zhu Lan was just your average disciple from Hundred Flowers Palace, and possessed both good looks and charm. She had come to see if she could scout out any male cultivators to have a go with.

“That’s right. Why would any of the famous ones come to this location? The senior sisters are keeping a close eye, so let’s head back, shijie.” Hong Yan chimed in with her own complaint. After waiting ages for a reply, she was somewhat puzzled, and called out, “Shijie?”

“Hong Yan, don’t leave yet. Look over there!” Zhu Lan eagerly urged. 

Hong Yan looked. There was indeed a gorgeous man. His skin was the color of wheat and his facial features were distinctly carved. He looked wild and unrestrained and completely masculine. His aura was manly and his cultivation was probably not low.

But the two of them had heard about this person. He was unlikely to stir up her shijie’s emotions so vividly, so she asked in bewilderment, “ Shijie, that man isn’t bad, but I heard that he has a vicious spiritual pet. If you get too close, you’ll be injured. It’s not worth the risk of disfigurement.”

“Oy, who said it was him? Look behind him at those other two. They’re actually top quality goods.” Zhu Lan’s eyes were fixed on a pair of men, and it took her a long time to reply to Hong Yan’s question.

Hong Yan squeezed forward, looked in the direction that Zhu Lan pointed, and was stunned. 

She saw two men, walking shoulder to shoulder head toward them. One dressed in black and the other in white, looking exceedingly harmonious.

The black clad man was extremely beautiful but not effeminate. His skin was fair and he had a pair of eyes that were extremely bewitching, with a red mole beneath the right eye. His looks were seductive and combined with his pure and clean gaze, the result was striking.

But compared to him, his companion in white made the women’s hearts race even faster. Although the two men’s looks were evenly matched, the man in black was just too beautiful and if a woman were to stand beside him, she would feel ashamed that her appearance wasn’t up to snuff.

The man in white was extremely handsome, with skin like white jade, and perfect facial features. Even though he was currently expressionless, the women still felt their hearts race. If he had even the slightest hint of a smile, perhaps no woman would be able to escape his charm. 

Peonies, magnolias, lotuses, lilies . . . various fresh flowers rained down on those below, but even more numerous were the embroidered handkerchiefs belonging to various young ladies of good repute. The sky was filled with flowers and handkerchiefs thrown at both Su Mujin and Gu Feng, and they were assaulted by the overwhelming fragrance.

This chapter was co-translated with Fedentler

I have to say, seeing Chu Feng finally experiencing the consequences of his previous actions is a bit delicious.