Chapter 359

Chapter 359

"So..." Qin Ran asked Li Shiwen on the wide street of Danyang City, "Where exactly are you taking me?"

"This Danyang City..." Li Shiwen put his arm around Qin Ran's shoulders, "It's my territory! What can't we do here? Whatever you want to do, I'll take you to do it."

As he spoke, he wiggled his eyebrows at Qin Ran, flashing a smile that all men would understand.

You thick-browed, big-eyed Li Shiwen, you're actually this kind of person, Qin Ran thought as he side-eyed him and asked, "Give me an example?"

"Eating, drinking, playing, having fun - anything Danyang City has to offer, I can take you there. As the young master of the Li family, I've got that much clout at least." Li Shiwen said rather proudly, "Although your intelligence, wisdom, and cultivation skills surpass mine by leaps and bounds, brother Qin... when it comes to these worldly entertainments, you surely haven't experienced as much as I have."

Qin Ran blinked at him, wondering where this guy got the confidence to talk about entertainment with someone from the modern world.

"So..." he asked again.

Truthfully, he was now quite curious to see what kind of eye-opening experiences Li Shiwen could offer.

Li Shiwen put his arm around him, bent down, and lowered his voice to a whisper: "According to reliable sources, the newest top courtesan at Tianxiang House, Chen Shishi, is still a virgin... She's extremely beautiful and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting... Her hands are like silk, her feet like golden lotuses..."

Hmm, Qin Ran heard clearly, this was an invitation to visit a brothel... So he just stared silently at Li Shiwen, hoping he would realize that he was his future brother-in-law. He was trying to take his future brother-in-law to a brothel!

"With my status as the young master of the Li family, plus some silver, you might even have a chance to experience her charms firsthand." Li Shiwen raised his eyebrows lecherously, "How about it?"

"Not interested!" Qin Ran rolled his eyes and said righteously, "Do I look like someone who would go to such a place of ill repute?"

Li Shiwen looked Qin Ran up and down, then nodded, "You scholarly types are all full of lecherous thoughts inside, just repressed. You all like to show off and throw money around in brothels. Are you not the same?"

"I'm not!" Qin Ran's gaze was very determined.

"Ah!" Seeing this, Li Shiwen sighed and let go of Qin Ran.

They walked a bit further down the street, when Li Shiwen suddenly remembered something. He propped his elbow on Qin Ran's shoulder and said with a smile, "Speaking of scholars, I recall that Tang Yin is hosting a poetry gathering today, a spring outing poetry meeting... Oh, Tang Yin is the eldest son of the Minister of Personnel. A poetry gathering, are you interested in that?"

Qin Ran rolled his eyes. A poetry gathering? Asking a homebody from the mountains to attend a social event... That wasn't attending an event, that was asking for his death!

He couldn't even be bothered to respond.

Li Shiwen asked curiously, "This is a poetry gathering organized by the Minister of Personnel's family. Many highly talented students from the Imperial College and Hanlin Academy will be attending. You're quite learned yourself, and also quite cunning. You could exchange knowledge with them, compose poems together. Wouldn't that be nice? Don't you scholars love to show off in front of others by stepping on other scholars' heads?"

What exchange of knowledge, what poem composition, this was just asking him to plagiarize! Qin Ran shook his head repeatedly. He didn't want to let down those great figures from his past life.

"Let me tell you, that's a stereotype. Not all scholars are like that. There are true gentlemen among scholars, not all are hypocrites. Besides, I'm not even a scholar!" he told Li Shiwen, "I get annoyed just looking at scholars."

"Not a scholar..." Li Shiwen looked at him, but still said, "There will be many talented young men and beautiful women at the poetry gathering. If you're not interested in the talented men, what about the beautiful women? These spring outings combined with poetry gatherings are very popular among the daughters of officials and famous courtesans."

Qin Ran stopped and stared at him seriously for a while, then admonished, "You're a married man with a child, and you're Li Shiyin's brother. Do you think it's appropriate to say these things to me?"

"Come on! Men should be more open-minded!" Li Shiwen seemed unconcerned, patting Qin Ran's chest with the back of his hand, "It's not like we're bringing them home. Just looking and playing around a bit won't affect anything."

Hearing this, Qin Ran rummaged in his spatial pouch and found a bottle of pills. He handed it to Li Shiwen with a serious expression, "I think you're bound to catch a venereal disease sooner or later. This bottle of pills is for you. It might save your life when the time comes."

"It's not that serious..." Li Shiwen said as he took the pills... A cultivator's pills were not to be refused.

"The spring outing poetry gathering will also invite musicians and dancers. That guy Gao Yuanshan is going too. There will be elegant music, vulgar tunes, graceful dances, beautiful performers." He pocketed the pills and continued asking, "Are you not interested in any of this?"

Li Shiwen's enthusiasm made Qin Ran slowly realize something. This guy actually wanted to go to the brothel himself and was looking for an accomplice; he also wanted to go to the spring poetry gathering to ogle girls, but as a crude fellow, he felt embarrassed to go to a poetry gathering alone... That's why he kept trying to drag Qin Ran along.

"It's you who wants to go, isn't it?" he asked Li Shiwen righteously.

"Hey!" Li Shiwen shook his head in denial, "If you don't want to go, then we won't go! How could it be that I want to go? I'm just thinking of you."

"I am a cultivator, indifferent to worldly desires. These mundane affairs don't interest me at all," Qin Ran said with a righteous face. "Don't try to corrupt my Dao heart with these things... It's just a waste of effort."

He had already run off with his sister, and the two of them were being all lovey-dovey in broad daylight. Now he was talking about being indifferent to worldly desires? Li Shiwen didn't believe a word of it.

But suddenly, he thought of something. He looked at Qin Ran carefully, feeling that something was off about him today... When had Qin Ran ever been this righteous?

He lowered his voice and whispered, "Shiyin?"

Qin Ran gave him an approving look, thinking to himself, "Not too stupid after all."

With a sword immortal sister at home, daring to take her husband out to flirt with other women - one could only say that Li Shiwen was like an old man hanging himself - he had lived long enough.

Seeing Qin Ran's tacit approval, Li Shiwen immediately became flustered. He looked around, trying to locate Li Shiyin.

But how could he possibly find Li Shiyin? Even many high-level cultivators couldn't do that.

He struggled for a while, unable to find Li Shiyin, but eventually calmed down. It was just a beating at worst, Li Shiyin wouldn't kill him, right?

Thinking this, the thick-browed, big-eyed, sharp-featured Li Shiwen also put on a righteous air. He said to Qin Ran, "I once heard Shiyin mention that you, brother Ran, have practiced the flute and your flute music is quite beautiful. Brother Ran has knowledge of music. As it happens, I know some people in the Danyang Opera Troupe. Why don't we go to the opera house to listen to some music and watch some dances?"

This was a refined activity, not likely to get him in trouble with Li Shiyin. Qin Ran finally nodded and said, "Very well."

And so, on the first day of Qin Ran's experience as a playboy, they went to the opera house to listen to music.

Then on the second day, they went on a spring outing and fishing.

On the third day, they went to a teahouse to listen to storytelling.

...They didn't even dare to go to a gambling house.

On this particular afternoon, Li Shiwen brought a few of his good-for-nothing friends along with Qin Ran to drink tea and listen to storytelling at the Ximeng Teahouse in Danyang City.

Actually, Qin Ran wasn't very interested in storytelling either. But firstly, they had nowhere else to go, and secondly, the stories being told at this teahouse these days were about the legendary deeds of North Chu cultivators during the recent war against the Xuanqin invasion. He was very curious to know if there were any stories about him and his foolish disciple, so he found it somewhat interesting.

Today's story was about the legendary sword immortal of North Chu, Jiang Xiaobai, and it was reaching its conclusion:

"...It is said that on that night, heavy clouds hung low in the sky, as if thousands of pounds of raw iron were suspended above.

Snow fell like goose feathers! Jiang Xiaobai sat alone with his sword atop the walls of Wuyi City.

He was drinking. The alcohol was as sharp as an ice blade, cutting down his throat.

He was waiting for someone, an enemy, a fierce opponent coming to take his life.

He knew he would die today, but he didn't leave. He was very calm.

Because he was guarding the Wuyi City behind him.

A cold wind blew, and the enemy army sent nine cultivators. All were terrifying experts who had formed their Nascent Souls.

Among them was also a swordsman, who asked the Sword Immortal: 'You are not from North Chu, nor do you have any grudge against Xuanqin. Why sacrifice your life here for mere mortals?'

The Sword Immortal looked up at the swordsman and replied: 'I am the number one Sword Immortal of North Chu.'

Did Li Shiwen have a good temper? Obviously not. This guy, the first time he met Qin Ran, dared to fly into a rage for his sister's sake and raise a gun against a powerful cultivator.

If it were the Li Shiwen from before the Hengduan Mountains incident, if Xiang Hui dared to be so provocative and pushy, he would have been thrown downstairs long ago; the current Li Shiwen had been tempered by great ups and downs, he had become more steady, and was very calm at this moment.

But being steady was one thing, causing trouble when necessary was another.

With anger in his heart but no expression on his face, he asked Xiang Hui, "How do you want to catch up?"

Xiang Hui walked up to Li Shiwen. He stood while Li Shiwen sat, looking down at Li Shiwen. He put his hand on Li Shiwen's shoulder, showing concern: "I heard Brother Wen fought bravely on the battlefield, charging to the front lines. ... Did you get hurt?"

This gesture, of a superior showing concern for a subordinate, when done between Xiang Hui and Li Shiwen, carried quite a humiliating meaning.

Li Shiwen looked up at Xiang Hui and smiled, placing his other hand on Xiang Hui's hand on his shoulder. His mindset was really good now, and he gave Xiang Hui one last chance, asking, "Do you want to know if I can still fight?"

Xiang Hui and his three buddies behind him were the type who had been suppressed by Li Shiwen for twenty years, then when Li Shiwen suddenly suffered a setback and became depressed, they turned around and suppressed him for four years.

These four years had made them forget how Li Shiwen had beaten them for the previous twenty years, and they even forgot their own names.

Xiang Hui also laughed and asked, "Brother Wen, can you still fight?"

"Crack!!!"

Before he finished speaking, this sound suddenly rang out in the private room.

The sound came abruptly and frighteningly, causing a moment of silence in the room.

They heard the storyteller outside say, "After numerous trials, Swordsman Li passed the final test and entered the core area of the Dao Sword Sect, the Hall of Seeking the Way..."

"Ahhh..."

After the silence came screams of pain. Xiang Hui, who had been arrogant just a second ago, was now kneeling before Li Shiwen, clutching his hand.

...Li Shiwen had crushed the bones in his hand with one grip!

What was Li Shiwen's current combat power?

It was the limit of mortals!

Give him a pair of wings, and he could defeat the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators!

How could Xiang Hui dare to provoke him?!

But Xiang Hui was, after all, a young ruffian from the capital. Although he was in so much pain that he was breaking out in a cold sweat and screaming loudly, he could still give orders after his screams: "Cheng Nan, what are you waiting for?!"

Cheng Nan looked at Qin Ran, whose expression remained calm, and said nothing.

Li Shiwen stood up from his chair, his tall figure intimidating everyone in the private room, including Cheng Nan. They finally remembered the terror of being dominated by Li Shiwen.

He looked down at Xiang Hui kneeling on the ground and asked, "Young Master Xiang, can you still fight?"

"If you still want to win back Li Shiyin, Li Shiwen is your only hope," Tang Yin suddenly spoke to Cheng Nan, "All women are cheap. You can't win back her heart by crying, begging, or kneeling. You can only force her, coerce her with your power, threaten her with benefits, and constrain her with emotions. Since you can't get her heart, you can use various means to get her body."

He whispered in Cheng Nan's ear like a demon, "A forced melon may not be sweet, but it can quench your thirst. You can control Li Shiwen and use him to threaten Li Shiyin. You're a cultivator... a powerful cultivator. Can't you even get a woman?"

Cheng Nan looked back at him, feeling as if something suppressed in his heart had been uncovered, and darkness was escaping from within.

But then he looked at Qin Ran again, gritted his teeth, and desperately tried to suppress the darkness in his heart.

"Do you know why Li Shiyin doesn't like you and wants to abandon you?" Tang Yin continued, "It's because of your weak, indecisive, cowardly appearance. She's the woman you love most in this life, the most precious person in your life. If you're not willing to change and give your all for someone like her...

"Tell me, what else can you do?"

Cheng Nan's eyes reddened. He looked at Qin Ran, thinking, I could fight him to the death.

"It's fortunate that Li Shiyin didn't marry you..." Tang Yin said, "Such a heavenly beauty submitting to you would be a waste of God's gifts!"

Cheng Nan clenched his fists, his mind in turmoil...

At this moment, the storyteller outside said, "At first, Swordsman Li became an apprentice under the master of Dan Peak to learn the art of alchemy; later, she suddenly mastered swordsmanship on her own..."

"Dan Peak? Alchemy?" Cheng Nan suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes looking at Qin Ran, and asked, "An alchemist?!"

He saw a flash of panic in Qin Ran's eyes, although Qin Ran hid it well, he still noticed it.

Qin Ran maintained his calm expression and said, "I... I'm a Golden Core cultivator!"

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything; his words only made him seem more guilty. This instantly ignited the darkness in Cheng Nan's heart!

"Clang..."

A sword was unsheathed!

Cheng Nan's figure flashed, and he thrust his sword towards Qin Ran.

And then...

"Ding!"

His sword stopped.

He looked closely and saw that Qin Ran had caught his sword between the index and middle fingers of his left hand!

He tried to use force but found that he could neither advance nor retreat.

"The first cultivator I've ever seen who was fooled by a mortal..." Qin Ran looked at Cheng Nan, his eyes filled with amusement, "You've really broadened my horizons.

"Well... not entirely. Cultivators are just mortals with supernatural powers. If their mentality can't keep up with their power, they can indeed be easily corrupted by their inner darkness. This should be within my understanding."

"Clang!"

He exerted force with his fingers, breaking Cheng Nan's sword. He then turned to Tang Yin and smiled, "I must say, I admire this gentleman. You've accomplished something I've always wanted to do. A mortal defeating a cultivator with words alone."

"Another expert?!" Tang Yin's face turned cold as he looked at Qin Ran, feeling fear rising in his heart.

"Interesting!" Qin Ran smiled, but shook his head regretfully.

He stood up and walked out of the teahouse with Li Shiwen.

Behind them, the storyteller was still saying: "Swordsman Li grew from a naive young sword cultivator. With her master's careful guidance, he forged a sword for her. It is said that forging a sword for the hand is easy, but forging a sword for the heart is difficult. Yet her master, on the path of forging a sword for her hand, also forged a sword for her heart..."

In the days that followed, Xiang Ji's younger brother Xiang Hui, the son of the Minister of Personnel Tang Yin, the crown prince Mi Hua, and several scholars from the Hanlin Academy all fell ill. No medicine could cure them, and after a month, they died in agony from their illnesses.