The Husband Was Once The Long Aotian

T/N: The previous chapters have all been translated by Elysian Pit. From this chapter onward, this translator will be continuing. Hope I can provide a quality translation. Happy reading ❤️❤️

 

The Boss of the Library did not have all the poetry collections that Qin Wanwan was looking for. There were only some popular best-selling poetry collections, but they also accumulated to nearly a thousand books. Qin Wanwan took out all the spiritual stones she got after selling off Jian Xingzhi, bought all the books, and stuffed them all into the Qiankun bag. Since it was a lot of books, her Qiankun bag could not hold them all, so she also stuffed some into Nan Feng’s.

She carried the barrage of thousands of books back to the City Lord’s Mansion. When she returned, Jian Xingzhi and Xie Gutang were studying the map of the City Lord’s Mansion. Qin Wanwan ran in happily and shouted, “Master! I bought all the books!”

“Okay.”

Jian Xingzhi replied casually, “Put it over there.”

“Master, stop chatting with Daoist Monarch Xie.”

Qin Wanwan urged him with all seriousness, “The most important thing now is to study. If you waste your time like this, I’m afraid it will be too late.”

Jian Xingzhi frowned when he heard it, just as he began to say, “It’s just a few books…”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Qin Wanwan begin to pour all the books from the Qiankun bag.

As Qin Wanwan poured, Nan Feng quickly arranged them behind her. Thousands of books poured out at once, filling the entire room in an instant.

Jian Xingzhi and Xie Gutang stood at the door in amazement, staring blankly at the mountain of books. Qin Wanwan walked up to Jian Xingzhi and said earnestly, “Master, according to my and Nan Feng’s understanding of your level of scholarism, you must at least memorize all these books if you wish to become Hua Rong’s favorite male consort. There are 7,000 books here. If you read 1,000 books a day, I believe you can finish reading them by the end of the week.”

“1,000 a day…” Xie Gutang was incredulous, “Isn’t it a bit too much?”

“Absolutely not, Daoist Monarch Xie.”

Qin Wanwan explained, “You have no idea about my Master’s ability. My Master is the best in the world. He doesn’t feel reluctant to finish this mere 7,000 books!”

“What if I say…” Jian Xingzhi swallowed his saliva, “What if I say I’m reluctant?”

“Master,” Qin Wanwan turned at him with a serious look, “Think about how weak and incompetent I used to be. Under your guidance, now I have the ability to beat you and break your bones. Is there anything in this world that can’t be done with hard work? Master, you have to set an example. If you give up so easily, I’d also lose motivation and become lazy. And isn’t it just 7,000 books? With your spiritual power, you can memorize them in just one day, not to mention seven days!”

Qin Wanwan put a big hat of competency on Jian Xingzhi, who could not resist her persuasion and only nod his head, “One day is still a bit difficult, I will try my best to finish them in seven days.”

“Master,” Qin Wanwan held his hands, pure admiration dripping down from her eyes, “There is nothing in this world you can’t do, you will definitely not let me down, right?”

“You think too highly of me.”

Jian Xingzhi’s heart trembled, “The truth is, I’m just an ordinary sword cultivator. ”

“Master, don’t belittle yourself.”

Qin Wanwan raised her hand and covered Jian Xingzhi’s mouth, “You are the best in my heart. Whether we can find the White Dragon Jade or not depends on you. Then Master, you start reading. I’ll go have a meal with Daoist Monarch Xie.”

After saying that, Qin Wanwan happily called Xie Gutang, “Daoist Monarch Xie, let’s go eat. Today’s menu is whole roasted lamb!”

“Wait…”

Jian Xingzhi was about to call them, but Qin Wanwan happily pulled Nan Feng and Xie Gutang away, not giving him the chance.

He watched as they left the room. Standing alone in front of the mountain of books, he murmured: “I also want to eat a whole roasted lamb…”

As soon as the voice fell, a ‘ding’ sound was heard from the system.

【The Female Lead and the Male Supporting Character have had a close encounter.

Points +5.

Host, please continue working hard to enhance the female lead’s romantic prospects!】

The moment he heard the system, Jian Xingzhi’s mood turned even worse. He had no idea why he was feeling so down.

People are having romantic encounters and eating roasted lambs. Only he needed to study.

But what could he even do?

What Qin Wanwan said was right. He was her Master. He couldn’t be strict towards her when teaching but be lazy when it comes to his own study.

Jian Xingzhi took a deep breath. He turned his head, walked into the room and closed the door. Then he sat down cross-legged, raised his hand and started stuffing all the books into the Qiankun bag. He only left one thousand books to be memorized today and stuffed the rest back into the Qiankun bag.

The way a cultivator memorizes books is different from that of ordinary people. Jian Xingzhi probed his Divine Sense into the thousand books at the same time while turning the pages continuously. However, a while later he realized that he could read and recognize every word in the books, but he couldn’t seem to comprehend them.

He concentrated hard on trying to memorize those words, but it soon made him sleepy.

He had no talent in reading poetry. He knew this a long time ago, but he couldn’t give up.

He struggled to memorize all the poems over and over again, but after a while, he felt as if his Divine Sense had been hit hard by something, severely damaging it. He couldn’t even concentrate properly and only felt drowsy.

In a half-asleep half-awake state, he struggled to memorize the poems. As he was memorizing, he heard the voices of Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang coming back, chatting happily.

Have they finished eating the whole roasted lamb?

Jian Xingzhi felt a little melancholy.

This traitorous disciple, didn’t even remember her Master while eating the whole lamb.

His sulking mood continued when Qin Wanwan opened the door.

After opening the door, Qin Wanwan secretly glanced at him, confirming if he was slacking off or not.

Jian Xingzhi immediately turned his head away and snorted coldly.

If the disobedient disciple doesn’t appease me, don’t even think about me caring about her!

Qin Wanwan confirmed that he was not slacking off and went to bed with peace of mind. She simply pulled up the quilt and prepared to sleep. Jian Xingzhi waited for a while, but seeing that Qin Wanwan was ignoring him, he became even angrier and turned around to ask her: “Did you bring me food?!”

“Master, memorize the books properly.”

Qin Wanwan turned her back to him as she advised, “Don’t always think about eating.”

Jian Xingzhi choked on his spit. He turned back in shame and continued to memorize the books.

He memorized the books in a muddlehead until midnight. For the first time in his life, he realized what it felt like to be exhausted. Thinking he had memorized enough, he stumbled to the bed as if sleepwalking and tumbled down to the bed. He pulled up the quilt and was about to fall asleep.

A great sense of happiness flowed over his body at that moment.

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. He didn’t know how long it had been before he vaguely felt someone’s presence around him. When he opened his eyes in a daze, he saw Qin Wanwan was lying beside him. They were facing each other, their breathing mingling together. The unexpected distance was so close that Jian Xingzhi’s whole body turned stiff.

All the sleep evaporated as he woke up instantly. With eyes wide open, he watched as Qin Wanwan slowly approached him. Her face leaning towards him and getting closer and closer.

Jian Xingzhi’s mind blanked, he senses confused. His breathing almost stopped, and he felt as if someone was squeezing his heart. Only one thing was wandering in his mind:

What is she going to do? What does she want to do?

Jian Xingzhi was so confused that he couldn’t even react. Just the moment before he thought Qin Wanwan was going to kiss him, he heard her asking him slowly, “Master, are you awake?”

Jian Xingzhi swallowed his saliva and answered nervously, “Awake… awake.”

“Then, tell me,” Qin Wanwan fished out a book he had just finished memorizing and turned the pages as she asked, “What is the next sentence of ‘The sunlight illuminates the incense burner, creating smoke of purple’?”

[T/N: This line ‘日照香炉生紫烟’下一句是什么’ is from a couplet from the poem “望庐山瀑布” (Ode to the Waterfall at Lushan) by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. The next line of the poem after “遥看瀑布挂前川” is “飞流直下三千尺,” which translates to “The waterfall cascading straight down three thousand feet.”]

Jian Xingzhi suddenly came to his senses upon hearing her words. He sat up instantly and looked at Qin Wanwan in shock: “You climbed onto my bed in the middle of the night just to ask me to recite poems?!”

“Master, if I harbored any other ideas to climb onto your bed,” Qin Wanwan stood up calmly with a composed expression and said, “how can I be worthy of being your disciple? I must use any means necessary to urge you, to cultivate you, and to make you a cultured, sophisticated Master. Don’t let our people down or be mocked by the world for being a sword cultivator with no culture. Do you not feel the earnest intentions of your disciple?”

“But I have memorized a thousand books today!”

Jian Xingzhi responded anxiously. Qin Wanwan listened to this familiar emphasis and savoured the pleasure brought by the change of position. She restrained her inner joy and said with heartfelt sincerity, “Master, you should have higher requirements for yourself. Just like when I only needed to earn 2334 points a day, you forced me to earn 3000 points. You even taught me the mind technique Chunsheng for this. Thanks to your strict guidance, I’m strong enough to beat you today. Now, as your disciple, I wish to repay your kindness and must not let you slack off. I couldn’t sleep all night worried about your progress. So I worked tirelessly and made an apparatus for studying purposes, hoping the Master would give it a try.”

“What… what?”

Jian Xingzhi’s was frightened. When he realized that Qin Wanwan even remembered that the last digit of the point was 4, he knew that the situation was far from good.

Qin Wanwan jumped off the bed and pulled open the curtain. A chair-like frame appeared in Jian Xingzhi’s vision as soon as the curtain was pulled open. Although the thing appeared to be a chair, the seat had been removed. Below the empty seat stood a bunch of sharp pointed spikes with a rope hanging above it. Overall, the thing, or apparatus, resembled more like a torture device than a studying tool.

“In the Mortal Realm, the scholars would hang their heads on the beams and prick their thighs with needles in order to concentrate properly on studying. I took this as inspiration and improved this method to build this apparatus. The scholars prick their thighs manually, but this apparatus will prick the buttocks automatically. As long as it detects you are distracted and drowsy, and you aren’t memorizing hard, this apparatus will work with precision.”

Qin Wanwan presented the chair while explaining its functions, “When the time comes, you can squat down above the spikes, putting your weight on your knees. This apparatus can monitor your efforts in real time. If you are distracted, the rope above will pull your hair, and the spikes below will rise up and poke your buttocks, ensuring that you will wake up instantly and concentrate. I may not belong to a sect as renowned as my Master, nor do I possess a powerful mind technique such as Chunsheng. Therefore, I can only contribute my modest knowledge to my master through my own little efforts. Master, I hope you will accept it!”

Jian Xingzhi couldn’t speak. He stared blankly at the chair. At that moment, he only felt an inexplicable despair hanging over his head.

Qin Wanwan appealed to him gleefully. He thought about how strict he had been with Qin Wanwan while teaching her and took a deep breath. He walked to the chair, and squatted down according to Qin Wanwan’s instructions. Qin Wanwan tied up his hair with the rope and handed him the book before shouting words of encouragement, “Let’s start, Master! Start memorizing!”

Qin Wanwan finished tying up his hair and waved at him cheerfully, “Then Master, I’m going to sleep. You are the best Master–keep it up!”

Jian Xingzhi nodded at her seriously, “Go ahead. But remember to get up early to start practising, don’t be lazy!”

“Yes.”

Qin Wanwan responded and took a few steps. She thought about something and glanced back. The image of Jian Xingzhi half squatting above the spikes, his hair being pulled by the rope as he furiously probed his spiritual energy into the book entered her eyes.

Qin Wanwan stared at him quietly for a while, then swiftly turned her head, and went to the bed.

She sneaked another glance at Jian Xingzhi after getting onto the bed. Seeing Jian Xingzhi’s determined and effortful appearance to memorize, while squatting above the sharp spikes, she felt a little guilty in her heart. To ignore her guilty conscience, she slept with her back to him. But she only kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep even as midnight passed. Eventually, she got up and sat cross-legged on the bed, propped up her head and looked at Jian Xingzhi: “Master.”

At that moment, she suddenly felt a vague sense of familiarity.

It was like when she was in highschool. Staying in the dormitory, she saw the light turned on behind the curtain in the bed next to her. As if encouraged by her roommate, she couldn’t help but get up, turned on her own small light, and opened the practice book…

The whole night passed with one of them memorizing and the other meditating. While Qin Wanwan was meditating, which was a form of rest for cultivators, Jian Xinzghi memorized the books with his Divine Sense. As the morning approached, Xie Gutang arrived at their courtyard and opened the door. Astonishment washed over him at the scene of Jian Xingzhi memorizing books with sharp spikes under his buttocks and dark circles beneath his eyes.

“Se…Senior…”

“So… so cruel!”

Nan Feng popped up from behind Xie Gutang and covered his mouth in shock, taking a few steps back.

Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes, looked up at the two of them, and smiled like a person who lost his reason.

“Good morning.” As he spoke, his attention was still glued to the books, “Don’t disturb me. You all go practice first, I’ll continue memorizing.”

No one dared to speak, even the individual who was responsible for his situation, Qin Wanwan, was a little scared.

But fortunately, she still remembered her original purpose. Quickly pulling the other two away, she frantically ran out.

After the three of them went out, Nan Feng patted his chest, still shaken up from the earlier scene, “Master, I’m feeling scared of Daoist Monarch Jian’s behavior. I feel like he has been possessed.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Qin Wanwan waved her hand as if comforting herself, “He’s still in his right state of mind, don’t be afraid.”

“But I still feel like this isn’t right for the Senior to behave this way.”

Xie Gutang frowned before suggesting, “Perhaps we should stop him from memorizing and think of other ways?”

“Since the Master has already started memorizing,” Qin Wanwan answered with a hesitant expression, “I have already bought the books with fifty spirit stones. They can’t be wasted.”

Everyone took the fifty spirit stones into consideration and turned silent. Deciding to leave Jian Xingzhi alone and hoping for him to work harder.

However, as the fourth night also passed like this, Qin Wanwan couldn’t stop herself any longer.

She crouched in front of Jian Xingzhi and stared at his bloodshot eyes staring at the book with full concentration. The spikes under his buttocks had a few faint marks of bloodstains, with blood dripping from his buttocks. Qin Wanwan looked at him in shock before asking hesitantly, “Master… are you… are you okay?”

“Your Master is fine!”

Jian Xingzhi answered vigorously, “A thousand of books are still left. I will finish memorizing them today!”

“Master…”

Qin Wanwan looked at the blood dripping from his buttocks, “Why don’t you take a break. It’s just a thousand books, I believe you can finish memorizing them in no time.”

“No.”

Jian Xingzhi flatly refused and began instructing Qin Wanwan, “One should not give up halfway through a task. Don’t disturb me; I need to memorize these texts.”

“Then take a break before continuing.”

Qin Wanwan looked at Jian Xingzhi’s bloodstained clothes and felt guilt crippling her, “At least stop the bleeding first?”

“It’s just a minor injury, don’t worry about it,” Jian Xingzhi said, dismissing Qin Wanwan’s concern, “You should also start practising, stop disturbing me.”

Qin Wanwan didn’t dare to persuade him further. She returned to the bed, hesitated for a moment, and then used a spell to stop the bleeding on Jian Xingzhi’s buttocks.

Jian Xingzhi was fully focused on using his energy on memorizing the book. If no one took care of his injury, she was afraid that he’d bleed to death.

On the sixth night of memorizing the books, Cuilu sent someone to inform Jian Xingzhi and Xie Gutang to prepare for the monthly banquet tomorrow. Tomorrow at the banquet, Hua Rong would choose a man he would like to serve him.

Xie Gutang hurriedly suggested after receiving the news, “Miss Qin, quickly go to the Senior and inform him to stop memorizing poems!”

“Okay.”

Qin Wanwan nodded, turned around and ran to inform Jian Xingzhi.

“Master, there’s no need to memorize poems anymore. Tomorrow is the Flower Banquet; you should rest well. Beauty is the most important thing!”

Jian Xingzhi raised his head from his position hearing this and smiled benevolently at Qin Wanwan, “An awaited rain after a long drought, and a ship sailing west catches the gentle wind of the east (Note 1). I’ve just finished memorizing all the poems; you informed me at just the right time.”

[T/N: The lines are from “寄杨花” by the poet Bai Juyi (白居易) from the Tang Dynasty. The specific line expresses the joy of receiving help or favorable conditions after a period of difficulty.]

Qin Wanwan was frightened when she heard Jian Xingzhi reciting poems like a cultured scholar. She raised her hand to help Jian Xingzhi, who had been squatting for seven days, stand up and began persuading him: “Master, since you’ve already finished memorizing all the poems, just relax and don’t be anxious. Feel free to behave as you’ve always been, just like a normal person.”

“How wrong that would be.”

Jian Xingzhi walked towards the bed with stiff legs and Qin Wanwan’s assistance, “If you don’t realize the esprit of Li Bai and Du Fu, how could you speak of the depth of grass and trees? Beicheng, you should also read more. Just like your Master, from being uncultured to memorizing 7,000 books, it only took seven days.”

[T/N: The line “若非知李杜，怎言草木深” is from the poem “游山西村” (Traveling in a Village in Shanxi) by the Chinese poet Wang Wei (王维). Here, “Li Bai” and “Du Fu” refer to the two renowned poets, both celebrated for their profound and evocative poetry.

The line implies that an understanding of the essence and subtlety of nature (symbolized by the “depth of the grass and trees”) requires a deep appreciation of classical poetry and the masters who have captured such nuances. In other words, to fully grasp and appreciate the subtleties of natural beauty, one must first have a deep understanding of the great poets and their works.]

Upon hearing this, Qin Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly guided Jian Xingzhi to the bedside while encouraging him, “Master, don’t say more. You should make up for your beauty sleep. You must be the most beautiful flower tomorrow!”

As she spoke, Qin Wanwan helped Jian Xingzhi to lie down on the bed and covered him with a quilt.

Jian Xingzhi placed his hands in front of him, closed his eyes, and sighed softly, “Unwilling to contend for spring, letting others be jealous. Let the petals fall to dust and turn to mud, leaving only the fragrance unchanged.”

Qin Wanwan resisted the urge to hit someone and pulled down the bed curtain before walking out the door. As soon as she went out, Xie Gutang and Nan Feng rushed to her.

“How is the situation with the Senior? Has the condition improved?”

Qin Wanwan shook her head, revealing a grave expression, “I’m afraid it’s in the advanced stage and there’s no hope. Just give up.”

As she spoks, she walked forward sadly with her hands clasped behind her back, gazing up at the moon.

Xie Gutang hesitated for a moment before approaching her and comforted, “Miss Qin, don’t worry too much. The Senior has just temporarily lost his sanity. With our company, maybe he will get better.”

“Perhaps.”

Qin Wanwan nodded sadly, “Thank you for your kind words, Fellow Daoist Xie. Take Nan Feng with you to rest early. I’ll stay out for a while to calm down.”

Xie Gutang nodded and went back to his room with Nan Feng.

After they left, the corners of Qin Wanwan’s mouth curved into a wild grin. She clenched her fists and bounced on the spot a couple of times.

He finally got the taste of his own medicine. She felt the same exhaustion when she dug him out the yellow sand.

Just as she learned swordsmanship for the mission, he should also learn to recite poems for the mission!

Qin Wanwan was extremely happy inside, but she also felt a bit uneasy. She couldn’t help but ponder whether her calculation was wrong.

But considering that she was unable to live past three hundred years, and her parents had gone to great lengths to extend her life, accumulating some high status to help her preserve her own life, only to have it all completely ruined by his reckless sword strike. Now she was suffering here in the Mortal Realm and unable to return to the Immortal Realm, unable to protect her Jishan, with no place to call home. Furthermore, she he had to endure being stabbed, beaten, and struck for the sake of her mission, but still couldn’t receive an apology. Therefore, she thought that a small release of frustration and having him experience the pain of being coerced during his tasks was quite lenient of her.

Qin Wanwan strengthened her resolve and took a deep breath before returning to the room.

The next morning, Qin Wanwan got up early and together with Nan Feng, they began tending Jian Xingzhi.

They dressed Jian Xingzhi in a blue brocade long robe, styled his hair with a white jade hairpin, and had his clothes scented with aromatic smoke. They ensured that every detail, from his hair to his fingertips, was perfect.

After finishing all this, Jian Xingzhi looked at Qin Wanwan: “Do I look fine?”

“Of course.”

Qin Wanwan began praising him, “Master, you have memorized 7,000 books. Today, you’ll become the most beautiful flower in Guicheng!”

Saying that, Qin Wanwan spread her fingers in the air and praised exaggeratedly: “Perfect.”

“I think so too.”

Jian Xingzhi nodded, quite confident, “As your Master, I am now skilled in both literature and martial arts and am bold enough to challenge even the Immortals of heavens. At this Flower Banquet, I will certainly win first place.”

“Master is correct!”

Qin Wanwan mindlessly flattered him. At that time, Nan Feng rushed in from the door, “Master, Daoist Monarch Jian, Daoist Monarch Xie, let’s go.”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi called Qin Wanwan: “Let’s go.”

After Jian Xingzhi finished speaking, he led the way out. Qin Wanwan, Xie Gutang, and Nan Feng followed him closely. Watching Jian Xingzhi confidently leading ahead, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of walking with a breeze.

Jian Xingzhi walked through the crowd with a confident gait. Under the astonished gazes of everyone, he confidently brushed his meticulously styled bangs.

Having memorized 7,000 books, a different kind of pride he had never felt before swelled up in his chest.

If he could memorize so many poems, was there anything he couldn’t dare do?

When the group arrived at the garden where the Hundred Flower Banquet was to be held, they were stopped right at the entrance.

“Only gentlemen are allowed to enter the Hundred Flower Banquet. Requesting the other esteemed guests to wait outside.”

The maid stopped Qin Wanwan and Nan Feng from entering. Qin Wanwan expressed her understanding and took a step back with Nan Feng.

The maid, seeing that they showed understanding sensibly, smiled more sincerely. She then turned to Jian Xingzhi, who stood proudly with his hands behind his back, and Xie Gutang, who was simply there to observe. She spoke gently, “The City Lord has fallen ill and cannot meet with you young masters directly at this Hundred Flower Banquet. Therefore, the selection method has changed, along with the process and some taboos. Please make sure to be aware of these in advance.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned. The maid continued regardless of their astonishment, “This time, Lord Cuilu, following the City Lord’s preferences, has specially set up three tests. Each test consists of a hundred points, and the person with the highest combined score from all three tests will be the one chosen for the monthly service.”

“It’s just a test,” Jian Xingzhi laughed arrogantly as he heard it, “I’ve read a lot of books, so it’s no problem for me.”

“Young master, you jest,” the maid said with a smile. “The City Lord absolutely detests those who are overly fond of poetry. Once seated, please be cautious with using literary references; if you can speak in plain language, then use plain language.”

Jian Xingzhi was shocked hearing this and snapped his head at Qin Wanwan.

Qin Wanwan’s heart also ‘thumped’ wildly. The City Lord was raised by the Divine Lord Mingjing, he still kept the statue of the Divine Lord Mingjing in his residence and had been searching for people resembling the Divine Lord Mingjing. The Divine Lord was a cultured scholar who loved books and poetry but the City Lord detests such people!?

“What are the three tests mainly about?”

Xie Gutang, unfazed by the change, quickly focused on the key points. The maid turned to him and replied, “The City Lord prefers practical individuals, so the three tests are on appearance, arithmetic, and artifact refinement.”

Jian Xingzhi’s face changed as he heard that.

He turned around and dragged Qin Wanwan to the side. Xie Gutang and Nan Feng also followed them with anxious expressions.

“What should we do now?”

Nan Feng asked nervously. “We are prepared but not necessarily prepared.”

“No, it’s not that we are not prepared,” Qin Wanwan raised her hand to stop Nan Feng and said seriously, “It’s just we’re prepared in the opposite direction.”

“What should we do now?” Jian Xingzhi gritted his teeth, “I’m not good at arithmetic.”

“Don’t panic; let me analyze it for you,” Qin Wanwan said earnestly. “Your appearance score will definitely be high. It doesn’t matter if your arithmetic score is low, but you need to put effort into artifact refinement. Most of the male pets in the City Lord’s residence are probably ordinary people, so with your skills, your artifact refinement score will surpass theirs significantly. This rule actually works in your favor, so you don’t need to worry.”

As they heard it, everyone felt that it was reasonable.

Jian Xingzhi nodded, “That’s true; I can’t be worse at artifact refinement than these ordinary people.”

“Master, have confidence in yourself,” Qin Wanwan clenched her fist in encouragement, “You can do this.”

Reassured, Jian Xingzhi nodded. After exchanging a glance with Xie Gutang, he decided to get inside.

The two entered the examination hall together. Xie Gutang also reassured Jian Xingzhi, “Senior, don’t worry. Miss Qin is right; these are just ordinary people. With our artifact refinement included, we should have a guaranteed win.”

As they spoke, the two turned around a narrow path and entered the garden. Looking around, they saw several men seated at small tables, each engrossed in their own tasks.

As soon as those people entered Jian Xingzhi’s eyes, his expression froze.

Although everyone there had altered their appearance, his spiritual perception was far superior to that of the others present. Just by discerning their souls, he was able to recognize several of the individuals, including some he knew:

Shen Zhiming, the leader of Wen Xin Sect

Jun Shu, the young master of Lecheng

Among those he didn’t recognize was a young man in a pink long robe at the Celestial Transformation stage. The man raised his cup and smiled at Jian Xingzhi and the others politely.

A figure in white, at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, was coughing and drinking medicine with his head bowed.

In addition to Jian Xingzhi and Xie Gutang from the Tian Jian Sect.

In short, there wasn’t a single ordinary person present.

At that moment, all Jian Xingzhi wanted was to turn around and leave.

This is what you call a backyard power struggle in a City Lord’s harem?

Has the entry requirements for becoming a male consort started at the Celestial Transformation stage, with the Tribulation Transcendence stage being even bare minimum?

When did the Cultivation Realm become so full of Celestial Transformation experts that even Nascent Soul cultivators are considered more insignificant than a dog?

Even if he had a good appearance, with his level of arithmetic and artifact refinement skills, against a group of Celestial Transformation and Tribulation Transcendence experts present there, it would be a miracle if he could win!

 

The Author has something to say:

Jian Xingzhi: “I’ve finally learned to read, but now I have to take a math test. This is a trial that’s too difficult for me to overcome.”

【Mini Theater】

Then,

Qin Wanwan: “You put your hand on my chest just to break my ribs? This is a chest! Such a plump chest! Don’t you feel anything?”

Jian Xingzhi: “If I were to pay any attention to your chest, I don’t deserve to be your master.”

Now,

Jian Xingzhi: “You climbed onto my bed in the middle of the night just to make me memorize poems? I’m so handsome and this bed is so soft, don’t you have any other thoughts?!

Qin Wanwan: “If I harbor any other thoughts for climbing onto your bed, I don’t deserve to be your disciple!”

Master, for every cause, there is an effect. And your retribution must be paid by me.