The Husband Was Once The Long Aotian

As soon as Jian Xingzhi entered the garden, Qin Wanwan pulled Nan Feng and hurriedly ran to a big tree not far from there.

“Quickly find out how many people participated in the Flower Gathering Banquet today, their identities, and their arithmetic skills.”

Qin Wanwan instructed Nan Feng and she also climbed up the tree to survey the situation in the garden from the tree.

At a glance, she was startled. Although this group had changed their faces and concealed their identities, she immediately recognized them from their spiritual energy. Aside from Shen Zhiming and Jun Shu, there was also a Transformation Stage and a Tribulation Stage cultivator present there.

What’s going on? Why are there so many experts here?!

Qin Wanwan was momentarily stunned. She swallowed hard, quickly calming herself down and immediately changed her strategy.

Since there were so many experts present, with Jian Xingzhi’s current Golden Core cultivation, it would be difficult for him to gain any advantage in artifact refining. Relying solely on artifacts refining to score the highest point is basically not a viable option.

Qin Wanwan pondered for a moment, then raised her hand and brushed her ear. A small magical array on her ear lit up as she softly called out to Jian Xingzhi, “Jian Xingzhi, can you hear me?”

Jian Xingzhi was anxiously tapping on the table, when he suddenly heard Qin Wanwan’s voice. He paused his movements and immediately raised his head and glanced around. He was somewhat surprised that Qin Wanwan had managed to set up this communication array without him noticing.

“I’m on a tree.”

Qin Wanwan reminded him. Jian Xingzhi quickly glanced at the surrounding trees and locked eyes with her, pinpointing her location. Qin Wanwan softly reassured him, “I’ve placed a magical array on you. During the artifact refining, just practice freely and don’t waste your spiritual energy to compete with them. Your Sea of Consciousness is unstable, so focus on resting. Concentrate on the arithmetic paper. I’ll sneak in shortly; you copy the questions well, and I’ll help you solve them. After we work it out, write down the answers as I instruct you.”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi instantly felt at ease. He had never found Qin Wanwan so reliable before.

He drew a magical array in his palm to prevent anyone nearby from eavesdropping, then raised his hand to partially cover his mouth and softly replied, “Mm.”

“Are you all guests of the City Lord?”

While Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan were talking, the man in the pink clothes nearby seemed bored and began chatting with everyone else.

He introduced himself, “I am Liu Feixu from Huacheng. You all don’t seem to be people from Guicheng.”

As he spoke, Liu Feixu looked at the young man sitting nearby who was coughing. The young man looked up and smiled at Liu Feixu, introducing himself, “I am Ning Buyan from Huangcheng.”

The two people announced their names, and Xie Gutang politely followed suit: “Tian Jian Sect, Xie Gutang.”

“Loose cultivator, Jian Xingzhi.”

“Wen Xin Sect, Shen Ming.”

“Lecheng, Jun Fan.”

A group of people announced their aliases, each filled with distinctive characteristics. Upon hearing them, Qin Wanwan realized, “Each sect has sent representatives. Shen Zhiming is also here, probably for the White Dragon Jade. The news about the appearance of the second piece of White Dragon Jade has likely reached everyone.”

As she spoke, Cuilu walked in.

Everyone turned their gaze and saw Cuilu taking her position in the main seat. “Today, the City Lord is unwell, so I’m here to select candidates on his behalf. You should all be clear about the rules, becoming the City Lord’s male consort is not an easy task. The City Lord often says that scholars ruin the country, while the weapon refiners made the country prosperous. The first competition today will be about artifact refining. You can choose your own materials, and we will see who can create the most exquisite and valuable item.”

Upon hearing this, everyone began to rise and select their materials. Jian Xingzhi had only forged swords in the past; he had learned how to refine weapons but wasn’t particularly skilled at it.

Looking around and contemplating what to create, Jian Xingzhi was startled when a flame suddenly flared up beside him. He turned to Xie Gutang, bewildered, and asked, “What… what are you doing?”

“I don’t know how to make anything else,” Xie Gutang smiled. “I can only forge swords, so I’ll use the Samadhi True Fire to forge a sword.”

[T/N: Samadhi True Fire, or “Sanmei Zhenhuo,” (三昧真火) refers to a mystical fire that is said to be produced during deep meditation (samadhi). This fire symbolizes pure, high-level spiritual energy capable of refining materials and enhancing the potency of magical items or weapons.]

Samadhi True Fire, in the past, he would merely cast a glance without stopping, but at this moment, listening to it, he unexpectedly felt a hint of envy and nodded slightly as he said, “Not bad, pretty good.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a wild gust of wind mixed with snow swept toward Jian Xingzhi from the opposite side. He rolled on the spot and looked up coldly, seeing a large, translucent ice block filled with clear spiritual energy flowing through it in front of Ning Buyan. Coughing, Ning Buyan looked up with a pale face and smiled apologetically at Jian Xingzhi: “Sorry.”

Saying this, he took a carving knife and bent down in front of the ice block, beginning to carve into the large piece of ice.

Jian Xingzhi immediately understood that he was crafting a cold ice jade bed. Lying on it for cultivation not only calms the mind and helps one concentrate but also provides warmth in winter and coolness in summer. He had one of these beds before, and while the carving was straightforward, the key lay in the spiritual energy infused in the cold ice jade bed. The powerful ice jade cannot be refined except during the Tribulation period.

Though it was a valuable item, it was something beyond his capabilities.

After seeing the items of Xie Gutang and Ning Buyan, Jian Xingzhi felt a bit anxious. He pretended to be calm and glanced over, only to see Shen Zhiming raising his hand to summon the heavenly thunder, striking it down directly onto the table. The electricity crackled and coalesced into a sphere. Even though the item wasn’t completed yet, its aura and momentum was already immensely powerful.

Beside him, Liu Feixu was spinning in circles, drawing butterflies that flitted around him.

Then there was Jun Shu, frantically playing a flute at a single egg on the table. His spiritual energy transformed into runes that quickly landed on the egg; it was unclear whether he was hatching it or doing something else entirely.

Everyone was busy, but Jian Xingzhi stood there in a daze, watching them. Cuilu’s indifferent glance swept over him as she asked, “Jian Xingzhi, aren’t you going to start working?”

Work, what was he supposed to work on?

With such a vast disparity in abilities, anything he produced would only bring him humiliation. He didn’t want to embarrass himself at all.

But under Cuilu’s gaze, he thought for a moment and finally stood up. He grabbed a saw from the side and pulled a chair over.

Since he didn’t know how to do anything else, he might as well put on a performance as a carpenter.

He decided to make the chair that Qin Wanwan had used for him. It was easy to produce, and although it looked ugly, it was quite effective.

Jian Xingzhi conscientiously sawed the seat board of the chair and drew a formation underneath. Then, he took a steel knife from the side and began inserting it one by one into the chair.

Once he finished, everyone else was nearly done as well. Cuilu sat at a high position and lazily said, “Bring everything up here.”

As she spoke, the servants brought the items made by the six of them and placed them on the table. Cuilu, accompanied by the judging panel with paper and pens, began to inspect each of the crafted items one by one.

“This is a Calming Heart Pearl….”

“This is a Thunderbolt Sphere…”

“This is the Ice Jade bed…”

“This is a butterfly firework…”

“This is a sword.”

The judging panel reviewed each of the items, commenting on those made by Jun Shu, Shen Zhiming, Ning Buyan, Liu Feixu, and Xie Gutang one by one.

“Too ordinary.”

“Too violent.”

“Too big.”

“Too fancy.”

“Too simple.”

With that said, the group of people arrived in front of the chair made by Jian Xingzhi. Cuilu frowned and asked: “What is this?”

“This chair is called the ‘Upward Seat’.”

Jian Xingzhi said nonsense with a straight face, “Its main function is to supervise people’s efforts to study. The user squats in a horse stance on top, and if they get distracted, the steel knives below will poke upward immediately, ensuring they stay alert. In severe cases, the user should be taken to the doctor immediately. I used this chair to memorize seven thousand poetry collections in seven days; it’s incredibly effective.”

Upon hearing this, the judging panel was left speechless. Cuilu paused for a moment before speaking, unable to hold back, “With such large steel knives… won’t it stab the person to death?”

“If the person doesn’t want to die, then they have to study.”

Jian Xingzhi said with a calm expression, “Since you’ve made the decision, shouldn’t you give it your all?”

His words left everyone present dumbfounded. Qin Wanwan, listening from the tree, raised her hands to cover her face.

It’s over, let’s just pretend this entire event never happened.

Just as she was thinking this, a voice from the crowd erupted, “Good!”

Everyone turned to look at Cuilu with shocked eyes. They saw Cuilu’s eyes were excited: “What you said is true,” she exclaimed. “In the cultivation world, if you’ve made a decision and don’t act on it, you might as well die. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time but couldn’t figure out how to implement it. Order two thousand of these chairs to be made and send them to the academies in the city!”

With that said, Cuilu turned around without hesitation and gave a thumbs up to Jian Xingzhi: “I admire you, full marks!”

Qin Wanwan was stunned. She watched Cuilu in the garden, filled with admiration for Jian Xingzhi, and couldn’t help but sigh and marvel at the vastness of the world.

She had thought Jian Xingzhi was crazy, but she didn’t expect Cuilu to be even more so.

At this decision, everyone panicked. Moments later, a line of people suddenly knelt on the ground.

“Lord Cuilu!”

An elder from the judging panel raised his head and said, “My Lord Cuilu, they just got distracted while studying, it isn’t a crime worthy of death!”

That’s right.

Qin Wanwan felt a bit scared; who among them hadn’t gotten distracted while studying at some point?

“Then what do you suggest I do?” Cuilu frowned. “I can’t stand seeing others not putting in the effort.”

“How about…” Jian Xingzhi interjected, “we replace the steel knives with sharp spikes that just give a little poke?”

With the direct comparison to the possibility of getting stabbed to death, a simple poke suddenly seemed trivial.

Everyone quickly chimed in, casting grateful looks at Jian Xingzhi. Cuilu hesitated for a moment, seeing the opposition, and finally said with some resignation, “Alright then, let’s go with that.”

Cuilu turned around, regaining her usual cold demeanor, and picked up her pen to take notes. “Let’s score the items.”

As she said that, she gave Jian Xingzhi full marks in the column without hesitation.

The others followed suit, out of respect for Cuilu and gratitude toward Jian Xingzhi, also giving him a full score.

Qin Wanwan was surprised by this unexpected turn of events. The expressions of several people in the garden darkened. They exchanged glances but no one said anything.

After taking a break, Cuilu instructed everyone to take their seats and then announced the start of the second assessment.

“The second competition is arithmetic. There are a total of ten questions; ten points for each correct answer and a deduction of ten points for each wrong one. You have the time of one incense stick. Let’s begin.”

After Cuilu finished speaking, she asked people to beat the gongs and drums. The maids moved from both sides and began distributing the examination papers.

As soon as the test papers were received, everyone’s expressions turned grim. After hesitating for a moment, they all picked up their pens and began to scribble and draw on the scrap paper.

Jian Xingzhi followed Qin Wanwan’s lead and began to copy the questions. However, as he wrote, he quickly realized it was a disaster, the questions were too long.

He began to copy at a faster speed, while Qin Wanwan prepared outside for the second assessment. She waited for the maid serving tea to come out, raised her hand to knock the maid unconscious. Using her disguise technique, she replaced herself with the maid’s face with the Qianmian Mirror before entering with tea.

She started serving tea from Shen Zhiming’s position and caught a glimpse of his exam paper. Shen Zhiming’s expression was solemn, seemingly deep in thought. Taking a quick glance at his draft paper, she saw that it was filled with:

“Calm the heart and quiet desires, without agitation or anger.”

“No desire means strength; if you cannot suppress it, just accept it.”

Qin Wanwan curled her lips and went to Jun Shu’s side.

He saw Jun Shu drawing horizontal lines on the draft paper, then vertical lines, and back to horizontal again. Yet, his expression remained calm and composed, as if he had already solved the problem.

Qin Wanwan: “…”

Fool.

Cuilu took the papers to the side to grade them. Everyone else, except for Jian Xingzhi, seemed to have just come out of a fierce battle, some sipping tea, others wiping their sweat. Jian Xingzhi coldly observed the crowd, raising his hand to cover his mouth and using a formation to conceal his voice as he chatted with Qin Wanwan.

“Beicheng, I think I’m done. I will definitely fail the exam.”

“Master, don’t belittle yourself.”

Qin Wanwan dressed the unconscious maid again and comforted Jian Xingzhi, “They might perform worse than you.”

“I only answered one question– ‘two.’ At most, I’ll get one point.”

Jian Xingzhi propped his face up with his hand. “I think we might need to change our strategy.”

“Master, look at it from a different angle,” Qin Wanwan said, having tidied up the maid and returned to her own face. She dusted off her hands and added, “You’ll only lose at most one point, so just wait and see.”

After all, inside were a group of veteran cultivators who hadn’t even graduated from elementary maths, so they weren’t to be feared.

Although Qin Wanwan was comforting him, Jian Xingzhi still felt uneasy. He waited anxiously for a while, and finally, Cuilu came out holding the exam papers. She waved her hand, and the maid next to her began to announce the scores.

“Shen Ming, all answers wrong. Negative 100 points.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ming’s face changed drastically. Jun Shu cast a doubtful look. Shen Ming frowned: “There is something wrong with your exam paper.”

Cuilu shot him a cold glance and said, “Can’t do basic arithmetic and still claim there’s something wrong with the exam papers? How shameless.”

The maid ignored this interruption and continued to announce, “Jun Shu, negative ninety points.”

“Liu Feixu, zero points.”

“Ning Buyan, negative fifty points.”

“Xie Gutang, negative ten points.”

“Jian Xingzhi…”

As the maid read the scores, she glanced at Jian Xingzhi, and everyone also turned to look at him. The maid smiled and said, “One point.”

In this major assessment, one point was paramount.

Jian Xingzhi relaxed and smiled as the maid gently announced, “In this Flower Gathering Banquet, Jian Xingzhi is the winner. Please, Young Master Jian, take the time to rest and freshen up today. In the evening, the City Lord will send someone to escort you for the evening; be sure to prepare well.”

As she spoke, the maid looked up, her smile carrying an unsettling chill. “Congratulations.”

As soon as the maid finished speaking, the system voice rang in Jian Xingzhi’s mind.

【Congratulations to the host for completing ‘Task 7’. You have successfully entered the Fengya Pavilion and the City Lord’s residence, becoming the favorite male consort of the City Lord, Hua Rong.

Reward: +500 points.

Total points: 1900】

【Please accept Task Eight: Perfect Hostage. Assist the female lead in achieving her shining moment to obtain the White Dragon Jade.】

【Affection Task: Ensure the female lead spends at least half an hour alone with Xie Gutang. Points: +100】

Upon hearing this mission, Jian Xingzhi was stunned: “Why Xie Gutang?”

In the past, wasn’t it always possible to choose at will based on looks above 90 points?

More importantly–

“Why are the points so high?!”

He had seriously fought monsters to earn just 500 points, while his cute little disciple got 100 points just for being alone with Xie Gutang for half an hour?!

“Well,” 666 felt a bit scared and explained, “The main system detects that the female lead currently has the highest affection for Xie Gutang. The affection task itself is quite valuable…”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi was in disbelief: “She has the highest affection for Xie Gutang? What about me?! I’m her Master!”

666 remained silent, and Jian Xingzhi reacted: “Am I still inferior to Xie Gutang?!”

“Well,” 666 comforted him, “perhaps in the calculations of the main system, love and master-disciple relationships are two separate things.”

The comforting words made Jian Xingzhi choke, but ultimately, it still felt a bit uncomfortable.

The maid beside them began to tidy up, Xie Gutang stood up respectfully and called out to Jian Xingzhi, “Senior, let’s go. Miss Qin is still waiting for us outside.”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi shot a glare at Xie Gutang, his brows furrowed in cold disdain.

He looked at the number 45 above Xie Gutang’s head, and his anger surged instantly.

Seeing that Jian Xingzhi remained silent, Xie Gutang called out again, “Senior?”

“I’m warning you,” Jian Xingzhi raised his finger and pointed at Xie Gutang, “Don’t casually flirt with my…”

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar surge of electric current crackled around Jian Xingzhi. The surge of power hit him head on, causing the fine hair on his head immediately explode to stand on end. He froze in place, his finger still pointing at Xie Gutang.

666 struggled to speak, “Well, the female lead’s romantic storyline cannot be disrupted.”

Jian Xingzhi: “…”

Seeing Jian Xingzhi suddenly freeze with his hair standing on end, Xie Gutang was confused, he couldn’t quite understand and hesitantly asked, “What were you saying about flirting with Miss Qin?”

“She is my disciple,” Jian Xingzhi regained his composure, deciding to adopt a strategy of retreating when the enemy advanced and striking back when they retreated. He did not confront the electric current head-on. Taking a deep breath, he rounded off his statement, “You must not flirt with her casually.”

Hearing this, Xie Gutang smiled.

He lowered his head, seemingly a bit embarrassed. “Senior, you must be joking. With Miss Qin’s good nature, how could I possibly flirt with her?”

Good nature?

Not flirting with her?

Miss Qin?

Jian Xingzhi listened, unable to help but clench his fist. He didn’t quite understand why, but he felt that while Xie Gutang didn’t want to hit on Qin Wanwan, he himself wanted to hit Xie Gutang.

But he couldn’t show his baseless anger; that would seem too childish and damage his image. Instead, he could only use veiled language to retaliate sharply.

“She is not called Miss Qin,” he subtly mocked Xie Gutang for his ignorance of Qin Wanwan, elevating his own status. “Her name is Gu Beicheng.”

 
The Author has something to say:
  【Mini Theater – 1】

Cuilu: You deserve to die if you don’t work hard.

Author (kneeling): I just don’t work hard, but it’s not a crime worthy of death!!

【Mini Theater – 2】

At the scene of the Flower Gathering Banquet, as they entered: a group of big shots, their fates unpredictable.

During the exam: the big shots are impressive, while Jian Xingzhi is in danger.

After the exam: a group of chickens pecking each other, a bunch of illiterates.

Summary: It’s not that Jian Xingzhi is uneducated, but in the world of cultivation, no one is educated.

【Mini Theater – 3】

Xie Gutang: “Miss Qin asked me to call her Qin Wanwan.”

Jian Xingzhi: “No, her name is Gu Beicheng.”

Xie Gutang: “Miss Qin takes great care of me, never abandons me, never sells me to others.”

Jian Xingzhi: “She’s violent, volatile, always beating me, abandoning me, and selling me out.”

Xie Gutang: “I have never hurt Miss Qin, and I always save her. ”

Jian Xingzhi: “I always beat her and told her that if she becomes stronger, she won’t need my help. We can join forces to fight the Lady of Jishan and avenge Master!”

Xie Gutang: “That’s why I have the highest affection in her heart, isn’t that normal?”

Jian Xingzhi: “…”