Chapter 252

Extra: Shoes

Extra: Shoes

The new residence was less than two hundred meters from Wang Fu; since the move was recent, many areas still needed tidying. In the morning, maids could be seen coming and going, and along the way, a figure in white robes, Xie Jinhuan, was spotted, receiving a respectful bow:

"Greetings, Marquis~"

"Ah, no need for such formality. 'Young Master' will suffice."

"May I call you Xie Lang?"

"Hehe..."

Xie Jinhuan felt that rumors were truly terrifying in their speed of spread. He had once pondered his own nicknames, guessing at 'Xie Laomo', 'Lustful Dragon True Lord', 'Xie Qingtian', 'Xie Sheng', and so on, but never imagined his nickname would be 'Xie Lang', regarded by the young ladies and ladies of Jingcheng as the 'dream man'.

Moreover, this title did not originate from Zisu. Since Xie Jinhuan arrived at Wang Fu, he could hear several Wu Zu guards on duty whispering:

"It is said all seven martial heroes have arrived. I recall the last time such a grand spectacle occurred was over twenty years ago, when the late Emperor ascended..."

"Some powerful figures from beyond the border have also come; there seems to be movement in the Southern Border and the northern Jianghu as well..."

"Xie Lang is so fierce; I wonder how many heroines he will enchant when he returns. I guess next time he'll have two or three female heroes following him..."

When a Miss calls someone 'Xie Lang', it feels just like calling someone 'husband', secretly pleasing to the ear; when men call him that too, it inevitably raises goosebumps.

But with rumors, the more you explain, the less clear it becomes. Xie Jinhuan simply pretended not to hear and quietly entered Wang Fu.

As for the 'Seven Martial Heroes' mentioned by the Wu Zu, he was indeed familiar with them.

Great Qian has only three major systems: Martial, Dao, and Buddhist. The Daoist sphere of influence lies in the Danding Plain, occupying the entire most prosperous region of Great Qian.

The Buddhist sphere of influence is in the northwest, mainly the Western Regions.

The Martial sphere of influence surrounds the borders of Great Qian's territory, occupying all edge regions.

Each of the three systems has a leading faction. The standard for evaluation is not merely having a Super Rank member within, but having previously produced a 'Zhang Sect' or currently having the qualification to contest the 'Zhang Sect' position.

Thus, the Daoist leading factions are 'Taiyin Palace', 'Mount Zihui', and 'Xuanhu Observatory'; the Danding Sect's Zhang Sect rotates among three families.

The Buddhist leading faction is solely 'Tiantai Temple'; the Zen Meditation Sect's Zhang Sects have always come from there.

The Martial path is different; seven factions are evaluated as leading powers: Xueying Ridge, Fengshan Association, Longyun Valley, Liuhe Hall, Blood Rain Tower, Jingzhou Canal Gang, and Jiangzhou Canal Gang.

Additionally, major powers following the Martial path include 'Danyang Academy, which produced Ye Sheng', the thousand-year noble family 'Hualin Li Clan', the 'Jiangzhou Xu Clan, whose ancestors produced a Saint', as well as Mohist societies, Military Strategist societies...

If looking solely at numbers, the Martial path is absolutely a unicorn; even without uniting into a single rope, half a rope would be enough to suppress the Dao and Buddhist factions.

But unfortunately, the Confucian, Mohist, and Military factions focus their sights on the grand situation of the world and do not mix with the Jianghu people.

As for Jianghu powers, the Buddhist and Daoist sects, their cultivation goals are absolutely not to kill Lu Wu Zhen or Monk Wuxin.

But the seven Martial heroes, six of them have the goal of killing Wei Wu Yi!

Martial artists who do not wish to kill Wei Wu Yi will forever be hooligans, never becoming decision-makers...

Xie Jinhuan understood this very well; after all, he follows the Martial path, and his goal is likewise to become the number one under heaven. Practicing martial arts to be a lackey for the number one under heaven, would that be appropriate?

If Wei Wu Yi were the 'Jianzheng' appointed by the imperial court, as a righteous person, obeying the court's orders would be his duty.

But Wei Wu Yi is nothing; he is merely the sect master of Xueying Ridge with no connection. Even if he were obedient, wouldn't that make him a second-rate character who bullies the weak and fears the strong?

Only those daring to draw their blades against stronger ones can be called martial artists; Wei Wu Yi happens to be the strongest.

So Wei Wu Yi wants the Jianzheng qualification precisely because without it, everyone outside Daizhou is a traitor, impossible to command.

While lost in such wild thoughts, Xie Jinhuan passed through corridors and buildings, arriving at the main courtyard of the western residence. Before even entering the door, he heard a sound:

Tap, tap, tap...

The pleasant, light sound of high heels stepping on red wooden floors, an aura of a mature woman wafting over...

?

Xie Jinhuan instantly cleared his mind of all distractions, tiptoed to the window, and peered into the spacious room.

What he saw was a sight for sore eyes: Nuoduo, standing carefully in the center of the room, hands held out as if supporting:

"Your Highness, be careful not to twist your ankle..."

The landlord lady, radiating nobility, still wore white mourning clothes, her long hair tied up without makeup, looking exceptionally tender. Yet she was seven centimeters taller than usual, wearing a pair of black high heels beneath her skirt hem.

The glossy high heels were of excellent material; the shape matched the design drawing perfectly, the size fitting her feet flawlessly. As she walked, the red soles were faintly visible...

Moreover, the landlord lady was quite clever; beneath the white mourning clothes, she had paired them with black stockings...

Seeing Mo Mo also stood nearby, taller than usual, but dared not walk fast, carefully supporting Duoduo as she walked...

?

Xie Jinhuan was truly somewhat impressed by the artificers of this place. He walked to the door and glanced slightly:

"How do the shoes feel, Your Highness?"

Tap, tap, tap...

Princess Changning herself was a martial artist with excellent physical balance. After a brief adaptation, she had already mastered them skillfully. Now, walking gracefully with fluid steps to the front, she noticed Xie Jinhuan was not as tall as usual. Her gaze was full of mature charm; she held her head high and chest out:

"Excellent. Truly, as expected of a disciple of the Hidden Immortal Sect, you do have some skill."

"I am glad Your Highness likes them. However, these shoes are indeed unsuitable for practicing martial arts or walking for long periods. They are for wearing at home only. Eh?"

While Xie Jinhuan was speaking, he noticed Linghu Qingmo approaching. Having just learned, she was not yet adapted; walking a bit fast, she stumbled and fell directly onto her best friend's back.

Thump~

Then Princess Changning lost her balance too, falling forward into Xie Jinhuan's arms. "Linghu Qingmo?!"

"I'm sorry..."

Xie Jinhuan did not expect happiness to come so suddenly; he casually caught both of them, speaking softly to comfort:

"It is normal not to be adapted at first; it was my reaction that was slow..."

Princess Changning lay upon his broad chest, still pressed down by Linghu Qingmo. Both were taller than her, making her feel as if she were sandwiched in the middle of a human pyramid. Her face flushed red; she stood up holding her shoulders and raised her hand to smack Linghu Qingmo on the buttocks:

"You haven't mastered any of it yet; what are you running over here for?"

Linghu Qingmo finally managed to steady herself, feeling somewhat embarrassed in front of Xie Jinhuan:

"What are you running over here for? There's one made for Physician Lin too; take it over. Ling'er and I will practice a bit more."

Xie Jinhuan had only come to take a look. Seeing Mo Mo embarrassed to practice in front of him, he watched her intently for a long time until Mo Mo stumbled several times and ended up walking with her limbs crossed. When she wanted to shock him, he took the wooden box from Nai Duo's hand, bid farewell, and departed...

——

Not long after, in the Lin Fu alchemy hall.

A brass alchemy cauldron over a man's height stood there, with firelight glowing beneath it, and wisps of white mist drifting out from within.

Meiqiu, who had run over to play last night, very diligently used her wings to help fan the flames in exchange for snacks.

As for not eating in the luxurious bird's nest at the new residence, it was because Xie Jinhuan had gone to the tea hall for a while; when he went looking for Meiqiu again, he found the little broken bird lying on the ground, completely motionless and unable to move. Terrified, he confiscated all the dried meat and dried fish on the spot. After Meiqiu discovered this, she angrily flapped at him for a long time before running off with Zisu.

At this moment, Lin Zisu, wearing a white, form-fitting dress, stood before the hundred-drawer medicine cabinet, weighing various medicinal herbs with a small scale and explaining them as if reciting family treasures:

"The Shedding Mortal Pill belongs to the Danding Sect's external alchemy. Besides Black Ginseng and Adamant Dew, there are twelve auxiliary medicines. We have them all at home. The alchemy is currently in progress and will be ready by afternoon. Xie Lang and Little Aunt, go ahead and attend to your business first..."

Lin Wanyi, acting as the furnace attendant beside her, turned her head upon hearing this;

"Zisu, you should either address him as Young Xie Da or Big Brother Xie. What kind of talk is 'Xie Lang'?"

Lin Zisu looked somewhat confused: "If I call him Big Brother Xie, shouldn't Little Aunt call him a generation-junior? Does Little Aunt think that's appropriate?"

Lin Wanyi felt it was very inappropriate and thought for a moment:

"Then call him Uncle Xie!"

"Ah? Young Xie Da is only two years older than me. What kind of talk is calling him Uncle, right, Xie Lang?"

"You rascal..."

Lin Wanyi felt that if she didn't spank her for three days, this mischievous girl would think she could reach the sky. She turned around, intending to scare her.

Lin Zisu simply twisted her body and hid behind Xie Jinhuan, spinning in circles.

Xie Jinhuan found it somewhat amusing and blocked Wanyi:

"Alright, alright, let's attend to the main business first. Once the Shedding Mortal Pill is refined, we'll probably need to prepare the 'Evil-Breaking Pill'. Besides Hu Gu Teng, what else does this pill require?"

Seeing that Little Aunt wasn't going to hit her, Lin Zisu popped out from behind and continued weighing the medicinal herbs, explaining seriously:

"Hu Gu Teng is one of the Four Saints' Wonders. Its function is to help cultivators cross the bottleneck between Heaven and Man, making it most suitable for martial artists and the Buddhist sect. To refine the 'Evil-Breaking Pill', you also need Dragon Yang Flower, one white lotus, and two pieces of Sixty-Year Black Ginseng..."

"Very well, I will prepare them as soon as possible."

Lin Wanyi, acting as the young wife, couldn't help but interject from the side upon seeing this:

"Wei Wu Yi brought out a single Hu Gu Teng just to create a stir. In the end, it will absolutely belong to his disciple Huo Zhonghu. You won't get it so easily. Wait until you have the item before buying these medicinal herbs... By the way, where did you get so much silver?"

Xie Jinhuan's silver came from donations by fellow Daoists, but it wasn't good to state that openly, so he simply said:

"I borrowed it from the landlady."

Lin Wanyi calculated slightly, her eyes filled with suspicion:

"The landlady has lent you no less than sixty thousand taels of silver in total, hasn't she? She even got you a residence and provided weapons and soft armor. Are you perhaps..."

Xie Jinhuan actually wanted to repay with flesh, but the landlady hadn't given him the chance. Seeing Wanyi thinking the wrong thoughts, he pulled her and walked outside:

"By the way, I have something to discuss with you."

Lin Wanyi blinked her beautiful eyes, sensing something was amiss, and glanced back at Zisu:

"I won't discuss it. It's broad daylight..."

"Let's go..."

"Sigh..."

Not long after, in the boudoir.

Lin Wanyi wore a dark green long dress and high heels, her hand resting on the man's shoulder. She stepped forward and backward with quite a rhythm, the red soles appearing and disappearing intermittently. She stumbled a bit at times but was immediately supported at the waist. Her eyes were somewhat dazed:

"Where did you get all these items? Can these shoes even be walked in?"

Xie Jinhuan embraced Wanyi, turning around and around in the room, gazing at the charming face just inches away:

"Just learn slowly. Yesterday you were embarrassed when I taught you to dance; today is just the right time to teach you a bit."

Yesterday, Lin Wanyi had seen her own man looking like a male concubine, which left her stunned, and her heart churned with waves of jealousy. However, being able to enjoy him exclusively at this moment made her secretly delighted, so she followed along, swaying unsteadily:

"Hmph~ Princess Junzhu dances well, and Mo Mo looks good too. Only I am clumsy and awkward, so you're giving me special private lessons, right?"

Xie Jinhuan leaned down and kissed her: "Who said my Wanyi is clumsy and awkward? You're dancing quite well, but these clothes don't match."

"Then how should I wear them?" Lin Wanyi asked, slightly puzzled.

Xie Jinhuan didn't say much more. He loosened his belt, revealing a complete set of playful magical artifacts. As he rolled up his sleeves, the high-heeled, black-stockinged dominant lady made the boudoir seem several degrees brighter.

"What are you doing? How can one dance like this?"

"Just dance like this. Be generous; no one is watching."

"I won't... I knew you had no good intentions, teaching me to dance... Eh?"

After muttering those two sentences, she was pressed onto the embroidered bed, pinned with her red soles facing the sky...

——

It's a bit watery, so I'm releasing this as a free extra chapter. Please vote for monthly tickets or 2!

Counting as one chapter or 2!

(End of this chapter)