Chapter 36: Self-Abased in Appearance (Request for Follow-Read or2)

Night fell.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

Horse hooves occasionally galloped past the street, causing passersby with no idea of the reason to turn and look.

Princess Changning, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, sat within a luxurious carriage. Seeing the large number of Wu Zu and clerks who had scattered out of the city a few days ago now returning in unison, she asked:

"Has something happened at Wang Fu?"

Butler Hou, Princess Changning's trusted general, walked beside the carriage, stroking his handlebar mustache on his chin as he replied:

"It seems the source of the demonic qi on Mount Zihui has been found. You'll have to ask Old Zhu about this matter."

Princess Changning nodded slightly: "Having a lead is good. Go invite Miss Wang and the others over; we shall hold a banquet tonight to celebrate."

?

Duoduo, sitting beside her, felt that for the sake of drinking heavily, the Princess could come up with any excuse at all.

As a trusted lackey, Butler Hou would normally turn and go issue invitations upon receiving an order, but today he strangely did not move a step, instead revealing a look of confusion:

"Your Highness has already seen Xie Jinhuan; why still invite Miss Wang to drink? Girls, how could they compare to wildflowers in the back alley~"

Princess Changning leaned against the carriage window, gently fanning herself with a landscape-patterned round fan, admiring the osmanthus trees by the street:

"Such fine flowers growing in the backyard, yet you concealed it and did not report. Now that the flower has a master, do you want this Princess to dig into the wall?"

"The flower has a master? Does Your Highness mean Physician Lin?"

Butler Hou raised an eyebrow: "Physician Lin does possess some beauty, but compared to Your Highness, it is like Xie Jinhuan compared to me. Although each has its own merits and it is hard to distinguish superiority, I ultimately possess a few more notes of mellow fragrance and charm..."

"Pfft~ Haha..."

Duoduo simply could not hold it back and burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth, turning it into:

"Pfft-pfft-pfft..."

Even though Princess Changning was well-versed in worldly waves, her face, usually as peaceful as a prosperous nation, turned black.

However, as a trusted general, Princess Changning did not blame her, merely explaining:

"Linghu Qingmo knew him first, and now they are constantly gathering to investigate cases. If this Princess were to dig into the wall, would it not hurt the sisterly bond?"

Butler Hou fanned himself, his eyes darting about like a thief's:

"Your Highness and Miss Linghu are as close as sisters. Your Highness also values old ties and loyalty. If you find a worthy husband in the future, and you can continue to address each other as sisters and live together day and night, it would not be without merit as a beautiful tale..."

Duoduo interjected: "You mean marrying one person? That seems too cheap for a man."

Princess Changning was about to reply but noticed three figures wearing crimson qilin robes standing at the entrance of Qingquan Alley, discussing something.

The Crimson Scale Guards were the Son of Heaven's private guards, possessing the authority to monitor all officials and execute first, report later. Although they nominally dared not offend the princes, the various princes were obviously also within the monitoring scope of the Crimson Scale Guards.

Seeing three red-robed plagues acting suspiciously near her home, Princess Changning could not help but frown secretly:

"Go call those three over."

Butler Hou received the order but did not run over to summon them; instead, he glared with wide eyes:

"Who are those three up ahead? Hurry and roll over here!"

On the side street, the three Crimson Scale Guards who were conversing heard the sound, placed their hands on their waist swords, and turned back with angry eyes.

However, upon discovering it was Princess Changning's procession, their expressions startled, and they quickly ran to the front, lifting their robes to kneel on one knee:

"Crimson Scale Guard Hundred-Household Zhou He, pays respects to Her Highness the Princess!"

Princess Changning did not let the three rise, leaning against the carriage window as she asked:

"Lord Zhou, in the midst of your busy affairs, running from Jingcheng to Qingquan Alley; is there a rebellious traitor among them?"

Zhou He looked down at the street, his tone calm:

"Your Highness misunderstands. This humble official came today to handle the case of Sanhe Tower. Hearing that the night view of Chongming River is pleasant, I came here after closing the office to broaden my horizons."

With the Princess's backing, Butler Hou spoke without the slightest courtesy:

"If you wish to amuse yourself late at night, you should go to the flower streets of Taoxian Fang. Qingquan Alley consists entirely of the Princess's properties; there are no hidden brothels here. Lord Zhou, do not go to the wrong place."

"Yes. This humble official and others were just discussing where to tour, and we failed to see the Princess's procession. We hope Princess Highness will forgive us."

Princess Changning fell silent for a moment. Seeing the three were flawless and left no opening, she did not ask further:

"Withdraw."

"Yes."

The three Crimson Scale Guards immediately rose and disappeared into the street.

Princess Changning's brows knitted tightly as she gazed into the depths of the alley:

"Did someone in the alley commit a crime, attracting the Crimson Scale Guards?"

Qingquan Alley was mostly inhabited by minor officials and clerks; if the Crimson Scale Guards came knocking, they were basically not far from death. Butler Hou pondered for a moment:

"It should not be so. Perhaps they were truly just discussing where to go to play with Misses."

"Hmph, these plagues never visit without cause. Keep a closer watch on them these days."

"Yes..."

——

Lin Family Clinic, Alchemy Room.

A brass alchemy furnace, over a person's height, stood in the center of the room. A faint white mist rose from its top, and bright yellow flames were visible beneath.

Beside the alchemy chamber stood a hundred-drawer cabinet, labeled with various medicinal herb names. In the corner was a small table, upon which sat the alchemy schedule and a ledger recording details such as furnace temperature and ingredient additions.

Lin Zisu, dressed in a white skirt, pasted the alchemy progress chart on the wall. Her jet-black long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her form-fitting long skirt caused her bodice to puff out, and her Bai Xi cheeks were quite quiet; the whole person stood tall and graceful, looking like a golden branch and jade leaf untouched by worldly dust.

But a quiet demeanor did not mean a docile nature. At this moment, while Lin Zisu was busy, she was entertaining herself, humming a little tune she had heard from somewhere:

"Long, curling two curved eyebrows, clever~ Trembling, a pinch of a willow waist, slender..."

Her clear throat and melodious voice were extremely coquettish; if a man heard it, his bones would probably turn to mush by half.

But Xie Jinhuan, standing beside the alchemy furnace, felt his scalp go numb!

After returning from outside the city, Xie Jinhuan had hurried straight to the medical hall to meet up with Lin Wanyi.

But he never expected that coming here, he'd still hear the same lewd song.

Do all the girls in Danyang sing this?

Setting aside Seeing Mo Mo, the most fuel-efficient ride turned out to be a witch of the Ranshiwu Sect…

Lin Wanyi was already used to it. She was now bowing respectfully before the alchemy furnace, then spinning three circles to the left, three circles to the right, muttering mysteriously.

Meiqiu, as an unrelated party, had been shooed outside the door and could only peek in through the window to observe.

Xie Jinhuan watched Lin Wanyi spinning around, somewhat puzzled:

"Does spinning in circles like this actually help with alchemy?"

Lin Wanyi, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles, her breathtakingly beautiful face quite serious, waited until she finished spinning before answering:

"All things have spirits. On the path of alchemy, even if your master kowtows three times to the furnace when refining pills, you'd best do the same.

"What I do is still considered normal. Haven't you seen Zisu refining pills—she has to coax the furnace first, saying things like 'Good furnace, furnace's the best,' like she's possessed."

Xie Jinhuan asked doubtfully, "Does this actually work?"

Lin Wanyi, recalling the painful experiences of learning alchemy as a child, believed it without a doubt:

"It works—otherwise the furnace will explode!"

Xie Jinhuan felt this was utterly unscientific.

But if he himself blew up furnaces a dozen times in a row, and by chance slapped himself across the face and the pill succeeded, then for the rest of his life before refining pills, he'd probably have to slap himself first just to be safe.

Once the ritual was complete, Lin Wanyi crouched down beside the alchemy furnace, tilting her head to check the conditions inside.

Because her figure was too graceful, and she was wearing a fitted skirt convenient for work, when she crouched down like that, her beautiful hips at the back drew out heavy, plump curves, and the trouser fabric was white—the texture was stunning.

Lin Zisu had pasted the paper on the most eye-catching sign, turned her head, caught sight of Lin Wanyi's movement, and couldn't help but praise:

"Wow~ Auntie, your butt is so round!"

?

Lin Wanyi stumbled, face flushing red as she stood up, snatching up a ruler:

"You wretched girl, didn't you see there's a guest present?"

"Hehe~ just a joke~"

……

Facing the big one and the small one, Xie Jinhuan felt whoever he looked at wasn't quite appropriate, and he couldn't refine pills either, so he took his leave:

"It's getting late, I'll head back first."

"Eh? Wait, I've prepared some things for you."

Lin Wanyi put down the ruler and hurried briskly to the medical hall out front.

Seeing that only Miss Zisu remained in the room, Xie Jinhuan couldn't help but recall a matter, and turned back:

"Miss Zisu, that Dao-Advancement Surge Pill of yours…"

Lin Zisu peeked out, confirmed her aunt wasn't around, then tiptoed over and took out a small vial from her bosom:

"Here."

Xie Jinhuan swiftly tucked it into his sleeve, then took out the silver notes contributed by Fu Dongping and handed them to Lin Zisu:

"I don't have much travel money—if the silver isn't enough, I'll owe you and make up the difference in a few days."

Lin Zisu took them and looked, found it was a hundred taels, and hurriedly returned them:

"This is too much, one tael of silver is enough."

"One tael?"

Xie Jinhuan had expected it to cost a thousand taels, and found it hard to believe:

"Such a powerful pill, and it's only one tael of silver?"

"Cheap goods aren't good. This medicine muddles the mind, and the power boost is only temporary. Honestly, even if you gave this pill away for free, hardly anyone would dare to take it."

Lin Zisu tucked the broken silver into her sleeve, went back to the table to work, and reminded in a small voice:

"Young Master Xie mustn't take it carelessly, and absolutely don't tell Auntie."

Xie Jinhuan had originally planned to use this pill to stake his life in a desperate situation, but discovering it cost only one tael, he couldn't help but think of the rundown house he'd rented for one tael and seven qian…

Although it was a bit below expectations, Xie Jinhuan still tucked it into his bosom and cupped his hands in thanks.

After waiting a moment, Lin Wanyi came back from out front, holding a small box and a bottle of wine:

"Zisu got some leftover Dragon Blood Pills from the Academy—you take one every day when you get back. If you feel unwell anywhere, tell me right away so I can adjust the prescription.

"This bottle of wine greatly replenishes qi, blood, and essence—drink it and you'll be full of vigor tomorrow. I've also prepared some medicinal bath recipes for you; soak in it tonight to relax…"

Xie Jinhuan had lost a lot of blood today and was indeed somewhat weary.

But his blood loss had been from 'sacrificing himself to frame a fellow cultivator,' and he'd even borrowed Lin Wanyi's body—taking her stuff for free on top of that was truly shameless. He picked up the wine bottle and examined it:

"With such powerful effects, how many taels does this wine cost?"

"Not expensive, just a few dozen taels of silver."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan was about to pull out money to pay when he heard this and was genuinely shocked:

"That expensive? What's the origin?"

Lin Wanyi said boldly, "It's medicinal wine soaked with 'Hero's Tears.' You probably haven't drunk it before—don't be too greedy."

"Hero's Tears?"

Xie Jinhuan had certainly heard of it—the second signature work of the previous dynasty's Wine Sage Fan Tusu, while the first was the 'Number One Under Heaven,' which simply couldn't be found on the market.

The meaning behind the two wines' names was also quite obvious—behind the glory of being Number One Under Heaven lay inexhaustible Hero's Tears.

This wine is extremely sought-after; without status or wealth, you simply cannot buy it. His old man drank a few cups when the county magistrate was promoted, and came back boasting about it to his colleagues for years.

Xie Jinhuan didn't know if he'd drunk it these past years, but in his memory he'd never even smelled it—and now he truly craved it. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the silver notes he'd gotten from Fu Dongping.

"At noon we fought demons together—losing a bit of blood is nothing, just two days' rest. How could Miss Lin spend so much on this wine? I'll buy it myself. I'll take my leave now."

"Huh?"

Lin Wanyi had just been saved by Xie Jinhuan today—how could she possibly accept money? She was about to refuse when she saw his figure flicker, and he flew out, carrying Meiqiu.

She rushed to the doorway, but under the moonlight, the courtyard was empty—Xie Jinhuan was gone. She could only mutter:

"He's not even old, yet more upright than even the academy's masters—hating evil, unshaken by temptation, throwing coins to water horses… How can such a righteous man exist in this world…"

Thinking of her own identity as a witch of the Wu Sect, Lin Wanyi felt a pang of shame…

…

—

Drop a name:

Recommend a novel: "Surviving as a Talent in the Initial Saint Demon Sect"—if you're interested, check it out~

Thank you to the Dalaode Alliance patrons: Jiahai Zijinliang, Rixin Yueyi, Qingtian Baiyu Zhu, Buguan Bugu Buli, Rang Feng Jixu Chui, Yundanfengqingc, kb_0911, BlueBlueBlue!

Thank you to the Dalaode Alliance patrons who gave ten-thousand-coin gifts: Xiao Ruoli's fan, DouDouDouZai, BookFriend1603311021205534729595, Rang Feng Jixu Chui, BookFriend20230304170044723, Qiyuan Liao, Yuan Luo, Bu Xiang Tian Tian Shang Ban!

Thank you all for your patronage, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes! or2!

Reading through matters a lot, so please do keep reading—even if you don't, you won't see this line anyway! or2!

If you're interested, feel free to check it out~





(End of Chapter)