Chapter 141: Finding a Way to Get Some Sleep (Two-in-One, Seeking Monthly Votes)

The Shi Family.

In this Wentian City, they absolutely count as red-hot.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, their foundation is not deep; they can only be considered nouveau riche, not a noble family with profound heritage.

Aside from General Shi, there is only one clan head in the imperial court who reached the fourth rank, and that was only obtained by marrying into the Princess's family.

Of course, this view is limited to the general onlookers with limited information.

Not a single noble family with real connections dares to underestimate this "fledgling" small family.

It is common knowledge that the Shi Family is absolutely the Imperial Faction.

The imperial favor is extremely deep!

In civil affairs, the clan head Shi Mingwu reached the fourth rank; although he has no real say in the court, he can talk to the Emperor through his own wife.

There is no need to write those memorials where eight out of ten are burned; just having the Princess return to the palace is enough... This is something that makes countless people envious.

But being a son-in-law of the Li Family is not easy; one faces the threat of death at any moment, and currently, Shi Mingwu is the only one in the court.

In military affairs, it is even more impressive.

Shi Anqi is the leader of the Imperial Secret Guard, the confidant among the Emperor's confidants, a person qualified to hold the Tiger Tally.

Even if he commits a major crime, he can escape the death penalty; he is an absolute favorite subject.

Oh right, there is also a rumor that he might even be personally favored by Li Long...

Although such unofficial history has no credibility, the common people of Wentian just love this kind of gossip after tea and dinner!

"I saw it with my own eyes! General Shi's buttocks were raised high, it was simply inhuman! This must be because he was heavily favored by His Majesty!"

"No, why is the version I heard not like that? It's because General Shi is exceptionally gifted that he was chosen by His Majesty..."

"That's not it, not it, listen to me! Actually, it's because General Shi has something long, he can even prop up a carriage wheel!"

They spread these rumors with such vivid detail, it was as if they were on the scene, as if they were the bed itself.

Ren Yidao asked about all this while chatting with the carriage driver when he arrived; the driver insisted he had seen the way Shi Anqi's buttocks were swollen with his own eyes.

Nonsense, you certainly did see it!

I saw it too when Shi Anqi came last time.

And while traveling at a steady pace, Ren Yidao gained more insights into the Shi Family.

Unlike those who would break their heads and borrow money just to set up a business on Heavenly Street, the Shi Family did not move out of their ancestral home in the west of the city even after they made their fortune.

The more he understood, the more he felt this family was quite extraordinary.

"Isn't it already known that they are 'extraordinary'?"

The trait that Shi Xue displayed multiple times made Ren Yidao very curious.

Leaning inside the carriage, Ren Yidao tapped the seat with his fingertips, squinting as he pondered:

"If possible, I hope to get my hands on it... I must find a way to get some sleep."

Do not misunderstand.

This does not mean Ren Yidao wants to stretch his fox claws toward Shi Xue; he truly has his eye on the Shi Family's ability.

People all have emotions; no one can achieve absolute calmness.

Even a cultivator who has Fallen into Demon will have remnants of reason.

But the Shi Family's bloodline ability can achieve a state of near-emotionlessness, and that is enough.

This is a very precious ability.

"In that dream where I am being hunted, what I need most right now is a calmer way of thinking."

Although his thinking in the dream was already calm enough, it was still not enough.

He needs a colder way of thinking, one that cares even less about his own life.

Regarding that dream, with the assistance of two Junior Sisters, Ren Yidao unearthed more details.

"As long as I sleep with someone, they will have an influence on that dream of mine."

Ren Yidao has slept with many people... *cough cough*.

He has fallen asleep with many people.

On the day he drank until he blacked out with Li Long, nothing happened that night, and the dream disappeared directly.

After taking a nap with Yu Yu and Li Lingling, a Dragon Egg and a Ying Dragon appeared in the dream.

As for why Jing Yueqin, who he often sleeps with, did not add anything to his dream...

It is very simple.

On the day before departing from Luoyue Peak, Ren Yidao didn't sleep at all!

From sunset to moonrise, to the breaking of dawn, to the bright light of day...

He damn well never closed his eyes!

A hardworking farmer who toils away gets no benefits.

The Four Seas have no idle fields, yet the farmer still starves to death!

Oh, that time with Lady Yu was also...

How bitter.

"I am just a life of toil, sigh!"

Rubbing his phantom-aching side, Ren Yidao changed his posture and rested his chin on his hand to contemplate this trip to the Shi Family.

"So what should I do? Find an opportunity to sleep with Shi Anqi?"

"... Not appropriate."

Highly inappropriate.

The man has a wife, and I am not here to be some kind of 'quality single man'...

Well, after thinking it over, there is only one candidate!

"Dedicate yourself, Knight Princess!"

Although the plan was very thorough, all that was needed was to borrow a spot to sleep beside the unconscious Shi Xue.

As for any explanations, one could just brush it off with excuses like fainting from exhaustion later.

It is a pity, however, that man proposes, but Heaven disposes.

Someone arrived earlier than he did.

Li Qiushui had come early to look after her unconscious best friend.

"Slurp..."

Driven out to the doorway, the idle Ren Yidao held a bowl and drank porridge mouthful by mouthful, sighing:

"That is true, she is certainly more worried about Shi Xue's safety than I am."

Looking back, Li Qiushui's feelings for Shi Xue were much purer than his initial malicious guesses.

Such deep sisterly affection.

"However, why has Li Qiushui's expression been so icy... Oh, she saw that scene earlier."

What must she be thinking?

Witnessing with her own eyes her second brother, who is also her rival, hugging me... what kind of feeling is that exactly?

"Pfft, cough, cough, cough."

The image is too beautiful; Ren Yidao does not even want to recall it.

Click.

While he was idly looking around with his Heavenly Eye Ability, the door behind him opened.

"Come in."

"Oh."

Hearing the cold voice, Ren Yidao turned his head naturally, and then saw everything clearly.

"Oh?"

Li Qiushui, I never would have guessed.

You, who appear so cold on the outside, actually have a young girl's heart on the inside.

What a pink and tender bodice.

Perhaps instinctively feeling that Ren Yidao's gaze was not very proper, Li Qiushui turned to the side and huffed.

"If you look again, I will gouge your eyes out."

Fine.

I will not look, then.

Composedly closing his divine ability, Ren Yidao walked into the room with a smile.

You two, which one of you has not fainted in front of me before?

If I really wanted to look, would I even need to use the Heavenly Eye?

So young.

Shi Xue had already removed most of the useless gauze, leaving only a casual wrap around the wound, and was currently adjusting her makeup in front of the Mirror.

She did not cover up or hide from Ren Yidao's curious prying; instead, she displayed it quite generously.

With every stroke, her originally beautiful face changed, restoring its usual appearance.

A moment later, although Shi Xue could still be called a beauty, she was no longer as stunning as before.

"A woman walking the pugilistic world must have some means to avoid trouble."

"But I am unwilling to hide it completely, so I just touched it up a little."

Ren Yidao could understand her caution.

After all, in this world, strength is respected, and there are no talent scouts to discover ordinary people.

Not picking up on that topic, Ren Yidao found a chair to sit on and asked casually:

"Miss Shi, how is your recovery?"

"Although I have not fully healed, it is no longer a problem."

"Although I have not fully healed, it is no longer a problem."

Although her complexion was a bit pale, it was indeed as Shi Xue said; there was nothing seriously wrong.

"I have already heard the sequence of events from Qiushui..."

Oh?

Glancing at Li Qiushui standing to the side, Ren Yidao was very curious.

Did she confess everything? Or did she hide a part of it?

Li Qiushui's gaze was icy; she had no intention of paying attention to Ren Yidao at all, completely ignoring his look.

Shi Xue looked at Ren Yidao, feeling moved in her heart; she had not expected that at the critical moment, it would actually be him who stepped forward to take on the heavy responsibility:

"Thank you for taking care of me at that time; your heroic act also helped secure a chance of survival for the people of Wentian City."

If Ren Yidao had not stepped out to block the Great Demon, it would have headed north all the way, attacking Wentian City before it was fully prepared.

Perhaps it would not have affected the Heavenly Street, as it would have been eliminated before then, but the people on the outskirts would certainly have suffered the impact.

Bowing her head toward Ren Yidao, Shi Xue thanked him earnestly:

"Daoist Ren, I thank you on behalf of the people of Wentian City."

And as Shi Xue bowed her head, Ren Yidao did not look at her, but instead turned his head to look at the solemn-faced Li Qiushui.

Oh—

Is that all you've said!

Li Qiushui: "…Hmph."

Her lips moved slightly; Li Qiushui turned her head away in silence and let out a barely audible hmph.

What else could I do?

Should I tell her all those things?

If I, Li Qiushui, told an outsider all those things, would I even be able to go on living?

Yet, Ren Yidao actually saw through this more clearly than she did.

No matter how much you hide, as long as you, Li Qiushui, cannot speak of everything uprightly, you have already exposed your inner heart.

Since you are hiding it, it means you have a Ghost Star in your heart.

And since there is a Ghost Star in your heart, then… this matter has become interesting.

Giving Li Qiushui a meaningful smile, Ren Yidao raised his hand and supported Shi Xue's shoulder.

"Why must Miss Shi be like this? How could this be solely my own credit? Didn't you also risk your life to save my two Junior Sisters?"

"I am the one who should be thanking you!"

Ren Yidao said this from the bottom of his heart.

If it weren't for Shi Xue, he wouldn't have been targeted by Li Qiushui.

If it weren't for her, Li Qiushui wouldn't have fallen into the palm of his hand.

So…

"Thank you!"

Your assist was truly beautiful.

You are undoubtedly the best wingman in Beigan!

Shi Xue:?

Although she didn't quite understand why Ren Yidao repeated himself, it was always pleasant to be thanked, so she started to laugh as well.

"Hahaha."

"Hahahaha…"

The two looked at each other and laughed heartily; the room was filled with joy.

So, with three people present, who was not laughing?

Li Qiushui: "…"

No matter how the Ninth Princess looked at it, she felt that the two of them were not laughing about the same thing.

But she couldn't clearly say where the difference lay.

In the end, she could only huff indignantly twice as proof that she was also present.

Gradually subsiding her laughter, Shi Xue stood up to brew tea and asked casually:

"Did you only come to find me this time?"

Taking the tea, Ren Yidao thought for a moment and spoke slowly:

"That is only one aspect; I came to see how you are doing."

"Oh? And the other aspect?"

"As for this other aspect…"

Ren Yidao fell into deep thought.

How should he bring it up?

I want to sleep with you…

No, that's too vulgar; I'd easily be thrown out by Li Qiushui.

I want you to assist me in my cultivation?

That won't work either; it would make people think of dual cultivation methods, and I'd easily be hunted down by Li Qiushui.

"…"

Then let's try a more artistic way of saying it.

I want to watch the sunrise with you?

Hmm, that seems about right.

"I…"

But just as Ren Yidao was about to speak, his ears twitched slightly, and he turned his head to look outside the door.

Hmm?

"Daoist Ren, what is it?"

Not long after, Shi Xue and Li Qiushui also heard the shouts of the servants of the Shi Mansion suddenly coming from outside the door:

"The Second Master has returned!"

"Go quickly and tell the Second Mistress!"

"The Second Master has returned from the campaign!"

"…"

Listening to the commotion outside, Ren Yidao withdrew his gaze, stood up, and smiled at Shi Xue:

"I came to find your Second Uncle; I originally thought I wouldn't run into him this time, but fortunately, I made it in time."

"Shall we go together?"

Shi Xue stood up, felt the emptiness within her body, and shook her head:

"It's just my second uncle, I won't go, you two chat."

"I'll stay with Qiushui for a while; quite a lot must have happened in Wentian City during the time I was unconscious, right?"

For Shi Anqi, if the word "expedition" could be used, the nature of the matter was completely different.

Wentian City, I fear, has had a major incident.

"Alright, then you two chat slowly, I'll go find Brother Shi to catch up."

"Huh?"

Led by a servant to the training ground of the Shi Mansion, Ren Yidao raised his hand to cover his nose while on the way.

It stank too much.

For a canine with a sensitive sense of smell, this odor was simply too pungent.

Ren Yidao smelled the heavy scent of death.

Very quickly, he saw the source of this foul odor.

They were hundreds of blood-covered people.

Perhaps those existences standing on the ground could hardly be described as human anymore.

They had already assimilated with that aura of death, having fused the smell of blood into their very bones.

In Ren Yidao's eyes, they were more like breathing corpses than living people.

Tucked at their waists were bulging bags, and the smell inside was even more pungent.

It was corpses.

Or rather, a part of the corpses: the left ears that could symbolize military merit.

Sweet nothings must be whispered into the left ear.

How wonderful, now they can say a sweet word to the bag and be whispering sweet nothings to dozens of people at once.

Efficiency has greatly improved!

"Did you go out and exterminate a sect?"

Fresh blood masked the scent, and Ren Yidao did not find Shi Anqi at first, until one of the blood-covered people walked slowly toward him.

Then, that blood-covered person, carrying a chilling Evil Qi, said coldly:

"Yo!"

"Isn't this Brother Ren!"

Blinking at this blood-covered person whose tone did not match the content, Ren Yidao asked tentatively:

"Is it Brother Shi?"

The blood-covered person nodded slowly, looked behind Ren Yidao, and frowned:

"Came empty-handed?"

Ren Yidao: "......"

Fine, no need to guess.

It is him.

Addicted to drinking Incense Fire Immortal Fox Wine, are we?

Poor middle-aged man, usually thinking of ways every day to avoid entering the room and sleeping on the sofa...

Now that he has a magic treasure, he spends all day thinking of finding an opportunity to sleep and show off his virility.

Hilarious!

There are no double Monthly Tickets this month, you can cast them now——