Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 568 For the sake of our brotherhood

Actually, what he said wasn't exactly a lie. Apart from a few things that were difficult to tell the truth in a slightly convoluted way, everything else was basically the truth.

Because he knew very well that people like Li Hongjiu were not easy to fool; the key was to be genuine to be fooled.

So he even revealed the matter of the "Death-Slaying Incense," and he genuinely wanted to give Li Hongjiu the "Death-Slaying Incense," or rather, he genuinely wanted to give Li Hongjiu benefits. As long as Li Hongjiu wanted it, he was even willing to accompany Li Hongjiu in a rebellion, because he truly wanted to be his sworn brother, and no one could stop him.

Even if Li Hongjiu beats or scolds him, he can forget about severing their brotherhood. No matter how strong the wind or rain, he will shamelessly stick to him.

"Just go through the motions, put on a show, and you can reap the rewards without lifting a finger?" Li Hongjiu laughed at himself, asking, "Is there really such a good thing in the world? Brother, do you think I'm that stupid?"

Shi Chun sighed and said, "I knew you wouldn't believe it, but it's really true."

Li Hongjiu waved her hand and said only one sentence, "If you don't believe me, I'm here to drink. Don't bother me with other trivial matters."

After saying that, he picked up the wine glass, smelled it, and then gulped it down in one go. A look of delight gradually spread across his face. Then he picked up his chopsticks and tried the dishes.

Shi Chun, standing to the side, said with a wry smile, "Don't you even ask what's going on?"

Li Hongjiu set down her chopsticks. "I don't want to ask. I won't do anything if I don't ask. Asking will only lead to trouble. You're no good either."

Fine, since he didn't ask, Shi Chun wouldn't just go along with him. She started talking on and on, "Not long ago, the proprietress of Bai's Rice Shop was arrested by the city guards and suffered all kinds of torture. In order to get her out, I told the woman who did odd jobs at the bookstore that you liked the rice shop proprietress, and then..."

"Ouch, cough cough cough..." Li Hongjiu, who was enjoying his drink, suddenly choked a little and coughed a few times. After catching his breath, he said in surprise, "What nonsense are you talking about? Let me tell you, I will not cooperate with you, and I will not buy into the threats in your letter. You can expose me however you want, I don't care. I just came here to drink!"

However, Shi Chun didn't buy into his act. He said his piece, and I said mine. "Then the woman who did odd jobs at the bookstore agreed and got the rice shop owner's wife out."

Li Hongjiu's eyes darted around, wondering what the rice shop owner's wife's release had to do with the person she liked.

He wanted to ask, but held back, remembering the lesson of this trip: if you find something wrong, stop and don't get involved.

Shi Chun continued, "Brother Jiu, you don't know, the rice shop owner's wife is quite pretty and has a great presence. She also likes to smoke a pipe. You've never seen one like this before, have you? You'll see when you see her, she's quite unique."

Li Hongjiu shook her head: "I don't like it."

Shi Chun added, "I also told the rice shop owner that you've had a crush on her for a long time."

Li Hongjiu almost choked again. "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think it's useful to drag people into a pit like this?"

Shi Chun: "Brother Jiu, it's like this. You probably already know the general situation of the academy. The academy owner has one son and three daughters. None of the five family members have any great potential for cultivation. After the maid moved in, she took a favor from the academy and, relying on her background, boasted to the academy family that they could choose any famous teacher in the world. The academy owner's third daughter is named Dong Liangying. She's not even twenty years old yet. Guess who she wants to be her teacher? Someone no one would even dream of."

As he spoke, he pointed to someone who was happily drinking.

Li Hongjiu was stunned, and pointed at herself with her wine glass, "You want to become my apprentice?"

Shi Chun nodded repeatedly, "That's right, not only did that family not expect it, but I didn't expect it either."

Li Hongjiu scoffed, "Stop talking nonsense. How could you possibly want to become my disciple? If you really did, there must be something fishy going on. You must have done something behind the scenes."

"Oh dear." Shi Chun slapped the table, feeling both amused and exasperated. He felt utterly wronged. He had already guessed that the other party would have such suspicions, so he immediately recounted Dong Liangying's logic that he knew he had no future even if he studied under a famous master.

After slowly sipping his fine wine, Li Hongjiu seemed thoughtful upon hearing this, and pondered, "If it's really as you say, then this girl has quite a bit of insight, and her talent shouldn't be bad either. Cultivation shouldn't be entirely controlled by one's physical constitution; the matter of innate talent is a matter of opinion."

Shi Chun nodded repeatedly in agreement, and continued, "The maid agreed on the spot, saying it was no problem. She said she would have her cousin contact the sect leader of the Yanbao Sect, who is your master, and that it would be fine if he put in a good word for you. She said your master would definitely give her face..."

Hearing this, Li Hongjiu's lips finally twitched. If the other party's so-called background as a handywoman was true, he could imagine that his master would probably really let him take this disciple.

Shi Chun, however, exclaimed in surprise, "As soon as I heard about this, I immediately stopped her and offered to help. Because I know you well, because we have a relationship, and since I want to pursue that woman, I have to make a show of it, so I took on this task. Brother Jiu, instead of letting her go to your master to resolve this, why not let me do it for you? Just consider it helping your brother out and giving him a chance to prove himself."

He pointed to the wine jar as he spoke, "I've succeeded in getting my hands on that woman, so you can drink all the good wine she has. But if things fall into your master's hands, with his character, do you think he'll let you live on fine wine all day? I'll even give you some 'Death-Repelling Incense' later to ease your worries about the various sects' magical treasures being rendered useless. Am I being a good brother?"

"Damn it!" Li Hongjiu wanted to curse. The way she looked at Shi Chun was strange. The fine wine had been ruined by this guy's rambling and had no flavor at all.

He originally planned not to fall into the trap no matter what the other party said, but now, if this is true, he might be able to get past this bastard, but he'll most likely not be able to get past his master.

In other words, he's likely to face the same fate whether he sticks his neck out or not. The problem is, what this scoundrel said makes a lot of sense; if things fall into his master's hands, he'll definitely miss out on the chance to have plenty of fine wine.

Shi Chun wasn't finished. He continued to persuade him, "Brother Jiu, to put it bluntly, you're actually a lazybones. If your master really takes on this job, regardless of whether you can train this disciple well, your master will have to give him an explanation, considering the relationship and face-saving involved."

Even if it's just for show, your master will have to use a stick to urge you to teach that disciple properly. Unfortunately, your disciple's talent for cultivation is not high. Oh dear, your master's stick will probably break several more times. I personally saw your master beat you to death with a stick in front of everyone during the weapon forging competition.

If you get things done through me, it's a different story. You won't even have to bother taking your apprentice back; you can just let her stay at home.

You can teach her however you like, whether she cultivates well or poorly doesn't matter. No one will hold you responsible for your poor teaching. After you finish your wine, you can use the excuse of teaching a disciple to come over again; you're really just here to pick up some more wine. You can come and go as you please, without any restrictions. Isn't that good?

He was able to say that because he really didn't take Dong Liangying's cultivation future seriously. What good was it for someone without the potential to cultivate? Instead of wasting time, it wouldn't hurt to use that time to help him achieve his goals.

Li Hongjiu, who had been so composed, was truly silenced this time. He stopped eating and drinking, just sitting there, his lips twitching from side to side, and occasionally glancing at Shi Chun.

After a long while, under Shi Chun's expectant gaze, he slowly said, "So, it turns out you didn't come to me for my own good, but just happened to stumble upon this matter that's related to me, and you want to take advantage of me to make a quick buck, right?"

Shi Chun sighed and said, "Brother Jiu, if you insist on thinking this way, there's no point in me explaining further. Even so, it won't harm you, will it?"

Li Hongjiu snorted, "I knew you weren't that kind-hearted. What does this have to do with my liking for the rice shop owner?"

Seeing that he was taking the initiative to inquire, Shi Chunli said, "Alas, the rice shop owner is from the Bai clan. The Bai clan has a close relationship with the Feng clan. Some important members of the Feng clan were raised by the Bai clan chief. The goddess on the sacred mountain is also among them. I need to get the materials to refine the incense of death on the sacred mountain. I need an inside help."

The rice shop owner is the granddaughter of the Bai clan chief. I managed to get her out of trouble, so she owes me a favor, right?
It was indeed very difficult to get him out, but the woman who did odd jobs at the bookstore had connections. She happened to be looking for someone to take you on as an apprentice, so I told her you liked the rice shop owner's wife, and that's how I got him out."

"..." Li Hongjiu stared at him, speechless. It turned out that before she even arrived and before she knew anything, she had already been completely used. What a bastard.

"Of course, to make the act real, I also told the rice shop owner that you, Li Hongjiu, have always had a crush on him."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongjiu grinned, "You mean, you want me to put on a show of pursuing her?"

Shi Chun quickly waved his hand, "Brother Jiu, you're overthinking it, there's no need to go to that trouble..."

Li Hongjiu had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this, but then the other person changed the subject and said, "She has a husband. You're just going through the motions, making a brief confession, and then she'll definitely reject you directly. So you'll give up and leave, and that's it. You'll just smooth things over and never have to see her again. That's it. You don't need to do anything."

Li Hongjiu slowly stood up in disbelief, his face contorted with rage, and said, "Are you even human? I'm the closed-door disciple of the Sect Master of the Yanbao Sect, and you expect me to confess my love to a married woman?"

Shi Chun spread his hands and said, "Who knows? She'll definitely confess when no one's around. Would you go around telling everyone? She's a married woman, the granddaughter of the Bai clan chief. She has a sense of shame and knows what's important. She wouldn't go around telling everyone. I certainly can't go around telling everyone either, otherwise the Yanbao Sect won't let me off the hook."

He waved his hand and pointed to the wine jar again, "Just go through the motions and you'll get plenty of fine wine in return. Do you want some?"

Li Hongjiu left his seat and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, saying irritably, "You're no good. You're just trying to screw me over. Who knows if what you're saying is true or false?"

Shi Chun immediately stood up and went to defend him, "Once you go to Chaoyue Pavilion, you'll naturally know whether the apprenticeship is true or not. Just go to the rice shop to confess your feelings, then let them reject you, then go to the academy to accept an apprentice, just give them a title. You can teach or not, it's up to you. That's all, without putting you at any risk. If I ask you to do anything more than what's going on, you can just walk away immediately. Nobody can force you, right? What I do doesn't involve you, so what risk is there?"

Li Hongjiu walked to the threshold, looked at the courtyard outside, and fell into deep thought.

Shi Chun didn't disturb him, letting him consider it, and sat back down, picked up his chopsticks and ate the food in big mouthfuls, deliberately making slurping noises while drinking.

A moment later, Li Hongjiu turned around, walked over, and sat down, snorting, "For the sake of our brotherhood, I'll help you this time. But let me make this clear: if anything goes wrong or causes any unforeseen complications, don't blame me for walking away immediately."

"No, no, it's clearly a good thing to share the good fortune with everyone," Shi Chun said as she quickly poured him some wine.

He raised his glass to toast Li Hongjiu, and as he poured him another drink, he grumbled, "I knew Brother Jiu was a reasonable man and wouldn't stand idly by. You know Wu Jinliang, right? That guy is a complete scoundrel, only interested in profit. Guess what he said about this opportunity to make money? He said if you didn't agree, he'd expose how you used lightning to destroy the magical treasures of various sects, trying to blackmail you. But I firmly refused. How could I ruin my friendship with Brother Jiu over a few magical treasures? After all, there will be plenty of opportunities to curry favor with Brother Jiu in the future. One has to think long-term, right?"

He wouldn't have said that so easily at first, because it would have been a blatant threat, and given Li Hongjiu's shameless nature, it was uncertain whether he could have succeeded in threatening her.

Now that the other party has agreed, it's definitely necessary to say something to prevent them from easily going back on their word.

Upon hearing this, Li Hongjiu immediately recalled how she had failed to scare Wu Jinliang away by the lake and had instead been severely injured and humiliated by his "backhand attack." She sneered and snorted, "That Wu, hehe, was never a good person to begin with."

"Never mind him, Brother Jiu, we've been apart for so long, we have to have a good drink today, and then we'll go to the rice shop..."

(End of this chapter)