A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 73 Sly Smile (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
When Li Weizhou saw Li Changning and Princess Zhao Yuanzhi of Yi'an again, the two were no longer in their disheveled state.

Li Changning wore a jade crown bound with silver threads, a black brocade robe embroidered with flying cranes, and a sword hanging lightly at his waist, exuding an indescribable elegance.

Princess Yi'an goes without saying...

However, Li Weizhou saw that the two of them still wanted to laugh, so he chuckled.

It was obvious that the two understood the meaning behind his smile.

Li Changning was almost embarrassed and indignant, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Third Brother, what are you laughing at?"

This gesture surprised and drew sidelong glances from both Zhao Yuanzhi and Zhang Wanyi.

Zhao Yuanzhi was better off; she had already seen it once during their last night encounter.

Zhang Wanyi was genuinely surprised; she had rarely seen Li Changning's expression fluctuate so much since she had known him...

Even when arguing with others, he remains as cold as ice, often using swords as his words to "debate" who is superior.

Li Weizhou chuckled bluntly, "How come your face hasn't been flattened by a horse?"

After nodding to Zhao Yuanzhi, he first asked Cao Shi, "Is Auntie feeling any better?"

Cao had caught a cold earlier.

But even if she was still sick, the joy had cheered her up. Cao said repeatedly, "It's all better now! Sanlang, this is Princess Yi'an, and this is the daughter of the current general. Please don't slight our distinguished guests."

Li Delong, Li Changping, and the others clearly valued the distinguished guest and kept giving him meaningful glances.

Li Weizhou then looked at the two female guests properly. He had seen Zhao Yuanzhi before, but it was too dark to see her clearly at the time. Now, he saw that she was wearing a scarlet fox fur cloak with a gold-embroidered brocade jacket underneath. Her hair was tied into two buns on the top of her head, each decorated with a pink silk headband. She looked playful, cute, and quite lively.

Seeing Li Weizhou waving his hand warmly, he called out "Third Brother".

Li Weizhou was secretly pleased. It seemed that even martial arts masters needed to wear cotton-padded coats to ride long distances on horseback in the cold winter, otherwise they wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "You came and went in a hurry last time. Will the princess stay a few more days this time?"

Zhao Yuanzhi chuckled happily, "Yes! We traveled day and night to get here, arriving three days early, so we have extra time to play for a couple more days!" She paused, then suddenly added, "Oh, right! Third Brother, my grandfather told me to thank you properly. He said the Lady's Sword you gave me is very good, and he wants to meet you!"

These words caused the Li family members to change color, for that was the renowned Prince Qi! Even ordinary people knew of his prestige.

The two sisters-in-law, Luo and Guo, looked at each other with strange expressions, as if trying to figure out how many princesses the Prince Qi's mansion actually had...

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "I will pay my respects to His Highness the Prince when I have the chance." He then looked at Zhang Wanyi, whose face was cold and aloof, and said in a clear voice, "Miss Zhang, I have heard the Princess and the Fourth Prince mention you. You are all colleagues and friends. Please do not stand on ceremony when you come to my home."

The girl before him wore a dark black fox fur cloak over a moon-white mink fur short jacket, her black hair tied up with a cold jade crown, and she exuded a cool and aloof aura.

Li Weizhou silently gave a thumbs-up to his sassy younger brother Li Changning, wondering who really had the protagonist's aura.

Fortunately, although both girls were beautiful, they weren't his type, so he wasn't too envious, because they were both rather ordinary...

Zhang Wanyi gave a slight bow, saying nothing, but her eyes revealed an undisguised curiosity as she sized up this extraordinary person...

Not to mention here, even in the capital city, few people would dare to speak to them in such a superior manner and tone, including princes and grandsons of emperors.

Although Li Changning's background was obscure, he possessed innate martial prowess and was taken in as a personal disciple by Situ Qingyue, the only female Situ Qingyue among the twenty-four powerful and influential Chief Clerks of the Imperial Punishment Bureau.

The Grand Master of the Imperial Punishments once commented that Situ Qingyue could break through to the eighth level at any time and become the ninth Chief of the Imperial Punishments.

The reason for staying at the seventh level is simply to accumulate strength for a future breakthrough, with ambitious goals.

With such a master around, who would dare to underestimate Li Changning?

But in this remote little town, there are people who dare to openly curse him...

Princess Zhao Yuanzhi of Yi'an was a notoriously spoiled princess in the noble circles of the capital. She even dared to tie up a prince, and the Imperial Concubine had to escort the rebellious son to the Prince Qi's mansion to apologize.

How could such an arrogant and spoiled character call a local strongman "Third Brother"?
If the sons of princes and nobles in the capital were to see this scene, they would be utterly astonished.

Ignoring the various stares, Li Weizhou said to Li Chang'an, "Second Brother, send someone to Zuixianlou to inform them to have a waiter bring the utensils to cook a hot pot for Fourth Brother and the two distinguished guests. Use aged oil. If they have any other guests with them, treat them well as well as well. Fourth Brother is very annoying; he always picks fights with me. I'm going to take a stroll around the estate and will be back after lunch."

Before Li Chang'an could respond, Li Changning said angrily, "When did I cause you any trouble? You did it yourself, and you can't explain yourself!"

After he returned last time, he had someone investigate Li Weizhou's current situation and was almost furious.

A perfectly good young man, good for neither literature nor martial arts, spends all his time hanging out with brothel madams and courtesans, visiting brothels almost every day. He's utterly hopeless!
Li Weizhou didn't want to listen to his rambling, so he tried to divert his attention by scolding him, "How dare you say that! Do you know how much suffering your second brother has endured because of you! Fu Tianshou was jealous that you went to the capital, so when he came home to visit his family, he vented his anger on your second brother and almost killed him with a single whipping. We consulted many famous doctors, but they all said that he couldn't be saved!"

The family had hoped to benefit from your success, but instead, they didn't get any benefit and almost died before the chickens and dogs.

After finally getting rid of that mad dog Fu Tianshou, it turned out he was the lover of the Heavenly Blade Sect Master's daughter. That crazy woman came back to cause trouble. If I hadn't gone to great lengths to get Chu Mengjun from the Dream Pavilion to intervene, the Li family would have been in serious trouble. Later, the entire Heavenly Blade Sect Master's family came, and then even five eunuchs from the Prince of Jin's mansion came to cause trouble...

Forget it, I'm too lazy to say anything more.

The family didn't contact you because they didn't want to cause you trouble, hold you back, hinder your future, or implicate you!

And you, you come home and act like a tyrant...

Try shouting again!
"Is the Li family temple too small to accommodate you?"

A barrage of rapid and intense scolding left not only Li Changning bewildered, but the entire Li family was also stunned. Cao Shi was so anxious that tears were about to fall, and she wanted to smooth things over, but she didn't know how.

Li Weizhou added, "Look how angry you've made your aunt!"

The entire Li family: "?!"

Li Delong and Li Chang'an were the first to come to their senses. Li Chang'an quickly advised, "Third Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother has just returned and doesn't know the situation yet. You should talk to him properly..."

Li Delong, shrewd and calculating, gestured to his wife with his eyes to calm her down; he wanted to see the quality of their young child…

He was a seasoned veteran of the underworld, whose skills might not match those of the true masters, but he certainly had a keen eye. He knew that connections were useful, but no matter how strong the connections, if one wasn't strong oneself, it would all be for naught.

Having a strong background and being capable oneself are the icing on the cake.

He wanted to see Li Changning's adaptability.

Li Changning was startled at first. His face, which resembled Li Weizhou's, and his spirited eyes quickly looked at Li Chang'an. After looking him over several times and seeing that he was unharmed, he quickly calmed down.

After Li Weizhou finished reprimanding him and showed no sign of speaking again, he frowned and said, "I have people keeping an eye on things at home. I also know some things about your matter, Third Brother, but I haven't received any news about what you mentioned. It's probably because I've been traveling and training outside for the past month or so, so I haven't received any news. But I will give the family an explanation for these matters."

Zhao Yuanzhi, standing to the side, was already red with anger. Her thin lips were tightly pursed, and her snow-white chin trembled a few times. She blurted out in a shrill voice, "How dare those servants of the Prince of Jin's mansion!! I'll skin them alive!"

The group of women were taken aback. Did this precious young lady have such a big temper?

One by one, they secretly touched their own skin, wondering if it could withstand being peeled off later...

Although Zhang Wanyi didn't say anything, her eyes and expression clearly showed her displeasure.

She didn't have any particular opinion about the Li family or their affairs, but because she loved Li Changning, she naturally didn't want to see his relatives being humiliated like this.

Li Changning first used his eyes to calm Zhao Yuanzhi down, then glanced at Zhang Wanyi, and continued to Li Weizhou: "Even if Qian Jintang's daughter is ignorant, Qian Jintang shouldn't be ignorant, and the Prince of Jin's mansion wouldn't be so ignorant. Third brother, what exactly happened?"

He then apologized to Li Chang'an, saying, "Second Brother, I promise I won't let you suffer in vain."

Seeing his younger brother speak these words, his eyes slightly red, Li Chang'an quickly smiled and said, "Hey, we're brothers, what's there to complain about? Fourth Brother, you don't need to worry about this. Your third brother and I have taken care of it. Don't delay your important business. We will never hold you back or hinder your future."

Li Weizhou almost burst out laughing. His second brother was quite the character, very skilled at adding fuel to the fire. Sure enough, Li Changning's handsome face turned red instantly.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the leader stepped forward, glared at the two of them, and warned, "You two, huh, are you trying to rebel?!"

Then he said to Li Changning, "Fourth Brother, don't take it to heart. Your second and third brothers mean that these troubles have all been resolved. Those two rascals never say a nice thing, so just ignore them."

"Yo!"

Li Weizhou looked at the eldest brother and made a sound.

"Yo!"

Li Chang'an also looked at his elder brother and echoed.

Li Weizhou frowned and said, "Did I waste my money at Qimeng Pavilion?"

Li Chang'an also complained, "Did I waste my money at Zuixianglou?"

Li Weizhou added, "So now that the fourth brother is back, some people are ignoring their poor relatives?"

Li Chang'an lamented, "They despise the poor and love the rich, they're fickle and unfaithful! They're not human!"

"He's not a human being!" As Li Changping's face turned red with grief and indignation, Cao Shi grabbed a feather duster and leaped down, attacking him.

Li Weizhou took off running, with Li Chang'an in hot pursuit, and Xi Mei chasing after him with her two nephews, Li Huan and Li Rui, laughing loudly.

In an instant, the atmosphere inside and outside the house changed dramatically, and everyone was filled with jubilation!
Cao, panting, cursed, "You two rascals! It's one thing to bully the eldest brother all the time, but today, the fourth brother just got back, and you're already bullying him like this? I'll beat your asses to a pulp!"

Li Weizhou still had a slight smile on his face as he stood outside the threshold and said with a smile, "Auntie, let's be reasonable, okay? Which of our words is not true?"

Li Chang'an exclaimed happily, "They're all true!"

Seeing that Cao was about to pursue them again, Li Changning helped her up from the side, comforted her for a few moments, and then asked Li Weizhou, "Are all the troubles really resolved?"

Li Weizhou thought for a moment and said, "As long as things calm down at the Prince of Jin's residence, the rest shouldn't be a big problem."

He wasn't really worried about the Prince of Jin's residence. As long as he insisted that he hadn't seen the old eunuch, no one would suspect that the old eunuch's disappearance was due to him.

If the Prince of Jin's mansion still has the mind to cause trouble for little Karami after losing a Martial Saint, then this family is truly incompetent.

Li Chang'an also said, "It's indeed beyond our capabilities over there, Fourth Brother, we're counting on you."

Li Changning nodded and said, "Prince Jin should have already set off for the horse market. The annual horse market fair always requires the presence of two royal residences, who, together with the princes of Donghu, maintain order in the horse market. This year, it is the residences of Prince Jin and Prince Chu. After the fair, I will go to Prince Jin's residence to settle this matter."

Zhao Yuanzhi hurriedly said from the side, "I'll go too! Second brother, third brother, I will definitely help you get justice! When we get to the horse market, I'll go and talk to Uncle Jin!"

Li Weizhou smiled, while Li Chang'an laughed so hard he almost turned into a chrysanthemum.

Zhang Wanyi glanced at Zhao Yuanzhi and gave a soft hum, but her posture remained one of mutual support, though she may have expressed dissatisfaction with Zhao Yuanzhi's overly intimate way of addressing her.

Li Changning glanced at her again, his gaze gentle yet tinged with a hint of apology…

Zhang Wanyi immediately calmed down and lowered her eyes slightly.

Li Changning suddenly felt something was wrong. He turned his head and saw that his two older brothers were looking at him with considerable resentment.

However, as they looked at each other, they suddenly burst into a sly laugh.

Li Changning's face turned red with laughter, but fortunately, he was no ordinary person. He didn't act coy and generously chuckled along with the others.

But the meaning in his eyes was also very clear: Second brother, third brother, don't laugh at fourth brother, how are you two better than me?

Li Weizhou couldn't help but burst into laughter, and Li Chang'an even needed to put his arm around his shoulder to stand up.

The eldest brother, Li Changping, walked over and gave someone a hand, but then chuckled.

The four brothers faced each other, and the awkwardness of not seeing each other for several years vanished instantly.

……

(End of this chapter)