A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 94 Sanlang, your wife is here!

There were clearly three men and three women sitting in the hall, but the two of them seemed so superfluous.

"Oh, how lively... Mengjun greets Young Master Qi, Young Master Zhuang, and Madam Feng."

Chu Mengjun walked with graceful steps, her fox fur coat adorned with a few snowflakes, and the smile on her face seemed different from before, much brighter and more dignified.

Before Feng Biwu could retort, she said sweetly, "Mother Feng, from today onwards, I will no longer work at Qimeng Pavilion. It will be a great regret in my life that I will no longer be able to look at you from afar. From now on, you will be guarding Zuixiang Tower all by yourself, with no rivals."

Feng Biwu remained unfazed and said calmly, "Once a prostitute, always a prostitute. You're too kind, Chu Huakui."

Chu Mengjun: "..."

Three men watched the two clash, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

Yanxue was much more excited. Ignoring everything else, she said to Li Weizhou, "Young Master, Miss and I have escaped from the Jiangyou Merchant Guild!!"

Li Weizhou exclaimed in surprise, "Really? You fellow Jiangyou folks are actually willing to release people?"

Even Zhuang Chengxiao, who had been keeping a low profile, couldn't help but laugh, "The Jiangyou Merchants' style is all about money. As long as Miss Mengjun is willing to pay a sufficient price, there shouldn't be any major problems. However, this price will definitely be enormous. A sixth-level martial artist is already rare enough, let alone a beauty like Miss Mengjun. If Miss Mengjun is interested in working at my Shenglong Money Shop, I would be honored and would welcome you with open arms. The terms of service and treatment are all negotiable."

Even for a noblewoman's escort duties, a lowly six-year-old female bodyguard can command an exorbitant price.

If one is willing to humble oneself and serve as a bodyguard for a male nobleman, it's not just about the money; one can even gain a great favor in return.

In this world, government officials still wield considerable power.

Chu Mengjun politely declined, saying, "I don't have that idea for the time being. Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master Zhuang."

Li Weizhou wasn't interested in any of this. After congratulating Yanxue, he asked Chu Mengjun, "Didn't you go to the horse market? Why are you back so early?"

Chu Mengjun chuckled and said, "I wonder which extraordinary figure made such a fortune in the horse market, swindling several royal tents, royal mansions, and sects. Coincidentally, the Tiannan Royal Manor was also badly scammed, which indirectly helped me a lot. I was originally prepared to pay an even heavier price... but now I'm penniless, so I naturally came back first. As for you, why are you in such a hurry to come back?"

Li Weizhou said calmly, "Our fourth son is quite lucky. He has passed the Dragon Gate and become a Martial Grandmaster, so I can come back with peace of mind."

Chu Mengjun: "..."

Qi Zhenkun almost died laughing. Li Weizhou chuckled dryly and said truthfully, "Okay, it's not that I came back with peace of mind, it's that his master, my sister Situ, was able to leave with peace of mind and brought me back on the way. Fatty was worried that I would bully Xiao Yichen of Shangqing Palace, so he came over to put in a good word for him."

Qi Zhenkun chuckled and said, "I just came to see if Lord Situ was here, and to pay my respects to her."

Everyone looked over, but Li Weizhou didn't give an answer as to whether he was there or not. Instead, he asked, "Fatty, if the demonic cultists attack and there are martial artists from the three upper levels among them, can you get here in time?"

Qi Zhenkun gave a definite answer: "No."

He looked at Li Weizhou and said, "The three forest envoys here, plus you, the Director of the Imperial Punishment Bureau, and the reinforcements from Shangqing Palace, are more than enough for a city in a lower prefecture."

Li Weizhou didn't press the matter, nodding and saying, "Understood." Then he said to Feng Biwu and Chu Mengjun, "Mountains crumble, seas flow. I can't bring myself to beg for protection; it wouldn't do any good anyway. Qingzhou City ultimately needs the people of Qingzhou to protect it. Let those demon bastards come and see the spirit of the people of Qingzhou. They are far superior to those hypocrites who shirk responsibility, wearing a seemingly reasonable facade while actually avoiding accountability, and then conveniently staying far away!"

Feng Biwu and Chu Mengjun nodded together.

I wholeheartedly agree, and it speaks to their hearts—how satisfying!

Qi Zhenkun: "..."

Zhuang Chengxiao, who was below, frowned and explained, "Young Master Li, Yuanjian Mountain protects more than just Qingzhou City. I hope you can understand."

Li Weizhou asked curiously, "Could it be that the Demonic Sect's Protector's Respect is hung somewhere else? Never mind, never mind, let's not talk about it. Like I said, we Qingzhou people don't need to ask for favors. But let me make this clear from the start, we can only protect ourselves at most, we can't guarantee the safety of that Xiao Yichen. If he perishes here, we will not be responsible."

Zhuang Chengxiao couldn't quite understand it; he felt that this statement was completely contrary to the principles of Heaven and Earth.

Xiao Yichen is an extremely powerful expert in the upper three levels, so who is responsible for his safety?

Qi Zhenkun, however, scratched his bald head and seemed to understand. After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "I'll tell Xiao Yichen to take care of Qingzhou City and not interfere in your affairs." He paused, then laughed and scolded, "You brat, you have the nerve to call others hypocrites?! You want others to risk their lives for you, but you don't want them to be superior to you as Martial Grandmasters of the Three Passes. So you want others to be your slaves?"

He kept referring to himself as a native of Qingzhou and said he didn't rely on or ask for help from anyone.

In the end, it became Xiao Yichen who eagerly came to help them guard the city, and even distanced himself from others...

Li Weizhou said confidently, "Brother Fatty, this isn't too much to ask, is it? If it weren't for those bastards from Shangqing Palace causing such a huge mess and leaking secrets, would the Demonic Sect have come here? You just wait and see, if I die here, it would be strange if our fourth brother's master didn't wipe out Shangqing Palace!"

Two people from the Ye family died directly at the hands of him in Shangqing Palace, and this Xiao Yichen is the son-in-law of the Ye family.

Rather than hoping that this person is reasonable and sensible, it is better to draw a clear line early on to avoid a lot of trouble.

Once this mess with the evil cult is sorted out, the best course of action is to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Qi Zhenkun sighed and said, "Alright, alright, stop trying to intimidate me. I understand. If the three upper passes really attack, I will come as soon as possible to prevent your Li family's true dragon from causing trouble for my Yuanjian Mountain in the future."

Chu Mengjun chuckled and said, "Yuanjian Mountain has a profound foundation, why would it be afraid of Young Master Li?"

Qi Zhenkun didn't feel embarrassed at all, and said cheerfully, "A person like Situ Sili only appears once every few hundred years in the world. Who knows how talented the disciple she has chosen is? Yuanjian Mountain is weak and isolated, so we should avoid provoking powerful enemies if possible."

The group of people not only did not feel ashamed, but also admired him greatly.

There are countless people in the world who can take things on and be proud of them, but those who can let go of them are one in ten thousand.

Li Weizhou tentatively asked, "What if we break the 8th again... Fatty, can you handle it?"

Qi Zhenkun laughed and said, "I definitely can't hold on right now, but with an old codger coming out of the Sword Tomb, it's not too much of a problem." He then winked and said, "You're not the only one with a powerful backer."

Li Weizhou was much more polite. After looking around, he scolded Chu Mengjun, "You've come all this way to seek refuge with me, how can you be so clueless? Don't you know how to serve my brother some good tea?"

Chu Mengjun: "..." After giving him a disapproving look, she was really about to go make tea.

This scene was completely incomprehensible to Zhuang Chengxiao; he couldn't understand what the woman was thinking.
Qi Zhenkun smiled like Maitreya Buddha, stood up and said, "I'm not drinking anymore, let's go check out the Fifteen Mile Mountain God Temple. Brother Li, would you like to go and have a look? That's where the real excitement is."

Li Weizhou's eyes lit up immediately, but he then shook his head and said, "It's too dangerous, I'm not going."

He doesn't have the ability to fish in troubled waters and leech off others while caught in a trap; that would be courting death.

After Qi Zhenkun and the invisible Zhuang Chengxiao left, Feng Biwu glanced indifferently at the silent Chu Mengjun and his servant, then got up and left as well. But she was somewhat inspired; escaping that quagmire might not be such a bad choice after all…

After everyone left, Yanxue cheered and jumped for joy again, her sweet round eyes squinting as she looked at Li Weizhou and said, "Young master, we're really out! We're free now!"

Li Weizhou didn't ask how they got out, he just smiled and said, "Congratulations." He then asked Chu Mengjun, "Are you still willing to be a retainer at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

Chu Mengjun looked at him speechlessly. He had clearly been afraid of her dragging him down and didn't want her before, but now he changed his mind so quickly.

She asked, "Is it because the Demonic Sect might attack? Or is it because your cousin has become a Martial Grandmaster, so you're not afraid of the Tiannan Prince's Mansion?"

Li Weizhou nodded frankly and said, "I have both." But he also reminded him, "This may be the last chance that God is giving you. Think it over carefully and see if you can seize it."

Yanxue tensed up immediately. Although Chu Mengjun wanted to laugh, looking into Li Weizhou's eyes, she gradually became less relaxed. After thinking for a while, she slowly nodded and gritted her teeth, saying, "Okay."

Just like she'd lost her mind, she placed her bet! But she also genuinely believed that the new bettor was no ordinary person!
Li Weizhou smiled and said, "It's okay if people always make the wrong choices, but if you make the right choice once in your life, you can change your destiny. Congratulations, Miss Mengjun. I'll have the gatekeeper move out later; we don't need any other men in the house. You can live in the front yard; no one will bother you."

"..."

Chu Mengjun gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent, and said angrily, "So you're saying that I, a retainer, am here to be your doorman?"

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "Do a good job, you'll thank me. I'll ask Lao Si for some tips on breaking through the top three levels later... Has anyone taught you these things?"

Chu Mengjun's expression changed instantly, her face sweet and charming. She said, "Don't worry, young master, I'll serve you well. If you say east, I won't look west. If you say west, I won't look south!"

Her voice was so sweet and seductive that Li Chang'an, who rushed in from outside, almost collapsed to the ground.

Li Weizhou assumed that his family had received news of Li Changning's success in the imperial examinations, and even mocked, "Can't you be a little more composed? Your son is almost five years old."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an quickly tidied his clothes, then gave Chu Mengjun a polite smile before glancing sideways at Li Weizhou and saying, "You have composure; I hope you will too in a moment."

Li Weizhou sensed something was wrong and asked curiously, "What happened?"

Li Chang'an's tense face suddenly broke into a smile, and he said, "Sanlang, people from Mingzhou Prefecture have arrived! Your father-in-law has brought his daughter to marry you! Your wife has arrived!!"

Li Weizhou: "..."

Chu Mengjun: "..."

Yanxue: "..."

He wasn't the only one who was nervous; Chu Mengjun and Yanxue also became nervous.

How can the world change so fast?

Does what we just said still stand?

……

"Third brother, one should be calm and composed, not tense, and take things easy. Come on, smile."

As they rode back to the old house, Li Chang'an was still grinning from ear to ear, jokingly saying...

Li Weizhou snorted coldly, and Li Chang'an suddenly thought: "By the way, what's Miss Mengjun doing at your house?"

Li Weizhou sighed and said, "Second brother, do you think I'm nervous about meeting people? You underestimate me. I'm troubled."

Li Chang'an asked, puzzled, "What's troubling you?"

Li Weizhou sighed again and said, "Isn't it all because of Miss Mengjun? She's so annoying. We just broke away from the Jiangxi merchant guild, and the two of them came knocking on our door seeking refuge. If we didn't take them in, they'd die on the spot. What could I do? I wanted to refuse and say that I really didn't need them, but I'm kind-hearted and can't bear to see people die in front of me. So I said they could come, but only as doormen... Guess what she said?"

Li Chang'an laughed and scolded, "You're shameless! How could you say something like that? You...really?"

Seeing Li Weizhou staring blankly, Li Chang'an could no longer laugh, his tone filled with disbelief.

Li Weizhou said helplessly, "If you don't believe me, come to my place tomorrow and see who opened the door for you."

Li Chang'an wanted to rush back to see right now. His face was contorted with disbelief as he asked, "Why should I?"

Li Weizhou laughed smugly, "Second brother, why do you say that? It's because this is a world that judges people by their looks!"

"Duh!"

"Boohoo!!"

Li Erlang was nearly furious. After cursing a few times, he heard Li Weizhou ask in a low voice, "Second brother, is this marriage really unavoidable? I don't even know them, I've never even met them. Can we try to postpone it for three years? Just say I want to observe three more years of mourning..."

Even when ordinary people in the Great Qian Dynasty get married, they still need a matchmaker to assess the couple, and only after the elders have assessed the couple can the marriage process begin.

But his relative, all these years ago, has never been seen by anyone.

What if it looks like a large pockmarked face at first glance?
What if I become disabled, sick, or have a bad temper?
Won't it ruin your life?

Li Chang'an nearly died of fright upon hearing this. After looking around, he lowered his voice and reprimanded her with unusual seriousness, "Sanlang, what are you saying? Back then, they didn't look down on our family's status. After your second uncle and aunt had their accident, they even sent two hundred taels of silver from afar, clearly stating that it was money to raise you and Ximei. Now they've come all this way to send a bride, they've done more than enough... And now you want to break off the engagement? How can the Li family face anyone after this?! Let me tell you, that girl is beautiful, no less so than Chu Mengjun!"

Li Weizhou chuckled dryly, feeling a little more at ease, and said, "I was just asking, what are you so nervous about? Do you think I'm that kind of person... Let's go, let's go!"

But isn't this juncture a bit too coincidental...?

Li Chang'an quickly spurred his horse to catch up, genuinely worried that the kid would cause trouble.

A carriage slowly drove by the roadside. The curtains were lifted, revealing the face of Zhou Kejin, the head of the Zhou family of Xinyi Trading Company. There was another person sitting next to him, but it was impossible to see who it was.

Zhou Kejin said softly, "Master, these are Li Changning's two elder brothers, Li Chang'an and Li Weizhou."

The person inside gave a noncommittal "hmm," then the curtains fell back down, and the carriage slowly drove away...

……

(End of this chapter)