Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Yang Guo sat in the council hall for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and flipped through the account book three times.

When I turned to the last line, "seven taels of silver," my temples throbbed.

Eighty taels of fine iron wire and copper bells, not including the cost of custom-made crossbows, the cost of making bracelets, the cost of labor for gathering herbs, and brewing wine is an even bigger money-devouring beast.

With all four lines laid out simultaneously, it's impossible to turn them without at least two hundred taels of silver.

Seven taels of silver.

Yang Guo slammed the account book face down on the table, covered his face with his hands, and pondered for a long time in the darkness. Only one thought kept replaying in his mind.

Ancient tomb, stone chamber.

The room was full of gold and silver ingots.

That was something Lin Chaoying won from Wang Chongyang. When it was passed down to Xiaolongnu, it was worth at least several million taels of silver.

Once, on the cold jade bed in the ancient tomb, he served her diligently, and Sister Long hugged his neck and said, "I'll give you all my money."

Yang Guo was so happy he almost jumped for joy, feeling like he had found a rich and beautiful wife and was a winner in life.

But now we need to use this money to feed hundreds of Taoist priests...

Yang Guo rubbed his face, stood up, straightened his Taoist robe, and walked towards Xiaolongnu's room.

Night falls. At the entrance to the guest room in the backyard.

Yang Guo stood there for a while before reaching out to knock on the door.

"Teacher Long, it's me."

The door opened from the inside. Little Dragon Girl had changed into a moon-white nightgown, her hair was down, and she was wearing a pair of soft-soled embroidered shoes.

There was only one lamp in the room, and the light was very dim.

Yang Guo slipped inside, slamming the door shut behind him, and then checked the windows. They were locked tight; this time they'd learned their lesson.

"Wife," Yang Guo changed his form of address, smiling as he leaned closer, "You must be tired today, running all day on mountain paths, are your legs sore?"

Little Dragon Girl walked back to the table, sat down, and picked up the half-drawn defense diagram to continue looking at it.

"It's not sour."

"Are you thirsty? Let me pour you some water." Yang Guo solicitously went to fetch the teapot.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Are you hungry...?"

"Speak, what is it?" Little Dragon Girl put down the blueprints and looked at him.

Yang Guo rubbed his hands together, sat down opposite him, and pondered for two seconds.

"Honey, we're short of money."

Little Dragon Girl didn't respond.

Yang Guo leaned down onto the lower bunk: "Li Mochou handed over the account books today. The Quanzhen Sect only has seven taels of silver in their pockets. The materials list you submitted during the day alone cost eighty taels for fine iron wire and copper bells, not even counting the crossbows. The bracelets require capital, the herbs require labor, and brewing wine is out of the question. This game can't even move without money."

"so what?"

Yang Guo cleared his throat, putting on what he considered to be the most affectionate and sincere expression.

"Honey, do you remember what you said before?"

Which sentence?

"You said you'd give me all your money to spend."

Little Dragon Girl blinked.

"I did say that."

Yang Guo leaned forward, his eyes shining: "The gold and silver in the ancient tomb's stone chamber..."

"Those are for you to spend," Little Dragon Girl interrupted him, her voice soft but her words clear, "They're not for the Quanzhen Sect."

Yang Guo's smile froze.

"Wife, I am a member of the Quanzhen Sect. Giving money to the Quanzhen Sect is the same as giving money to me, isn't it?"

"It's different." Little Dragon Girl stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to him. "Giving you flowers is to buy you clothes, good food, and things for yourself. Giving flowers to the Quanzhen Sect is to support those hundreds of Taoist priests. What do those Taoist priests have to do with me?"

Yang Guo was dumbfounded.

This logic is impeccable.

Yang Guo followed, intending to put his arm around her waist from behind. Before his hand could even touch her, Xiaolongnu stepped aside and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You've been so busy lately, you haven't had a moment to spare." Little Dragon Girl sat on the edge of the bed, her hands behind her back. "You've been injured, in meetings, and treating other people's injuries."

"That's official business..."

"How long has it been since I played with you?"

Yang Guo was taken aback.

Little Dragon Girl raised her head. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Yang Guo knew that smile all too well. Before each time she was punished in the Ancient Tomb, Little Dragon Girl always had this expression.

"You do the math yourself, how many days have passed since the tomb was discovered?"

Yang Guo counted on his fingers. It had indeed been quite a while. During this time, he had almost been killed by the Golden Wheel Monk, then he had been the sect leader and implemented reforms, cultivated with Huang Rong, and infused Li Mochou with his inner energy—he had been extremely busy. He couldn't even remember how long he had ignored Sister Long.

"Honey, it wasn't intentional, there were just too many things to do..."

"You have time to let Li Mochou sit on your lap, but no time to keep me company."

Yang Guo felt a chill on the back of his neck.

"That's for treating injuries! It's legitimate! Who told you that?"

"I saw it myself. The windows of the council chamber weren't closed properly."

Yang Guo mentally slapped himself eight hundred times. He made such a basic mistake as leaving the door and window open.

Xiaolongnu got up from the bed and walked to Yang Guo. The two faced each other, less than a foot apart.

"I can give you the money."

Yang Guo's eyes lit up.

"There are conditions."

It lit up by three points and went out by five.

"What are the conditions?"

Little Dragon Girl extended her index finger and touched Yang Guo's chest.

"Tonight, role-playing. If you serve well, you'll go to the ancient tomb to move gold tomorrow. If you don't, you won't get a single penny."

Yang Guo swallowed hard.

Role-playing. An old habit. Ever since he led her astray in the Ancient Tomb, Sister Long has become incredibly addicted to this stuff. Before, in the Ancient Tomb, she did it on average every three days, always coming up with new variations, leaving Yang Guo both miserable and unable to stop. After such a long break, the addiction has really built up.

"What role?" Yang Guo asked.

Little Dragon Girl tilted her head and thought for a moment. She walked to the cabinet in the corner, opened the cabinet door, rummaged through it, and took out a set of clothes that were folded neatly.

Yang Guo looked closely.

The female Taoist robe of the Quanzhen School.

"Where did you get this?"

"Li Zhiqing found it. He said he wanted to study the clothing style of the Quanzhen Sect to facilitate the identification of friend and foe during defensive deployments."

Yang Guo's lips twitched twice. That excuse was way too professional.

Little Dragon Girl spread her Taoist robe on the bed and turned her head away.

"Tonight, I am a female disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. You are the sect leader."

Yang Guo's mind went blank for a moment.

"etc……"

"The sect leader will assess the disciples," Little Dragon Girl said slowly, enunciating each word clearly. "If a disciple performs well, the sect leader will reward them. If a disciple performs poorly, the sect leader will punish them."

Yang Guo's breathing became heavy.

Goodness gracious. After not playing for a while, the tricks I've been coming up with in my head are getting weirder and weirder.

"That's all the terms?"

"Um."

"How much?"

Little Dragon Girl stretched out one hand, her five fingers spread open.

Five hundred taels.

Yang Guo nearly jumped up from the ground. Five hundred taels of silver would be enough for the entire Quanzhen Sect to eat and drink for almost half a year!

"make a deal!"

Yang Guo ripped off his outer robe and threw it on the chair, then rolled up his sleeves and strode forward.

Little Dragon Girl blocked him with one hand.

"What's the rush?"

He picked up the woman's Taoist robe, turned around, and walked behind the screen.

"Sit in the chair and close your eyes. You're not allowed to open them unless I told you to."

Yang Guo sat down obediently and closed his eyes. His heart was pounding like a drum.

Behind the screen, a rustling sound, the rustling of fabric against skin, was clearly audible in the quiet room. Yang Guo had his eyes closed, his ears perked up like a rabbit's.

After about half a cup of tea's time...

"Open your eyes."

Yang Guo opened his eyes.

The moon-white Quanzhen Taoist robe clung to her exquisite figure, her hair was neatly tied up with a crown, and a blue sash was tightly fastened around her waist. The robe was loose, but it was full and sculpted perfectly where it needed to be, and the sash tightened it to create an exaggerated curve where it should have been.

Her expression changed. She was no longer the aloof fairy of the ancient tomb, but instead, she lowered her head, clasped her hands in front of her, and lowered her eyelids, putting on a well-behaved and obedient appearance.

"Disciple greets the Sect Leader." The voice was lowered several decibels, with a hint of feigned timidity.

Yang Guo felt all the blood rush to his head.

This woman is incredibly skilled.

Yang Guo cleared his throat, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and struck a pose befitting a sect leader.

"Which hall are you from? State your name."

Xiaolongnu stopped two steps away from Yang Guo and answered him with her head down.

"Disciple Long... Long Xiaoyue, has been a member of the sect for three months and has not yet been assigned to a separate hall."

Yang Guo almost burst out laughing. Long Xiaoyue—the naming skills are on par with the bees kept in the Ancient Tomb.

"Long Xiaoyue," Yang Guo suppressed a laugh, trying to keep his voice low, "I've heard you've been slacking off in your cultivation lately, is that true?"

Little Dragon Girl quickly raised her head for a moment, then quickly lowered it again.

"This disciple dares not be lazy. It's just that the lessons are too difficult, and this disciple is too dull to practice them well."

Yang Guo stood up and walked around Xiaolongnu. His gaze slid from her hair ornament to the back of her neck, then down to her shoulders and back, finally stopping at her waist along the tightly bound sash.

"If you don't practice well, you'll be punished." Yang Guo stopped behind him, leaned closer, and said, "Tell me, how will this sect leader punish you?"

Xiaolongnu's shoulders trembled slightly.

"Whatever punishment the sect leader commands, this disciple will accept."

Yang Guo reached out and grabbed one end of the blue ribbon from behind, gently pulling it back. His waist was pulled back slightly.

"Sect Leader..."

"Don't move. I'll check your meridians first."

He placed his palm against his back. Through the thin Taoist robe, the temperature beneath his fingertips was so hot it made his palms itch.

The moon outside the window was half-hidden by clouds. The oil lamp inside the room popped and burned out, dimming the light.

Yang Guo said in a low voice, "The lamp is no longer needed. I will check it by hand."

Little Dragon Girl bit her lip and remained silent.

A transaction worth five hundred taels of silver.

Headmaster Yang was determined to win.

Whether I'll be able to get out of bed for the meeting tomorrow morning is another matter entirely.