I'm just an ornamental fish in the water.

"My lord, please change your shoes."

A beautiful woman, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with an oval face and a full figure that was not bloated, knelt down in front of Jiang Li with a charming smile. She reached out her slender hand to untie Jiang Li's boots.

On either side of Jiang Li stood a tall, slender girl with a sweet smile on her face, each holding one of Jiang Li's arms.

Jiang Li's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. He swung his arms and broke free from the two girls' entanglement. He then moved his feet and bypassed the beautiful woman.

This heartless action did not elicit any inappropriate reaction from the many beauties present. They continued to smile, their eyes filled with deep affection and doting as they looked at Jiang Li.

It's like here, whatever Jiang Li does is right.

Jiang Li stood in the lobby of Qinxin Pavilion, looked around, and found that there were no guests here.

That's weird.

It's already night now.

Jiang Li sighed inwardly and randomly chose a table to sit down.

The beauties surrounded her again, and with a flick of their sleeves, the other tables around Jiang Li were silently moved away without a sound.

A total of eighteen beautiful women stood around Jiang Li, surrounding her.

Their positioning was carefully considered; the distance between each person was neither too far nor too close, ensuring that no matter which direction Jiang Li looked, he would see a beautiful woman smiling at him.

"My lord, how about we choose two of our sisters to sit down and keep you company?"

The beautiful woman who was about to change Jiang Li's shoes took a small step forward, smiled, and said in a voice as soft and warm as cotton, with a hint of sleepiness and slight trembling.

Her phoenix eyes were full of charm, yet they also carried the innocence and expectation of a young girl.

This is a woman who has matured to such an extent that she can evoke endless fantasies in a man simply by speaking and looking at him.

Jiang Li remained unmoved.

Although he had never experienced this scene before, there's a saying that goes, "Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen a pig run."

Jiang Li's breathing changed slightly, and the Peach Talisman Breathing Technique was quietly activated.

Wisps of lightning emanated from his meridians, circulating with his true qi. With each rotation within his meridians, Jiang Li's thoughts became clearer.

Seeing that Jiang Li remained silent, the beautiful woman lowered her head slightly, took a half step back, and stood back up.

Jiang Li poured himself a glass of wine, raised his hand, and slowly pushed it towards the person opposite him.

But Jiang Li was the only one at this table.

"My lord has such high standards. Do you think none of my daughters would even look at you?"

A slightly hoarse voice rang out from the stairs leading to the second floor.

The group of beautiful women around the table bowed and addressed her as "Mom".

Jiang Li looked up.

A woman in palace attire descended the stairs slowly. She wore a festive bright red long dress, with a light veil over it, adding a touch of mystery.

The woman looked to be in her forties, with some wrinkles around her eyes and brows, but the charm she exuded as she moved was far superior to that of the beautiful woman who had spoken earlier.

If the beautiful woman from before was at the pinnacle of pleasing people with her beauty, then this palace-dressed beauty has already passed that stage. What she relies on is no longer her outward appearance, but something deeper.

Demeanor, temperament, and speech.

She didn't resemble a brothel madam; she was more like a graceful and noble lady from a high-class family who had raised a wealthy and elegant household for half her life.

As the woman spoke, she came down the stairs and went straight to the opposite side of Jiang Li, where she bent down and sat down.

Jiang Li looked up at her and said, "It's not that I look down on you, it's that I dare not look at you."

"Oh? Why are you afraid to look?"

The woman asked with great confusion, then smiled and said, "I am the mistress of Qinxin Pavilion. You may call me Madam Du."

"alone?"

Jiang Li raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is that a surname?"

"To be utterly alone in this world, isn't that true loneliness?"

Lady Du said with a smile. (The surname Du existed, but it only appeared after the Northern Wei Dynasty.)

"My lord has not yet answered my question."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li calmly replied, "I cannot accept such a reward without merit. With so many stunning beauties, any one of them could easily become a concubine of the emperor. I am but a hermit, how can I possibly accept such a position?"

"If my lord wishes, you may take all of my dozen or so daughters with you, it is entirely up to you."

Lady Du smiled gently, but her words were cruel: "You don't need to treat them like human beings, just like kittens and puppies. If you play with them until they die, I'll make up for it for you, my lord."

Jiang Li looked up at the beautiful women around her.

They listened to Madam Du's words but remained unchanged, still smiling as they gazed at Jiang Li.

What do you want?

Jiang Li was too lazy to play coy, or rather, this was just a tacitly understood play all along.

"Beauty, money, treasures, power and status, even resources for cultivation."

Lady Du smiled and said, "Whatever my lord desires, just name it. As long as you set a price, I will grant it without hesitation."

"However, the young master will always have to offer something in exchange."

Jiang Li nodded in realization, counting on his fingers as he said, "Then I want ten nine-thousand-year-old peaches, a pot of golden pills from the Tushita Palace, and the Supreme Nine Heavens Jade Purity Great Brahma Purple Micro Mysterious Capital Thunder Jade Scripture of the Thunder Ancestor so I can study it."

The smile on Madam Du's face slowly froze.

"My lord, you're quite the joker."

Jiang Li shrugged indifferently and said, "Since the business deal can't be done, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he got up to leave.

The beautiful women around the table didn't move or give way, and continued to smile at Jiang Li.

Madam Du remained seated, sighing, "My lord has no sincerity whatsoever. I've already said all that, yet we still can't make this deal."

Jiang Li turned around, took out the nameless book from his pocket, and asked, "Is this what you wanted?"

Everyone present froze, all eyes fixed on the nameless book in Jiang Li's hand.

It was as if their breathing had stopped.

"My lord is truly intelligent."

Lady Du broke the silence with a smile, saying, "Give me that book, and everything I just agreed to is yours."

"Who is the Goddess Wusheng to you?"

Jiang Li suddenly asked.

"The Goddess of Immortality..."

Lady Du repeated herself, then waved her hand with a smile and said, "These daughters of mine are all the Goddess Wusheng. Who is your question, sir?"

As soon as the words were spoken, all the beauties present simultaneously pulled out a veil and neatly covered their faces.

As the veil was drawn, changes occurred silently.

The beautiful women, who were originally of different styles, seemed to have been assimilated, all becoming the same size and dressed the same.

They were all dressed in white, had the same pair of compassionate eyes, and even the position of every single hair on their heads was exactly the same.

Their gazes remained fixed on Jiang Li, but the adoring look in their eyes had vanished, replaced by indifference and aloofness.

It was as if a god was watching over mortals.

Anyone would feel a chill run down their spine if they were stared at by eighteen living, yet completely identical, women.

Jiang Li scratched his arm uncomfortably, looked at Madam Du, and asked, "These are all Lady Wusheng, so who are you?"

Madam Du smiled, stood up, and looked at Jiang Li.

"This humble servant is the mistress of Qinxin Pavilion, Madam Du, as you just asked."