Keeping Away from Women

Even though she had practiced martial arts since childhood and her arm strength was comparable to that of an ordinary man, the combined recoil from holding the gun with both hands and one hand was still too much for her to control. After firing only seven or eight shots, the bullets were already drifting towards the top edge of the wooden board.

She frowned and paused for a moment, then tried pulling the trigger twice more, firing only two or three short bursts at a time. Her accuracy improved considerably, but it was still far less reliable than firing a single gun.

Shen Jingchuan shook his head and laughed.

"You've got the flair to show off, but if you really run into a real opponent, you won't be able to hit many people with that kind of fighting style."

Lin Qingyao didn't argue. After thinking for a couple of seconds, she slung the strap of one of the submachine guns around her neck, freeing both hands to firmly grasp the other. She aimed at it from her shoulder and pulled the trigger at a steady pace.

With a burst of bullets, the bullets were neatly clustered in the center of the wooden board, the bullet holes forming a dense cluster, instantly maximizing accuracy.

Without reloading, she casually reached for the other gun slung around her neck, leveled it, aimed, and pulled the trigger in one fluid motion, firing another burst at the same spot, scattering sawdust everywhere.

After putting away her gun, she looked up at Shen Jingchuan, a triumphant smile on her face.

Shen Jingchuan smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "Yes, that's the correct way to use it, much more reliable."

Then Shen Jingchuan squatted down and taught them how to load bullets into the empty magazine one by one.

A group of girls huddled together, laughing and joking, but their hands moved with remarkable seriousness, learning with exceptional focus.

By the end of the morning, half of the sack of ammunition had been emptied. Sharpshooting skills are honed through practice with bullets, and the girls were already quite adept at using both hand pistols and submachine guns.

Bai Ruoli, Su Qingshu, Su Qinghua, Ju'er each received a pistol.

Lin Qingyao took two submachine guns, Qinghe also got one. Yue'er clutched her own pistol, reluctant to let go of the submachine gun in her other hand. She leaned close to Shen Jingchuan and said in a soft voice:

"Young master, can I have both? I'll wash your feet tonight and take good care of you, okay?"

Shen Jingchuan was amused by her cute expression and waved his hand:

"Alright, alright, here you go." Yue'er immediately beamed with joy, hugging the gun like a precious treasure.

He distributed the remaining half-bag of bullets to them, sent the chattering group away, and told them to wash their hands and prepare for lunch. Shen Jingchuan, on the other hand, carried his toolbox and the remaining sack—which contained a submachine gun and a dozen or so magazines of bullets—and slowly walked towards the west courtyard.

After entering the courtyard and closing the gate, he immediately put away his toolbox, stored the remaining guns and bullets in his spatial storage, cast a Body Cleansing Instruction on himself, and then turned to head towards the dining hall in the second courtyard of the east wing.

When he strolled into the dining room, Lin Qingyao and Bai Ruoli were already seated with several maids. The food on the table was steaming, and the tension from the morning had long since dissipated, leaving the room filled with the warmth and fragrance of a beautiful woman.

Just as I was about to pick up my chopsticks, I heard a clear voice from the front yard, tinged with amusement. "It smells so good! Why aren't you waiting for me to eat?"

Shen Jingchuan knew immediately that Xiao Mingshu had returned, and he stood up. The other women at the table also stood up.

He strode to the door to greet her. Xiao Mingshu strode into the courtyard, looking radiant, followed by her personal maid.

"You brat, you don't even think about me when you're eating?" Xiao Mingshu looked up at him, a hint of teasing in her eyes.

"No way," Shen Jingchuan said with a smile, stepping aside to let you in. "Knowing my sister was coming back, I had to wait for you no matter what. Come on in."

Xiao Mingshu stood on the courtyard steps and casually gathered her Spiritual Qi, casting a Body Cleansing Instruction on herself and the maid behind her before following him into the house.

Upon entering the room, Su Qingshu, Su Qinghua, and the other maids all stood up shrewdly and quietly retreated to the table to serve, without sitting down again. Xiao Mingshu didn't say anything, as if it were a matter of course, and Shen Jingchuan didn't say anything either, there was nothing he could do.

Xiao Mingshu glanced at the room full of beautiful women, and said to Shen Jingchuan with a half-smile, "Well, you're living a comfortable life, quite the ladies' man."

Her tone suddenly changed, and her expression became more serious:

"However, I must also remind you that the key to cultivation lies in calming the mind. Indulging in sensual pleasures will easily deplete your Dao heart and hinder your progress. You are now at the stage of advancing from the Qi Refining Second Layer, so don't let small things cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture."

After these words were spoken, the girls in the room all lowered their heads, twisting the hem of their clothes with their fingers. No one dared to respond, but they all felt a little uncomfortable.

The Yue'er thought to herself: You old woman who has never been with a man. What will we do if the young master doesn't get close to women?

After lunch, Shen Jingchuan led Xiao Mingshu towards the garden, with her maid Huan'er following closely behind.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, Lin Qingyao and Bai Ruoli personally brought in teaware to brew tea. Shen Jingchuan gave the two a wink, and they understood, setting down their teacups and quietly retreating, leaving only the three of them in the pavilion.

"Little brother, is the new batch of goods ready?" Xiao Mingshu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and got straight to the point.

Shen Jingchuan raised an eyebrow. "Judging from your tone, the last batch of goods sold well?"

"Not only were they good, they sold out almost immediately after being put on display." Xiao Mingshu said, flipping her fingers to reveal an antique-style jade ring, which she handed over. "Here, this is for you."

Shen Jingchuan took the Ring, held it in his hand, and examined it from all angles, looking completely bewildered. Xiao Mingshu couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"You don't even know how to use Storage Ring?"

"This is the first time I've ever touched this."

Shen Jingchuan didn't try to hide it.

"It's very simple. This Ring hasn't been imprinted with your soul yet. Just drip a drop of your Essence Blood onto it, and then condense a wisp of Spiritual Qi to wrap around the ring. It will naturally recognize you as its owner."

Shen Jingchuan did as instructed, condensing a drop of Essence Blood from his fingertip onto the ring's surface, allowing Spiritual Qi to slowly seep in. He felt a slight warmth on his fingertip, and the Ring established a mysterious connection with him.

He focused his mind and immersed his consciousness into the space, where he saw many Spirit Stones and pills. He didn't count them carefully, then withdrew his consciousness and looked up at Xiao Mingshu.

"This Storage Ring was originally priced at 350 Spirit Stones, but I haggled with the shopkeeper for a long time. Considering I supply him with goods, I finally got it for 280 Spirit Stones. It has a square space of about ten feet inside, which is enough for everyday storage."

Xiao Mingshu: "I left you one hundred Spirit Stones inside, and exchanged the remaining one hundred Spirit Stones for commonly used pills like Qi Nourishing Pill. Count them yourself."

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand. "I trust my sister, no need to order. By the way, did the sale at the market go smoothly this time?"

Xiao Mingshu frowned upon hearing this:

"The goods sold well, but I was targeted on the way back. Luckily, I was careful and took a detour. The other party's cultivation level was about the same as mine, so I didn't dare to make a move rashly. It was a close call. Otherwise, I would have been back long ago."

Shen Jingchuan's expression tightened:

"Wouldn't it be even more dangerous to go next time? What if they bring help?"

Let's take it one step at a time.

Xiao Mingshu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said in a flat tone:

"Anyway, the resources I got this time are enough for me to cultivate for a while, so I'll stay at your residence for now and cultivate in seclusion, and won't go out for the time being."

Shen Jingchuan thought to himself, "This won't do. You've got enough, but I haven't." But he didn't say it aloud; he just nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then sister, please stay here with peace of mind. The mansion is quiet, perfect for cultivation."

The two took a couple more sips of tea. Xiao Mingshu's gaze inadvertently swept over the wooden planks nailed to the courtyard wall—they were riddled with holes, many parts were broken, and even a lot of the plaster had peeled off. She raised an eyebrow:

"What kind of hidden weapon practice are you guys doing? You've turned a perfectly good wall into a hornet's nest."