What Is Love

Wang Ming learned a lightness skill called Horizontal Void Shift at the very end of his time in Jueqing Valley, then came out.

There was still quite a long time before the Mount Hua Sword Debate, so Wang Ming headed in a specific direction.

That place was Yang Guo's hometown, which was also the hometown of Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang, and seemed to be the hometown of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan as well.

That was to go to Jiangnan.

The specific destination was Lu Family Manor.

"Ask the world, what is love? That it teaches life and death to be pledged. Flying partners across the northern and southern skies, how many cold and warm seasons have those old wings seen? The joy of delight, the sorrow of parting, amidst it all are infatuated youths..."

He involuntarily chanted this Ci poetry that Li Mochou frequently recited.

Wang Ming was very curious about just what kind of charm Lu Zhanyuan possessed.

To make two exquisitely beautiful women willing to pledge their lives to him, with He Yuanjun dying in a joint suicide for him and Li Mochou still remembering him on her deathbed.

The crowded streets of the Southern Song Dynasty, pedestrians shuttling back and forth, and the shouting cries of lively stall vendors and peddlers.

These gave Wang Ming the impression of the developed commerce of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Traveling by boat on the river's surface, listening to the Jiangnan ditties sung on the shore, possessed quite a unique flavor.

Gazing at the figures of talented scholars and beautiful ladies composing poetry and matching verses between the buildings on both banks, along with the sound of laughter drifting from the painted pleasure boats on the lake.

Wang Ming had no intention of changing anything either; everyone had their own lifestyle and way of living.

If everyone was sober and you alone were dreaming, then you were a piece of trash; if only you alone were sober, then you were an anomaly.

If this had been the very first world he entered and there had been no life-threatening danger, he himself would presumably also have blended in among them.

If one asked a man, what was the place he most wanted to go to upon time-traveling to ancient times?

That of course was the brothel!

In this era, it was completely legal.

Not long after, the boatman delivered Wang Ming to his destination for this trip, Lu Family Manor.

He had no intention of making a formal visit, choosing instead to wander around its outskirts.

He simply found an inn nearby and checked in.

At this moment, it was precisely the early spring season, a time when all things revived and fresh flowers bloomed.

How could a lover of flowers let such a thing pass him by?

Inside an exquisite courtyard, a handsome man who did not lack heroic spirit stood at a high vantage point in the pavilion, gazing out beyond the courtyard at the distant mountain slopes covered in blooming mountain flowers, which were filled with vibrant vitality.

The man seemed to never grow tired of looking at this magnificent scenery, and had stayed here for a very long time.

At this moment, a cloak appeared on the man's shoulders, draped over them.

A pair of slender, white, and exquisite jade hands reached out from beside him, helping the man properly adjust his robes.

"Husband, don't catch a cold; head inside to rest earlier!" A gentle female voice reached his ears.

"My wife, it doesn't matter. This beautiful scenery is reduced by a day for every day it's watched, and I am unwilling to miss it."

The man gently patted the woman's hand, then used his left arm to gather her into his embrace, locking gazes with her in a profound and intense look.

This woman's complexion was white and smooth, her facial features exquisite, possessing to the extreme the characteristics of Jiangnan women being petite, gentle, and as tender as water. She gently followed the force of the man's left arm and leaned against Lu Zhanyuan's chest, her height allowing her to just happen to hear her husband's heartbeat.

"Being able to be with you is the greatest fortune of the rest of my life," the man said softly to the woman in a magnetic voice.

"Being able to meet my husband is also Yuanjun's fortune," the woman said, nestling low in the man's embrace with that soft voice like a summer breeze.

Hearing this, the man tightened his hold around the woman slightly, and the woman felt the strength of the man on her shoulders.

She raised her head to look at her husband, and then they gazed affectionately into each other's eyes.

The man involuntarily wanted to kiss the lovely creature in his arms, and the woman also closed her eyes and slightly raised her head to welcome the man.

Suddenly,

a powerful suction force came from behind, and the two of them, caught completely off guard, instantly tumbled backward from the balcony railing into the pavilion room within.

Before they even had time to react, they found themselves unable to move.

Even a fool would know at this point that they had been struck by acupoint-sealing techniques.

"What senior is this? I wonder how this Lu has offended you?" Lu Zhanyuan was famous precisely for his quick wit, and immediately probed for intelligence so as to decide how to respond.

The answer he received was two slaps of light, and instantly that handsome face swelled up, with two clear palm prints visibly marked upon it.

Seeing her husband's miserable state, the woman immediately burst into tears, her gaze filled with thick, concerned intent, and her mouth full of worry for her man, whereupon she had her mute acupoint sealed as well, and her husband received yet another slap.

"Kid, you're serving up dog food too well! Even I can't stand it anymore." Accompanied by this voice came yet another blow across the face.

The one who had just spoken was none other than Wang Ming. After arriving here, Wang Ming had spent a few days around Lu Family Manor inquiring into Lu Zhanyuan's life story.

The results he obtained were basically that he possessed quite a chivalrous reputation, with mostly positive reviews.

Sensing that he wouldn't obtain any truly valuable information, Wang Ming decisively sneaked in to observe firsthand just what kind of person Lu Zhanyuan actually was.

As for his image, the plot introduction had very little to say; some called him a spineless scumbag, while others called him a quick-witted hero.

Wang Ming had come to confirm it for himself; if he truly turned out to be a spineless scumbag, Wang Ming would simply hand him over to Li Mochou to let her resolve her lingering obsession.

As a result, Wang Ming couldn't stomach it for even a single day.

The couple got up, with He Yuanjun helping Lu Zhanyuan change his clothes and Lu Zhanyuan drawing her eyebrows for her, the two of them genuinely attached to each other and acting overly affectionate to an unbearable degree.

After barely managing to endure that,

at breakfast time, they frequently picked food for each other's bowls and ceaselessly uttered cheesy, mushy sweet nothings.

Finally, Wang Ming couldn't hold out any longer. The two of them were simply too capable of showing off their affection, disgusting Wang Ming to the core.

It made him unable to hold back, directly using a Nine Yin Divine Claw on the two of them to suck them in, followed by a rapid-fire sealing of their acupoints to bring them under control.

Wang Ming was just about to give him another slap to make himself feel a bit more comfortable,

when he noticed something somewhat amiss between Lu Zhanyuan's brows, so he grabbed the man's wrist and took his pulse.

Good grief,

this fellow basically had only half a life left, and whether he could live past a single year was a question.

Although Wang Ming hadn't systematically studied medicine and couldn't heal illnesses, his judgment of pulse conditions wouldn't be wrong.

Medical science and martial arts were of one family, and this pulse condition could definitely be diagnosed.

"You kid, quite something! How did your body get hollowed out to this wretched state? If you can live past next year, it'll count as Old Heaven taking pity on you."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Lu Zhanyuan and his wife darkened instantly, though they didn't show any look of astonishment, indicating that they had long since been mentally prepared.

"I wonder how this junior has offended you. If there is truly any fault on my part, this Lu is willing to bear it with all my strength, and only begs that others not be implicated," Lu Zhanyuan said with arduous effort.

Wang Ming had no interest in torturing someone on the verge of death, so he found a chair and sat down.

"Do you still remember Li Mochou, the one who swore a lifetime vow with you? I imagine you know her moniker of Crimson Serpent Fairy, and you should also be clear on the things she's done over these years. The root cause of all this is that you kid abandoned her, and now she goes around slaughtering people—give me an explanation!"

Wang Ming also remembered that in the original work, this fellow hadn't even lived until the start of the Condor storyline, so he figured he was doomed to die anyway and had no interest in wasting time on him.

With a melancholy expression, Lu Zhanyuan said, "How could I ever forget the person I once vowed to spend a lifetime with?"

Beside him, He Yuanjun's gaze dimmed, but she quickly concealed it again.

"I know the moniker of the Crimson Serpent Fairy. These evil deeds she commits all stem from me; if there is punishment to be doven out, punish me then! Kill me or carve me up as you please, I yield to your disposal." Lu Zhanyuan wore an expression of being willing to meet his death.

"Your life wasn't worth much to begin with, and now you've got a terminal illness. What can your death offset? I'm asking why you abandoned her; cut the nonsense, and if you talk any more trash, just wait to have your entire household slaughtered and wiped out!" Wang Ming said impatiently.

Instantly, Lu Zhanyuan was startled. He wasn't afraid of death, and being afraid was useless anyway.

However, his brother's family were innocent, and there were also his wife and his daughter who was only a few years old; he couldn't let them suffer harm.

"Once I've spoken, will you refrain from harming my family members?"

"Seeing as you're already half a foot into the gates of hell, I promise you."