"Rumor has it that Young Master Jiang indulges in wine, women, and song, living a wild and unrestrained life. Yet seeing you today is truly astonishing and unexpected. As expected of the Prime Minister's son—how could you possibly be such a simple person?"
Su Qinghan's beautiful eyes were calm and cool. Her jade-like hand lifted the teacup before her, and she raised her fair, snowy-white neck like that of a swan, draining it in one gulp as though it were wine.
She had brought this disaster upon herself. If she had been crueler, she could have abandoned her Lineage and ignored Jiang Lan's threats altogether.
But her conscience would not allow her to do such a thing...
Just now, Su Qinghan had even thought that if she ruined her own face, Jiang Lan should lose interest in her.
Yet with the Prime Minister's Manor's power and status, they could probably find the finest physician to restore her appearance.
Either way, she could not escape such a fate, so she naturally could not be bothered to put on a pleasant face.
Jiang Lan sighed softly and said, "Miss Qinghan, why must you look as though life holds no further hope? I have always cherished flowers and treasured jade; I cannot bear to see a beauty heartbroken and frowning. The more you act this way, the guiltier I feel."
Su Qinghan stared blankly at him with her clear eyes. Then her glossy red lips parted, and after a long while, she only spat out two words. "Shameless."
Jiang Lan shook his head slightly and rose to his feet.
Su Qinghan thought he was about to do something, about to take liberties with her again.
Like a startled little rabbit, she hurriedly stood and retreated backward.
Clearly, Jiang Lan was merely an ordinary man without any cultivation, while she was a Fourth Realm Illuminating Nether Realm cultivator, vastly stronger than him by who knew how much.
Yet facing him now felt as though she were facing a ferocious tiger.
However, in the next moment, once she saw Jiang Lan's actions clearly, Su Qinghan froze. She even felt somewhat flattered.
Jiang Lan merely lifted the steaming teapot bubbling atop the red clay stove beside them and refilled the empty cup before her.
His clean, slender hand had distinct knuckles and fingers, yet for some reason, it seemed excessively thin and bloodlessly pale.
Su Qinghan stood there in silence, unable to speak for a moment. Given his status, he had personally poured her tea.
What did this mean?
Jiang Lan sat back down. Looking at Su Qinghan with a faint smile at the corner of his lips, he said, "Miss Qinghan, are you afraid that I poisoned it?"
"Rest assured, the tea leaves are Lake Dragon Green Jade, the finest tea in Great Xia today. Not only can it calm the heart and focus the mind, it can also help cultivators sort through the spiritual energy in their bodies, casting away the dross and preserving the essence."
"The water was drawn from the Heavenly Pool Cold Water atop Chi Yao Sect's mountain peak, a pool that has existed for tens of thousands of years. Less than a hundred jin is offered as tribute each year..."
In truth, Jiang Lan did not need to explain. When Su Qinghan had treated it as ordinary tea and drained it in one gulp, she had already sensed its extraordinary nature.
The spiritual energy within her body began circulating on its own without her needing to urge it. Even the slightly unstable foundation caused by today's breakthrough was steadily being stabilized as the spiritual energy sorted itself out in an orderly fashion.
This seemingly simple tea—whether the leaves or the water—was a spiritual treasure that cultivators dreamed of obtaining.
For a moment, Su Qinghan could not tell whether she felt envious or numb. Jiang Lan possessed such supreme resources and background, yet he was an ordinary man with no cultivation at all...
An ordinary man with no cultivation?
Suddenly, Su Qinghan felt as though she had grasped something.
With the Prime Minister's Manor's power and status, even an ordinary pig could be set upon the path of cultivation and attain considerable cultivation and strength.
Yet Jiang Lan was truly an ordinary man. In Su Qinghan's eyes, his body was even worse than that of many ordinary people—his vital blood was depleted, his complexion pale, his frame thin, as if he had only just recovered from a serious illness.
Was there really nothing strange about this?
"Rest assured, Miss Qinghan. If I had poisoned the tea, you would already have fallen limp beside me and been at my mercy."
"I may not be some upright and honorable gentleman, but taking advantage of someone in danger is something I cannot do."
"And at this moment, if I truly did anything to you, do you think you would have the ability to resist?"
Jiang Lan's leisurely voice interrupted Su Qinghan's thoughts.
He idly played with his cup, his posture casual.
"Young Master Jiang truly is a gentleman."
Jiang Lan's words brought a trace of anger and rosy color to Su Qinghan's flawless, fair face as she replied.
She truly had not considered that possibility. If Jiang Lan had really poisoned her, she would indeed have had no way to deal with it. She might even have ended up as Jiang Lan said, entirely at his mercy.
Setting aside her initial prejudice, a wastrel like Jiang Lan, who possessed a certain degree of "principle," was at least not completely worthless.
Jiang Lan sneered inwardly. If not for Su Qinghan's Sword Immortal master, as well as the matter of winning over this Female Protagonist later on, he would not have gone through so much trouble.
A forcibly twisted melon might not be sweet, but it could still quench one's thirst.
Within the pavilion, the fragrance of tea was rich and mellow, thin mist curled through the air, and moonlight spilled down beneath the night sky, lending the scene something of an otherworldly charm.
Su Qinghan sat properly in her plain white dress. Her slender, graceful figure was exquisite and beautifully proportioned, every curve just right.
From the bottom of her heart, she was certainly unwilling to give herself to Jiang Lan. But for now, at the very least, she could not provoke him further.
Jiang Lan could guess what Su Qinghan was thinking. The calm, breezy smile on his face never faded.
If one ignored Su Qinghan's tense expression and the chains at her feet, an outsider unfamiliar with the situation might have thought the two were enjoying a secret tryst.
"An assassin!"
"Protect the young master!"
At that very moment, sounds of fighting suddenly erupted nearby, accompanied by furious shouts.
An unfamiliar figure dressed in coarse cloth and hemp appeared there, sending guards flying one after another and kicking them into the pond.
Su Qinghan, within the pavilion, was stunned.
There really was an assassin? Had he come to kill Jiang Lan? Or to rescue her?
Yet she had never seen this unfamiliar man before.
"Protect the young master!"
Shouts rang out one after another. A large mass of Jiang Family guards swiftly surged forth from around the pavilion, all of them Third Realm Spirit Sea Realm cultivators.
Such a force would be considered the elite among elites in any city.
"Overestimating yourselves."
The newcomer was naturally Lin Fan.
He simply had not expected that, believing Su Qinghan to be imprisoned in a dungeon, he would instead find her sitting peacefully across from that wastrel in a pavilion beneath the night sky, drinking tea as though she were perfectly unharmed.
Though he breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, an anger he could not suppress still rose within him.
Lin Fan's gaze was icy, utterly fearless as he strode forward, a powerful sword intent swirling around him.
Using his palm as a sword, he merely flicked his hand, and terrifying force surged forth. The erupting sword intent was almost tangible, its sharpness overwhelmingly fierce.
Pfft...
The moment the many guards charged forward, it was as if they had been pierced through by longswords. Blood burst from their limbs, and none could approach within half an inch of him.
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