Dinner Banquet

As Shi Lan listened to the tirade, the black figure in her mind ignored her completely. Its fingers danced rapidly across the light screen before it, searching for every scrap of information on the Lingyang Realm and constantly calculating a way to escape it.

Yet no matter how it calculated, every path led to a dead end. With its own strength alone, it simply could not leave.

The forces existing within this world rejected both it and the system with extreme intensity. Even absorbing enough energy to keep the system functioning normally was a problem.

Outside, seeing that the system had shown no reaction, Shi Lan began to demonstrate the full essence of the nation's finest curses, warmly extending greetings to the system's family members—whether they existed or not.

Feeling Shi Lan's relentless barrage, the figure's already irritable mood edged closer to losing control. If it had not been unable to harm its host after binding with the system, the first thing it would have done was twist off that shrew's dog head!

After a brief pause, the figure opened the system panel and began altering the task interface.

Shi Lan was just starting to feel tired from all that cursing when the task section on the light screen flickered.

"Newbie Task: Practice Bikou Chan for twelve shichen. Reward for completion: Improved physique. No penalty for failure."

At the same time, the method for practicing Bikou Chan flooded into Shi Lan's mind.

All she had to do was keep her mouth shut?

After absorbing the information about Bikou Chan, Shi Lan looked at the light screen and solemnly apologized. She had wronged the system. The system was still quite decent—there was not even a punishment for failing a newbie task.

Shi Lan eagerly began completing her newbie task, practicing "Bikou Chan."

At last, peace and quiet.

The figure let out a breath, unable to suppress a trace of smugness. What storms had it not weathered? Handling a little girl like her was as easy as turning over its hand.

The turmoil churning within Shi Lan gradually settled. With this system that had appeared out of nowhere, she finally felt somewhat reassured.

Lowering her head, she glanced at her dust-covered clothes and her fair, bare feet standing in puddles of water. Then Shi Lan walked to the wardrobe, took out a clean set of clothes, and placed them on the bed.

Shi Lan yanked loose her hair tie, then untied the sash at her waist and slipped off her outer robe.

When her hand reached the collar of her white inner garment, Shi Lan paused slightly. Gritting her teeth, she trembled as she pulled open the lapels, revealing the chest bindings wound tightly around her breasts.

As the bindings fell away layer by layer, Shi Lan's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the mirror standing beside the wardrobe.

The mirror reflected a beautiful woman with her upper body bare, long hair falling to her waist and skin like white jade. Her face was untouched by powder, yet she was still as radiant as peach blossoms and plum flowers. Her eyes rippled like a clear, sweet spring, piercing straight to the heart.

For Su Lanyue to become the wife or concubine of a city overlord, her figure and beauty naturally had to be exceptional. Shi Lan had clearly inherited this trait well—perhaps even surpassed her.

Looking at her reflection, Shi Lan felt somewhat lost. She had thought she would be thrilled, perhaps even do something unspeakable.

Yet her heart was now like a stagnant pool, without the slightest ripple. It was as though her body lacked some essential element that should have made her excited at the sight before her.

The sense of something missing from the depths of her soul made Shi Lan's heart clench.

Drawing in a breath of the slightly chilly air, Shi Lan removed the rest of her clothes and entered the bathing room beside her.

At the center of the bathing room was a bath three meters square. Shi Lan walked to its edge and pressed a mechanism. Streams of steaming water slowly poured out, filling the pool.

Only her bedroom in the entire Shi Mansion had an uninterrupted supply of hot water for twelve shichen a day. This counted as an additional privilege.

After bathing, Shi Lan returned to her room. She casually draped on two garments, then flopped onto the bed, the ache in her heart refusing to fade for a while.

That wave of sorrow was transmitted with perfect accuracy to the figure busy before the light screen. The figure's movements paused, and it began to have some complaints about the system's emotion-synchronization function.

Just as Shi Lan was feeling melancholy, a voice called from outside the door.

"Eldest Young Master, the Master asks you to attend dinner in Yishui Hall."

Shi Lan instinctively wanted to reply, but suddenly remembered the Bikou Chan she was practicing. Her words stopped dangerously close to leaving her lips.

Frowning slightly, Shi Lan flipped over and sprang from the bed. She rushed to the wardrobe, dug out a fresh chest binding, and began dressing at astonishing speed.

To prepare for sudden situations like this, Su Lanyue had specifically trained Shi Lan before. Thus, although Shi Lan moved quickly now, she did not appear flustered in the least.

In just two minutes, the beauty fresh from the bath transformed into a handsome young gentleman.

Other than her still-wet hair, there was not the slightest irregularity.

Seeing that Shi Lan had not replied, the maid outside was about to step forward and knock.

"Creak—"

Shi Lan opened the door and emerged with her hands clasped behind her back.

With one glance, Shi Lan found this maid's information in her memories. She was Su Lanyue's maid, named Zique, and had entered Shi Mansion less than two years ago.

"Eldest Young Master." Zique bent in greeting, her eyes shifting as she subtly displayed her lovely figure.

Shi Lan did not look at her further. She lifted her chin, signaling for Zique to lead the way.

Zique's gaze dimmed. She bent and acknowledged the order, then turned and led the way.

As she walked, Zique could not help feeling secretly annoyed. The Eldest Young Master was nearly of age already—why was he still so incapable of appreciating romance? Could the rumors that the Eldest Young Master preferred men truly be real?

Shi Lan followed behind Zique, winding through turn after turn toward Yishui Hall.

Along the way, they encountered quite a few guards and household servants. Upon seeing Shi Lan, all of them respectfully saluted and stepped aside.

As the "legitimate eldest son," although Shi Lan had been born with a useless body, no one in the mansion dared bully her. Even gossip behind her back was rare.

If servants were caught discussing their master behind his back, losing a layer of skin would be the least of their worries. This was the Lingyang Realm, where human lives were worth nothing at all.

After walking for nearly half a quarter-hour, Shi Lan finally arrived at Yishui Hall.

The moment she stepped inside, Shi Lan was startled, and her body grew somewhat restrained.

A round table stood in the center of the hall, and more than half its seats were already occupied.

At the seat of honor sat a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his early forties, dressed in a purple robe. He was powerfully built, with faintly graying temples. Each opening and closing of his eyes sent sharp light spilling forth, and an indescribable pressure filled his body.

He was her nominal father, Shi Tianlu, the head of the Shi Clan.

This was the first time Shi Lan had seen Shi Tianlu in person. Coupled with the lingering emotions of the previous owner, she was involuntarily intimidated by Shi Tianlu's presence and could not recover her wits for a moment.