Beautiful Spring Courtyard

Female cultivators dressed in all manner of lavish attire drifted before Li Ping'an's eyes, their tender, lilting laughter ringing endlessly in his ears.

The moment he entered, a rich fragrance rushed into his nostrils, steeped in the scent of desire.

No wonder even cultivators who kept their six senses pure insisted on coming here so often. This place truly was far too tempting.

Li Ping'an took a deep breath, but his eyes were as resolute as a saint's.

Because he knew he had not come here for that sort of thing.

Just moments ago, when he had passed Beautiful Spring Courtyard, the Heaven-Tempering Hammer within him had suddenly stirred. It was tremendously excited, as though it had found something extraordinary.

And the location to which the Heaven-Tempering Hammer pointed was inside Beautiful Spring Courtyard.

Could there be something in here that the Heaven-Tempering Hammer likes?

Li Ping'an frowned. He knew that the Heaven-Tempering Hammer loved absorbing poisons most of all—the more poisonous, the better.

But how could there be poison within Beautiful Spring Courtyard?

Still, with the mindset of already being here anyway, Li Ping'an decided to enter and investigate.

Once inside Beautiful Spring Courtyard, the Heaven-Tempering Hammer indeed grew even more restless, bouncing about excitedly within Li Ping'an's body as though it were about to burst forth.

This further solidified Li Ping'an's belief. That thing was apparently inside Beautiful Spring Courtyard.

But where?

The alluring female cultivator who had led Li Ping'an in did not care about any of that. She handed him over to a madam, then went back outside to greet more guests.

When the madam saw that the female cultivator had brought back such a decrepit old man of seventy or eighty, she could not help being startled. Still, she professionally stepped forward to welcome Li Ping'an.

"Ah, sir, is this your first time at our Beautiful Spring Courtyard? We have many ways to play here. What sort of experience are you looking for? Just speak boldly—there's nothing our Beautiful Spring Courtyard can't arrange."

Uh...

Li Ping'an knew that he could not come to a place like this without spending something, or people would take him for a pauper and throw him out. So he waved a grand hand and said:

"First, bring me two ladies to keep me company. Have them drink with this old master."

"Of course, of course."

The madam said so, yet remained standing there, staring straight at Li Ping'an without moving.

Li Ping'an knew this madam was sly as a fox. He immediately pulled five spirit stones from his storage pouch and tossed them to her with great swagger.

"Take them! If this old master enjoys himself today, there'll be an extra reward!"

"Wonderful!"

Stars instantly lit up in the madam's eyes. Excitedly accepting the spirit stones, she immediately called out to several female cultivators nearby:

"Hurry over! A wealthy old master has arrived! Cuihua, Chunli, come on, hurry and receive the guest!"

Seeing how lavish this old master was, several female cultivators nearby who were not attending guests all had their eyes light up and unconsciously gathered around Li Ping'an.

In an instant, Li Ping'an was surrounded by warbling orioles and swallows. Some hurried to offer him wine, while others busied themselves feeding him chicken legs.

The sight left everyone around them dumbfounded.

"Brother Zhou, I heard there are quite a few female cultivators in Beautiful Spring Courtyard worth befriending. Today, I'll bring you here to have some fun and see what it's like."

A middle-aged cultivator in a long azure silk robe entered Beautiful Spring Courtyard while fanning himself with a folding fan.

Beside him was a somewhat younger cultivator. He seemed rarely to have visited such a place and was even a little bashful.

"Brother Li, as cultivators, isn't it a little improper for us to come somewhere like this?"

The younger cultivator spoke shyly. As he walked into Beautiful Spring Courtyard, he looked thoroughly ill at ease.

"Ah, Brother Zhou, as the saying goes, cultivating immortality means doing whatever one pleases and letting one's thoughts flow freely. Whatever you want to do, do it boldly. Only then can you cultivate immortality properly!"

Cultivator Li was still trying to persuade him when he suddenly saw the scene in the middle of Beautiful Spring Courtyard. His eyes immediately lit up.

"Look, Brother Zhou, look at that old man. If he isn't eighty, he's at least seventy, yet isn't he enjoying himself too? So, Brother Zhou, loosen up a little!"

Cultivator Li patted Cultivator Zhou on the chest encouragingly.

Cultivator Zhou, meanwhile, was profoundly shaken by Li Ping'an for a moment. He felt that something he had always held fast to within his heart had quietly shattered.

His Dao heart had shattered just like that.

"Madam, hurry and bring me some ladies! Today, this old master is going to have some fun!"

Cultivator Zhou shouted loudly.

"That's more like it!"

Cultivator Li was immensely gratified.

As for Li Ping'an, he was surrounded so tightly by a crowd of female cultivators that not even water could pass through. Left with no choice, he spent another dozen or so spirit stones. At this point, only a little over forty spirit stones remained in his pouch.

"Enough, enough."

Li Ping'an pushed away the wine cup offered by one of the female cultivators and asked:

"Besides ladies like you, do you have anything else here?"

The female cultivator said coyly:

"Old master, aren't we enough for you? You're far too fickle-hearted, aren't you?"

Li Ping'an revealed a lecherous grin.

"It's not fickleness—it's affection for many. Just tell me, is there anything else? It can't be just the likes of you, can it?"

The female cultivator said coyly:

"Of course there is, but I'm afraid you can't afford it!"

As she spoke, she pointed toward the second floor.

"The top-ranked ladies of our Beautiful Spring Courtyard are on the second floor, but their fees are extremely expensive. I suggest you simply drink with us downstairs. Isn't that just as enjoyable?"

The second floor?

Li Ping'an looked upstairs. At that moment, the Heaven-Tempering Hammer within him suddenly stirred again. That thing's source must be on the second floor.

Li Ping'an made up his mind at once and dismissed all the female cultivators gathered around him.

"What is it, old master? Are you dissatisfied with something?"

The madam hurried over.

Li Ping'an deliberately pulled a stern face and said:

"I don't care for goods like these. Do you have anything of a higher grade?"

"Something of a higher grade?"

Upon hearing this, the madam's brows jumped. This fellow had clearly weathered plenty of storms—he actually found this insufficient.

"There is."

The madam pointed upstairs.

"If old master is willing, you may go upstairs and have another look."

"Fine, then I'll go upstairs and take a look!"

Li Ping'an deliberately shook the spirit stones in his pouch until they clattered loudly.

The madam immediately beamed with delight and supported the old master as he went upstairs.

Once upstairs, the scene differed somewhat from the bustling splendor below.

The second floor was more secluded and elegant. Its guests were not as loud and boisterous as those on the first floor, and were more refined.

At that moment, the guests on the second floor had gathered around a table, discussing something fervently.

"Have you heard? Today, Miss Nan Zhi will choose a young master to sleep with her for one night. I'm so excited!"

"If only she chose me!"

"Give it a rest. Looking like that, do you think Miss Nan Zhi would fancy you? She'll definitely choose me!"

"We're six of one and half a dozen of the other. Big brother shouldn't mock second brother."

"Stop talking! I'm at the seventh level of Qi Refinement—I refuse to believe Miss Nan Zhi won't take a liking to me!"

"Miss Nan Zhi likes men who can compose poetry and songs. A brute like you should stand to the side and watch the show!"