Living Off a Woman Had Its Perks

The next day.

After an exhausting night, the first thing Fang Yunhua saw when he woke was Hua Zhenzhen sitting at a table nearby, writing something.

Her skin was white as snow, and she carried a scent like orchids and musk. Her nose was straight and delicate, and though her cherry lips were thin, they had a distinctive charm, wearing a captivating expression even when she said nothing.

The sight stirred Fang Yunhua's urges all over again.

Sensing his heated gaze, Hua Zhenzhen, who had endured a whole night of conquest, shuddered instinctively. She looked at Fang Yunhua with a trace of grievance, as pitiful as a fawn lost in a dense forest.

"I really can't today..."

Her voice was lovely, clear, sweet, and enchanting. The overnight transformation from maiden to woman had also added a new touch of allure to her features.

Fang Yunhua drew a deep breath and suppressed the flames rising in his heart. He knew he had gone rather too far last night. It had been her first time, after all. Even with her formidable foundation in martial arts, Immortal Yunhua was no ordinary man.

All I can say is, little sister, you still need more practice.

After dressing properly, Fang Yunhua walked over to the table to look at what she was writing.

"'Demon-Subduing Heart Method,' 'Heart-Plucking Hand,' 'Soaring Swan Step'... these are...?"

Hua Zhenzhen then volunteered an explanation of her Overseer lineage. Perhaps she felt a little guilty about having kept it from Fang Yunhua, for she never quite dared to meet his eyes as she spoke.

Fang Yunhua, however, had no intention of holding it against her.

Everyone had secrets. Especially to a Book Turner like him, most people's secrets were hardly secrets at all.

His dear senior sister had now entrusted herself to him, body and soul. How could he possibly blame her?

"Thank you for all your hard work."

Fang Yunhua gently drew Hua Zhenzhen into his arms, and she nestled quietly against him. She said nothing, and the two enjoyed this rare moment of peace in unspoken accord.

At last, Hua Zhenzhen gently pushed Fang Yunhua away.

Once again, she boldly reached up to touch his cheek, no longer concealing even a fraction of the deep affection in her eyes.

"I'll do everything I can to help you revive Mount Hua, not just because I love this sect, but because you're part of it."

A moment later, she gave a soft cry as Fang Yunhua swept her up in his arms.

They had originally agreed that he would leave the mountain early that morning, but his departure could only be postponed again. By the time Fang Yunhua descended Mount Hua with the Skyward Sword in hand, the three manuals Hua Zhenzhen had copied tucked against his chest, and the brocade case containing the White Jade Beauty on his back, it was already noon.

Meanwhile, in Fang Yunhua's room, a breathtakingly beautiful woman lay sound asleep, traces of tears still at the corners of her eyes.

Mount Hua was not particularly far from the Capital City.

Naturally, Fang Yunhua would not let himself suffer on the journey. He went straight to the Mount Hua Escort Agency and joined an escort shipment bound directly for the Capital City.

Of course, he rode in a carriage the entire way.

As they traveled, he began reading through the three manuals Hua Zhenzhen had copied.

First, the Demon-Subduing Heart Method was an internal cultivation art created by Hua Qiongfeng, a former leader of Mount Hua known as the Ruthless Fairy. It shared its roots with the Embrace the Origin Skill currently practiced by Mount Hua's core disciples, though it was naturally of higher quality.

As a result, he did not lose much internal energy when switching his cultivation to it.

The Heart-Plucking Hand was a set of moves designed to complement that heart method. After practicing the Demon-Subduing Heart Method, Fang Yunhua needed only a little study to master it, thanks to his peerless aptitude and comprehension.

Reaching a higher level, however, would inevitably require some actual combat.

Unfortunately, they encountered no bandits foolish enough to rob the convoy along the way.

On reflection, that was only to be expected. Their route led straight into the Capital City, and Mount Hua already lay deep in the heart of the Central Plains. Any particularly brazen bandits in the surrounding area had either faced justice at the hands of wandering heroes or been wiped out by the authorities.

That made it rather difficult for Fang Yunhua to find even a target on which to practice his Heart-Plucking Hand.

The last manual, Soaring Swan Step, was the lightness-art manual Fang Yunhua valued most. During his earlier spar with Chu Liuxiang, he had tried to replicate the man's Fragrance-Stepping Moon. After all, it was a peerless lightness art ranked among the top three across all of Gu's novels.

Perhaps only Lu Xiaofeng's Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens could rival it.

Yet perhaps because of Chu Liuxiang's unique physique, he had abandoned breathing through his nose and, from childhood, cultivated an internal art that allowed him to breathe through the pores all over his body instead. This gave every move he used a distinctive Thief Marshal flair.

In other words, his personal martial style was difficult to replicate, much to Fang Yunhua's regret.

Now that he had Soaring Swan Step, however, he could take some small comfort. Since it too shared the same roots, mastering this lightness art would not take Fang Yunhua much effort.

By the time he reached the Capital City, five days had passed.

He had already switched his internal cultivation from the Embrace the Origin Skill to the Demon-Subduing Heart Method, raising the quality of his internal energy another level.

For unarmed combat, he had also mastered the rare killing art, Heart-Plucking Hand.

Though his lightness skills were still nowhere near enough to challenge the world's foremost expert, Marshal Fragrance, they had already far surpassed his previous level.

"Ah..."

Lifting the carriage curtain and looking at the bustling streets on either side, Fang Yunhua could not shake the feeling that he had made Hua Zhenzhen drop gold coins like loot.

They were clearly in love, so why did it feel as though money and goods had changed hands and the transaction was settled?

An illusion! It had to be an illusion!

Just as Fang Yunhua's thoughts began to wander, the escort convoy ahead suddenly stopped. He lifted the curtain again and saw Liao Gang, one of Jin Ban Hua's attendants.

This lay disciple of Shaolin was no slouch when it came to hand techniques.

Still, a considerable gulf separated him from Fang Yunhua, who had set his sights on Stone Guanyin as his hypothetical opponent.

Naturally, he had come to deliver Jin Ban Hua's invitation.

"Young Master Fang, my young master has reserved a private room at the Wonderful Music Tower. He invites you to a banquet at noon today."

"Good. Tell Old Jin I'll be there on time. I've also got a big surprise for him."

Though Liao Gang was curious about this supposed surprise, he knew there were some things he should not ask.

After nodding in acknowledgment, he took his leave.

Fang Yunhua also took the opportunity to step out of the carriage and part ways with the escort convoy. Of course, he did not forget to tell one of the escort captains to arrange lodgings for him through the Mount Hua Trading Company.

The Capital City was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Though Mount Hua was showing signs of a full revival in the martial world, even at its height, it could only keep its head down in this city.

The Mount Hua Escort Agency and the Mount Hua Trading Company had only been able to establish themselves here thanks to Jin Ban Hua's connections.

Though the two were merely drinking companions who had hit it off at first sight, Jin Ban Hua was exceptionally generous in his dealings with others. His habit of treating money as though it were nothing truly earned Fang Yunhua's admiration.

It was also because he owed Jin Ban Hua so many favors that, upon meeting Chu Liuxiang, Fang Yunhua had been willing to sacrifice some face and pay a high price to redeem the White Jade Beauty.

After all, friendships needed give-and-take to remain strong, and that also helped keep both parties on more equal footing.

After wandering a couple of circuits through the somewhat familiar streets, Fang Yunhua realized it was nearly time and headed straight to the Wonderful Music Tower, one of the Capital City's three most renowned brothels.