Her very first words startled Lan Qiaoyan. What the hell? She had been guarding against this all along, so how had that brat still managed to get in touch with her daughter? They had actually run into each other here. Was this some damned, ill-fated bond?
Hearing that the boy had refused to join Wangbo Tower and wanted to strike out on his own, she felt relieved, exasperated, and amused all at once. Her worries had been wasted. Sure enough, the boy had stopped pretending once he left the Prison of Life. If he truly liked her daughter, how could he have let this opportunity slip?
If he really liked her daughter, his shameless persistence, coupled with his considerable abilities, would have given her plenty to fear.
Now that she knew his affection was false, though, she felt her teeth itch with resentment. What's wrong with my daughter? That brat can't even be bothered to pretend anymore.
Miao Yilan said dejectedly, "I became his accomplice. I shouldn't have lent him that money. Without it, he couldn't have pulled this off."
"Hahaha." Lan Qiaoyan burst into delighted laughter. When her daughter turned to look at her in utter bewilderment, she took her hand and patted it gently, smiling. "Lanlan, do you believe he'd have managed to sell that star courtesan even if you hadn't lent him the money?"
Miao Yilan questioned that. "Forty thousand gold isn't a small sum. He's only just arrived. No stranger would readily lend him so much."
Lan Qiaoyan shook her head. "Lanlan, you underestimate Shi Chun far too much. Do you think he stood astride the Eastern Nine Plains, saber drawn, on luck alone? In that situation, the biggest key to success wasn't the forty thousand gold you lent him, but the method he devised. If a method is worth money, someone will naturally invest in it. For a man like him, that isn't difficult at all. Your appearance was pure chance. Before you showed up, he must already have been working out where to find the money.
"Even if you hadn't appeared, he would have called a halt in time and given himself ample room to raise the funds. Once he came up with that idea on the spot, the situation was already beyond the control of the people involved. This Chief of the Eastern Nine Plains dares to think and act. To achieve his ends, he'll adapt to the circumstances and keep the situation firmly in his grasp.
"Lanlan, when it comes to surviving desperate straits like that, ten of you tied together wouldn't equal him.
"So there's really no need to feel guilty. Whether you lent him the money or not wouldn't have changed the outcome.
"As for whether what he did was right or wrong, think about the environment they used to survive in. Their moral standards weren't high to begin with. They've only just come out. Give them some time. If they want to survive in this world, they'll willingly put on those universal shackles.
"What truly surprised me was that the boy even turned his nose up at Wangbo Tower. His ambitions certainly aren't small. Why would he care who a brothel woman sold herself to? Lanlan, you and I have shown him every kindness we could. Whatever fortune or disaster comes his way, he has brought it on himself. There's no need to dwell on it..."
Throughout her efforts to reassure her daughter, she never once mentioned worrying that the money might not be repaid. To her, that small sum mattered far less than the help she had previously been willing to offer.
Back in the storeroom, Old Dong let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Big Stone followed him in and said quietly, "I thought you'd tell her we had the Deed of Sale."
Shi Chun had no intention of returning after this departure, at least not anytime soon. To honor his promise to repay the money within three days, he had left Xiang Lan'er's Deed of Sale with them. If someone brought them the money, they were to hand it over.
Of the money they received, fifty thousand gold was to go to Miao Yilan. Yes, fifty thousand, not forty thousand.
Miao Yilan had said she wanted no interest, but that was her kindness. Shi Chun would not take advantage of it. Although she looked down on certain aspects of him, she was especially someone he did not want to owe. Those who understood his wholehearted nature would understand; he sought nothing from those who did not.
Only the remaining money would belong to Big Stone and Old Dong.
Old Dong replied quietly, "How could I? Without that Deed of Sale, we'd be losing our money."
Despite his words, he had actually come close to confessing earlier. Only when he saw that Miao Yilan intended to stop the transaction had he held his tongue. If the deal fell through, they really would lose a large sum.
Neither of them felt the slightest guilt about having sold out their Chief. With men like these, Miao Yilan had actually pinned her hopes on their moral standards...
The sky stretched vast above the boundless Primeval Forest. Beyond every mountain rose a taller one, with valleys everywhere between. Red, yellow, white, and purple appeared here and there; roaring waterfalls were a common sight, and babbling streams were beyond counting.
The four traveled without touching the ground, leaping and skimming endlessly across the treetops, startling birds into flight and beasts into hiding along the way.
Wu Jinliang's great saber rested on Bian Weikang's shoulder. The latter had volunteered to carry it.
There was little choice. Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun already had low cultivation levels. Carrying a great saber would only slow them further.
The cultivation world offered faster, more convenient ways to travel. Magical treasures and spirit birds both served, but not everyone had access to them. People like these, who could rely only on their own legs, were the majority.
The group had already traveled far from Skyward City.
A strip of cloth tied around the treetop ahead, bearing two knots, caught Shi Chun's and Wu Jinliang's attention. They exchanged a glance.
This was the signal they had agreed upon with Cen Futong. Once his men caught up, he would send someone ahead to leave this mark, confirming that everything was ready. With the two slow-moving burdens holding the group back, Cen Futong's side had plenty of time to arrange it.
Seeing the signal, Wu Jinliang suddenly called to the man and woman ahead, "We've come a long way. Aren't you tired?"
Bian Weikang glanced back. Before he could speak, Xiang Lan'er said kindly beside him, "My dear, our benefactors may be tired. Let's take a rest."
A rest already? Bian Weikang did not feel they had been traveling for very long, but since she had said so, he stopped on a treetop and answered, "All right. Let's rest for a while."
He thought his higher cultivation might have made him overlook how those with lower cultivation felt.
To spare Xiang Lan'er the strain of traveling, he had wanted to take her hand and help her along, but she had refused. Her reason was that with their two benefactors accompanying them, it would be wrong to favor one over the others.
They landed one after another and found a clearing with exposed mountain rocks where they could stop for a short rest.
After exchanging glances, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang surveyed their surroundings. They were about to find an excuse to lure Bian Weikang away when Xiang Lan'er suddenly spoke. "I've lived within tower walls for so long that I haven't tasted wild mountain fruit in years. Would you two benefactors like some? I'll go pick a little."
Wonderful. They could not have asked for better. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged a glance and were about to agree at once, but Bian Weikang hurriedly stood. "Lan'er, I'm not tired. You all rest. I'm faster, so I'll go look."
He truly lavished care on the beauty, unwilling to let her suffer even the slightest discomfort.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged another glance. This worked too. One nodded, while the other said politely, "Sorry for the trouble."
Xiang Lan'er also said softly, "Sorry for the trouble, my dear."
Bian Weikang flashed away, plunging deep into the forest to search.
The clearing suddenly fell silent, while the looks in Shi Chun's and Wu Jinliang's eyes grew unusual.
Dead leaves rustled beneath Xiang Lan'er's feet on the moss. She slowly strolled away, exposing a length of pale forearm as she raised her hand and pushed back her cloak's hood, revealing her flower-like, moon-bright beauty.
Almost simultaneously, Shi Chun raised his hand and pulled the hairpin from his topknot. His long hair loosened at once and fell against his shoulders. This was the signal to act that he had agreed upon with Cen Futong.
Several figures soon flashed through the forest, charging straight toward them.
Four Brocade-Masked Men landed in unison before Xiang Lan'er.
At the sight, sly smiles appeared on both Shi Chun's and Wu Jinliang's faces. Those smiles quickly faded, however. Something was wrong. Faced with these masked men who had appeared without warning, Xiang Lan'er showed no trace of panic.
Not only was she unperturbed, she turned gracefully before the four masked men, presenting her back to them as she calmly regarded Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. None of her delicate, endearing charm remained. In its place was icy aloofness, her eyes seemingly filled with the contempt one might show two dead men.
At that moment, her bearing was utterly unlike before, radiating lofty superiority.
The four masked men stood in a neat row behind her.
The picture was obvious. Even a fool could see that the four masked men belonged to her.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang instantly realized they had fallen into a trap.
Wu Jinliang swung up his great saber to meet the enemy, and Shi Chun drew his own saber from behind Wu Jinliang with a swish.
The four masked men suddenly darted forward. Two or three struck together, jabbing Xiang Lan'er almost simultaneously and sealing several of her acupoints on the spot.
"Huh?" Wu Jinliang's eyes nearly popped out as he brandished his great saber, and a strange croak escaped his throat.
"..." Shi Chun was also somewhat stunned.
The turn of events was so abrupt, so utterly impossible to prepare for.
It was not just the two of them. The astonishment on Xiang Lan'er's face was plain to see. She clearly had no idea why this was happening either.
One of the four masked men flashed over to Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. Seeing that they still held their blades toward him warily, he immediately pulled down his mask, revealing his true face.
It was Cen Futong. He pushed their saber blades aside to either hand. "It's me. Stop acting. We've already taken her."
He turned and pointed at Xiang Lan'er, who had slumped into an accomplice's arms. "What's with this woman? She didn't panic at all when she ran into robbers. She even brazenly showed them her back. Did she learn that from serving men at Liyun Tower? She almost left us not knowing what to do. None of the brothers have seen anything like it. Brother Chun, if I'd known she was this easy to take, there'd have been no need to trouble the others. I could have come alone."
Slumped in the man's arms, Xiang Lan'er finally understood what had happened. Shi Chun, this supposed "benefactor," had actually brought men to abduct her.
Why abduct her? She thought she could work it out with her heels. It could only be that business between men and women. He coveted her beauty.
Speaking of coveting her beauty, the masked man holding her chuckled. "This woman's usually so haughty. She won't take just any customer, and she goes on about selling her art, not her body. Today I'll have to see how she feels, find out just how precious she is."
The voice sounded familiar. Shi Chun recognized him as one of the men who had visited his lodgings last time. He truly did not know what to say about Cen Futong. Now he saw clearly: this was no man to work with.
At those lewd words, the other two masked men joined in with dirty snickers.
Murderous intent instantly appeared in Xiang Lan'er's eyes.
Cen Futong hastily warned them, "Bullshit! She's not someone you can touch. Keep your hands off her."
What a joke. She was to be presented to Master Lü. If they defiled her now, it would be difficult to account for later.
Before he had even finished speaking, Shi Chun flashed past and seized Xiang Lan'er. At the very first instant, he pressed his saber to her neck, keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings.