Take a Good Look at Who I Am

Hearing this, then seeing Xie Lingchuan hold his sword across his body, the women blocking his way all jumped in fright.

Catching a cheating spouse?

Whenever they ran into something like that, they gave it a wide berth.

They had only wanted to drum up some business and earn a little more silver. Getting mixed up in something like this could lead to a fight, with injuries or even deaths. It was not worth it.

And so the women who had been brimming with interest just moments ago now looked rather sheepish. They looked Xie Lingchuan up and down, then began whispering among themselves.

"He looks so young. Isn't that awfully early to be married?"

"What sort of person could have such a beauty, yet leave him aside and come here for amusement?"

"That's not quite right. However sweet the flowers at home smell, how could they compare to wildflowers?"

"Then I'd say she's so hungry her eyes have gone blurry, and she can't tell good food from bad."

Xie Lingchuan had indeed worn an unpleasant expression ever since entering, so the women believed he had come to catch a cheating spouse. Reluctant though they were, they still dispersed in twos and threes.

Xie Lingchuan held his sword hilt and glanced upstairs.

Following the Spirit Connection Spell's guidance, he arrived at the door of a private room.

Xie Lingchuan surveyed the place, which was relatively tasteful compared to the rest, and his furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.

He stood outside the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

No one answered.

Even after knocking five full times, Xie Lingchuan still had not had anyone open the door.

Yet this was indeed where the Spirit Connection Spell pointed.

Could it be...?

Xie Lingchuan's brow twitched. Sensing something was wrong, he carried his sword straight through the door, breaking it open.

But the scene he had imagined, in which Zhu Lianqing had already fled without a trace, did not materialize.

On the contrary, Zhu Lianqing was perfectly comfortably ensconced in the room.

Yet the scene before him still made Xie Lingchuan go rigid all over.

Zhu Lianqing reclined casually across the cushions, one slender arm propped on the table to support her chin. In her other hand, she held a green jade cup, swirling the wine inside until some tipped over the rim.

Xie Lingchuan stood where he was and watched for a moment. His expression darkened, and he reached back to shut the door.

He walked up to Zhu Lianqing, looked down at her visibly drunken state, and said slowly, "It's time for you to leave."

Sensing a figure in blue-green blocking her view, Zhu Lianqing said without even looking, "Didn't I say not to send anyone up?"

Xie Lingchuan did not move. Zhu Lianqing had meant to send him away, but when she looked up, she paused, then curved her eyes in a smile. "Oh my~"

This one really looks like my little disciple.

Sure enough, a god-tier face is a god-tier face. Just looking like him is enough to make someone this outstandingly beautiful.

Hearing that frivolous, wine-scented remark, Xie Lingchuan crouched down and looked at Zhu Lianqing, plainly displeased. "What do you mean, 'oh my'?"

Zhu Lianqing set her cup down for the moment, reached out to pinch Xie Lingchuan's chin, and inspected his face from side to side.

"What that 'oh my' means is that I think you're good-looking!"

"Looks like that person drumming up business really wasn't lying. The newcomers really are all tender young lads of sixteen."

What was she taking him for?

Xie Lingchuan suppressed his anger and asked coldly, "Newcomers? Have you already seen the old hands?"

Zhu Lianqing shook her head. "No, I haven't." She picked up the wine cup she had just set down and brought it to Xie Lingchuan's lips. "Drink this cup and then leave. I don't need company."

The strong scent of liquor wafting up from the cup made Xie Lingchuan frown.

He turned his head, broke free of Zhu Lianqing's hand, then brushed the cup away from his lips and stood straight up.

Zhu Lianqing was pulled straight up off the floor with him.

"Take a good look at who I am."

Xie Lingchuan pressed his long fingers against an acupoint on Zhu Lianqing's arm.

Zhu Lianqing's arm went numb, and in that instant, she sobered up considerably. The blurry figure of the youth before her became exceptionally clear.

Zhu Lianqing immediately felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

Oh no, how is it really my little disciple?

"You? What are you doing here?! I haven't called you yet!"

Xie Lingchuan's tone was utterly blunt. "If I waited for you to call me, the inn would have closed."

Zhu Lianqing rubbed her brow. "Ah, sorry, sorry. Let's go back."

Xie Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Lianqing, then turned and called someone over to settle the bill.

After paying the silver, the two went down to the ground floor. The clamorous voices and mingled sweet fragrances made Zhu Lianqing feel increasingly dizzy.

Just as Zhu Lianqing's legs nearly gave way beneath her, someone caught her.

Xie Lingchuan took Zhu Lianqing's arm and draped it around his neck, supporting her as they walked outside.

"Sorry for the trouble... Young Hero Xie..." As the wine took hold, Zhu Lianqing slurred her words.

As though he were well accustomed to propping up drunks as they walked, Xie Lingchuan said without a change in expression, "If you can't hold your liquor, why drink so much?"

Hearing this, Zhu Lianqing immediately raised an index finger and wagged it. "Wrong, wrong. I'm a very well-behaved drunk."

Xie Lingchuan supported Zhu Lianqing as she staggered along, saying nothing.

Moonlight fell over them, stretching a long shadow across the mouth of the alley.

Xie Lingchuan supported Zhu Lianqing all the way back to the inn.

Standing at the door, he handed Zhu Lianqing a wooden plaque and said, "This is your room, Senior. I'm next door. Call me if you need anything."

Zhu Lianqing glanced at it, noted the approximate location, then turned-not to enter the room, but to head toward the terrace on the right.

"What are you doing?" Xie Lingchuan asked.

Zhu Lianqing waved a hand. "Don't mind me. Go get some rest. I'm just used to getting some fresh air after drinking."

Watching Zhu Lianqing lean against the terrace railing and gaze out over the river, Xie Lingchuan said nothing more. He pushed open his door and went inside.

Xie Lingchuan took off his sword and placed it on the table, then raised his arm and sniffed.

An inescapable smell of wine.

The youth's handsome brows furrowed.

He took off his outer robe, retrieved a fresh set of clothes from his spirit ring, and turned toward the bathtub behind the screen.

Leaning against the railing, Zhu Lianqing watched the lanterns dance in long dragons across the pleasure quarter on the opposite bank. She could not help thinking of the large terrace at her own home, which overlooked all of City A's economic center.

If nothing unexpected had happened, she should have been enjoying the breeze on her terrace after a little drink right about now.

Unfortunately, something unexpected had happened.

Although what she was doing now was not much different, it was rather boring without a phone to play with.

After standing in the night breeze for a while, Zhu Lianqing felt the wine go to her head. Dizzy and muddled, she wanted to return to her room for a good sleep. She reached the doors, only to realize she had forgotten which room Xie Lingchuan had pointed out to her.

But that was no great problem. Zhu Lianqing fished the carved wooden plaque out of her sleeve and carefully compared the characters engraved on it with those outside the doors.

By the time Zhu Lianqing stood outside the rightmost room, Xie Lingchuan's brows had already knitted into three deep creases as he sat in the bathtub inside.

The Spirit Connection Spell showed that Zhu Lianqing, who had been lingering outside his door, had taken another step forward.

What is this woman trying to do?

Xie Lingchuan's heart tightened.

When the door made a sound as it was pushed open, Xie Lingchuan rose from the bathtub with a splash.

His long, straight legs stepped nimbly out of the tub. Reaching out, he snatched the bath towel draped over the screen and tied it around his waist, then hurried to the table as fast as he could and drew his sword.

Zhu Lianqing finally managed to push the door open, only to be greeted not by a soft, sweet-smelling bed, but by a warm body still steaming with moisture and a cold, hard sword.

Zhu Lianqing's eyes widened.

For a moment, she could not tell which shocked her more: Xie Lingchuan's bare chest, still beaded with water, or the cold sword held across her neck.