Chapter 32: The Unwelcome Benefactor

During the deathly silence, Cheng Yilin remained in a daze. She even stared blankly for a moment, as if trying to confirm exactly what was happening.

However, the moment Si Yan realized he could no longer hide the truth, Cheng Yilin’s reaction was incredibly swift. The woman did not say a word to him. Instead, she silently climbed out of bed, muttering under her breath, “Tao’er, I’m going to get a drink of water to sober up. You go back to sleep.”

But Si Yan was no ordinary man. In the pitch-black darkness, he clearly heard this ruthless woman pick up the precious sword Su Tao’er had placed in the corner. Accompanied by a flash of cold light, she unsheathed the long blade and lunged at Si Yan with a sudden thrust!

“You pervert! You bastard! I’ll send you to the afterlife!”

Si Yan’s movements were even more agile. He flipped the quilt with a backhand motion, entangling the white blade, and vaulted over the bed in a single bound. In an instant, he leaped out the window! Treading on thin air and catching a gust of wind, he used his other hand to pull up his pants and quickly vanished from Cheng Yilin’s sight.

Cheng Yilin hacked at the quilt with her sword until cotton batting flew everywhere like snow. She chased him to the window and screamed at the top of her lungs:

“You pervert! Don’t you dare run if you have the guts! I’ll chop off your manhood!”

But Si Yan couldn’t care less. He had already gotten what he wanted. A burst of Stellar Qi erupted from him, and he hurriedly flew through the air to make his escape.

‘This girl is quite something,’ Si Yan couldn’t help but marvel. ‘Though her temper is a bit fierce… she’s still quite wonderful.’

Back in the room, Su Tao’er was startled awake by the commotion. Rubbing her eyes, she asked sleepily, “Master, what’s wrong? It’s so noisy.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yilin was so furious she felt like she might explode. She grabbed Su Tao’er by the ear and scolded her, feeling frustrated that the girl wasn’t living up to expectations. “You wretched girl! It really was that man from earlier today! How dare you let a man into your bedroom!”

Su Tao’er had just woken up, and the sharp pain in her ear jolted her awake. Only then did she see clearly who was standing before her with a sword. “Huh? Yilin, why are you here?!” she asked in a panic.

Cheng Yilin was so angry that tears began to fall. She repeatedly pinched the flesh at Su Tao’er’s waist and cursed, “You stupid girl! What ‘Master’? He’s probably your lover! Tell me the truth! Has that lecher already defiled your body?! You… you! Without your parents’ permission or a matchmaker’s word, you, a young maiden, dared to share a bed with a man! Just wait until my uncle beats you to death when we go back!”

Su Tao’er dodged while trying to explain, “Yilin, you’ve misunderstood! You’ve really misunderstood! Master and I are innocent. I only let him stay in the room because I saw him all alone on the street with nowhere to live. We had two separate blankets!”

Cheng Yilin refused to let it go. She vented her frustration by pinching Su Tao’er’s waist even harder, making the girl wail in pain. Tears continued to stream down Yilin’s face as she continued her tirade. “You think you’re still innocent?! You’re so naive, you probably wouldn’t even know if you’d lost your virginity! And even if you are clean, what about my reputation?! What about my innocence?! I… I still have to get married!”

***

As for Si Yan.

After escaping the inn, he passed through the red-light district on the main street.

By now, the night was very deep. Even in the pleasure quarters, there weren’t many people left. However, there were many drunks lying on the street. Whether it was the taverns or the brothels, the women would pick up those who were dead drunk and had no silver left on them and toss them out onto the main road. It had become a rather peculiar sight.

Even at this hour, one could still hear heavy panting and moaning coming from the upper rooms of the pleasure houses, completely unrestrained.

After walking only a short distance, Si Yan suddenly spotted a familiar figure. The person was crawling with great difficulty out of the front gate of a brothel, foaming at the mouth like a crab, hovering on the brink of consciousness.

Si Yan walked over, knelt down, and poked him with a finger. He asked, quite puzzled, “Are things that bad lately?”

The man shook his head and continued to crawl outward. He tried to reach out toward Si Yan for help, his desire for survival incredibly strong.

Squatting, Si Yan shifted his position to avoid the seeking hand and asked again, “Is this brothel one of your Second Senior Brother’s businesses?”

The man rolled his eyes, lacking the strength to speak, but he managed to nod.

Si Yan slapped his own thigh in realization and cursed angrily, “These little vixens are trying to ruin my cultivation! I was wondering why they didn’t even want money. It turns out that wicked disciple set a trap for me! I’m definitely not coming back to this place!”

Yuling reached out once more. This time, Si Yan grabbed him and picked him up. “You’re too tired and your body is weak. Your Master will give you a hand.”

With that, Si Yan lifted his third disciple and tossed him back through the doors of the brothel known as Qingshui Residence.

Ignoring whatever sounds came from inside, Si Yan walked away in the opposite direction without looking back. Under the moonlight, he left behind only the silhouette of a profound and mysterious figure.

The next day, Si Yan found a place to meditate and pass the time. Once he finished, he arrived at the front of the City Lord’s mansion.

The City Lord of Yongle actually shared some history with Si Yan.

The previous City Lord had been a common traveling merchant years ago. While on his way to sell goods in the Phantom Sea, he was intercepted by bandits. Si Yan happened to be passing by and saved his life. The former City Lord was deeply grateful. For the several decades he remained alive, he held Si Yan in the highest regard and made it a point to visit the Destiny Pavilion every year to offer his thanks in person. However, he was a mortal with no talent for cultivation, and he had passed away from old age a few years prior. The person currently managing Yongle City was his legitimate son—the current City Lord.

Unfortunately, this City Lord did not seem to think much of Si Yan. He had not followed his father’s instructions to provide annual tribute to the Destiny Pavilion, and he hadn’t even visited once in recent years.

Of course, Si Yan didn’t care much for such things. He hadn’t ever truly minded. Nevertheless, there was still a bond of friendship between the two parties. Today, the new City Lord was hosting the Treasure Appraisal Convention. Although Si Yan hadn’t associated with him for several years, it shouldn’t be difficult to participate based on his past relationship with the family.

If that piece of Meteoric Iron truly turned out to be a rare item, Si Yan was willing to pay a fair price for it or exchange something of equal value.

Thus, he approached the mansion entrance with composure and addressed the guard.

“Please go inside and report that the Lord of Tianming Pavilion, Si Yan, has come to visit.”