Chapter 44: Good to Take

Lan Qiaoyan was startled the moment she spoke. What on earth? She had been so careful, how did that scoundrel still manage to contact her daughter? To meet here, it was unbelievable. Was this a cursed fate?

When she heard that kid refused to enter Bowang Tower and wanted to make his own way, she was relieved, yet also annoyed and amused. She had been worrying for nothing. That kid truly stopped pretending once he was out of his predicament. If he really liked her daughter, he wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

If he truly liked her daughter, with his persistent, shameless attitude and decent methods, she would be worried and afraid.

After realizing it was fake affection, she was utterly vexed. "Is my daughter not good enough? That scoundrel couldn't even bother to pretend anymore."

Miao Yilan said wistfully, "I became an accomplice. I shouldn't have lent him that money. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to pull this off."

"Haha." Lan Qiaoyan burst into laughter. Seeing her daughter turn to look at her, her face full of confusion, she took her daughter's hand, patted it gently, and smiled, "Lanlan, do you believe that even if you hadn't lent him the money, he still would have managed to sell that head courtesan?"

Miao Yilan questioned, "Forty thousand gold is not a small sum. He's new here, and strangers wouldn't easily lend him such a large amount."

Lan Qiaoyan shook her head. "Lanlan, you underestimate Shi Chun too much. Do you think he relied solely on luck when he made his mark in Dongjiuyuan? In that situation, the most crucial factor for success wasn't the forty thousand gold you lent him, but the method he devised. As long as the method was valuable, he would naturally find people to invest. For someone like him, that's no difficulty at all. Your appearance was purely coincidental; he must have already been figuring out how to get money before that.

"Even if you hadn't appeared, he would have stopped the event in time to give himself a calm window to raise funds. As long as he had that idea in mind, the situation was no longer under the control of those involved. This leader from Dongjiuyuan is decisive; he would firmly control the situation to achieve his objectives, depending on the circumstances.

"Lanlan, when it comes to this kind of survival skill in desperate situations, ten of you put together wouldn't be as good as him.

"So, there's absolutely no need for you to feel guilty about this. Whether you lent him the money or not, it wouldn't have changed the outcome.

"As for whether what he did was right or wrong, you have to consider their previous living environment. Their moral standards were not high to begin with. They've only just emerged; give them some time. To survive in this world, they will willingly adopt those universal societal constraints.

"What truly surprised me was that the kid didn't even care for Bowang Tower. His ambition is quite significant, so why would he care who a courtesan sold herself to? Lanlan, you and I have already done everything we could for him. Whether it's good fortune or misfortune, it's his own doing. There's no need to dwell on it anymore..."

Throughout her comfort to her daughter, she never once mentioned worrying about the money not being repaid. For her, that small sum was far less important than her daughter's willingness to help in the first place.

Old Dong, back in the storeroom, let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Dashitou, who had followed him, whispered, "I thought you would mention that we had the deed of indenture."

Shi Chun didn't intend to return this time, at least not in the short term. To fulfill his promise of repaying the money within three days, he had left Xiang Lan'er's deed of indenture with them. If someone came to deliver the money, they were to hand over the deed to that person.

Of the money received, fifty thousand gold was to go to Miao Yilan—not forty thousand, but fifty thousand.

Miao Yilan had said she didn't want interest, which was her good will. However, Shi Chun wouldn't do that. Although she might not have thought highly of him in certain aspects, he was most unwilling to owe anyone. Those who understood his true character would know this; others need not inquire.

The remaining money was for Dashitou and Old Dong.

Old Dong whispered back, "How could I? Without that deed of indenture, we would lose money."

Although he said that, he had almost revealed it earlier. It was only when he saw Miao Yilan's intention to stop the transaction that he held back. A failed transaction would truly make them lose a significant amount of money.

At that moment, neither of them felt any guilt for betraying their leader. For such individuals, Miao Yilan actually put her hopes in their moral standards...

The sky was vast, and the primeval forest stretched endlessly. Mountains rose higher than others, interspersed with valleys everywhere. At times, one could see splashes of red, yellow, white, and purple. Roaring waterfalls were common, and countless babbling streams flowed.

The group of four moved swiftly without touching the ground, leaping and landing continuously through the treetops, startling birds into flight and beasts into hiding along the way.

Wu Jinliang's large saber was slung over Bian Weikang's shoulder; the latter had offered to help.

There was no other way. Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun's cultivation levels were already low, and carrying a large saber would slow them down even more.

In the cultivation world, there were faster and more convenient ways to travel, such as magic artifacts or spirit beasts. However, not everyone was capable of using them. The majority, like them, had to rely on their own two legs.

The group had already traveled far from Zhaotian City.

A piece of cloth tied in two knots, wrapped around a tree branch ahead, caught Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's attention. Their eyes met.

This was the signal arranged with Cen Futong: once they caught up, they would send someone to go ahead and leave this mark, indicating they were ready. With the two slower companions as a hindrance, Cen Futong's side had enough time to make these arrangements.

Upon seeing the signal, Wu Jinliang suddenly called out to the man and woman ahead, "We've traveled quite a distance. Aren't you tired?"

Bian Weikang glanced back. Before he could speak, Xiang Lan'er, who was beside him, kindly said, "My lord, our benefactors might be tired. Let's rest for a while."

Already time to rest? Bian Weikang felt they hadn't run for too long, but hearing her words, he still stopped on the treetop and replied, "All right, let's rest for a bit then."

He felt he might have overlooked the feelings of those with lower cultivation due to his own high cultivation.

To reduce Xiang Lan'er's exertion, he had intended to take her hand and help her along, but she refused. Her reason was that since their two benefactors were with them, it wouldn't be right to show favoritism.

The group gradually descended to the ground, finding an open space with exposed rocks to settle down and rest.

After exchanging glances, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang looked around, just about to find an excuse to distract Bian Weikang, when to their surprise, Xiang Lan'er suddenly said, "Having lived in the towers for so long, I haven't tasted wild fruits from the mountains in years. Would our two benefactors like to try some? I'll go gather a few."

"Excellent, that would be wonderful!" Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, exchanging a look, were about to readily agree when Bian Weikang quickly stood up and said, "Lan'er, I'm not tired. You two rest; I'm faster, I'll go look."

He was truly doting on the beautiful woman, unwilling for her to suffer even the slightest inconvenience.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged another look; this would also work. One nodded, and the other politely said, "Then we'll trouble you."

Xiang Lan'er also softly said, "Thank you, my lord."

With that, Bian Weikang flashed away, disappearing deep into the forest to search.

The area suddenly became silent, and Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's gazes became unusual.

Dry leaves on the moss rustled under Xiang Lan'er's steps as she slowly walked away. As she raised her hand, a section of her fair arm was revealed, and she pushed back her hood, revealing her beautiful face.

Almost simultaneously, Shi Chun also raised his hand, pulling out the hairpin from his bun. His long hair immediately loosened and fell onto his shoulders. This was the signal he had agreed upon with Cen Futong to initiate action.

Soon, several figures flashed through the forest, heading directly towards them.

Four masked figures in brocade robes landed in unison before Xiang Lan'er.

Seeing this, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's faces simultaneously broke into sinister smiles. However, they soon stopped smiling, realizing something was wrong. Facing the sudden appearance of the masked men, Xiang Lan'er showed no hint of panic.

Not only did she show no panic, but she also elegantly turned her back to the four masked men, gazing calmly at Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. The previously delicate and charming expression on her face was gone, replaced by a cold aloofness, and her eyes held a scornful look, as if regarding two dead men.

In that moment, her demeanor was completely different from before, radiating an air of superiority.

The four masked men stood in a neat row behind her.

The scene was clear; even a fool could see that the four masked men were her people.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang instantly realized they had fallen into a trap.

Wu Jinliang swung his large saber in preparation for a fight, and Shi Chun, with a swish, drew his own blade from behind him.

The four masked men suddenly lunged forward. Two or three of them struck together, almost simultaneously stabbing Xiang Lan'er and instantly sealing her acupuncture points.

"What?" Wu Jinliang, saber in hand, nearly had his eyeballs pop out. A strange croak escaped his throat.

Shi Chun was also somewhat bewildered.

The turn of events was so sudden and caught everyone off guard.

Not to mention the two of them, Xiang Lan'er's astonished expression was also obvious; she clearly had no idea why this was happening either.

One of the four masked men flashed in front of Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. Seeing that they were still holding their blades defensively, he immediately pulled down his mask, revealing his true face.

It was Cen Futong. He brushed aside the blades pointed at him by the two men and said, "It's me, stop acting. She's been secured."

He then turned and pointed at Xiang Lan'er, who was slumped in his comrade's arms. "What's wrong with this woman? She didn't panic at all when faced with robbers, and even brazenly exposed her back to the bandits. Is this what serving men at Liyun Tower trains them for? She almost threw us off, my brothers haven't seen a situation like this before. Brother Chun, if I'd known she was so easy to take, I wouldn't have bothered our other friends; I could have come alone."

Xiang Lan'er, slumping in the man's arms, finally understood what was happening. It turned out that Shi Chun, her "benefactor," had hired people to abduct her.

Abduct her for what? It was obvious to her: it was simply about men and women, coveting her beauty.

Speaking of coveting beauty, the masked man holding her chuckled, "This woman is usually very arrogant. She doesn't entertain every guest, and she claims to be a performer who doesn't sell herself. Today, I'll have to see what she feels like and how precious she truly is."

The voice sounded familiar. Shi Chun recognized him as one of the men who had visited his residence last time. He truly didn't know what to say about Cen Futong; he now understood that this was not someone he could work with.

As soon as the suggestive remarks were made, the other two masked men also let out lecherous chuckles.

Xiang Lan'er's eyes instantly gleamed with murderous intent.

Cen Futong urgently warned, "Nonsense! She's not for you to touch. Don't move!"

What a joke! She was to be presented to Master Lu. If she were defiled now, it would be difficult to explain later.

Before he finished speaking, Shi Chun had already flashed past, grabbing Xiang Lan'er firmly. His blade was instantly placed against her neck, as he remained highly vigilant of his surroundings.