Chapter 117: Taking in Bai Guan'guan, the Black Lotus, and the Cliched Hero Saves the Beauty Xue Yuan
A loud, rhythmic clanging of a brass gong echoed through the streets and alleys. A servant from the Zhao family walked through the town, striking his gong repeatedly.
"Clang, clang, clang! The Zhao family is holding a martial arts competition to select a son-in-law! The competition will take place in three days. Further details are posted at the Zhao family’s front gate. The Zhao family is hosting a martial arts tournament for a husband!"
...
"A martial arts tournament to find a husband? The Zhao family—could it be the Zhao family from our Yanggu County that runs the brothel?"
"Yes, it’s definitely them. I heard their daughter has spent her life wandering through brothels; after being exposed to such things, she must have mastered quite a few 'special skills.' Let’s go take a look."
"No wonder they’re holding a tournament. What wealthy family would want to marry a woman who has spent her adulthood in a brothel?"
"Who knows how depraved that Zhao girl has become? I truly wonder what kind of man would take a liking to such a woman."
"Hey, whoever marries that Zhao miss will inherit the Zhao family’s dowry and live in luxury for the rest of his life."
"A martial arts tournament—can an ordinary martial artist win? I’d wager the winner will be at least a sixth-grade martial artist. What kind of woman couldn't a sixth-grade warrior get?"
"Let’s go and see!"
...
A pair of jade-like feet, delicate and soft, rested in his hands, radiating a faint warmth.
"Those bandits, you haven't even paid the protection fee yet, so why are they coming to your house to stir up trouble?"
"Xueyuan!"
Living until now, Zhang Qingshi had never been so proactive.
Heilian turned over.
Upon hearing what Li Yeniu said, it would be a lie to say Heilian wasn't tempted. For him, anything left behind by a first-grade martial artist would be of immense benefit.
He ordered Li Yeniu to send men to keep watch there; if the Yang Qi began to dissipate, he was to be notified immediately.
Shen Zhenxing nodded and withdrew.
Within Yanggu County, the commoners flocked toward the Zhao residence, their faces filled with curiosity. Su Yang, equally intrigued, followed along.
Seventh-grade strength?
"Yes, Master!"
Li Yeniu’s face was filled with excitement.
After all, raising children in the household consumed a vast amount of resources.
"Prepare for it first. We cannot be too hasty with Bailian’s marriage. We need to procure wedding supplies—let the wedding take place in five days!"
Shen Zhenxing did indeed call Bailian into her room to ask if she was willing to serve the Master, and Bailian was truly willing.
A martial arts tournament.
Most of the martial artists present were of the first grade, while the leaders were third-grade. As for the seventh-grade martial artists, they had all left, waiting for the Yang Qi within the tomb to dissipate before returning to enter the burial ground.
Originally, it was Taohua who had brought this up.
"Sister, I think the maid Bailian by the Master’s side is quite good; her appearance and figure are top-notch. Moreover, the way she looks at the Master clearly contains the affection between a man and a woman. Why don't you ask Bailian privately? If she is willing, it would be a good match."
"Protection fee? When did your family pay the protection fee?"
Grade A bone-structure offspring provide 100 points of incense daily; Grade B, 5 points; Grade C, 0.1 points.
Once he reached the seventh grade, he would be the king of Yanggu County!
Heilian was slightly startled, then asked.
Shen Zhenxing finished speaking and went to Heilian’s room to tell him about Bailian.
He also wondered if there were any magical artifacts in the tomb; that was what he cared about most right now.
As far as Heilian could see, the strongest martial artists from the surrounding counties were only seventh-grade.
...
Unable to suppress his inner excitement, Heilian had Li Yeniu take him to the location of Bai Guan'guan's tomb.
After reaching the seventh grade, he had consumed an old medicine—a green-fleshed Taisui—which should have counted as one and a half times the potency.
He could claim everything in the tomb for himself, as well as the holdings of the several families in Yanggu County!
"Correct!"
Restrictions: Male, under thirty years of age, literate. The tournament will be held at the Zhao family gate at noon three days from now. The winner will marry the Zhao family’s eldest daughter, Zhao Hongyan!
"Well done. Reward him with two fourth-grade old medicines when you return."
His wives and concubines were all pregnant, and he didn't want to touch the maids with Grade D or C bone structures. Once his children were born!
Zhang Qingshi had been married for a long time but had never shared a bed with Heilian; everyone only found out about this today.
At this moment, Zhang Qingshi was wearing white robes that accentuated her curvaceous figure, her hair loose, adding a touch of allure.
...
"It’s fine, I will speak to the Master about this. You just wait for news."
"You little vixen, once you give birth to an heir, the Master will certainly serve you well."
In a private residence.
"Bai Guan'guan's origins are unknown, but she settled in Yanggu County. She had no children and disappeared suddenly a hundred years ago. I didn't expect her to have arranged her afterlife so well. This Bai Guan'guan was once a first-grade martial artist, and her strength dominated Yanggu County."
On the streets of Yanggu County, prosperity was finally returning, and small vendors began to appear.
During this time, he had been practicing with all his might. If he poured all his one thousand seven hundred plus incense points into the Incense Pavilion, there was a high probability he could enter the seventh grade.
Even inside the tomb.
"Knock, knock, knock...!" Just as Heilian was reading, a knock sounded at the door.
Li Yeniu nodded solemnly again.
"A first-grade martial artist’s tomb?"
"A spy under Magistrate Ma, named Liu Fu!"
Zhang Qingshi was slightly startled, not quite understanding, but she followed behind Heilian, kneeling on the bed to help massage his waist.
After returning home.
Shen Zhenxing spoke.
"Zhang Qingshi, were you satisfied with how the Master served you last night?" Jin Ping’er asked, her voice soft and seductive.
Looking at the lotus seed soup placed beside him, and noting the tone of Zhang Qingshi’s voice, Heilian couldn't help but be slightly stunned. He looked at her in confusion and asked, "Who taught you that?"
Right.
Zhang Qingshi’s heart beat faster for no reason. She slowly pushed the door open and walked in, placing a bowl of soup on the table next to Heilian. "Husband, you are working so hard even this late. You will surely pass the imperial examinations one day. It is late; why not eat some soup to nourish yourself?"
In the main hall, Shen Zhenxing was chatting idly with the other sisters.
"No one taught me; I said it myself." Zhang Qingshi blushed.
As the first wife, Shen Zhenxing took the lead, urging Zhang Qingshi to complete the unfinished business.
The next day!
Time flew, and night fell!
Heilian didn't pay much attention to the monsters at the scene.
"The door isn't locked, come in." Heilian’s voice came from inside the room.
Li Yeniu nodded again.
"Master, something big has happened outside Yanggu County." Li Yeniu said, his face full of excitement.
After all, the Master’s wives and concubines were all pregnant and couldn't attend to him. At this time, Zhang Qingshi had stepped forward, and who else could shoulder this responsibility? Zhang Qingshi had long since harbored feelings for Heilian, so she gritted her teeth and came.
"Is it true that Bailian said that?" Heilian felt a surge of joy.
...
Heilian thought for a moment and spoke.
Seeing Heilian arrive, they didn't show any surprise, continuing to go about their business.
"If you could say something like that, that would be the real surprise." Heilian stood up from his chair and stretched. "I won't drink the soup; come and massage my waist instead. I haven't used it much lately, so it’s gotten a bit stiff!"
"What big news?"
"I haven't been failing to scout for the Master; I’ve found over a dozen suitable candidates in the past few days, but the Master rejected them all, saying their bone structures weren't good enough."
"Besides the martial artists from our Yanggu County, martial artists from neighboring Bailiu County and Hulao County have all arrived, and monsters from a hundred miles around have gathered, all wanting to enter the tomb to see what’s inside."
In addition to that, his panel showed a balance of 490 incense points. Adding the points generated by his unborn children over the past few days, he had a total of over 1,700 incense points.
"Go on!"
Li Yeniu hurried to find him.
Jilong Mountain was not far from Yanggu County.
If Bailian had said it herself today, that she wanted to marry him, then naturally he was willing.
"Good, I will do as my husband says. I will go and prepare the items for the wedding."
Because Bailian had no romantic feelings for him—at least she hadn't proactively revealed any—he didn't like to use force, at least not in matters of the heart.
"You see, Sister Zhang Qingshi, the number of wives and concubines available to serve the Master is too small. Now that only Sister Zhang Qingshi is available, I think we should scout some more for the Master."
"This isn't about the bone structure being good; I don't know, I just had to delay that matter. I didn't expect Sister Zhang Qingshi to appear just in time to save the situation."
...
A plump woman with skin like snow was supporting her old mother, her eyes red, looking utterly pitiful.
"Don't talk nonsense, hurry up and pay this month's protection fee...!"
Good heavens, this is really...!
Even if there were only a few fourth-grade medicines left, fourth-grade medicine was like a treasure to him. If there were third-grade or even second-grade medicines...!
Ridiculous. If they blocked his path to development, he would just slaughter them all.
"Sister Qingshi, the Master’s wives and concubines are all pregnant, so they cannot attend to him. At such a time, Sister Qingshi has stepped forward; who else could take on this heavy responsibility? Sister Qingshi has long been devoted to the Master, so she bit the bullet and came."
"What kind of strength?"
"There are also two fourth-grade monster corpses that can be used as medicine!"
...
Heilian had only just realized what he meant by "it’s gotten a bit stiff" lately.
The Magistrate Ma had an official position; if he killed him, it would attract the attention of the Su family, so he couldn't act recklessly. Thinking of this, Heilian was in a great mood and almost couldn't resist slaughtering the few bald-tailed pig demons in front of him to taste them.
Heilian was in a great mood today. Having shared a bed with Zhang Qingshi last night and unexpectedly having Bailian express her feelings, he put down his book and decided to take a walk around Yanggu County.
"Who brought the news first?"
Shen Zhenxing finally understood what Heilian meant by "it’s gotten a bit stiff lately."
"The tomb of a first-grade martial artist?"
"Jilong Mountain in our Yanggu County has collapsed, and a tomb entrance was revealed. It was sealed with blue stone, and the words 'Tomb of Bai Guan'guan' were carved on the tombstone."
There was also a pool of rotting flesh, emitting a foul stench, like a small mountain. One couldn't see the limbs; it seemed buried deep within the fat, with a tiny head that, if not looked at carefully, would seem like a pustule on the pile of meat.
Outside the room!
There were some he didn't recognize, some he did—like the bailiffs under Magistrate Ma, the Chen family of Yanggu County, the Wei family...!
"What's the strength?"
"They are all fourth-grade martial artists!"
...
Heilian saw a group of snake demons; the leader was a white snake demon with a human head and a snake body, flicking its tongue, its eyes full of cold malice, which was chilling.
He heard from those around him that the Zhao daughter was charming and moving, though he didn't know what she actually looked like. He could come and see for himself on the day of the tournament; if she was truly good...!
However, there were many monsters visiting, and even some martial artists who wanted to get a taste of something fresh, with quite heavy appetites.
Taohua, who was pregnant, spoke up.
"Let's go, we'll go take a look first."
...
"Master, something big has happened outside Yanggu County." Li Yeniu said, his face full of excitement.
"Wait, wait...!"
The Zhao family gate, sure enough, had a red paper posted.
"Go...!"
Beneath the tomb, Heilian roughly scanned it; there were at least a dozen factions entrenched there, and some that hadn't arrived yet. In a month, when the Yang Qi in the tomb dissipated, there would likely be even more factions, with the monsters being the most numerous.
Wolf demons and bear demons had all gathered.
But he didn't do that.
"Everyone who shares a bed with the Master gets pregnant the first time. Why hasn't Sister Zhang Qingshi gotten pregnant yet?" Shen Zhenxing explained the reason, and the other women were shocked to learn that they hadn't actually shared a bed on the wedding night.
"In a month, I can complete the family progress and gain 1,000 incense points!"
"But a stream of Yang Qi is permeating the tomb, and it will likely take a month to dissipate. The martial artists guarding the front of the tomb have all decided to wait until it dissipates before entering."
"She is dead now, so there must be some funeral objects in the tomb. Any single one would be enough to drive people mad."
Beneath the tomb, all sides were entrenched.
"Don't talk nonsense, hurry up and pay the protection fee for this month...!"
Good heavens, this is really...!
Even if it was just a few fourth-grade medicines, fourth-grade medicine was like a treasure to him. If there were third-grade or even second-grade medicines...!
Ridiculous. If they blocked his path to development, he would just slaughter them all.
"Sister Qingshi, the Master has too few wives and concubines to serve him. Now that only Sister Qingshi is convenient, I think we should scout some more for the Master."
"This isn't about the bone structure being good; I don't know, I just had to delay that matter. I didn't expect Sister Zhang Qingshi to appear just in time to save the situation."
...
Xueyuan had been working as a maid in the Wang family since he had first become a son-in-law there. She was known as the most beautiful maid in the Wang family, even surpassing Xichun.
"What?"
Heilian finally knew what he meant by "it’s gotten a bit stiff lately."
"Yes, Master...!"
Li Yeniu nodded solemnly again.
"What big news?"
"Jilong Mountain in our Yanggu County has collapsed, and a tomb entrance was revealed. It was sealed with blue stone, and the words 'Tomb of Bai Guan'guan' were carved on the tombstone."
"Jilong Mountain, it’s not far from Yanggu County."
If Bailian had said it herself today, that she wanted to marry him, then naturally he was willing.
"Good, I will do as my husband says. I will go and prepare the items for the wedding."
Because Bailian had no romantic feelings for him—at least she hadn't proactively revealed any—he didn't like to use force, at least not in matters of the heart.
"You see, Sister Zhang Qingshi, the number of wives and concubines available to serve the Master is too small. Now that only Sister Zhang Qingshi is available, I think we should scout some more for the Master."
"This isn't about the bone structure being good; I don't know, I just had to delay that matter. I didn't expect Sister Zhang Qingshi to appear just in time to save the situation."