The old beggar did not stay long at Lu Zheng’s home. He only stayed one more day after passing on the “Zhi Di Cheng Gang” to Lu Zheng, offering some guidance on cultivation bottlenecks, then took the braised pork and huadiao wine that Lu Zheng had prepared and drifted away.
Wang Xiaowan was at Shaotong Mountain, Du Yueyao’s schedule was packed with studies, whereas Liu Qingyan had some leisure time, and Shen Ying had never been busy at all.
Thus…
“Hu… hu…”
Shen Ying tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, casting a coquettish glance at Lu Zheng, her movements continuing.
Liu Qingyan lay on her side, her face flushed red, her body trembling lightly.
Shen Ying could not help but laugh. “Qingyan, I never imagined your tail would be so sensitive?”
At the corner of the thin quilt, a fluffy white shadow peeked out from under the edge, currently held in Lu Zheng’s hand as he stroked and toyed with it.
“No… it’s not…”
Liu Qingyan had never revealed her true form in front of others before. Yesterday, the three of them had played truth or dare together in Taohua Manor, and in the end, she was cornered by Lu Zheng and Shen Ying’s words, choosing ultimately to reveal her fox tail.
One night of pleasure: one truly sensitive, one truly shy. Liu Qingyan spent the night in a daze, only knowing to cooperate with Lu Zheng, unaware even of the passage of time.
…
After a night of truth or dare, the three were all exhausted, their spirits refreshed. It was not until the sun was high in the sky on the second day that they finally stepped out.
Upon leaving, they discovered that only Xiao Cui was tending to things in the courtyard, while all eighteen heavenly maidens were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are they?”
Xiao Cui’s face was also flushed with embarrassment. “Young Master, your voices were a bit loud. The heavenly maidens could not bear it and dispersed on their own.”
Strictly speaking, the eighteen heavenly maidens were under Shen Ying’s command as combat personnel, so they could disperse at any time to cultivate.
But Xiao Cui was Shen Ying’s personal maidservant, responsible for close attendance, so she could not leave. Thus, she had listened for an entire night, tormented endlessly.
Hearing this, Lu Zheng was stunned. “Did I not set up a soundproof barrier?”
It was merely a layer separated by true qi, very simple, and not a spell duel, so it would not be broken.
Xiao Cui lowered her head timidly and said, “It seems that Miss Liu got a bit excited and broke through the soundproof barrier in the room.”
Lu Zheng, “…”
Liu Qingyan’s jade-like face turned bright red; she wished she could bury her head between her breasts.
Shen Ying could not help but laugh, though she shot Xiao Cui a glare. “Quickly prepare some clear water. We need to freshen up.”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Xiao Cui’s feet floated off the ground; with a “whoosh,” she headed to the front courtyard. Soon after, she returned with a copper basin of clear water and washing towels.
In truth, with their cultivation levels, a shake of true qi would leave them impeccably clean; there was no real need to wash up. But since Lu Zheng wanted to do it, the two women accompanied him, enjoying the sensation of washing their faces with clear water as well.
After freshening up, the three did not summon the heavenly maidens nor bring Xiao Cui. Lu Zheng summoned a cloud and carried the two women up into the sky, heading southwest.
…
Jing Lake.
This was a place of beautiful scenery discovered by the eighteen heavenly maidens while sightseeing and playing. They had reported it back to Shen Ying, so this time, the three of them came here.
Jing Lake was surrounded by mountains on all sides. In the valley, underground streams flowed through, and the water overflowed to form a small lake about three to five li in circumference.
The lake was not deep; even at its deepest, it was only about ten metres, allowing one to see straight to the bottom at a glance. The lake held only small fish and shrimp, posing no danger.
The surrounding mountains were also quite ordinary, with thin ambient spiritual qi. Though the scenery was fine, few people came, making it perfect for the three to be together undisturbed.
With a wave of his hand, he cleared a patch of open ground. Then, from his gourd, he retrieved a sky-canopy tent, folding tables and chairs, fruits, pastries, and so on.
The three lay by the lake’s edge. With a gentle shake of their auras, mosquitoes, insects, rats, ants, and the like were all driven away from a range of over ten zhang around them.
Lu Zheng took out a fishing rod, flicked his wrist, and cast the line over ten metres out, landing far on the surface of Jing Lake, slowly sinking.
“Whether we can have a taste of fresh fish for lunch today depends on whether any bite.”
Hearing this, Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan both laughed. Each took out a fan and fanned Lu Zheng from the side.
The hundred-flower fan in Liu Qingyan’s hand was the one Lu Zheng had bought for her last year in a small county town in Rongzhou.
The beauty fan in Shen Ying’s hand was a trophy seized from that wild boar demon.
Shen Ying smiled. “Qingyan, when you normally refine pills and fan the flames, you also use a fan. How about I trade this fan with you for it?”
Liu Qingyan shook her head resolutely. “When I normally refine pills with fire, I do not yet need a magical treasure to assist. This fan is sufficient.”
What a joke. Though this fan was ordinary, it was a memento from her outing with Lu Zheng. She had infused it with her magical power for half a year, making it as good as new. How could she trade it to Shen Ying?
As the two women bantered playfully, Lu Zheng reached out and pulled. A large fish weighing five or six jin broke through the water and flew right to his hand.
“Good luck!”
Shen Ying took an empty bucket, and Liu Qingyan waved her hand to scoop in half a bucket of lake water. Their coordination was seamless.
…
It was likely that the fish in this Jing Lake had never been fished before, so they were quite foolish, charging straight for the enticing bait.
One bite to hook, two to lift from the water, three into the bucket, four into the pot.
Lu Zheng caught three more large fish, gutted them, then brought out the pre-prepared vegetables and meats to make soup and grill.
They had a fresh lunch at noon. Then Lu Zheng retrieved a wooden boat from his gourd.
Accompanied by two beauties, he rowed on the water.
The sky was a clear blue, Jing Lake like a painting.
The weather was fine today; the sun was not harsh, a gentle breeze blew. It was the perfect time for boating outdoors.
In the deep mountains’ solitude, with no one around in the wilds, the three could do some things they loved, enjoying the natural sensation of the sky as bed and earth as mattress.
…
At the end of the shen hour, Lu Zheng collected the small boat, tent, and other items. With another wave, white clouds rose into the air, and the three leisurely returned to Taohua Ping.
“Sister! Brother-in-law!”
They had just returned to Taohua Manor when they saw Liu Qingquan waving in the courtyard. “Cousin is here, saying that enemies have arrived!”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flashed; he exchanged a glance with Liu Qingyan, understanding dawning in his heart.
Shen Ying knew the inside story and immediately asked, “Is it that Du Yushan?”
Liu Qingyan nodded. “Precisely.”
…
On the day they slew the tiger demon, and upon learning that this tiger demon might be connected to Leng Jian of Wild Wolf Mountain in Wanfu County, Liu Qingyan had returned home to visit family and specifically handled the matter.
In truth, it was nothing much. The ones who knew of Leng Jian’s death were some demons around Wanfu County. These demons had all been bullied by that Leng Jian before. Afterwards, they befriended the Huangfu family and knew that the Huangfu family had Lu Zheng, a disciple of Baiyun Temple, standing behind them.
As long as they were not fools, they knew how to choose between an outsider demon and a Baiyun Temple disciple.
They only needed to answer that they did not know and notify the Huangfu family of the matter. Then the Huangfu family could notify Lu Zheng.
And after that, naturally, came the audience-pleasing segment of slaying demons and exorcising evil.
…
Huangfu Xu was right beside Liu Qingquan. Seeing Lu Zheng and the others descend from the sky, a trace of envy flashed in his eyes, along with a hint of relief.
“There are two who came: a wolf demon and a bei demon. They circled Wild Wolf Mountain once and immediately sought out the Huangfu family.”
