"What's not needed?" The girl flicked her sleeve and extended her hand again:
"Money!"
The woman furrowed her brows. Was this a joke? Even if one had money, it shouldn't be spent like this. She discontentedly warned her:
"Young Master, there's no need to look for trouble!"
"You..." the girl said angrily, then turned to the two men, stretched out her hand and said: "Give me money!"
One remained silent, the other respectfully said:
"Young Master, we don't have that much money on us."
"You!." the girl cried out, then looked at Niu You Dao.
She noticed his mocking gaze, as if he was saying: "If you don't have the money, why shout like that?"
However, this person had been able to pull out so much money just to make them leave and not bother him. This stung the girl's pride.
She blushed. She had acted so proudly and arrogantly, yet it turned out she didn't possess such means as this person.
The girl suddenly shouted at Niu You Dao:
"I don't have that much money on me. How about I owe you? Alright? And I'll definitely return the money to you another day!" Even she didn't believe her own words.
They didn't know each other and had met for the first time. Who would agree to lend such a large sum?
However, there was nothing to be done; she had already spoken, and spoken words couldn't be taken back. And not hoping that Niu You Dao would agree, she was already about to return to her place.
Just then, Niu You Dao nodded his head and called out:
"Give her the Four Treasures of the Study. Let her write an IOU!"
Lei Zong Kang immediately headed to the station master to get writing implements.
The woman looked at Niu You Dao and said in a stern voice:
"Friend, our Young Master is young and doesn't understand life..." She paused, realizing that Niu You Dao was also young. Somehow, this excuse no longer sounded so convincing, but she continued: "If we have erred against you somewhere, please forgive us. There's no need to cross the line!"
She understood that the Young Master would incur a debt and repay it to everyone. But how would they, his bodyguards, report this to their superiors afterwards? They could be dismissed for something like this.
Only then did the girl angrily exclaim:
"Who doesn't understand life?"
Niu You Dao: "I said, we are not people to be ordered around. From the very beginning, your Young Master started pressuring us. Who is right and who is wrong, everyone knows. But now you're saying that we ourselves are looking for trouble? Very well, as you wish. Whatever you decide, so it shall be."
The woman placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and began channeling spiritual power into her, to make her stop making noise. Then she looked at Niu You Dao and said:
"We have no enmity, let's end it here. Alright?"
Lei Zong Kang was returning with the writing implements when Niu You Dao waved him off, indicating they were no longer needed. Lei Zong Kang was speechless and went back to return them.
Niu You Dao: "Sister's words are reasonable. I am not a foolish person either. Good. So be it! I'll still remind you, those I associate with along the way are my friends. I'm treating you all!"
He leaned in and said: "Take the money, so others aren't needlessly put out."
Then he added again: "Since the Young Master disdains our pot, go to the kitchen and prepare another. Treat your friends."
"Understood!"
Black Peony took the money, while Lei Zong Kang and Wu San Liang turned around and went to the kitchen.
Seeing this, the woman stared intently at the girl, as if warning her. Then she lowered her hand from the girl's shoulder and, cupping her hands, said to Niu You Dao:
"Thank you, Sir."
But who would have thought that the girl would capriciously say:
"If you want to eat, eat, I won't eat this nonsense!" Having said that, she flicked her sleeve and left, as if offended.
The woman didn't know what to say.
«YOU wanted to eat. They agreed to cook for you, and now you don't want it again? What is this!»
She smiled bitterly and addressed Niu You Dao: "There's no need to prepare another pot. You just finished cooking, perhaps we can eat together. If you don't mind?"
"Alright!" Niu You Dao nodded his head and, tilting his head, told Black Peony: "Clear it up."
Black Peony and Duan Hu took their utensils and began clearing the table. Soon, they stood on either side of Niu You Dao, making space for the others.
Niu You Dao extended his hand: "Braised meat, please try!"
The woman nodded to the men, urging them to sit and try. So, they all sat down.
"Indeed, a unique taste," one middle-aged man said approvingly. The other also nodded.
Niu You Dao put down his chopsticks.
Having tasted more of the meat, the woman asked: "May I ask your name, Young Master, and where you are from?"
This was precisely why she wanted to sit together, to ascertain Niu You Dao's standing.
Niu You Dao: "Li Si, the whole world is my home. I am a rogue cultivator, wandering and traveling."
"A rogue cultivator?." the woman looked at the subordinates standing behind him and said with a smile:
"Mister Li must be no ordinary rogue cultivator!"
Niu You Dao, smiling in turn, asked: "And your Young Master, doesn't he act quite un-manly?"
The woman sighed: "The Lady is spoiled within her family. And now her family has allowed her to see the world, and we are accompanying her. The Lady often causes a fuss and doesn't understand many things. Young Master, there's no need to take her words seriously."
Niu You Dao: "Precisely because she is a woman, I didn't press the matter. Otherwise, we would have had a different conversation today." He implied that he didn't argue with women.
The woman smiled and asked: "May I ask what cultivation level the Young Master possesses?"
Niu You Dao replied: "I am a weak cultivator at the Zhu Ji level. And you?"
The three people exchanged glances. "So young, yet already having broken through to the Zhu Ji level? He increasingly seemed not so simple to them."
The woman: "At the Young Master's age, we were only at the Lian Qi level, and now we've reached Jin Dan."
All Jin Dan? Black Peony and the others were frightened. They hadn't known what kind of girl had wanted to buy meat from them. But since she was guarded by three Jin Dan cultivators, it meant she was a serious figure.
They also realized that Lord Dao was playing with fire, having dared to provoke them. Each of the trio could have crushed them all with a single hand.
Niu You Dao remained calm. He smiled and said:
"So, you are all high-ranking masters, and it turns out I stood before you, unaware of the vastness of heaven and earth."
The woman: "I am merely older than you. In the future, Young Master will certainly surpass us in cultivation."
"Hopefully!"
After some time, Lei Zong Kang brought another pot of braised meat. Just as the guests hadn't had enough of the delicious food.
Thus, in conversation, they learned that the woman was called Lady Pei, and the two men were Liu Feng Hai and Chai Fei. As for the girl, they only learned her surname. Her surname was Hao, but they kept silent about the rest.
They had met for the first time, so Niu You Dao didn't interrogate them about everything. And they, in turn, didn't interrogate Niu You Dao.
They had met due to conflict, but parted ways, pleased with each other.
The girl and the three cultivators went to their rooms. Black Peony and the others watched the calm Niu You Dao. Now they understood why he had shown off so much money. This was the difference between people...
The rooms at this postal station differed from others. And the most significant difference lay in the heated sleeping platforms. The stoves burned underneath, while guests slept atop them.
The higher-class rooms had warm baths, beneath which stoves also burned.
Outside, the cold was dreadful, but inside the bath, the water was warm. And so, Niu You Dao lay in it, holding a wine flask in one hand and a sword in the other.
Black Peony entered after knocking. Niu You Dao was already used to her and didn't even bother covering himself.
But what he definitely wasn't used to was the sound of clothes falling. He turned his head and saw Black Peony begin to take off her clothes. She even removed her undergarments, completely exposing herself.
Before Niu You Dao's eyes appeared a graceful, naked female body. Her rounded curves were utterly alluring. Everything about Black Peony was harmonious and feminine. And Black Peony hadn't lied to him when speaking of her graceful figure.
Niu You Dao warily asked: "What are you doing?"
Black Peony pulled out a hairpin and let down her hair. She looked utterly captivating and flirtatious. She slowly walked up to him, stepped into the bath, and her alluring body began to sink into the water opposite Niu You Dao. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Then she opened her eyes and said calmly:
"Such a warm bath! What a waste to take it alone. I just want to bathe, don't imagine anything extra."
She bent her legs and crossed them with Niu You Dao's, slowly bringing her chest closer to him.
"Did I imagine it? You're just seducing me!" Niu You Dao brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip, while looking at her chest. Then he said with a smile:
"I'll make a man out of you, alright?"
Black Peony, rolling her eyes, said:
"I knew you had problems!"
Niu You Dao chuckled. He took a sip of wine, played with the cup in his hand, and watched Black Peony's breasts sink into the water.
"What are you thinking?"
"About a very old matter."
"Did something happen between you and Tang Yi?"
"You're constantly thinking about that? No, it didn't."
"It didn't? What about in the bridal chamber?"
"That was just for show."
"Then, did you have relations with other girls?"
"Hard to say."
"What's so hard about it? If there were, there were. If there weren't, there weren't."
"There were. Some were much darker than you, and some had light blue eyes. There were all kinds. Already too many to count."
"Haha. Too many to count? You're just making things up. At your age, how could you have had many girls? If not, then not. Who would laugh at you? Where did the light-eyed, blue-eyed ones come from? Did you dream of them pleasing you?"
"If I told you, you still wouldn't believe me. So I won't tell you."
"Come on. Lord Dao, perhaps you're simply fixated on one person?"
"Nothing of the sort. But nothing will come of it between you and me either. Do you need such notoriety? Afterwards, you won't be able to marry again."
"Marry! I've already been deceived more than once. I've already endured grievances. I've had a difficult time for so many years. I don't want to be used anymore. At least not without my consent. Perhaps in some matters, I'm not my own master, but when it comes to marriage, I'll decide everything myself. After all these years, I've decided that if I like someone, I'll pay attention to him. If not, I won't."
"There's sense in that."
The two people thus sat in the bath, talking and occasionally falling silent...