Shuidong Liu’s eyes widened.
“Twelve pieces of Luminous Jade?”
“Wen Long gave you one piece, so I can’t give you any less!”
“Actually, the mansion has quite a few, but Dad and my eldest brother are in Yunlong City.
My third sister is the one who manages these at home.
She…
sigh, you’ll find out later!”
Xiao Liang shook his head, but Shuidong Liu knew that this “third sister” was Huang Wenlong’s fiancée, Xiao Xiang’Er.
She was the third child, while Xiao Yue’Er was the fourth and youngest.
“The young miss…
is she strict?”
“Not really.
She’s just a recluse.
Besides her maids, very few people ever see her!”
‘That’s certainly strange.’
Shuidong Liu didn’t know her, so he was in no position to comment.
“Take it!”
“Thanks, Second Brother.
This stuff is really useful, so I won’t be polite!”
He had already used up the Luminous Jade from Huang Wenlong, so Shuidong Liu certainly wasn’t going to refuse.
“Absorb it well.
Luminous Jade is full of Spiritual Qi.
A single piece is enough for an ordinary Martial Artist to reach the Super Body Realm.
Keep them for a rainy day.
After all, some of the energy dissipates into the air during absorption.”
Xiao Liang thought for a moment, then added, “You should probably hide for three months, absorb one or two pieces, and reach the Super Body Realm before you do anything else!”
‘Am I just incredibly talented, or is this a perk of being a transmigrator?’
Shuidong Liu was slightly surprised but couldn’t continue that line of thought.
He asked, “Second Brother, the Xiao Mansion has abundant resources…
why don’t you practice martial arts?”
A flash of resentment and unwillingness flickered in Xiao Liang’s eyes.
Feng Wuqing quietly tugged on Shuidong Liu’s sleeve and shook his head.
“It’s nothing, really.
I was just crippled by someone!”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”
Xiao Liang waved his hand dismissively.
“Forget it.
Let’s not talk about that.
Your priority right now is to raise your Realm.
Besides that, the Linglong Pendant is a problem.”
Unfortunately, it was a token of love from Xiao Yue’Er, so Shuidong Liu couldn’t just throw it away.
“What is the Second Miss doing?”
“What, thinking of proposing?” Xiao Liang laughed.
“My mother knows about this, but it would be best to let my father know as well!”
“I’m not in a hurry!”
‘If I’d known it would be this much trouble, I never would have said anything about a grand wedding sedan.’
‘I really shot myself in the foot!’
“It’s good that you’re not in a hurry.” Xiao Liang pondered for a moment.
“Feng Wuqing, you’ll leave with me in a bit.
Withdraw everyone from the vicinity!”
“Second Young Master, this…
how can we do that?
The Young Master-in-law is still…” Feng Wuqing became anxious.
Xiao Liang said, “Withdraw them openly, but have them come back secretly!”
Feng Wuqing understood.
After Shuidong Liu had taken a bath and changed his clothes, the large group of people all departed.
Shuidong Liu looked at the large, unfamiliar courtyard, unable to figure out what was going on.
‘Are the ones trying to kill me a separate group, or are they with the Hero Gang?’
‘On one hand, they’re ruining my reputation in the city.
On the other, they’re trying to kill me.
Is it for the Linglong Pendant, or just pure jealousy?’
Unable to find an answer, Shuidong Liu was about to take out the Luminous Jade to continue his cultivation when he noticed a huge bookshelf in the room.
Although he was just an illegitimate son, he had been taught to read and write since he was young.
How could he not recognize them?
*Celestial Fragrance Chronicles*, *The Evolution of Dongling Mansion*, *Yunlong Dynasty Emperor’s History*…
*Desolate Ancient Realm History*…
The collection was extensive, which was exactly what Shuidong Liu needed.
He knew far too little about this world.
While holding a Luminous Jade to circulate his Cultivation Technique, he picked up the *Celestial Fragrance Chronicles* and began to carefully study the history of Celestial Fragrance City.
“Luotian Pavilion, spread throughout the Desolate Ancient Realm!”
“They know everything, yet no one knows their origins!”
Shuidong Liu’s eyelid twitched when he read this record.
‘This is exactly what I need right now!’
He immediately stood up and headed outside.
“Young Master-in-law!”
“I’m going out for a bit!”
He wasn’t a prisoner, so he could naturally come and go as he pleased.
But the servant asked, “Young Master-in-law, do you need us to send someone to protect you?”
As he spoke, a hint of disdain was still visible in his eyes.
“No need!”
Shuidong Liu left through the main gate.
He was going to make a trade, and it was the kind of thing he couldn’t let others know about.
But the man watched Shuidong Liu’s back and shook his head.
“He really stepped in shit to get this lucky.
I have no idea what the Second Miss sees in him.
I mean, a guy like him…”
“Shut up!
You’ve got a death wish, daring to speak like that!”
“He’s only in the Body Refining Realm, while I’m in the Gathering Realm.
I’m much stronger than him.
What right does he have to win the Second Miss’s favor?” The man was full of scorn.
“If he can do it, so can I!”
“Shut your mouth!
Don’t go looking for death!” An older man looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“Hmph, I just can’t accept it!”
Seeing his arrogant and resentful expression, the old man quickly moved away from him.
The moment Shuidong Liu stepped out of the mansion, he felt all kinds of gazes on him.
There was even someone at the street corner, sharpening a knife.
The cold glint of the blade flashed as it scraped back and forth across the whetstone, while the man’s eyes, like a viper’s, were fixed on him…
「Luotian Pavilion.」
It was located in the most prosperous center of Celestial Fragrance City, a tower over a thousand feet high, covering more than three acres.
The gateway was over thirty feet high, and at the entrance stood a strange stone beast.
“A Star-eating Beast!”
The name slipped out of Shuidong Liu’s mouth, yet he had never seen such a beast before, nor had he ever read about it in any book.
He felt fragments of a scattered memory assembling in his mind, forming the image of this Star-eating Beast!
A colossal beast that devoured stars!
“Heart-Stealing Hand?
What Heart-Stealing Hand?” someone said curiously as they brushed past him.
“Brother, Luotian Pavilion is for buying and selling information, not for teaching people how to steal hearts!”
Shuidong Liu nodded and walked inside, preferring not to speak with strangers unless absolutely necessary.
“Master Shui, is there some information you require?”
The moment he entered, a woman in an aqua-green dress walked up to him and asked in a soft voice.
“Very professional, as expected.
This is my first time here, yet you already know who I am!”
“Luotian Pavilion deals in information.
If we don’t even know the people and events in our own territory, what kind of information could we possibly have?”
Shuidong Liu nodded.
“You have information on everything?”
“That depends on whether Master Shui can afford the price!”
Shuidong Liu thought for a moment.
“I want information on three things.
First, who is the mastermind trying to kill me!
Second, who crippled Xiao Liang!
Third, where can I find a large quantity of Luminous Jade!”
The woman in the green dress faltered.
“This…”
“You don’t know?”
“No, I only have the authority to answer the first question.
The other two are known only by our Sub-Pavilion Master.
Are you sure you want to know, sir?
The price will be anything but low!”
“I can certainly satisfy you!”
The woman’s face instantly blossomed into a smile.
“Please wait a moment, sir.
I will be right back!”
High up in the thousand-foot tower, within a vast room, a woman clad in thin gauze lay half-reclined on a perfumed couch, her figure exquisitely curved.
“Shuidong Liu says he can afford the price?”
“Yes!”
“Bring him up!”
Shuidong Liu soon arrived at the place.
Windows were open on all four sides, allowing a gentle breeze to drift in, making the pink curtains sway lightly.
A faint, alluring fragrance lingered in the air.
Shuidong Liu could see behind the curtain, upon the perfumed couch, a woman lying half-reclined with her back to him.
Her wide sleeves revealed delicate arms as fair as jade-white lotus roots.
Her rounded bottom was shrouded by her silk dress, and her beautifully shaped, jade-like legs were full yet slender.
Shuidong Liu’s heart pounded.
‘This woman…
she’s clearly trying to seduce me!’
“Miss, Master Shui has arrived!”
“You may leave.”
“Yes!”
The woman in the green dress withdrew.
Shuidong Liu waited two seconds before directly lifting the curtain and walking in.
“What audacity!
You actually dare to walk right in?”
“Is it proper etiquette for the Pavilion Master to lie with her back to a guest?” Shuidong Liu sat down directly.
“Name your price for my questions.
Speak freely!”
“You grew up in the mining pits, sir.
With nothing to your name, what could you possibly offer?”
Shuidong Liu had already thought of this on his way over.
“A Celestial Level Technique.
Is that enough?”
Hearing this, the woman turned and sat up.
“You have a Celestial Level Technique?”
Shuidong Liu wasted no time on words.
Seeing paper and a brush to the side, he immediately wrote down a cultivation technique.
The woman eagerly got off the perfumed couch and stood barefoot beside Shuidong Liu, lowering her head.
Her long hair cascaded down, brushing against Shuidong Liu’s face.
A faint fragrance drifted through the air, their breaths intertwining…