116: Chapter 116 is finished. I'm afraid I'm doomed to lose this pretty face.

Murong Zhaoling was stunned for a moment upon hearing those words.

Her beautiful Phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she asked in confusion, "Brother Chen... what do you mean by that?"

Chen Shanzhi spread his hands casually, a sneer curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Reputation is the most illusory thing; it can't be fully trusted at all."

"Think about it, take me for example."

"What kind of piece-of-trash reputation did I have in the capital before? The whole world knew about it."

"And the result? Now, isn't there still a group of people in the shadows working hard to spread my 'good reputation'?"

Chen Shanzhi picked up his teacup and swirled it. "So, when looking at people or things, don't look at the surface. You have to look at whose blood is on the blades of the men beneath them."

Hearing these blunt yet extremely insightful remarks,

Murong Zhaoling nodded thoughtfully, a flash of realization crossing her beautiful eyes.

Both were clever people, and the point was taken without needing further explanation.

Time passed minute by minute.

After this, the two of them, with extreme unspoken understanding, never touched upon sensitive court topics regarding the Imperial Family or the Prime Ministers Mansion again.

However, after that conversation,

the originally somewhat awkward distance between them had narrowed significantly without them even realizing it.

The atmosphere also completely relaxed from its previous tension.

The two began to chat casually about some of the dramatic and interesting events that had recently occurred in the capital.

As the conversation grew more lively,

Chen Shanzhi slapped his thigh and took down the wine gourd hanging at his waist.

"What's the point of just drinking tea! Miss Murong is a heroine among women; you must have a massive capacity for alcohol!"

Chen Shanzhi pulled out the gourd's stopper, and an extremely rich and mellow wine fragrance instantly wafted out.

"This is the top-grade Bamboo Leaf Green that kid Murong Yun just forced on me. Today, we'll just use it to play the generous host and drink a few cups!"

Murong Zhaoling looked at Chen Shanzhi's free and easy Jianghu mannerisms.

She didn't act coy either, boldly splashing away the tea in front of her.

"Good! Then today, Zhaoling will drink to her heart's content with Brother Chen!"

Chen Shanzhi raised the wine gourd directly, precisely filling both of their cups.

Clink!

The two celadon cups collided crisply above the stone table.

The two tilted their heads back and drained them in one go.

Neither of them did anything as disappointing as circulating the True Essence in their bodies to dispel the tipsiness.

After a few cups of strong wine,

a layer of faint red appeared on Chen Shanzhi's face.

And on Murong Zhaoling's exquisite face opposite him, it was as if a layer of extremely alluring rouge had been applied.

Even her fair neck was tinged with a shade of pink.

Wine has always been an excellent catalyst for bringing men and women closer.

After a few drinks, the floodgates of their conversation were completely opened.

Chen Shanzhi slapped his thigh excitedly and began to boast vividly to Murong Zhaoling about the glorious years he spent with the other three great playboys.

"You have no idea!"

Chen Shanzhi let out a wine hiccup and boasted with great pride:

"Back in the day, just so we could sneak out of the house at night and not return,"

"Murong Yun, Jiang Feiyu, that fatso Zhang Qi, and I—the four of us practically used the Art of War just to cover for each other!"

"One time, that kid Murong Yun ran off to the Yihong Pavilion and didn't have the money to pay the bill, so he was detained by the madam."

"The few of us actually coordinated our stories and went to the Murong Manor to tell your Old Butler with straight faces..."

"That Murong Yun was being extremely hardworking and was currently in seclusion to Cultivate in our Zhenguo Marquis Mansion's martial arts field!"

Chen Shanzhi grew more excited as he spoke, gesturing exaggeratedly with both hands:

"In the end, we successfully fooled your family. The few of us booked the biggest floor at the Yihong Pavilion and spent the whole night feasting and watching the dancers."

"Tsk tsk, that time was truly exhilarating!"

After finishing, Chen Shanzhi took another gulp of wine with great relish.

Sitting opposite him, Murong Zhaoling rested her cheek on one hand.

Her Phoenix eyes, somewhat hazy from the alcohol, just quietly watched Chen Shanzhi as he boasted with animated expressions.

A gentle smile played on her lips, and she didn't speak to interrupt him.

It was only when she heard the words "seclusion to Cultivate at the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion."

Deep in Murong Zhaoling's eyes, a dangerous cold light flashed imperceptibly.

She seriously made a mental note in her heart:

Fine.

So half a year ago, when that kid Murong Yun vowed that he was going to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion for an all-night training session,

it turns out he actually ran off to a foul place like the Yihong Pavilion to drink and play with women all night!

Murong Yun, who was drinking in the front yard, suddenly let out several strange sneezes in a row, feeling a sudden chill down his back.

"Strange, could someone be thinking about me?" Murong Yun wondered.

Inside the stone pavilion, after three rounds of drinks.

Murong Zhaoling's slender fingers lightly caressed the Guqin in front of her.

She sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of charming helplessness:

"Actually, I don't really know how to play the zither at all."

"The piece I just played today was only because I felt it was too boring during my time in the capital."

"I specifically found a famous Zither master to teach me hand-in-hand every day, and only then was I barely able to produce a complete tune."

Hearing this,

Chen Shanzhi's head felt a bit dizzy. He chuckled and blurted out directly:

"Heh, I was wondering what it was."

"To be honest, the very first second I stepped into this courtyard and heard your playing, I could tell clearly!"

"That sound was so dry and lifeless, it was practically like sawing wood."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the atmosphere in the stone pavilion instantly fell into an extremely awkward silence.

The smile on Murong Zhaoling's face froze abruptly.

Even her hand resting on the zither strings stiffened.

She had originally thought she had played quite decently, enough to at least fool an amateur!

In the end, she was ruthlessly exposed to her face by this bastard!

Looking at Murong Zhaoling's beautiful face, which had instantly darkened,

Chen Shanzhi suddenly shuddered.

His drunkenness cleared by thirty percent in an instant.

Crap! My old habit acted up again. How could I have blurted out the truth!

Chen Shanzhi reacted extremely quickly. His mind raced as he let out a dry laugh and began to clumsily try to fix it:

"Ahem! What I meant was..."

"Miss Murong, if these extremely beautiful hands of yours are used to play the zither, it’s simply a waste of a heavenly gift!"

"These hands are better suited for carrying on a Legacy..."

Murong Zhaoling was slightly stunned.

Her beautiful eyes, tinged with a bit of intoxication, looked over in great confusion. "Carrying on a Legacy? What Legacy?"

Looking at Murong Zhaoling's inquisitive expression, and then at her red and alluring lips due to the alcohol,

Chen Shanzhi suddenly realized something.

Damn it, this was his past life's habit of smooth-talking coming out; he was starting to flirt!

If he really finished that sentence, Murong Zhaoling would probably pull out a forty-meter-long blade and cleave him on the spot.

"Cough! Used to carry on..."

Chen Shanzhi's tone shifted awkwardly as he made a turn and explained loudly with a serious face:

"Of course, it's to carry on the great Legacy of your Murong Family, who for generations have relied on these hands..."

"To slay enemies on the border and protect the country!"

"Holding a long blade and guarding the frontier! How cool is that Legacy!"

Pfft—

Hearing Chen Shanzhi's shameless words,

Murong Zhaoling could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing, abandoning her image.

This laugh made her tremble like a swaying flower, and the startling curve of her chest rose and fell violently.

She rolled her beautiful eyes at Chen Shanzhi and said with a coquettishness she wasn't even aware of:

"Brother Chen, do you always have such a silver tongue whenever you see a pretty girl?"

Chen Shanzhi slapped his chest with a thud, shouting his innocence:

"What kind of talk is that! I may have nothing else, but my main trait is being sincere!"

"This is purely an honest man speaking honest words!"

The two smiled at each other and raised their cups again.

The atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

Gradually, after a few more cups of strong wine, Chen Shanzhi's courage grew larger and larger.

He deliberately pretended to be drunk and unable to hear clearly.

"Ouch... this wine is a bit strong. Miss Murong, what did you just say? My ears are buzzing; I can't hear clearly."

While speaking,

Chen Shanzhi shamelessly stood up from his stone stool.

Then, he very naturally squeezed his butt onto the stone stool next to Murong Zhaoling.

The distance between the two of them was now instantly much closer.

So close that as long as Chen Shanzhi tilted his head, he could clearly see Murong Zhaoling's delicate, translucent skin.

He could even see the tiny, transparent fuzz on her ears.

The scent lingering at the tip of his nose was entirely the elegant and pleasant fragrance from Murong Zhaoling, mixed with a hint of wine.

"I didn't say anything..."

Murong Zhaoling didn't drive him away either, only replying in a small voice.

Looking at the peerless beauty close at hand, smiling so sweetly,

Chen Shanzhi's courage was bolstered by the wine.

He leaned forward somewhat deliberately.

While pretending to talk to Murong Zhaoling, his lips inadvertently moved close to her ear.

While speaking, with a bit of wicked humor, he gently breathed hot air into her sensitive ear.

"Miss Murong... your dress today... is really beautiful..."

The hot breath hit her ear.

Visibly, Murong Zhaoling's originally fair and crystalline earlobe

instantly turned red at a terrifying speed, as if it were about to drip blood!

But Murong Zhaoling only slightly shrunk her neck.

She didn't push Chen Shanzhi away, nor did she speak to stop this somewhat overstepping, or even flirtatious, behavior.

It was unclear whether it was because her reactions were slowed by the alcohol, or for some other hidden reason.

She just sat there quietly, letting Chen Shanzhi act up by her ear.

Seeing this scene,

Chen Shanzhi's heart instantly began to beat frantically!

Holy crap! This tigress didn't hit me?

Could she really have fallen in love at first sight with someone she's never met before?

Chen Shanzhi, already slightly tipsy, had his rationality completely devoured by the ambiguous atmosphere.

He became emboldened by lust!

The next time he pretended to casually lean in to speak,

Chen Shanzhi boldly and swiftly stuck out his tongue

and on Murong Zhaoling's earlobe, which was so red it looked like it was about to bleed, he gently...

touched it!

Buzz!

This touch was like poking a hornet's nest!

Murong Zhaoling's originally somewhat hazy eyes instantly widened.

Her body trembled violently as if struck by lightning.

Immediately following was not her intentional will, but her extremely sharp martial instinct, honed in the piles of corpses at the border!

Boom!

A terrifying, near-tangible Life Fire Realm pressure

erupted wildly from within Murong Zhaoling's body, like a volcanic explosion!

Crimson True Essence flames instantly and violently swept through the entire stone pavilion!

Bang!

Chen Shanzhi only felt his vision go dark.

His whole body felt as if it had been hit head-on by a solid wall traveling at full speed!

He didn't even have time to let out a scream.

His entire person was transformed into a graceful parabola.

Like a tattered sack, he was miserably blasted out of the stone pavilion by this violent True Essence!

Whoosh—

As he flew backward rapidly through the air,

the cool wind hitting his face blew away every last bit of drunkenness in Chen Shanzhi's head!

His eyes were wide as copper bells, clearly watching the stone pavilion get further and further away.

"Holy crap!"

Chen Shanzhi let out a shrill wail in his heart.

It's over!

Completely over!

How did I dare to do that!

Who gave me the guts to actually try and take advantage of this tigress!

Today, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep this handsome face of mine!

...

At the same time.

In the front yard hall of the Murong Manor.

Murong Yun was comfortably crossing his legs, holding a cup of wine in his hand and enjoying it, about to pour it into his mouth.

Suddenly,

Boom!

Deep in the backyard, a crimson Qi pillar soared into the sky.

The violent Aura of the Life Fire Realm was clearly transmitted over.

Pfft—

Murong Yun sprayed a mouthful of wine several meters away.

He looked dumbfounded in the direction of his eldest sister's quarters in the backyard, the wine cup in his hand falling to the ground with a clatter and shattering into pieces.

Murong Yun's face, still sporting Panda eyes, was filled with extreme disbelief and horror.

"Holy crap!"

"Surely not?"

Murong Yun swallowed hard and mumbled with difficulty:

"Brother Chen... what the hell did you do?"

"To actually provoke my eldest sister into such Life Qi?"