121: Chapter 121 Can Talent Prevent Theft?

A fragrance like delicate orchids wafted over.

Ouyang Wanqing's exquisite, flawless face was now only inches away from Chen Shanzhi.

She was so close that Chen Shanzhi could clearly see her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and he could feel her warm, orchid-like breath gently brushing against his chin.

The air between them instantly became thick and heavy.

"Chen Shanzhi, was that poem, 'little pond'... really written by you?"

Ouyang Wanqing's autumn-water-like eyes stared fixedly at Chen Shanzhi, a burning light called "inquiry" flashing deep within them.

Chen Shanzhi's gaze flickered.

In the settings of that eroge game, this dignified young lady's greatest hobby was poetry.

In the original plot, the protagonist wanted to romance her by catering to her interests, thereby capturing Ouyang Wanqing's attention.

Now this woman was suddenly leaning so close, with such a fiery gaze.

It seemed the rumors in the streets had reached Ouyang Wanqing's ears.

The Prime Ministers Mansion was one of the top powers in the Great Jiang Dynasty, and it was the mortal enemy of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion in the imperial court.

If he wanted to topple the behemoth that was the Prime Ministers Mansion, using Ouyang Wanqing as a Breakthrough point was the best shortcut provided by the game.

But should he admit it?

As soon as this thought popped into Chen Shanzhi's mind, he extinguished it without hesitation.

No! He absolutely could not admit it now!

Admitting it now would certainly allow him to act cool, immediately gaining a wave of shock and favorability from Ouyang Wanqing.

But the Prime Ministers Mansion and the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion were mortal enemies; this bit of favorability was simply not enough to make her completely devoted to him.

Any high-level hunter knows that the best way to deal with such a conceited and curious woman is—to keep her hanging!

Neither admit nor deny.

As long as he maintained this vague sense of mystery, Ouyang Wanqing's curiosity would grow wildly like weeds.

When a woman starts racking her brain to guess you and understand you,

Then she is not far from falling for you.

These thoughts passed through Chen Shanzhi's mind in a split second.

The expression on Chen Shanzhi's face stiffened with extreme naturalness, and a look of extremely unnatural "astonishment" flashed quickly in his eyes.

Immediately after, he took half a step back, putting some distance between them, and hung that dissolute, playboy smile back on his face.

"Miss Ouyang, you flatter me too much."

Chen Shanzhi spread his hands and said with a grin:

"Who in the capital doesn't know what kind of person I, Chen Shanzhi, am?

Eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, cockfighting, and dog racing—I'm proficient in all of it.

I'm good at going to Yihong Pavilion to listen to music, but writing poetry? That kind of elegant work has absolutely nothing to do with a playboy like me!"

How sharp Ouyang Wanqing was.

Chen Shanzhi's tiny step backward just now, and that flash of "unnaturalness" on his face, were all taken in by her.

Her beautiful eyes gleamed with brilliance, and the corners of her mouth curled into an extremely subtle arc that said, "Just as I thought."

Pretend, keep pretending.

Ouyang Wanqing was not annoyed; she merely parted her red lips, her tone carrying a hint of mocking amusement:

"Oh? Since Young Master Chen doesn't understand these elegant things..."

As she spoke, she stepped forward half a step with extreme naturalness, closing the distance Chen Shanzhi had just created, and lowered her voice slightly:

"Then in Master Su's Dao of Poetry class, how did Young Master Chen manage to casually recite such a timeless masterpiece as 'Articles are naturally formed by Heaven', which was enough to trigger phenomena in the heavens and earth?"

Having said that, she just watched Chen Shanzhi quietly.

Her pair of beautiful, large eyes were filled with: "Let's see how you make it up today."

Chen Shanzhi didn't blink or skip a beat; he casually pulled a melon seed from his pocket, tossed it into his mouth, and cracked it open with a 'click'.

"Ah, you mean that line."

Chen Shanzhi spat out the shell and waved his hand carelessly:

"I heard that from a blind, wandering old Daoist when I was strolling on the street a long time ago.

At the time, I thought this line was particularly useful for acting cool in front of young ladies, so I just memorized it.

Why, is this poem very impressive?"

Ouyang Wanqing was amused to the point of laughter by his rascally, shameless demeanor.

She could no longer maintain her dignified expression, revealing an extremely vivid, even slightly cunning look.

"Chen Shanzhi, do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

Ouyang Wanqing stared straight into his eyes:

"Do you know that the Qi of the heavens and earth is the most impartial.

The poems in this world, if they are not your own original work.

Or if you haven't spent a fortune to buy the 'Literary Rhyme' of this poem from the original author..."

She paused, emphasizing her tone: "Then, even if you can recite it backward, and say it a thousand or ten thousand times to others, it is absolutely impossible to trigger even the slightest resonance of Qi!"

"..."

Chen Shanzhi's action of cracking melon seeds froze abruptly.

What the hell?

This Xuanhuan world actually comes with its own copyright protection mechanism?

Piracy dogs don't deserve to absorb Qi?

The game never mentioned this setting!

After all, in the game, players just need to click the option to recite poetry; who cares about the principles of Qi resonance?

Looking at the instantly dazed, even somewhat bewildered expression on Chen Shanzhi's face, Ouyang Wanqing was absolutely delighted inside.

This playboy had finally slipped up!

A blind old Daoist, indeed—keep making it up!

Ouyang Wanqing knew when to stop; she didn't continue to press him but changed the subject and issued an invitation very naturally:

"Chen Shanzhi, on the next day off, I will be hosting a small poetry gathering at a villa owned by the Prime Ministers Mansion.

There won't be many people, just a few friends who understand poetry. I wonder if Young Master Chen would be interested in gracing us with your presence?"

Chen Shanzhi frowned.

Attend a poetry gathering? To shake his head and recite poems with a bunch of sour, pedantic scholars?

Wouldn't that delay his progress in stirring up trouble?

He was just about to refuse.

Ouyang Wanqing, however, seemed to see through his thoughts; she suddenly lowered her voice, bringing her stunningly beautiful face close again, with an irresistible allure:

"If you are willing to come, I can privately teach you... the method to absorb Qi."

Chen Shanzhi was stunned.

"The method to absorb Qi?" Chen Shanzhi looked at her incredulously. "Does this thing even require a method?"

"Isn't it just that as long as you trigger poetry resonance and get the approval of the heavens and earth, the Qi will drill into your body on its own?"

He recalled his interaction with Palace Master Su Jianqing in the Dao of Poetry class earlier.

And then that massive amount of Qi, following Palace Master Su Jianqing's guidance, had poured directly into his body.

This still needed to be learned?

Ouyang Wanqing looked at him as if he were an idiot and shook her head helplessly:

"Do you think Qi is Chinese cabbage on the side of the road? That it will grow legs and run into your body on its own?"

"The reason you were able to absorb it last time was because Master Su has heaven-defying cultivation and forcibly used his own True Essence to protect that wisp of Qi, forcibly transferring it to you!"

Ouyang Wanqing said irritably:

"Since you can write such masterpieces, yet you don't even understand the basic method of channeling Qi.

Do you know that if you had mastered the method of absorbing Qi yourself last time..."

She extended a slender, white finger and waved it in front of Chen Shanzhi:

"Just the foundation of Qi brought by that line 'Articles are naturally formed by Heaven' would have been enough for you to Breakthrough to the Xuan Guan Ten Apertures on the spot!"

"Holy crap!"

Chen Shanzhi was truly dumbfounded this time.

Xuan Guan Ten Apertures?

Just because he didn't watch the "newbie tutorial," he had missed out on a super gift package that would have leveled him up directly?

This was a huge loss!

Looking at Chen Shanzhi's heartbroken, money-grubbing expression, as if his intestines were turning green with regret, a hint of success flashed in Ouyang Wanqing's eyes.

She knew the fish had completely taken the bait.

"How about it, are you interested now?" Ouyang Wanqing blinked her moist eyes, her tone carrying a hint of lightness that even she hadn't noticed.

Chen Shanzhi gritted his teeth and nodded heavily: "Fine! The day off, right? I'll be there on time!"

Ouyang Wanqing smiled sweetly, a smile like a spring breeze brushing over ice, so beautiful that one couldn't look away.

"Then it's settled. For this day off, I'm the one who asked you first."

Ouyang Wanqing turned around, with her back to Chen Shanzhi, her tone carrying a hint of coyness and complaint that only a young woman would have:

"Don't be like yesterday's day off; I specifically sent a maid to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion to find you, but the steward of your mansion said you had already gone out to keep an appointment with Murong Yun."

After saying this, without waiting for Chen Shanzhi to react, Ouyang Wanqing walked away with light steps, like a proud little fox that had successfully stolen a snack, quickly leaving the alley.

Leaving Chen Shanzhi standing there alone, messy in the wind.

Yesterday?

Ouyang Wanqing sent someone to the mansion to look for him?

Chen Shanzhi leaned against the wall, rubbed his chin, and the corners of his mouth gradually curled up crazily.

This woman, who appeared so cold and aloof on the surface, had actually started checking up on him behind his back?