14: Chapter 14 Acting by Day, Cultivating by Night

Three days passed in a row.

Chen Shanzhi and Tang Xiaowu came to Yiyuan Garden every day without fail for their superficial dates.

The two were a well-matched pair and acted intimately, quickly becoming a beautiful sight in Yiyuan Garden.

Many children of the nobility who knew them saw this and discussed it sourly behind their backs:

"What kind of dog-shit luck does this Chen Shanzhi have? One moment he's hooking up with a courtesan queen, and the next he's won over the Academy Goddess?"

"Sigh, all the good cabbage is being rooted up by pigs."

"Seeing Tang Xiaowu smile so happily, I bet she's long since lost her heart to the Heir Apparent."

On the afternoon of the third day.

The two were resting in a pavilion.

Suddenly, a figure hurried over; it was Chen Shanzhi's personal guard, Coachman Zhao Da.

"Heir Apparent!"

Drenched in sweat and looking anxious, Coachman Zhao Da didn't even glance at Tang Xiaowu as he rushed straight to Chen Shanzhi.

"Heir Apparent, a word in private. I have urgent news to report!"

Chen Shanzhi frowned and glanced at Tang Xiaowu. "Xiaowu, wait for me here a moment."

"Okay." Tang Xiaowu nodded obediently, looking out at the scenery outside the pavilion.

Chen Shanzhi stood up and followed Coachman Zhao Da to a large tree dozens of paces away.

At this distance, with the strength of the Xuanguan Seven Apertures that Tang Xiaowu appeared to have, she certainly wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying.

But Chen Shanzhi knew perfectly well.

The real strength of Tang Xiaowu sitting over there was actually Xuanguan Peak.

With his back to Tang Xiaowu, he gave Coachman Zhao Da a look.

Coachman Zhao Da was a veteran actor himself and immediately understood. He lowered his voice, but spoke at a volume that could just be caught by the hearing of someone at the Xuanguan Peak:

"Heir Apparent! Why are you still here enjoying the scenery!"

"Mistress Chen Rou was just furious. She sent me to tell you that the Entrance Martial Arts Trial for Four Seas Academy is only a few days away. You must not indulge in pleasure!"

Chen Shanzhi looked impatient. "Fine, fine, I get it. Is such a small matter worth you making a trip?"

"How is this a small matter!"

Coachman Zhao Da stamped his feet in anxiety, his voice tinged with a sob:

"The Mistress said, if you want to chase women, when can't you do it? Why must you choose this critical moment?"

"Have you forgotten? The Legacy Secret Realm of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion was only barely opened after the Mistress exhausted her own essence blood!"

"The conditions to open that Secret Realm are extremely harsh, and the requirement to enter is that you must reach the Xuanguan Seven Apertures. Furthermore, the Secret Realm's opening time is limited. If you don't Breakthrough to the Xuanguan Seven Apertures before the trial, the Secret Realm will close automatically!"

"Once it closes, it will be for a full thirty years!"

"Thirty years... that is the core Legacy of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion! If you don't enter, the Legacy will be severed! All the efforts of the Old Marquis and the Mistress will be in vain!"

Coachman Zhao Da spoke with such emotion that anyone hearing it would be moved to tears:

"Heir Apparent, although you are exceptionally gifted, you haven't cultivated properly for the past few years to avoid suspicion. Since the Secret Realm opened, you finally started cultivating and broke through to the Xuanguan Six Apertures in just these few days. But you're still one step away from the Seven Apertures!"

"With less than a month left, trying to break through is as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

"I beg of you, don't come to Yiyuan Garden tomorrow! Go back to Yihong Pavilion! Although going there sounds bad for your reputation, you can use Yihong Pavilion as a cover and focus on your cultivation!"

"Shut up!"

Chen Shanzhi flicked his sleeve sharply, his voice cold and stern:

"You're just a servant, and you dare to interfere in This Heir's business?"

"I know what I'm doing! Since I've promised to help here and it's not finished, how can I give up halfway? Once I've rescued the person, I'll naturally return to my cultivation."

"Say no more. Withdraw!"

"Heir Apparent! You're being foolish!" Coachman Zhao Da tried to persuade him further. "When can't you get a woman? But that is the Legacy..."

"Get out!"

Chen Shanzhi kicked Coachman Zhao Da in the butt.

Coachman Zhao Da cried out in pain and walked away clutching his rear, looking back every few steps.

...

Inside the pavilion.

Tang Xiaowu was holding a piece of fish food, which she had already crushed into powder.

She stared blankly at the back of the man "scolding" his servant in the distance, her heart already in a state of turmoil.

So... that's how it was.

He went to Yihong Pavilion not for pleasure at all, but to Cultivate? To avoid prying eyes?

Breaking through from the Xuanguan Five Apertures to the Xuanguan Six Apertures in just a few days.

Just how great was his talent? How hard did he Cultivate?

And now, to help her rescue Tang Liu, he was wasting precious cultivation time every day accompanying her around the garden.

He was even risking the closure of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion's Secret Realm and the severance of its Legacy!

Thirty years...

If he missed this Opportunity because of her, how could she, Tang Xiaowu, ever repay such a debt of gratitude and atone for such a sin?

Tang Xiaowu's eyes grew moist.

She had always thought Chen Shanzhi was a villain who took advantage of others, a profligate who only cared for women.

But looking at it now, she was completely wrong.

Not only was he exceptionally talented, but he was also loyal and righteous, willing to sacrifice so much for his promise to her.

Moreover, to keep her from feeling guilty, he hadn't said a word about it and even intentionally acted as if it were nothing.

"Chen Shanzhi... what kind of person are you really..."

Tang Xiaowu watched the figure walking back, her eyes becoming incredibly complex.

Guilt, gratitude... all sorts of emotions intertwined, leaving her heart in a mess.

"What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?"

Chen Shanzhi walked into the pavilion nonchalantly, that lazy smile still on his face as if nothing had happened.

Tang Xiaowu took a deep breath, holding back her tears as she asked tentatively:

"Just now... was there something important at the Marquis Mansion? If it's really urgent, let's go back for today. You don't need to accompany me."

Chen Shanzhi smiled and waved his hand:

"Oh, it's nothing big. Just my aunt being nagging, urging me to come home early for dinner.

Ignore them, let's continue. I don't believe we won't be able to catch that Madam Li today."

Seeing his nonchalant attitude and how he was solely focused on helping her, a string in Tang Xiaowu's heart seemed to be plucked.

At that moment, the softest part of her heart felt as if it had been struck hard.

"Okay."

She lowered her head and gave a soft reply, hiding the tears welling up in her eyes.

...

They continued wandering until the sun set behind the western mountains.

Madam Li still hadn't appeared.

Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Chen Shanzhi looked out the window and sighed:

"This Madam Li really is hard to run into. But don't lose heart, Xiaowu. I'll take you back. We'll come again tomorrow. I refuse to believe we won't meet her."

He spoke lightly, but Tang Xiaowu felt as if her heart were being twisted by a knife.

Come again tomorrow?

Every extra day you come, you have one less day to Cultivate.

There's less than a month until the trial, how can you still have time to waste on me?

Tang Xiaowu didn't speak, silently watching the street scenes fly past the carriage window.

Chen Shanzhi thought she was worried about Tang Liu, so he reached out and patted the back of her hand, comforting her:

"Don't worry, I've sent people to make arrangements. Although Tang Liu is suffering a bit in the Heavenly Prison, his life isn't in danger for now. As long as we can see Madam Li in the next few days, we'll definitely be able to get him out."

Hearing this gentle comfort, Tang Xiaowu bit her lip, a flash of determination in her eyes.

It couldn't go on like this.

He had already sacrificed too much to save Tang Liu.

If she caused him to lose his Legacy as well, her conscience would never be at peace for the rest of her life.

"Chen Shanzhi."

Tang Xiaowu suddenly spoke, her voice somewhat tense.

"Hmm?" Chen Shanzhi turned his head.

Tang Xiaowu took a deep breath, as if she had made a momentous decision, and looked him straight in the eye:

"I... I'm not going back. I'll go back to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion with you."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Chen Shanzhi sprayed out the mouthful of tea he had just taken, looking at her with an expression as if he'd seen a ghost:

"Xiaowu, you... you don't have a fever, do you? Why are you talking nonsense? It's late at night, and you want to come back to the Marquis Mansion with me? Aren't you afraid of gossip?"

Seeing his shocked expression, Tang Xiaowu's nervous mood actually relaxed a bit.

See, this is a true gentleman.

Any other man would have been overjoyed to hear such words; why would they try to talk her out of it?

A shy blush appeared on her face as she explained somewhat haltingly:

"Don't... don't get the wrong idea. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's just that... our Wu Clan has a special Cultivation Technique. As long as you are by my side and we Cultivate together, it can... it can speed up the circulation of True Essence and increase your cultivation speed."

"I see that the entrance trial for Four Seas Academy is coming up, right? These past few days, I've been dragging you along to the garden every day, taking up your daytime cultivation hours. I feel bad about it."

"So... so I thought, at night, I could go to your... your place and Cultivate with you. That way, we can make up for the time lost during the day."

After saying this, Tang Xiaowu's face was as red as a ripe apple, and her head was bowed so low it was almost buried in her chest.

This was already the greatest concession she could make.

A man and a woman alone in a room together, even if it was for cultivation, if word got out...

After hearing this, Chen Shanzhi was stunned.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he let out a long sigh of relief, a look of gratitude appearing on his face:

"So that's it! You gave me a fright, I thought you wanted to... ahem."

"However, Xiaowu, if your technique really is that miraculous, then I truly cannot refuse during this period."

He rubbed his brow and said with a tired expression:

"To be honest, I really have been worried about the trial. After all, if I want to get a good ranking, my current cultivation isn't enough."

"In that case..."

Chen Shanzhi pondered for a moment and proposed:

"Didn't you say before that as long as I rescue Tang Liu, you would agree to any one thing I ask?"

"If Tang Liu is indeed rescued later, then let that 'one thing' be that you come to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion every night before the trial to Cultivate with me for two hours.

What do you think?"

Hearing this request, Tang Xiaowu was even more moved.

He clearly could have asked for more, or even used this Opportunity to make unreasonable demands of her.

But he didn't.

He treated this as the fulfillment of the "anything" promise.

He was clearly giving her a way out, protecting her dignity, and making her feel that this was just a fair trade rather than charity or something scandalous.

"This man... is truly thoughtful to the extreme."

A warm current welled up in Tang Xiaowu's heart, and she nodded gently, her voice much softer:

"Mm, okay. It's a deal."

Silence returned to the carriage.

Only the sound of the wheels rolling over the stone road was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

The carriage turned around and headed toward the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

Chen Shanzhi leaned back against the cushions, a trace of a smile appearing on his lips.

For some reason, Jiang Yingrao had consistently refused to dual Cultivate with him. Over the past few days, his progress had started to slow down again.

Although he had the Yang Parasite of the Heart-Devouring Life-Sharing Gu in his body, it still wasn't enough to break through to the Xuanguan Seven Apertures in less than a month.

And Tang Xiaowu, as the female lead by the protagonist's side at the start, naturally had a way to boost the protagonist's cultivation speed.

That was the Cultivation Technique Tang Xiaowu practiced; as long as the opposite sex she had recognized cultivated near her while she was cultivating, they would gain a cultivation acceleration effect.

This effect was quite a bit faster than the Yang Parasite.

But there was also a limit: it could only take effect for a maximum of two hours a day.

Of course, in the early stages, the protagonist had avoided Tang Xiaowu to prevent suspicion, so he never knew about the special properties of her Cultivation Technique.

Chen Shanzhi glanced at Tang Xiaowu, who was shyly bowing her head beside him, and chuckled inwardly.

Tang Liu, oh Tang Liu, just stay comfortably in prison.

By the time you get out, you'll find that your sister might have already been molded by someone else... oh no, has become someone else's support.