17: Chapter 17 The Rare Book in the Attic

Leaving Yiyuan Garden, Tang Xiaowu felt that something was a bit odd.

That Madam Li, rumored to be dignified and virtuous, was a bit too enthusiastic today, wasn't she?

Although Chen Shanzhi's 'little pond' was indeed stunning, for a Lady of Mandate to be so familiar with a young man she had only just met...

Inviting him for a trip and even proactively giving him a Waist Token.

Though Tang Xiaowu was inexperienced in the ways of the world, she was a woman after all and had a natural intuition for such things.

These actions were a bit excessive.

"Perhaps it's because the talent Third Brother displayed was just too great."

Tang Xiaowu shook her head, tossing such an absurd thought out of her mind.

The priority now was to save Sixth Brother; nothing else mattered.

She turned to Chen Shanzhi and asked somewhat urgently, "We've got the Waist Token, so what is our subsequent plan?"

Chen Shanzhi didn't speak; instead, he naturally reached out and enveloped Tang Xiaowu's somewhat cold, delicate hand.

"Shhh—"

He put his index finger to his lips and glanced around. "Careful, walls have ears. Let's talk once we're in the carriage."

Feeling the burning heat from that large hand, Tang Xiaowu's body stiffened, and two red clouds instantly flushed onto her cheeks.

She quietly looked up at him.

Chen Shanzhi was looking straight ahead, his brow slightly furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

It didn't feel like he was trying to take advantage of her.

"He might just be used to it and didn't notice for a moment."

Tang Xiaowu silently found an excuse for him in her heart and then stopped struggling.

Like a dutiful little wife, she followed closely behind Chen Shanzhi, matching his every step.

Inside the carriage.

The moment the curtain was lowered, Tang Xiaowu quickly pulled her hand out of Chen Shanzhi's palm as if she had been struck by an electric shock.

Blushing, she sat opposite him and quickly changed the subject to hide her embarrassment:

"Can you tell me the plan now?"

Chen Shanzhi didn't notice the young girl's thoughts; he placed the exquisite Waist Token on the tea table with a sharp 'clack'.

"It's very simple."

Chen Shanzhi pointed at the Waist Token and said confidently:

"With this Waist Token, we can legitimately visit the Minister's Mansion tomorrow.

Once we have the chance to be alone with Madam Li, I'll find an opportunity to recite the other poems I 'bought' for her.

When she's happy, I'll take the opportunity to embellish the matter of Tang Liu and tell it to her."

"Of course, just talking won't be enough."

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Shanzhi's eyes.

"I've also prepared a Precious Medicine that can repair the Dantian."

"With Madam Li's kindness and this Precious Medicine, I'm sure she will put in a good word for us with the Lord Minister.

As long as the Lord Minister relents slightly and stops being so persistent, I can use the Marquis Mansion's connections to get Tang Liu out of the Jiantian Division's prison."

Chen Shanzhi spoke nonchalantly, but Tang Xiaowu fell silent after hearing him.

Was it really as easy as he said?

If only it were true.

But a Precious Medicine that could repair the Dantian was an extreme rarity in the entire Great Jiang Dynasty.

Even for the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, such a thing would be a prized heirloom, and every pill used was one fewer in existence.

He was actually willing to give up such a treasure just to save someone he had a grudge against?

And that Jiantian Division prison—even if the Minister of Rites relented, could someone really be gotten out so easily?

One had to know that the Jiantian Division was like a disciplinary blade hanging over the heads of all Martial Artists in the Great Jiang Dynasty.

Even the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion would likely have to pay a considerable price.

"He actually went this far for me."

Tang Xiaowu looked at the relaxed man across from her, and a wave of guilt and gratitude surged in her heart.

She owed him far too much.

So much that even if she gave her life to him, it wouldn't seem like enough.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Tang Xiaowu remain silent for so long, Chen Shanzhi frowned. "Is there a flaw in my plan?"

He reviewed it in his head; except for the part about Madam Li being kind, which was total nonsense, the rest of the logic seemed quite sound.

"Huh? No."

Tang Xiaowu snapped out of it and shook her head quickly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Chen Shanzhi with intense sincerity.

"I believe you. Whatever you say, I'll believe it."

Chen Shanzhi felt a bit unnerved by her gaze and rubbed his nose. "Alright, if there's no problem, we'll go to the Minister's Mansion tomorrow."

...

By the time they returned to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, the night was already deep.

Inside Chen Shanzhi's bedroom, the candles burned brightly.

"Let's Cultivate."

Chen Shanzhi closed the door and turned around.

These past few days, he had grown accustomed to the days of accelerated cultivation with Tang Xiaowu by his side.

Tang Xiaowu nodded and walked to the bedside, expertly removing her shoes and socks to reveal toes as translucent as jade.

She climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged, but she didn't close her eyes immediately as she usually did.

She looked at Chen Shanzhi, who still sat gentlemanly beside her, and bit her lip as if making a very difficult decision.

"Th... Third Brother."

This address was slightly trembling and filled with shyness, yet it was exceptionally firm.

"Hmm?" Chen Shanzhi was adjusting his breathing and turned his head in confusion. "What is it?"

Tang Xiaowu took a deep breath and held out her fair, jade-like hands, spreading them on her knees, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Put... put your hands... on mine."

"Huh?"

Chen Shanzhi was stunned and looked at her blankly. "Xiaowu, aren't we cultivating?

Why should I put my hands on yours? Is this some new posture?"

Though he had seen countless films in his past life, he really didn't understand this kind of cultivation posture.

"Oh, why do you care so much!"

Seeing his dazed look, Tang Xiaowu was both ashamed and angry. Her face turned so red it looked like it might bleed, and she made a move to pull her hands back.

"If I tell you to put them there, just do it! If not, then forget it!"

In fact, she had always been holding back before.

Her Cultivation Technique emphasized the intersection of Yin and Yang and the merging of breaths.

The closer members of the opposite sex were and the greater the area of skin contact, the faster the Spiritual Qi would gather, and the better the acceleration of cultivation would be.

Although she wanted to help Chen Shanzhi before, she had only been willing to let him sit beside her due to the propriety between men and women.

But today, after learning how much Chen Shanzhi had sacrificed to help her save Tang Liu, she felt she had to do something.

She had to help him break through the Xuanguan Seven Apertures before the Secret Realm closed!

Even if... even if he took a bit of advantage of her, she would accept it.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'll do it! I'll do it, okay!"

Chen Shanzhi was incredibly sharp; seeing this situation, how could he not know it was a good thing?

He moved quickly, grabbing Tang Xiaowu's hands before she could retract them.

They felt warm and delicate, soft as if they had no bones, with a slightly cool touch like holding a piece of fine mutton-fat jade.

This feeling of interlocking fingers in a private room was completely different from a polite hand-hold outside.

The air seemed to be filled with ambiguous pink bubbles.

"Mmh..."

Tang Xiaowu's body trembled violently as if she had been burned.

Although they had held hands in Yiyuan Garden before, that was just acting in front of a crowd.

But now, they were alone together, skin touching skin.

That fiery temperature spread from her palms throughout her entire body, making her heart rate instantly accelerate to the limit.

"Let's... let's start cultivating."

Tang Xiaowu didn't dare look into Chen Shanzhi's eyes; she kept her head lowered, her voice trembling slightly.

Feeling the slight tremor of the small hand in his palm, Chen Shanzhi also felt a surge of restlessness.

He couldn't help but use his thumb to gently stroke the back of her hand a few times, savoring the delicate and smooth texture.

"Nngh~"

Tang Xiaowu let out a very soft moan, her body shaking as if an electric current had passed through it.

Chen Shanzhi's heart skipped a beat; he knew he had pushed enough. If he teased her any further, given Tang Xiaowu's personality, something might go wrong.

He immediately composed himself and said seriously:

"Alright, let's begin."

With that, he closed his eyes and quickly began to circulate the True Essence within his body.

"You..."

Tang Xiaowu looked up, her watery eyes filled with a trace of anger and shyness.

Those few strokes just now were clearly intentional!

But seeing that Chen Shanzhi had entered a meditative state in a second, looking like a proper gentleman, she could only swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Hmph!"

She gave a light huff, then took a deep breath to calm her mood and also began to circulate her Cultivation Technique.

Boom!

The moment both their techniques began to circulate...

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Chen Shanzhi only felt a "hum" in his mind.

If his previous Cultivation speed was like riding a Ferrari, then now, it was simply like boarding a rocket.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to have gone mad, crazily surging into his body through their clasped hands.

That speed was several times faster than before!

"What the hell?"

Chen Shanzhi was incredibly shocked.

Did this Wu Clan Cultivation Technique really have such a setting? I remember in the game, it only required two people to be in the same room to increase Cultivation speed.

Later on, one needed to raise the Cultivation Technique Rank, and only then would it increase the corresponding effects.

Chen Shanzhi suddenly realized that his previous understanding of the game had been too shallow.

The game only had simple text descriptions, but after becoming a reality, there were actually so many small details.

This also made Chen Shanzhi start to realize that he could not rigidly stick to using the game walkthroughs in his mind.

Those could at best be imagined as the outline of a novel; the game mapping to reality was like turning that outline into a novel.

There were many details inside that he would probably need to figure out himself based on the outline.

...

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, sunlight spilled onto the bed through the window lattice.

Chen Shanzhi opened his eyes, a brilliant light flashing within them.

The sixth major Xuanguan aperture in his body was already more than half filled with True Essence at this moment.

Moreover, this True Essence had been purified by the Yang Parasite and was extremely refined, unlike the superficial kind obtained from taking Medicinal Pills.

That feeling of abundant power made him feel like he could kill a cow with one punch right now.

At this speed, as long as he waited for the True Essence to be completely filled, he wouldn't need to waste effort refining it and could directly attempt to Breakthrough to the Xuanguan Seven Apertures.

This was also the terrifying aspect of the Heart-Devouring Life-Sharing Gu Cultivation Divine Ability that Jiang Yingrao possessed.

...

The two of them washed up briefly, put on veils to avoid attracting attention, and walked out of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

Going to the Ministers Mansion this time, it was naturally impossible to take the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion's carriage.

At the entrance of the Ministers Mansion.

"Halt, what are you here for?" The guard at the entrance stopped the two of them.

Chen Shanzhi didn't waste words; he directly took out the Waist Token Madam Li had given him yesterday and handed it over:

"Please report that Chen San has come to visit at Madam's invitation."

The guard took the Waist Token, took one look, and his expression changed instantly.

This was Madam's personal Waist Token; seeing the token was like seeing her in person!

Moreover, their Madam did indeed have a habit of befriending scholars and refined individuals, and these two had extraordinary auras—even though they were veiled, one could tell at a glance they were not ordinary people.

"So it is a distinguished guest! Please, come in, please come in!"

The guard immediately switched to a respectful expression, returned the Waist Token with both hands, and then beckoned a servant over:

"Quick, take these two distinguished guests to Tingyu Pavilion, I will go report to Madam!"

Ministers Mansion, Tingyu Pavilion.

This was an elegantly decorated reception hall, surrounded by lush green bamboo.

Chen Shanzhi and Tang Xiaowu had only just finished half a cup of tea when a fragrant breeze swept in from outside the door.

"I have kept you waiting, Sir; it is truly my fault."

Before seeing the person, one heard her voice first.

The voice was charming and melodious, making one's bones feel numb just listening to it.

Madam Li walked in with two personal maids, her lotus steps moving lightly.

She was clearly dressed even more meticulously today.

No longer wearing those dignified and steady garments, she had changed into a light purple fairy dress with a slightly low neckline, revealing a large expanse of snow-white, smooth skin.

Her face was painted with delicate peach-blossom makeup, her lips painted bright red and dripping with allure. Looking at her, how could she be a forty-year-old woman? She clearly looked like a mature woman in her early thirties, in the prime of her charm.

Especially those eyes—the moment she saw Chen Shanzhi, they practically glowed.

"Madam is too kind."

Chen Shanzhi put down his teacup, stood up to salute, still maintaining the appearance of a humble gentleman.

Madam Li walked into the hall, her gaze sweeping over Chen Shanzhi before finally landing on Tang Xiaowu beside him.

The smile on her face stiffened slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

Why did this little girl follow him here too?

But it didn't matter; once they were in the Ministers Mansion, was she afraid she couldn't get rid of one person?

Madam Li secretly gave a wink to her head personal maid beside her.

The maid understood immediately and immediately stepped forward with a smile:

"Madam, didn't you mention a few days ago that some rare ancient books were obscure and difficult to understand, and you wanted to find someone truly knowledgeable to ask for advice?

Since Mr. Chen is here today, why not invite him to the study to help you take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Li immediately cooperated and said:

"That's right, how could I have forgotten about that."

She turned to look at Chen Shanzhi, her face full of anticipation:

"Sir, my husband loves collecting ancient books, and there are many rare editions among them. I am shallow in my learning and have never been able to grasp their subtleties.

I wonder if you would do me the honor of moving to the study and appreciating them with me?"

"This..."

Chen Shanzhi glanced at Tang Xiaowu, appearing somewhat hesitant.

The maid immediately added:

"For Madam and Sir to appreciate rare books, it will surely require a lot of mental effort.

If this young lady feels bored, why not let this servant take her for a stroll in the mansion's garden?

The peonies in our mansion are in full bloom right now."

After speaking, she walked directly to Tang Xiaowu and made a gesture of invitation:

"Young lady, please follow this servant."

Tang Xiaowu looked at Chen Shanzhi with some worry.

She actually didn't want to leave, feeling that this Madam Li did not have good intentions.

But now they were in someone else's mansion, and it was to save someone; since the host had said so, she couldn't very well stubbornly refuse to leave.

Chen Shanzhi gave her a reassuring look and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Tang Xiaowu had no choice but to stand up, bow to Madam Li, and follow the maid out.

Once the irrelevant people left, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became somewhat subtle.

Madam Li's peach-blossom eyes seemed to have hooks on them, staring straight at Chen Shanzhi. She took a step and moved close to his side.

"Sir."

She reached out very naturally and tugged at Chen Shanzhi's sleeve, her voice becoming somewhat sweet and sticky:

"That's wonderful. With a talented scholar like you, Sir, I can finally understand those headache-inducing rare books. Sir, come with me quickly."

Her face was brimming with a thirst for knowledge and excitement.

It gave one the impression that she had grabbed Chen Shanzhi's sleeve only because she was too excited, completely forgetting the boundaries between men and women.

Chen Shanzhi looked down at the hand gripping his sleeve; it was extremely well-maintained, with nail polish on the fingernails.

"Madam is too kind; Chen will do his best."

He did not pull away; instead, he followed Madam Li's lead and went toward the backyard.

Seeing this, Madam Li was secretly delighted.

This bookworm was indeed someone naive about the ways of the world.

As long as she could trick him into the study, it would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den; wouldn't he be at her mercy?

The two of them walked through the large Ministers Mansion, turning left and right, going further into secluded areas.

Along the way, Madam Li used the excuse of introducing the scenery, leaning her body toward Chen Shanzhi intentionally or unintentionally.

That plump figure and that faint, lingering fragrance were constantly, secretly teasing Chen Shanzhi.

Finally, the two arrived at an independent small pavilion located deep in the garden.

There were no guards stationed around here, making it exceptionally quiet.

"Sir, this is the place."

Madam Li took out a key to open the door, then wiped the fragrant sweat from her forehead while panting slightly, turning back to smile at Chen Shanzhi:

"Apart from my husband and me, no one dares to come in here. Sir, please enter."

Chen Shanzhi stepped into the pavilion.

The space inside was not large, but it was filled with tall bookshelves, densely packed with various rare ancient books.

The air was filled with the faint scent of paper and ink; it was indeed a good place for reading.

Chen Shanzhi walked to the bookshelf, casually pulled out a book, and began to read with focused eyes, as if he were truly attracted by these rare books.

Madam Li stood at the door, watching that tall, upright back, a flicker of greed flashing in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, a flush appearing on her face.

"Click." A soft sound.

Madam Li turned around and closed the door to the pavilion, locking it from the inside.