Han Shan’s mouth twitched slightly, his face darkening.
“You ungrateful bastard! I went through so much trouble to save you, and now that it’s all over, you don’t even have the decency to thank me. Instead, you’re giving me that look of disdain,” Han Shan muttered under his breath.
Taking a deep breath, Han Shan suppressed the urge to punch Chen Qingyuan and forced a smile. “Brother Chen, won’t you invite me for a cup of tea?”
“Of course, please.” Chen Qingyuan called out to Lin Pingyan beside him. “Xiaoyan, hurry and serve Old Han some tea.”
The Council Hall was in a bit of a mess, and the few of them sat in a side hall.
Before long, Lin Pingyan walked over with a cup of tea. “Brother Han, please enjoy.”
“Thank you.” Han Shan politely replied, taking a sip of the tea.
After Han Shan finished the tea, Chen Qingyuan asked, “Did you like it?”
“It’s alright,” Han Shan replied instinctively.
“Of course, this tea is worth a hundred high-quality spirit stones,” Chen Qingyuan raised an eyebrow.
At this, Han Shan subconsciously clutched his throat and quickly spat out the tea. “A hundred high-quality spirit stones? Why don’t you just rob someone for it?”
“What are you doing?” Chen Qingyuan looked at Han Shan, a look of disdain on his face.
“This tea is too expensive, I can’t afford it. I’ll give it back to you,” Han Shan said, being unusually stingy despite his family’s wealth.
“I never said you had to pay for it. Stop being disgusting and spit it out,” Chen Qingyuan said, disgusted.
“Fine, you’re so stingy. But your tea is way too expensive!” Han Shan retorted.
After receiving confirmation that it was free, Han Shan asked Lin Pingyan to prepare ten more cups of the same tea.
“What? It’s free, isn’t it?” Han Shan stopped Lin Pingyan, who was about to leave, and asked.
“It’s free. Look at you being so stingy,” Chen Qingyuan almost visibly displayed his disdain.
“Save where you can. But your tea is really too expensive!” Han Shan said, leaning back in his chair.
Chen Qingyuan then recounted everything that had happened to Han Shan.
Upon hearing this, Han Shan was amazed and deeply impressed. “You truly live up to your reputation. You can still pull off a stunt like this at a time like this.”
“What do you mean by ‘stunt’? This is the tea fee,” Chen Qingyuan gave Han Shan a look.
“Alright, whatever you say,” Han Shan knew his place and couldn’t argue with Chen Qingyuan. He didn’t want to make things difficult.
“After you finish your tea, you can leave as you see fit. I have a lot of things to do and don’t have the time to entertain you,” Chen Qingyuan said as he got up to leave.
“Wait!” Han Shan quickly grabbed Chen Qingyuan, squinting his eyes. “Brother Chen, did you forget something?”
“What?” Chen Qingyuan pretended to be puzzled.
“Weren’t you going to introduce me to a Dao Companion?” Han Shan asked directly.
“Oh, that! I was so scared by those old fellows just now that I almost forgot,” Chen Qingyuan said, slapping his forehead as if he had just realized.
“It’s not too late to remember now.”
If it weren’t for finding a suitable Dao Companion, Han Shan wouldn’t have been so diligent. In order to travel, he had used quite a few large teleportation symbols that others would consider life-saving.
As long as he could find a wife, he could bear these costs.
Han Shan didn’t want to end up alone; it would be too painful.
“Brother Han, please enjoy,” Lin Pingyan said as he brought over ten cups of tea and placed them on the table.
Han Shan stared straight at Chen Qingyuan and asked, “Chen Qingyuan, are you trying to trick me again?”
“No,” Chen Qingyuan quickly denied. If he kept deceiving Han Shan, it would be difficult to ask for his help in the future. “We are sworn brothers. How could I deceive you?”
“Then where is the Dao Companion you promised to introduce me to? Where is she?” Han Shan drank all ten cups of tea first to prevent a falling out with Chen Qingyuan, then burped and stood up, pointing at Chen Qingyuan.
Chen Qingyuan immediately slapped Han Shan’s finger away and said sternly, “I’ll have her come see you later. I won’t let you down. But you need to take care of your own appearance. If you mess it up, it’s your problem.”
“Is she really… real?” Han Shan was taken aback. He hadn’t held out much hope before.
“Of course. Do you think I’m lying to you?” Chen Qingyuan snorted.
“No, of course not.” Han Shan had been watching Chen Qingyuan the whole time and found him to be serious and not pretending. He smiled flatteringly. “Brother Chen is so good to me. If I were to have any doubts, what kind of person would I be?”
“Just wait!” Chen Qingyuan said.
“How long do I have to wait?” Han Shan was getting impatient. “Which sect is she from?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Just wait,” Chen Qingyuan said, turning and leaving.
This time, Han Shan didn’t stop him. His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Old Chen is so resolute in his words. It must be real,” Han Shan thought to himself, taking out a mirror to tidy up his appearance, looking extremely flashy.
After leaving the side hall, Chen Qingyuan headed straight for the Mystic Azure Sect’s western mountain.
The Jade Bamboo Peak on the western mountain was where the female disciples lived.
In his haste earlier, Chen Qingyuan thought of someone.The Senior Sister of Jade Bamboo Peak, known as one of the three beauties of the Flow Star Domain, possessed both beauty and talent.
“Greetings, Junior Master.”
More than ten female disciples dressed in white skirts stood at the foot of Jade Bamboo Peak, bowing to Chen Qingyuan who had just appeared.
“Dispense with the formalities.” Chen Qingyuan put on the air of an elder and nodded: “I have matters to discuss with Lingran, take me to her.”
“Yes.” A female disciple took the command and led the way.
Passing through the dense jungle and crossing a clear lake via a jade bridge, they arrived at the summit of Jade Bamboo Peak, where a palace made of jade stood, shrouded in mist, seemingly real and illusory, containing mysteries and exuding a spiritual brilliance.
The Senior Sister of Jade Bamboo Peak was named Liu Lingran, and knowing of Chen Qingyuan’s arrival, she stood at the entrance of the jade palace waiting.
Liu Lingran wore a light white dress, with a silk belt tightly tied around her waist, falling to the side, fluttering in the wind. She was 1.7 meters tall, with her long hair neatly tied back, a delicate face with finely arched eyebrows, red lips and white teeth, every move she made could captivate hearts and turn the world upside down.
“Why has Junior Master come to Jade Bamboo Peak?”
Liu Lingran asked with a bow.
“I have matters to discuss with you.”
Chen Qingyuan said, hands behind his back.
“Please come in.” Liu Lingran gestured towards the open doors of the jade palace.
The two sat inside the palace, and Liu Lingran personally poured tea for Chen Qingyuan, her eyes fixed on him.
Chen Qingyuan signaled for all the female disciples around to leave, as this matter was not suitable for others to hear.
Soon, only Chen Qingyuan and Liu Lingran were left in the hall.
“Junior Master, please speak your mind.”
Liu Lingran was puzzled, unsure of Chen Qingyuan’s intentions for this visit.
“This…” Chen Qingyuan was somewhat embarrassed, hesitating for a while before saying: “Lingran, has Junior Master treated you well?”
“Not bad.” When Liu Lingran had first joined the Sect, she had received guidance from Chen Qingyuan, and the rewards for completing missions were also distributed by him, benefiting many within the Sect.
“Junior Master is in trouble now, can you help me out?”
Chen Qingyuan whispered.
“What kind of help?”
Intuition told Liu Lingran that this favor might not be simple, her brows furrowed.
“Help me deal with someone, go on a blind date with him, get to know him.”
Chen Qingyuan said with a smile.
“Huh?”
Upon hearing this, Liu Lingran’s expression immediately changed.