Chapter 23 Wine (Two in One) “So I’ll marry you in the future.”…
(XXIII)
Shen Changyi said, from now on, he will not tolerate it anymore.
The words were quite harsh, but after seven days, Li Shanglu found that this idiot had not changed at all. He just talked more and sometimes dared to make some requests to her, but those requests were still as unpromising as before.
"Shanglu, I want to go into your room."
"What are you doing here?"
"sweep the floor."
"Are you going to find Helan Jin?"
"Is it none of your business?"
"...You must be back before dusk."
Li Shanglu felt speechless and ridiculous. Even if Shen Changyi became bolder, he only dared to think about trivial matters such as entering her room to sweep the floor and asking her to go home early.
Maybe this is the standard that the idiot mentioned. To Li Shanglu, it doesn't matter at all. It's all nonsense. If she doesn't come back at night, where will she eat and sleep?
She went to find Helan Jin just to learn how to make elixirs.
Elder Teng had indeed not lied to her. Although Helan Jin was a mortal, he was able to refine pills with his superb skills and experience. The alchemy family was indeed extraordinary.
"A mortal without any spiritual power can also refine elixirs simply by observing fire, listening to the wind, picking ingredients, and observing changes," Helan Jin unfolded his folding fan and, with the air of a hermit, instructed Li Shanglu. "This is the He family's secret alchemy technique."
"Then why did you tell me?" Li Shanglu wondered.
Helan Jin smiled but said nothing. Of course, it was because he had killed the original Helan Jin a long time ago, so he could pass the teachings on to whoever he wanted.
Under the guidance of the only heir of the He family, Li Shanglu began her alchemy career. In addition, Helan Jin also taught her how to use poison to exorcise demons.
Elixir and poison coexist and co-exist. If you know how to make elixir, you can also learn how to make poison.
The method of using poison to eliminate demons is also simple. Helan Jin said that as long as the poison is applied on the sword, it will be fine. He himself has superb martial arts skills, and the poison is equivalent to the spiritual energy attached to the sword by the cultivator, which can also kill the demon cultivator.
The physique of demon cultivators is stronger than that of humans, and they recover from injuries extremely quickly. Only the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the poison refined by Helan Jin can inhibit their recovery.
Li Shanglu studied very hard, much more hardworking than she was in school.
There was a man named Shen Changyi in the school who always suppressed her. She could never beat him, so she gave up on herself.
But there is no Shen Changyi in Danfeng. She and Helan Jin are the only mortals in the world who can use poison to eliminate demons.
If she learns how to use poison, then even if there is no Xiao Huang and no Shen Changyi in the future, she won't have to be afraid of those evil cultivators anymore, probably.
At noon, Li Shanglu sat in front of the alchemy furnace, her eyes never leaving the furnace, carefully refining the elixir according to the steps taught to her by Helan Jin.
Helan Jin said that alchemy is difficult and ordinary people need to learn for decades before they can achieve some results. In his opinion, Li Shanglu is probably just an ordinary person, so he asked her to experience the refining process first.
But she couldn't wait that long. If she was going to do something, she would do it to the best of her ability and didn't want to be worse than anyone else.
"Is this the elixir?" Li Shanglu used a wooden clamp to take out the gray pill from the furnace. This was the first elixir she had ever refined, but why did it look like it was inedible?
Helan Jinben was still lying in a rattan chair basking in the sun. Upon hearing this, he sat up suddenly and asked, "What?"
She held the pill in her hand, her face stained black by the ash. "Here, look."
Helan Jin walked up to her, picked up the pill, and turned his gaze to Li Shanglu in some surprise.
It is impossible for ordinary people to refine the herbs and holy water into shape when they make the elixir for the first time. Basically, when they open the furnace, they can only see a pool of black water with a few curled and wrinkled grass leaves floating in it.
But not only did Li Shanglu refine a finished pill for the first time, but the quality was also not bad. At most, the surface was rough and the color was a bit ugly.
He gritted his teeth, a hint of resentment rising in his heart.
Even the women around Shen Changyi are different from ordinary mortals.
They are a disgusting family.
Helan Jin threw the pill away and said calmly, "It's too bad. Refine it again."
Li Shanglu frowned and said "Oh". She didn't think that this pill was well-made, but after hearing what Helan Jin said, her desire to win was aroused. She turned around and went to make a new pill.
She couldn't bear to hear the word "too bad".
In fact, Li Shanglu has always been very smart. Perhaps if it weren't for Chen Changyi, the immortal who was favored by heaven, she would be the most dazzling one in the crowd.
It's just that she has been defeated by Shen Changyi too many times in all aspects, and she hasn't felt such a strong competitive spirit for a long time.
For two months, Li Shanglu spent all her time eating and sleeping, refining elixirs and poisons. She would even read a book on medicinal herbs before going to bed, almost like she was obsessed with it, just to make Helan Jin willingly praise her for her progress.
But Helan Jin never praised her, and she kept practicing because she was stubborn.
Until one day, Shen Changyi saw that she didn't even eat lunch, so he brought her a lunch box.
Somehow, whenever Chen Changyi came, Helan Jin would always suddenly receive various tasks. The two had never met or spoken to each other until now.
"Leave it there. Eat it after the furnace is lit." Li Shanglu didn't even look at him. He sat in front of the furnace, staring at the fire and adding some firewood from time to time.
Hearing her words, Shen Changyi pursed his lips, walked silently to her side, moved a stool and sat down, took out a handkerchief from his arms, and wiped the ash off her face.
Li Shanglu didn't care about him at all. He even thought he was in the way and pushed him aside, "Don't block me."
Shen Changyi had no choice but to move the bench a little further away.
The fire was very hot. Although it was September, the weather was not cool at all. I would still sweat when the sun shone on my body, not to mention being baked by the ashes every day.
He raised his eyes to the horizon and pinched his fingertips. After a moment, a few floating clouds covered the scorching sun, and the wind brought a pleasant coolness.
Let's wait for another shower when the shanglu rests and eats.
Soon, the furnace could finally be opened. Li Shanglu busied himself with extinguishing the flames and removing the furnace cover. Whenever Shen Changyi tried to intervene and help, he was ruthlessly shooed away.
He watched her struggle to lift the furnace cover that weighed more than ten pounds, and then carefully took out the pills with a pair of wooden tongs.
It has been a long time since I saw Shang Lu so serious. The last time was when she was managing the accounts for the Shen family just after she got married.
She always managed the family shop in an orderly manner. He had no business knowledge and could only help her.
At that time, everyone said he was lucky to have married a powerful wife. Unfortunately, natural disasters became frequent, demonic cultivators became rampant, and everyone felt threatened. Most of the people in Fangcao City fled their homes, and there were few living people on the streets. Naturally, the shop closed down.
All the hard work he had put into the business went to waste, and his parents passed away one after another. Shang Lu seemed to have lost all his energy and left the small town where he was born and raised with him. From then on, he no longer cared about anything and spent his days lazily.
He knew that Shang Lu was lazy because she had a wound in her heart. She didn't know how to heal it, so she could only wait for the wound to heal on its own.
Shen Changyi looked at her quietly, and when he saw the smile on her lips when she got the pill, a slight curve also appeared on his lips.
Li Shanglu held the pill in his hand and walked up to Shen Changyi, his tone slightly smug. "How is it? It's not worse than the ones sold outside, right?"
Hearing this, Shen Changyi shifted his gaze from her face to the small pill.
His eyes paused slightly, he reached out and took the pill, rubbing it between his fingertips.
As white as snow, as round and smooth as jade, this is a top-quality product. A beginner who can make such a pill can truly be said to have a proud talent.
"Great," he praised sincerely, "better than what's sold outside."
Hearing his words, the smile on Li Shanglu's face disappeared and he lost interest in an instant.
She just suddenly thought that this kind of elixir was probably something that Shen Changyi could easily make. Helan Jin even said that she was still far from it with her current level.
It's so hypocritical to praise her for being great. You should at least give her some advice. Can't you bear to see her get better?
She snatched the pill from his hand and casually tossed it into the medicine basket, which was already filled with various pills.
Seeing that Li Shanglu wanted to continue refining the elixir, Shen Changyi grabbed her wrist and whispered, "You said that we would eat after the furnace is turned on."
Hearing this, Li Shanglu said impatiently, "I have no appetite."
Shen Changyi didn't know what he had said wrong. He hesitated for a while, his eyes gradually calmed down.
Men should have their own opinions.
He grabbed the thin wrist, pulled her into his arms, and bit her lips.
Li Shanglu was startled. Just as she opened her mouth to scold him, a slippery tongue invaded her. The back of her head was gently pressed, preventing her from escaping.
Forced to endure a not-so-gentle kiss, she was nearly suffocated before the man in front of her let her go. There were noticeable teeth marks on her lips, and her eyes were watery with pain.
"Are you looking for death?"
Danfeng was bustling with people coming and going, and he actually dared to treat her like this in such a public place.
Li Shanglu angrily stepped on Shen Chang's boots and raised his hand to hit him.
As soon as she raised her wrist, she was caught. Shen Changyi's eyes darkened slightly, and she said slowly, "You don't eat. This is a punishment."
Li Shanglu was stunned for a moment and sneered for no apparent reason.
Why does the word "punishment" sound so funny when it comes out of his mouth?
She pried his hands apart and slapped Shen Changyi anyway.
After beating someone up, Li Shanglu's anger subsided and she actually felt a little hungry. She glared at Shen Changyi and snatched the food box from his arms.
Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes and a bowl of bamboo shoot and ham soup were all her favorite dishes. Perhaps because Shen Changyi had been simmering them in his arms, the food was still steaming.
After taking two bites, that damned feeling of guilt came back to me.
"Don't send it to me next time." Li Shanglu said to him coldly, "I'll go back and eat it."
Shen Changyi achieved his goal and nodded obediently, "Yeah."
Being beaten is nothing, but Shanglu will not be able to bear the hunger.
After finishing his meal, Li Shanglu couldn't wait to start making poison.
Shen Changyi was packing up the food box and looked up to see her carefully applying the poison on the sword.
Those swords were used by the disciples for training, and most of them were thrown away only when they were broken. The one in Li Shanglu's hand was a broken sword without a tip, and the blade was rotten and worn. I don't know who picked it up from.
She didn't even have a decent weapon.
A bitter feeling welled up in my heart. It was his fault. He should have discovered it earlier.
Shen Changyi silently put away the food box and turned to leave.
Seeing him leave, Li Shanglu picked up the poisoned sword indifferently and sighed.
Helan Jin has broken seventeen swords she bought this month. They are always accidentally corrupted by poison, which makes Helan Jin very angry.
Forget it, just make do with it for now.
*
The second day.
Just as Li Shanglu was about to go out to Danfeng, Shen Changyi called her.
"You don't have any mission today?" Li Shanglu now expected him to exorcise the demon, at least he wouldn't disturb her all the time.
Shen Changyi shook his head, “Yes, no rush.”
He took out a silver bow from somewhere and handed it to Li Shanglu.
Li Shanglu looked at it in confusion and took the bow. It was of a strange style, short and small, only as long as his forearm.
"I made a shortbow last night. Give it a try," Shen Changyi whispered. "Your arms are too thin. It would take too much energy for you to draw a regular longbow. This shortbow can be drawn quickly and ejected by a mechanism. It can shoot extremely far and accurately."
Listening to his words, Li Shanglu frowned and looked at the short bow. It was obvious that it was made with great care. She couldn't understand the mechanisms. Shen Changyi must have learned them from a book, but...
"I don't know how to shoot arrows, why would I do this?"
Chen Changyi lowered his eyes, took her sleeve, and led her out the door.
Li Shanglu was suddenly hugged around the waist. He was stunned for a moment. His hand was covered by another big hand. Shen Changyi looked at the fruits on the treetops in the distance and said in a low voice, "Do you see the reddest fruit?"
Her ears were slightly tickled by his breath, and the familiar fragrance of early bamboo enveloped her whole body. The tone of this sentence was also particularly low and pleasant, which made Li Shanglu's heart tremble.
No jumping allowed.
This idiot can hear.
"I see." She answered absentmindedly.
Shen Changyi leaned over to look at her, "You're lying, you didn't see it."
Li Shanglu had no choice but to look at the tree in the distance. There was a very red fruit. Fortunately, she had good eyesight, otherwise she really couldn't see the little thing the size of a soybean.
"I see." She said casually, "And then?"
Chen Changyi held her slender waist, his eyelashes drooping, and his eyes were fixed on her jade-white neck.
His expression was unclear, and he said calmly, "Shoot it down."
Li Shanglu opened his eyes, as if he had heard something out of the Arabian Nights. "This is at least half a mile away. Can you shoot me?"
Shen Changyi did not explain, still staring at that beautiful neck, his Adam's apple rolling slightly.
"Draw the bow and shoot the arrow."
Hearing this, Li Shanglu rolled his eyes in his heart, casually pulled the short bow, aimed at the ripe fruit and released his hand. The arrow flew out of the crossbow like lightning, accurately shooting down the juicy fruit.
She stood there in a daze, staring at the small short bow in her hand in astonishment. It felt so light in her hand, and it was obviously impossible for it to shoot so far and so straight, but because of those ingenious mechanisms, it was able to shoot down fruits from half a mile away.
Even the best longbow can barely reach such a distance.
"You were the most accurate slingshot shooter when you were young. You could shoot down any bird you saw. This bow is as difficult to use as a slingshot, so it's very suitable for you." Shen Changyi let her go and handed the storage ring containing arrows into her palm. "There are two hundred arrows in it. I will buy more and bring them back when I go on a mission."
Li Shanglu held the storage ring, which seemed to still contain the warmth of Shen Changyi's palm.
"Thank you."
She said it a little awkwardly.
Chen Changyi's expression froze for a moment. He leaned down tentatively, wanting to kiss that pair of crimson, soft lips. "Between you and me, there's no need to thank me..."
"Oh." Li Shanglu put the short bow on his back and walked away without looking back.
"Phytolacca, phytolacca..."
Chen Changyi stared at her receding figure with longing eyes, the light in his eyes gradually cooled and extinguished, and the fingers hidden in his sleeves slowly curled up.
I will never be polite again in this life.
*
With the short bow made by Shen Changyi, Li Shanglu no longer needed to practice swordsmanship. She was not suitable for swordsmanship in the first place. Those iron swords would hurt her shoulders terribly after being swung at her a dozen times. It was difficult for her to use them freely without any training.
The short bow was tailor-made for her. As long as the poison was coated on the arrow, the poison would be strong enough to kill with one strike.
It is not known whether it can exorcise demons, but it can easily kill wild beasts.
Helan Jin saw the short bow that Shen Changyi made for her, looked at it for a long time, and said coldly, "It's of poor quality. He can only make things like this to fool you."
She glanced up at him and felt that his jealousy towards Shen Changyi had become increasingly unconcealed recently.
In the past, I could still pretend, but now I can't even mention the name Chen Changyi in front of him, otherwise he will say a string of sarcastic and cold words.
This face really looks like her.
"Why don't you, Master Lan Jin, give me a better one?" Li Shanglu said with a smile.
"Heh," Helan Jin shook out his fan and sneered, "There are many bows in the world that are better than this rag-and-bone. I'll buy you an expensive and good one. Let's go."
Li Shanglu didn't expect that he really planned to buy it for her, but she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Who is your apprentice, and who are you the master of?"
Helan Jin paused slightly, waving his folding fan a little faster, and turned to look at her uncomfortably, "Self-proclaimed, is that not okay?"
"Then please prepare your purse, Master," Li Shanglu put his hand on his shoulder and said with a faint smile, "My disciple has a big appetite."
Helan Jin stared at her as she passed by him, her hair brushing against the folding fan, and the faint orchid fragrance was there again.
He placed the folding fan on the tip of his nose, looked at her back, his eyes dimmed, and he smiled softly,
"Don't worry, I will feed you well."
Half a quarter of an hour later, we went to and from the city.
Li Shanglu brought Xiao Huang and sat in a restaurant with Helan Jin.
Helan Jin said that this restaurant only lets people in on specific days and times, and only distinguished guests from aristocratic families can enter. Only when night falls can one get a glimpse of the luxury here.
Li Shanglu went in and saw that it was a stage with a group of people selling things on it. She had seen the same thing happening at the village market where vegetables were sold, and their shouts were even more beautiful than those of the actors.
After hearing her words, Helan Jin laughed for a long time without straightening up.
"My beloved disciple, next time don't say such things with that pretty face of yours." He led his men to the second floor and sat on the top seat of the Tianzi class, smiling lazily, "You are a person of status after all. Don't act like you just came out of the mountains."
Li Shanglu sneered, "What kind of identity is that? Just a pig waiting to be slaughtered."
The things here must be ridiculously expensive, pretentious, and have too many rules. There is definitely no good stuff here.
Helan Jin spat out the tea he had just drunk. He said with great amusement, "Yes, it's a pig waiting to be slaughtered."
This restaurant was opened by his subordinates, and the people inside are a group of pigs who are willing to be slaughtered by him.
Li Shanglu sat beside him, picked up the teacup and took a sip, frowning, "It tastes terrible, not as good as Snow Bud Green Rose."
Helan Jin: "...My beloved disciple, you are so arrogant. Snow Bud Green Radish only produces 200 kilograms in June each year. There is no market for it, so where did you get it?"
"I use it to rinse my mouth." Li Shanglu snorted and said calmly, "Why, you just came out of the mountains too?"
Helan Jin couldn't win the argument, so he clasped his fists and said, "Handicap, I surrender, the auction begins."
The two of them looked for a long time but couldn't find anything they liked, and they looked depressed.
Helan Jin's gaze had already shifted from the auction item to Li Shanglu.
The wooden man stood beside Li Shanglu like a loyal guard.
After suffering a loss last time, it will be difficult to trick Li Shanglu out of the city again. The matter of the soul can be put aside for the time being.
For two months, he tried every possible way to please her, but Li Shanglu remained indifferent and she never mentioned the abortion.
Maybe it was the child that awakened Li Shanglu's maternal instinct, making her soft-hearted towards Shen Changyi and the child.
If the child was gone, would their relationship still be the same? There should be a chance for him to take advantage of the situation, right?
After a while, a wine glass was quietly placed next to Li Shanglu.
Helan Jin smiled and lowered his eyes, watching Li Shanglu pick up the glass of wine that had been replaced.
As long as she drank half a sip, there were no more children standing between them. She watched the actors singing in boredom, not noticing that the tea in her cup had been replaced with sake.
As her lips moved closer to the wine cup, Helan Jin suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked at her nonchalantly.
"Pah." Li Shanglu took a big gulp, frowning, stunned for a moment, his expression suddenly changed, "Why is it wine!"
Helan Jin also looked at her in surprise, "Wine? Shanglu, how did you take my wine glass by mistake?"
Li Shanglu looked at him in disbelief. After a brief pause, he stood up and said gloomily, "I'm going back."
"Shanglu, you can't drink alcohol during pregnancy. I'll take you to see a doctor." Helan Jin said worriedly, "It's so late now. It's too late for you to return to the sect. The disciples of Danfeng must be asleep."
But Li Shanglu did not answer him. He just took Xiao Huang's hand without hesitation and turned away, his face as dark as ink.
Helan Jin caught up with him, but was shaken off by Li Shanglu viciously.
"I'm warning you, don't follow me."
He was stunned, not knowing why she reacted so strongly. Could it be that she guessed that he had someone steal the wine glass?
Helan Jin wanted to defend himself, but Li Shanglu refused to listen, so he had to give up. His eyes fell back to the restaurant, and a hint of viciousness flashed across them.
These idiots must have revealed something. If Li Shanglu ignores him from now on, he will kill all of these idiots!
On the other side, Li Shanglu rushed back to Mingzhou Sect without stopping, with no time to care about anyone or anything.
Must go home immediately.
This was the only sentence left in Li Shanglu's mind.
The door of Shutong Pavilion was pushed open, and it was empty. Shen Changyi had not returned yet.
Li Shanglu breathed a sigh of relief and took a sip of water with great impatience. However, the bright moon in front of him began to double and shake, and his heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, it turned out like this.
The memory of when she was thirteen years old came to her mind. She drank the wine that her father had hidden away out of curiosity. It was just a small sip. Li Shanglu did not want to recall what happened afterwards for the second time in her life.
——She ran to the Shen family drunkenly, dug Shen Changyi out of his warm bed, and when he was half asleep, she hugged him and gave him a big kiss on the face.
"Chen Changyi, I don't want to marry and raise children, so I will marry you in the future."
"You can come to my house and take good care of me and my parents. I will support you."
At that time, Shen Changyi had grown taller and thinner, and his appearance was much more handsome. The girls in the school gradually began to admire him.
She thought that if she didn't trick him home now, it would be difficult to trick him later. Anyway, Shen Changyi was honest and obedient, so she could just marry him home and keep him as a decoration.
"What's wrong? You don't want to talk? Do you dare to be unwilling?"
The young man sat blankly in the messy bedding, with most of his clothes torn off by Li Shanglu, revealing his white shoulders, which looked like they were covered with a thin layer of snow under the moonlight.
He remained motionless for a long while before hesitatingly saying,
"I...will."
It must be a dream.
How could he have such a dream?
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The author has something to say: Thank you for your support, there are still little red envelopes of gratitude today~
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