In the palace, Xiao Xuan hosted a banquet for Lang Sansheng.
This was the first true friend he made when he first entered the world of cultivation.
The two first met while trying to pick up girls at the same brothel, but both tried to use their connections, and unsurprisingly, they were both kicked out.
Afterwards, they made a bet and sneaked into Hundred Flowers Valley at night. They saw the Hundred Flowers Fairy taking a bath, but Xiao Xuan was too slow and was caught by the Hundred Flowers Fairy and hung on the mountain gate.
At that moment, watching Lang Sansheng disappear in a flash, Xiao Xuan had a million "Holy crap" thoughts flashing through his mind.
But what ultimately made the two become best friends was that the little white stray that had run away from Hundred Flowers Valley actually turned back and secretly saved them.
As a result, the two of them were hung up in front of the mountain gate and left to dry for a month.
At that moment, Xiao Xuan was so moved that he immediately swore brotherhood with him.
"Holy crap, Brother Xiao, this wine is amazing! It's even better than the Rouge Tears from Drunken Immortal Pavilion!"
"Haha, these are all fine wines personally brewed by my master. They can not only improve physical health but also increase spiritual power. If you like, I have some more; I'll take a few jars with me when I leave."
"Brother, you're reliable!"
Lang Sansheng gave a thumbs up and picked up the wine jar to drink heartily.
He then turned to Xiao Xuan and said, "Brother Xiao, as the saying goes, even close brothers need to keep clear accounts. What do you say about me covering two hundred million spirit stones for you this time?"
"What kind of spirit stone?"
Xiao Xuan was taken aback.
"So you owed a Void Realm senior two hundred million top-grade spirit stones! And I helped you pay off two hundred million low-grade spirit stones. Damn it, he even said it was only enough for the interest. Do you know how many times I worked day and night to earn that?"
Lang Sansheng wiped away his tears, "Waaah~, I've been saving this up for so long, I was planning to come back and treat you to a trip to Feixian Tower..."
Seeing this, Xiao Xuan rolled his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, Brother Lang, stop acting. But your acting skills have improved a bit compared to before, huh?"
"What the hell is this acting?!" Lang Sansheng glared, immediately becoming agitated. "You son of a bitch Xiao Xuan, do you not want to pay back the money? Huh!?"
? ? ? ?
This time, Xiao Xuan was a little confused. Seeing this guy's red eyes, it didn't seem like he was acting...
"I've never owed anyone two hundred million spirit stones, okay? And you call that top-grade spirit stones? Have you lost your mind? What kind of person could possess two hundred million top-grade spirit stones and lend them to a Nascent Soul cultivator like me?!"
"ah? "
This time it was Lang Sansheng's turn to be dumbfounded. He glanced at Xiao Xuan and said with disbelief, "You really didn't lend two hundred million top-grade spirit stones?"
Think about it carefully. That senior's cultivation level was extraordinary; at the very least, it was at the Void Realm.
"A senior like that has no reason to lie to me."
"The Void Realm?"
Xiao Xuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I only know a few people at the Void Realm, and I've never borrowed spirit stones from them!"
"Besides, with money like my own, why would I need to borrow?"
Xiao Xuan glanced at Lang Sansheng with disdain.
The biggest difference between us is that I have a great master; the moment I became your disciple, I was already at your finish line.
"Brother Lang, with your IQ, you haven't been scammed, have you?"
"Holy shit!"
Lang Sansheng immediately slammed his wine cup down and roared, "Beast! Damn it, that man is an absolute beast! A powerful expert at the Void Realm actually cheated a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like me out of my money!"
"Waaaaah~~~, that's all my hard-earned money!!"
Lang Sansheng cried and complained, tears streaming down his face.
Her little shoulders trembled as she sobbed; she looked quite pitiful.
"Um... Brother Lang, don't cry yet. Tell me what that person's name is. When I become stronger, maybe I can help you get revenge and vent your anger."
Xiao Xuan patted Lang Sansheng on the shoulder to comfort him.
"I don't know!"
Lang Sansheng looked up, large tears welling up in his eyes.
"All I know is that he's incredibly handsome, so handsome that it almost makes me want to be gay."
"That's outrageous!"
Xiao Xuan was astonished. "There are actually people in this world more handsome than you and me?!"
"Yeah, that bastard is incredibly handsome."
"Brother Lang, are there any other distinguishing features? Like, what's his surname? Where does he live?"
"Oh, right, he said his surname is Qin, his name is Qin Haoren, and he cultivates in the Great Wilderness of Yunzhou."
"Surname Qin, from the Great Wilderness..."
Xiao Xuan was dumbfounded.
If I'm not mistaken, this dog must be referring to my handsome, dashing, and incredibly charming master, right?
"Brother Lang, you can forget about getting those spirit stones."
"Why!" Lang Sansheng's voice suddenly rose.
"Ahem, if I'm not mistaken, the person you're referring to might be my master."
"What did you say! That's your master!!!"
Lang Sansheng stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Holy crap! Your master is a real dog!"
"Pah! It's our Master who's fucking handsome!!!"
........
Lingzhou, the Imperial Palace of the Great Duan Dynasty.
Night, the bright moon hangs high in the sky.
In the flower-filled Imperial Garden, Wenqing was playing a game of eagle catching chicks with Damei and the other children.
Warmth is the eagle, and Great Beauty is the mother hen, desperately protecting Little Fatty, Black Rabbit, and a bouncy little white tiger behind them.
"Giggle, Sister Wen, don't tickle me! You're being lazy!"
Da Mei chuckled as she dodged Wen Qing's large, warm hand.
"Hey, hey hey, sister, sister, protect me! She's going to catch me!"
The little chubby boy's big eyes sparkled with excitement. He tucked his head behind his older sister, Da Mei, and clung to her clothes, dodging left and right. His chubby face was flushed with excitement.
The black rabbit behind Little Fatty, because of its large belly and the previous agreement not to use spiritual power, was a bit clumsy in its movements. As the group dodged and swayed left and right, it was quickly exposed and was grabbed by Wen Qing.
"Ha, Black Rabbit, I've got you!"
With a touch of warmth and pride, she lifted the little black chubby boy and spun him around.
"Hehehe, sister, look, Black Rabbit is so useless! He's always the first one to get caught."
The chubby boy stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug. "Heh heh, I haven't been caught even once."
"Little sister, you're amazing!"
Da Mei patted Xiao Pang's head approvingly, which made Xiao Pang very happy. He buried his head in Da Mei's arms and nuzzled against her.
"Yicheng, why aren't you going to play?"
On a palace directly in front of the Imperial Garden, on the emerald green glazed tiles, Zhang Duan and Yi Cheng sat side by side, while Da Bao sat next to Yi Cheng, munching on bamboo and swinging his little legs, amusing himself.
Above their heads hung a full moon.
"Brother-in-law, the goose doesn't want to play; it wants to hear you tell a story."
Yi Cheng stared with her small eyes and said, "The story you told about 'You and Senior Sister Goose' was so interesting! Goose hasn't had enough yet. Can you continue telling Goose the story?"
"Okay, where did we leave off last time?"
"They've got to the Dark Forest. You're being attacked by a group of bad guys and you're about to die."
"Oh, the dark forest."
Zhang Duan smiled elegantly, and his gentle voice slowly rang out.
"So, on that day, I was surrounded and attacked by a group of several hundred people in the dark forest. They were all fierce and vicious, and they wanted to kill me."
I fought desperately, until my bones were shattered and I was almost drained of blood, but alas, I was defeated. They crippled my cultivation, severed my meridians, and even wanted to humiliate me before killing me...
Just when I was in despair, I saw a figure descending from the sky under the bright moon.
She held a large black umbrella, wore a deep purple dress, and cradled a snow-white kitten in her arms. Her dark hair was loose, and her face was serene and aloof, making her resemble a fairy from legend.
"Wen... Sister Wen..."
Zhang Duan murmured, changing his tone.
"At that moment, blood blurred my face, but my eyes were exceptionally bright and filled with anxiety."
I'm happy, happy that I can see my beloved Sister Wen one last time before I die.
But I'm also afraid, afraid that if Sister Wen appears at this time, there will be danger.
Excitement and fear surged through me like a final burst of energy before death. With my last ounce of strength, I roared like a tiger: "Sister Wen, run!"
But as my roar subsided, Sister Wen didn't leave. Instead, she frowned and said with obvious disdain:
"You little snotty brat, how did you end up in such a miserable state! It's obvious you never had a good master."
At that moment, I was stunned, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
Then I saw that slender figure stand in front of me, addressing the thugs who were attacking me:
"This little slug is my sidekick. Anyone disagree? Come on!"
As the battle intensified, I realized that my sister Wen was already incredibly capable.
She's so powerful that I don't even need to work hard to become stronger to protect her.
I closed my eyes in peace.
And just as my thoughts were sinking into darkness, I heard a series of urgent voices in my ears, "Little slug, little slug, little slug..."
When I woke up again, I found myself to be a useless person.
I smiled and said to Sister Wen, "Sister Wen, it's so good to see you again."
Sister Wen scolded him sternly, "You little snotty-nosed brat, you're supposed to be a prince! How did you get yourself into such a sorry state? If Aunt Yun knew, she'd be heartbroken."
The Aunt Yun that Sister Wen mentioned is my mother. When we were little, she liked Sister Wen very much. Whenever Sister Wen came to our house to play, my mother would prepare lots of delicious food for her, and even take some home with her when she went back.
Sister Wen always arrives empty-handed and leaves with a full bag.
Therefore, among all the neighbors, my mother was her favorite.
Perhaps it was for this reason that whenever I was bullied when I was a child, Sister Wen would stand up and chase those kids away.
Haha, when I was little I didn't know anything, I just followed Sister Wen around. She told me to go down to the river to catch shrimp, so I went down to the river to catch shrimp. She told me to climb trees to raid bird nests, so I climbed trees to raid bird nests.
I'm afraid Sister Wen won't play with me.
Back then, I always had a runny nose, and it would always be a long, long runny nose, so Sister Wen always liked to call me Little Snotty.
That period was the happiest and most carefree time of my life.
At that time, I secretly made up my mind that when I grew up, I would become very, very powerful, even more powerful than Sister Wen, so that I could protect her.
Unfortunately, when I saw Sister Wen again, I had become a useless person, a burden.
I said, "Sister Wen, I'm a useless person now, so please leave me here. Actually, I'm already very happy to see you again."
Because I know that my eldest brother will not let me go, and I'm afraid that Sister Wen will be in danger with me.
But Sister Wen refused, and instead, she slapped me so hard that I passed out.
"Oops, I hit it too hard."
That was the last thing I heard before I went completely unconscious.
When I woke up the next time, Sister Wen had already carried me on her back and embarked on a journey to find a doctor.
However, with the spiritual veins severed, the foundation of one's cultivation shattered, and one's cultivation completely dissipated, how could it be so easily repaired?
I told Sister Wen countless times to give up, not wanting her to have any more worries because of me, but Sister Wen stubbornly insisted that she would definitely cure me and asked me to believe her.
And so, three years passed in a flash, and we gained nothing.
In the end, Sister Wen seemed to have made up her mind, breaking her promise to a senior, and taught me the heaven-defying demonic art as an experiment.
Haha, by some twist of fate, I actually awakened the pure demonic bone within me.
It was then that I learned that this was the reason why I, the illegitimate child who was always criticized as an ominous figure, was born.
Since then, not only have my spiritual veins been fully restored and my Dao foundation rebuilt, but my cultivation has also progressed by leaps and bounds. In just a few decades, I surpassed Sister Wen and attained the Dao Transformation stage..."
A bright moon hung in the sky, and the young emperor beneath it smiled, his face gentle and refined. His gaze remained fixed on the playful figure in the imperial garden.
"Huh? That's all? Brother-in-law, is there any other story between you and my senior sister?"
Yi Cheng blinked her little eyes, still wanting more.
"Yes, there are plenty."
Zhang Duan chuckled and said, "We've been to the frigid Arctic, where we discovered what appears to be the skeleton of an angel... We've explored an ancient underwater dragon's tomb in the South China Sea, and witnessed a projection of a dragon transforming into a human millions of years ago... We even stumbled upon an elf's secret realm, where we met a very cute little elf..."
Zhang Duan described a great deal in one breath.
He described it in great detail, vividly and with great imagery. More importantly, he could imitate all sorts of sounds, which made Yi Cheng's little eyes widen in admiration.
At this very moment, in Yi Cheng's heart, the story told by this senior brother-in-law was even more interesting and engaging than those told by her master and senior sister.
Time passed slowly, and the bright moon sank in the west.
As Yicheng listened, she and Dabao fell asleep back to back.
"Is Junior Sister asleep?"
Wenqing walked softly on the glazed tiles.
At this moment, in the Imperial Garden below, several little ones had long since finished playing and were lying sprawled out on the lawn, fast asleep.
Each of them was covered with a small blanket.
"Yes, she's asleep."
Zhang Duan smiled gently, took Wen Qing's hand, and the two sat side by side, gazing at the full moon overhead.
"Sister Wen, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could always stay like this?"
...
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