Chapter 8: The Handsome Man in the Painting Scroll "Pick the one you like and I'll bring it to your bed tonight..."
Shen Wenji almost couldn’t pretend anymore.
She jumped up suddenly, and the movement was so big that she almost overturned the table.
"Ouch!" Elder Zhang was startled by her and scolded, "How can you be so reckless, child? Are you dissatisfied with something?"
"No, no, no." Shen Wenji came back to his senses, smiled awkwardly, and his brain was working rapidly.
Her bright eyes rolled around, and she effortlessly changed the subject: "Aunt Zhang, aren't we going to see the sect's new gadgets?"
She patted Elder Zhang's shoulder earnestly and said, "Let's go quickly. We can't let this kind of thing interfere with the sect's important business!"
"That's it, huh?" Elder Zhang pointed bewilderedly at the rosewood box on the table and asked, puzzled, "Where else do you want to go, young sect leader?"
Shen Wenji: "..."
Oh, what luck.
She really didn't expect that these strange-shaped jade stones were the mysterious "new stuff" that Elder Zhang mentioned.
No wonder the sect is declining. What’s the difference between this and those “antiques” in the secret room?
No innovative spirit at all!
But the words were already out, so she could only bite the bullet and try to blur the focus: "Uh... I mean... are these, are these the only categories?"
The tone was vague, and seemed to contain a hint of disgust.
"Oh~" Elder Zhang slapped his thigh suddenly, his face full of sudden enlightenment, his eyes brightening surprisingly, "I understand!"
"..." Shen Wenji held her forehead. What did she understand? She didn't understand at all.
"Little Wenji, do you think these are too ordinary? Don't you like them?" Elder Zhang leaned closer and lowered her voice mysteriously, "Don't worry, Aunt Zhang understands you. Young people, as always, seek excitement and novelty!"
She winked and continued, "Just wait, I'm going to get my most treasured possession. I guarantee it will open your eyes and make you feel as happy as a god."
"Stop, stop, stop." Shen Wenji was so frightened that he grabbed Elder Zhang, who was about to leave, and his tongue was tied. "That's not what I meant. I mean... my body is not very healthy."
"Don't worry, the disciples I've chosen for you are all healthy! Not only are they in great shape, but they're all tall, strong, and handsome. Big penises and good sex are just the basics. There are experienced, gentle, and considerate veterans, as well as green, shy, and clean-cut novices..."
"No." Shen Wenji's eyes suddenly darkened, and he interrupted her hurriedly, "Aunt Zhang, I mean I'm not feeling well."
"Ah..." Elder Zhang's face was instantly filled with great regret, and he sighed regretfully, "That's such a pity..."
Shen Wenji grasped at this life-saving straw and immediately summoned his ultimate magic weapon: "Oh, Aunt Zhang, I remember my mother specifically told me that after I familiarize myself with the sect's affairs, I must quickly go to the meeting hall to report to her."
She spoke rapidly, her eagerness undeniable. "Mother is so busy that she hates waiting for people. Let's speed things up. Can you first give me a quick overview of the sect's overall layout?"
Seeing her bring up the Sect Master, Elder Zhang could only clear his throat regretfully and regain his composure. "The Hehuan Sect is actually a small sect. As the saying goes, even though it's small, it has all the necessary departments and divisions. We have them, too."
She pulled Shen Wenji over to the sky above the sect, pointed to a part of the area on the far left and said, "From top to bottom, these are: Refining Workshop, Internal Affairs Department, and Criminal Law Hall."
"The refining workshop is where we were just now. They usually develop some secret treasures of the sect. Oh, and by the way, they also refine weapons and pills here."
"The Internal Affairs Department is like a warehouse. A large number of magical instruments and spiritual objects are stored here. It also handles the sect's daily necessities. The sect's secret room is located here."
"The Criminal Law Hall, as the name suggests, is where internal sect conflicts are handled and disciples who violate the rules are punished. However, here, they mostly deal with trivial emotional disputes. If you're interested, you can visit often; there's a lot of gossip. For example, last time a sword cultivator from the ruthless sect came to ask for an explanation..."
Elder Zhang pointed to the area on the right and continued, "This is the Hehuan Pavilion, the Transmission Hall, and the Intelligence Department."
"There's no need to say much about Hehuan Pavilion, it's where the disciples practice their secret techniques. There's also the grading exams at the Furnace and Cauldron Courtyard soon, which is quite lively. You might want to go and take a look, maybe you can pick out a furnace and cauldron that you like."
Elder Zhang paused, then approached mysteriously and said, "I've taken a look ahead of time. This batch of candidates is truly excellent, with all sorts of talents. I'm sure there's something you'll like."
She paused, then added quietly, "However, if you want to go, remember to go secretly. Your mother disdains the crooked ways of cultivating with furnaces and cauldrons. She even planned to abolish the furnace and cauldron system, but the other elders disagreed."
Shen Wenji quickly waved his hands: "No, no, I'm not interested either."
Elder Zhang continued to explain, "The Transmission Hall is usually taught by elders, and occasionally the head of the sect will come. It is a place where disciples are taught basic skills and guided to break through bottlenecks."
"The Intelligence Department is the junction for Hehuan Sect's external cooperation. There are many people in the martial arts world who ask Hehuan Sect disciples to help them get information or gather news. As long as the price is right, many people are willing to take it."
Finally, she led Shen Wenji to the sky above the center: "Yes, the meeting hall is located in the center of the sect. It is mostly used to discuss important matters of the sect. It is also where the sect master handles official business every day."
"This place connects to the sect's back mountain above and the sect's front hall below, making it very convenient to get anywhere."
In just half an incense stick of time, Elder Zhang had explained everything clearly. Shen Wenji was amazed at her efficiency and secretly memorized the locations of various parts of the sect.
Elder Zhang "thoughtfully" escorted her directly to the door of the meeting hall, and watched her go in with a smile on his face.
This time, Shen Wenji didn't even have a crack in the ground to make room for himself.
She had just used her mother as an excuse, but now when she really faced her mother alone, she was still a little scared.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Wenji slowly opened the door of the meeting hall.
The interior of the house is spacious. Facing the main seat of the gate is a golden wooden chair engraved with a cassia flower similar to the sect's emblem. The stamens and petals are inlaid with pearls and gems, showing luxury.
Her eyes were a little hurt by the dazzle.
When she accidentally broke in as a child, she always saw her mother sitting on it, looking majestic and intimidating. Later, she was strictly forbidden to approach it, so she never paid attention to this chair... It was so vulgar.
Now that I look closely, the council hall I had been longing for is nothing more than this.
Perhaps hearing her footsteps, her mother's majestic voice came from behind the chair: "Chen Wenji, come to the inner room."
Shen Wenji followed his instructions and walked around the blinding chair.
Behind the chair is a whole wall of treasures, which are filled with some vulgar jewels and precious objects, without any spiritual energy.
It seems that the reason she was blinded just now was not just because of the chair.
Shen Wenji subconsciously fumbled among those tacky gems, jades, and gold ornaments, trying to find the mechanism to open the inner room.
Shouldn't a secret room like this have a hidden switch? Strange, where is it?
"What are you doing?" A familiar voice with a hint of doubt came from not far to her right.
Wait, is that mother talking?
She looked in the direction of the voice and saw her mother looking at her in confusion.
And behind the mother was an extremely ordinary, extremely conspicuous, and even unlocked... wooden door?
Shen Wenji's movements were instantly petrified, and she stared in disbelief at the ordinary door that seemed to be mocking her intelligence.
The door to the inner room of the meeting hall... is actually... open?
The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she quickly walked towards her mother, saying in a pale defense, "I was just... I was attracted by the dazzling treasures."
"Susu has good taste. I see you like it too. You really have inherited my good qualities."
Her mother didn't notice her embarrassment and seemed to take her excuse seriously: "I just said these are beautiful, but Zhang Xuan always complains about me, saying they are tacky."
Zhang Xuan is the name of Elder Zhang. In the sect, I guess only my mother dares to call her by her name without any scruples.
“…”
Shen Wenji laughed awkwardly a few times, didn't dare to refute, and silently swallowed all the complaints.
Her mother led her into the inner room in a very good mood.
The interior of the meeting hall is different from other places. There is no serious office atmosphere here, but rather a warm residence.
Not only is there a warm bed, but there are also many small decorations with a strong sense of life. It can be seen that the owner of this room has been staying here for a long time.
Shen Wenji looked around curiously. It turned out that his mother lived here when she was not home.
"This will be your place from now on. When you are tired from handling sect affairs, you can rest here."
"Come on." Mother walked straight to the rosewood table in the inner room and sat down. She knocked on the tabletop and urged, "Stop looking around. There will be plenty of time to take a closer look later."
Shen Wenji's heart trembled, and he walked over with a serious expression: "Mother, do you have something important to tell me?"
"Of course." Mother's expression was solemn as she spread out several scrolls in a serious manner. "This is a matter of great importance."
Shen Wenji was shocked. She held her breath and leaned in to read the scroll, thinking it was some kind of sect war or internal strife among the disciples.
Unexpectedly, every unfolded scroll was actually a painting.
With delicate and flexible brushstrokes, one after another is vividly outlined...
Handsome man???
She froze in place for a moment, her throat involuntarily uttering a question: "Huh???"
Her mother sat calmly by the side, spreading out dozens of scrolls in front of her one by one.
At this moment, Shen Wenji was sure that his mother had not taken the wrong thing.
Every scroll is filled with handsome men of all styles. There are melancholic scholars, sunny black dogs, and dank, crazy beauties...
It's like the picture scrolls of Second Senior Sister's vernacular novels.
As she scanned the scroll, she looked up at her mother and asked in a trembling voice, "Mom, what are you doing?"
But the mother answered the question irrelevantly and asked, "Have you ever been in love?"
Shen Wenji's eyes widened: "Huh?"
The mother continued to ask slowly, "Have you ever had sex?"
Shen Wenji trembled with shock, his ears suddenly reddened, and he stammered, "No..."
"So these are prepared for you. They were originally intended to be candidates for your husband, but now they can be put to good use." Mother raised her chin and pointed at the scrolls. "I've carefully examined each one. Their character, appearance, and physical appearance are all excellent."
Shen Wenji couldn't help but interrupt: "Mother, what do you mean? Let me choose one???"
"Well, pick one you like and I'll bring it to your bed tonight."
The mother paused, as if thinking about something, and then said, "If you like more than one, that's fine. As long as your body can handle it, you can let them all go."
"No, why are you sending me to bed?" Shen Wenji was embarrassed and annoyed.
The mother's eyes were filled with mystery. "As the new leader of the Hehuan Sect, I think it's necessary to open your mind a little. After all, our Hehuan Sect is different from other sects."
"You don't have to be embarrassed. The chastity arch is just a shackle for women. There is nothing wrong with pleasing yourself. The Hehuan Sect will never discriminate."
"But I don't even know them. Do I have to spend the night with strangers?" Shen Wenji was a little angry. "I don't want to, mother, please don't force me."
The mother nodded thoughtfully, then took out a pile of portraits from under the table, flattened them, and stuffed them into Shen Wenji's hands.
"What about these? They're all people you know."
Shen Wenji frowned and took it, and his eyes suddenly turned black.
Just because the picture at the top of the scroll was of an old acquaintance of hers.
The mortal enemy I met a few days ago.
For example, Xie Yunqing, the chief disciple of Tianxuan Sect.
The author has something to say:
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Aunt Zhang and her mother were too enthusiastic, and Susu was like someone who had just escaped from the tiger's blood and fell into the wolf's den.
And Xiao Xie, who was completely defeated: Didn’t you say that I would appear in this chapter? [burst into tears][melted][heartbroken]
Um...why isn't the scroll considered an appearance? [Dog head holding a rose] Xiao Xie's inclusion on the scroll selection list proves that he's been approved by his mother-in-law (sure)
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