Chapter Forty-Eight: Temptation
Cheng Changsheng waved his hand, signaling, “Let her in. As the city lord, I will see her this once.” The maid hesitated, then bowed respectfully. “Yes, my lord.”
Turning to greet Qu Yiqiu, the maid saw that the woman was already striding in on her own. Flustered, she turned back and announced, “City Lord, the cultivator has already entered.”
Cheng Changsheng’s languid posture stiffened immediately, his face darkening with displeasure. “Which disciple is so lacking in manners? My Yan’er hasn’t even summoned her, yet she barges into the main hall uninvited?”
Still stinging from the humiliation he’d suffered earlier at Qian Jiangfan’s hands, Cheng Changsheng rose abruptly, intent on teaching this impudent disciple a lesson to vent his frustrations.
The maid called Yan’er stepped aside, revealing Qu Yiqiu’s elegant figure.
The woman’s delicate face was as flawless as jade, her skin fairer than snow, her eyes limpid and luminous, exuding a natural grace and noble air that made one instinctively cautious, as if beholding a goddess. Though she was dressed in the standard dark-green Daoist robe of the Tianyan Sect, her slender form could not be concealed.
Cheng Changsheng stared, utterly stunned, his expression frozen in awe. Though he was no longer young and held great power, having seen countless beautiful women, it was only now, upon beholding this ethereal presence, that he realized how narrow his world had been.
He swallowed hard, quickly waving his sleeve and calling out, “You there, hurry and brew the Dao Resonance Tea, then leave us!” He wanted to be alone with this celestial beauty.
The maids exchanged glances, bowed, and withdrew.
Qu Yiqiu looked surprised. Are all city lords this wealthy? Even entertaining guests with such extravagant spiritual tea? Dao Resonance Tea was rumored to sell for ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones per ounce!
Cheng Changsheng greeted her with a wide smile. “Please, have a seat, cultivator. There’s no need for formality. Qunan City and the Tianyan Sect are like family—there’s no need for stiff etiquette between us!”
Qu Yiqiu paused, realizing she had misunderstood the city lord’s attitude. Since he was so approachable, there was no need to waste time on small talk.
“My lord, I heard that the City Lord’s Mansion has activated a secret teleportation array that can send one cultivator out. Is this true?”
Cheng Changsheng’s smile did not fade as he nodded slightly. “It is true. Is there something you require?” If this fairy wished to buy pills or artifacts from his private stores, so much the better! Those who come with requests must always pay a price… Heh.
He maintained a genial façade, calculating inwardly.
Qu Yiqiu’s eyes lit up. “Wonderful! If I wish to be the one sent out, what must I do?”
Cheng Changsheng’s delight flickered. “You want to be the one teleported out?”
She paid his subtle reaction no mind. “Yes, though my cultivation is low, I wish to do something for my companions—so I hope to be the one to deliver resources!”
He paused, narrowing his eyes. “I admire your selflessness, but this matter is not so easily settled. The teleportation array can only send one cultivator, and that person has already been decided.”
Not so easily settled? She seized on the implication. Did that mean there was a way?
She watched his expression closely, probing, “My lord, as the city lord, surely you can help me secure this task! Whatever is required of me, I will do my utmost to fulfill it.”
Conveniently, she had just robbed Qunan City’s treasury and was flush with spirit stones. If a bribe was desired, she could endure the pain and pay him off.
Cheng Changsheng’s shrewd gaze swept over her, and he shook his head slowly. “It’s not that I don’t wish to help, but even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Qu Yiqiu’s brow furrowed. Did he assume that, as a practitioner in the Qi Condensation stage, she was too poor to offer anything of value?
“Please speak plainly, my lord. I am the chief disciple of my peak. While I may not match the top disciple of Nine Sword Peak, I do not shrink from challenges!”
She deliberately spoke vaguely about her identity, hoping he would overestimate her background and her ability to pay.
Cheng Changsheng’s eyelid twitched. This woman claimed to be a chief disciple, yet he had never heard of her. This was troublesome—if she really was her peak’s disciple, he could not force her to remain. She would have to willingly submit to him.
A plan formed in his mind. “Fairy Qu, your resolve is admirable. Since you are determined to help, I will tell you the requirements to become the one sent through the teleportation array.”
She looked at him expectantly.
He sighed. “If you can present four hundred thousand war credits, you may exchange them for the right to be teleported.”
“Four hundred thousand?” she exclaimed.
A glint of triumph flickered in Cheng Changsheng’s eyes as he repeated solemnly, “You heard correctly—four hundred thousand war credits.”
Qu Yiqiu frowned, suspecting she had just glimpsed him smirking. “Is there no alternative, my lord? Can you not decide who is teleported? With your authority, is a mere spot really beyond your grasp?”
She now harbored doubts—four hundred thousand war credits was no small sum. Even Chi Yushu, currently ranked first, had only accumulated just over one hundred thousand.
Cheng Changsheng idly rubbed his hands together. “Fairy Qu, the teleportation array of the City Lord’s Mansion, on the surface, is for sending resources to disciples; but in truth, it holds the power of life and death over them all. Even as city lord, I cannot let personal desires dictate who uses it.”
“If one can pass my test and amass that many war credits, I can be assured of their reliability. Only then can I entrust them with the teleportation array.”
She relaxed her brow. “So you require a demonstration of sincerity?”
He smiled. “You are indeed perceptive. If you are willing to serve as my maid for ten years, that would also suffice.”
Qu Yiqiu regarded him expressionlessly. So, after all this circuitous talk, the city lord simply wanted to trick her into becoming a servant in Qunan City? Where did his confidence come from, believing she would pay such a price for this opportunity?
He continued, “There is no need to rush, Fairy. You may take your time to consider. If you wish to help your sect, this is not the only way. But if you are willing to stay as my maid for ten years, I can arrange not just the teleportation, but also the path to immortality!”
His intentions now fully revealed, he made no attempt to disguise his admiration, gently coaxing her.
Qu Yiqiu remained calm. “Thank you for your generous offer, my lord. I will reflect on it and soon give you my answer.”
Cheng Changsheng’s eyes followed her every graceful step as she departed, lingering until she vanished from sight. Only then did he reluctantly look away, murmuring to himself, “This woman—I must have her.”