Chapter 6: A Life of Decadence

Chapter 6: A Decadent Life

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Venerable Yu captured the assassin.

It was a typical day.

In the main hall on the second floor of the Pavilion of Heaven, Yu Xian lounged in a grand armchair, holding a yellow-skinned wine gourd and taking an occasional sip.

Inside the gourd was a nourishing medicinal wine prepared by Doctor Huang. It was called "Ten-Complete Strengthening Wine"—a crude name, but highly effective, offering tangible benefits even to a cultivator like himself. Perhaps because of the honey added to the herbal blend, it tasted faintly sweet upon closer inspection.

The Prince’s estate had many complex matters to attend to, but almost none that required the attention of a Heaven-rank Venerable. Consequently, Yu Xian’s days were exceptionally idle.

He thoroughly enjoyed this leisure.

With room and board provided, a salary for doing nothing, and even a house and a woman gifted to him, it was the absolute dream of any modern worker.

Soft, alluring music played in his ears as a beauty performed a dance before him. Yulan, the dancer, was a classic oriental beauty—petite and exquisite, with delicate, well-defined features. She was currently in the prime of her youth, which only served to amplify her natural charm.

Yu Xian could not help but feel a sense of novelty. Even though he and Yulan were intimate every single day, he still felt a sudden urge to see what kind of beautiful physique was hidden beneath those dancing robes.

He quickly took two more sips of the medicinal wine. It seemed he would have to cultivate diligently again today!

As a thought crossed his mind, his progress over the past month appeared before his eyes:

[Name: Yu Xian]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining, 6th Layer (11/130)]
[Dao Companion: Yulan (1/1)]

In just a short month, he had broken through another layer to reach the 6th Layer of Qi Refining, only one step away from the late stage.

In the world of low-level cultivators, a late-stage Qi Refining expert was considered quite formidable—enough to serve as a steward in small or medium-sized cultivation families and manage important affairs. The manager he had worked for as a farmhand back in the day was just such a cultivator. That man would do nothing all day but wait for the harvest to collect rent, while they, the spirit-farmers, had to grovel and flatter him, terrified he might miscalculate their yield to their detriment.

He had envied that man to death back then. Perhaps that lingering envy had fueled his determination to cultivate. Not only did he fail to keep to his "once a day" limit, he had actively pushed himself to twice or even three times a day. Every time he finished, Yu Xian deeply regretted his lack of restraint. But cultivation was like that—sometimes, once you start, it becomes impossible to stop.

Seeing his progress bit by bit, Yu Xian felt relieved, knowing his efforts had not been in vain. Consequently, he had no choice but to ask Doctor Huang to increase the dosage. The thousand-tael silver note he had received from the Prince was quickly converted into gourd after gourd of the strengthening wine. If not for the backing of a top-tier power like the Prince’s estate, he would never have been able to gather those rare medicinal herbs.

As the dance ended, Yulan hopped into Yu Xian’s arms, no longer as reserved as before. She was like a well-tamed house cat, allowing him to pet her as he pleased.

Ever since her master had retrieved her indenture from the Prince’s estate and restored her freedom, she felt as if she had lost her freedom all over again. Yet, this time, she was completely willing. Even though she knew her master was mostly infatuated with her body, she was content, doing her best to display the beauty of her youth to him. For someone whose life had been as drifting as duckweed, even the smallest amount of affection was worth a hundredfold, or a thousandfold, return.

Not to mention, her master was so handsome and gentle. He never treated her like a lowly slave and sometimes even tolerated her small acts of willfulness. This made her grow more like a child, craving more and more of his affection.

As for the task the Princess had given her—to spy on Yu Xian—well, she only had one master now.

"How was it, Master?"

"It was alright. I wasn't really looking," Yu Xian teased, watching her pout. He pinched her crystalline nose and leaned into her ear, his voice laced with temptation. "Because I was only thinking about how to devour you in one bite."

Yulan’s ears turned bright red. She immediately turned her annoyance into joy and snuggled deeper into his arms, acting coy. "Master, you only know how to tease me."

"Xiao Yi, want to join us?"

Feeling restless, Yu Xian suddenly turned to Chen Yi, who had been playing the accompaniment. Ever since he had persuaded Chen Xiao to treat the Prince, and Chen Xiao had only agreed to suppress the poison, Chen Yi—Chen Xiao’s sister—had been sent to his courtyard. Chen Xiao claimed there was no room for her in his own quarters, and since Yu Xian had made a promise to him, he should take care of her.

Yu Xian didn't mind; having another beauty around was easy on the eyes, and it was nice to have a change of pace occasionally. Thanks to the gossiping maids at the door, everyone in the estate knew that Venerable Yu was a notorious lecher. Once someone entered his pavilion, their innocence would surely be lost. Since he was being accused of it, he might as well make it true!

"N-no!" Chen Yi stood up in a panic and hurried toward the door; she wasn't ready for this yet.

However, just before she left, she glanced back at the scene of the lovers on the grand armchair and felt a pang of envy. Given her status, she wondered when, if ever, she would be able to lie in someone else's arms and act spoiled with such ease. Perhaps never.

"Remember to walk for an hour or so, and don't come back until the time is up, or I'll take it as your consent to join us," the rogue-like laughter of the Venerable followed her. Chen Yi stumbled and hurried away even faster.

"Hahaha..." The laughter traveled far, causing Chen Yi’s face to burn.

...

As his palm gently caressed Yulan’s milk-smooth skin, a thought occurred to him: if Yulan were to begin cultivating, would the cultivation points she provided him increase?

Although his progress was currently rapid, it was beginning to slow down as his realm climbed. The 6th Layer already required over a hundred points. What would it be like at the 9th Layer, or if he were lucky enough to reach the Foundation Establishment stage? With only Yulan as his companion and no immediate way to increase that number, boosting her cultivation might have unexpected benefits.

Yu Xian wrapped his robe around his waist and strode into the bedroom, retrieving the *Longevity Manual* he had long dismissed as useless. He had left it out for a month as a test, but neither Yulan nor Chen Yi had shown any interest. Yulan was busy enjoying her life, and Chen Yi hadn't received orders to do so, so his efforts had been in vain.

"Master, what is this? The *Longevity Manual*? Is it a Taoist method for physical nourishment?"

Yulan had been carefully trained by the Princess; she was not only skilled in song and dance but also well-educated.

Yu Xian didn't correct her. "Something like that. Just practice this manual diligently. If you see any results, I will reward you handsomely."

Yulan tossed the manual aside and, indifferent to her state of undress, draped her soft arms around Yu Xian’s neck with a lazy smile. "I am already satisfied, Master. I don't need any rewards. But I will listen to you and practice hard."

"Really?" Yu Xian dangled the bait with a smile. "What if I told you that if you succeed, I will marry you and make you my concubine?"

Yulan’s body stiffened, and her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Master, what did you just say?"

Yu Xian stroked her long, soft hair. His tone was calm, yet he sounded like a demon offering a soul contract to a drowning person. "If you succeed, I will take you in as my concubine."

He didn't say "legal wife"—she wouldn't have believed him if he did.

Yulan’s eyes reddened. She snatched up the manual as if it were her own life and swore, "Master, I will definitely succeed!"

"Look at you, crying like a child." Yu Xian wiped the tears from her eyes and made a beautiful promise. "It's just a try. It doesn't matter if you don't succeed. Since you belong to me, I won't ever abandon you."