Chapter 9: Adventures in the Forest

Ren Tianqi Dao: "Then what benefits do I have?"

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the web slowly drooped down, gently placing him on the ground. Following that, the white spider crawled down the web and moved forward. Upon seeing Tianqi standing still in place, it paused to wait for him

It was the height of summer, and Sichuan, being a basin, was particularly hot during this season. Tianqi had taken off his shirt and was sitting in the courtyard half-naked to cool off. He noticed Old Wang sweeping the steps outside each room, but one eye kept glancing furtively towards Fan Lijuan's room, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

Xia Xiangdao: "Heaven has abandoned you, I want you to do something. If you do it, there will be benefits for you. Will you do it?"

Little did Ren Tianqi know that he merely glanced at her, then stood up with a playful grin and said: "Sister Xiaoxiang, are you wanting to eat my young chicken? That won't do; I've already suffered too great a loss, and this deal cannot be made."

Upon reaching the largest graveyard, Ren Tianqi found a mark he had made. He lifted a pile of weeds, revealing a hole, and then took out some stones. He retrieved an oilcloth wrapped bundle, opened it, and found some broken silver. Ren Tianqi took out five taels, but still put it back, stuffing it among the stones and covering it with the weeds.

At this moment, Ren Tianqi realized and thought to himself: "This white spider seems to want me to follow it." He then took two steps forward, and the white spider crawled ahead again, emitting a faint white light, so Tianqi was not at risk of losing track of it

At this moment, Ren Tianqi was also frightened, his mouth slightly agape, repeatedly saying: "Spider Immortal, Spider God, Spider Elder, I, Ren Tianqi, have never killed anyone, never set a fire, nor have I forcibly taken any maidens. I do not pick up lost items on the road, I honor my parents, and I often take the blind old Zhao from next door out shopping. I truly have not committed any heinous acts. Please spare me; my flesh is quite coarse and lacks flavor. Instead, I will catch a thousand, no, ten thousand mosquitoes to offer you as tribute. Please, I beg you, let me go."

After walking for about half an hour, the sound of flowing river water could be heard, and the terrain became increasingly low and uneven. Ren Tianqi chose not to take the small path, but instead walked along the overgrown grass for a while, eventually arriving at a chaotic graveyard by the riverbank. In the summer, several flickering green phosphorescent lights were visible, which were said to be the legendary ghost lights. If it were someone else, they would have been terrified to the point of losing control. However, Ren Tianqi's courage was far greater than that of ordinary people, and he often pondered: "If there are ghosts in this world, and if one were to kill me, I would naturally become a ghost myself. When I get down there, I would inevitably seek revenge, so what is there to be afraid of?" With this thought, he became indifferent to these matters.

At this moment, the rain intensified, and mud had already accumulated on the ground. Ren Tianqi stumbled his way to the edge of the woods, having already fallen several times, his body covered in dirt. Fortunately, the trees in this forest were tall and lush, providing some shelter from the rain.

His words were vague, and it was unclear whether the white spider could understand. However, it crawled to the side of his eye and lingered there for quite a while. Ren Tianqi held his breath, fearing that his breathing might be too loud and disturb the white spider, provoking its ire

Ren Tianqi smiled and said, "How could I be left out of something beneficial? What is it?"

Just as he walked about thirty zhang, the white light suddenly vanished. While he was still feeling astonished, his body seemed to be stuck by something soft, rendering him completely unable to move. Ren Tianqi was unaware of what he had collided with and struggled even more vigorously. However, the more he struggled, the tighter the grip of that thing in the Eight-Five-Eight Study became. Before long, he found that his hands and feet could no longer move. In a moment of panic, his body suddenly felt light, as if he had already lifted off the ground.

Ren Tianqi cursed his bad luck under his breath, turned around, and ran, but he did not take the original path; instead, he headed towards a grove ahead. This grove was about half a mile long and served as a shortcut to the city. However, the people of Hezhou City claimed that demons had once roamed here, thus it was regarded as a forbidden area within the city, and no one had ever ventured through it. Although Ren Tianqi usually avoided this route, the rain was simply too heavy today, and he did not place much faith in these rumors. Therefore, without further thought, he ran straight into the grove.

At that moment, Ren Tianqi heard Xia Xiang calling for him from the room. This young prostitute, whose appearance was rather ordinary and who was only four years older than Ren Tianqi, had been spared a beating from Bai Fangfang thanks to Ren Tianqi's proactive intervention that day. When she later asked Ren Tianqi why he admitted to the act, he naturally did not tell the truth. Instead, he said something along the lines of a good man taking responsibility for his actions, expressing that he could not bear to see her whipped by Bai Fangfang. Xia Xiang felt grateful and treated him much better than before.

Since he experienced the incident with Zhu Jiangxian, his mind has matured significantly, and he has gained some understanding of romantic relationships. Recently, he has noticed that Old Wang seems increasingly attentive to Er Niang, often staring blankly at her back. Whenever a client arrives at Er Niang's room, he becomes restless, pacing anxiously in the courtyard, realizing that Old Wang must have feelings for Er Niang. Fan Lijuan has treated him with maternal kindness since childhood, and naturally, Tianqi does not wish for her to be a prostitute for life. Old Wang appears to be honest and straightforward, so having such a future for Er Niang is not bad. A few days ago, taking advantage of being alone with Old Wang, he encouraged him to seek Bai Fangfang to redeem Fan Lijuan. After all, Er Niang's clients have always been few, and she is getting older, so the redemption fee should not be too high. He even reluctantly agreed to give Old Wang ten taels of silver, but Old Wang looked pained and just shook his head, leaving him puzzled about what he was thinking. Angered, Tianqi ignored him for two days, and now seeing him like this again, he coughed several times. Old Wang naturally understood that he was referring to his feelings for Fan Lijuan but lacking the courage to act, and he seemed to sigh slightly before lowering his head and focusing on sweeping the floor.

At this thought, she bit her lip, reached out to touch his chest, and said: "Forget it, you don't need to handle this matter anymore. Considering that in the past you spared me a beating, I'll teach you the benefits of being a man." As she spoke, she moved towards the bed, thinking to herself that this little guy would probably pounce on her like a hungry tiger.

She spoke with full confidence that Ren Tianqi would definitely agree, but to her surprise, the young man shook his head and said: "These past few days, Second Mother has not been feeling well, so I cannot accomplish this matter for you."

As the sun and moon alternate, time flows swiftly. The era name of the Tang Dynasty has changed from Kaiyuan to He * Tu * Shu Tianbao. The plum blossoms in the "Spring Full Garden" have bloomed twice again. By the time the jasmine flowers bloom, Ren Tianqi will have turned sixteen. Although the red spots on his face show no signs of fading, he has grown taller, nearly matching Old Wang, and his strength has increased significantly. With this newfound strength, tasks are naturally completed more quickly, granting him some leisure time. However, he no longer climbs the walls of the "Gathering Beauty Pavilion" to spy on Zhu Jiangxian, yet he remains vigilant about her movements. The humiliation from that night has lingered in his mind for the past two years, and this grudge must be avenged at all costs.

Little did Ren Tianqi know that after walking several dozen zhang into the woods, he began to feel a sense of despair. The forest was already dense with foliage, making it difficult for light to penetrate, and now, with the heavy rain falling across the land, it had become utterly dark, rendering him unable to see his own hand. He stumbled about aimlessly, and in an instant, he lost his way, completely unable to discern which direction led to the city.

Ren Tianqi then sat down, his skin feeling smooth, and he caught a whiff of cheap floral cologne in the air. He said, "Sister Xiaoxiang, is there something you need?"

Ren Tianqi no longer spoke, turning around to walk outside and enjoy the coolness in the yard. Having grown up in such an environment, he was not indifferent to matters between men and women. When Xia Xiang touched him earlier, he did have a reaction below his abdomen. However, the humiliation brought upon him by Zhu Jiangxian was too deeply etched in his memory. He had long secretly vowed to himself that since beautiful girls found him ugly, he would deliberately show off to beautiful girls to let them see. Ren Tianqi was not a useless good-for-nothing. Yet, the humiliation brought upon him by Zhu Jiangxian was too deeply etched in his memory. He had long secretly vowed to himself that since beautiful girls found him ugly, he would deliberately show off to beautiful girls to let them see. Ren Tianqi was not a useless good-for-nothing.

In the past two years, the business of "Juyanfang" has been thriving, resulting in fewer customers coming to "Chunmanyuan," while Baifangfang has become increasingly prone to scolding others, rarely showing a smile on her face

In the midst of his distress, he noticed a faint glimmer of white light in the left front, hazy and indistinct, not knowing what it was. Ren Tianqi, in a state of panic, chose a path without thought and walked towards the white light.

Xia Xiangdao: "Fan Lijuan's needlework is the best. She has always cared for you. If you ask her to make me a floral spring outfit, it should not be a problem"

Just two days ago, Ren Tianqi received a message stating that Zhu Jiangxian's skills had reached perfection, and she would be unveiling her talent in three days. It is said that the bidding for her services has already reached thirty taels of gold, which is the highest price ever recorded in Hezhou City. However, it is rumored that many wealthy merchants are still placing bids. This matter has caused a sensation in Hezhou City and the surrounding counties, with much discussion taking place in the inns and tea houses. Yet, what everyone talks about the most is Zhu Jiangxian's extraordinary beauty and elegance, as well as her unparalleled talents in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Although Ren Tianqi listened with a cold smile on his lips, he was secretly brewing a bold plan in his heart.

Moving slowly, after about half an hour, Ren Tianqi had already seen the flickering lights of the houses through the trees, realizing that he had emerged. He felt a deep gratitude towards the white spider and was about to express his thanks. However, upon looking closely, he found that the white light had vanished, and he did not know where it had gone. Nevertheless, he called out "thank you" three times before finally stepping out.

At that moment, the white light reappeared, and Ren Tianqi's head was also stuck to that thing, but his eyeballs could still move. Taking advantage of the faint light, he glanced left and right, only to break out in a cold sweat. It turned out that he was currently ensnared in a spider web as large as a waterwheel, and a white spider had already crawled in front of him. Tianqi observed it clearly; this white spider was translucent and glistening, resembling snow jade, with a faint white light flowing over its body. Its size was not much larger than an ordinary spider, and he truly could not understand how it could weave such a gigantic web.

That night, only Zheng Bao'er and a courtesan named Guihua had clients, while the others were idle. Tian Qi did not want Bai Fangfang to discover his affairs, so he planned to wait until she had settled down before retrieving the silver.

Upon seeing Ren Tianqi enter, Xia Xiang patted the edge of her bed and said lazily, "Tianqi, come sit here."

Xia Xiangqi had been lingering for a while when she caught a glimpse of Ren Tianqi, who was bare-chested. His well-defined pectoral muscles were prominently visible, and his arms were quite robust. A strong masculine aura wafted towards her, causing her heart to flutter involuntarily. She thought to herself: "Although this fellow is not good-looking, his physique is quite impressive. He must still be a young man. Even with the lights off and eyes closed, it would still be somewhat enjoyable. Since there aren't many guests tonight, I might as well have some fun with him."

After much anticipation, when "Spring in Full Bloom" closed its doors, Bai Fangfang returned to her room to rest. Ren Tianqi then climbed over the low wall and walked north along the street.

Xia Xiang did not expect that this cunning fellow would expose his own schemes with a single remark. Angered, she grabbed the pillow from her head and threw it at him, saying: "You little bastard, I only pity you and gave you this opportunity. Don't you even take a moment to reflect on yourself? With your appearance, you can't even touch a woman's hand. Get lost, hurry up and get lost."

Xia Xiang smiled and said: "You little lecher, always sneaking around to eavesdrop, as if I wouldn't know. If this matter comes to fruition, out of kindness, I might just let you have a taste of a woman's pleasures for free. Wouldn't that make you happy?"

Just as he was about to return the same way, he saw a golden snake darting across the sky, which was a sign of lightning. Before long, the sound of thunder roared. First, a few raindrops fell on his face, and before he could react, the rain came pouring down as if it were being splashed all over him. In his ears, he could only hear the deafening sound of "whoosh," and his vision had become completely blurred.

The first step of the plan is to buy a "Ziwumi | Soul | Incense". This item is used by flower thieves in the martial world, and is mostly a secret recipe, rarely sold in shops. Fortunately, in the past two years, Ren Tianqi has learned quite a bit about the various sects and trades, and has already found out that the Zhang family shop in the western city, which sells weapons, has this item for sale. However, the price is not low, requiring five taels of silver to obtain it. Over the years, Ren Tianqi has become increasingly skilled in his collaboration with Zheng Bao'er, and the variety of their techniques has grown. Aside from occasional expenses for drinking with his brothers Zhu Rouqiang, Li Yan, and Yang Minggong, he has managed to save up twenty taels of silver. However, keeping this silver in his unlocked small room is quite concerning, so he has hidden it in a desolate graveyard by the river in the north, where human presence is rare, making it an absolutely safe place.

Upon entering Xiaoxiang's room, she was unfastening her hair, her spring shirt half undone, slightly revealing her delicate bosom as she sat on the edge of the bed. However, her beauty was mediocre, her complexion not particularly good, and her breasts were underdeveloped. The only noteworthy feature was her long hair, thick and dark, cascading down like a cloud.