Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman

Wen Ruyu pondered for a moment. ’Considering our history,’ he thought, ’Jin Yue’Er wouldn’t have just changed her heart like this.’

So, he went to the front courtyard with Jin Yue’Er and Zheng San. Young Master He came out to greet them. The two men exchanged pleasantries and took their seats, with the others sitting to their left and right.

Young Master He said, "To meet a distinguished disciple of the Spirit Moon Sect in this brothel today is my greatest fortune!"

Wen Ruyu replied, "I am but a humble and untalented man. Brother He, you praise me too highly. How could I possibly be worthy?"

After a round of pleasantries, they all sipped their tea and made small talk.

Wen Ruyu watched closely and noticed Jin Yue’Er’s beautiful eyes kept stealing glances at Young Master He, her expression full of longing. She didn’t spare Wen Ruyu a single look, and a sense of displeasure grew in his heart.

After tea.

Zheng San and his wife then arranged for a banquet of Spiritual Cuisine, one that was several times more lavish than what had been prepared for Wen Ruyu on his previous visit.

During the banquet, after a few cups of Spirit Wine, Jin Yue’Er seemed to lose her inhibitions. She would whisper flirtatiously to Young Master He one moment, then lower her head with a shy smile the next, and then speak in a high, delicate voice. Wen Ruyu watched it all, his jealousy flaring up.

During the banquet, He Shihe said, "Brother Wen, I have something to say, and it comes from the bottom of my heart. Please don’t take it as mere politeness. I have been here for several days and have more than had my fill of this place’s... charms. You and Jin Qing are known to be close confidants, and you’ve been apart for so long. It is only right that you spend the night catching up. I wonder if you would do me this small honor?"

Wen Ruyu sneered inwardly, unwilling to accept such "pity" from He Shihe, and declined the offer.

He had made up his mind. He would treat Jin Yue’Er as nothing more than a common courtesan and never again waste a shred of genuine feeling on her!

’After He Shihe leaves tomorrow, I’ll show Jin Yue’Er who the real man is.’

He had already come up with more than ten different "methods of punishment" in his mind.

After the banquet, Zheng San and his wife escorted Young Master He to Jin Yue’Er’s room for tea, while Yu Qing’Er accompanied Wen Ruyu to a guest room in the rear courtyard for the night.

That night, Wen Ruyu sat cross-legged on the Jade Couch, his mind in turmoil, unable to enter a meditative trance.

He quietly dispelled the privacy wards in his room and activated the Heavenly Listening Secret Method, focusing on the sounds coming from the main building.

To his surprise, Jin Yue’Er’s room had no wards to block out sound. He couldn’t tell if it was intentional or if she had simply been too preoccupied to remember.

He could hear He and Jin, their bodies entwined like mating birds, their lustful cries and silvery moans beyond description.

Wen Ruyu let out a long sigh. "Forget it, just forget it," he muttered. "We aren’t husband and wife, so why should I torture myself over this?"

Though he said as much, he couldn’t just let it go.

He set up the wards again and sat quietly in the room by himself. Bored, his gaze fell upon a row of bookshelves against the wall, filled with numerous books and painted scrolls.

He hadn’t paid them any mind on his previous visit, but now, out of sheer vexation, he casually pulled out a painted scroll. He unrolled it and found it was a... pornographic illustration.

He glanced at it for a few moments before grabbing another, only to discover the entire shelf was filled with such material. He couldn’t help but curse Zheng San and his wife under his breath. ’What shrewd businesspeople!’

He was utterly bored. After looking through a few scrolls, they all started to seem the same. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted an ancient silk scroll tucked away on the shelf. It looked quite old.

He opened the ancient silk scroll. On its three-foot-long surface were painted a total of forty-eight incredibly lifelike images.

The artist’s skill was astounding. Not only were the poses perfectly natural, but the expressions on the man and woman were also exquisitely detailed and incredibly realistic.

For some reason, Wen Ruyu felt the woman in the scroll looked somewhat like Jin Yue’Er, while the man resembled He Shihe.

The more he looked, the angrier he became. A ball of Spirit Fire flared up in his hand, instantly setting the ancient silk scroll ablaze.

Amidst the blazing flames, a sheet of gold foil as thin as a cicada’s wing emerged from within.

Wen Ruyu froze for a second, then reached out and picked up the gold foil. Spiritual light flickered across its surface, colors shifting and changing as a map slowly materialized upon it.

Beside the map, lines of text began to appear.

According to the text, this was the legacy of a Dharma Realm cultivator from the Mingxiao Domain named Qinghao Wanderer.

This man had fled to the East Cyan Domain to escape his enemies and lived out his days in hiding. Before his death, he placed all the treasures he had accumulated in his lifetime into an ancient cavern deep within the mountains. This very gold foil contained a detailed record of the treasure’s location.

The map was left for one who was fated to find it.

Who knows what Qinghao Wanderer was thinking, hiding a treasure map inside a... pornographic illustration, only for it to eventually fall into the hands of Zheng San and his wife.

Wen Ruyu’s nerves were stretched taut, his heart pounding like a drum. How could he possibly spare another thought for petty jealousy over a woman?

This was the Treasure Vault of a great Dharma Realm expert!

He was just a lowly Outer Disciple of the Spirit Moon Sect, with no power or influence, all alone in the world. He couldn’t even win when competing for a courtesan. He could practically see the bleak, unchanging road of his entire life stretching out before him.

But now, a dreamlike sense of unreality enveloped him.

For him, the Treasure Vault of a Dharma Cultivator was nothing short of a heaven-sent, world-shaking opportunity!

If he could seize this opportunity, he could soar to prominence overnight. Compared to that, what was a mere Jin Yue’Er?

Wen Ruyu first committed the contents of the gold foil to memory, then carefully put it away.

He returned to the Jade Couch and sat quietly, regulating his breathing. Once his mind had calmed, he meticulously cleaned the room, leaving no trace of what had transpired.

Then, he slipped out of his room and strode quickly away from Spring Rain Alley.

Everyone in the courtyard assumed he was leaving in a jealous huff, having only stuck around this long for the sake of his so-called "dignity." They all just sneered at his departure and thought nothing of it.

*

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「One month later.」

Tens of thousands of miles from the True Flame Sect, high above an ancient Forest Sea.

Dark clouds hung low and fierce winds howled. Amidst the torrential downpour, a bright streak of Escape Light shot swiftly across the sky.

Within the Escape Light was a young man of about seventeen or eighteen. He had a slender build, fair skin, sharp brows, and bright eyes. His demeanor was calm and composed, giving him the air of one who had lived a privileged and pampered life.