Chapter 4000 — Do Me a Favor

Seeing Little Curly Bear snatch up the giant shears meant for trimming the mansion's oversized bonsai and wave them wildly about, liable at any moment to wound itself, Shangguan Lan'er had no choice but to chase after it and soothe it. Yet before she could reach it, a knife-hand struck the back of her neck; her eyes rolled up and she collapsed, dead to the world.

In the same breath, the newcomer did not spare Little Curly Bear either, kicking it into a corner with a single boot.

Wei Zhao, sitting in meditation some distance away, felt his eyelid twitch at the sight, and the corner of his mouth lifted into the faint curve of one whose expectations had been met. The arrival was none other than Xu Lingchong.

"Young Hero Lin, I daresay you never imagined we would meet again so soon?" Xu Lingchong kicked Little Curly Bear aside, then cast a glance at the insensible Shangguan Lan'er on the floor and seated himself, eyes brimming with greed, upon a broad armchair, every inch the man in command.

Wei Zhao raised his head to look at him, wobbled his head in imitation of Little Curly Bear's earlier antics, his gaze vacant, and said nothing.

Xu Lingchong burst out laughing. "Oh, right—this young master nearly forgot. Young Hero Lin has just been drinking, so his senses must be muddled by now, no? A country bumpkin from the secular world like you has surely never tasted spirit wine of such fine vintage, and must have assumed all spirit wines pack such a delayed punch. Hahaha! Immortal's Stupor can fell even immortals. For a weed-gnawing ant like you to taste Immortal's Stupor before dying—I'd say your life has not been wasted!"

Wei Zhao still made no response. To Xu Lingchong's eyes, his mind was wholly adrift, forcing his eyelids open to cling to the last shred of consciousness—and perhaps the next moment he would hold out no longer.

Never mind Wei Zhao's paltry cultivation; even a fine hand like Xu Lingchong, at the great consummation of the Foundation Establishment stage, privately admitted he could not withstand the potency of Immortal's Stupor.

Xu Lingchong sneered, and his gaze slid lewdly back and forth over Shangguan Lan'er's lithe, shapely figure, fairly drooling.

At first glance Shangguan Lan'er seemed a little girl who had never grown up, her figure nowhere near as ripe and alluring as Murong Zhen's—yet she carried an extra measure of fresh, innocent temptation, and her lofty status as Shangguan Tianxia's only granddaughter besides. Even a veteran of the pleasure quarters like Xu Lingchong could hardly restrain himself now.

Seeing Xu Lingchong reach out to touch Shangguan Lan'er, Wei Zhao suddenly gave a muffled groan, as though struggling to clamber to his feet—but his limbs would not obey, and he staggered up and fell back time and again, unable to gain his footing.

"Ho there! After downing Immortal's Stupor, you can still cling to the last sliver of awareness at this hour—Young Hero Lin, you really are a somebody. This young master has underestimated you all along!" Xu Lingchong laughed mockingly and came over to crouch before Wei Zhao. "Very well. In honor of that rare showing, this young master will let you die with your eyes open."

"You… what do you mean to do?" Wei Zhao said, rolling his eyes and slurring his words.

"What do I mean to do? Isn't it plain enough? Fine wine and a fair maiden set out before me—a little wine-fueled passion, that's only human nature, wouldn't you say, Young Hero Lin?" Xu Lingchong shot a smug glance at the unconscious Shangguan Lan'er and could not help swallowing hard.

"Wine-fueled passion…" Wei Zhao's heart gave a jolt. He had suspected as much before, but hearing Xu Lingchong say it with his own lips was still somewhat staggering.

For any other woman, Young Master Xu could have as many as he pleased. But who was Shangguan Lan'er? She was the pearl in the palm of Shangguan Tianxia, master of the Chongtian Pavilion. Should Xu Lingchong dare touch a single hair on her head, there was but one fate awaiting him: death.

And now this wretch meant to take her by force. Had Xu Lingchong eaten a leopard's heart and bear's gall, or had his brains drained clean out through his loins? Even courting death, there were better ways than this!

"You find it unbelievable? You think this young master shouldn't have such nerve? Hahaha!" Xu Lingchong laughed in triumph and pointed slyly at Wei Zhao. "Rest easy, Young Hero Lin. To force myself on Junior Sister Lan'er—that, this young master truly lacks the nerve for. But this young master simply cannot bear to give up Junior Sister Lan'er, so after much turning it over, there is only one course: I must prevail upon you to do me a small favor."

"A… a favor…" Wei Zhao went on feigning muddle-headedness.

Xu Lingchong shot him a contemptuous glance and rose, walking toward Shangguan Lan'er. "Why, to take the blame for this young master, of course. Young Hero Lin, drunk and inflamed with wine, forces himself upon Junior Sister Lan'er, and this young master discovers the outrage and slays him with a single blow. And after that—this young master may display his magnanimous breadth of heart by condescending to take in Junior Sister Lan'er, tarnished goods though she now is, letting bygones be bygones. What say you? This little stratagem of mine—reaping both fame and profit—is passable enough, is it not?"

"You truly are despicable…" Wei Zhao was secretly alarmed as he listened. Were Xu Lingchong's plan to be followed through, one had only to splash the filth upon a dead man like himself—no corpse to testify—and truly, no flaw could be picked in it.

"Despicable? Hmph, only failures and weaklings prattle such ignorant drivel!" Xu Lingchong paused, then turned his head and sneered. "And this young master has you to thank for it, Young Hero Lin. Had you not grown so close to Junior Sister Lan'er, this young master could never have found such an opportunity and such a pretext. Perhaps I might have waited bitterly for decades more and still never known her favors. But now all is well—my wish is at last fulfilled, and this young master may at last become Shangguan Tianxia's son-in-law. Your merit cannot be overstated! Hahaha!"

That said, Xu Lingchong could wait no longer. He drew a small vial of potion from his bosom and turned to pour it down Shangguan Lan'er's throat.

It was the Immortal's Stupor he had prepared long ago. Since he had failed to make Shangguan Lan'er drink it with the spirit wine earlier, he had no choice but to force it down her now. She had been knocked unconscious, true, but there was no telling when she might wake; it was safer by far to leave her senses good and muddled.

With a face full of savage, exultant glee, Xu Lingchong poured the Immortal's Stupor down her throat; then with one hand he seized Shangguan Lan'er's sash, ready to undress her. He had dreamed of this motion for years, and had practiced it to consummate skill upon other women.

To be sure, the Threefold Pavilion of North Island had few female cultivators, but with the status of Young Master Xu, finding a woman or two to sport with was the simplest of matters. He need not even speak—men like Lou Tianyou would scurry to arrange it for him.

But those were only common women. Female cultivators were scarce, and one of such lofty station as Shangguan Lan'er scarcer still. Today at last he could have the woman he had yearned for in his dreams—Xu Lingchong felt himself unable to contain his excitement at the mere thought. R1152