What’s going on here? By the way, why haven’t you gone back to rest?

“Su Shijie?”

“Sorry!” Su Lanqian lowered her head, unable to meet Bai Feng’s gaze. “Did I hold you back? If I hadn’t participated, maybe the formation wouldn’t have had such a rookie mistake, and you wouldn’t have been misunderstood…”

Just yesterday, Bai Feng had praised her and invited her to help with the formation, and now, on the very first day, this had happened. Would he be disappointed in her?

“No, it’s not your fault…”

Bai Feng rubbed his forehead, feeling like everyone around him was eager to take the blame.

“Stop overthinking it. If you think it’s your mistake, then come help me optimize the formation.”

“But…”

Su Lanqian wanted to say more, but before she could, she let out a sudden gasp.

Bai Feng had grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the ground. “There’s still a mountain of work to do! As my assistant, are you really going to leave me to face all these formations alone?”

“I didn’t…” Su Lanqian quickly shook her head.

“If you didn’t, then hurry up and help! If we don’t finish tonight, you can forget about sleeping!”

With that, Bai Feng dragged her into the room.

It was a rare opportunity to have a free Palu willing to help; there was no way he would let her go so easily!

Still squatting there lost in thought, it must be because there wasn’t enough work to keep her busy!

Su Lanqian was pulled into the room by Bai Feng, her eyes fixated on his hand gripping her arm, her mind repeating: ‘If we don’t finish tonight, you can forget about sleeping.’

Was she really going to spend the night at Bai Feng’s place?

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and she felt a flicker of anticipation within.

But she also knew that even if she stayed overnight, it would only be to help with the formation, and nothing else would happen.

But that was enough.

She hadn’t been resting well lately, and with time passing, the scent Bai Feng had left on the blanket was fading. Every night, her inner demons began to stir.

But if she could spend the night in Bai Feng’s room, she wouldn’t have to worry about those demons bothering her.

In fact…

Su Lanqian instinctively swallowed hard, unable to resist leaning down to sniff her own clothes.

If she stayed in Bai Feng’s room a few more days, she would surely absorb more of his scent, right?

“Su Shijie?”

“Ah? Yes!”

Su Lanqian quickly snapped back to reality, cautiously looking at Bai Feng.

“Could you help me with this part of the formation? I need to modify the Golden Armor Formation first, and I might need your help testing it later.” Bai Feng handed her the unfinished formation from the morning. “If you have any questions, just ask me. Don’t get lost in your own thoughts.”

“Okay.” Su Lanqian quickly took the formation and nodded.

“If you’re tired, you can take a break. The tea is in the cupboard, and if it gets too much, you can even lie down on the sofa for a bit.”

Bai Feng wasn’t a heartless boss; even a Palu needed to rest, especially with something as mentally taxing as formations.

Su Lanqian instinctively glanced at the long robe draped over the sofa. Her throat moved, and she quickly averted her gaze. “Got it!”

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Bai Feng stretched his body, but instead of diving right in, he opened the system to check the mini-map.

“Huh? Why is Li Ming still in the west of the city? Is there something good over there?”

He thought hard for a moment, recalling only a river in the west of the city, and then…

“Could it be that the Child of Fortune went to listen to music at a brothel?”

No wonder he could draw so many conclusions from just one piece of clothing; he clearly wasn’t a typical Child of Fortune.

Let’s hope this Child of Fortune is really just listening to music and not plotting something sinister. Otherwise…

…

On the flower boat.

Li Ming sat in a secluded corner, scanning the women passing by with disinterest.

He was waiting for a girl named “Chun’er” to appear.

The same girl he had seen playing the guqin through the window that morning.

To get a closer look at her, he had specially crafted a fourth-grade weapon as his ticket and successfully boarded the flower boat.

After all, while the flower boat was large, its space was still limited compared to buildings, so only those who were generous could afford to board.

As for those without money, they could only stand on the small boats outside, straining their necks to catch a glimpse.

“Chun’er is here!”

“Come on, give me a big tip! I’m definitely the one who gets to write to Chun’er tonight!”

“Chun’er, I’m your dog!”

In an instant, the flower boat erupted with excitement.

A woman in a purple gown stepped out, her face veiled with a translucent thin fabric, giving a glimpse of her features.

As she moved, the slit in her gown couldn’t hide her long legs clad in white stockings, the tantalizing sight making everyone present swallow hard.

Though her outfit was daring, it exuded a sense of purity that stirred the hearts of those around her.

She approached the guqin and slowly sat down. A hint of sadness seemed to linger behind the veil as she extended her slender fingers to play.

In an instant, the raucous flower boat fell silent.

‘Yes, this is it.’

Li Ming closed his eyes, savoring the melancholic melody that tugged at his heartstrings.

Occasionally, he would open his eyes to glance at the other guests, only to see them staring at Chun’er with infatuated expressions.

He couldn’t help but scoff inwardly—what a bunch of shallow fools. It was a waste for Chun’er to play for such idiots.

Indeed, only I can truly understand the sorrow in Chun’er’s music.

---

Chapter 106: Thank Him a Few Times, Let Him Drop Some Gold Coins

As the song came to an end, the crowd on the flower boat slowly regained their senses.

“That was amazing! Chun’er not only looks beautiful, but her music is enchanting too. If I could marry Chun’er, I’d make her play for me every day.”

“What are you dreaming about?”

“Hey, it’s not impossible to think about! If I could marry Chun’er, I wouldn’t let her play for anyone else; she should play for me every day!”

“Exactly! It’d be best if she played with her feet! Just thinking about Chun’er’s little feet, wrapped in stockings all day, stepping on me… I can’t help but… *slurp*!”

“Dude, that’s a bit too much!”

‘Shallow!’

Listening to the chatter around him, Li Ming couldn’t help but curl his lip.

What a bunch of superficial people, completely missing the emotions woven into Chun’er’s music.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but sigh—what kind of troubles had Chun’er faced to end up on a flower boat?

He recalled the argument he had overheard earlier on the boat; it seemed Chun’er had endured quite a bit of hardship here.

Especially when he had eavesdropped on others discussing how Chun’er only sold her art, not her body. Many wealthy men and young masters from prominent families were willing to pay a high price for her company for a night, but she had turned them all down.

It was likely this very reason that made Chun’er less favored, right?

He hadn’t expected to encounter a woman brave enough to fight against her fate on the flower boat. Perhaps it was her tragic experiences that had forged her strong character?

Thinking of this, Li Ming couldn’t help but clench his fists: ‘Chun’er, I will definitely rescue you from this flower boat!’

The first step is to start by writing to Chun’er!

With that, he called over a maid and offered the long sword he had originally intended for Gu Yueqing as a tip.

He believed that with this sword, he would secure the chance to write to Chun’er tonight.

---

Late at night.

Chun’er sat in her room, toying with a beautifully crafted golden bracelet.

“Miss, here’s tonight’s letter.” A girl in green entered, “I heard it’s from a disciple of Chuan Yun Sect, and he tipped quite generously, offering a fifth-grade spirit weapon just like that.”

“Hmph, looks like he took the bait!”

Chun’er’s earlier purity and sadness were gone, replaced by a smile and a hint of allure.

She had noticed Li Ming the first time he came to the west of the city. Bored while waiting, she had cast out some bait, hoping to reel in a catch.

Perhaps she could use this person’s identity to her advantage.

And playing with the feelings of such a righteous genius was quite entertaining; as long as she displayed a hint of innocence in a place like this, those fools would fill in the blanks themselves and take the bait.

“What did the little fish write?”

Chun’er reclined in her chair, plucking a grape and popping it into her mouth.