Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King-Chapter 278 - 258: Spring Breeze in the Hall, Third Layer of Cultivation, For My Beloved, Crossing the Seven-day Pass, Together on the Painted Boat

Chapter 278: Chapter 258: Spring Breeze in the Hall, Third Layer of Cultivation, For My Beloved, Crossing the Seven-day Pass, Together on the Painted Boat

Wen Caishang laughed, "This is great, let’s take a painting boat! Ordinary boats are so fishy and dirty."

Along the riverbanks, many fishing boats could be seen. Arranging a fishing boat costs about ten taels of silver. Painting boats, on the other hand, are mostly found in places like ’Drunken Smoke Pavilion’ and ’Dream Painting Tower’, serving the pleasures of the wealthy and noble.

They are rarely sold to the public.

Li Xian said, "Makes sense! Then I’ll leave it to you, madam." Knowing well that Wen Caishang was generous with her silver.

He pulled Wen Caishang close, playfully frolicking with her for a while. Her hair was fragrant, and her skin like creamy jade.

Their loving dynamics were admirable. Heading west, they saw a wide river, with ferries at its banks.

Li Xian gazed down the river, sighting city traces. He entered the city directly and found a ’Dream Fragrance Pavilion’, explicitly stating his intention to purchase a painting boat. It needed to be the finest and sturdiest. The old madam saw Li Xian’s youthful appearance and found his actions strange. Coming to a brothel to buy a ’boat’?

With this, she intended to raise the price. Li Xian offered a hundred taels, shocking the old madam into compliance, willing to sell the painting boat. The old madam said, "Sir, our painting boat is renowned as the ’Fourteen Boat of Flowers and Smoke.’ Those boarding cannot help but be enchanted..."

Li Xian readily paid, and the madam swayed her waist, leading Li Xian to the backyard of the Dream Fragrance Pavilion. By a beautifully landscaped garden, several painting boats were moored, exquisitely crafted with a faint fragrance.

Though not large, the boat was elegantly furnished. With clear silk drapes... and some amusing little gadgets. Li Xian coughed lightly and discarded all such items.

Stepping onto the head of the boat, he navigated out via the city river. Wen Caishang, graceful in her demeanor, gently opened an oil-paper umbrella, waiting under a willow tree for some time.

Seeing Li Xian paddling the boat toward her, she chuckled charmingly and stepped onto the painting boat. Li Xian helped her inside to rest.

The eye-catching painting boat caused the people on both sides of the riverbanks to stop and stare. Some questioned why a brothel’s painting boat would be out on the river in broad daylight. Is this shamelessness? Li Xian blushed furiously, thinking, "My intentions are righteous, this painting boat is just a means of travel, why feel embarrassed?"

He carried himself proudly, neither ashamed nor proud, taking it calmly. The painting boat accommodated only two people but was very delicately arranged. On the deck, there was a ’wooden zither’, ’small table’ and such... perfect for playing music and practicing martial arts.

Li Xian thought of the remaining waterway, which would take a long time. As he sailed along the river, he glanced at the riverside stores.

He saw a market selling fruits and vegetables. He called out loudly, "Please bring some fresh vegetables over." He moved his inner Qi to project his voice far.

The market steward, with some martial arts skills, sensed the powerful inner Qi in the sound, realized Li Xian’s formidable cultivation, and did not dare procrastinate. He immediately ordered attendants to pack fruits and vegetables to pursue them along the bank.

Upon seeing Li Xian’s painting boat, he moved his Qi and asked, "Did you request the vegetables?" Li Xian replied with a smile, "Indeed!"

The steward grabbed a basket and hurled it at Li Xian with remarkable skill, despite the painting boat being fifty paces from the bank, the produce inside did not spill a bit.

The onlookers all watched intently.

Li Xian gently tapped with his finger, carefully placing the basket down. His actions were unassuming but those adept in martial arts knew their strength.

To lift heavy as if light, and light as if heavy.

Li Xian said, "Thank you, brother, for your assistance." He picked a silver coin and casually tossed it backward. The coin splashed in the river with a plop.

The steward wore a peculiar expression, "This..." Suddenly, a whirlpool emerged in the water, splashing upwards, the coin flew out accurately landing into the steward’s palm.

The people on both riverbanks exclaimed in amazement. The steward holding the silver realized the strong inner Qi imbued. Not daring to delay, he bowed respectfully to take his leave.

Wen Caishang chided helplessly, "Always showing off." She lay sideways on the bed, gently lifting the silk curtain, looking at the smugly laughing Li Xian.

"Youthfulness prevails." Her eyes sparkled, looking on pleasingly.

Afterward, the painting boat sailed on.

Li Xian spotted a bookstore and recalled Wen Caishang wanting to teach him appreciation of painting and calligraphy, so he called out loudly again, "I kindly ask, brother, to bring some scrolls, ink, brushes, and paper!"

The scholarly bookshop attendant knew nothing of martial arts. He gathered the scrolls, ink, brushes, and paper... but couldn’t send them to the boat. Li Xian was about to dock. His mastery of the ’Seven Stars Step’ was forming but was currently experiencing ’purity ascends while turbidity descends,’ so he proceeded with caution.

Suddenly a voice laughed, "Let me help deliver that for you."

The Jianghu guest was short in stature, with small eyes and a broad mouth, his hair sparse. He had been watching Li Xian, jealous of his impressive charisma, and wanted him to be humiliated by crumpling the ’scrolls,’ ’ink,’ ’brushes,’ and ’paper’ into a ball.

Fiercely throwing it over.

The surrounding crowd gasped, fully aware that the Jianghu guest harbored ill intentions. Li Xian frowned with a cold snort, lightly tapping the river surface with a Jade Palm.

With a thunderous roar, water splashed, engulfing the ball of scrolls. Shortly after, the river surface turned black.

As it turned out, the short Jianghu guest had infused his inner Qi into the ball of scrolls. If Li Xian had caught it, he’d have been splattered with ink.

The short Jianghu guest laughed heartily before disappearing into the crowd. Li Xian picked up a silver coin, fired it out, shattering his leg bone, leaving him wailing in agony.

Li Xian flicked a second coin. The Jianghu guest mustered all his martial arts to defend himself, but the small silver piece, carrying the force of a thousand catties, broke his arm with a ’crack’.

Li Xian said, "You ruined the scrolls, compensate the shopkeeper, or I’ll break your other limbs."

"Oh great hero... I was wrong, I shall compensate." The Jianghu guest replied sycophantly.

Li Xian snorted coldly, repurchasing scrolls, ink, brushes, and paper. The painting boat glided away, with Li Xian lavishly spending, becoming a unique sight in the city.

Gradually leaving the city, they noticed fewer passersby, and the painting boat sailed from the river into the main river.

Wen Caishang said helplessly, "You, sometimes very steady, and sometimes like a child."

The river water softly murmured, green grasses swiftly rustled.

The streets, shops, buildings, and pedestrians all faded away.