Chapter 687 – Forgetting About Love (2/2)
Hua Chengzan bowed deeply towards Li Qingshan. “Qingshan, thank you.”
Li Qingshan waved his hand in an exaggerated manner. “You’re welcome.”
Hua Chengzan said, “But since medicine like this exists, why did you have to slap me twice?”
“About that, haha, alright, let’s not bicker over the small details. Let’s go back and keep drinking. We need to celebrate for you!”
Hua Chengzan said helplessly, “Let’s go elsewhere. Everyone happens to be here anyway. I think the bamboo forest on Cloudwisp island will do.”
A few streaks of light flew through the night sky. Liu Zhangqing and the others returned to the academy too.
Li Qingshan said, “There are no beauties for company on Cloudwisp island!”
Hua Chengzan said proudly, “There are many beautiful women in life, but I only want a single person’s heart!”
Li Qingshan, Hua Chenglu, and Han Tieyi looked at one another. Had he been cured or not?
“Everyone, don’t worry. I’m not referring to commander Gu. We might not be fated to be together, but I believe there will be a woman waiting for me somewhere throughout the nine provinces. Before that, I’m not going to sleep around and become entangled with other women.”
Li Qingshan had no idea how to react. In other words, he was looking for another hole to jump into? Was this an instance of personality determining fate? Just this aspect alone made him very compatible with Qiu Haitang. Out of the two of them, one was highly skilled in dealing with people and affairs, while the other was as clever as they came, yet they just had to be almost-naively obsessive over the word “love”.
Li Qingshan felt deep admiration towards this. Although he possessed the ambition of the Nine Heavens, not everyone was supposed to be like him.
Travelling to the corners of the world, fighting the oceans, picking the stars and moon from the sky, attaining immortality—these were all great, lofty, intense dreams, but to many people, perhaps it even paled in comparison to the ease and comfort of drinking a cup of tea at home. Living in the world, as long as a person could persevere and stick to their heart, that was enough.
“Big brother, you’ll definitely find that person!”
Hua Chenglu encouraged before glancing at Li Qingshan. She could not help but become slightly resentful. This promiscuous man completely paled in comparison to her elder brother in this aspect.
Over the past year, Li Qingshan had spent a little more time at the Hawkwolf Guard. He seemed much more diligent, but actually, he paid no attention to anything just like before. He tossed it all to her. Every time he came, he would tease her, which made it feel like he had specially come to tease her. The most detestable part of it all was he still visited the Hawkwolf Guard as infrequently as before.
Li Qingshan patted Hua Chengzan on the shoulder. “You better give up. You’re no longer a virgin.”
Hua Chengzan shuddered. Sure enough, he behaved like he had just received a huge blow to his morale.
Li Qingshan could not help but laugh. Oi, are you still a man? Don’t tell me you actually care about your “purity”?
“That’s happened already anyway, so you better just keep your eyes fixed on what’s in front of you and cheer up for now! You better not see commander Gu again in the next second and pledge your very life to her at first sight. That’ll be hilarious if that happens.” Li Qingshan shook his head with a smile. Meanwhile, Hua Chenglu became worried.
Ru Xin added, “If you drink a lot of the Water of Oblivion, the effects will weaken.”
Hua Chengzan sighed heavily. “I’ve already made a huge mistake, so I better not repeat it! I will submit a request to switch with Chenglu so that I can continue serving as the vice commander. I won’t see commander Gu again.”
“But… my cultivation is insufficient. I probably don’t have the right to become a White Wolf guard…” Hua Chenglu became hesitant as her eyes shone with uncertainty.
Hua Chengzan felt helpless over that. During the past year, he had been completely absorbed in the anguish he was immersed in, and he neglected his younger sister’s guidance. Originally, he thought she would have a bit more control after receiving the Great Banyan Tree King’s Wisdom Imbuement, but he never thought she would still end up being stuck in trouble.
Li Qingshan smiled. “If you don’t want to become a White Wolf guard, just go back and enter secluded cultivation! Stop trying to take my vice commander away from me!”
“If you want to talk, go out and talk. If you want to drink, go out and drink!”
Ru Xin asked for them to leave, so Li Qingshan went to Cloudwisp island and began a new banquet. Liu Zhangqing and the others drank a little more before returning to their dwellings, while the others bade farewell and took their leave in threes and twos. In the end, only Li Qingshan and Hua Chengzan remained, drinking with one another.
Under the bamboo loft, serenity arrived with the late night. Hua Chengzan suddenly said, “I want to see her!”
Li Qingshan stopped drinking. He obviously knew who Hua Chengzan was talking about. Apart from Qiu Haitang, there was no one else that he would require permission from him to see.
“When?”
“The sooner the better!”
“Then we’ll go after this cup!”
“Actually, I’d rather you turn me down.”
“Why?”
“Because it would prove you care about her enough.”
“If she changes her mind, I definitely won’t insist on this happening. Going with the flow has always been better than insisting and then failing to get what you want.”
“That’s only because you still haven’t met someone you truly love. Even if you lose her, you won’t feel too much pain.”
“If you want to talk about love again, I’m going to start slapping you again before plunging you into water.”
“Why?”
“You impure man, you should be drowned in a wicker basket!”
TL: Drowning people in a wicker basket, or placing them into a wicker basket and dipping them into a river, leaving just their heads exposed, is a punishment for male adulterers in ancient China. Hua Chengzan is no longer a virgin, which means he’s been sleeping around with “other” women, making him an “adulterer”.