My Daily Cultivation Life with a Clumsy Female Disciple

Chapter 357

Li Shiwen wasn't so lucky. By the time he returned from the palace to his home, the Li family's dinner had just ended.

As he entered through the outer gate, he saw the servants inside busy clearing the tables and serving dessert.

"Did you all already eat?" He was a bit dumbfounded, having rushed back as fast as he could, but still missing the tail end of the feast.

Li Shiyin picked up a pastry from the table, intending to feed one to Qin Ran, who felt a bit shy and reached out to take it himself. Holding a pastry in her own hand, she glanced at Li Shiwen at the door and asked, "Didn't you eat?"

A maidservant came over to help Li Shiwen remove his armor. He remained standing at the door and replied, "When would I have had time to eat?"

"We held off the Xuanqin army at Wuyi City, a great victory. Wouldn't the Emperor reward you handsomely?" Li Shiyin leaned against Qin Ran as she ate her pastry and spoke to Li Shiwen, "You had a grand imperial banquet at the palace and you chose to rush home. Who can you blame for that?"

Li Shiwen changed into casual clothes and came over to sit beside Yu Chi Zhen. He glared at Qin Ran and said coldly, "That's something you should ask your good master."

"What does my master have to do with this?" Li Shiyin couldn't stand Li Shiwen slandering her master.

"Heh heh!" Li Shiwen let out a cold laugh, took the hot soup handed to him by Yu Chi Zhen, and took a sip before saying, "I sat at the imperial banquet, and those people looked at me as if their eyes could kill, 'whoosh whoosh whoosh,' piercing me like a sieve. How could I eat?"

He snorted coldly again, "All the benefits went to you and your master, while all the blame fell on me. So, what does your master have to do with this?"

It was only then that Li Shiyin turned to look at Qin Ran, her expressive eyes questioning.

"It's about the peace talks between North Chu and Xuanqin," Qin Ran explained softly to her.

"Oh..." Li Shiyin understood, "So Li Shiwen went to the palace to discuss this with the Emperor?"

Chasing the Wind, with his clean and handsome appearance and good appetite, was quite liked by Yang Yanqi. After dinner, she played with Chasing the Wind, which made her very happy.

Hearing the conversation between the few people at the table, she picked up Chasing the Wind and asked, "So what exactly happened this time? Why did Xuanqin suddenly withdraw their troops?"

As the mistress of the Li family, she was naturally knowledgeable about military affairs. She could see clearly that North Chu and Xuanqin had a disparity in national strength, with one side growing stronger and the other weaker. Even with the help of Great Yan and Yan Han, Wuyi City might not have been defensible. She had thought North Chu was on the brink of collapse.

The situation had been very favorable, but Xuanqin suddenly withdrew, which was too unreasonable and hard to understand.

Servants began to bring new dishes to the table. Li Shiwen, under Yu Chi Zhen's service, ate while explaining to his mother, "This is all thanks to Brother Qin.

"We were able to hold out in Wuyi City because of him; the one who judged that Xuanqin would unify the six kingdoms was him; and the one who went alone to the Xuanqin capital to persuade Zhao Zheng was also him."

"Xuanqin's withdrawal and the opportunity for peace talks with North Chu are all his achievements. And the conditions Xuanqin offered..." He shook his head, "Too simple. The Emperor was even worried that the Xuanqin envoys might change their minds..."

As Li Shiwen spoke, Yang Yanqi's eyes grew brighter, looking at Qin Ran more and more favorably, her gaze gradually becoming fervent. She hadn't expected this seemingly scholarly prospective son-in-law to be so capable, a scholar who could plan the fate of the world and control the situation.

...The Li family needed someone like this.

"You went alone to the Xuanqin palace, persuaded Zhao Zheng, and then returned safely?" she asked.

Qin Ran shook his head. None of Yang Yanqi's guesses were correct. He hadn't been able to enter the palace, nor persuade Zhao Zheng, and in fact, he had been persuaded by Zhao Zheng himself. He hadn't returned unscathed either.

"Unscathed..." He paused, then smiled bitterly, "Not quite."

"?" Yang Yanqi looked puzzled.

"Mother, you don't know, these cultivators..." Li Shiwen, eating noisily, his din louder than the previous five people combined, explained to Yang Yanqi, "They all have some strange abilities. Look, Shiyin is a sword cultivator, so her swordsmanship is excellent; her master is a pill cultivator, so he knows all sorts of weird things. He can create a doppelgänger, he sent his doppelgänger to Xuanqin."

"Oh! Impressive, avoiding danger and planning from afar." Yang Yanqi was even more impressed. She was gradually coming to see Qin Ran as her ideal son-in-law.

"How is it? My master is amazing, right!" Li Shiyin was even more elated, seeing Qin Ran praised by her brother and mother.

"Amazing!" Yang Yanqi sighed in admiration. "Hmm?" At this point, Li Shiwen felt something was off. He looked up from his bowl at Qin Ran. What was going on? Wasn't he supposed to be scolding him?

The peace talks were indeed Qin Ran's doing, but the blame was on him!

But seeing his mother and sister's reactions, he opened his mouth, then closed it again. He just took the meat handed to him by Yu Chi Zhen and bit into it fiercely.

Yang Yanqi and Li Shiyin took turns praising Qin Ran, lifting him up to the heavens. Qin Ran himself was a bit embarrassed by the praise.

After a satisfying meal and a long chat, it was finally time to retire to their respective rooms.

However, while others had their own rooms to return to, Qin Ran, being a guest, could only go to the guest room.

Li Shiyin, caring for her master, was eager and led Qin Ran towards the guest courtyard.

Li Shiwen was originally going to return to his own courtyard with Yu Chi Zhen for some private time, but as he was about to leave, Yang Yanqi tugged at his sleeve.

He turned back to see Yang Yanqi signaling with her eyes towards Li Shiyin and Qin Ran ahead.

Mother and son were in tune, and he immediately understood. Yang Yanqi was worried that Li Shiyin, this naive girl, might end up sharing a room with Qin Ran, making it too easy for him to get what he wanted.

Yang Yanqi appreciated Qin Ran, but she still believed that basic moral and social norms should be upheld.

The two were not young anymore, and their feelings were strong. If they wanted to consummate their relationship... they should first get married.

So she asked Li Shiwen to keep an eye on things.

Although Li Shiwen didn't think much of it—he could see that it was Li Shiyin who was the more proactive one. If Qin Ran had any intentions, Li Shiyin would have been completely taken by now.

But since his mother had spoken, he sighed, let go of his little wife, instructed her to go back to their room, and followed Li Shiyin and Qin Ran.

"Master, this way... You see, that's Father's study, much bigger than our Dan Peak's study, with lots of books. Master, you can go read there... That way leads to the back garden, remember? I said Father grows flowers just like you grow herbs, the back garden is very beautiful... And this way is the training ground, where you can practice martial arts and spar..."

As Li Shiwen approached, he heard Li Shiyin giving Qin Ran a detailed tour of the Li residence.

"Master, look over there, that's where I live. See, the prettiest one is my courtyard." Li Shiyin pointed with her toes, "You can come find me in that courtyard..."

"So, Master, do you want to sleep in your courtyard?" Li Shiwen asked from behind in a deep voice.

"Sure!" Li Shiyin nodded, "Actually, that's what I was thinking. No need to be so troublesome. There's also a guest room in my courtyard. Master can sleep in my room, and I can sleep in the guest room."

Li Shiwen's face darkened as he scolded, "A young lady, not knowing any shame! Where did all the books you studied go?"

"Forgot!" Li Shiyin retorted boldly, then turned to ask Li Shiwen, "Do you remember?"

"I..." Of course, he didn't remember either. Li Shiwen snorted coldly, "A girl not knowing modesty, wonder who would like her."

"My master likes me!" Li Shiyin stuck her tongue out at Li Shiwen.

"Thankfully your master is also a strange fellow," Li Shiwen said.

"Hey?" Qin Ran felt wronged, "Don't drag me into your argument!"

"Hmph! I'm so amazing, there are plenty of people who like me! I just don't fancy them... Master, oh."

"Yes, yes, you're the most conceited. All the men in the world like you." Li Shiwen rolled his eyes.

"No, women like me too," Li Shiyin grinned mischievously.

Now that Li Shiwen's Dao heart has been rebuilt, he no longer feels depressed or inferior, and his relationship with Li Shiyin has returned to normal. He doesn't feel a sense of disparity because Li Shiyin is overwhelmingly powerful; he interacts with her the same way he always has.

Brother and sister, should fight or not, they fight; should scold or not, they scold. Bickering and teasing have become daily routines again.

"By the way, you've once again taken on the blame for betraying the country..." Qin Ran asked curiously, "Has your official position been stripped away again?"

Li Shiwen shook his head and said, "Although many people are scolding me, most of them actually understand the interests of the two countries. Some are scolding just for the sake of it, some because of differing stances, some because they were ready to surrender and are now frustrated that they can't, only a few are truly scolding me for moral issues...

"I didn't get demoted; instead, I got promoted and am now back to being the Left General. In a few days, I'll have to guard the palace."

"Guard the palace?" Qin Ran nodded, understanding that Li Shiwen had indeed been promoted.

His rudimentary knowledge of political history still allowed him to grasp one thing: only trusted generals are qualified to guard the imperial city, and in this wicked feudal dynasty, being trusted by the emperor is everything.

He chuckled, "So you're turning misfortune into fortune. Hmm, being scolded has made you famous, black and red is still red."

As they spoke, the three of them arrived at the small courtyard arranged for Qin Ran's rest.

Li Shiyin pulled Qin Ran around the courtyard, introducing everything to him in great detail, like a chirping little sparrow.

Tonight, she was introducing her master to this home, just as her master had once introduced her to Dan Peak.

Finally, they reached the bedroom, where Li Shiyin took out the bedding from the cabinet, skillfully making the bed.

Li Shiwen watched her actions with some surprise, "When did this silly girl learn such skills?"

"She did all this herself on the mountain," Qin Ran laughed, "Last year she was still learning embroidery... Maybe by the New Year, she'll be able to give you a new outfit."

"Amazing, amazing!" Li Shiwen shook his head repeatedly, "One should look at people with new eyes after three days. Who would have thought Li Shiyin could have a girl's demeanor."

Qin Ran chuckled, feeling a bit proud. He had invested a lot in his silly disciple, and she had changed a lot because of him.

After a flurry of activity, Li Shiyin tidied up the room, made the bed, and turned around, hands on her hips, looking at Li Shiwen and Qin Ran, and said proudly, "How is it? Impressive, right?"

"Shiyin is the best," Qin Ran praised.

But at the same time, an unharmonious voice sounded: "Not bad! I didn't expect you to be so girly. Tsk tsk tsk!"

"Hmph!" Li Shiyin glared at Li Shiwen, then smiled at Qin Ran, "Master, I'll go get you a few maids tomorrow to serve you."

"..." Qin Ran wanted to, but reason made him shake his head. He laughed, "No need, Master is used to doing things himself."

This silly disciple didn't know where she had learned all these mischievous tricks, actually trying to test him.

It must be Qi Qi's fault. When they go back, he'll have to teach Qi Qi a lesson for turning his sweet and lovely disciple into this.

"Well, that's good too..." Li Shiyin nodded in satisfaction, "Then Master, I'll personally serve you tomorrow."

Li Shiwen leaned against the doorframe and said gloomily, "You can do it today... Or you could go warm the bed first."

"You talk too much!" Li Shiyin glared at Li Shiwen with murderous intent. Why was this person so annoying?

It made her lose the mood to tease her master, so she said, "Ah, Master, it's late, you should rest first. We're leaving."

"Don't go, it's still early, let's talk more!" Li Shiwen said sarcastically, "Get closer."

Li Shiyin "tut tut tut" walked over to him, then "bang" stomped down!

"Hehe!" Li Shiwen had anticipated it and quickly pulled back his foot, grinning, "Can't step on it."

But Li Shiyin jumped up and headbutted him...

"Ah!" Li Shiwen let out a cry of pain, covering his nose and crouching down.

Qin Ran walked over and saw Li Shiyin waving at him before disappearing through the courtyard gate. He looked down at Li Shiwen and saw blood on the ground, knowing Li Shiwen's nose was probably broken.

"Ah, poor guy," he sighed, casually tossing a handkerchief to Li Shiwen.

Then...

"Bang!" He shut the door on Li Shiwen.

"Not...," Li Shiwen covered his nose and looked up to the sky, "Who did I offend?"

Not embracing his soft and fragrant wife, but running here to get beaten up... Ah! How pitiful!