Chapter 162: Hundred Flowers Assembly

Chapter 162 -156: Hundred Flowers Assembly

“We humbly request a piece of your calligraphy, Distinguished Guest! Name your price; we will meet any condition!”

They were being incredibly deferential.

The Yin Bone Paper Fan was already unfurled. The original landscape painting on its surface was gone, revealing a perfectly clean, pure white fan.

An idea flashed through Li Heng’s mind, and a faint smile touched his lips. “I’ll hold onto the fan for now. Go and ask Young Master Hua who this poem is for.”

Receiving Li Heng’s reply, the woman in ancient dress left the Yin Bone Paper Fan behind, then rose to take her leave, leaving a trail of fragrance in her wake.

Li Heng had Mo Ya bring him the Yin Bone Paper Fan. The moment he took it, its details filled his vision.

Name: Yin Bone Paper Fan

Category: Soul Energy Equipment

Grade: High . Epic

Effects:

1. Wearer’s Strength +15, Agility +20.

2. Short Weapon Talent +5.

3. Short Weapon Adaptability +16.

4. Increases wearer’s charm by -1 to 6.

5. Increases the wearer’s comprehension of the Way of Assassination.

6. Due to its yin-aspected material, when hitting with a yin-aspected Soul Energy Skill, there is a very high probability of corroding flesh and blood.

7. The wind it generates has a very low probability of creating yin-aspected elements.

[Upgrade this equipment? Cost: 500,000 Soul Energy, 5 Epic Points, 1 Mythic Point.]

Epic Points.

Mythic Points.

The only other time Li Heng had seen such a thing was when the system awarded him one Legendary Point for clearing the Wolf King Mountain Dungeon. He hadn’t received a single one since.

In other words, Li Heng didn’t even fully understand what Legendary Points were, so he was naturally clueless about the new Epic and Mythic Points.

But his ignorance of these Points was a separate matter. Seeing the fan’s value and upgrade requirements was enough for Li Heng to know this was a treasure!

Most importantly, while he hadn’t yet gotten his hands on the Cloud Cold Treasure Sword, this fan was a genuine High-Grade Epic weapon!

Li Heng wasn’t sure if Hua Lingyan had sent this fan for him to write a poem on it, or if she intended something else.

But having already decided to be shameless, Li Heng smoothly stored the Yin Bone Paper Fan in his medium-sized Space Stone, the smile on his face growing wider.

‘I only wanted to freeload off the auction items at the Hundred Flowers Assembly,’ he thought. ‘I never expected such an unexpected windfall—they delivered it right to my door!’

“Distinguished Guest! Have you… already composed a masterpiece?”

Mo Ya watched the whole thing unfold. Seeing the smile on Li Heng’s face, she couldn’t help but ask. The moment the words left her mouth, however, she realized she had spoken out of turn and asked a question she had no right to. She hastily added,

“Please forgive my impertinence, Distinguished Guest. I am at your mercy!”

Li Heng didn’t mind, but as Mo Ya spoke, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“I wonder, have you three lovely ladies ever heard of Li Bai, Du Fu, or perhaps Li Shangyin and Du Mu?”

‘He recalled how reciting a poem by Liu Yong had astounded Miss Ling Yan—a Soul Saint, no less. Perhaps it was time to become an importer of classic Tang and Song poetry.’

‘He couldn’t write poetry to save his life, but reciting a verse or two was easy enough. If these famous poets didn’t exist in this world, then this was an act he absolutely had to put on.’

The blank looks from Hongyu, Mo Ya, and Han Mu’Er brought Li Heng a wave of relief. It seemed he really had no choice but to go through with this charade.

‘Since no classic poems were widely known here, “composing” one wouldn’t be an issue. All he had to do was find a classic poem to tailor-fit—or rather, plagiarize for—this Tier Seven Li Flower Demon.’ Li Heng began to rack his brain, searching for a suitable verse.

Li Heng’s knowledge of ancient poetry was mostly limited to his high school days. So what he called “searching” was actually him trying to recall his old language arts textbooks.

Meanwhile, seeing that Li Heng had fallen silent and seemed deep in thought, Mo Ya didn’t remain idle. While letting his arm stay around her waist, she reached out with her jade-like hands and began to massage him.

At this moment, one might say Snow Feather Tower was holding the Hundred Flowers Assembly, but an outsider might mistake it for a literary gathering. The endless murmur of poetry and discussion filled every floor.

More and more poems were being unfurled. Some bidders had even written three or four, but Hua Meng’Er only offered her thanks and said nothing more.

As time passed and the number of people Hua Meng’Er rejected grew, the atmosphere in Snow Feather Tower gradually became tense. Just as the mood began to shift, Hua Meng’Er spoke softly.

“To receive such favor from all you distinguished guests is truly Meng’Er’s honor. But this matter is incredibly important to me; it would not be an exaggeration to say it is a matter of life and death. Therefore, I hope you can all forgive me. It is not that I am arrogant or proud. You have all gone to great trouble!”

Her voice was gentle, yet it carried throughout the entire Snow Feather Tower. Upon hearing her voice, Li Heng felt an inexplicable sense of calm.

He had been a little nervous before—after all, he was just putting on an act with the intent to freeload. But now, after hearing her words, he felt much calmer.

The woman in the red-gauze skirt also spoke up after Hua Meng’Er, adding a few words of her own. She took a very humble stance and then took the initiative to point out a few of the poems that had generated the most discussion, praising them with great admiration.

Only then did the tense atmosphere begin to thaw.

Moreover, the woman in the red-gauze skirt was the host of the Hundred Flowers Assembly. She finally announced that if Hua Meng’Er’s auction was unsuccessful, they would skip it and move on to the next treasure.

After all, the Hundred Flowers Assembly had to continue. They couldn’t let the auction for a single Courtesan hold things up indefinitely.

Li Heng felt very calm after Hua Meng’Er spoke.

But besides feeling calm, he also sensed a deep sorrow in her words, seemingly tinged with a death wish. He couldn’t help but walk to the window.

‘Li Hua… a flower that is leaving?’

Gazing at the Tier Seven Li Flower Demon within the Illusory Mountain Stone, Li Heng was suddenly overcome with emotion. There were many things in life that one could not hold onto, could not obtain.

As he thought of this, Li Heng suddenly recalled a poem he had read before. He couldn’t remember all of it, but the last line remained fresh in his memory.

“What is most fleeting in the world cannot be held back. A rosy cheek departs the mirror; a flower departs the tree…”

Just like when he was awestruck upon first stepping into Snow Feather Tower, Li Heng was now similarly moved by the atmosphere, muttering the words to himself as they came to him.

The moment Li Heng softly murmured this line, the three women in the room froze as if bewitched. Hongyu and Mo Ya’s expressions were relatively composed; they just stood there, stunned.

Han Mu’Er, however, stared at Li Heng with a dazed expression, her eyes fixed on his profile for a long moment. Finally, she drew a Longsword that radiated a chilling aura, held it in a reverse grip with her right hand, and sank into a low salute before Li Heng.

“Han Mu’Er, a sinner of the Cold Mountain Palace, dares to ask the Distinguished Guest again: do you have past ties to the Cold Mountain Palace?”