Chapter 327: Xue Meng's Blind Date: Wayward Young Lady 2

Xue Meng: "!!!"

Upon hearing these words, the righteous Xue Meng, who had as much integrity as his master, felt a profound shock and anger. Abandoning one's spouse, infidelity, being fickle, and so on – a barrage of terms flooded his mind like a torrential flood. He exclaimed, "That's outrageous!"

Recalling Leng Gong's outburst earlier about disappearing from this world, he suddenly realized that she indeed had strong tendencies towards self-harm. He must prevent her from hurting herself!

Fueled with indignation, Xue Meng vowed, "Don't worry, I despise those who are unfaithful and fickle the most. Leave it to me. I'll back you up and make sure he regrets his actions until he spits out three liters of blood!"

Pausing for a moment, he continued earnestly and huffily, "But to win every battle, one must know both oneself and the enemy. It would be best if you could give me a clear picture of your situation, so I can prepare accordingly."

Leng Gong frowned, "Our story is complicated. It can't be explained in a short while."

"…Oh. Then how about I ask the questions, and you answer?" Xue Meng, unusually understanding towards this pitiful woman, suggested, "If there's something you can't share, we'll just skip over it. What do you think?"

After some thought, Leng Gong nodded, "Alright. Let's do it that way."

By now, their hot pot and stir-fried dishes had arrived. As they ate, Xue Meng said, "Tell me about you and your Dao companion first. How long have you known each other? What's the situation between the two of you?"

Leng Gong picked up a chopstickful of crisp garlic shoots stir-fried with sliced kidneys. After taking a couple of bites, she put down her chopsticks and looked up at Xue Meng.

"There's actually something rather unconventional about my relationship with him. Are you afraid to hear it?"

Xue Meng replied, "Nothing is more shocking than my own background. Go ahead and tell me."

To his surprise, Leng Gong turned out to be quite nosy. She leaned in with sudden interest. "Oh? Really? What's your background?"

Xue Meng: "…Are you still planning to use me to provoke others?"

Leng Gong reined in her curiosity and cleared her throat. "Alright, then let's just get straight to my story."

And so, she began.

Her first sentence was indeed startling.

"My beloved, he was once my master."

"..." Xue Meng was instantly reminded of an unpleasant episode. He picked up his teacup and sipped silently, trying to calm his nerves.

The second sentence was even more startling.

"We took our vows and became partners a long time ago."

Xue Meng's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, but he managed to maintain his composure.

Until the third sentence was uttered—

"We share the same bed every day, even before our marriage. Afterward, it became a realm of uninhibited pleasure, a never-ending revelry day and night."

Xue Meng spat out his tea with a loud "Pfft!" "Cough, cough, cough!!"

The Scroll of Dispel Worries described the Cold Palace Immortal as "frank," but Xue Meng never imagined that such straightforwardness could exist in a young lady like her.

However, it's not over yet. Lenggong continues to speak in a shocking manner: "His skills in bed are not very good, but I'm the only one who doesn't disdain him. Due to my excellent skills in bed, he gradually becomes more and more addicted to it. Although he verbally refuses, he demands to engage in intense intimate encounters with me three to four times a night, sometimes even seven or eight times. We have made love in various places, including the bed, the courtyard, and the hot spring pool in the garden..."

"Stop!" Xue Meng finally recovered from his coughing fit. His ears were burning as he wiped away the water that had entered his mouth, blushing as he spoke, "You don't need to describe those details so vividly. I get it, your married life is harmonious."

"Certainly. Our conjugal life is very harmonious, we do it three or four times a night, sometimes even seven or eight times. Most people couldn't handle it, but I can. We've done it in the bed, the courtyard, the flower hall, and even the hot spring pool..."

Xue Meng: "..."

"Damn it." Cold Palace suddenly became enraged in the middle of her tale. She slammed the table, causing the cups and saucers to rattle, "If not for the fact that we can't bear children, we'd probably have a large family by now. That bastard wouldn't even be in the picture!"

Xue Meng was taken aback. It turned out that Miss Cold was unable to conceive, which allowed the cunning woman to snatch her husband away.

Considering this, his mother was also unable to carry another pregnancy, yet Xue Zhengyong never looked down on her and still remained devoted to her until the end of their days. There were truly too few men like his father in the world, which was why there were so many unhappy concubines, feeling like they were in a new marriage even after years.

Xue Meng felt indignant yet sympathetic as he asked, "Have you tried to regulate your body and seek medical treatment? Although Solitary Moon Night's Jiang Yichen isn't a great person, his medical skills are decent. You could—"

"Hmph, how could I not have? Even though others think it's impossible, my fate lies in my own hands, not in the heavens, nor in others. If I want to have a child with him, I'll find a way regardless. So I once went to ask Jiang Yichen for methods, but that little beauty with the surname Jiang was stubborn. He said it was harmful and refused to give me anything, no matter what. He doesn't know a good thing when he sees it!"

Xue Meng: "..."

Jiang Xi might indeed not know a good thing when he saw it, but where was he beautiful?? How could he be described as a 'little beauty'???

Putting aside the aspect of beauty, this story seems somewhat familiar...

Xue Meng pondered for a moment but couldn't recall anything, so he dropped the thought and advised, "That scoundrel Jiang Yechen has always been fickle and indifferent to human suffering. He's nothing more than a selfish businessman. Don't bother with him. Then what about the interloper who tried to snatch your lover? What was that about? And your master... uh, since your relationship was harmonious, he should have cared for you. Why did he fall for someone else?"

When Cold Palace mentioned this topic, his teeth gritted even harder, "That was all because the other person took advantage of my absence, sneaked in, and occupied a gap they didn't deserve, getting an easy win!"

Xue Meng gasped and widened his eyes, "Could it be that during the time you were alone, he surpassed you?"

Cold Palace ground his teeth, "Exactly."

How tragic! Only the laughter of the new lover is heard, while the cries of the old one go unnoticed!

Xue Meng slammed the table in anger and stood up, "He's not just the second Jiang Yechen, he can rival him equally!"

Cold Palace grew curious, tilting his head as his long fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, "It seems like you know Jiang Yechen very well. What's your relationship with him?"

"..." Xue Meng sat down stiffly, pouring himself a cup of tea, "I'm his father."

Cold Palace: "???"

Xue Meng: "Oh, I was just being sarcastic. I have nothing to do with Jiang Yechen; I only used him as an analogy. Everyone knows he's scum in the cultivation world, a disgrace to female cultivators." He concluded with a disdainful "tch."

Cold Palace widened his dark purple eyes. "Really? How come I've heard that he detests romantic matters? A line of women would deliver love letters to him, and each one would receive a prescription for various ailments. He'd write honestly, saying things like 'adult acne' or 'stout limbs.' Does he toy with women?"

Xue Meng opened his mouth but found himself speechless, unable to express his frustration. All he could manage was a pouting response, "...No. I only said he has poor business ethics."

"Certainly not wrong about that."

Xue Meng felt it was best to change the subject. His anger towards Jiang Xi still simmered, and he risked revealing too much if they continued. So he said, "Let's talk more about your master then. Why did he leave you behind? If you couldn't bear to part with him, why didn't you go after him?"

"I couldn't bear to part with him?" Cold Palace scoffed. "What a joke. I don't care a bit about him."

"..."

After a moment, he glanced at Xue Meng sideways and reluctantly asked, "Um, how did you tell that I couldn't bear to part with him?"

"Well... because of someone I know," Xue Meng replied, his expression ambiguous, a mix of awkwardness, irritation, and helplessness. After a moment's hesitation, he continued dryly, "His symptoms, to be honest, are quite similar to yours."

"Is that so? What was his situation?"

"When he first reached the age of maturity, he complained about his master every day. He grumbled that his master was cold-hearted, treated him poorly, and gave him a hard time. He even claimed that he didn't care, wasn't concerned, and didn't like it at all."

Leng Gong listened with great interest and even started munching on peanuts. "And then? What happened next?"

Xue Meng crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "What else could happen? He regretted it, of course."

"..."

"He cried, rolled around on the ground, begged for forgiveness, and would do anything, even climb mountains of blades or descend into fiery pits, just to suck up to the person," Xue Meng continued. "So let me give you a piece of advice: always leave some room for maneuver, so you can meet again without embarrassment. Don't speak so definitively."

Leng Gong didn't seem to mind. She leaned back, lifted her chin, and sneered. "I wouldn't beg someone to come back in tears. If I don't want them to leave, there are plenty of other ways to keep them."

Seeing that she was still stubborn, Xue Meng couldn't help but deliver a harsh truth, albeit reluctantly. "Then did you manage to keep them?"

Leng Gong's smug smile froze.

Another blow followed: "Didn't you still get dumped in the end?"

Her frozen smile gradually faded away.

Another slash: "After dumping you, didn't he go and be with someone else while you were away?"

The fading smile on Cold Palace's face transformed into smoldering anger.

Xue Meng said, "Look, if you had talked to him properly earlier, not stubbornly refusing to compromise, he might not have left."

Cold Palace seemed to have been struck by something, and her rage instantly dwindled. Though she maintained her composure, a hint of concealed pain flickered in her eyes.

After a moment, she admitted, "…Back then, he did leave because I pushed him away."

"..."

"But I didn't want him to leave. I've always... always..."

Pausing for a moment, she turned her head away, her eyes starting to redden.

Xue Meng suddenly felt a bit flustered. Oh no, was she going to cry? He had never known how to comfort a woman in his entire life!

Just as he was worrying, he realized his concern was unnecessary. Cold Palace, with her reddened eyes, regained her fierce determination and declared stubbornly, "He can leave if he wants. So what? Will I not be able to live without him?"

Xue Meng: "..."

"Cold Palace, let's not talk about it. It just upsets me." Cold Palace poured himself another cup of tea and drained it in one gulp before continuing, "Alright! Let's continue discussing that hypocritical commoner."

"D*mn it." The mere mention of this person seemed to ignite years of pent-up resentment within Cold Palace. He raised his hand, pointing an accusing finger, yet struggled to find the right words to express his anger, eventually letting out a fierce exhale. "I just don't get it. What exactly is better about him than me?"

Xue Meng: "What does your master think is better about him than you?"

Cold Palace growled, "Him? If he dares to think that scoundrel is better than me, I'll make sure he regrets it in bed!"

Xue Meng felt a bit exhausted as he rubbed his forehead. "Then tell me, if I were an outsider, like myself, what would make me think he's better than you?"

Reluctantly, Cold Palace began to ponder.

After a long while, he replied with a dark tone, "He's worse than me in every way."

"..."

"Neither of us had a good background. But he lacks ambition, living a lazy life, while I made my own way in the world. After spending a night with my master, I'd be willing to give him ten tons of gold to play with just to please him. Yet, after seven times with my master, he takes her to some shabby roadside stall for a fifty-cent feast. F*ck! It's infuriating. How can he have such thick skin?"

"{...}" But for a lady to say such things, she must have quite a thick skin.

Unperturbed by Xue Meng's embarrassment, Leng Gong declared confidently, "I'm capable and wealthy; I can support him. When my master was with me, he lived in luxurious quarters, wore fine clothes, and had the best of everything."

Xue Meng hesitated, struggling to say, "Your master was a kept man?"

"Don't put it so harshly," Leng Gong said with displeasure. "Money can't buy happiness, but as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered. But after he was with that person, he lived in a tiny dilapidated cottage, wore ordinary clothes, had to grow his own food, and make his own things—it was poverty beyond belief. How could that person compare to me?"

Xue Meng, who had seen many loves and losses, empathized and replied, "Well... that might not be the case. Your master might not want to be taken care of by you. Let me give you an example: suppose you have a father who's a great man. He's raised you for years and treated you well, even though he's not the wealthiest. Would you like him?"

Without hesitation, Leng Gong answered, "Yes."

"Then what if you had another father..."

"Why do you always use examples about fathers?" Leng Gong was confused by Xue Meng's choice of illustrations. "Do you have issues with your father?"

Xue Meng widened his eyes. "I just... find it convenient to use this example!" Ignoring her confusion, he continued, "Suppose you had another father. He's not as good a person as your original father, never knew you existed growing up, and treated your mother coldly and unfaithfully. But he's incredibly wealthy. Would you like him?"

Leng Gong flew into a rage. "I'd boil him alive, of course!"

Xue Meng: "…That won't be necessary. I'm just making a point – you might think money can make him happy, but perhaps what he truly desires is just to read books together with you…"

Cold Palace pondered for a moment, and the more he thought, the worse his expression became. Although he still maintained his dignity, there was a hint of grievance in his eyes.

Finally, he said stiffly, "…I admit, I'm not good at reading, nor do I have much education. Even if I spent ten years studying on my own, it wouldn't match up to someone who traveled and learned for five. All I have is money and physical strength. If he doesn't like it, what can I do?"

Suddenly, Xue Meng felt that he resembled a loyal wolf dog, abandoned by its owner in the rain. Despite being deeply wronged, it would still sit upright, pretending not to care.

Xue Meng sighed. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Tell me something else."

Cold Palace insisted stubbornly, "There's nothing else where he surpasses me."

"…Like what?"

"He's not as fair-skinned as I am."

Meeting Xue Meng's skeptical gaze, Cold Palace said irritably, "What are you looking at? I'm talking about the past. I'm not that fair now either. The reason is complicated, and I'm not going to explain it to you."

"Oh," replied Xue Meng. "I don't want to hear about it either. Anything else?"

"He's not as good-looking as me. His taste in clothing is rather shabby."

"He's not as straightforward as I am. He's cunning and indirect."

"He's also not as tall as me."

Xue Meng found it somewhat obvious that Leng Gong was trying to overemphasize the point with her last statement.

Continuing this line of questioning wouldn't be productive; it would likely only result in calculating how many sentences Leng Gong could construct starting with "He's not as..." Moreover, Xue Meng noticed that this Leng Gong maiden lacked self-reflection – she couldn't name others' strengths, nor could she acknowledge her own weaknesses.

He needed to change his approach.

Thus, Xue Meng came up with an idea, suggesting to Leng Gong, "Your descriptions aren't clear enough. Why don't we play a game?"

"Oh? What kind of game?"

"Starting now, let's pretend you're my disciple. I'll make some requests, and you can act out how you would respond compared to how that rival of yours might react. Would that work for you?"

Leng Gong: "....I didn't expect you to be quite the playful one despite your young appearance."

After some thought, he said, "Sure, but let's get one thing straight. Don't get all hot and bothered just because I've achieved success early in life, and try to take advantage of me while pretending to be my master. I won't sleep with you."

Xue Meng was stunned, then completely enraged. "I'm helping you, damn it! What are you even thinking? Who wants to take advantage of you?! Retract your vulgar words! You're not allowed to say 'bed' again in the future!"

Cold Palace raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Oh."

Xue Meng continued to sputter, "Also, it's 'late bloomer,' not 'early bloomer!' Don't misuse idioms!"

"Hmm?" Cold Palace looked rather reluctant. "Is that so? Something like this... if it doesn't take shape when you're young, can it still grow later?"

Xue Meng: "???" He was utterly confused. "What are you talking about? I don't understand a single word. Forget it, forget it. I know you don't read much, so I'll let it slide. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's start the act."

Clearing his throat, he said, "I'm starting the questioning now."

Cold Palace perked up and sat up straight.

"Bring it on."