The steam from the boiling water sent the teapot ringing, breaking the silence after Lei Jing’s little speech.

　　Shen Lian spoke softly, “Lei Jing, please serve the tea.”

　　His voice was calming. Lei Jing freed herself from Guan Longzi’s gaze and replied, “Hmm.” After that, she followed Shen Lian’s order and served the tea to everyone.

　　The tea was not great, though the water was excellent. The pleasant after-taste lingered in Wu Ding’s mouth.

　　However, his attention was focused on Shen Lian. He was waiting for the little prince’s answer.

　　With a cup of tea in his stomach, he found his agitation eased. This was good for his thought processes.

　　Shen Lian emptied his teacup. The moonlight filtered in through the surrounding windows, shrouding Zhiwei Home in its gentle glow.

　　He sized Lei Jing, Wu Ding, and Guan Longzi up.

　　Lei Jing was taken off guard, but she managed to calm herself down. She returned to being the fearless high-born lady that she was.

　　Wu Ding’s eyes were clear and he faced Shen Lian’s gaze directly; with his sincere eyes, he pleaded with Shen Lian.

　　Guan Longzi was modest. Shen Lian’s gaze did not affect him. This showed how detached he was with the events around him.

　　Shen Lian smiled, “Lei Jing, you do not want me to interfere. Meanwhile, Wu Ding requested for my help. Fellow Daoist is caught in the middle. Though, I am the one who gets to make the final call. I am not a busybody and I usually would not get myself involved in this.”

　　Initially, Lei Jing was pleased, but her good mood did not last long.

　　She replied, “Did you hear that? My teacher decided not to interfere with your business.”

　　Lei Jing seemed to notice the unnecessary harshness in her tone and added, “Actually, Tianyi just needed to succumb to my uncle’s will and he will be fine.”

　　Wu Ding thought, “If my uncle is willing to do that, he would have done that long ago.”

　　He wanted to talk back, but Shen Lian stopped him midway, “However, I decided to let you decide for yourself. Three months from now, I want to compare with Guan Longzi to see whose disciple is stronger. As Lei Jing is my student, Fellow Daoist Guan Longzi’s disciples would not stand a chance. However, Wu Ding is a remarkable individual. Wu Ding, why don’t you study under Guan Longzi for three months and if you manage to secure victory over Lei Jing, I will grant you a wish.”

　　Wu Ding was surprised, “Prince, do you mean what you have just said?”

　　Shen Lian replied casually, “There is no reason for me to lie to you. If you don’t believe me, we can have Guan Longzi to be the guarantor.”

　　Guan Longzi smiled, “My pleasure. It will be fun to watch this together.”

　　Lei Jing could not object, after all, she held her own fate in her hands.

　　After sending Guan Longzi and Wu Ding off, Lei Jing batted her eyes at Shen Lian in a demure manner. Her curly and long lashes framed her beautiful eyes and it was a moving sight. Any man who was not moved by her beauty would be a man with a heart of stone.

　　Even though Shen Lian’s heart was not made out of stone, but it was a lot harder than stone.

　　He smiled and looked at this beautiful student of his. He did not speak.

　　Lei Jing protested playfully and dragged her last note, “Tea…cher.”

　　Shen Lian smiled in his heart; so it seemed that women everywhere were flirtatious. This was probably their innate talent.

　　He spoke with a serious tone, “Disciple.” After speaking in a serious manner, he did not speak further.

　　Noticing how unbreachable he was, Lei Jing spoke, “You wouldn’t let me lose in the battle three months from now right? I am ready for my first lesson now.”

　　Shen Lian replied, “Alright, here we go.”

　　Lei Jing seemed surprised. She did not expect Shen Lian to grant her request so easily. Actually, it was not that Xiahou and Youhu did not have any exceptional occult techniques. However, these occult techniques were too cruel and lacked aesthetic values. In spite of the power of his techniques, Shen Lian was always elegant and graceful while using those techniques. Even though she appreciated manliness in a man, she was attracted to Shen Lian – a graceful man who attained an advanced state of cultivation.

　　With Shen Lian as her role model, she was assured that she would not look too vulgar after going through the cultivation process.

　　Of course, it was her intention to increase the time she spent with Shen Lian too.

　　As she was thinking, she opened her perfume pouch. A small box flew out of it and landed right on her fair hands. The box was made out of ten-thousand-year-old ebony, something that would elicit the envy of any Qi cultivator who set eyes on it. Ebony was resistant to water and fire, and it was tough. It was difficult to estimate its power when it was used to manufacture flying needles and flying swords. Even with the strongest of body, it would be difficult to resist the attack of the instrument.

　　Yet, the ebony was turned into a box for treasured belongings. Lei Jing looked at Shen Lian, “Eh, since I am taking you as my teacher, it is right and proper for me to present you with a gift. Ten over years ago, this Flower of the Other Shore bloomed on the shore of blood-red Asura sea. This is extremely rare. A monk from Da Jue Temple secured it and gave it to my uncle. My uncle passed it on to me as my birthday gift. Now, this shall be my gift to you.”

　　She opened the box, revealing a flower that was red as the fire inside. The fire had a stem but not leaves. It rested within the box quietly.

　　Shen Lian found himself faced with extreme hunger as he looked at the Flower of the Other Shore that was red as fire. He desperately wanted to give the Flower of the Other Shore a bite.

　　This was a feeling stemming from the soul and not something that he could eliminate.

　　Shen Lian suppressed his instinct and accepted the box casually. He closed the box.

　　He remained calm and at ease, battling his impulses at the same time. Lei Jing did not notice anything.

　　Shen Lian whispered, “Aren’t you afraid that your father would find out about this?”

　　He had seen enough to know that he should remain cautious where the desire to ingest the Flower of the Other Shore manifested itself. After all, even if he would be able to attain the state of Taiyi immediately after ingesting the Flower of the Other Shore, he would still think thrice before doing so.

　　When dealing with power that was not within one’s control, one should remain extremely cautious. Unless absolutely necessary, Shen Lian would not look out for these strange encounters.

　　Lei Jing spoke, “I get to decide what I want to do with my property. Moreover, my mother is the master of the house.”

　　If Prefect Grand Usher Lei Nuo were here now, he would probably wish that he had never given birth to his daughter. Shen Lian smiled, “It seems like Prefect Grand Usher led quite a pitiable life.”

　　Lei Jing thought about how her father coaxed her mother usually and laughed, “My father called this his little boudoir pleasure.”

　　Judging from Lei Jing’s emotions, Shen Lian decided that the Flower of the Other Shore had nothing to do with Prefect Grand Usher Lei Nuo. Moreover, his premonition did not go off because of the Flower of the Other Shore. It seemed like there was something more behind the Flower of the Other Shore and this was unlikely to be some part of a malicious plot against him.

　　He did not want to seem overly enthusiastic about the Flower of the Other Shore in front of Lei Jing. He spoke, “I shall accept the gift. Let’s begin our first lesson now.”

　　Lei Jing nodded and was curious about the content of Shen Lian’s lesson. However, she fell into a deep slumber after hearing Shen Lian speak.