Chapter 2173

Zhu Yanyi casually pulled out a book. "This is Dream of the Red Chamber. You can read Chapter Three. It contains words very similar to yours."

The Ruthless Young Master raised an eyebrow slightly. He opened Chapter Three directly, scanning it rapidly. His expression darkened. "Do you think I am a绣花 pillow?" (Note: xiuhua zhen tou implies someone who looks good but lacks substance, often translated as "a silk pillow" or "all show, no substance". Given the context of "embroidered pillow", I will use "silk pillow" or keep the metaphor simple if needed, but the prompt says "no word-for-word". Let's use "a pretty but useless thing" or stick to the character's likely understanding. Actually, the text says "绣花枕头" which is a specific idiom. I will translate it as "a silk pillow" to keep the metaphor, or "all show and no substance". Let's go with "a silk pillow" as it's a direct object reference in the metaphor.)

Correction: The prompt forbids word-for-word idioms. "Silk pillow" is a literal translation of the object, but the meaning is "someone with no real ability". However, the character is asking if she is that thing. So: "Do you think I am all show and no substance?" or "Do you think I am a fake?" Let's look at the next sentence. Zhu Yanyi says "I didn't say you are a silk pillow". So the metaphor is central. I will use "a silk pillow" as a known metaphor in this context, or "a pretty shell". Let's use "a silk pillow" as it is a specific cultural item, but explain it if needed? No, just translate naturally. "Do you think I am a silk pillow?" is understandable in context of the book. Or better: "Do you think I am just for show?"

Let's stick to the text's flow.

"Do you think I am a silk pillow?"

"I didn't say you were a silk pillow," Zhu Yanyi said, looking merely curious. "I just meant your words were too familiar. Have you read this book? Besides, this book is quite good in my world. We have Four Great Classical Novels there, and this is one of them. You should read it."

She seemed to remember something and continued. "Aren't you cultivating the Ruthless Path? This book is actually quite suitable for you. The Dao it expounds is essentially one: seeming affectionate yet being ruthless. If there were no affection, how would those daughters end in such tragic fates? Therefore, it should be useful to you."

The Ruthless Young Master glanced at Zhu Yanyi and put the book away. "Thank you then."

"No need to thank me. Just five top-grade spirit stones will do." Zhu Yanyi held out her hand.

"Pfft." Ouyang Mingyue couldn't believe Zhu Yanyi would come up with such a brilliant idea.

"A proper Immortal Emperor, spitting randomly. Polluting the environment. Fine: two top-grade spirit stones." Zhu Yanyi made a disgusted face.

Ouyang Mingyue had no choice but to take out spirit stones and give them to Zhu Yanyi. After watching her put them away, she thought of something. "Wait, girl, this teahouse is mine. I can spit wherever I want in my own teahouse. Besides, a simple cleansing spell can clean this place. How is it polluting the environment?"

Zhu Yanyi remained calm. "You were caught spitting randomly by me. I have a small cleanliness obsession. I can't stand people spitting everywhere, so a fine is inevitable. You haven't been to my plane. There are many aunties wearing red armbands there. If they saw you spitting water everywhere, they would fine you immediately and give you a mental education."

Ouyang Mingyue was speechless. "I am really curious what kind of place raised such a quirky person like you."

The Ruthless Young Master was stunned by Zhu Yanyi's sudden move, but she did not refuse. She took out five top-grade spirit stones and handed them to Zhu Yanyi. Then she said, "Empress Yan, does this count as forced buying and selling?"

"I didn't force you. You could have returned the book to me," Zhu Yanyi said seriously.

"You know I am serious about my Dao. As long as it benefits my Dao, I would pay not just five top-grade spirit stones, but fifty, five hundred, five thousand, or even fifty thousand," the Ruthless Young Master said calmly.

"Rich people's thinking. I don't understand it." Zhu Yanyi complained, then dropped the topic.

Yan Aohan saw that Zhu Yanyi had run out of melon seeds. He proactively started shelling melon seeds for her. Zhu Yanyi ate peanuts on the side first.

The Ruthless Young Master didn't understand the affection between them. He looked at Yan Aohan. "Venerable, don't you feel this lowers your status?"

"Why do you think this lowers your status?" Yan Aohan asked the Ruthless Young Master.

The Ruthless Young Master was stunned. "Isn't it obvious? You are the Venerable Yanluo. Shelling melon seeds is not something you should do."

"You think shelling melon seeds for your wife is shameful. But in my heart, I think shelling melon seeds for my wife brings me happiness." Yan Aohan looked deeply at the Ruthless Young Master. "So I can repeat what I said earlier. Someone without a wife like you cannot understand my happiness."

The Ruthless Young Master was slightly stunned by these words. He truly didn't understand human emotions, especially marital love. "I have visited countless planes and seen many loving couples, but they all ended up as resentful partners."

"So they can only live mediocre lives. My wife and I can be together for a long time, life after life." Yan Aohan looked at the Ruthless Young Master with a look of pity. "To be honest, I didn't want to say this. What I really want to say is, if you cannot comprehend true emotion, you can never reach the true state of ruthlessness. The tribulation of the Ruthless Path is not in the heart, but in emotion. You understand this better than I do."

The Ruthless Young Master naturally understood this. Why had he been wandering in the mortal world? It was because he wanted to figure out what emotion was. The Ruthless Path did not mean abandoning all emotions. On the contrary, to succeed in the Ruthless Path, one must first understand emotion. But he had never understood emotion. He hadn't understood it since his reincarnation. He didn't understand it in his past life, and he still didn't understand it in this life.

Yan Aohan looked at the Ruthless Young Master. "When you were reincarnated, I told you to seal your past-life memories. You refused, thinking it wouldn't affect you. But in fact, only without past-life memories can you understand the emotions of this world."

"Are you asking me to dissolve my cultivation and reincarnate again now?" the Ruthless Young Master asked directly.

Yan Aohan shook his head slightly, looking regretful. "Even if you wanted to reincarnate now, there is no good opportunity. Besides, you have not yet reached the stage where you need to reincarnate again."

The Ruthless Young Master naturally knew his situation. "I know. I was just saying it. I don't intend to reincarnate now. I just want to know if there are other ways to understand emotion."

Yan Aohan looked at the Ruthless Young Master and pondered. "Seal your memories and become a new Ruthless Young Master. I think you can do this yourself."

The Ruthless Young Master pondered. "I understand. I will consider your suggestion." This implied he still disliked having his memories sealed. He hadn't sealed his memories even during reincarnation, let alone now.

Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly upon hearing this. She was not interested in their conversation. Her interest seemed to be more in eating melon seeds now.

"What did Empress Yan drink just now?" the Ruthless Young Master asked casually, looking at the drink Zhu Yanyi was holding.

"Exclusive product of the Underworld. Meng Po's soup, lemon flavor. Do you want a bottle?" Zhu Yanyi acted like a salesperson.

The Ruthless Young Master was slightly stunned. "How much per bottle?"

"Easy to talk about. This is a direct sales product here, so it's not expensive. Ten top-grade spirit stones are enough." Zhu Yanyi was asking for a huge price, yet she acted as if the Meng Po's soup was not expensive at all.

The Ruthless Young Master was slightly stunned first, then smiled. He took out ten top-grade spirit stones and threw them on the table. "Give me a bottle. Is there only lemon flavor?"