Chapter 338 - 259: Time Is Running Out

Chapter 338: Chapter 259: Time Is Running Out

After the momentary confusion, Tang Wen’s heart skipped a beat. ’Is this woman just using my name to bluff, or has she figured out who I am?’

’She must be using my name to bluff, right?’

’Right?’

’No.’

’I’ve been silent for too long.’

He jerked his head up and looked through the gauzy bed canopy. The woman’s ruby lips seemed to be curling into a smile.

Tang Wen was now completely certain he had been exposed. He stopped hesitating. "Lady Feng, say no more. I must see this Extraordinary Insect Beast you speak of."

"Alright, alright, alright, I’ll show you!" she said in the tone of an older woman indulging her younger boyfriend.

Tang Wen was speechless. ’...Seriously? If you’re going to show me, then just show me. What’s with this attitude? It’s as if I asked to see something... indecent.’

’And why did you stop addressing me with any respect?’

Feng San Niang turned, her willowy waist twisting as she pressed a mechanism on the wall. A hidden compartment sprang open, revealing a box made of Zitan wood.

"Here, come up and see." The bed curtain was lifted to create a small opening—a silent invitation.

The bed of the number one Courtesan... it was enough to make one’s imagination run wild.

’Woman, you’re playing with fire!’

"Lady Feng, you jest. I am no gentleman, you know. Besides," Tang Wen said mockingly, "don’t you already have a lover, Lady Feng?"

That was the wrong thing to say.

The moment Feng San Niang heard this, a melancholic resentment washed over her. "My Lord, please don’t mention that block of wood. I threw away my reservations and invited him to be my guest here in public, time and time again. And what did he do? He never came, not once. He must look down on me from the bottom of his heart. My Lord, do you find the Third Lady distasteful?"

Seeing that she was about to lay her cards on the table, Tang Wen felt a headache coming on. He hesitated for a moment before sighing, "Third Lady, let’s be clear. I remember you only invited me once. Where did ’time and time again’ come from?"

"So you admit your identity, My Lord?" Feng San Niang poked her head out from the canopy, looking in Tang Wen’s direction and raising her snow-white chin.

Tang Wen revealed his form but didn’t withdraw the Power of Concealment that shrouded the room.

"It really is you!" A flash of triumph crossed Feng San Niang’s eyes.

"That’s right, the act is up! I am Tang Wen, Feng San Niang’s lover."

"Pah! I was just testing you. Dream on, My Lord." The woman’s gaze was electric, her flirtatious charm on full display.

SWISH. The bed curtains were pulled open.

Feng San Niang held out the purple wooden box in her hand. "The Exotic Beast Spider."

’A spider?’

Tang Wen didn’t move closer. He used his Spiritual Power to take the box and open it. Inside were coils of white silk, like wisps of smoke.

Beneath the silk lay a black spider.

It was the size of a child’s fist, its entire body like Black Jade. It looked anything but ordinary.

"This is my Extraordinary Insect Beast." Feng San Niang’s tone had completely changed. Her voice was now crisp and clear, poised and graceful.

Tang Wen looked up, even more surprised. At some point, the woman had wrapped herself in a qipao. She was stunningly beautiful, but without a trace of a courtesan’s air, and the seductive intent in her every move was gone.

If she had been a temptress just moments ago, now she was like the commanding matriarch of a great clan.

Though there were cloth slippers by the bed, she walked on her snow-white tiptoes across the wooden floor to light a stove and warm a pot of wine.

CLICK. Tang Wen snapped the box shut. "The spider gives a warning?"

"Have a drink first."

Feng San Niang picked up a silver ewer, poured a cup of wine, and handed it to him.

As she drew near, the light, elegant fragrance from her body was even more intoxicating than the aroma of the wine.

Tang Wen downed it in one gulp. "Can you tell me now?"

"Aren’t you afraid I poisoned it, My Lord?"

"I am!" Tang Wen shot her an irritated glare. "I should have hardened my heart and dragged you out for a good interrogation earlier."

"My Lord seems to have forgotten, I am Sixth Grade, and you are Seventh. Even if you have powerful reinforcements outside, in this room, it’s just the two of us. If I wanted to do something to you, I’m afraid you might not even have time to call for help!" Feng San Niang winked, then downed a cup of strong wine, the heat of it flushing her cheeks crimson.

The corner of Tang Wen’s mouth twitched. ’The last person who acted this arrogant in front of me was Huang the Seventeenth Lang, a Peak of Sixth Grade, and now he’s gone.’ "Third Lady, there’s no need to be so defensive. I apologize for my intrusion tonight, but I didn’t know you lived here before I came. I am only here to ask about a friend."

Feng San Niang toyed with her wine cup. "This friend of yours, My Lord... is a woman, isn’t she?"

"That’s right."

"No wonder."

Tang Wen frowned, growing impatient.

"I wouldn’t dare delay you from your important business, My Lord. I’ll send for the Steward right away to see if any women are hiding in my Spring Breeze Pavilion!" Feng San Niang said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

He ignored her petty attitude.

Tang Wen lifted the restrictions of his Concealment. Feng San Niang woke the Extraordinary Woman sleeping outside the door and ordered her to bring people over.

Tang Wen took the initiative to explain, "The person I’m looking for is connected to another Fourth Grade Influence. I hope Lady Feng can forgive my actions. Once this matter is settled, I will host a banquet to apologize."

A Fourth Grade Influence?

Seeing that Tang Wen’s expression was not one of deception.

Feng San Niang’s delicate brows furrowed. If a Fourth Grade was involved, then this was truly not a matter where she could act on a whim.

She reined in her petty thoughts and said seriously, "There’s no need for talk of apologies. However, I will remember that you promised to take me out for drinks, My Lord."

After a pause, she added, "That Stealth Technique of yours is quite convenient for seducing women, isn’t it? If your foot hadn’t snagged a spider thread, I’m afraid I’d still be in the dark even after you left."

"Seducing women? Lady Feng, please don’t tarnish my good name without reason. But... what spider thread are you talking about?"

"This Alien Spider can sense the location of any silk it has spun. For instance," Feng San Niang blinked, her gaze shifting downward, "there’s some stuck to the bottom of your boot right now, My Lord."

Tang Wen lifted his boot to take a closer look. Sure enough, there was a tiny white thread on the sole.

After he picked it up, the thread seemed to have the Traits of a living creature. It curled a few times in the air, as if trying to escape his grasp.