Some things you try to ignore, but it’s much, much harder than it sounds.

  Like now, when the flirty whispers of those coy courtesans buzzed in his ears loud and clear.

  "Oh my, my, Lord Fusha, would you like Qing Er to help you pour wine, or Qing Si to feed you mouth to mouth?"

  “Oh? Why not both ways?”

  “Ah~ Lord Fourth, do you feel hot? Qing Yi can help you... cool off.”

  “Yeahahaha, warm me up a bit more first!”

  "L-Lord Fifth, how naughty! Xiao Wu- Xiao Wu isn’t ready..."

  “Aii, you’ll be ready, real soon!”

  "Young Lord Bage, look into my eyes and tell me—what color are they? Is it the green you like, hmm?"

  “Ouu, yes, yes, very good!”

  “Then which is better? My eyes or… my hand, hmm?”

  “Both is good, both is good, ouuu!”

  Horny laughter and heavy breathing followed.

  Everything was still at the playful warm-up and cropping a feel stage.

  But listening to all those words flowing like sweetened wine and getting glimpses of the snowy peaks peeking out at the corners of his vision, Bubai still felt it was almost unbearable.

  But giving in? Absolutely not. Can’t resist? No problemo.

  That’s why he had prepared a countermeasure just in case!

  Bubai cast a glance over his shoulder, connecting his line of sight with the redhead servant.

  Catching the unspoken signal from her man, the arrogant Miss Hong clicked her tongue inwardly.

  But she still plastered on a pleasant smile and gracefully went up to take her place on his lap.

  A restless claw found its place on her smooth leg, while the other slipped inside her qipao.

  Bubai grinned while squeezing out her value.

  The benefits of bringing his own companion were many, one of which was to ward off unwanted “gifts” from overly generous brothers!

  The “lost in lust” brothers sneakily passed around eye signals. The first bait had failed.

  But who said their tricks ended there? That was merely the opening move!

  The oldest Qian Fushu looked over, half-smiling.

  “Oh, seems everyone is enjoying themselves, but do you know what would make this even better?”

  He reached into his pouch and pulled out a wine jar labeled with “Qian Xiang”.

  The man turned it slowly in his hand like a precious treasure. “Look what I’ve got here.”

  Three pairs of eyes lit up in unison.

  “Ouuu?! Could it be—Is that Eldest Brother’s Aromatic Gu Fragrance that can turn carps into dragons after a single cup?!”

  “Yes, can’t be wrong.” Qian Feifu licked his lips.

  “Ai, I thought I’d never get the chance to taste this secret recipe again after Eldest Brother passed. Lao Er, you sly fox, you actually had a jar hidden away?”

  “Yea, yea, Lao Er, don’t keep us waiting! Quick, let me pour myself a cup!”

  Seeing the greedy hand reaching over, Qian Fusha deftly moved the jar off to the side. “Eih. You’re not all thinking about drinking for free, right?”

  “Ouf.” “Tch.”

  “Che. Knew it.” Qian Zhongta grumbled but still honestly reached into his own pouch, “But when have I, Lao Si, ever shortchanged my brothers?”

  A jade box got pulled out and slapped onto the table. The lid snapped open, revealing a few rolls of pale-yellow flesh wrapped in rice paper.

  “A whole cattie of my golden-clawed scorpion gu meat. If that’s not enough, I’ll add more!”

  Qian Bage straightened up immediately, eyes shining. "Ouu! Good stuff!"

  He then clapped Bubai’s shoulder in excitement, grinning ear to ear.

  "Brother Bai, you have to try this! Fourth Brother hardly ever parts with this favorite snack of his. For us lower-ranked cultivators, its effects won’t lose out to the meat of magic beasts!"

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Hearing this, Bubai almost couldn’t help licking his lips.

  He’s not a foodie, but meat that could temper the bodies of foundation builders was truly good stuff!

  Though it was questionable if it will have any effects on his own tempered self, but it was still worth a try, especially since a chance to try something like this was really hard to come by!

  Even better news? The offerings didn’t stop there.

  “Ai, you two are really making things difficult for me.” Qian Feifu sighed dramatically but still reached into his pouch. “Fine, I won’t be stingy either.”

  A small jade jar was set down onto the side table next to Bubai’s seat.

  Once the lid came off, a rich, earthy scent tickled his nose.

  “Pickled mulberry spiritworms raised in my own garden. I don’t need to say more, do I?”

  “Ouuu! Lao Wu, you’re really willing this time! I still can’t forget the taste after you cooked me a plate at my coming-of-age banquet!”

  Even Qian Zhongta slurped back his drool. “Uy, Lao Wu, when I last visited you, you swore it’d still take a few years for the next batch to mature! How come...”

  Qian Feifu blinked innocently. "Ai. That’s right. But this is from the last harvest. Oh, and it just so happens—this is the very last jar."

  The other three brothers rolled their eyes in unison, clearly not buying it, but nobody bothered calling him out.

  The three older brothers then looked at the youngest.

  “Hehe…” Qian Bage cheekily grinned and fished out a glass bottle filled with golden-yellow liquid.

  “Ouu, you know me. I don’t have much to offer, but I did manage to get this little bottle of Flower Mosquito honey from her garden.”

  Seeing this, the other brothers applauded.

  “Ai, as expected of Xiao Ba! Only you can wheedle benefits out of her!”

  "Yeah, yeah! Xiao Ba 666!"

  A chorus happy laughter ensued, and even all the ladies gave the shorty a second look.

  Bubai was quite curious about the underlying story.

  Why does acquiring an item sound like such a big achievement worthy of praise? Just who exactly was her?

  But clearly, now wasn’t the time to dig into these mysteries.

  There was a far trickier crisis waiting right up ahead!

  Alas, he didn’t get much time to think before all eyes turned to him.

  His turn.

  Rare embarrassment crept onto his face because…

  He really didn’t have anything worthy to take out!

  Indeed, there were a few rare and delicious herbs in his coffers, and even the staple spirit rice might do the trick, but there was one small problem…

  They were all sitting in his personal storage warehouse!

  Honestly, Bubai didn’t expect this gathering to turn into a potluck.

  Hence, his bag only carried his mortal dried rations, his wager, and combat supplies.

  Basically, nothing remotely comparable to the exotic delicacies these brothers had casually thrown onto the table!

  Merlin’s diaper. Now what was he supposed to do?

  Slap spirit stones on the table? Their pockets were deeper than his!

  Bring out some common pills that wasn’t even enough to fill the gaps in their teeth? Isn’t that even more embarrassing?

  Sensing Bubai’s embarrassment, Qian Bage exaggeratedly smacked his own forehead. “Ouuu! It’s my fault, my mistake! Blame me for not mentioning it to Brother Bai beforehand!”

  The other brothers immediately jumped in, piling on with playful accusations.

  "Ai, Xiao Ba, you really messed up this time!"

  "Yeah, yeah, how could you set up a good brother like this?"

  "Xiao Ba, you should’ve explained everything properly."

  Clearly, the youngest brother had been thrown under the carriage to smooth things over.

  Bubai wasn’t sure if he should be amused or more embarrassed.

  But these brothers certainly didn’t give him any chance to feel unwelcomed.

  With an easy grin, Qian Feifu served a plump, sauce-glazed silkworm onto a porcelain appetizer plate and slid it over to him.

  “Okay, Brother Bai, just ignore that trouble-making rascal. Here, have a taste of my pickled spiritworm. I guarantee you haven’t tasted any food better in this sect!”

  Bubai stared at the fat silky caterpillar coated in dark sauce. Honestly, he didn’t know if he should take it or not!

  “This...”

  Catching his awkwardness, Qian Bage firmly clapped his shoulder.

  “Ou, Brother Bai, no need to be polite with us! Our clan coffers aren’t overflowing like those big shot families, but this much is nothing! Don’t let word get out that our Qian Clan can’t even afford to treat a guest properly!”

  "Yeah, yeah! It’s just some side dishes and snacks! If you consider us brothers, then don’t fuss over these little trifles! Just eat!"

  Seeing how they were practically begging him to eat, Bubai pretty much got the message.

  Attacking his little brother failed, so they switched up their approach to attack his stomach.

  This time, he really has no excuse to reject their goodwill, unless he wants to break up directly.

  But he wasn’t here to burn bridges—he was here to build them.

  And sometimes, if you wanna make friends, ya just gotta accept the benefits that came with it.

  Bubai colored his face to show that he was rather overwhelmed by their sincerity. “Then, I hope everyone won’t blame Bubai for freeloading.”

  “Not at all! Not at all!”

  “Hahaha! Good brothers don’t sweat the small stuff! Come, have a taste!”

  Taking the plate delivered to his hands, Bubai stared down at the marinaded worm that looked… quite alive even though it was dead.

  The dark, gooey sauce made it look all the more gross.

  Yuck. This was a bug feast, literally.

  Some people really can’t stomach this type of food, but after all those years living in poverty ever since he transmigrated into this world, this was nothing.

  Learn the taste of hunger and there’s really nothing you can’t eat!

  Squelch. Half of the juicy worm was bitten off.

  A burst of rich, slightly tangy sauce spread across his tongue, followed by an unexpected sweetness.

  Bubai chewed on this familiar flavor thoughtfully.

  Huh. It’s actually… not bad. Kinda tasted like sweet and sour chicken.

  Even better, there’s a sliver of Qi that warmed his stomach.

  It wasn’t much, but in this desert sect where the monopoly over food made it scarcer than water, this tasty worm can count as an absolute delicacy.

  Seeing his face, Qian Feifu broke out in a happy chuckle and passed over a plate featuring a tiny strip of pale-yellow flesh.

  “Ai, my skills is not bad, right? Here, try some of Lao Si’s gu meat and you’ll know the difference.”

  Qian Zhongta rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Yeah, yeah. How can these two be compared? Mine is all about promoting improvement, alright?”

  On the other side, Qian Bage enthusiastically handed over a little cup. “Ouuu, Brother Bai, dip some honey with it! It’ll bring out the flavor!”

  After nodding in thanks, Bubai pinched the crab-meat-like strip and swabbed some honey before popping it into his mouth.

  This time, the meat was much chewier, and the only taste that stood out was the rich, saccharine sweetness of the honey.

  At first, it seemed there was nothing special… but then—

  A sudden heat bloomed from his stomach, spreading across his whole body.

  His muscles tingled, his blood seemed to pulse a little stronger.

  Very invigorating. Was this the body-tempering effect in play?

  Huh? Wait a sec. Bubai felt something else stir. A different kind of heat.

  His lips twitched.

  This… why does it feel like his little brother was getting tempered, too?!

  His gaze darted to the brothers, who were grinning expectantly.

  No way. It can’t be… did he just get drugged with aphrodisiac?!