A goddess dwells in my heart.

Chapter 8 The Copper Sparrow Terrace Locks Up Spring

Lu Zheji was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was happening and almost burst out laughing.

So this is your taste!

Recalling the historical account of Emperor Wu winning the favor of a goddess through his poetic talent, he immediately understood the preferences of this icy goddess.

By catering to their preferences and stirring up their iceberg, the opportunity has arrived!

He immediately picked up the book "Collected Poems of Emperor Taizu" with great excitement and quickly began to read it.

The goddess sensed his actions and knew that he had been inspired and was checking whether his work overlapped with his previous works. So she said nothing more and waited quietly in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

A moment later, Lu Zheji slammed the poetry collection shut and leaned back in his chair with a look of utter despair.

I finally figured out how to win a girl's heart, but I already used up all the tricks I had when I was flirting with girls in my past life!

The goddess's voice betrayed barely concealed disappointment: "Have they all copied old works?"

Not really. Some poems involve difficult-to-handle allusions or have too special a background, so they probably wouldn't have been published in their previous lives. And if they didn't dare to use them in their previous lives, it's even more inconvenient to use them in this one.

Since the approach of pandering to their preferences is temporarily blocked, and with that path thwarted, a wicked thought suddenly arises.

Let's just tease him a bit!

He cleared his throat and pretended to ponder, "Just now, when Senior Sister Su was testing me, a little sentence inexplicably came to mind."

The goddess was indeed intrigued: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Lu Zheji spoke slowly and deliberately, reciting in his heart: "The two Qiao beauties are locked away in the depths of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace in spring."

Two Qiaos? Qiao Qiao?

Inside the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, a faint blush swept across the goddess's exquisite face.

She abruptly closed her cold, clear eyes, no longer paying attention to that lecherous man outside.

……

The next morning, Su Wanning knocked on the door.

Lu Zheji didn't sleep all night, not because he had insomnia, but because he meditated and practiced meditation all night.

The Primordial Dao Body is indeed profound. After circulating his energy all night, the spiritual power in his dantian became even more abundant.

"Junior brother, let's go!" Su Wan Ning called from outside the door, "I'm taking you to get some cattle!"

She led Lu Zheji out of Chang'an and arrived at a rather large mountain villa in the southern suburbs.

"This is the bullring." Su Wanning led him inside familiarly, explaining in a low voice, "The law only says 'oxen cannot be slaughtered privately,' bulls used for fighting don't count as oxen used for plowing."

Lu Zheji understood immediately: "Got it. It would be a waste not to eat a bull that has been killed in battle."

Su Wanning continued, "There are two types of bullfighting: bullfighting and bullfighting between humans. The bull that dies in the fight can be auctioned off to the guests present. If a human wins the bullfight, the winner only needs to pay the reserve price to buy it first. To put it bluntly, it's a way of making things convenient for cultivators who need it."

Upon realizing that the demonized Ni Xin demanded to be killed personally, Lu Zheji didn't hesitate: "I choose to fight the bull."

Su Wanning tilted her head to look at him: "Junior brother, the oxen here are not the old yellow oxen used for plowing fields. They are specially bred ferocious beasts, and they are very dangerous."

Lu Zheji patted the longsword, a standard accessory for the academy, at his waist; its three-foot blade gleamed coldly.

He said solemnly, "My sword is not without its weaknesses."

Su Wan Ning was amused by his serious expression and covered her mouth to chuckle, her dimples appearing shallow: "Okay, okay, then I'll go register you later. The bullfighting match isn't until the afternoon, let's watch a bullfight first."

The two entered the venue and chose a seat near the front.

A booming host stood on the platform, passionately introducing, "Ladies and gentlemen, the next act is today's highlight! First up is—the challenger, Bull Whirlwind!"

The east gate burst open with a roar, and an exceptionally large bull charged out. Its shoulder height was greater than that of an ordinary adult, and its back was as broad as a wall.

Lu Zheji was secretly astonished; what a huge ox!

This cow was much larger than the cows he remembered.

The host's voice grew increasingly loud: "Bull Whirlwind! Weighing 3,100 jin, with horns like curved blades, its momentum is like the wind! And its opponent is the undisputed overlord of our Bullfighting Manor, the undefeated behemoth—Bull Demon King! Weighing 4,200 jin!"

The western fence slowly rose, and an even larger, dark shadow emerged from the darkness.

It was a giant bull with a coat as glossy as satin, a whole size larger than the bull whirlwind from before. Its shoulders and back were as high as small mountains, and its limbs were as thick as pillars. With each step it took, the sand trembled slightly.

This is beyond the category of a cow; Lu Zheji couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "What did it eat to grow up like this?"

Sitting next to her, Su Wan Ning was chewing on a piece of candied fruit she'd somehow produced. Upon hearing this, she answered vaguely:

"feed."

Lu Zheji: "???"

Su Wan Ning swallowed the candied fruit, looked at the two giant bulls in the arena that were as big as small mountains, and explained:

"The cows here are all high-end breeds, fed with the same feed used to raise demonic beasts. Look at those two, they look like they're almost ready to become demons themselves. Especially that Bull Demon King, I reckon even an ordinary first-realm cultivator wouldn't be a match for it. Even a second-realm cultivator, if it really rammed into them, would definitely not fare well."

The word "feed" seems a bit out of place in this era, but Lu Zheji quickly realized that the founding emperor was a time traveler, so he understood.

Looking at those two enormous creatures, he finally had a real understanding of the Zero Realm monster concept.

I was initially worried that half a bull's blood and energy might not be enough, but now it seems that half a bull demon king is equivalent to four or five old yellow bulls. With the added boost from the Narrow Road Sword Technique, the improvement will be significant.

Su Wan Ning's statement wasn't that the Bull Demon King could truly defeat a second-realm cultivator; cultivators are agile and naturally have no fear. However, if the immense blood and energy of this behemoth could be condensed into a human's body, the effect would be entirely different.

Su Wan Ning tilted her head to look at him: "Now that you've seen what bullfighting looks like, do you understand why your junior sister told you to be careful? Junior brother, do you still think you can handle it?"

"A man can't say no."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Zheji realized he had unconsciously made a lewd joke. He glanced at Su Wanning and saw that she still had that same sweet smile as always.

Fortunately, my junior sister was naive enough not to notice.

The duel between the two bulls began quickly and ended just as quickly.

As expected, the Bull Demon King, relying solely on his absolute strength and size advantage, knocked Bull Whirlwind to the ground with a few charges and thrusts, and his thick hooves brought the battle to an end.

Lu Zheji was somewhat taken aback: "Isn't this just one-sided? Where's the main event?"

Su Wan Ning stuffed another candied fruit into her mouth and mumbled, "Giant bulls that are close to transforming into demons are rare. Their rich blood and energy are highly sought after, so they're definitely the main attraction."

That's right, I almost forgot this is a slaughterhouse disguised as a bullring.

At this moment, the host jumped into the center of the arena, pointed at the fleeting whirlwind, and announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen! The whirlwind has fallen. The starting bid is six hundred taels of silver. Is there any distinguished guest interested?"

Six hundred taels!

Lu Zheji's brow twitched. Even in Chang'an, one tael of silver could buy more than sixty catties of pork, but here it was only enough to buy five catties of beef? The ninety-odd taels of silver in his pocket were probably only enough to touch a cow's leg.

The room fell silent; no one bid, which clearly contradicted Su Wanning's earlier statement that "many people were waiting to buy."

Seeing that his expression was off, Su Wan Ning assumed he was wondering about this, so she leaned closer and whispered, "The whole head is auctioned off to make it easier for big clients. Normally, if no one bids, the estate will break the cow down and sell the parts separately."

Lu Zheji smiled wryly: "I'm not surprised by that, it's just that I'm short of money..."

"How could your senior sister let you pay?" Su Wan Ning gave him a reproachful look. "Junior brother answered the question correctly, so naturally it's your senior sister's treat. Have you ever heard the story of 'Zengzi Killing the Pig'? Are you trying to make your senior sister go back on her word?"

Lu Zheji: "..."

I'd guess it was passed down from Emperor Wu.

Su Wan Ning patted her not-so-ample chest and said generously, "Besides, Junior Brother, you underestimate the wealth of aristocratic families. This little bit of silver is just a few days' allowance for your senior sister."

Lu Zheji recalled how he had felt yesterday that the court's treatment of him was generous with his twenty taels of monthly salary... and felt like a clown.

"A rich woman will support me!"

Su Wan Ning chuckled and reached out to pat his head: "Alright, alright, your senior sister will take care of you."

Lu Zheji seized the opportunity and said, "Junior Sister, may I have that Bull Demon King?"

Su Wan Ning's pretty face showed some difficulty: "This... is a bit difficult. It is a whole size larger than the Bull Whirlwind of the same level, and it probably has an extraordinary demonic beast bloodline. The manor may not be willing to sell it. Senior Sister, please try your best."

"Just because it's the local overlord?" Lu Zheji asked, puzzled. "But isn't the main business here selling meat? If the Bull Demon King isn't dealt with soon, he might really turn into a demon!"

Su Wanning shook her head and lowered her voice: "They are raising demons. Although the imperial court prohibits the private raising of demons, this bullfighting arena is the Empress's private property, and its main business is breeding demon beasts. Those released for sale are just discarded products with inferior bloodlines."

So this is the Empress's territory. No wonder she's so arrogant, able to flaunt her body in Chang'an.

Lu Zheji secretly noted that the Empress had a stable channel for obtaining and raising demonic creatures.

Su Wanning added, "But there's no need to worry too much. When the time comes, reveal your identity as the son of the Prince of Zhenbei, and perhaps they will do you a favor."

Lu Zheji, fearing that the local official would find out that the son of the Prince of Zhenbei was worthless, asked, "Wouldn't Senior Sister's identity be acceptable?"

"The Lin family, whose members are of royal lineage, and the Su family have always been at odds. We came in through the side gate. You may not know this, but there's a sign hanging at the main gate that says 'No Su family members or dogs allowed.'"

Su Wan Ning stuck out her tongue. "It's only because I, your junior sister, am harmless and just a marginal figure in the Su family that I was granted this special permission."

She took Lu Zheji's arm and comforted him, "It's alright. The Lin family and the Lu royal family have had a long-standing relationship. They should agree."