There were many things that Liu Nan could have said in response, but he couldn't think of any of them in the moment. It was because Liu Nan had a particular weakness: he had spent most of his time cultivating in seclusion, and while that had caused him to become quite powerful in just 200 years, he did not have the rich variety of life experience of someone like Fang Yuan.
As such, he had never gotten over one of his greatest fears - that of speaking to woman!
And so, although Shang Xin Ci was only Rank One Middle Stage, she was able to suppress the flustered Rank Five Peak Stage Liu Nan, who backed away, allowing the two of them to exit.
There was chuckling from all around the gambling den. A Rank Five Peak Stage Gu Master was suppressed by a Rank One Middle Stage girl!
Once Fang Yuan and Shang Xin Ci were out of sight, Liu Nan felt his face red. His reputation had taken damage here, but he did not care that much for it. So what if Fang Yuan had managed to slip away this time? He would get to him later. Yes, this would not deter him from his mission!
Just a few hours later, he found Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing in Nan Qiu garden.
For a moment, Liu Nan hesitated slightly on seeing Bai Ning Bing. What if the same thing as back in the gambling den happened? Would he be left tongue-tied again then?
However, he grit his teeth. He could not fail in his endeavor no matter what kind of hurdles he encountered.
Though come to think of it now, it may have been better if his master had also trained him in certain social aspects rather than in just Gu Master cultivation...
"You! Fang Yuan!" he yelled out. The staff had been unable to stop him, being a Rank 5 Peak Stage Gu Master, which is how he had basically just waltzed in.
Bai Ning Bing was sipping on tea while Fang Yuan was attempting to refine the Scouting Hive Gu before he realized that this nuisance had decided to reappear.
"Did you not have enough embarrassment at the gambling den that you decided to appear here for a second round?" Fang Yuan asked lazily.
Bai Ning Bing turned her attention slowly to Liu Nan, given the fact that he had Rank 5 cultivation. She had not met him before, but it was clear as day that he had a bone to pick with Fang Yuan.
"The only one who should be embarrassed is you! You - you ran away from a fight! What kind of coward does that?"
"I did not run away, didn't you hear? We can't fight. As it is, fighting you has no benefit to me," Fang Yuan said dismissively. "And you call me a coward when you're bullying people two minor ranks below you?"
"Hmph - what does it matter? I'll agree to limit my cultivation to Rank 5 Middle Stage so long as we can fight."
"I still don't care."
"Why you Fang Yuan!" Liu Nan shouted. The frustration of having to stay in this odd city, with its weird people, and that of the incident back in the gambling den was getting to him. "You - you're a demon, Fang Yuan, and as a righteous path Gu Master I will put you in your place! You may have fooled everyone else here, but you can't fool me! Don't you feel ashamed just sitting there, pretending to be a good person?"
Bai Ning Bing lazily turned to Fang Yuan. "Who is this person and how does he know you so well?"
Fang Yuan snorted. "Ashamed? Me? Watch that tongue of yours, this is unjustified slander. I have always walked the path of righteousness ever since I was born. What demonic acts have I done? Can you name a single one?"
Liu Nan opened his mouth before shutting it again. "I know what kind of man you are, Fang Yuan. And I will put an end to it. Fight me in the arena, if you have guts!"
"I'm willing to concede that I don't have guts, now leave," Fang Yuan said.
"Why you!"
Liu Nan seethed. He had not expected that this mission was going to be easy. If it were so, his master would not have entrusted it to Liu Nan of all people. But he thought the difficulties would be in fighting a person like Fang Yuan who might be quite skilled - not getting him to the battlefield in the first place.
Liu Nan took a deep breath. He couldn't allow himself to get frustrated. He took a gu worm out of his aperture.
Bai Ning Bing's eyes widened. Purple Crystal Relic Gu! It was not an easy thing for any mortal Gu Master to find. It had seemed that even someone like Shang Yan Fei had cried out when asked to give one to Fang Yuan.
"How about this, Fang Yuan," Liu Nan said. "Let the two of us fight. I am willing to wager this gu worm in exchange for you wagering one of yours. We can even set up rules during the fight, such as no lethal blows, etc. What say you?"
"No," Fang Yuan said. Although Liu Nan could not have known such, he already had enough Purple Crystal Relic Gu.
Liu Nan growled with frustration. "Then what do you want in exchange then?"
"I don't want anything, leave," Fang Yuan said.
Liu Nan shouted at Fang Yuan, but no matter what he did, Fang Yuan remained as unmoving as a rock. Bai Ning Bing said nothing. All that Liu Nan got out of the encounter was a sore throat.
As it seemed the conflict was going to escalate, a flash of light shone out of the sky and materialized into Wei Yang. "Lord Liu Nan, I am sorry for interfering, but I must take a resolute stance. You cannot cause this kind of a commotion here."
Even if Wei Yang was only Rank Three, he had the backing of the Shang Clan behind him. Liu Nan could only tighten his fists and turn around, walking through the streets of Shang Clan City.
He was fuming, knocking aside those on the street he happened to run into.
"Who is this?"
"Are you blind?"
"What kind of oa- ah!"
Many people were annoyed by his behavior, turning to shout at Liu Nan only to pause once they noticed his cultivation level. In front of that, they could only slip away, nursing their mild injuries.
Liu Nan paid them no mind as he began plotting. Unfortunately, Fang Yuan had the backing of the Shang Clan here and he could not make an obvious move. Should he go to Bei Gu Mountain and threaten his clansmen? That could've been a viable option were it not for two things - one, that he knew that Fang Yuan did not care for his clansmen, and that two, it would put a bitter taste in his mouth at having to involve innocents in this.
'No, I need to find another way. But what?'
Unknowingly, he had wandered into the city's red light district. He would've ordinarily made a hasty retreat from here, but then recalled the scolding he had gotten from Shang Xin Ci and how he could not retaliate. He needed to prepare for the future.
This could be considered 'training' then.
He had never visited a brothel himself, but maybe, just maybe, he had to do it for the mission.
He had stopped by a large building called The Rose Garden. A young woman with a cute appearance approached him.
"Whatcha' doin mister? Lookin' for a date or maybe just a good time?"
Her chest was absolutely flat, and while Liu Nan would personally find a lady with big breasts to be more alluring, she was otherwise quite attractive. Maybe this was not a bad place to start?
He gulped.
He was a person who had never really interacted with woman, only focusing on his training. But, that aspect had caused him to be handicapped. And though he did not necessarily want his first time to be with a harlot...
'...I might have to do it for the mission. That's right, this is just for the sake of the mission! I can go ahead and indulge a little then, can't I?' he thought to himself.
"Alright, yes, I am looking for a... ah... fun time," he said as he followed the young lady into the building.