Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 319 - 56: Self-Reliance for a Better Life

Li Wanqing’s delicate hand pointed at Wang Jiu, causing great alarm among the team members.

"Wait, what do you want to do to Ah Jiu?!" Shen Qingming demanded as she stood up, her cheeks inexplicably turning rosy, as if she were recalling something shameful.

Li Wanqing grinned mischievously, "What do you think?"

"Absolutely not!" Shen Qingming shook her head forcefully, displaying a determination that was unyielding, "Even if Ah Jiu himself doesn’t mind, I will never allow you to exploit his innocence and do something so embarrassing!"

Li Wanqing’s smile took on a more playful tone, "How is it embarrassing?"

"You know perfectly well!" Shen Qingming’s face had already turned crimson, "A man of seven feet disguising himself as a girl is one thing, but going on a date with Shen Jinghai for matchmaking, how could that be considered honorable?!"

Before Li Wanqing could speak, siblings Li Chaolu and Li Xinyu were already showing expressions of utter shock.

"Shen Shen Shen Qingming, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Li Chaolu questioned as he reached out, unable to stop the nosebleed flowing from him, "Disguising as a girl and going on a date with Shen Jinghai?! Where did this delusion come from?!"

Shen Qingming turned her head, only to see two waterfalls of nosebleed streaming down, making her dizzy and causing her teeth to ache, "What are you thinking again with those chunky legs?!"

"Of course, it’s imagining Mr. Wang Jiu dressed in a skirt looking like a girl!? You started this, did you expect me to suppress these fantasies?!"

"I can’t believe you have the nerve to say that so confidently!"

Beside them, Li Xinyu’s expression was somewhat distorted, and after a while, he said, "Actually, if you think about it, given Mr. Wang Jiu’s features, with slight adjustments..."

"No thinking it through! What’s the matter with you siblings!?" Shen Qingming reprimanded these deranged dreamers and turned back to angrily question Li Wanqing, "Look at the mess you’ve caused!"

Li Wanqing said, "Actually, I just wanted to suggest that once Gold-Match Harmony finds a suitable girl, Mr. Wang Jiu could disguise himself as an ordinary escort to be by her side and remind her to answer Shen Jinghai’s tricky questions when needed."

"..." Shen Qingming seemed petrified, speechless.

Li Wanqing blinked, "I thought my idea was pretty ordinary, so I’m not sure why you immediately thought of putting Mr. Wang Jiu in a dress."

"I didn’t!"

"Who said it then? I didn’t mention anything about dressing up as a woman."

Shen Qingming glanced aside, only to find the Li siblings ignoring her completely, wearing expressions of amusement.

Li Wanqing was even more spirited, "Mr. Wang Jiu kindly takes care of you like his own daughter, and yet you secretly harbor such despicable thoughts about him!"

"I didn’t!"

"Mr. Wang Jiu must be very disappointed, feeling let down by you."

"He wouldn’t!" Shen Qingming was also anxious, "Ah Jiu understands me, he knows I’m not like that!"

"So today, you let him see a whole new side of you?"

Seeing Shen Qingming on the verge of tears, Li Wanqing finally halted the conversation and started to take things seriously.

"Alright, let’s not tease Qingming anymore. Seriously, next we need to find a girl and discuss the cooperation method with her. I believe this should be manageable since it’s a win-win situation. Shen Jinghai can end his long-term singleness, and the girl can conquer an unyielding fortress of over a decade, successfully marrying into a wealthy family and becoming the vice city lord’s wife."

Li Wanqing’s analysis was very logical. After some thought, everyone agreed with her reasoning.

However, when it came to the actual execution, problems arose.

——

February 10, 2018

"I say, this is the third time, right? What on earth does that guy want to do?!"

On the Divine Sword Tower, Li Wanqing was somewhat furious, glaring at Shen Jinghai leaving downstairs flippantly, wishing she could dump the teacups, teapots, elbow meat, and other items on his head.

A moment later, a fair and lovely girl came upstairs, looking a little dejected, and threw a Brocade Money Bag onto the table where several people were dining, snorted coldly then turned and left.

The white sword hanging from the waist of the young lady instantly transformed into a human and stayed in the private room.

Wang Jiu seriously concluded, "It failed. Before entering the Q&A session, Shen Jinghai had already determined that Miss Tang Xiaowan was unqualified."

Qingming weakly said, "No need for you to say that, we already know... This is the third time. Shen Jinghai is truly a complete looks-snob. If there’s even a slight flaw in looks or figure, it’s unqualified. There’s no room for compromise."

Li Wanqing said, "If it were so easy to compromise, he wouldn’t have been blind dating for over a decade, and besides, the recent three matches chosen by Golden Matchmaking weren’t extraordinary. Such obvious flaws, yet they got recommended. It’s a wonder Shen Jinghai was even willing to meet for dinner after seeing the pictures..."

Qingming said, "After all, the meal fees were paid in advance. If you don’t eat, it’s a waste."

"...No wonder he didn’t speak a word just now, and just ate an entire table worth of food alone! Truly worthy of you Shen Family people!" Li Wanqing was impressed, "No, I need to complain to Golden Matchmaking. Being so negligent with their work, do they want to be shut down for reorganization!?"

Soon after, a staff member from Golden Matchmaking arrived in response to the summon, and after hearing Li Wanqing’s complaint, defensively argued, "It’s already quite good! Out of millions in Shen City, how many can you find prettier than Miss Tang Xiaowan? Among them, how many have a clean background, possess Immortal Cultivation, and are willing to date someone who’s been blind dating for a decade? If it weren’t for our diverse connections and resources at Golden Matchmaking, how could we possibly provide high-quality women for him to meticulously select every week?"

Li Wanqing snorted coldly, "Your so-called diverse connections and resources mean taking girls previously recommended, giving them plastic surgery, changing their names, and recommending them all over again as new women?"

The staff argued with conviction, "A change of heart and face makes them entirely different people. Besides, what if after the surgery, she meets his aesthetic standards? Wouldn’t it also fulfill a good match?"

"Oh, hurry up and arrange a girl for plastic surgery, turn her into the kind that Mr. Shi would drool over, and quickly make the match happen."

The staff lamented, "It’s not that easy, my dear inspector. Mr. Shi’s dating standards are so high, anyone who meets them must be a lady of a certain pedigree. And these kinds of young ladies, aren’t they all proud and satisfied with their conditions? There’s a difference in aesthetics between people. What Mr. Shi sees as flaws might be considered merits by others. Getting someone to undergo surgery just for a date, how easy is that? Even Golden Matchmaking is just a connector, not a beauty farm."

After hearing the staff’s last sentence, Li Wanqing’s eyes suddenly brightened, "Oh, a beauty farm? That’s an interesting idea! If you can’t find them naturally, just make them yourself!"

The staff was startled, "Inspector, what are you planning to do? Human trafficking was abolished by the Saint Sect over two thousand years ago, don’t do anything rash!"

"Of course, it’s not really about human farming, just a metaphor. You really have no imagination, no wonder you’re just an average wage earner at your age, being overshadowed by a newcomer monk as a steward."

The words were like the Celestial Divine Sword, cutting the staff to pieces inside.

Li Wanqing enthusiastically explained, "My idea is simple. Generally, noble ladies wouldn’t agree to plastic surgery, but there’s always someone who would. Although... Shi Buqing is a decade-long dating oddball, his essentials are impeccable. Spending over a thousand Spirit Stones on matchmaking annually, even the Deputy City Lord of Shen City isn’t like that. There must be plenty of girls willing to join such a wealthy family."

The staff said, "Indeed there are, but with too poor a background or family origin, it’s unacceptable. Mr. Shi requires the other party not to be necessarily wealthy, but at least from a middle-class, decent family. The children raised in such families..."

"Isn’t this simple enough? Just find a middle-class family willing to adopt a girl for money, how hard can it be?" Li Wanqing continued, "As for whether she’s a decent girl, after all, it’s your profiles the girls rely on. Even if she used to abuse drugs, was promiscuous, or frequently had abortions, you could still portray her as a pure lily."

"That would be too excessive! Falsifying to that extent goes against our principles."

Li Wanqing never backed down, "What is the primary principle of any institution?"

The staff pondered a moment, "Honesty, and no deceit?"

"Idiot! The first principle is obviously not to offend public authority! Otherwise, you won’t even be able to open your doors!" Li Wanqing said harshly, "We don’t have the time to play matchmaking games with you for another ten years. If the next date doesn’t satisfy Shi Buqing, I’ll shut Golden Matchmaking down directly!"

"You don’t have the authority to do that!"

——

Noon, February 11, 2018

Divine Sword Tower, second-floor private room.

The senior steward of Golden Matchmaking apologized profusely to the inspectors and then accepted a set of profile documents handed by Li Wanqing.

"Oh, this lady, is she the date you plan for Mr. Shi to meet next week, Inspector?"

Looking at the lady’s portrait in the documents, the steward was full of amazement.

She was indeed a girl perfectly meeting Shi Buqing’s requirements—elegant and flawless in every aspect, looking just like the aesthetic model Golden Matchmaking had built for Shi Buqing!

"Nonsense, it’s a template designed based on your model and created through surgery. How could there be any difference?"

The steward wiped his sweat, "So, may I ask what the real origin of this young lady is...?"

"Don’t worry, she’s not an evil cult demoness. She’s a high-level maid we’ve hired with a high price. Her qualities are undoubtedly excellent, and with our foolproof Q&A assistants, it will definitely solve this tricky problem that’s troubled Golden Matchmaking for over a decade!"