A Record of Pleasure

Chapter 1

She couldn't understand what was so funny about the name "Greedy Pleasure." It was a bit vulgar, but it was honest enough.

At least it's better than names like Ahua and Amei, right?

She didn't ask for much; all she wanted was food and a place to live. Her parents' favoritism was nothing to worry about.

Anyway, she's never been a good girl, so it's normal that she's not well-liked.

She never expected that she would have such a good talent for martial arts; she could remember it after just a glance and learn it after just a few practice sessions.

There's nothing anyone can do if they're jealous of her.

She felt that having enough money was enough; she could occasionally indulge in a lavish meal, but she didn't need to be incredibly wealthy. Sometimes, having too much money could be a problem.

But why do so many people covet the treasure map?

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Everyone in the world falsely claims to be exceptionally wise. In her eyes, they are all fools!

Ah, humans, they really are the strangest animals in the world!

Chapter One: Wu Tanhuan, the Concubine's Daughter

The Wu family of Jiangnan is considered a prestigious family in the martial arts world. Although they haven't produced any grandmasters or martial arts leaders, their swordsmanship is still quite formidable. Back in the family's early days, the Wu family produced several top-tier martial arts masters. However, that was hundreds of years ago. Now, the Wu family's population has dwindled, but their status in the martial arts world remains considerable, and people still speak of the Wu family of Jiangnan with a degree of respect.

The current head of the Wu family was Wu Canyang, a young and promising man of elegant bearing, and a highly skilled martial artist. His wife was Du Shuizhen, and the two were deeply in love. In a society where polygamy was common, Wu Canyang only married one wife and resolutely refused to take concubines. He and Du Shuizhen had a son and a daughter. Their son, Wu Qingfeng, was seven years old, and their daughter, Wu Qingqiu, was five. The family of four lived a happy and fulfilling life.

When Tan Huan first arrived at the Wu family, she was not even five years old. Her dark eyes stared unblinkingly at the two people in front of her. The man's face was very ugly, and the woman's expression was sad, and, well, it also carried a bit of hatred.

Tan Huan unconsciously took a step back. As a child, she didn't understand much, but she was very good at discerning the emotions in the eyes of the adults around her, especially liking and disliking.

For a helpless orphan girl, Tan Huan's greatest skill was reading people's expressions; it was her survival skill.

"I..." Wu Canyang's voice was somewhat agitated. He looked at his wife helplessly, "I really don't know..."

Du Shuizhen pointed her finger at Tan Huan, staring hatefully at her husband. "This child looks about the same age as Qingqiu. You, you actually..." Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. "You bastard!"

Wu Canyang immediately stepped forward to embrace his wife, but she easily broke free. "Yes, yes, yes, I'm a bastard. I was out having dinner with some friends from the martial arts world and I got drunk, wasn't I?"

Don't blame your mistakes on being drunk!

"Yes, yes... Oh, I'm sorry..."

Watching the two entangled before her silently, Tan Huan didn't utter a word. She only knew one thing: these two didn't welcome her, and this place didn't welcome her. Tan Huan looked down at her tattered clothes and disheveled hair, but where else could she go?

“Little girl,” Du Shuizhen suppressed her disgust and kept telling herself that the child was innocent, but to little avail, “Is your mother dead?”

Tan Huan nodded. Everyone around her said her mother had died.

Du Shuizhen sighed deeply. She couldn't just leave her husband's child outside. She asked softly, "What's your name?"

Tan Huan shook her head; no one had ever given her a name.

Du Shuizhen frowned and said, "Can't you speak properly?"

"Yes," Tan Huan replied softly, her gaze cautious.

Du Shuizhen turned to look at Wu Canyang, her voice stiff, "Give her a name!"

Wu Canyang looked helplessly at his wife, then slowly shifted his gaze to the little girl. This little girl was the result of his momentary pleasure. That year, Du Shuizhen was pregnant, and he went out drinking with some friends from the martial arts world. In his drunken stupor, he somehow ended up having a one-night stand with a dancer. He kept it all to himself, returning home filled with guilt, intending never to mention it again. In fact, he had almost forgotten about it, but unexpectedly, the dancer died suddenly, and someone brought this little girl to him.

His figure was reflected in Tan Huan's dark eyes, and she stared intently at him. She stood motionless, a little timid and a little uneasy, but she still held her head high. They hated her, but she had nowhere else to go. She spoke softly, "Father."

Wu Canyang's face turned green, and he squinted at her.

Du Shuizhen's expression also stiffened.

“I’m not sure if you’re my daughter yet,” Wu Canyang said bluntly. “We need to do a blood test first. If the result is correct, then I’ll acknowledge you as my daughter.”

Tan Huan was young then and couldn't understand what he meant. Then, a sharp pain shot through her finger, and fear finally appeared on her blank face. She reflexively pulled her hand away, thinking she was about to suffer some kind of persecution.

One drop of bright red blood, then another.

Two drops of blood slowly gathered and merged in the bowl.

Du Shuizhen's tears also fell. She didn't want to acknowledge this child, but the teachings she had received since childhood made her understand that she couldn't let the Wu family's bloodline be scattered outside. The child is innocent, the child is innocent... she told herself again and again. When she opened her eyes, she saw the little girl's dirty face, but the dirt couldn't hide the girl's delicate features. She could imagine that the woman who gave birth to her must have been a beauty.

Seeing this child would involuntarily conjure up images of her husband and other women making love in bed, causing her unbearable chest pain.

Wu Canyang pulled his wife into his arms, sighed deeply, and looked at his daughter with complicated eyes, "Don't you have a name?"

I think I asked that question just now. Tan Huan's memory was exceptionally sharp, but she still obediently nodded, her big, dark eyes looking at Wu Canyang, seemingly understanding but not quite, and asked, "Can I call you 'Dad' now?"

Wu Canyang sighed again, gazing into the distance out the window. He held his sobbing wife even tighter. “It’s all my fault, all my fault. I was just indulging in pleasure for a moment…” He looked away and carefully examined the dirty little girl in front of him. “From now on, your name will be Tanhuan, Wu Tanhuan.”

Tan Huan vaguely knew that she could stay in this house. After hesitating for a moment and holding back, she tentatively asked, "Dad, I'm hungry. Can I eat?"

From that day on, Tan Huan lived in the Wu family, nominally as the second young lady. However, her life was far from that of a young lady. The master of the Wu family did not love her, and the servants did not respect her. Fortunately, no one abused her, and Tan Huan was well-fed and warmly dressed, which she was quite content with. Every day she could sleep on a warm bed, covered with soft blankets, and the food she ate was much better than before.

It was late at night, and Tan Huan's small body lay alone on the empty bed. She looked up at the bed curtains, white and light, like a dream, as if it were the boudoir of a wealthy young lady. She chuckled, her eyes darting to her left. There was a mirror, a chair, and a table in the room. On the table were a teapot, teacups, and snacks. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Her small, frail body trudged off the bed, wearing only a thin garment. A cold wind seeped in through the window, and she shivered slightly. She reached out and touched the mirror. Such beautiful wood carvings, such a clear and bright mirror surface—it was wonderful. It looked so expensive. She never imagined she could own something so fine. The child's fingers traced the mirror's surface, leaving faint marks, tiny fingerprints like the dampness of a snail's crawl.

Tan Huan, shivering from the cold, hugged her shoulders and ran around the room, reluctant to go to bed. She touched and fiddled with everything, jumped onto a chair, pressed her whole body against the table, brought her nose close to the pastries to sniff, stretched out her finger to touch them, pulled it back, and touched them again. She giggled, jumped off the chair, her lips almost purple from the cold, and then crawled back into the warm blankets.

"Why are they so nice to me?" Tan Huan's little face was confused. "They clearly don't like me..." She burrowed her head into the blanket. "If I could make them like me... wouldn't they be even nicer to me?" She drifted off to sleep.

Things that you think you can never have become natural once you don't, and they only make you feel sorry for them. It's only the loss of feelings that are within your grasp that makes you feel heartbroken. Of course, Tan Huan's thinking was very simple. She just wanted her family to like her, to like her more, and she thought that would make her happier.

Wu Qingfeng was a very arrogant child, even though he was only seven years old. When Tan Huan first saw him, she only saw a cold, beautiful face and a disdainful expression. Seeing this, Tan Huan naturally didn't speak to him, and Wu Qingfeng was even more disdainful of speaking to a dancer's child; not uttering any sarcastic remarks was already a sign of restraint.

Wu Canyang, supporting Tan Huan's shoulder, sighed. He couldn't bear to force his son, especially since he himself didn't like the daughter's existence. This little girl's presence had forced him to sleep alone in the study for two nights and created a rift between him and his wife. "Qingfeng, this is your sister. Take good care of her from now on."

Wu Qingfeng's narrow eyes revealed a hint of disdain. "Father, if I remember correctly, I only have one younger sister, and she doesn't look like this."

Wu Qingqiu poked her head out from the bushes not far away and asked mischievously, "Is brother talking about me?"

Wu Qingfeng glanced at her, gesturing, "Father, isn't my sister over there? Where did this one come from?"

Wu Canyang looked embarrassed, not wanting to explain too clearly to the child.

What's the use of having an older brother? What good would having multiple older brothers do? "Did you cook the food I eat? Did you build the place I sleep in? Or is there anything around me that you paid for?" Tan Huan's tone was calm, speaking slowly and deliberately, without the slightest hint of provocation. If there was anything at all, it was just curiosity. She blinked, "Father, he's just a child, how can he take care of me?"

Wu Qingfeng clenched his fists, his cheeks slightly flushed. If it weren't for his usual upbringing, he would have definitely punched him. "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to talk to me like that?"

Wu Canyang also said displeasedly, "Tan Huan, this is your elder brother, you mustn't talk back to him!"

She wasn't talking back at all; she was just puzzled. Tan Huan once again concluded that she was unpopular. She had always thought children had no voice, but in the Wu family, she discovered an interesting phenomenon: her parents always gave in to Wu Qingfeng. Even though he was just a child, they listened to everything he said.

Tan Huan was utterly baffled. Was this because she liked him so much? Fine, she silently made a mental note to avoid Wu Qingfeng in the future. Anyway, she didn't need any brother.

The night scene in Jiangnan is brightly lit.

The five members of the Wu family sat around a large round table, eating in silence. Since Tan Huan arrived at the Wu family home, the atmosphere had been consistently somber. Du Shuizhen remained indifferent, picking up food and eating without showing any emotion.

Wu Canyang was so ashamed that he couldn't speak. He had said everything he could, and he didn't know how else to comfort him.

Wu Qingfeng, though young, was precocious. Seeing the scene before him, he understood perfectly. A hint of mockery and disgust flashed in his eyes as he glanced at Tan Huan almost imperceptibly. He knew that the tense atmosphere at home was entirely due to this brat.

"Mother, you haven't said a word for days." Wu Qingqiu pitifully ate her rice, pouting, "Are you angry with Qiu'er? What did Qiu'er do to upset you?"

Tan Huan's body stiffened slightly, and she secretly glanced at Du Shuizhen, not daring to look any longer. If, perhaps, maybe… was it because of her?

"No, why would Mother be angry with Qiu'er?" Du Shuizhen smiled bitterly, picked up a chicken leg and put it in her bowl. "Come on, eat your food obediently, and don't overthink things."

"Stupid sister, she's not even half as smart as him." Wu Qingfeng rolled his eyes with disdain.

Wu Qingqiu cheered and quickly grabbed a chicken leg, then began to gnaw on it without any regard for appearances, leaving his mouth greasy.

Tan Huan glanced at Wu Qingqiu enviously, swallowing her saliva. She had never eaten a chicken leg before. She lowered her head sullenly, not daring to dream of it, and continued eating her rice.

"Hmph, don't think he didn't see it!" Wu Qingfeng's eyes flashed with mockery. He reached into the bowl with his chopsticks, picked out a chicken butt, and threw it into Tan Huan's bowl. "Here, eat as much chicken as you want!"

Tan Huan paused in her movements, glanced at the chicken's rear end in the bowl, then slowly raised her head and stared at him.

"What are you looking at?" Wu Qingfeng said mercilessly. "Judging from your appearance, you've never eaten chicken before. I'm kindly offering you a taste, aren't you going to be grateful and eat it up?"

Tan Huan remained expressionless and said calmly, "Didn't you say you only have one younger sister? Why are you calling yourself my older brother?"

"You!" Wu Qingfeng's face flushed red, and he almost threw his chopsticks away, but he managed to hold back. That brat! He actually choked him so badly he couldn't speak!

She was merely reminding him, so why was he blushing? Tan Huan continued his honest approach, "I don't want to eat chicken butts." Then he took the chicken butts out of the bowl and threw them on the table.

Wu Qingfeng had never been humiliated like this before. He stood up abruptly and threw down his chopsticks.

"Qingfeng! Sit down!" Wu Canyang was also very unhappy and disliked his daughter even more.

"If it weren't for my pity for you, you wouldn't even have chicken butts to eat!" Wu Qingfeng said angrily.

Tan Huan frowned, then glanced at the chicken's rear end again. That was where the chicken pooped, and she really didn't want to eat it. "Then I'll just eat plain rice." She paused, then suddenly remembered something, "If I'm not here, who will eat this chicken's rear end?"

If she weren't here, there wouldn't be this chicken butt. Wu Qingfeng sneered, finally finding an opportunity to humiliate her and avenge the arrow he'd just shot. "Feed it to the dogs!"

He frowned, then remained silent, still enjoying himself.

"That's strange," Wu Qingqiu said curiously, still holding a half-eaten chicken leg in her hand, "I've never seen a chicken's butt when I ate chicken before..."

Upon hearing this, even the slow-witted Tan Huan understood somewhat. This family indeed didn't welcome her. She looked up, a half-smile on her face, "So you have a penchant for eating at the same table with dogs, how interesting."

Wu Qingfeng's face turned pale with anger. This brat is so annoying!

Du Shuizhen sighed, first glancing at Wu Qingqiu, "Qiu'er, you're becoming less and less like a girl. Look at the way you're eating chicken legs... Sigh, wipe your mouth first." Then, she looked at Wu Qingfeng, "Feng'er, Tan Huan is still your sister. Do you even consider the bond between siblings when you speak?" After a pause, she stared intently at Tan Huan, "Tan Huan, you too, do you even realize you're talking to your own brother? So rude."

Upon hearing his wife speak, Wu Canyang quickly agreed, smiling apologetically, "What you say is true, madam. These children need to be taught a lesson."

Tan Huan lowered his eyes, remaining silent. His gaze was fixed on the chicken leg in Wu Qingqiu's hand.

"Qiu'er, Tan Huan, starting tomorrow, you will attend classes with Feng'er," Du Shuizhen said. "You are both of age now, it's time for you to learn something, and Feng'er will have a companion while he studies."

"Mother!" Wu Qingfeng wanted to protest. Putting aside Qingqiu, he didn't want to study with that attention-grabbing brat!

Du Shuizhen waved her hand, "It's settled then."

Then, Tan Huan began her studies.

She didn't particularly enjoy studying. While the teacher swayed his head and recited classical Chinese phrases, she sat below silently memorizing the characters. Although she had no interest in reciting poetry or writing lyrics, it didn't mean she wanted to be illiterate. Holding a pen in one hand, she meticulously copied each character, studying with exceptional diligence.

Wu Qingfeng sat in front of her, his eyes darting back to see her head bowed, studying the characters. He scoffed disdainfully, "Tch, what a useless fellow." A playful glint appeared in his eyes. A copper coin flickered between his fingers, and with a flick of his wrist, he struck the teacher's wrist, sending the book flying towards Tan Huan.

Tan Huan's hair fluttered slightly as she tilted her head, nimbly dodging the book; her reflexes were exceptionally sharp.

"Ouch." Wu Qingqiu, who was sleeping on the table, rubbed her head, her eyes blurry with tears, partly because she had just woken up, and partly because she had been hit hard. "What happened?"

The Master was also confused, apologized repeatedly, picked up his book and continued reciting classical Chinese phrases.

"Hmph," Wu Qingfeng sneered, "You think you're so good at dodging? You childish brat!"