Chapter 58: True Treasure Girl Xie Qingwu, Deep Master-Disciple Bond
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: True Treasure Girl Xie Qingwu, Deep Master-Disciple Bond
After returning home and sending Zhao Zilan and Ye Hanshuang to their rooms to rest, Pei Shaoqing returned to his own.
Xie Qingwu was in the courtyard playing pitch-pot.
Seeing Pei Shaoqing enter, she casually handed the remaining arrows to her maid, Qiu Ye. "Who is that woman?"
"Master." Qiu Ye bowed to Pei Shaoqing.
Pei Shaoqing waved his hand to dismiss her.
Only after hearing her footsteps fade away did he speak softly to Xie Qingwu, "The Shaking Light Saintess. She came to avenge the Kaiyang Saint Heir, but ended up getting caught in the process."
Xie Qingwu’s face filled with astonishment. "I never thought both Kaiyang and Shaking Light of the Profound Yellow Sect would fall into your hands one after another. You’re not going to pluck all seven stars of the Big Dipper, are you?"
The Big Dipper.
’Such a familiar name.’
’Pei Shaoqing had always felt this world might be a parallel dimension of Earth. It had many things that seemed similar yet were not quite the same, but that wasn’t important to him.’
"If that really happens, I’ll be famous throughout Jiuzhou," he said jokingly.
"First you killed Kaiyang, now you’ve captured Shaking Light. If word of this gets out, you might not shake all of Jiuzhou, but you’ll certainly be famous throughout the Great Zhou," Xie Qingwu muttered, then let out a breath and asked, "How are you planning to deal with her?"
"You don’t need to worry about that." Pei Shaoqing didn’t answer, but asked a question of his own. "Is there any kind of potent poison that works on Martial Artists, but is harmless as long as the antidote is taken regularly?"
"You want to use poison to control the Shaking Light Saintess and make her work for you?" Xie Qingwu raised an eyebrow slightly, not optimistic about the idea. "I don’t think a core member of a Profound Sect like her is necessarily afraid of death. If she were, she wouldn’t be a rebel."
"That’s not necessarily true." Pei Shaoqing thought of the Kaiyang Saint Heir, unconcerned. ’Every organization has its share of cowards who talk big but cling to life.’ "Besides, whether or not she’s afraid of death is one thing, but whether or not I can let her die easily is another. So, is there such a poison or not?"
"Of course there is." Xie Qingwu was not only widely read but also had an excellent memory. She spoke as she recalled, "But any inherited poison has a corresponding antidote. The Profound Yellow Sect has deep foundations and many talented people. They might be able to cure whatever poison you use."
Pei Shaoqing frowned upon hearing this.
The corners of Xie Qingwu’s mouth lifted, and she looked at him coquettishly. "If you can find the ingredients, this young lady can concoct an exclusive, secret medicine for you. Unless she can find a Spirit Pill like an Antitoxic Pill left behind by an Ancient Cultivator, only the antidote I prepare will work."
"You know how to do that?" Pei Shaoqing was very surprised.
Xie Qingwu snorted proudly, turned her back to him, and stood with her hands clasped behind her. "Is it that difficult? You think this young lady reads all those books for nothing? If I can’t apply what I’ve learned, what’s the use of reading? I taught myself pharmacology and prepared medicine to treat my older brother’s illness when I was seven."
Of course, she wouldn’t tell Pei Shaoqing that the reason her brother got sick in the first place was that he had taken medicine she had concocted.
"My dear wife, the longer I spend with you, the more I realize what a treasure you are," Pei Shaoqing said, pulling her into his arms and nuzzling against her ear.
He once thought Xie Qingwu had nothing to offer besides her beauty and family background. Later, he discovered she was a walking encyclopedia, and now he found out she even knew Alchemy!
’She was like a treasure trove with endless wonders to uncover.’
Hearing Pei Shaoqing’s praise, Xie Qingwu’s heart swelled with delight, filled with the satisfaction of being acknowledged.
She feigned indifference and said, "I once dreamed of becoming a Pharmacist, of being able to concoct Elixirs with all sorts of miraculous effects—some to save lives, and some to take them."
"And what happened?" Pei Shaoqing asked curiously.
Xie Qingwu said with a sigh, "Later, I was secretly practicing Alchemy at home when I knocked over the Alchemy Furnace and burned down the house. When my father returned from the morning court, he shattered my Pharmacist dream with a single slap."
Hearing this, the corner of Pei Shaoqing’s mouth twitched.
’So in other words, everything you know is just theory, and you have practically zero hands-on experience?’
"It’s alright, your husband supports you!" Pei Shaoqing turned her around to face him and said with a serious expression, "Tomorrow, I’ll have someone set up an Alchemy Room for you at home. You can devote yourself to studying this path. Just write me a list of any ingredients you need, and I’ll have my men find them."
’Someone with her kind of natural talent would surely succeed if she just had enough opportunities to try.’
"Really?" Xie Qingwu’s eyes lit up.
She never expected that her childhood dream would actually have a chance to come true. This was a truly pleasant surprise.
’After all, reading could satisfy her thirst for knowledge, but to be able to apply that knowledge and make it real... she couldn’t even imagine how satisfying that would be.’
Pei Shaoqing nodded. "Really."
"Thank you." Xie Qingwu’s eyes shimmered.
Pei Shaoqing gave her a half-smile. "Just with words?"
"Well... you can go to my wardrobe and pick out a pair of stockings you like," Xie Qingwu said, her pretty face blushing slightly.
Although Pei Shaoqing was very tempted, he felt he shouldn’t get sidetracked by pleasure. "Forget it, maybe next time. My dear wife, hurry up and write two copies of the list of ingredients needed for the Alchemy. It would be best if you also write down the appearance and characteristics of the medicinal herbs."
’Those stockings were a finite resource. Best to be frugal.’
’Besides, he felt this world’s use of a Top Grade material like Ice Silk was far too simplistic. It was a criminal waste. Ice Silk should be used to make lingerie.’
’In the future, I’ll definitely open a garment workshop under a secret identity to process Ice Silk, specifically to benefit my fellow men. This market has great prospects.’
’It might even become a tribute item for the court.’
"Alright." Having finally taken the initiative to offer a treat only to be rejected, Xie Qingwu felt a little disappointed.
...............
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
There was a knock at the door.
Liu Yuheng, who was bathing, asked, "Who is it?"
"It’s me, Master. May I come in?"
Hearing Zhao Zilan’s voice, Liu Yuheng’s tense body relaxed. "Come in."
Zhao Zilan pushed the door open and entered.
"I’m bathing, close the door," Liu Yuheng gently reminded her disciple upon hearing the door open.
Zhao Zilan closed the door and walked behind the screen.
Seeing her suddenly appear, Liu Yuheng shyly crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself and said with feigned anger, "What are you doing coming in here, you silly girl? Go wait for me outside the screen."
"Wow, Master, you’re so fair." Seeing her master act like a shy young maiden for the first time, Zhao Zilan found it very amusing. "Let me scrub your back, Master."
"Get out of here, go on." Liu Yuheng’s face was flushed and she was very embarrassed. Her hands, held in front of her, couldn’t hide her full figure at all, which only made her more alluring.
But Zhao Zilan grew bold. Taking advantage of the fact that her master couldn’t get out of the tub, she started taking off her own clothes.
"You used to help me bathe when I was little, Master. Now that I’m all grown up, I want to return the favor."
"Still so mischievous. I really don’t know what to do with you," Liu Yuheng said, rolling her eyes helplessly.
"Dear Master, here I come!"
After getting into the water, Zhao Zilan sat behind Liu Yuheng and gently washed her back.
Feeling her beloved disciple’s attentive service, the initially embarrassed Liu Yuheng gradually relaxed, leaning her entire body into Zhao Zilan’s slick, smooth embrace. "Lan’Er, what did you come to see me about?"
"Today, the Young Master, he..." In a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, Zhao Zilan recounted what had happened in the office.
Liu Yuheng’s face turned red to her ears as she listened, and her breathing grew heavy. "You two are just too wild."
’Just imagining the scene was enough to make her die of shame.’
"The Young Master insisted. It’s not like I wanted to," Zhao Zilan said, pouting with a wronged expression.
Liu Yuheng sighed helplessly. ’Rich young masters like him have played all sorts of wild games since childhood. There’s nothing to be done about it.’
"How did it feel?" she asked, as if possessed by a sudden impulse.
Zhao Zilan didn’t hear clearly. "Huh? What?"
"N-nothing!" Realizing she had asked a ridiculous question, Liu Yuheng, with her back to Zhao Zilan, flushed red with shame.
’But she really was curious what it felt like.’
Zhao Zilan didn’t notice her master’s odd reaction and continued on her own, "The Young Master said that because you saved him today, he’s moving it up by a month. He’ll marry me in two months."
"That’s good," Liu Yuheng said with a nod.
Zhao Zilan hugged Liu Yuheng and said in a coquettish tone, "From now on, I’ll always help you with your bath, Master."
"Mm," Liu Yuheng agreed, pleased.
Zhao Zilan suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Master. The Young Master also said I could correspond with my senior brother."
"Is that so?" Liu Yuheng was instantly startled.
Zhao Zilan nodded. "He said he understands my feelings for my senior brother and doesn’t mind us staying in contact."
"Young Master Pei is truly a gentleman. His open-mindedness is admirable," Liu Yuheng exclaimed with sincere admiration.
’She felt this was a sign of Pei Shaoqing’s confidence in his own charm, a sign of his magnanimity.’
Little did she know, Pei Shaoqing just wanted to spice things up.
The master and disciple chatted idly while bathing. The atmosphere was originally very warm, but suddenly, for some reason, they started messing around.
"Ah! Lan’Er, you splashed me."
"Hee hee."
"You little rascal, I’ll get you for that!"
One was a picture of worldly charm, ripe to the point of dripping nectar; the other was youthfully vibrant, tender and dewy. They roughhoused and played, tangled together in a heap. The two fanned each other’s flames, sending water splashing everywhere as the earth itself seemed to move and the mountains tremble.