Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Shu Royal Mansion, She Has Changed, Gongsun Yi Gives a Gift

Shu State was King Shu’s fiefdom. In the Great Zhou, a Prince had no military authority beyond a personal Royal Mansion Guard.

But the title of Prince alone was enough to allow them to do as they pleased in their fiefs. As long as they didn’t try to raise an army and rebel, the Emperor was extremely lenient with them.

Thus, King Shu wielded considerable power in the Shu Region.

According to Wang Wu’s confession, they were Hidden Guards recruited by the Heir of King Shu, and their kidnapping of the "three-yin woman" was on his orders.

The purpose, just as Xie Qingwu had said, was to set up the Taiyin Soul-Inviting Technique. However, Wang Wu had only overheard the name from other Hidden Guards. He didn’t know what the technique did, so he had no further information.

But he also confessed to plenty of other dirty work he’d done for the Heir, such as stealing infants, murdering young boys and girls to carve out their hearts, and annihilating entire families to seize their properties, among other atrocities.

This Heir of King Shu was the very definition of evil.

’I wonder if King Shu knows about all this?’

Watching Pei Shaoqing sink into thought, Chen Zhongyi lowered his head and held his breath, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

The more he’d interrogated Wang Wu, the more terrified he’d become.

He wished he were deaf.

’Was this the kind of thing he was allowed to hear?’

"Keep this matter quiet. First, send someone to the Prefecture City to inquire about the situation at the Prince’s Mansion. Focus on a covert investigation of the Heir," Pei Shaoqing said, slowly exhaling.

’He could, in fact, ignore this matter entirely.’

’He could even hand Wang Wu over to the Heir and curry favor, earning his goodwill.’

’After all, he wasn’t exactly a good person himself.’

’But whether you called it a lingering conscience or a double standard, he measured others by his own yardstick. And when it came to a beast even worse than him, he found it difficult to simply stand by and do nothing.’

’Back when he was a mountain bandit, he had only ever robbed the rich.’

’Now that he was an official, was he only going to bully the poor?’

’Of course not. He had to bully someone even richer!’

’A man couldn’t go backward in life, after all.’

’Besides, he always judged others by his own standards. What if he handed Wang Wu over to the Heir, and the man still decided to kill him to tie up loose ends? Wouldn’t that be a completely pointless sacrifice?’

’What’s more, as a progressive, if he could gather solid evidence and bring the Heir to justice, it would be a major accomplishment!’

’Accumulating great merits would solidify his foundation, allowing him to walk a steadier path, climb higher, and wield greater power in the future.’

Chen Zhongyi looked up, stunned. "My lord?"

’He was clearly planning to see this investigation through to the end.’

’He had assumed his lord would use Wang Wu as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Heir and extract some benefits for himself.’

’That was the standard operating procedure among the powerful.’

"Get it done," Pei Shaoqing said, his tone calm as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "I intend to use his head to trade for a promotion."

Though Chen Zhongyi felt it was risky, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. He said in a low voice, "This subordinate obeys."

He didn’t know what part of it was so thrilling, but he was completely fired up.

"Also, send someone to Medicine King Valley and ask if they have a man named Ouyang Rong," Pei Shaoqing added.

He was curious about the origins of this good brother of his, who cared not for martial arts, fame, or fortune, and loved only farming and raising pigs.

Judging by Xie Qingwu’s reaction, the medicinal herbs were of extremely high quality. The man was an expert in this field.

Chen Zhongyi replied again, "Yes, my lord."

Pei Shaoqing turned and went inside, heading straight for the bedroom.

He pushed the door open to see the Shaking Light Saintess lying on the bed, unable to move, her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" The Shaking Light Saintess turned her head to glare fiercely at Pei Shaoqing. Her body bucked up and down twice like a fish out of water, causing the full curves of her chest, made more prominent by the ropes, to sway as muffled sounds escaped her gag.

Although he couldn’t make out the words, he was sure they weren’t pleasant.

Pei Shaoqing walked over and untied the silk ribbon around her mouth, then pulled out the handkerchief stuffed inside, drawing out a long, glistening thread of saliva with it.

"COUGH! COUGH COUGH COUGH!" The Shaking Light Saintess coughed violently a few times, the force shaking the saliva from her chin down her neck. She glared coldly at Pei Shaoqing and said, "Finally can’t hold back anymore? Then just get on with it. I’ll just pretend I was bitten by a dog."

With that, she closed her eyes, but the way her hands clenched the quilt betrayed her extreme nervousness.

After all, even though she was a married woman, she had never actually been with a man before.

But after waiting for a while without the expected kisses or tearing of clothes, she slowly opened her eyes, only to meet Pei Shaoqing’s gaze—he was looking at her like she was an idiot.

She was instantly incensed. "What’s the meaning of this?"

"I’m not going to do anything to you. I’m afraid you’d enjoy it," Pei Shaoqing said with a perfectly straight face.

The Shaking Light Saintess was furious and flustered. She let out a cold, disdainful sneer. "Then what was the point of bringing me to your bed?"

"Because Captain Wang suspected I had you imprisoned in the dungeon, so he came to demand your release," Pei Shaoqing said with a grin, telling her the truth. "I moved you and found someone who looks like you to lock in there to trick him into leaving."

The Saintess couldn’t help but show a flicker of joy at the first half of his explanation, but her face turned deathly pale after the second half. Her heart filled with despair and helplessness.

Ever since falling into Pei Shaoqing’s hands, her emotions, which had once been as still as an ancient well, were now in constant turmoil.

Pei Shaoqing continued with a smile, "Knowing him, he’ll definitely double back tonight to check one more time. When he can’t find you again, he’ll truly believe you’re no longer in my mansion and won’t come looking anymore."

"Shut up! Don’t say another word!" the Shaking Light Saintess cried out, her eyes rimmed with red. Watching her hope of escape slip through her fingers was agonizing.

’She felt that Pei Shaoqing was a great demon lord.’

’Master was right.’

’None of these hunting dogs of the Court were good people.’

"Alright, alright, I won’t say any more," Pei Shaoqing chuckled, then changed the subject. "How often do your episodes occur?"

She had another episode two days ago.

The Shaking Light Saintess felt both ashamed and angry.

So she chose to remain silent.

"You’re the one who suffers, not me. If you don’t want to talk, fine." Pei Shaoqing shook his head and got up to leave.

Only then did the Shaking Light Saintess speak. "Seven days."

Pei Shaoqing stopped and looked back at her.

"My Dantian is sealed, so I can’t cultivate the Suxin Technique to calm my mind and suppress my desires. That’s why an episode is guaranteed to happen every seven days," the Shaking Light Saintess said, her face a mask of pain.

Pei Shaoqing asked curiously, "And if you do cultivate the Suxin Technique? What’s the longest it can last?"

"Over a month," the Shaking Light Saintess replied succinctly.

But the episode after a month would be even more severe. Not even the Suxin Technique could suppress it then; the pent-up energy would erupt all at once.

"So the next one is tomorrow?"

Pei Shaoqing calculated the time in his head.

The Shaking Light Saintess closed her eyes. "Yes."

"Alright. From now on, I’ll let you and your husband have a reunion once every seven days. Hmm, that’s a bit like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl meeting on their magpie bridge, isn’t it? How romantic."

The Shaking Light Saintess was mortified and enraged. "GET OUT!!!"

’In front of this damned bastard, she could never maintain the calm, placid demeanor she once had.’

SLAP! A sharp slap was his response.

The Shaking Light Saintess calmed down instantly. She finally remembered that a good attitude meant fewer beatings. With a pitiable expression, she said, "Please forgive me, Young Master. This servant was wrong."

"That’s a good girl. I don’t care what you’re thinking on the inside, but on the outside, you will show me the proper attitude," Pei Shaoqing said, gently patting her cheek.

The Shaking Light Saintess suppressed her rage and forced an ingratiating smile. She actively rubbed her smooth, beautiful cheek against his palm. "Yes, this servant will remember."

She believed she was enduring humiliation for a greater purpose, but she had forgotten that in the past, she would have rather died than perform such an act.

When does a person begin to change?

Not even she knew.

...

「Bazhou, Iron Sword Sect.」

Ever since Gongsun Yi had leveraged the power of Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion to dominate the local Jianghu community, the Iron Sword Sect’s fame had skyrocketed. A constant stream of aspiring disciples came to join.

Even the local County Magistrate had personally visited the Iron Sword Sect, praising Gongsun Yi’s subsidizing of poor disciples as a righteous and benevolent act, and had personally inscribed a plaque for him.

In terms of prestige, this was equivalent to a corporation being inspected on-site by a top local official, who then posed for a commemorative photo with the CEO.

Gongsun Yi was on top of the world.

The Iron Sword Sect was thriving.

It had reclaimed its former title as the number one sect in Bazhou.

Having reached this stage, the sect could be considered revitalized.

But people are greedy and never satisfied—or, to put it more nicely, ambitious. Having fulfilled his obsession with revitalizing the Iron Sword Sect, Gongsun Yi now wanted to take the sect to an even higher level.

To become famous throughout the Shu Region, the Great Zhou, and even all of Jiuzhou!

To do that, he had to curry favor with his patron, Pei Shaoqing.

However, Pei Shaoqing currently had no need for his services, so to deepen their relationship, he had to give a gift.

After much thought, there was only one gift the Iron Sword Sect could offer that was truly presentable and which Pei Shaoqing would certainly be satisfied with.

Before the ancestral tablets of the Iron Sword Sect’s past masters, enshrined amidst swirling incense smoke, lay a longsword with a pitch-black scabbard.

It was the Iron Sword Sect’s ultimate treasure.

Mo Tan.

A flower that withers the moment it blooms; a flash of the sword that makes an instant eternal.

It was rumored to be the Magical Treasure of an Ancient Cultivator.

Even without being activated by Spiritual Qi, the sword itself was a priceless blade that could cut through iron as if it were mud and sever a hair blown against its edge.

"Venerable Ancestors, this disciple is doing this for the future of the Iron Sword Sect. I hope you will forgive me."

Gongsun Yi kowtowed sincerely before the spirit tablets.

Then he rose, took Mo Tan from its stand, and replaced it with a replica he had prepared earlier.

He was going to offer the sect’s ultimate treasure to Pei Shaoqing!

’It’s all for the sect,’ he thought. ’I’m sure the spirits of the ancestors in heaven will forgive me. And if any of them don’t, it just means they don’t want what’s best for the sect. As the Sect Leader of the Iron Sword Sect, I’ll unilaterally expel them!’

SHING~

The longsword slid from its scabbard with what sounded like a dragon’s cry.

The blade was as black as ink, faintly shimmering with an eerie light.

Gongsun Yi’s eyes were filled with reluctance as he gently caressed the blade, as if stroking a lover.

He himself had never even used this sword.

Finally, he steeled his heart and sheathed the blade. He placed it in a prepared brocade box, wrapped it repeatedly in silk cloth, tied it securely, and let out a long breath.

The next step was to find a disciple to deliver it to Tongzhou.

At the same time, Jiang Yebai was staring blankly at a new letter from Zhao Zilan. Seeing the dried tear stains on the paper, his heart twisted as if stabbed by a knife. He could already picture his junior sister writing this letter, tears streaming endlessly down her face.

Clearly, his junior sister was sick with longing for him.

He dared not imagine how much pain she must have been in while writing it.

And he was right, he would never be able to imagine the kind of pain Zhao Zilan was in when she wrote it: a localized mix of rain and... sleet.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!" Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Jiang Yebai put the letter away and asked, "Who is it?"

"Eldest Brother, Master is sending someone to Tongzhou to deliver something! Don’t you want to see Junior Sister? Go volunteer!" the person outside shouted.

"Thank you for telling me, Seventh Brother," Jiang Yebai said. He shot up from his seat and rushed out, hastily finding Gongsun Yi. "Master, this disciple is willing to go to Tongzhou."

"You can’t go," Gongsun Yi refused flatly.

He already knew about Zhao Zilan and Pei Shaoqing from his wife’s letters; how could he possibly let Jiang Yebai go?

Jiang Yebai was stunned. "Why?"

"You have other important matters," Gongsun Yi said, turning to a graceful young man, his second disciple, who was known for being steady and obedient. "Yu’er, you go. Deliver the letter and the item to your master’s wife. You must not fail."

"Disciple obeys!" Ye Yu stepped forward and replied.

Gongsun Yi handed the items to him, stressing again with great solemnity, "Remember, you absolutely must not fail!"

"Yes, Master. Rest assured, I will lose my life before I lose the items," Ye Yu promised in a low voice.

Gongsun Yi said, "You should set off as soon as possible."

"Yes." Ye Yu immediately took the items and departed.

Only then did Gongsun Yi turn to Jiang Yebai, who was still standing there in a daze. He sighed inwardly. "I am about to accept Song Yuanwai’s daughter as a disciple. From now on, you will be responsible for teaching this new junior sister in my stead. Do you understand?"

He had carefully selected Song Yuanwai’s daughter. Though not as beautiful as Zhao Zilan, she was still exceptionally attractive, came from a respectable family, and would be a good match for Jiang Yebai.

"Yes, Master," Jiang Yebai answered, utterly crestfallen. He then departed, his eyes devoid of life.

Gongsun Yi frowned as he watched him go.

’A grown man’s head full of nothing but romantic pining.’

’How could he possibly bear the heavy responsibility of being a Sect Leader in the future?’

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.