Chapter 4: A Beauty Bathes, Greetings to the Lord (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"Welcome, my Lord."

As Pei Shaoqing walked through the main gate of the residence with Xie Qingwu and the others, a group of men and women bowed in unison to greet them.

"You may all rise," Pei Shaoqing said indifferently.

"Thank you, my Lord," the group thanked him in unison once more.

A short, slightly chubby old man with an honest face stepped forward, bowing low and keeping his head down as he introduced himself respectfully: "My Lord, my Lady, this humble servant's surname is Chen, given name Youfu, and I am the Butler of this estate."

"Youfu, that is not a humble name at all; out of so many people, you are the one fortunate enough to serve me." Pei Shaoqing made an offhand remark, dripping with arrogance, then added impatiently: "We have been on the road all day and are covered in dust. Old Chen, first arrange for someone to take me and my Lady to change our clothes, move our luggage to our rooms, and then prepare accommodations and food for my guards."

"Yes, my Lord. Hot water has already been prepared for you and my Lady." Chen Youfu bowed slightly, then turned his head and shouted with a resonant voice: "Two of you, go outside and bring in the luggage. Cui'er, Liu'er, you two serve the Lord and Lady to their room to wash and change."

"Yes." Four servants headed toward the gate, while two pretty maids, aged sixteen or seventeen, walked before Pei Shaoqing and Xie Qingwu with their heads bowed, curtsied, and said respectfully: "My Lord, my Lady, please come inside."

Pei Shaoqing nodded slightly and strode forward.

Xie Qingwu followed closely behind him.

Chen Youfu stared at their backs for a moment before withdrawing his gaze, then turned to look at the nine brave men in front of him with a smile and said: "Everyone, please follow me."

Pei Shaoqing and Xie Qingwu followed the two maids into a bedroom, where a large, steaming wooden bathtub could be vaguely seen behind an exquisite screen.

"My Lord, where should these be placed?" At the same time, several servants walked in carrying a few trunks of luggage.

"Just put them there." Pei Shaoqing pointed casually to a spot, then looked at the maids and said: "You may all withdraw. It is enough to have my Lady serve me while I bathe."

"Yes." The servants acknowledged the order, exited the room, and gently pulled the door shut behind them.

"After getting used to being a vagabond, pretending to be a wealthy young master is truly exhausting." Pei Shaoqing rolled his neck, let out a breath, and looked at Xie Qingwu. "You first, or me?"

"Of course I go first. I have no desire to use your leftover bathwater," Xie Qingwu said with calm indifference.

Pei Shaoqing blinked. "Fine. In any case, I don't mind using my Lady's leftover bathwater, but my Lady must be sure not to secretly relieve yourself in the water."

"You... you degenerate!" Xie Qingwu was angry, embarrassed, and speechless. How could she possibly do something as shameful as urinating while bathing? She spat, "Disgusting."

Seeing this, Pei Shaoqing laughed heartily: "It was merely a jest. My Lady can always have someone change the water."

Xie Qingwu had been so infuriated by him that she had forgotten this point. She snorted coldly, walked toward the screen, and said without looking back: "Do not look, do not peek."

"Rest assured, my Lady. Your husband is a gentleman famous for a hundred miles around," Pei Shaoqing said.

He was not lying; a fake gentleman is still a gentleman, after all.

Xie Qingwu ignored Pei Shaoqing further. After a day of rushing about and experiencing such a massive upheaval, she only wanted to have a good bath to relax and change her clothes.

Through the screen, although Pei Shaoqing could not see Xie Qingwu's face or body clearly, he could distinctly see the shadow of her undressing. Her dress fell away layer by layer, and the rounded, full curves of her upper body were exceptionally alluring, even just as a projection on the screen.

It was not until Xie Qingwu entered the bathtub that he reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the screen.

Because a strange man was present, Xie Qingwu bathed very quickly, but only after finishing did she realize that in her anger, she had forgotten to bring a change of clothes. She had no choice but to ask Pei Shaoqing for help: "You... go help me get my clothes."

"Me? Who am I?" Pei Shaoqing asked.

Xie Qingwu naturally knew what he wanted to hear. She took a deep breath, endured the shame, and said: "Hus... Husband."

After escaping a threat to her life, having to call a strange man 'husband' was something she found difficult to utter.

"Say it again," Pei Shaoqing chuckled.

Xie Qingwu closed her eyes, her face flushed red, and she whispered: "Please, Husband, help me get my clothes."

"As you wish, my Lady." Seeing that she was sensible, Pei Shaoqing went off satisfied to open the trunk, found a set of clothes for her, and draped them over the screen.

Accompanied by the splashing of water, Xie Qingwu stood up from the bathtub. Her sexy, graceful body curves were cast upon the screen. She stepped out of the tub with her long, shapely legs, wiped herself dry, put on her clothes piece by piece, and walked out from behind the screen.

Having just finished her bath, her face was damp and flushed, as if veiled in a layer of mist, making her exceptionally lovely.

"What are you looking at?" Xie Qingwu felt embarrassed by Pei Shaoqing's stare and feigned a fierce glare, but it carried absolutely no intimidation.

Pei Shaoqing just smiled, withdrew his gaze, and shouted outside: "Someone, change the water."

"Yes," Cui'er and Liu'er replied from outside.

After the water was changed, the two were sent away again.

Pei Shaoqing found a gorgeous brocade robe from the luggage and walked behind the screen to start undressing.

Hearing the rustling sounds, Xie Qingwu subconsciously looked toward the noise. Through the hazy, semi-transparent screen, she saw the silhouette of Pei Shaoqing's sturdy, robust body.

This physique, completely different from her husband's, made her blush and lose focus. Suddenly, she frowned and sneered mockingly: "It seems you still don't trust me, carrying a weapon even while bathing. Are you that afraid of a weak woman like me launching a sneak attack? Just how afraid of death are you!"

"I'm not carrying one!" Pei Shaoqing said, bewildered.

Xie Qingwu froze. Only then did she realize that the shadow of the rod-like object was not a dagger, but... Her face instantly turned as red as an apple; her breathing quickened, her heart raced, and her throat felt dry.

How could this be!

This size... it would kill someone, wouldn't it?

Wait! She suddenly realized that if she could see Pei Shaoqing's shadow on the screen, hadn't he just seen her own naked figure as well?

At this thought, Xie Qingwu's face turned deathly pale. She was overcome with shame, fury, and turmoil. She bit her red lip, lowered her head, and gripped the corner of her skirt tightly.

It's fine, it's fine. He only saw the shadow. At this point, she could only comfort herself with that.

But she was still so angry! This detestable thief!

Pei Shaoqing finished bathing, changed his clothes, and walked out from behind the screen. "How is it? Does this Young Master look even more dashing after putting on your husband's clothes?"

Although Xie Qingwu did not want to acknowledge him, she had to admit it was true. Her husband was the same height as Pei Shaoqing, but his build was far less robust. Wearing these clothes, he truly looked dignified and imposing.

Just then, the sound of a door opening rang out.

Xie Qingwu looked toward the sound instinctively, only to see a large, fat tabby cat push the door open and walk in.

Yes, push. The tabby cat stood upright like a human and used its two front paws to push the door open.

Before she could react, the tabby cat entered the room, dropped to all fours, kicked the door shut with its hind legs, ran to Pei Shaoqing, knelt down, crossed its front paws in a gesture like a salute, and spoke in human language: "Greetings, my Lord."

"This is... a Demon!" Xie Qingwu stood up abruptly, staring wide-eyed at the fat, chubby tabby cat.

It was no wonder she was so uncomposed. For over a thousand years, the demons, ghosts, and monsters of this world had become increasingly rare. To many, they were creatures that existed only in legends and books, much like immortals. Given her family background and status, she had certainly seen Demons before, but she never expected that a horse bandit like Pei Shaoqing would have one by his side.

"Halt! You woman are truly rude! I am General Li, the wise general under the Lord's command!" Feeling offended, the tabby cat glared with wide eyes, shouted, and leaped into the air, intending to deliver a flying kick. But the next second, Pei Shaoqing reached out and grabbed it by the neck. Dangling in mid-air, it flailed its claws and kicked its legs. "Aiya, it hurts, my Lord! I have lost my decorum in your presence. This subordinate knows his crime; I beg the Lord to forgive me this once."

Pei Shaoqing's face darkened as he threw it aside, causing it to land on the floor like a cat pancake. "Enough. Did Lao Er have any message for you to bring? Tell me the truth."

Before coming to Tongzhou City, he had already sent a subordinate back to the mountain stronghold to deliver a message to the second-in-command left in charge, and the fat cat was clearly sent by Lao Er to bring him the reply.

He had saved this Demon cat from a hunter's trap half a year ago; it had loved listening to people tell stories from vernacular novels in teahouses since it was young, and after being saved by Pei Shaoqing, it insisted on acknowledging him as its lord, calling itself the peerless in wisdom and courage Li Jiangjun, and shouting all day about assisting him in restoring order to the world.

Pei Shaoqing had initially truly believed this Demon cat had some great ability, but it turned out it was just stronger, faster, able to speak, and ate more than an ordinary cat.

However, it was not entirely useless; it could occasionally serve as a scout to run errands, deliver messages, and investigate enemy situations, which was one of the reasons he had been able to repeatedly escape the encirclement and suppression by the County Government.

In this low-martial arts world after the depletion of spiritual energy, there are no longer any immortal cultivators or magic spells, only Martial Artists whose combat power has been greatly discounted; however, there are still a small number of Demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits in the world that have appeared for various reasons, comparable to rare animals. This book is a harem, with multiple heroines, and even more women. I can understand readers who prefer a single heroine, but please don't bash me; everyone has their own preferences, and I have always written books this way. Please follow the updates, please give monthly tickets, and help me get on the new book ranking to show off!

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(End of this chapter)