Chapter 50: Old Wang Issues a Warning; Even Concubines Have Probation Periods (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Tongzhou.

A light morning drizzle fell, and a gentle breeze brushed against the willows.

Outside the city, by the riverbank, Pei Shaoqing and Wang Xianling sat side by side, both holding bamboo fishing rods as they fished.

Dressed in white with a ponytail, Ye Hanshuang leaned against the carriage, holding her sword in her arms with a relaxed posture, listlessly chewing on a verdant willow twig in her mouth.

Zhao Zhilan, wearing a purple dress with her hair tied up by a jade hairpin, was squatting on the ground brewing tea, holding a small fan to stoke the fire; her skirt was pulled up slightly, revealing her exquisite embroidered shoes and white silk socks, and if the skirt were pulled up any further, her flawless, snow-white calves would be visible.

Wang Xianling looked back at his own page boy, who was also brewing tea, and clicked his tongue: "With two extraordinary beauties by your side, Young Master Pei is truly blessed."

He was no lecher, but everyone has an appreciation for beauty, so it was inevitable that he would feel a twinge of envy.

"The County Magistrate is mistaken there." Pei Shaoqing shook his head, staring straight ahead at the river surface, and said with calm indifference: "It is their good fortune to be by my side."

Wang Xianling: "............"

This guy's act of showing off caught him completely off guard.

"It seems the County Magistrate's injuries have mostly recovered; congratulations. However, you didn't invite me out today just to fish, did you?" Pei Shaoqing looked at him and said.

Wang Xianling said in a deep voice: "I wanted to give you a warning: the Saintess of Yaoguang has decided to personally avenge the Holy Son of Kaiyang; she may have already set out and is on her way to Tongzhou. Young Master Pei, you had best look out for yourself."

"Heh, shouldn't this be considered biting the hand that feeds you, County Magistrate?" Pei Shaoqing teased with a smile.

Wang Xianling's face darkened, and he snorted coldly: "I am only leaking some information to you because you saved my life; it doesn't mean I am going to help you deal with the Saintess."

"A life-saving grace cannot be repaid so simply, can it?" Pei Shaoqing smiled slightly. "Since you've done a good deed, see it through to the end and tell me about this Saintess of Yaoguang."

"I don't know much either." Wang Xianling first shook his head, then slowly began to speak: "I only know she is the Sect Leader's only female disciple and the most favored one. Her talent for martial arts is extremely high, and she usually keeps to herself. She is very arrogant and looks down on everyone.

Her swordsmanship is superb, and she has a kind heart like a Bodhisattva, yet she is also decisive in killing and can act like a wrathful Vajra. She is graceful and stunningly beautiful."

Based on his description, Pei Shaoqing roughly sketched out the image of a cold and proud Saintess in his mind, then asked nonchalantly, "How high is 'extremely high' for martial arts talent? Is it as high as three or four stories?"

"Two years ago, at the age of twenty, the Saintess of Yaoguang was already the youngest Roaming Dragon Realm expert in our Holy Sect. Although she rarely travels the Jiang Hu, every time she appears, her skills inevitably shock all who witness them. People in the Jiang Hu call her the Yaoguang Sword Immortal." Wang Xianling's expression was solemn, his tone full of admiration and longing.

A Roaming Dragon Realm breakthrough at twenty.

Truly a brilliant talent.

Pei Shaoqing's vigilance reached its peak.

Glancing at Wang Xianling and noticing his strange expression, he asked suspiciously: "Old Wang, you don't like her, do you?"

"Don't talk nonsense! That's not it! I don't!" Wang Xianling, who had been somewhat distracted, immediately bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, denying it three times in a row.

"Yo yo yo!" Pei Shaoqing wore a mysterious smile and clicked his tongue: "As the saying goes, 'a fair lady is a gentleman's desire.' If you like her, you like her; what are you hiding for?"

"There are plenty of people in the sect who like her!" Wang Xianling raised his voice slightly, then took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and said: "I have only pure admiration and appreciation for the Saintess; I have no intention of defiling her. Do not project your filthy thoughts onto me."

Pei Shaoqing understood; this Saintess of Yaoguang was the 'white moonlight' for many in the Xuanhuang Sect—so outstanding that everyone admired her, yet they felt unworthy and dared not harbor thoughts of her.

A sudden thought occurred to him.

If he were to turn the Saintess of Yaoguang into a plaything, the people of the Xuanhuang Sect would surely go collectively insane!

"Alright, alright, pretend I didn't say anything." Pei Shaoqing stopped teasing Old Wang and asked again: "After she arrives in Tongzhou, how about you send me a message?"

"Absolutely impossible. Leaking information to you now is already the limit of what I can do." Wang Xianling refused without hesitation, then added: "Of course, one thing at a time: if she tries to kill you and I am present, I will do my utmost to save your life to repay the debt of saving me."

"But if that happens, your Holy Sect probably won't have a place for you anymore." Pei Shaoqing raised an eyebrow.

Wang Xianling said indifferently: "You don't need to worry about that; I will go to the main headquarters to plead guilty myself."

Although their stances differed, Pei Shaoqing felt that Old Wang was a very good friend who truly lived by the principle of knowing what to do and what not to do; he was open and honorable, worthy of being called a gentleman.

"Rest assured, this official will not fall to the point of needing you to save me. You can keep that life-saving debt owed for now." Pei Shaoqing laughed heartily, then flicked his wrist, pulling a carp from beneath the water's surface.

Just as Wang Xianling was about to say something, he suddenly felt his fishing rod tugged. "I've got a bite too."

He hurriedly pulled the rod, and a massive grass carp was dragged out of the water—so large that he stood up instantly.

"Holy shit!" Looking at the large grass carp, its scales clearly visible and shimmering in the sunlight, Pei Shaoqing was so shocked his hometown dialect slipped out, and he instantly felt the carp in his hand wasn't so great anymore. "Old Wang, pull hard!"

"What a huge fish! The Magistrate is truly amazing!" Wang Xianling's page boy beamed with joy, and feeling a sense of reflected glory, he even shot a smug look at Zhao Zhilan.

Zhao Zhilan rolled her eyes. What a childish brat.

Just as Wang Xianling prepared to use his internal energy to pull the fish, the line snapped in the next second. The struggling grass carp fell back into the water with a splash, sending up a spray of water a yard high.

He stood there blankly, holding the empty rod.

Pei Shaoqing knew that from this day forward, this fish would only grow larger and larger in his memories.

He stepped forward and patted Old Wang's shoulder to offer comfort.

Wang Xianling's eyes were vacant; he ignored him.

This kind of pain is something only a fisherman can understand.

After a long while, Wang Xianling said in a calm tone, "Have the shop that sold me this fishing rod shut down."

"Yes, Magistrate," the page boy said cautiously.

"No need for that, no need for that." Pei Shaoqing pulled Wang Xianling to sit down and turned to wave, "Bring the tea, quickly."

Zhao Zhilan and the page boy stepped forward simultaneously to serve the tea.

"Old Wang, come, have a cup of tea to calm your nerves. It's just a fish; we'll go buy one at the market later."

Wang Xianling took the teacup and took a sip. Usually, it would have a sweet aftertaste, but today the tea tasted only bitter.

………………………

As the sun set, Pei Shaoqing returned to the city with his only trophy and the 'skunked' Old Wang.

Ye Hanshuang was driving the carriage outside.

Inside the carriage, separated by a curtain, Pei Shaoqing sat sprawled out, while Zhao Zhilan was kneeling on the floor, back to the carriage door, burying her head in his robes to look for something.

From Pei Shaoqing's perspective, he could see Zhao Zhilan's smooth back curves and rounded, graceful buttocks; a section of her bare, fair calves was exposed, her embroidered shoes had fallen to the side, and her two small feet, clad in white silk socks, were pressed against the carriage floor, spread to the sides.

Not until the carriage entered the city did Zhao Zhilan, having successfully found the item, finally stand up. Looking at Pei Shaoqing with a shy and pitiful expression, she called out: "Young Master~"

"You've improved," Pei Shaoqing praised.

Zhao Zhilan's face flushed red, and listening to the noisy human voices outside the carriage, she lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye.

"When will Young Master take Lan'er through the door?" she asked in a soft, gentle voice. In her view, she had already reached this point, and Pei Shaoqing should have taken her as a concubine long ago.

Pei Shaoqing said in a gentle, soft voice: "The women who want to be a concubine for this Young Master are countless, and I don't just take anyone. How about this, let's set a three-month probationary period first. Perform well during these three months, and as long as you satisfy me, I will choose an auspicious day to take you."

Even a concubine has an internship period.

However, there is a salary for interning with him, paid out in hundreds of millions at once. The more you work, the more you earn; as long as you are diligent with your hands and feet and nimble with your tongue, you can earn a fortune.

Zhao Zhilan was so angry her chest felt tight. She had not expected that even throwing herself at someone to be a concubine would require such humiliation, so she could only force a smile and say: "Lan'er will certainly serve Young Master well."

Seeking monthly tickets! Seeking monthly tickets! Seeking follow-up reads!

Recommending a book, pure love: "Reborn Childhood Sweetheart" by the author Cao Manjun, the latest work. Chen You is reborn back to 2005, saves the daughter of a deceased close friend from a fire, and in order to obtain legal guardianship, uses this as an opportunity to meet again with those destinies missed in his past life—a cute daughter and a sweet romance, I want them all!





(End of this chapter)