Chapter 76: Shu Prince's Mansion, She Has Changed, Ouyang Rong Sends a Gift (Seeking Subscriptions)

Shuzhou is the fief of the Shu Prince; aside from a single palace guard unit, the princes of Great Zhou possess no military power.

But the mere title of a prince is enough to support them in doing whatever they please within their fief; as long as they do not attempt to raise an army and rebel, the Emperor is extremely tolerant toward them.

Therefore, the Shu Prince wields considerable power in Shu.

According to Wang Wu's confession, they are Secret Guards recruited by the Shu Prince Heir, and the kidnapping of the Sanyin Nu was done under his instruction.

The purpose, just as Xie Qingwu stated, was to set up the Supreme Yin Soul-Summoning Art, though Wang Wu only heard this name from other Secret Guards; he himself does not know the function of this art, so there is no further intelligence.

However, he also confessed to many dirty jobs he did for the Shu Prince Heir, such as stealing infants, killing young boys and girls to cut out their hearts, and destroying families to seize their property, among other various evil deeds.

This Shu Prince Heir can be said to be steeped in iniquity.

I wonder if the Shu Prince is aware of all this?

Watching Pei Shaoqing lost in thought, Chen Zhongyi lowered his head and held his breath, not even daring to take a deep breath.

The more he interrogated Wang Wu, the more terrified he became.

He wished he were deaf.

Are these things meant for his ears?

"This matter must not be spread; first, send someone to the prefectural city to inquire about the situation at the Prince's mansion, and focus on secretly investigating the Shu Prince Heir," Pei Shaoqing said, slowly exhaling.

He could actually completely ignore this matter.

In fact, if he were to proactively hand Wang Wu over to the Shu Prince Heir, he could even befriend him and gain his favor.

After all, he himself is not exactly a good person.

But whether you call it a remnant of conscience or double standards, he uses himself as a benchmark, and he truly finds it difficult to sit idly by when faced with such a beast who is even worse than he is.

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

Does that mean now that he is an official, he only dares to bully the poor?

Of course, he must bully the even richer!

One cannot live life moving backward.

Moreover, he has always judged others by himself; what if, after he handed Wang Wu to the Shu Prince Heir, the other party still wanted to kill him to silence him? Wouldn't that just be a total waste?

Furthermore, as a member of the Progressive Party, if he verifies the evidence and brings the Shu Prince Heir to justice, this would be a great merit!

Only by accumulating great merits and solidifying his foundation can he walk more steadily, climb higher, and hold greater power in the future.

Chen Zhongyi looked up in astonishment, "My Lord?"

This is clearly a plan to investigate to the very end.

He had originally thought the other party would use Wang Wu to negotiate with the Shu Prince Heir and take the opportunity to seek benefits from him.

That is the standard operating procedure among the powerful and noble.

"Go do it," Pei Shaoqing said with a calm tone, standing with his hands behind his back: "This official intends to use his head to trade for a merit."

While Chen Zhongyi felt it was risky, his mood could not help but stir, and he said in a deep voice, "This subordinate obeys."

He did not know what was burning.

But he was just about to catch fire.

"Send someone else to Medicine King Valley to inquire if there is someone named Ouyang Rong," Pei Shaoqing said again.

He is very curious about the background of this good brother who loves neither martial arts nor fame and fortune, but only loves farming and raising pigs.

Judging by Xie Qingwu's reaction, those medicinal herbs were of extremely high quality; this person is an expert in this field.

Chen Zhongyi responded again: "Yes, My Lord."

Pei Shaoqing turned and entered the door, heading straight for the bedroom.

Pushing the door open, he saw the Yaoguang Saintess, with her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged, lying on the bed unable to move.

"Mmm-wuu-wuu!" The Yaoguang Saintess turned her head and glared fiercely at Pei Shaoqing, her body bouncing up and down like a fish, her curves, made more prominent by the ropes, swaying along with her, and she made muffled, indistinct sounds.

Although it was unclear.

It was certainly nothing kind.

Pei Shaoqing stepped forward to untie the silk ribbon bound around her mouth and removed the handkerchief stuffed inside, pulling out a large amount of crystal-clear, stringy saliva along with it.

"Cough! Cough, cough, cough!" The Yaoguang Saintess coughed violently, shaking the saliva that had been flowing on her chin down onto her neck, and glared coldly and angrily at Pei Shaoqing, saying: "Finally couldn't hold back anymore? Then just go ahead; I'll just consider it being bitten by a dog."

After speaking, she closed her eyes, but the way her hands were tightly gripping the quilt clearly showed she was extremely nervous inside.

After all, although she had long been a married woman.

She had never actually done that with a man.

But after waiting for a long while without the expected kisses or tearing of clothes, she slowly opened her eyes again, only to be met with Pei Shaoqing's look of someone watching an idiot.

She was immediately somewhat annoyed, "What do you mean?"

"I won't do anything to you, because I'm afraid you'll enjoy it," Pei Shaoqing said with a straight face.

The Yaoguang Saintess was exasperated and let out a disdainful sneer, "Then why did you bring me to the bed?"

"Because Helmsman Wang suspects you are imprisoned in my dungeon, so he came to demand you," Pei Shaoqing smiled and told the truth, "I moved you and found someone who looks like you to lock up inside to trick him away."

When the Yaoguang Saintess heard the first half of the sentence, she couldn't help but show joy, but after hearing the second half, her face turned deathly pale, and her heart was filled with despair and a sense of powerlessness.

Ever since she fell into Pei Shaoqing's hands, her emotions, which had once been as still as an ancient well, had clearly fluctuated much more intensely.

Pei Shaoqing continued to smile and said: "Based on my understanding of him, he will definitely make a surprise return tonight to confirm it once more; if he still can't find you, he will truly believe you are not in my mansion and won't come looking again."

"Shut up! Don't say any more!" the Yaoguang Saintess shouted with reddened eyes, watching as the hope of escape slipped through her fingers, feeling exceptionally pained inside.

She felt that Pei Shaoqing was a great demon king.

Master was right.

None of these imperial lackeys are good people.

"Fine, fine, fine, I won't say any more," Pei Shaoqing laughed, then changed the subject: "How often do you have an episode?"

She had had another episode two days ago.

The Saintess of Yaoguang felt both ashamed and annoyed.

So she chose to remain silent.

"The one in pain is you, not me; forget it if you won't speak." Pei Shaoqing shook his head and stood up, preparing to leave.

Only then did the Saintess of Yaoguang say, "Seven days."

Pei Shaoqing stopped his footsteps again and looked at her.

"My dantian has been sealed, and I cannot practice the Pure Heart Manual to calm my heart and suppress desires, so it inevitably flares up once every seven days," the Saintess of Yaoguang said with a face full of pain.

Pei Shaoqing asked curiously, "If you practice the Pure Heart Manual, how long can it be suppressed at most?"

"Over a month," the Saintess of Yaoguang said concisely.

But the flare-up after a month would be even more severe, because even the Pure Heart Manual would no longer be able to suppress it; it would be a case of accumulated energy finally erupting.

"Then is the next time tomorrow?"

Pei Shaoqing calculated the time in his heart.

The Saintess of Yaoguang closed her eyes, "Mm."

"Fine, from now on I will let you and your husband reunite once every seven days. Huh, why does this feel a bit like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting on the Magpie Bridge during the Qixi Festival? It's actually quite romantic."

The Saintess of Yaoguang was overcome with shame and anger, "Get out!!!"

In front of this damned bastard, she could never again be as indifferent and calm as water as she once was.

"Slap!" Her response was a slap across the face.

The Saintess of Yaoguang immediately calmed down, only then remembering that she needed a good attitude to avoid being beaten, and said with a pitiful face, "Please forgive me, Young Master, this servant knows her mistake."

"That's more like it. This Young Master doesn't care what you are thinking in your heart, but on the surface, you must maintain the right attitude toward me." Pei Shaoqing gently patted her face.

The Saintess of Yaoguang suppressed her anger, put on a fawning smile, and took the initiative to rub her smooth, beautiful cheek against his palm, "Yes, this servant will remember."

She believed she was enduring humiliation for a greater cause, but she forgot that in the past, she would never have done such an action even if she were to die.

When does a person start to change?

Even she herself did not know.

…………………………

Bazhou, Iron Sword Sect.

Ever since Gongsun Yi used the power of the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion to suppress the local martial arts peers last time, the Iron Sword Sect's reputation had soared, and those coming to seek apprenticeship were endless.

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

The weight of this was equivalent to a certain enterprise being inspected on-site by a local chief official and taking a commemorative photo with the chairman.

Gongsun Yi was in high spirits.

The Iron Sword Sect was flourishing.

It had restored its former name as the number one sect in Bazhou.

Reaching this stage was already considered a revival.

But people are greedy and never satisfied, or perhaps one could call it having ambition; after realizing the obsession of reviving the Iron Sword Sect, Gongsun Yi wanted the sect to reach an even higher level.

To be famous throughout Shu, Great Zhou, and even Jiuzhou!

Therefore, he had to curry favor with Pei Shaoqing, his backer.

However, Pei Shaoqing currently had no need for his services, so to improve their relationship, he had to send gifts.

After much thought, there was only one gift the Iron Sword Sect could offer that would surely satisfy Pei Shaoqing.

Before the spirit tablets of the Iron Sword Sect's past patriarchs, amidst curling smoke, a long sword with a black scabbard was enshrined.

That was the Iron Sword Sect's treasure of the sect.

Mo Tan.

The flower blooms and then withers; the sword light blooms for a fleeting moment of eternity.

It was rumored to be the magical artifact of an ancient cultivator.

Even without being driven by Qi, this sword itself was a precious blade that could cut iron like mud and sever a hair blown against its edge.

"Respected patriarchs, this disciple is doing this for the better future of the Iron Sword Sect; I hope you all will forgive me."

Gongsun Yi kowtowed and knelt sincerely before the spirit tablets.

Afterward, he stood up, took Mo Tan down from the sword rack, and placed a replica he had prepared in advance in its place.

He was going to offer the treasure of the sect to Pei Shaoqing!

This was all for the sake of the sect; he believed that the past patriarchs would forgive him if their spirits were in heaven. If there were any who would not forgive him, then they did not want to see the sect prosper, and as the Sect Leader of the Iron Sword Sect, he would unilaterally expel them from the sect!

"Zheng~"

The long sword left its scabbard, sounding like a dragon's roar.

The sword body was like ink, faintly glowing with a deep, ghostly light.

Gongsun Yi's eyes were full of reluctance, and he stroked the sword body as gently as if he were caressing his own lover.

Even he himself had never used this sword.

Finally, he cruelly returned the sword to its scabbard, held it with both hands, placed it into a prepared brocade box, wrapped it repeatedly with silk, tied it tight, and finally let out a breath.

Next was to find a disciple to send it to Tongzhou.

At the same time, Jiang Yebai was staring blankly at the letter Zhao Zhilan had just sent, his heart aching as he looked at the dried wet marks on it, already imagining his junior sister crying incessantly while writing this letter.

Clearly, his junior sister was lovesick for him.

He dared not imagine how painful it was for her when she wrote this letter.

And he truly would never imagine how painful it was for Zhao Zhilan when she wrote this letter: it was sleeting in the local area.

"Dong dong dong!" Suddenly, a knocking sound at the door rang out.

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

"Senior Martial Brother, Master is going to send someone to Tongzhou to deliver something. Don't you want to go see the Junior Martial Sister? Hurry and go volunteer!" the person outside the door said loudly.

"Many thanks for telling me, Seventh Junior Martial Brother." Upon hearing this, Jiang Yebai stood up instantly and rushed out, hurriedly finding Gongsun Yi to say: "Master, this disciple is willing to go to Tongzhou."

"You cannot." Gongsun Yi refused flatly.

He already knew about the matter between Zhao Zhilan and Pei Shaoqing from his wife's letter; how could he let Jiang Yebai go?

Jiang Yebai looked stunned: "Why?"

"You have other important tasks." Gongsun Yi looked at a graceful young man; that was his second disciple, who had always been steady and obedient. "Ye Yu, you go. Deliver the letter and the items to your Martial Mother, and ensure there is absolutely no mishap."

"This disciple obeys!" Ye Yu stepped out and replied.

Gongsun Yi handed the items to him and solemnly emphasized repeatedly, "Remember, there must be no mishap!"

"Yes, Master, rest assured. This disciple would rather lose his life than lose these items," Ye Yu promised in a deep voice.

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

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

Only then did Gongsun Yi look at Jiang Yebai, who had been standing there blankly, and sighed in his heart, "I am about to take Song Yuanyuan's daughter as a disciple. From now on, you will teach this Junior Martial Sister on my behalf. Do you understand?"

Song Yuanyuan's daughter was someone he had carefully selected; although her appearance did not match Zhao Zhilan's, she was still extremely outstanding, had a clean family background, and was a good match for Jiang Yebai.

"Yes, Master." Jiang Yebai replied in a dejected manner, then left with vacant eyes.

Gongsun Yi frowned as he watched his back.

A real man, yet his head is full of romantic sentiment.

How will he be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of Sect Leader in the future?

(End of this chapter)