Chapter 93: Chapter 93: The Unknown Past, the Terrifying Madam

"Ma’am, if you’re here for alms, please go elsewhere. My master just moved in, and we haven’t even started cooking yet."

A robust maidservant said to the nun outside the door.

"Amitabha Buddha." The nun placed her palms together and spoke in a calm voice. "I am here to see your master, Miss Jiang Xue. We are old acquaintances."

The nun appeared to be in her thirties. Strands of hair were visible at her temples beneath her monastic cap. Her features were regular and her skin was fair. She was tall, with a curvaceous figure that even her wide, dark-gray monastic robes couldn’t completely conceal. She exuded an aura that naturally calmed anyone who drew near.

She held a horsetail duster, but on her back, she carried a longsword. It was clear she was a wanderer of the Jianghu. If Buddhist Teachings failed to enlighten someone, she could always use her sword to send them on to Paradise.

"May I ask your religious name, Ma’am?" the maidservant asked.

The nun’s thin lips parted slightly. "I am Miao Yin."

"Nun Miaoyin, please wait a moment." Ordinary people always held a certain reverence for followers of Buddhism. The maidservant gave a slight bow before turning to inform her master.

She returned shortly. "Please, come with me, Nun Miaoyin. My lady invites you in."

"Amitabha Buddha." With a serene expression, Miao Yin gave a slight nod and followed the maidservant through the entrance.

Jiang Xue was already waiting in the main hall. Seeing Miao Yin, she grew emotional and waved at the servants around them.

"You are all dismissed."

"Yes." The maids and the robust servant turned to leave.

Once they were alone, Jiang Xue’s eyes welled with tears. She hurried forward and threw her arms around the nun. "Aunt Chen."

"Hmph! I’m surprised you even remember me, girl." A hint of tenderness flickered in Miao Yin’s eyes, but her tone remained cold.

Jiang Xue hugged her tightly, their ample chests pressing against each other through their clothes. Her voice thick with tears, she said, "Of course, I remember you! The last time we met was last year, and you never came to visit me."

"And do you still remember the debt of vengeance for your family’s massacre?" Miao Yin asked softly, stroking her head.

Jiang Xue replied, "Xue’Er has never dared to forget."

Miao Yin pushed her away, then turned her back. "I think you’ve cast it to the nine heavens," she said, her voice frigid. "Otherwise, why would you covet a life of ease and luxury, debasing yourself to become a man’s mistress?"

A draft swept through the hall, pressing the loose monastic robes against her shapely form. The curve of her full chest was startling, and the enticing lines of her waist and hips rippled alluringly.

For a moment, even the wind seemed to take on a shape.

"Aunt Chen, you’ve misunderstood me!" Jiang Xue found it difficult to explain that the previous night, Pei Shaoqing had forced her to service him in front of others, leaving her no choice. She moved to stand before Miao Yin. "I just felt that getting revenge would be too difficult for the two of us alone, so I wanted to borrow the power of the Lord of Pingyang."

"Still lying to me!" Miao Yin scoffed, her tone icy. "Plenty of young men from official families pursued you in the past. Why didn’t you have this thought then?"

"Because those men weren’t reliable," Jiang Xue said, biting her red lip. "Last night, the Lord of Pingyang defied King Shu for my sake. Aunt Chen, my family fell from grace and I was reduced to a courtesan. How many men in this world would go that far for me? He’ll surely be willing to help me get my revenge."

Clearly, Pei Shaoqing already understood her deeply, but her understanding of him was still quite shallow.

Pei Shaoqing only ever acted for personal gain; he would never make an enemy without a commensurate reward.

He wouldn’t even kill someone if there was nothing in it for him.

Otherwise, he’d consider it the victim taking advantage of him.

"Are those rumors true?" After entering the city, Miao Yin had also heard the stories about Pei Shaoqing flying into a rage for a beauty’s sake the previous night, but she had dismissed them as baseless gossip.

Jiang Xue nodded earnestly. "Yes."

"In that case, he does seem to be someone you can rely on. It’s certainly better than your precarious life in the brothel," Miao Yin said, her expression softening.

Jiang Xue took her hand and led her to a seat. "Aunt Chen, you’ve been here all this time and haven’t even had a sip of tea."

"I only have one demand of you: do not forget the sea of blood and hatred. Of the more than one hundred members of your Xu Family, you were the only one to survive. You must prove worthy of your parents’ spirits in the afterlife," Miao Yin said grimly, gripping her hand.

When the Xu Family met with disaster, she alone had escaped with a young Jiang Xue. She had drawn the pursuers away, getting separated from the girl in the process, and had been searching for her ever since.

Years later, they were finally reunited at the Furong Pavilion.

Jiang Xue bit her lip. "Xue’Er knows."

"I only came to Jin Guan City to see you, and I won’t be staying long. I’m heading to the Capital City next. You must take good care of yourself," Miao Yin added in a hushed, gentle voice.

Jiang Xue grew anxious. "Aunt Chen, we’ve only just been reunited. Can’t you stay a few more days?"

"Silly girl, I must also find a way to avenge my lady as soon as possible. If your mother hadn’t saved me and taken me in as her personal maid, I would have frozen to death long ago," Miao Yin said, patting her hand.

Hearing this, Jiang Xue couldn’t bring herself to ask her to stay, no matter how much she wanted to.

Seeing her crestfallen, Miao Yin decided to share some good news. "I’ve already found a way to get acquainted with the wife of Minister Qin from the Ministry of Revenue. If I can make that connection, and you have the Lord of Pingyang on your side, then the day will surely come when the injustice against the Xu Family is righted."

The ones who framed the Xu Family, leading to the execution of the entire clan, have all risen to prominence. To overturn the verdict, they need immense political power.

"That old scoundrel Xie Wenjin holds a high position in the Capital City now. Aunt Chen, you must be careful," Jiang Xue said, tightly gripping Miao Yin’s fair, calloused hand.

Miao Yin shook her head. "It’s been over a decade. Why would he remember a humble serving girl?"

.........

Three days later, Pei Shaoqing returned to Tongzhou.

He happened to run into Zhao Zilan at the entrance.

"My lord, you’re back!"

"Yes. Has anything happened recently?" Pei Shaoqing asked, handing his horse’s reins to a servant.

Zhao Zilan quickly replied, "Yes. My lady came out of seclusion four days ago. Junior Standard-Bearer Song reported that the suit of armor you commissioned is finished. And Standard-Bearer Chen says the scout sent to Medicine King Valley has returned."

"My lady is out of seclusion?" Pei Shaoqing immediately headed inside. "Have that armor delivered to the manor," he said as he walked, "and send for Chen Zhongyi."

"Yes, my lord," Zhao Zilan replied dutifully.

Watching Pei Shaoqing’s eager retreat, she bit her lip, unable to help feeling a twinge of envy toward Xie Qingwu.

Pei Shaoqing reached the inner residence, only to find the maidservant Qiu Ye squatting on the ground, teasing General Li with a small branch. There was no sign of Xie Qingwu.

"Ah! Master, you’re back!" Seeing Pei Shaoqing, Qiu Ye immediately dropped the branch and rose to bow.

General Li, who had been darting all over after the branch, screeched to a halt. He looked up at the sky. How very blue the sky is today.

Pei Shaoqing asked directly, "Where is my wife?"

"In the dungeon," Qiu Ye replied, her head bowed.

Pei Shaoqing raised an eyebrow, then turned and strode away.

General Li immediately scampered after him. Once they were out of the courtyard, the cat began to speak. "That foolish woman actually thought she was teasing me. In fact, I, this General, was teasing *her*. It is her good fortune to be able to amuse me."

"Alright, stop trying to save face," Pei Shaoqing said coolly. "I saw you. You were clearly having fun. Don’t suppress your natural instincts as a cat."

"I was not!" General Li, flushing with shame and anger, shot up onto his hind legs and hopped. "Only brainless, idiotic cats let themselves be teased by humans! I, this General, have long since transcended such base pleasures!"

"Is that so? With my own two eyes, I just saw..."

"Silence!" General Li snapped, his little face grave. "A lord chooses his vassal, but a vassal also chooses his lord. If you dare slander me again, my lord, then I shall tender my resignation and depart!"

With that, he turned with resolute finality and began to walk away.

"What a pity. I suppose I’ll have to throw out that newly forged suit of armor. After all, it was tailored to a cat’s proportions. A human can’t wear it," Pei Shaoqing said with a helpless look, shaking his head in mock sadness.

"Hm?" General Li’s eyes lit up. WHOOSH! He zipped back and began walking backward in front of Pei Shaoqing’s feet, his face wreathed in smiles. "My lord, I was merely jesting! My loyalty to you is as steadfast as a mountain! My lord!"

"You fickle, disloyal vassal. Get out of my way." Pei Shaoqing sent him flying with a kick.

"My lord! I am a loyal vassal! A grandly loyal vassal! How about I change my name to Li Zhongxian? Loyal *and* virtuous!"

General Li scrambled up and scurried after him, grabbing onto Pei Shaoqing’s leg with his front paws and getting dragged along the ground. "My lord, let me see the armor!"

"Doesn’t it hurt to have your balls dragged on the ground like that?" Pei Shaoqing asked curiously, stopping after a few paces.

’If he grinds them off... then he really could change his name to Li Zhongxian.’

General Li froze for a second. "It actually feels pretty good."

Pei Shaoqing’s face darkened. ’Are you fucking using me as a sex toy?’ With another flick of his leg, he sent the cat flying again.

"Follow me again, and the armor gets thrown in the river."

General Li, who had just bounced up and was about to pounce again, froze and pulled his paws back. He cried out in anguish, "He fails to reward meritorious service and instead uses it to threaten a loyal vassal! A tyrant! A tyrant!"

When Pei Shaoqing arrived at the dungeon entrance, he froze.

He saw Xie Qingwu walking out of the dungeon, followed by the Shaking Light Saintess.

"Husband!" Xie Qingwu’s face lit up with joy when she saw him. She rushed to greet him. "I greet you, my husband."

For her, Pei Shaoqing was the only person she knew in all of Tongzhou; seeing him was the only thing that made her feel safe.

"My dear, why did you let her out?" Pei Shaoqing pursed his lips, his gaze fixed warily on the Shaking Light Saintess.

’He was afraid the woman would suddenly lash out. After all, he knew exactly what he had done to her.’

"You needn’t worry, Husband." Xie Qingwu smiled and glanced at the Shaking Light Saintess. "Are you not going to greet your master? Have you forgotten my words?"

"Yes, Mistress." The Shaking Light Saintess immediately dropped to her knees. With her rounded bottom high in the air, she crawled on all fours to Pei Shaoqing’s feet, her face flushing as she prostrated herself.

"This slave greets Master. All blessings to the Master."

Pei Shaoqing was utterly stunned. His gaze darted back and forth between the Shaking Light Saintess and Xie Qingwu.

Xie Qingwu was inwardly pleased. She lifted her chin slightly and said with forced composure, "In public, she is still the Saintess of the Profound Sect. But in private, she is nothing more than a dog you’ve raised, Husband. She will bite whomever you command."

’And what if I want her to... nibble on me?’

"How is this possible? Is the Poison Pill you refined truly so dreadful?" Pei Shaoqing praised aloud, but a flicker of caution appeared deep in his eyes.

Xie Qingwu knew her husband was insecure and deeply suspicious by nature, so she quickly explained, "Of course not. The Heart-devouring Pill I gave her requires an antidote three times a month. Without it, her heart will rupture and she will die the moment she circulates her Inner Strength. But the pill itself doesn’t have this effect."

"Then what is this...?" Pei Shaoqing looked at the Shaking Light Saintess, lying perfectly still and obedient on the ground.

’She’d never been this docile with him.’

A faint smile touched Xie Qingwu’s lips as she looked at Pei Shaoqing. "It’s nothing more than the methods for training a dog or breaking a falcon—shattering a person’s mind and body, then remolding them. Is that so difficult? Besides, you had already taken the first ninety-nine steps, Husband. I merely took the last one."

She then crouched down, stroking the Shaking Light Saintess’s cheek. "And to take that final step," she lamented, "I had to spend three full days in the dungeon. In the end, I am simply not as skilled in these arts as you are, Husband."

’Looking at the Saintess, her face being played with as she remained perfectly docile, Pei Shaoqing thought his wife was being far too modest.’

Aside from her lack of martial arts, Xie Qingwu seemed to grasp everything else instantly.

The art of controlling people was no exception. It took her only three days to turn the arrogant Shaking Light Saintess into this.

’Hiss... This woman was terrifying. And so damn desirable.’

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