Chapter 4

Two days later, Gu Yinzhang finished mending Qi Fei’s clothes and planned to return them to him.

However, with disciples wandering around everywhere from morning till night, it was really inconvenient for her, and she didn’t want anyone to see her to avoid misunderstandings.

While Qi Fei was cooking, Gu Yinzhang took the opportunity to enter the kitchen and said to him, “After everyone falls asleep tonight, go to the spring pool and I’ll return your clothes to you. Um… don’t come directly to my room to get them; it’s not good if someone sees you.”

After saying that, he left.

Qi Fei thought to himself that this was troublesome; his master’s wife was indeed cautious, but it was indeed necessary.

Gu Yinzhang was a true beauty in the martial arts world, and her swordsmanship was superb, making her a popular figure. She had many admirers in her youth, and later married Li Lingyun, but she also encountered a lecherous man.

Li Lingyun always cherished her reputation and would never allow Gu Yinzhang to have any ambiguous relationships with other men in private.

Although Qi Fei and Gu Yinzhang did not engage in any excessive actions, their back-and-forth exchange, if witnessed by others, would inevitably lead to speculation and rumors. Among the disciples of the Diancang Sect, there are quite a few gossips, and some of them seem to thrive on chaos.

That evening, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Qi Fei returned to the spring pool behind the mountain.

A woman dressed in a blue gauze dress stood under the tree, holding a small package in her hand. It was Gu Yinzhang, who seemed to have been waiting for Qi Fei for a while.

Qi Fei stepped forward and said, “Master’s wife.”

Gu Yinzhang nodded, handed him the package, and said, “It’s all sewn up now. Please check if it fits.”

“The clothes my master’s wife sewed are naturally a perfect fit,” Qi Fei said. “Whether my master’s wife needs to take a shower or not, I can keep watch for you.”

Gu Yinzhang was about to say “no need” when she remembered the refreshing feeling of soaking in the spring pool and the smooth sensation of the spring water washing over her body, and she couldn’t help but be tempted.

The temperature has risen even more in the last few days, as if God is about to pour out the last of the summer heat, making it unbearably hot.

“Alright, I’ll just rinse it off quickly, it’ll be fine soon.” Gu Yinzhang said, turning and walking towards the spring pool.

Qi Fei quickly turned around, not daring to look back.

Gu Yinzhang took off her dress, underpants, and bodice, and entered the spring pool. Her snow-white, plump body sank into the water, and water was poured over her.

She glanced at Qi Fei, who was standing not far away with his back to her, smiled slightly, and thought to herself, “This child is quite honest.”

After a while, Gu Yinzhang came out of the water, put on his clothes, and came to Qi Fei, saying, “I’m going back first. You should get some rest too.”

“Yes, Master’s wife.”

Qi Fei watched her leave, then quickly took off his clothes, rushed into the water, and enjoyed the sensation of the spring water washing over his skin. This was perhaps the most wonderful enjoyment of summer.

After taking a shower and returning to the house, Qi Fei took out the clothes from his package. He looked at them and saw that they were indeed well mended and still fit snugly. In particular, Qi Fei noticed that there was a small flower embroidered on them.

Lying in bed, Qi Fei thought to himself, “When I go to the town at the foot of the mountain to buy groceries tomorrow, I might as well buy some gifts for my master’s wife as a token of my gratitude.”

With that thought in mind, Qi Fei drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Qi Fei cooked porridge for everyone, ate some himself, and then took the silver down the mountain.

The money was mainly from his sect, given to him to buy rice and vegetables; it was public money. In addition, he received a living allowance every month, and after saving for so many years, he had accumulated more than ten taels of silver as his private savings.

Upon arriving in town, seeing the tear-stained goods lining both sides of the street, Qi Fei first went to a long-established shop, paid the money, and ordered vegetables and meat. As a regular customer, the shopkeeper would have the food delivered up the mountain after he paid.

Next, Qi Fei went to a clothing store. Inside, he saw many beautiful women’s clothes. Qi Fei planned to pick one out and buy it as a gift for his master’s wife.

The shop owner greeted him and introduced him to the most popular styles in Kun Guo at the moment.

Although this town is located within the territory of the Gan Dynasty, the women’s clothing in the Kun Kingdom is considered to be the most beautiful.

Legend has it that more than three hundred years ago, the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends entered the human world, wreaking havoc and causing the world to collapse into two. The Wang family established the Qian Dynasty, where men were superior to women and women were often oppressed. Then, the Feng clan established the Kun Kingdom, which advocated women’s rights and opposed the Qian Dynasty.

It is said that the Feng clan came from the celestial realm, and their clansmen created many beautiful clothes. It is said that these were the styles worn by fairies in the celestial realm, and they were loved by women all over the world. Even women of the Qian Dynasty were proud to own a set of Kun Kingdom clothing.

The proprietress smiled and introduced the garments to Qi Fei, saying, “Look at this high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), isn’t it beautiful? And look at this mamianqun (a type of traditional Chinese skirt), oh, and these stockings, I guarantee any woman would look absolutely stunning in them…”

“Are these the kind of stockings the landlady is wearing?”

Qi Fei sized up the middle-aged proprietress in front of him. Her slightly thick and round thighs were covered with a kind of flesh-colored silk stocking as thin as a cicada’s wing. It looked as if she was not wearing anything, but it made her thighs look exceptionally round and flawless, which was really amazing.

“This is it!” the proprietress said with a beaming smile.

Qi Fei wasn’t very knowledgeable about women’s clothing, but seeing that the unassuming proprietress actually had a certain charm in the stockings, he couldn’t help but nod in approval. He thought that if his master’s wife wore them, she would look even more beautiful!

Thinking of this, he asked, “How much are these flesh-colored stockings?”

“It’s not expensive, only thirty coins.”

“Thirty coins…” Qi Fei felt a pang of heartache for his nearly one month’s living expenses.

However, in order to please his teacher’s wife, he still bought one.

Carrying the wrapped gift, Qi Fei returned to Diancang Mountain and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, delivered it to Gu Yinzhang. Gu Yinzhang exchanged a few polite words and then accepted it.

The next day, while everyone was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, they suddenly saw Gu Yinzhang walk out in a blue dress, with a layer of thin, cicada-wing-like stockings covering her thighs, making her slender, beautiful legs look incredibly alluring.

“Whoosh…”

Upon seeing this, the disciples immediately booed and stopped what they were doing, glancing repeatedly at Gu Yinzhang’s legs.

“What a nice view!”

“Greetings, Master’s wife!”

“My master’s wife is truly the most beautiful woman in the world…”

Everyone praised it.

“Stop talking nonsense and focus on your sword practice.” Gu Yinzhang feigned anger, glanced at the crowd, turned around, and swayed his plump, round buttocks as he left.

Although her face showed anger, Gu Yinzhang was actually very happy. To be admired and adored by others was an honor for a woman, and it made her feel especially radiant.

“Mom, these stockings are so pretty…” Li Yuyao jogged over as Gu Yinzhang was reading in the pavilion.

Gu Yinzhang put down his book and said, “Why aren’t you practicing your skills? What are you doing here?”

Li Yuyao suddenly pounced on her, pouting, “I want a pair of stockings too…”

Gu Yinzhang embraced her petite and exquisite body, and said helplessly, “You are so young, yet you are always thinking about dressing up. A person should have substance and not be so superficial.”

“I just like it!”

“This was bought by your senior brother Qi.”

“I’m going to Senior Brother Qi!”

Li Yuyao immediately flew away from the pavilion.

Gu Yinzhang watched her departing figure and thought to himself, “I wonder if Fei’er can withstand her harassment.”

Qi Fei was washing vegetables in the kitchen when he suddenly saw Li Yuyao rush in.

“Senior Brother Qi, where did you buy Mother’s stockings? I want a pair too!” Li Yuyao said, grabbing Qi Fei’s arm.

Seeing her persistent pestering him, Qi Fei felt a headache coming on. A sweet fragrance wafted over, and even though Qi Fei was unwilling, he couldn’t help but feel a flutter in his heart. The words of refusal that were about to come out of his mouth were immediately changed to: “I bought it in the town down the mountain. If you like it, I’ll buy you one next time I go grocery shopping…”

“Great!” Li Yuyao was overjoyed and patted Qi Fei on the shoulder. “I knew Senior Brother Qi was the easiest to talk to!”

After saying that, he left.

Qi Fei thought to himself, “This little girl is clearly younger than me, but she always treats me like a little brother, just because I’m not as tall as her…”

He couldn’t help but lament his height, wondering when he would grow up to be as tall and handsome as his master, instead of being as short and thin as he was now.

A few days later, Qi Fei spent another thirty coins to buy Li Yuyao a pair of white, sheer stockings. Li Yuyao was so happy she jumped for joy and wore them that very day. All the disciples and followers stared at her with envious eyes and drooling mouths…

On this day, a familiar face whom they hadn’t seen in a long time suddenly appeared on the mountain—Zhong Biao.

Zhong Biao was of the same generation as Li Lingyun and Gu Yinzhang, and was also a disciple of the Diancang School. Many years ago, after mastering his skills, he went down the mountain and opened a teahouse in the capital. The business was very good, and he could bring considerable income to his sect every month.

In the underworld, Zhong Biao was known as “Black Lion.” He had messy curly hair, a rugged face, and a tall stature, but he was very meticulous and never suffered a loss. He was the one who could smear others, but no one could smear him.

After Zhong Biao returned to the mountain, Gu Yinzhang received him immediately and asked Qi Fei to brew a pot of good tea for the two of them.

Qi Fei stood aside, ready to receive orders at any time.

Gu Yinzhang leaned back lazily in his chair and said in a gentle tone, “Senior Brother Zhong, what brings you back to the mountain today?”

Zhong Biao glanced at her long, shapely legs in silk stockings without changing his expression, a strange glint in his eyes. He then said in a deep voice, “It’s like this. A few days ago, our sect leader came to the capital and questioned me about why I falsified the accounts. I was so angry that I had a huge argument with him! When I realized I couldn’t reason with him, I came to the mountain to talk to you, my junior sister. You know my character, junior sister. I always keep my word and always side with our sect and our Diancang Sect. How could I possibly falsify the accounts?”

Hearing his words, Qi Fei thought to himself, “Master is very measured in his actions and rarely resorts to violence. If Uncle Zhong has provoked Master to lose his temper, he most likely really did falsify the accounts and conceal a lot of income…”

Gu Yinzhang’s beautiful eyes flashed, and she said, “I naturally trust Senior Brother Zhong’s character, but I didn’t witness this matter myself, so I can’t say anything. By the way, do you know why Senior Brother Sect Leader hasn’t returned to the mountain for so long?”

Zhong Biao said, “Isn’t he busy collecting debts? All he cares about now is money. He doesn’t care about us fellow disciples at all. Several of us have already complained about him. In my opinion, it’s time to move him out of the position of sect leader…”

“Senior Brother Zhong, please watch your words!” Gu Yinzhang’s pretty face changed.

He actually uttered such treasonous words, clearly indicating that he already had thoughts of rebelling and was unwilling to obey Li Lingyun’s arrangements. This can be seen from his falsification of accounts; his heart is rotten to the core, and he thinks that by making some money, he can be above the sect leader.

Zhong Biao quickly stopped, smiled, and said, “Just pretend I didn’t say anything. By the way, Junior Sister, the main reason I came back to the mountain this time was to see you. So many years have passed, and you are still so young and beautiful. It’s a pity that I pursued you so hard for so many years, only to have Li Lingyun steal you away in the end. I hate it…”

“Senior Brother Zhong, you…” Gu Yinzhang was secretly angry when he saw that Zhong’s words were not nice at all.

Gu Yinzhang stood up and said, “Senior Brother Zhong, please make yourself at home. I have important matters to attend to, so I will not keep you company any longer.” After saying that, he left the reception room.

“Junior sister, junior sister…” Zhong Biao looked at her back, his gaze falling on her plump, round buttocks, then sweeping over her beautiful legs clad in flesh-colored stockings, and his throat bobbed.

“Uncle-Master, please have some tea.” Qi Fei poured him a cup of tea.

“What are you drinking?” Zhong Biao glared at him, then got up and left.