"Welcome, My Lord."
Just as Pei Shaoqing, Xie Qingwu, and the others stepped through the courtyard gate, a group of men and women bowed in unison to greet them.
"You may all rise," Pei Shaoqing said calmly.
"Thank you, My Lord." The crowd thanked him in unison.
The man leading them, a short, slightly chubby old man with an honest face, stepped forward with a deep bow. Keeping his head lowered, he respectfully introduced himself, "My Lord, My Lady, my surname is Chen and my humble name is Youfu. I am the steward of this residence."
"Youfu, that name isn't lowly at all. Out of so many people, it is you who has the 'fortune' to serve me." Pei Shaoqing remarked casually, his tone dripping with arrogance. Then, he added impatiently, "We've been on the road all day and are covered in dust. Old Chen, first arrange for someone to show my wife and me to our rooms to change. Also, have our luggage brought to our room, and arrange for lodging and some food for my guards."
"Yes, My Lord. A hot bath has already been prepared for you and My Lady." Chen Youfu bowed slightly, then turned and called out in a robust voice, "Two of you, go outside and bring in the luggage! Cui'Er, Liu'Er, you two will attend to His Lordship and Her Ladyship in their room for washing and changing."
"Yes, sir." Four servants walked towards the gate, while two pretty maids of about sixteen or seventeen came before Pei Shaoqing and Xie Qingwu. They lowered their heads, curtsied, and said respectfully, "My Lord, My Lady, please come this way."
Pei Shaoqing gave a slight nod and strode forward with his head held high.
Xie Qingwu followed closely behind him.
Chen Youfu stared at their retreating backs for a moment before looking away. He turned with a smile to the nine strapping men before him and said, "Gentlemen, please follow me."
Pei Shaoqing and Xie Qingwu followed the two maids into a bedroom. Through an exquisite folding screen, they could vaguely see a large, steaming bathtub.
"My Lord, where should we put these?" At that moment, several servants entered, carrying a few trunks of luggage.
"Just put them there." Pei Shaoqing pointed to a random spot, then looked at the maids and said, "You may all leave. My wife will be sufficient to help me bathe."
"Yes, sir." The servants answered and withdrew from the room, gently closing the door behind them.
"I'm used to being a country bumpkin. Playing the part of a rich young master is exhausting." Pei Shaoqing rolled his neck, let out a breath, and looked at Xie Qingwu. "You first, or me?"
"Me first, of course. I have no desire to use your leftover bathwater," Xie Qingwu said nonchalantly.
Pei Shaoqing blinked. "Fine. I don't mind using my wife's leftover bathwater. But, my dear wife, you'd better not secretly relieve yourself in the water."
"You... You're disgusting!" Xie Qingwu was angry, embarrassed, and speechless all at once. 'How could I possibly do something as shameful as peeing in the bath?' She spat, "Truly revolting."
Seeing her reaction, Pei Shaoqing laughed heartily. "It was just a joke. My dear wife can always call for fresh water, you know."
She had been so angered by him that she'd forgotten that simple fact. With a cold snort, Xie Qingwu walked towards the screen, saying without looking back, "Mind your eyes. No peeking."
"Rest assured, my wife. Your husband is a famously honorable gentleman for a hundred miles around," Pei Shaoqing said.
He wasn't lying. A hypocritical gentleman was still a gentleman, after all.
Xie Qingwu ignored Pei Shaoqing. After rushing about all day and going through such a drastic ordeal, all she wanted now was to have a good bath, relax, and change her clothes.
From behind the screen, although Pei Shaoqing couldn't see Xie Qingwu's face or body, he could clearly see the shadow of her disrobing. Her clothes came off layer by layer, and the full, rounded curves of her upper body were exceptionally alluring, even as a mere projection on the screen.
Only after she had entered the tub did he reluctantly tear his gaze away from the screen.
With a strange man in the room, Xie Qingwu bathed quickly. But once she was finished, she realized that in her anger, she had forgotten to grab a change of clothes. She had no choice but to ask Pei Shaoqing for help. "You... go get my clothes for me."
"Me? And who am I?" Pei Shaoqing asked.
Xie Qingwu, of course, knew what he wanted to hear. Taking a deep breath and swallowing her pride, she said, "My... Husband."
Now that the threat to her life was gone, being forced to call a strange man "Husband" was still incredibly difficult for her to say.
"Say it again," Pei Shaoqing chuckled softly.
Xie Qingwu closed her eyes, her face beet red, and said in a small voice, "I must trouble my husband to please get my clothes for me."
"Wait just a moment, my dear wife. Your husband is on his way." Seeing that she knew her place, Pei Shaoqing was finally satisfied. He went to open a trunk, found a dress for her, and draped it over the screen.
With a SPLASH, Xie Qingwu stood up in the tub. The sensual, graceful curves of her body were silhouetted on the screen. She stepped out of the tub on her long, slender legs, began to carefully dry herself, and dressed piece by piece before emerging from behind the screen.
Fresh from her bath, her face was damp and flushed, as if veiled in a thin mist, making her look exceptionally lovely.
"What are you looking at?" Unsettled by Pei Shaoqing's stare, Xie Qingwu tried to glare fiercely at him, but it held no menace whatsoever.
Pei Shaoqing just smiled, averted his gaze, and called out, "Someone, change the water."
"Yes, sir," Cui'Er and Liu'Er answered from outside.
After the water was changed, the two maids were dismissed again.
Pei Shaoqing then found an ornate brocade robe from the luggage, walked behind the screen, and began to undress.
Hearing the RUSTLING sounds, Xie Qingwu instinctively turned toward the noise. Through the hazy, semi-transparent screen, she saw the outline of Pei Shaoqing's firm, muscular body.
This physique, so completely different from her husband's, made her blush and stare blankly for a moment. Suddenly, she frowned, sneered, and said mockingly, "It seems you still don't trust me. You even bring a weapon with you to bathe? Are you afraid that a weak woman like me will ambush you? How terrified of dying must you be!"
"I didn't bring one!" Pei Shaoqing was baffled.
Xie Qingwu froze. It was only then that she realized the long shadow wasn't a dagger, but... Her face instantly flushed red as an apple. Her breathing quickened, her heart raced, and her throat felt dry.
'How could this be!'
'That size... it could kill someone, right?'
'Wait! It suddenly dawned on her. If she could see Pei Shaoqing's shadow on the screen, then didn't that mean he had just seen the shadow of her naked body?'
At this thought, Xie Qingwu's face instantly turned pale. Overcome with shame and indignation, her mind in turmoil, she bit her red lip, lowered her head, and tightly gripped the corner of her skirt.
'It's fine, it's fine. He only saw a shadow.' At this point, it was the only way she could comfort herself.
'But I'm still so angry! That despicable scoundrel!'
Pei Shaoqing finished his bath, changed his clothes, and walked out from behind the screen. "Well? Don't I cut an even more dashing figure in your husband's clothes?"
Although Xie Qingwu didn't want to acknowledge him, she had to admit it was true. Her husband was the same height as Pei Shaoqing, but his build was nowhere near as robust. The clothes truly made him look stately and impressive.
Just then, the sound of a door opening was heard.
Xie Qingwu instinctively looked toward the sound and saw a fat tabby cat pushing the door open and walking in.
Yes, pushing. The tabby cat stood up straight like a person and pushed the door open with its two front paws.
Before she could react, the tabby cat dropped to all fours, kicked the door shut with its hind legs, ran up to Pei Shaoqing, and knelt. It crossed its front paws in a gesture resembling a salute and spoke in a human voice, "Greetings, My Lord."
"That's... a demon!" Xie Qingwu shot to her feet, her eyes wide as she stared at the fat tabby cat.
It wasn't surprising that she lost her composure. For the past thousand years, demons and monsters in the world had become increasingly rare. To most people, they were creatures that, like Immortals, existed only in legends and books. Given her family background and status, she had, of course, seen a demon before, but she never would have imagined that a bandit like Pei Shaoqing would have one by his side.
"Hey! You woman, how rude! I am the Wise General, General Li, under the command of My Lord!" The tabby cat felt offended. Its eyes flew wide with anger as it chided her, leaping into the air to deliver a flying kick. But in the next second, Pei Shaoqing's hand shot out and grabbed it by the neck. Dangling in mid-air, it flailed its claws and kicked its legs. "Ahhh, it hurts! This servant has behaved improperly before My Lord! This general knows his crime! I beg My Lord to forgive this humble officer this one time!"
With a dark expression, Pei Shaoqing flung it to the ground, where it landed in a flattened heap like a cat-pancake. "Enough. Did Old Two have any message for you to deliver? Report it truthfully."
Before coming to Tongzhou City, he had sent a subordinate back to their mountain stronghold with a message for the second-in-command who was holding the fort. The fat cat had obviously been sent by Old Two to reply.
He had rescued this Cat Demon from a hunter's trap six months ago. Ever since it was a kitten, it had loved listening to storytellers in teahouses recount historical epics. After being saved by Pei Shaoqing, it insisted on recognizing him as its lord, calling itself the peerlessly wise and brave General Li, and constantly proclaimed it would assist him in bringing order to the world.
At first, Pei Shaoqing really thought this Cat Demon possessed some great ability. In the end, he discovered it was just a bit stronger and faster than a normal cat, could talk, and ate a lot more.
But it wasn't completely useless. Occasionally, it could serve as a scout, run errands to deliver messages, and reconnoiter enemy positions. This was also one of the reasons he had been able to repeatedly escape encirclement by the County Government Office.