Chapter 201: Better Than Good Food
The two hid beneath the back window of Xie Min’s room, hearing hushed whispers from inside. They quickly held their breath, making no sound.
Uncle Bao silently straightened up and pressed a finger against the least conspicuous part of the window paper. With a slight exertion of force, the thick paper was silently pierced, creating a hole. As Uncle Bao withdrew his finger, bright yellow light shone through.
Uncle Bao then brought his eye to the small hole to peek inside. He froze upon seeing what was within, and after a long moment, he recovered and, with a strange expression, yielded his spot to Lu Yun. Lu Yun then leaned in, also forgetting himself, and saw that the room was brightly lit by red candles. The first thing that met his gaze was a large vase filled with chrysanthemums.
Although winter had not yet arrived, a fire basin had already been lit in the room, making it as warm as spring. Lu Yun shifted his gaze and saw Xie Min, whom he had met once before, leaning languidly and weakly in a man’s arms. She wore only a thin silk shirt, her shapely figure subtly revealed beneath it, with large expanses of fair skin exposed to the air. The man’s large hand roamed over her skin, which felt like solidified cream. Wherever his hand passed, Xie Min’s skin flushed with a color like peach blossoms, and her entire body was filled with intense lust.
Xie Min seemed to have no bones in her body. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, obscuring her face but not the captivating moans that escaped her lips. Lu Yun’s face involuntarily flushed. He had witnessed Lu Feng’s three-part cultivation, but he felt that scene, so bare and open, was not as alluring as Xie Min was now. He remembered Xie Min as proud and aloof, a chaste widow who seemed unapproachable. He never imagined she would have such a side to her.
While Lu Yun was lost in thought, he saw Xie Min lift her head. Her alluring face was full of desire. Although Lu Yun disliked her, he had to admit that she was incomparable to those inexperienced young girls in her current state. She tilted her pretty face and whispered to the man in a seductive voice, “Pei Lang, have you had your fill these past few days?”
“Sister-in-law, you are truly a temptress,” the man called Pei Lang replied, looking up. His gaze burned as he appraised Xie Min, and he said in a low voice, “I’ve longed for you for over twenty years, how could this short time satisfy me?” As he spoke, he twirled Xie Min’s silky long hair and inhaled deeply, saying, “I truly wish I could be with you day and night.”
“Then divorce your wife and be with me openly?” Xie Min chuckled at his words, her sweet laughter making all three men in and outside the room’s hearts flutter.
“Sister-in-law, this…” Pei Lang’s expression immediately became troubled. “Even if I divorce that old hag, my father, your father-in-law, would never agree to us being together.”
“I knew men were all talk and no action. You can play with me, a widow, but you won’t take it seriously.” Xie Min’s face turned cold, and she made a move to get up from his embrace. The man quickly pulled her close, coaxing her with sweet words until Xie Min finally calmed down.
“With the capital growing colder, I’m planning to go to Jiangnan for the winter. Will you escort me?” Xie Min then proposed, settling for less. She nuzzled her cheek against his, her tone like a spoiled child’s. “If you’re busy, I’ll just find someone else.”
“I’m free, I’m free, of course, I’m free.” The man calculated that the trip would only take a little over a month, just enough time to have his fill. He readily nodded and said, “Sister-in-law, even if you were going to the ends of the earth, I would follow. When are you planning to depart?”
“That’s more like it…” Xie Min lightly kissed the man’s cheek and murmured, “The sooner, the better. I always feel uneasy here in the capital.”
“Indeed. I’ll go back and ask for leave tomorrow, and we’ll depart the capital in a day or two.” The man agreed wholeheartedly. “Although my brother is deceased, we are still brother and sister-in-law after all. It wouldn’t be good if we were seen together.”
“Then you dare to come whenever I call…” Xie Min was greatly reassured by this. She giggled, her charm overflowing.
“For Sister-in-law, I would go through fire and water.” The man’s breathing grew heavy.
“Then what are you waiting for? Pick up your sister-in-law!” Xie Min’s eyes were hazy, her voice a whisper.
The man, utterly captivated, let out a low growl and swept Xie Min into his arms, quickly striding towards the golden brocade tent…
The next moment, the room was filled with passion, but sadly, there was no one left to witness it.
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Lu Yun and Uncle Bao quietly retreated and hid in an unoccupied room, discussing in low voices.
“That man, is he Pei Yukou?” Lu Yun asked, uncertain. Yesterday, he had learned from Shang Luojia that Xie Min’s deceased husband was Pei Yudi, the first owner of Cuihe Garden.
“Yes, it’s him,” Uncle Bao replied with disdain. “His brother, Pei Yudi, is Xie Min’s deceased husband. I can’t believe this woman is so licentious. Lu Jian’s body is barely cold, and she’s already entangled with her own husband’s younger brother.” While customs were open during this era and women were not strictly required to remain widows, Xie Min’s behavior of changing men like clothes and even seducing her brother-in-law was still considered disreputable.
“Pei Yukou is an Earth Rank Grandmaster, isn’t he?” Lu Yun was concerned about a different matter.
“That’s right, and he’s a long-established Grandmaster. His strength is likely not inferior to Lu Jian’s,” Uncle Bao nodded, his expression grave. “Xie Min is in such a hurry to get involved with him, I suspect she’s been frightened by the recent activities of the Lu Clan and is desperately looking for a bodyguard.”
“Indeed,” Lu Yun agreed. “With Pei Yukou around, we have no hope of investigating further.” In fact, if Pei Yukou hadn’t been overcome with lust and completely befuddled by Xie Min just now, it would have been impossible for them to approach Xie Min’s room unnoticed.
“Judging by their conversation, they’ll be leaving the capital in a day or two,” Uncle Bao said in a hoarse voice. “Xie Min said she’s going to Jiangnan for the winter, which is likely just an excuse. Her real objective is to transfer that gold.”
“Mmm,” Lu Yun nodded. Although he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes yet, he was quite certain that the gold was in Xie Min’s possession.
“Then in the next day or two, Xie Min will definitely move the gold to the dock to load onto a ship,” Uncle Bao said gravely. “We can intercept it then.”
“We can’t get involved; it’s best to let the Lu Clan handle it,” Lu Yun said softly. “However, before we inform them, I must see the gold with my own eyes.” This was no trivial matter; one wrong move could offend the Pei Clan and the Xie Clan. Lu Yun had to be absolutely certain before he could ask Lu Xin to take such a risk.
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The two then lay hidden in the room. Before dawn, they heard Xie Min’s door open. Uncle Bao quickly peered through the crack and saw Pei Yukou tiptoeing out, soon disappearing from his sight.
After waiting a while longer, taking advantage of the last darkness before dawn, they crept to Xie Min’s back window and peeked inside through the small hole. In the golden brocade tent, Xie Min was sleeping soundly, her long legs exposed from the brocade quilt, looking incredibly alluring.
Just as Lu Yun was about to climb through the window, Uncle Bao stopped him. Uncle Bao pulled out a small bamboo tube from his embrace, silently inserted it into the small hole in the window, then puffed out his cheeks and began to blow gently.
Lu Yun stared wide-eyed at Uncle Bao, feeling that the image of the old man before him was becoming increasingly lewd.
After finishing, Uncle Bao waited for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before inserting a small knife into the window seam and gently picking the latch. He then told Lu Yun, “Hold your breath, and whatever you do, don’t inhale the sleeping smoke.” With Lu Yun’s cultivation, holding his breath for the time it takes to brew tea was no problem at all.
Lu Yun nodded, held his breath as instructed, pushed open the window, and leaped inside. Uncle Bao kept watch outside for him.
Inside the room, the charcoal basin was almost extinguished, with only dim red embers remaining. When the window opened, the cold morning wind blew in, completely dissipating the warmth of the room.
Lu Yun stepped across the thick carpet, carefully avoiding the chest binders and underpants on the floor. He walked to the side of the golden brocade tent, gritted his teeth, and lifted the brocade quilt. Xie Min’s fair body immediately broke out in a fine rash of goosebumps.
