Several days ago…
Night fell upon a region of inner ShanWei. It was filled with magnificent villas and walled-off residences that could house hundreds within them. Only street lamps and individual armored militia guards illuminated the winding narrow streets and alleys, with sewer drainage separating the tall black stone walls from them.
This grandeur section of the city was home to several of the most influential figures, representing clans and families that play a major role in running the Middle Kingdom. While ordinary folk would never dream of ever stepping into these massive mansions with multiple generations worth of salary, let alone own a small plot of land, the clans considered these sort of dwellings a minor asset. Aside from those who owned merchants groups that originate from ShanWei, no one saw these as a primary base of operations.
One such family that fell under this umbrella was the White Crane Clan of the Righteous Iron Martial Sect. A prominent member of this huge sect that made up a part of the Central Conformist Alliance, which was the highest authority of the Martial and Mystical World.
However the specialization of the clan, martial clans also take part in governance and economics. One does not sustain a legacy of future disciples without the necessity of material wealth and managed cash flow. As a result of this, the White Crane Clan opted for a significant task passed down from the officials of the Royal Court. It was the maintenance of security beyond the borders of the castle city of ShanWei, amongst other trading firms and smitheries. Both inland, and towards nearby open waters. It would be an enormous undertaking for the person in charge of the operation, but compared to similar activities in other ports and especially the Northern Capital, sons of the founding family were expected to never defy the Leader’s orders. With the Leader’s eldest assisting his father within the main headquarters and the second eldest stationed in a port city up North, the Leader’s decision to send the next sibling in line to ShanWei was obvious and logical. Additionally, his father’s orders coincided with the age where he celebrated his coming-of-age. Never was the time to kickstart his rise to prominence ever so earlier.
He swiftly prided himself with the position of Intermediary head and executed his plans for the castle city for the decades to come, upon this very mansion. Like his admirable brothers, the Third displayed great judgment and efficient management, besides his widely known feats for being a rising swordmaster. Everyone never doubted his words and for those nobles who underestimated him just because he came out from the belly last, he made good use of their resentment and outsmarted everyone. Upon reaching the age of 36, the status quo improved and remained stable ever since. He has got the wealth, prestige and the martial skill to contend for the Leader’s throne in the next few decades.
Unfortunately, that dream of his would be an idealistic and fantastical assumption. Whatever he had, the brothers would always be several steps ahead of them. To gain influence amongst the elders for his side, occasionally he only has made trips back home, overwhelmingly overshadowed by the eldest. Despite one might say that the Third would win in a duel against either brother in regards to martial skills, self-cultivation or personalized aura, the gap advantage he held against them was meager at most. The only hope he would have to realize his childhood dream was to pray that both the brothers get killed in any accident or incident that was never made with his intent but that would never happen since like himself, their bodies’ self-preservation were better than the greater. Qi poisoning or a broken meridian core was a rare occurrence in the White Crane Clan and finally, the conclusion for both of them to step down from that position of power by themselves is an unattainable outcome.
Having contemplated his choices over and over again for decades of reaching mindful enlightenment, the Third has finally decided to let down his ego and accepted the already wondrous life that he had, alongside the subordinates entrusted to him, with the wines he drank, the food he indulged and the women he slept unrestrained.
Evenso, there came an encounter on that fateful day where he decided to inspect the operation of a random outpost on the outer walls of ShanWei for no ulterior motive nor goal, without his escorts, and lazed around on a platform, drinking gourds of fermented grape wine that were filled to the brim.
She first got his attention when he felt her suspicious intent towards him. They were never in the line of sight but he had ways to realize.
Using his heightened senses to pry deeper into her interaction with that guard, he found her weird at first. It was obvious that she traveled far from her hometown and that she came from a relatively well-off family.
‘An amateurish sunflower maiden, unripened by her sheltered upbringing.’ He giggled to himself. Despite his quick summary, the Third could not help but notice several anomalies about her. If it were a man, he would never question it and yet, she was a fragile woman, all on her own. Even the toughest country bumpkins travel to ShanWei in groups of no less than four. Moreover, he could hear her mannerisms in speech and a variety of intellect as she handled this mischievous officer. The Third knew that he was breaking tax laws and utilizing misinformation but he did not mind. Several factors played into this, reasoned by the Young Master as soon as he arrived at the scene hours before. The officer was quite a talented warrior for his division and knew when to not bite off more than he could chew. Only unfortunate victims from similar backgrounds were affected which never affected the scale of monetary circulation. It was a maliceful favor to the man who exploited the system safely.
Despite the high opinion of the guard, what he did next was going far beyond what was acceptable. The Third saw as the man quickly raised his halberd. Given his superior martial abilities, the young master saw this occurring in slow motion. His conscience was faster than average.
‘Should I use Qi?’ He observed as the young maiden’s face squirmed, knowing that blocking the blow was her least worst option yet.
‘Hah…What has gotten into me?’ His situational awareness does not need him to look all over to know what was happening. Through sheer skill alone, he could stop that halberd precisely with a blindfold. Nonetheless, out of all the places and beautiful people he could see, his eyes ended up looking at her.
As he blitzed towards them, fingers stretched out, one thought filled his sudden mind.
‘I want her.’
Alas, his thoughts slowed into real time and a loud sound could be heard from where she stood, emerging from a chilly gust of the autumn wind. He did the minimum to make his entrance heroic but just enough that he confidently assumed that this damsel in distress would fall for him immediately.
‘Just like any other common woman.’ He sneered.
And, the Third was, in fact, utterly wrong.
He then sorted the incident with ruthless efficiency so that he could continue his unfinished business with her. The young master did his best to woo her over but her steadfast determination to reach the city remained her top priority. In the end, all he got was her name. While the Third barely kept his carefree facade up until the end, the inner him got more and more flabbergasted and furious.
His usual pursuits of any woman he fancied on the street or brothel ended up successful in a matter of minutes. No one was more experienced than he was within the playing of a lady’s heart. In the face of his accomplishments, the reality that his advances were actually rejected for the first time slowly grew from a feeling of inconvenience to an undertaking of a challenge for a lifetime.
Once he tracked down TianXing’s whereabouts weeks after their first meet, the Third forcibly got himself involved with her life while making regular moves onto her. As much as he knew that his presence was unwarranted, the Third ensured to never cause any hindrance to her unknown goals, supporting them along the way.
Unfortunately for him, as the lady grew to become more and more of his ideal woman, her insistence to not accept his proposal still carried on. Thus, their unique relationship, that grew to become closer than friends but farther from marriage, remained stagnant for the next decade, where for a significant part of the later five years, contact from the Third to the Lady slowed to a trickle. While the Young Master was hectically busy coordinating and supervising the construction and relocation of all foreigners into the Walled Segregation Zone, issued by the absolute Royal Court, the eventual back and forth of sending letters to the Kiefrurpez for business talks went unbeknownst by the Third until the very end, leading into his prompt urgency to ensure their engagement was officialised during the opening day.
The Third knew it was a senseless move but he hated losing. He had already lost to his brothers for a position long gone and now his informant told him that those foreigners could be a potential adversary. He already lost his face by his continual rejections from TianXing. Something he received from only her. A woman who would serve under him in the future.
If it would be his lost one more against a man of a different race across the world to charm that unique woman into marriage, the young master could never live with that!
.
.
.
His mansion in particular has a central rectangular pagoda and currently, LuJi was resting in one of the top floors that served as a main living room.
Sitting on a gorgeous wooden long sofa and dressed in a muted red Sinae nightgown, his body slanted with the side of his chin placed firmly on his arm on the hand rest, he idly gave a disappointed look to the woman in front of him. With a flicker of his finger, the attendant on the right promptly instructed the woman to dismiss herself, much to her sadness.
The attendant on the left sent out the next woman in line through a concealed wall of patterned curtains. As his eyes made hers, she wasted no time to undress herself from a covered blanket, revealing her bare white skin while wearing only underwear.
For a typical man, even a minor flash of clothes would disorient them or make a reaction out of surprise.
For LuJi, this point of view of a woman is no longer stimulating. Like the number of times a man drinks his tea, the amount of times he has slept with different women, he has lost count. An oversaturation of carnal experiences.
The woman in front of him was certainly well-proportioned with the proper striking facial features. Overall, anyone would call her beautiful, but this was never LuJI’s objective; to find another good entertainer for the night. During the last several months until recent, his criteria for his sex partner became more restrictive. In other words, the black haired woman here is too general for the times’ beauty standards.
Sighing, LuJi swayed his finger once more.
Like a conveyor belt, the next candidate did a similar routine with a cute twirl at the end.
This time, his eyes paid closer attention. He saw that she had a great hourglass figure and a mole on her right thigh. The breasts were teardrop shaped and unfortunately, on the smaller side to his liking. But the one feature that sealed the deal was her large eyes, giving her looks like a cute girl.
Sighing once again, LuJi swiped his hand.
The next girl came and did the same as before.
For the record, this was a body that had no dislikes yet no highlights either.
To confirm his choice, LuJi ordered her, “Smile.”
In a panic, she composed herself before showing off her bright teeth.
Immediately, the young master gestured her to the right.
Apparently, she had a rabbit’s bucked tooth.
“Next!” screamed the left attendant across the wall of cloth.
For the next several acceptable women, deserving to be in the line to his quarters, none of them made the cut and his reasons were majorly nitpicks or downright critically shameful. However, no one could ever voice out his behavior because it really was the truth that he said such words. One had a hideous birthmark on her back, despite her wondrous flowy black hair.
The left attendant watched on with sweat on his neck. He was in charge of getting women for the night and was given a long list of very specific qualities for the finalizers tonight. Currently, his master had gone through nearly half of the gathered women waiting downstairs and since there were 74 left, his position as Head Left attendant might be on the line if his master did not get what he wanted until the final 10 or none at all. His reputation in the eyes of the Young Master may decline and he can be resolute at times.
“Next!” shouted his voice, hoping his master would never suspect his hesitation.
With that call, the next woman entered the hall and removed her clothes. Albeit her short stature, her body was plump in the right regions especially the butt. Her chest was relatively huge and her lips were glossy and succulent. LuJi saw a change in posture, bending forwards to her. Elbows on his knees and fingers interlocked.
He recognised this woman and she realized he did so too.
“How do you do, YeeLin?”
Steadying herself, she replied respectfully, “I am flattered that Master LuJi recognised this lowly citizen.”
“Leave the flattery aside, YeeLin. I enjoyed our last session so you deserve this much.”
“Thank you very much for your immense benevolence. Grandfather also wanted to express his wholehearted gratitude.”
“So…you do want to earn tonight’s wage, don’t you?”
Shocked by his straightforward inquiry, she lowered her head, “Isn’t this everyone’s objective for serving you in bed?”
“Raise it for your beautiful face. I told you already, didn’t I?”
And so she did.
“I listen to your orders, Master LuJi.”
Rather than a flick of his finger, he said it out loud.
“Not today, YeeLin. Maybe next time, I am craving a taller woman tonight.”
Normally, one would feel offended by this but the woman laughed it off with sincerity.
“I thought I was never gonna hear your honest remarks once again, Master. Once again, I shall one day pay back the allowance you gave for our family’s plight. Let myself be dismissed.”
Picking up her clothes, she headed for the gold patterned doors.
“Hold it, YeeLin!” sounded his sudden voice.
“Yes…Master?” Her mind raced, expecting the worse.
“How’s the youngest?” smiled the Third.
“Little Piao is now recovering so he may survive this year too…”
“Remember Lady, what I gave you then wasn’t debt. So don’t stress yourself out.”
“...Thank you once again, Master.”
It was another deep bow. Her upper torso perpendicular to her legs.
With a smile, LuJi signaled her to carry on.
“Next!’ The left attendant rang.
Apart from some minor close considerations, the same rejections repeated for the next 30 women. The closer he got towards the end, the servants and attendants knew his mood may blow any moment.
“Next!” rang the attendant once again, biting the gum of his mouth.
‘Oh!’ LuJi inspected the next candidate.
Surprisingly, the most unique feature of this woman compared to the others was the mature feeling surrounding her. There were wrinkles in certain places and significantly larger eye bags. He could tell she was older than the rest, accompanied by a huge bust and wider meaty hips. But because of her height, the size of those assets felt just right in LuJi’s eyes. Additionally, the raven hair was similarly the same length without reference.
‘This might be it.’ He thought to himself.
But he was no fool. For a lady to achieve this figure, most of them got them naturally and it was something he could not stand for. Shifting further off his sofa, he asked her.
“How old are you, Madam?”
Bowing, she answered bluntly, “39 years old, Lord Bai.”
Frowning his eyebrows, he asked her seriously.
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“Do you mind stretching out your vagina for myself to see?” There was no awkwardness in his speech.
“...”
“I will not force you, Madam. But if you imply otherwise, I will see you out the door.” His breath was steady.
“...I shall do what I must, my Lord.”
Once the servants prepared her a chair, she removed her underwear and laid down, back first on the seat. Her legs held on the armrest while her fingers opened the inner lips and widened the hole.
Still on the sofa, his eyes managed to close in the gaze despite the distance. Her embarrassing blush disturbed him slightly at the corner of his peripheral vision.
“You are a mother, aren’t you?”
Turning away, she shyly muttered, “Yes…”
“Single mother or a divorcee?”
“...N-neither, neither of them, Lord Bai.”
“Impressive, Madam. That is quite brave of you.”
“I-I apologize, Lord Bai.”
“Wear your underwear, you may take a seat now.”
“...” She quietly did as she was told.
Whilst that happened, the Third called for the Head Left attendant, whose face was as white as snow. Kowtowing without instructions, hitting hard onto the marble floor with a bang, he apologized.
“I am incompetent, Master Bai! Please forgive this attendant with your great wisdom.”
The Head Right attendant looked on, secretly smirking.
Sighing, the Third reached out for his rice wine.
“Head Left, you are aware that this is your second offense, aren’t you?”
“Yes…”
“And that I told you I pardon first-timers?”
“Without a doubt!”
“You ruined my night.”
“Please, great Master Bai! Have mercy!”
“Do you think that you can deceive me if the woman in question has no noticeable stretch marks?”
“Never, Master!”
“And what are your morals to encourage adultery?”
“Send him away, I will deal with him tomorrow.”
“No! Master! Master Bai!”
Servants dragged the helpless attendant over the curtains, never to be seen. The screeches of bloody nails trailed off the cold shiny floor.
Amidst the fading screams of desperation, LuJi called for the Right attendant.
“I have found my partner for the night. Send the others home with a token for their time.”
“Yes, Master Bai.” Grabbing the empty wine glass for him.
“Pleasant.”
Next, approaching close to the married woman as she grasped tightly on her blanket, he knelt down to her eye level.
“Do you feel cold, Madam?”
“...No, Lord.”
“Do you have a name?”
“WenXi, Lord.”
“Is it an alias?”
“No, I…I trust you to keep this a secret from my husband. Please, Lord.”
“Haha! How long has it been since I’ve experienced such a degree of plea?”
“Please…”
Placing his hand on her shoulder, he whispered in her ear.
“Follow me, WenXi.”
“Where?” Her mind was fearful.
“Where?! My bedroom, that’s for certain.”
Getting up herself, she willingly trailed behind, passing several large heavy doors of gold and corridors lined with pillars of jade. Upon her arrival, the Third opened up to a huge room of fine wood and blue cloth accents.
The layout was a central square that was the size of her living room back home, attached to three more identical sections partitioned by light blue clear curtains. The fourth side was where the entrance and themselves stood. Overall, the Third’s bedroom alone could house four commoner families of 4 just fine. Alast, she stared in awe.
At the end, she saw a humongous 4-person bed, weaved from the finest of silks and cotton. To the left, there was a workplace with strangely, only scrolls of identical woman paintings and discarded letters. Barely any documents.
‘Lord must have gotten a separate room for those important stuff,’ she thought.
To her right, she saw another much larger sofa, framed within smooth wood and embroidered with numerous artistic patterns over a maroon backdrop. Just in front of them, a large fancy round table was placed with six seats. The sharp tang of different wines seeped through the vase covers upon the said furniture, tensing her nostrils.
LuJi showed ignorance to her exposure and took a seat. He then poured himself a large bowl before chugging it down within one attempt. WenXi stood there, awaiting his instructions.
Realizing her timid behavior, LuJi gestured to drink a bowl that he just poured for her. There were no signs of reluctance and she muttered her thanks. Never has she tasted of a beverage this heavy. Keeping it hidden, WenXi tried to bear her burning throat but not before long, she coughed harshly.
“Oh, I guess you never consume alcohol, huh?”
“My lord…cough…my apologies.”
Giving her a plain expression, he handed her water.
“Thank you.”
Once she cleared her throat, seeing the poker expression on LuJi’s face as he finished his first vase for the night and it was a huge vessel.
“A-are you an avid drinker, my Lord?”
Knowing that she would be paid for the night and this was her first time doing so, the first thing that came to mind was small talk, before the true activities.
Gladly, LuJi went with it.
“What do you think?”
“The Lord drinks daily.”
“True! Full stars, WenXi. It is a luxury that never lets me down. By the way, since we are what we are now, call me LuJi instead.”
“Isn’t that disres…I understand, LuJi.”
“Much better. Continue please.” Another mouthful came from his bowl.
“Why is it me?”
“...Well, I never expected that question. But it’s a good one, I admit.”
He made eye contact, eyeing her nearly identical naked body.
“I thought that I would never find another woman that is just as desirable as yours for tonight’s tasting. Even if you are married, WenXi is still very beautiful and sexy. I slightly envy the man you married.”
“...You-you don’t have to mind him any longer, LuJi. My body’s now your possession to toy with to your heart’s content.”
“...”
‘How bad is her acting?’
“It’s not only a physical preference, WenXi. I am sure he enjoys your company and vice versa. Oh, how I wish that were myself…”
“M-my apologies.”
“That’s enough apologies for my ears tonight! WenXi, I can’t believe you are acting up like this at the age of 39.”
“...”
“Haaah, never mind, let us begin the true agenda, shall we.” He swiftly got up and headed towards his bed.
“Wha-”
“You promised me earlier, didn’t you? Or was that a lie against your Master?!”
“I-I understand.”
For a while now, her mature appeal was hanging on by the thread due to her older looks. But he could see some resemblance for further immersion.
‘A little bit of amateurity is part of her charm after all.’ He thought as he loosened his sash. With a swing of his hand, his nightgown flung fast onto a cornering paper wall divider and his bare lean body, riddled with battle scars, was exposed for all of WenXi to see. Her face blushed deep red, never aware that she was naked herself.
Sitting lazily at an angle straight at her from the edge of the mattress, he flashed his penis out to WenXi. Bushy long pubic hair surrounded the quickly erecting phallus that throbbed sporadically. She saw as blood filled and widened the head as it grew to a lighter gray with lines of parallel dark violet.
Instinctively, she began comparing his to her husband’s. From a distance, WenXi can confidently say it was thicker and longer, and much darker than her husband.
‘How many insertions has this guy had to achieve that darker shade…’
“Oi, WenXi, what are you doing just staring there?!”
“Ah-ohh, right.”
Walking steadily, she slowly removed her black underwear. Perhaps this was the longest she had gone wearing only them.
Cautiously, WenXi got on the bed in front of him and feebly grabbed hold of his penis.
‘It’s hot!’ Precum could be seen shimmering under the candle light.
Under her erotic stomach fat, she managed to sit astride his hips. Still holding onto the head, it was now time to properly insert it into her pussy.
‘I am sorry, my dear! This-this is for the better…’
That’s when she was promptly shoved aside, landing back first into the soft mattress. Keeping her admiration of the product itself aside, WenXi looked upwards to the Third in distress. His face was a disappointed gaze.
“What the hell were you thinking, WenXi?”
“Where, where did I do wrong, Lor-LuJi?” She hastily got up in servitude.
“I was positioning for a blowjob. Can’t you recognise it?”
“No, we only went the normal routine, my Lord.”
“Does that mean you have no knowledge on what a blowjob, boobjob or cunnilingus is?”
Lowering her head, she gave a shy affirmation.
“...You are not suited for this sort of work, WenXi.” He said exasperatedly.
“LuJi, would you mind teaching me?”
“Certainly, I must! Since those will be the only ones we will be doing tonight.”
Too afraid to frustrate him further, she didn’t bother asking more.
For the next several hours, they did multiple sessions and WenXi successfully satisfied the Third with her newfound techniques from his detailed guidance. He ejaculated for a total of 6 loads and WenXi shamelessly orgasmed 12 times. Each time louder than the next.
.
.
.
In bed, a nude WenXi laid alone at the edge. Her hair became a raunchy mess and her legs spreaded wide like an upturned frog. Her face was red from exhaustion and extremely ecstatic with a wide content smile. On her sweaty skin, huge amounts of numerous sexual fluids covered her entire body, originating from LuJi and herself, while the bed sheets smelt of her squirting urine. That was an experience that she would never forget and unfit for a lowly housewife.
Then, her hips jerked.
Across the room, LuJi was continuing to pour his drinks. For the record tonight, he was on his seventh vase. He never bothered with his dangling wiener and did a random somersault in a jit of energy. Despite his apparent drunkenness, because of his addiction, the man still remained unbelievably sober.
Slowly, her arousal began to fade away and WenXi reluctantly sat up straight with a grunt. She remained unwashed and observed her lord in his most vulnerable moments. Realizing her stare, LuJi side eyed her, to which she quickly turned away. Accidentally, WenXi saw through a gap in the pillars towards the study area out of curiosity.
Remembering those piles of illustrations from earlier, she got up, walked herself closer and unrolled a nearby painting scroll.
On it, she saw a black and white portrait of an alluring woman who appeared to be several years her junior. Her experienced fierce eyes was, in her opinion, the subject’s most defining attribute. WenXi also saw plenty of resemblance of her own reflection with the figure in question. She could assume that the Third did this portrait and for a laywoman like herself, this is a superior art piece.
Without considering the drinking LuJi behind her, WenXi began to look into other scrolls and paper. Shockingly, all he painted only featured that lady at center focus. Some showed her in fantastical gardens, spanning flower fields, tall waterfalls and small to large buildings with the label belonging to the Relay Guild.
Hung on the right wall, there was a full length illustration of her, donned in shades of purple. The blend of thick black brush strokes and slime faint outlines; her aura that was captured by this last piece felt life-like, as if she was standing right in front of her.
“Oh my Heavens…” WenXi gasped in awe.
To her side, LuJi proudly watched as she was bathed in TianXing’s beauty.
“...” Piecing his previous actions together, she finally reached a revelation and it was quite the shameful objective.
Slowly facing the lord, she simply asked him, “Is she an unacquainted love, LuJi?”
Suddenly, the Third stopped his bowl.
It was still empty.
“Why didn’t you consider she was a dead loved one?” He blurted.
“You never cried. You only screamed out her name in pleasure.”
“I have never cried in my life. Tears and desire never worked out for me, WenXi. Why should I when I can get everything I want?”
“I know that this is speaking out of my boundaries, LuJi. But you haven’t answered me?”
He clicked his tongue.
“...If you are aware of that, then shut it, whore!”
She glanced below onto the shimmering liquids in her deep cleavage, before clenching her fist.
“You are scared, LuJi. That’s not the way-”
“SAYS YOU!”
The Third swiped his arm in anger as an accidental surge of raging shockwaves dashed straight towards her. Unavoidably, WenXi was shoved back, crashing hard into a drawer. Once WenXi sat up, LuJi was kneeling beside her with a plate in hand. Despite this frightening display, his condescending gaze didn't stunned her one bit. She glared back in disappointment. Now, she saw him as nothing but a pathetic man-child.
“Fine LuJi, you may call me a hypocrite from my decisions, but let me be clear, I still love my husband. I came here for the slim chance that I may earn some funds for our dying shop! He is now doing the best he could to survive while we have 3 children to feed. I will do anything if it means we can put food on the table for the kids tomorrow.”
“...”
“I guarantee you. If this news reaches him, he will understand.”
“...”
“And finally, you still have my respect as our Lord.”
“Why?”
“LuJi never used my pussy. That’s how I know you are still the lord with benevolence.”
“Hmph!”
Standing up to get another vase, he corrected her, “Not at all as how you see it, commoner! I just felt disgusted putting my dick into something loose and used…”
“...Is that so?” She never heard his voice with such fragility.
Leaning back on the desk, he sighed loudly. A wave of calmness soon swarmed his conflicted mind.
“Yes…It is an unanswered relationship, WenXi.” Her lord finally opened up.
Seated crossed-leg, there was a relieved smile on her.
“How long is this-”
“Ten years! TEN DAMN FUCKING YEARS! You would have never heard such a story from the farthest lands of the Middle Kingdom, and yet, here I am!”
His body growled in exaggeration.
Even WenXi could not believe these facts. Never could she imagine herself delaying a confession that lasted nearly half of her marriage life. However, for a woman as special as the subject of the painting, an uneducated housewife would never understand that woman’s school of thought, despite their gender were both women. Furthermore, the thought that the ideal Lord, who got everything, was still missing true love, on no account that would have crossed her mind.
“She must be that great of a woman if a man of your status is still after her.”
LuJi laughed at that statement.
“I’m no fool, WenXi. I would never spend a decade to waste if she was that ordinary. This woman, named Xu TianXing, founded White Ink.”
“What! That White Ink?”
“I‘m not kidding and if you assume that she is a golden spoon, I dug her records deep into her hometown. She was just the adopted daughter of a minor noble in a small village.”
“Wow…”
“Moreover, in these ten years, my dear is now fluent in Mandarin and those barbaric mother tongues.”
“Those foreigners?”
“That’s the problem, WenXi. For the past year, a white barbarian is supposedly getting closer to her than I could ever be. This does not sit well with me and I crave her more!”
“Leading to tonight’s criteria.”
“Yes, my dear has always displayed a mature and wise look, even if she remains a virgin for the 33 years of her life as I steered away every potential countryman from her vicinity. Such is my reason for choosing you, WenXi.”
“I…understand.”
“But I now frequently wonder, why is she always rejecting me…A part of me hopes I can find an answer from a married woman like you, WenXi.”
“Me?!”
“Do tell, what might end this cat and mouse chase once and for all?”
There was genuine desperation in his voice, and she was sympathetic for his cause.
“...Hmmm”
This development was not what she hoped for. The scenario was too extreme.
Several minutes passed as he waited in pitiful anticipation, before at last, WenXi answered.
“I can never word this properly, LuJi so I apologize.”
“...”
“But personally, I believe that you only understand her for what she is publicly known for and she does not want that.”
“What…!”
“Ahh-Ehrm…What I meant was you do not stand out from the others who also saw her as what she wants you all to see her.”
“B-but, I showed her my commitment. I shouted her praises the loudest. Even in times of need, I am the only one who gave her my aid with all my heart. All I need her to do now is to accept me as her man! Explain further! What else is there to show I am not different when I already proclaimed my love.”
“I-I am sorry, my lord! This is as much as I, a peasant mother of 3, can reason with…I deeply apologize. Please…”
She quickly kowtowed near his feet.
“...”
Fortunately, LuJi’s frustrations ended there. It was well past midnight.
“Again, WenXi. Call me LuJi.”
Poking her head up, she questioned him. “L-LuJi…?”
Walking to the front doors, he called for an attendant. When a man dressed in dark blue arrived, she saw as the Third whispered orders to him.
Afterwards, he headed to his wall divider and handed WenXi his nightgown.
“What for, my Lord?”
“LuJi!”
“LuJi, yes…”
Sighing at this clumsy woman, he replied, “Wear this for the time being. That man over there will take you to the guest room downstairs so make yourself at home for the night. Tomorrow, I gave permission for you to use the bathtub. I may not see you leave next morning but rest assured that you will get the money.”
“Lord…” she muttered under a soft breath.
“I enjoyed our night, WenXi. Thank you.” His voice was steady and respectful.
‘So this is the Lord people admired.’
“Thank you very much, LuJi!” She bowed deeply three more times before she left the room.
“One more thing, WenXi!”
“Yes, LuJi?” She was at the door.
“How old is your third child?”
“Two, LuJi. Had him after six years from the second. Why?”
He smirked.
“I pray that his life is just as successful as his elder brothers.”
“Thank you LuJi, but rest assured, our family will always give each child equal chances. I think it’s common practice.”
“...how great would that be…” He muttered.
“Pardon, LuJi?”
“Oh, never mind! Erhm, anyhow, just for those three, add an additional 15 silvers per child, Attendant!”
“Yes, Master!”
“One final thing, WenXi. If I come to find out that your story was a lie all along, you do know the consequences.” He warned sternly.
But with a laugh, she smiled with a bow.
“Do as much as you want, LuJi. But I am truly grateful for this donation so please have a good night.”
With those parting words, the sound of the large doors closed shut sounded loudly throughout the now empty bedroom.
His bare footsteps made their way to the desk where all the vases were conveniently emptied out.
“Hmm…”
Checking once more, LuJi realized maybe now was the time to stop.
.
.
.
Laying wide on the damp sheets with her smell, he slowly dozed off to slumber.
‘How shall I greet my dear this time?’ came his last thoughts for the night.