“Welcome, honored guests, please come inside~”
The waiter led the two upstairs to the so-called Heaven Number One Room.
Inside, besides the table, chairs, and stools, there was a large bed, a folding screen, and a landscape painting decorating the wall.
Ling Xiaodong collapsed face-first onto the big bed in the room. After a whole day of travel and a fierce battle with mountain bandits, even he felt somewhat exhausted.
“I’m dead tired!”
Ling Xiaodong sprawled out on the bed, rolling from side to side, then suddenly stopped, feeling the quilt. He exclaimed in surprise, “This quilt is made of silk! No wonder it’s the Heaven Number One Room—definitely worth the money!”
The silk quilt felt smooth and soft to the touch, making it hard to let go. It was far better than the shabby quilt he had at Mingyue Monastery.
Seeing Ling Xiaodong’s childlike expression, Ye Yiyun sat in the grand master’s chair and covered her mouth to laugh, saying, “It’s just a silk quilt, is it really that big a deal?”
Ling Xiaodong suddenly sat up and complained, “Aunt Yun, your Qingfeng Monastery is so rich and generous, but you have no idea what kind of life I’ve lived with my master at the monastery. We often had to eat one meal without the next. Look at how many patches there are on this Taoist robe!”
Ye Yiyun was amused by Ling Xiaodong’s antics, but her smile quickly faded as she suddenly winced, clutching her right foot.
Only then did Ling Xiaodong remember that Ye Yiyun had twisted her ankle on the way here. Unsure of how serious it was, he stepped forward with concern, “Aunt Yun, does it still hurt? Let me take a look.”
Saying that, he grabbed Ye Yiyun’s right foot, swiftly removing her shoe and sock, and began carefully examining it.
Aunt Yun’s foot was very small, fitting perfectly in his palm, feeling like warm, smooth jade. Under the fair and smooth instep, faint blue veins were visible. Her five toes, crystal-clear and round as pearls, curled tightly from the pain. Yet her slender ankle was swollen and raised.
Ye Yiyun was not used to having a man hold her foot, so she was very sensitive. Although Ling Xiaodong was her junior disciple and only checking her injury, she shyly said, “No! I’ve been walking all day; it’s dirty!”
Ling Xiaodong didn’t care, replying, “Aunt Yun, how could it be dirty? You’re fragrant everywhere. Come on, I’ll massage it for you.”
Ling Xiaodong’s lack of disgust embarrassed Ye Yiyun herself. Hastily, she pulled her foot away from his hands.
“Really dirty! At least let me wash my foot first.”
“Fine! Soaking it would be good too. I’ll go downstairs and get some hot water. Wait a moment.”
Ling Xiaodong scampered downstairs, and soon returned carrying a basin of hot water. He poured some water into a basin, tested its temperature with his hand, added a bit of cold water, tested again, and nodded in satisfaction.
He reached out and grabbed Ye Yiyun’s other foot, expertly removing the shoe and sock. Then he placed both of her jade-white feet into the water.
Ye Yiyun’s face flushed slightly as she tried to protest, “Alright, Xiaodong, I can manage myself.”
Ling Xiaodong massaged her feet without hesitation, “It’s fine, this is my filial duty as your junior. Besides, I often wash my master’s feet at the monastery. Aunt Yun, is the water temperature okay?”
Filial duty, huh? Then it’s fine.
Ye Yiyun thought to herself. That little Yingying—so grown up, yet still having her disciple wash her feet.
Watching Ling Xiaodong concentrate diligently on massaging her feet, Ye Yiyun idly studied her half-son-in-law.
A face so handsome it could bring ruin to a nation, with long hair as black and glossy as his deep eyes, tied up in the common Taoist style known as the Taiji bun.
His expression was so serious, and his movements gentle as if afraid to touch her injury. So handsome and tender—no wonder the female disciples and Xiao Yan in the monastery were all infatuated with him.
If only she were ten years younger, also seventeen like him, would they meet again and…?
Ye Yiyun sighed inwardly, feeling the bitter pang of “I was born before you, yet you were born after me.” She quickly shook her head to dispel the distracting thoughts, silently scolding herself.
Ye Yiyun, what are you thinking?
He is your son-in-law, your junior disciple—how could you have such shameless thoughts?
While Ye Yiyun was lost in her reckless daydreams, Ling Xiaodong lifted her feet out of the water, carefully dried them with a towel, and suddenly swept her up in his arms.
Ye Yiyun was startled by his boldness. Instinctively, she wrapped her hands around Ling Xiaodong’s neck and shyly said, “I can walk. Put me down.”
Ling Xiaodong gently set her down on the bed, cradling her delicate feet as he began to massage them again.
Soaked in hot water, her feet were more sensitive than usual. Now being held and fondled by a man, Ye Yiyun felt a little overwhelmed at her age.
Her legs were close together, knees touching, her alluring eyes like silken threads, her breath like orchid fragrance. Had Ling Xiaodong glanced at her with anything but concentration, he might have lost control.
Ye Yiyun buried her face in the pillow to hide her expression and softly said, “That’s enough. Aunt Yun doesn’t hurt anymore. You go get something to eat. I want to freshen up.”
Just then, it was dinnertime. Ling Xiaodong headed down to the hall, which was crowded and noisy, filled with customers, seats all taken. The waiter bustled back and forth with trays.
Finally finding an empty spot to sit, Ling Xiaodong called out, “Waiter, order please!”
“Alright, guest, what would you like to eat?”
“Bring all your signature dishes, two servings each, and send them upstairs afterward.”
No choice. Being attached to a rich lady like this was just this extravagant—ordering without looking at prices.
“Alright, guest, please wait a moment.” The waiter hurried off to the kitchen.
While waiting for the dishes, Ling Xiaodong, bored, started listening to the old men at the neighboring table bragging.
“Old Zhang, do you know why the city was locked down recently?”
“Isn’t it because of those monsters? Been known for a while.”
“Ah! No! You don’t know this!”
“Then what is it?”
The old man lowered his voice mysteriously, “My grandson works at the city lord’s mansion. He told me it’s not monsters causing trouble at all! Those ghosts and demons are stirred up by the Luo Sect!”
“The Luo Sect? The rebel cult?”
“Yes, that one! According to my grandson, the court has already sent Taoists from the Monitor Heaven Division and the twenty-fourth-ranked Grandmaster on the Heavenly Ranking to Peng City to arrest people. They’ve arrived at the city lord’s mansion!”
Old Zhang gasped, “The Grandmaster has come! Oh my, that’s serious!”
The old man looked proudly at his friend’s stunned expression. Ling Xiaodong had asked Aunt Yun before about what Grandmasters and Masters were, but she hadn’t told him.
Unable to hold back, he interrupted, “Sir, what exactly does Grandmaster mean?”
The old man gave Ling Xiaodong a strange look.
“Where are you from, little Taoist? How could you not know this?”
“I’ve cultivated since childhood at Mingyue Monastery on Cat Ear Mountain, so I know nothing about the outside world.”
The old man was puzzled.
Mingyue Monastery? I’ve only ever heard of Qingfeng Monastery.
But the conversation was in full swing, so he didn’t care about such trivial matters. He explained, “A Junior Master is a martial artist ranked within the top three thousand nationwide—one in ten thousand. Those within the top three hundred are Masters, and the top thirty on the Heavenly Ranking are called Grandmasters.”
“Each Grandmaster is a legendary figure standing at the pinnacle of their martial arts sect!”
Ling Xiaodong suddenly understood. So he was actually this formidable?
“I see! Sir, you truly are learned!”
The old man beamed, delighted by the praise.
To show off his knowledge further, he continued, “Though Grandmasters are already one in a million, the highest realm beyond Grandmaster is known to only three people in the world. They are called—the Earthbound Immortals!”
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