sovbooks Chapter 5: What to do if you're being kept by the owner's wife?
Chapter 5: What to do if you're being kept by the owner's wife?
In the days that followed, Zhang Ping practically lived in the martial arts school. Every day, without fail, he practiced standing meditation and sparred with other students in the training ground.
His sudden emergence as a dark horse attracted a lot of attention. Li Fan was the most astonished. How could this little brother he had only recently taken in have developed such a muscular physique, as if cast from refined iron? That kind of build couldn't have been achieved without years of hard work!
So, for several days in a row, they followed Zhang Ping around, pressing him for details, asking if he had obtained some kind of secret medicine or elixir. Zhang Ping dared not reveal the truth, so he could only vaguely claim that he was naturally strong and healthy, and now that he was eating well, he had naturally gained weight.
After pressing Zhang Ping for several days, Li Fan realized that Zhang Ping's mouth was sealed tighter than an iron barrel, so he had no choice but to give up.
Zhang Ping had a good idea of the situation. After a month of sparring, he had a general understanding of the limits of his "bullish strength." In terms of brute force alone, he could actually hold his own against a martial artist at the Skin Tempering Realm!
Even Wang Dashan was alarmed, circling Zhang Ping twice, almost thinking he had silently broken through to a higher realm. Later, upon discovering he had only gained immense strength, he was truly astonished.
Aside from strength, in terms of resilience and speed, he was still lacking compared to a true martial artist. However, his "innate superhuman strength" was enough to earn Wang Dashan's respect, and he privately concluded that Zhang Ping was qualified to be taken in as a personal disciple by the master. Over the past month, he had taken good care of him. Zhang Ping's secluded courtyard remained quiet, and no new people were taken in.
The days passed by in stance training and sparring.
In the stillness of the night, Zhang Ping would occasionally think of the woman with the strange fetish; the smooth touch of her skin and the sounds of their lovemaking would haunt his mind like ghosts.
As he walked around the martial arts school, his gaze would unconsciously sweep over the female disciples and their families, but he never saw that figure again. He tried to inquire indirectly, but to no avail. He could only focus all his attention on the branded beast pattern.
After much deliberation, Zhang Ping decided on his next target – a horse-leg animal pattern.
The reason for choosing this design is twofold: firstly, it doesn't conflict with his existing donkey whip and ox pull patterns; secondly, while he has enough strength now, his legs are indeed too slow. Branding him with horse leg patterns can compensate for this weakness in speed, and in a truly critical situation, he'll be able to run faster.
Two weeks ago, he tried to sneak out of the martial arts school. He had only walked a hundred steps when he felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by a venomous snake lurking in the shadows. He immediately felt a chill and, without saying a word, sprinted towards the school gate. Only after he rushed through the gate did the bone-chilling cold that had followed him behind suddenly disappear.
Since then, Zhang Ping has never stepped out of the martial arts school again. The matter of purchasing horse leg materials has also been forced to be put on hold.
On this day, a light drizzle fell, and the sky was so gray it seemed to be soaked in ink.
The training ground was unusually crowded. All the disciples and apprentices, and even many unfamiliar faces that were rarely seen on ordinary days, were gathered here in a dense mass.
Zhang Ping stood at the back of the crowd, and looking around, he estimated there were no fewer than a thousand people.
The nearly two hundred people in the front row, dressed in uniform, were the true disciples of the martial arts school, all apprenticed under the school master, and each possessing strength at the mid-stage of the Skin Tempering Realm. This force, even in the small Lingchuan County, would command considerable respect. Add to that the school master himself, rumored to have reached the Dirty Refining Realm, and it's no wonder that Sitong Martial Arts School could dominate the county.
"Brother Li, what's all this commotion about?" Zhang Ping nudged Li Fan beside him.
A month had passed, and Li Fan's face had become rounder, his belly slightly protruding onto the back of the apprentice in front of him. At the beginning of the month, this guy had vowed to practice martial arts diligently to conserve his energy, but in less than three days, he had reverted to his old ways. His favorite place was still the Pleasure Pavilion, and he would only come back to practice for a couple of days when he occasionally felt powerless, to regain some confidence.
"Huh?" Li Fan was standing on tiptoe to look ahead when he heard this. He turned his head with a surprised look on his face. "The Master is returning to his residence today! The letter arrived yesterday, didn't you hear?"
Zhang Ping was taken aback. Ever since that fright half a month ago, he had been so engrossed in his training that he had completely ignored everything else and had missed the news.
The wait felt incredibly long. They'd been standing there since dawn, at least an hour had passed, even neglecting their daily mountain-standing exercises. Aside from the somewhat restless new apprentice, everyone else held their breath in concentration. Zhang Ping's legs were numb from standing, and bored out of his mind, he finally focused and summoned his control panel:
Zhang Ping
Age: 20
[Realm: None]
Branding: Donkey whip marks (69%), Oxen pull marks (36%)
[Donkey whip marks: Significantly increase the volume and strength of the lower limbs.]
[Strength lines: Increase physical strength and improve physical fitness.]
There are different ways to improve the beast patterns. The progress of the Ox Strength Beast Pattern relies on real physical strength – lifting weights and exerting force.
In the past month, besides sparring, Zhang Ping added several heavy stone blocks to a corner of his courtyard, practicing extra every sunset. He managed to push his Niu Liwen's progress to 36%. The results were remarkable; he can now lift the 270-pound stone block steadily with one hand.
As for Donkey Whip Pattern, since leaving the Pleasure Pavilion, that den of debauchery, he has never been near a woman again, and his progress has been stuck at 69%, not moving an inch.
In the realm column, the panel seems to only recognize the orthodox cultivation level of martial artists, ignoring his "heretical" strength and stubbornly marking it as none.
As Zhang Ping was pondering the changes on the panel, a sudden commotion erupted outside the tall and spacious gatehouse of the martial arts school! Immediately following, several powerful and resonant neighs of horses approached from afar, shattering the rain curtain!
"They're here! Master's back!" The disciples in the front row surged toward the gate, followed by the crowd like a tidal wave. Zhang Ping was caught in the crowd, involuntarily moving forward.
"Master!"
"Welcome, Master!"
At the other end of the street, a caravan slowly made its way along the wet cobblestones. Leading the procession was a magnificent steed!
It had a single horn on its head, its fiery red mane blazing like flames, and its four thick legs covered in fine scales. Its hooves thundered! It was clearly a rare and exotic dragon steed.
On the back of the dragon steed sat a middle-aged man. He wore a neat and tidy outfit, had a square face, and his tiger-like eyes shone with a sharp light. From a distance, a scorching and surging aura of blood and energy rushed towards him, making it difficult to breathe.
Zhang Ping glanced up and was shocked. He hurriedly lowered his head.
This person must be the master of the Sitong Martial Arts School, a late-stage Refining Realm cultivator, and a man of high moral character! He truly lives up to his reputation!
The people behind Chongxin all exuded a deep and focused aura, their temples bulging high, clearly indicating that they were all skilled fighters.
"Master! Mistress!" Senior Brother Wang Dashan rushed forward, his voice booming.
"Hmm, not bad, you've improved." Chongxin stroked his short beard, his voice booming. As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain of the carriage behind him was lifted by a slender hand.
A woman with a cool and elegant demeanor stepped out of the car, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Didn't I tell you on the way here? Da Shan manages the martial arts school very well, and you still didn't believe me?"
"Haha, when have I ever disbelieved what you say, Madam?" Chongxin laughed loudly.
At the back of the crowd, when he heard a familiar voice, Zhang Ping suddenly raised his head and stared intently at the woman who had just gotten off the carriage.
The woman had an oval face, well-maintained, and exuded an air of pampered elegance. Her slightly upturned, foxy eyes, which should have been full of charm, now held a faint aloofness and coldness, as if she were looking at everyone through a thin veil, gentle yet distant, with a haughty air of superiority.
is her!
Zhang Ping thought to himself, "Holy crap!"
He remembered that face, that voice... even the faint outline of her waist beneath that lake-blue brocade dress, so clearly! There was no mistake!
How could this be? How could it be her?
Zhang Ping blinked. He had considered a thousand, ten thousand possibilities: the wealthy lady of a prominent merchant in the city? The county magistrate's favorite concubine? Which unassuming female instructor at the martial arts school?
The only thing I never dared to imagine was that the woman who was as alluring as fire in bed and as cold as ice off the bed, with her peculiar fetishes, would actually be the owner's wife, Fu Huiying!
"Hehe, how about that? Stunned, huh?" Li Fan noticed Zhang Ping's dumbfounded expression and found it particularly amusing. He nudged him with his elbow, lowered his voice, and winked.
"When I first met Madam Fu, I was so shocked I was speechless for a long time! Tsk tsk, I really don't know what good fortune the owner accumulated in his past life to have such a heavenly wife!"
Zhang Ping was still a little dazed.
Seeing Zhang Ping's obsessive and infatuated state, Li Fan's expression suddenly changed. He forcefully pulled Zhang Ping's arm, his voice urgent: "Hey! Stop looking! Are you trying to get yourself killed! That's the owner's wife! It's a blessing from our ancestors that you're even allowed a glimpse! If you keep looking, you'll bring trouble upon yourself!"
Fortunately, there were quite a few people who were seeing Madam Fu's appearance for the first time, and even more who lost their composure.
Some people swallowed nervously, others wiped their mouths, and many looked on with infatuation. Chongxin was already used to this, and a hint of barely perceptible smugness even flashed in his eyes.
Amidst laughter and conversation, Chongxin strode confidently, leading the group into the martial arts hall. The crowd parted to the sides like a tidal wave, making way for them.
As the owner's wife, Fu Huiying naturally followed closely beside Chongxin. As they walked, her gaze casually swept across the crowd, inadvertently passing over Zhang Ping's location.
Zhang Ping felt the gaze directed at him and hurriedly lowered his head. Even so, his eyes still made extremely brief contact with the gaze.
He managed to maintain a calm expression, but inside, Zhang Ping was panicking terribly.
What should I do? I need help urgently! (Awaiting your reply online!)