Chapter 466: Ah Jiu vs. Jin Xiaoqin

But Ye Wenxin still wanted to tease her, so she continued to ask seriously, “Would you mind if I took your pulse? I have some medical knowledge.”

Ah Jiu revealed a somewhat troubled expression. If she stretched out her hand, Ye Wenxin would likely see the robes hidden underneath, thus revealing that Ah Jiu was actually Abbess Jiunan.

Ye Wenxin already knew, though, so she wanted to tease the abbess even more. “Well, how about it?”

“Miss Ye, it’s a little… inconvenient for me right now.” Ah Jiu’s voice grew softer, and her cheeks flushed, looking as vibrant as ripe fruit. Whether it was genuine or not, Ye Wenxin knew that if Ah Jiu went to Earth, she’d definitely be a movie queen. Her acting was so convincing that Ye Wenxin could never tell what was real or fake.

Ah Jiu’s words were so alluring that Ye Wenxin even felt an urge to explore further. She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling as she continued, “I’ll just be checking your pulse. What’s so inconvenient about that?”

When Ye Wenxin deliberately moved closer, Ah Jiu retreated even more, her expression revealing a hint of fear. Ye Wenxin looked a bit frustrated upon seeing this but insisted, “Don’t be afraid; we’re both women. I bet I look better than you in all the places you’re worried about.”

She attempted to reassure Ah Jiu, and was curious to see how she would react to her secret identity being exposed. So, her tone became more forceful. Ah Jiu, now thoroughly frightened, was even more flustered. Just as Ye Wenxin was about to pounce like a ravenous wolf, Ah Jiu suddenly stopped struggling. There was a startled yelp when Ye Wenxin flung the quilt aside, revealing a glistening white work of art.

The sight dazzled Ye Wenxin’s eyes. She could hardly believe that Ah Jiu was indeed in an inconvenient state. With her mouth slightly open in shock, she was about to apologize when she heard a noise behind her.

She looked back to see Jin Xiaoqin standing there, her face ashen. Jin Xiaoqin, upon catching Ye Wenxin red-handed, spat out her full name.

“Ye Wenxin.”

“Master, let me explain! I was just going to check her pulse.” Ye Wenxin suffered through the injustice. She didn’t know how Ah Jiu managed to shed her clothes so quickly, and even timed it perfectly so it would implicate Ye Wenxin.

Jin Xiaoqin became more furious, forced a stiff smile toward Ah Jiu, and said, “Miss Ah Jiu, I will personally give you a formal apology for this incident. But first, I have a rebellious disciple to deal with.”

With that, Jin Xiaoqin dragged Ye Wenxin away by the collar, leaving behind Ah Jiu, who was secretly laughing.

Her girlish side came to the surface, as her lips curled in a charming, tender smile, no less than a devastating beauty. Her eyes sparkled and, as if she hadn’t allowed herself to be so carefree in a long time, she couldn’t stop smiling.

Tears came out as she laughed. She took the monastic robes she had hidden under the quilt, tucked them back into her bag of holding, and changed into a brightly colored outfit.

She went out to find Ye Wenxin.

After a while, Ah Jiu finally saw Ye Wenxin. She had assumed a horse stance¹, while Jin Xiaoqin stood beside her, her eyes showing a trace of reluctance, but she still oversaw her punishment. It was as if Jin Xiaoqin was the one most unwilling to punish Ye Wenxin, but as an elder and Ye Wenxin’s master, she had to do something to make Ye Wenxin reflect on her actions.

Jin Xiaoqin’s reluctance quickly disappeared upon seeing Ah Jiu. She exchanged polite greetings with her, and then began to size her up. Ah Jiu felt uncomfortable, sensing that Jin Xiaoqin was looking rather strangely at her, but she could only smile through it.

While she was watching them, Ye Wenxin immediately knew Jin Xiaoqin was once again thinking she had made a move on another woman. Yet Ye Wenxin couldn’t explain the complicated emotions involved, or the tangled relationship she now had with her master, Jin Xiaoqin. So, she could only maintain her horse stance obediently.

Time passed slowly and, after two hours, Ye Wenxin was finally released from the torturous horse stance. Her back ached, and her waist was sore, but she still felt that she preferred the horse stance to a certain other punishment.

Jin Xiaoqin still put on the air of a strict master, reprimanding Ye Wenxin for her unruly behavior.

“Miss Ah Jiu, I truly apologize. My disciple is stubborn and mischievous. If she has done anything improper to you, tell me now. I will cripple her hands and feet on the spot.” Jin Xiaoqin’s tone was full of a master’s authority.

Ye Wenxin shuddered, sensing that Jin Xiaoqin was indeed angry, but definitely not about the quilt-flinging incident.

If there were no other variables, Jin Xiaoqin was worried that Ye Wenxin had grown bored of her and moved on to someone else, which was why she had reacted so extremely. All those stories about harmonious, unified harems in novels and anime were absolute lies.

Ye Wenxin was already suffering with one Jin Xiaoqin; she didn’t dare have delusions about anyone else. All she could think of was making sure to satisfy Jin Xiaoqin that night, and give her more security. While she sat there in low spirits, Ye Wenxin couldn’t even begin to describe the soreness spread throughout her body.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out, startling Ye Wenxin. She thought Jin Xiaoqin was being bold and was about to wrestle her in public as punishment. But when she looked, it turned out to be Ah Jiu.

Her face was tinged with a hint of guilt, and redness. She softly explained, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for crying out and getting you punished.”

“No, it’s my fault for acting too quickly. But don’t worry, I didn’t see anything…”

“Then why did it seem like you were staring for a long time?” Ah Jiu started to seduce her again. But Ye Wenxin wasn’t swayed, and replied with a smile, “Well, how about this? I’ll show you mine, and we’ll call it even.”

As if she had never encountered someone as shameless as Ye Wenxin, Ah Jiu froze. She couldn’t help feeling that something was off, but found herself unable to retort. She stared at Ye Wenxin, as if a flower had bloomed on her face.

“What are you two doing over there!?” Jin Xiaoqin roared at them like a lion, maintaining her female chivalry. Ye Wenxin shuddered and obediently began to busy herself.

The Azure Wings Sect was responsible for helping with the meals today, so everyone was busy in the kitchen. However, the others seemed skilled with knives, while the clumsy Ye Wenxin could only wash vegetables. After she chatted with Ah Jiu for a bit, Jin Xiaoqin caught her again.

As Ah Jiu observed them, the stranger Jin Xiaoqin’s attitude toward Ye Wenxin seemed. She moved closer to Ye Wenxin, trying to figure out the source.

Ye Wenxin had a feeling this situation would be exposed sooner or later. But she saw how nosy Ah Jiu was, so she exaggerated the story, and rewrote it like a soap opera. She spun a tale of an age-gap romance spanning over two hundred years between herself and Jin Xiaoqin.

Jin Xiaoqin could only roll her eyes. She was way too straightforward for such a deep, heart-wrenching love. She just found Ye Wenxin pleasing to the eye, and things naturally progressed from there.

But after she heard Ye Wenxin’s dramatic retelling, Jin Xiaoqin started to suspect that Ye Wenxin was trying to ensnare the other woman. She pondered how to sabotage Ye Wenxin’s pursuit, and keep her all to herself for some proper loving.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. The ‘horse stance’ is basically like a half squat. You have to keep your back straight, and some variations also require the practitioner to keep their legs wide apart.
   
   If you want a popular reference, the fundamental Earthbending form in Avatar starts with the horse stance. ↩︎