Chapter 654: A Bit Too Heavy
The sun had already set, and darkness had fallen outside.
Time for bed!
Li Daoxuan stood still, watching as Gao Yiye, her cheeks faintly flushed, swiftly shed her outer martial arts robes. Dressed in her pale, moon-white undergarments, she "blinked" into the covers in an instant.
Her movements were so fast, they completely contradicted her earlier statement of "not minding at all."
If she truly didn't mind, why would she get into bed in her undergarments? Why would she "blink" so quickly? If she were truly unconcerned, she'd boldly display her inner vest and slowly, languidly, slip under the covers! Hmph!
Li Daoxuan really wanted to tease her, but the young lady was sensitive. What if his teasing hit too close to home and made her die of shame and indignation? Best to let it go.
Li Daoxuan slowly, like a snail, approached the large wooden bed.
With each step he took, Gao Yiye's cheeks deepened in color. Ten steps would have rendered her face a perfect, ripe crimson, but this guest room wasn't very large. It was at most seven steps from the door to the bed. So... before Gao Yiye even had a chance to blush fully, Li Daoxuan was standing by the bed's edge.
The young woman heard her own little heart thudding wildly.
In her mind, she couldn't help but wistfully think: If the Heavenly Lord lies down and pulls me into his arms, then we will have truly shared a bed, and I will truly become the Heavenly Lord's person.
"Thump!"
The Heavenly Lord sat on the bed's edge...
Gao Yiye's heart leaped into her throat.
However, at that very moment, the wooden edge of the bed let out a groaning "creak," unable to bear the weight, and then "CRACK!" it broke.
The Heavenly Lord, with his steel-like bones and iron physique, was simply too heavy.
The large wooden bed collapsed with a crash, sending both of them tumbling to the floor. The quilt and sheets swirled around them, wrapping them up together.
Such a commotion naturally drew attention from outside. A young maid from the magistrate's household immediately rushed over: "Honored guests, what happened?"
Then, the maids saw the two esteemed guests, a married couple, lying amidst a pile of shattered wood, tangled in sheets, with only their heads peeking out.
The maid's eyes widened: "What... what happened here?"
Li Daoxuan sighed: "The bed collapsed."
The maid's expression instantly became a masterpiece of unspoken commentary, as if to say: "Oh, you two really know how to make a ruckus. Just how many positions of the 'Eighteen Martial Arts' did you try to break the bed like that?"
But such thoughts could only be conveyed through her face, never uttered aloud.
The maid quickly said, "Ah? My deepest apologies! Our beds are truly not sturdy enough. I'll immediately call people to clean up... Er... this servant will withdraw for a moment... to allow you both to get dressed before I return."
In her mind, the two people wrapped in the quilt must surely be undressed.
With a swift movement, the maid retreated, darting out the door and closing it securely behind her.
Li Daoxuan finally untangled himself from the quilt and sheets, spreading his hands: "Oh dear!"
Gao Yiye also quickly emerged and put her martial arts robes back on.
Just moments ago, her face had been flushed crimson with embarrassment, but after this incident, the red had faded to a blush tinged with white, lending her an unusual beauty.
"Um... Heavenly Lord... just now..."
Li Daoxuan chuckled: "Hahahaha, it's nothing, nothing."
He pointed to the main door, indicating that the maids outside shouldn't overhear, and lowered his voice, laughing softly: "It seems this body of mine isn't suitable for climbing into beds."
Gao Yiye's face began to flush again: "That... perhaps... next time we could find... a stone bed?"
Li Daoxuan: "Let's talk about that next time."
The two of them opened the door and stepped out. Seeing them dressed, the maid quickly summoned the estate's servants to clean the room and carry out the broken wooden bed. The estate manager also hurried over to apologize, promising to arrange a new guest room for them as soon as possible, creating a long commotion.
Just then, a servant ran over, tugged the manager's sleeve, and whispered, "People from the Prince of Fu's manor have arrived. They say they want to see General Qin. The Magistrate has gone to entertain them and won't be able to come over. He asked me to inform you and to ensure our honored guests are well-looked after."
The manager quickly acknowledged this.
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was not.
Li Daoxuan leaned close to Gao Yiye's ear and whispered, "People from the Prince of Fu's manor are here to see some General Qin. Perhaps it concerns the matter of Xiaolangdi."
Gao Yiye nodded.
Li Daoxuan smiled, saying, "It seems I'll have to deploy my miniature avatar."
Gao Yiye chuckled softly: "The Heavenly Lord is going to play around again."
Li Daoxuan walked to a nearby corner, sat down, and pulled open the front of his shirt, revealing his chest. On his chest was a tiny door. He opened it, and out walked a miniature mechanical Tian Zun.
This mechanical Tian Zun's body was entirely made of steel, only it was very small, no bigger than a palm. Its joints and other parts utilized the puppet technology from Shanxi, making it sturdy, durable, and wonderfully flexible.
CC-01 Reconnaissance Mechanical Tian Zun!
The miniature Tian Zun scurried into the flower bushes and took off, quickly slipping through a hole in the wall out of the courtyard and toward another guest room in the adjacent wing.
Soon, the miniature Tian Zun found the brightly lit guest room. Military guards stood at the entrance, confirming this was the right room.
He cautiously crept to the corner of the wall, stealthily slipping past the guard's heels, and squeezed into the room.
Inside, candles burned. Eunuch Zheng, whom he had met at Xiaolangdi, the Magistrate of Mengjin, and a middle-aged man in armor were seated at a table, conversing.
Eunuch Zheng, looking displeased, said, "General Qin, I've come to you this time to ask for a small favor."
The man in armor replied, "Of course, I am willing to assist with any matter concerning the Prince of Fu's manor. Please, tell me what it is."
Eunuch Zheng rambled on, recounting the events at Xiaolangdi, concluding: "That fellow surnamed Bai is utterly despicable. General Qin, please help me deal with him."
"Oh?" The Magistrate of Mengjin beside them exclaimed in surprise: "Good Samaritan Bai is a virtuous man! He has saved countless common folk in Mengjin County, practically a living Buddha to thousands of families. Eunuch Zheng, you mustn't speak such nonsense!"
Eunuch Zheng snorted: "Nonsense? What nonsense? That fellow is blatantly occupying the Prince of Fu's feudal lands and refusing to pay rent. He's clearly in the wrong, not our Prince of Fu's manor."
Upon hearing this, the magistrate's face clearly betrayed a flicker of disdain. Though he didn't voice it, in his heart he cursed: "When pirates occupied Xiaolangdi, you never bothered collecting rent, did you? Now, Good Samaritan Bai is building villages there, settling the common folk, clearly intending to permanently solve the scourge of river bandits—a great benevolence benefiting both the country and its people. And *now* you eunuchs remember to collect rent? Do you even have the nerve to talk about who's in the right or wrong? Curse your entire lineage!"
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