Chapter 1260: Schoolteacher

Guan Fangyi fell speechless at once.

Her bright eyes locked onto the pile on the table.

There was a stack of gold notes, and another stack was...

Her eyes suddenly widened.

She bent slightly, then shot out a hand and snatched up the second stack.

She flipped through them, checked them again, and discovered they were actually Heavenly Sword Talismans.

A full thirty Heavenly Sword Talismans!

She put them down and grabbed the stack of gold notes next.

After counting them, she found ten million.

There was also a narrow wooden box.

She had no idea what treasure might be inside.

She opened it, sniffed, and found three Heavenly Succor Pills.

Faced with so many good things at once, Guan Fangyi almost did not know which one she ought to grab first.

She closed the box and set it down, then picked up the stack of Heavenly Sword Talismans again.

At least she still knew which items were worth the most.

Turning around in delight, she asked, "Went out stealing things again this time?"

The single sentence nearly choked Niu Youdao speechless.

For a moment, he almost wanted to scoop up a handful of gold notes and fling them in her face.

Annoyed, he said, "Can you talk properly? What do you mean, stealing things again?"

Lately, every last one of them had started treating the dignified Master Dao like some petty thief.

What was that supposed to mean?

Guan Fangyi said, "Then don't tell me you picked them up somewhere."

Niu Youdao replied, "Why couldn't someone have given them to me?"

Guan Fangyi scoffed. "Who are you trying to fool? Who would give away this many Heavenly Sword Talismans in one go?"

"I can't be bothered with you."

Niu Youdao turned to leave.

Guan Fangyi immediately grabbed him, stared at him, and slowly began to sneer.

Her reaction was wrong.

Niu Youdao looked wary. "What are you doing?"

Guan Fangyi said, "Then you bought them!"

"Buying this many Heavenly Sword Talismans at once... looks like your trip to the Sacred Realm made you rich."

"Then again, look at what kind of place the Sacred Realm is."

"Come on. Tell me. How much private money have you hidden away?"

Niu Youdao did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Private money, my ass. I already told you someone gave them to me."

"Fine, I'll tell you directly. I made a trip to Tianxing Sect."

The moment he mentioned Tianxing Sect, Guan Fangyi's expression changed slightly.

She remembered someone unpleasant.

She let go of him and tossed the Heavenly Sword Talismans back onto the table.

Niu Youdao sighed. "See? I knew mentioning Tianxing Sect would make you unhappy. That's why I didn't want to tell you."

"Don't worry. Your old lover Du Yunsang didn't give them to me. He doesn't know anything about this. I went directly to Wen Hua."

Guan Fangyi sneered. "You think going to Wen Xinzhao's father would make me happy?"

"Niu Youdao, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"You know perfectly well how that woman Wen Xinzhao regards me, yet you still went to her family asking for things."

"Will you only be satisfied when I can never raise my head in front of her again?"

"This old woman follows you wholeheartedly. What do you take me for?"

"What's this? You're really angry?"

Niu Youdao raised a hand to touch her face.

Smack!

Guan Fangyi slapped his hand away and stubbornly turned her head aside, lips pressed tight.

Niu Youdao put both hands on her fragrant shoulders and forcibly turned her back toward him.

"All right. It isn't what you're thinking."

"I'll tell you plainly. I gave Wen Hua a Wuliang Fruit. These Heavenly Sword Talismans were part of the exchange. I didn't beg him for them."

"A Wuliang Fruit is a priceless treasure. If we're comparing value, who do you think came out ahead?"

Only then did Guan Fangyi look directly at him again.

Her eyes were visibly reddened.

"Really?"

Niu Youdao said, "How could it be false? Do you think anyone would be generous enough to simply give me this many Heavenly Sword Talismans for nothing?"

Guan Fangyi suddenly shoved both hands against his chest.

Niu Youdao staggered back a step.

"One Wuliang Fruit for only thirty Heavenly Sword Talismans? Are you sick?"

"Do you even know how to do business?"

"You'd make a deal that bad?"

She finished, turned away in a huff, and immediately began gathering the Heavenly Sword Talismans back up.

Whether the bargain had been bad or not, she certainly was not about to refuse the things.

Niu Youdao said, "Relax. It wasn't a loss. I have another gift for you."

While stuffing the Heavenly Sword Talismans into her sleeve, Guan Fangyi asked, "What?"

Niu Youdao had originally intended to tell her that he would get those slaps back for her.

But when the words reached his mouth, he decided the time was not right.

So he changed what he was going to say.

"There's another ninety million gold coins, and fifty Heavenly Succor Pills. Once they arrive, I'll give them all to you."

"Will that finally shut you up?"

"Really?" Guan Fangyi's eyes lit up.

When Niu Youdao nodded, however, she immediately clicked her tongue.

"Sweet words dripping with honey. You make it sound so pretty."

"You just know how to coax this old woman into being happy."

"What do you mean, give them all to me?"

"You use me as a storehouse, that's all."

"Every time you say something belongs to me, and later I'm the one who has to take it back out again."

"Doesn't the expense for this whole crowd come out of my pocket?"

"You use me as the housekeeper and think I don't know?"

Niu Youdao gave a short laugh. "Do you want them or not?"

"If you don't, leave everything here. I'll give it to Monkey."

"Consider that farted away. I can't be bothered with you."

She swiftly swept every last item into her sleeves, turned, and walked off.

Her waist swayed like a water snake.

She had already pulled the round fan from her belt and was fanning herself happily.

Every movement radiated the joy of someone who had just made a fortune.

Whatever happened later could wait.

Cultivation could wait too.

First she was going back to sleep beautifully, restore her energy and complexion, and then she could go out looking her best.

There was one thing she had to admit.

This man might go three years without making a score, but once he did, the haul could feed them for three years.

He truly knew how to make money.

Far faster than all those years she had spent smiling until her face hurt at Fufang Garden.

That feeling of having bulging pockets and being able to buy whatever she wanted was wonderful.

Ninety million.

And another nine thousand besides.

How was she supposed to spend that much money?

Guan Fangyi's face bloomed with a brilliant smile.

Mm.

She had decided.

Once she woke up, the first thing she would do was buy a heap of jewelry.

After that, whenever she had nothing better to do, she could pull a hairpin from her head and casually reward one of the maids in the Prince's residence.

She would have all those servant girls treating her like an ancestor whenever they saw her.

When she bought things in the street, she could casually toss out a line like, "Keep the change."

She would go scatter money around to her heart's content and earn back every smile she had once been forced to give away.

This prefectural capital was wonderful.

Much better than that mountain backwater at Zijin Cave.

As for the cultivation Niu Youdao had ordered her to focus on?

Something that tedious and boring had already been thrown to the back of her mind.

Nothing could suppress her urge to enjoy herself right now.

Now that a certain someone had returned, she no longer needed to work herself half to death over everything.

Having someone else make money for her to spend truly felt wonderful.

So long as Guan Fangyi could produce the money when it was needed, Niu Youdao never cared how she spent it.

She could buy whatever she pleased.

He could not even be bothered asking.

Nor could he be bothered looking at the miscellaneous things she brought back.

"You grab the money and run. What kind of habit is that? Come back!" Niu Youdao called after her.

"I'm tired. I'm going back to sleep first."

"Master Dao, you've been running around working hard too. You should rest early as well."

With her back still turned, Guan Fangyi languidly waved the round fan in her hand.

The coquettish sway of her body displayed the lazy satisfaction of someone suddenly flush with money.

Niu Youdao said, "I have something serious for you to do. Monkey isn't suitable for it."

At the words "something serious," Guan Fangyi stopped.

She turned and swayed her way back.

"What is it?"

Niu Youdao pressed down the flowered fan she kept waving, then reached out and caught her fair, delicate neck like someone grabbing a three-year-old child.

He pulled her closer and murmured beside her ear, "That face of Shang Shuqing's..."

This old woman is the greatest beauty beneath Heaven, all right?

Guan Fangyi hated the feeling of being treated like one of the men.

She struggled twice.

But once she clearly heard what he was saying, she became absorbed.

As she listened, she slowly began nodding.

...

Near dusk, a cheerful crowd of children of all sizes came pouring out of the schoolhouse.

The schoolhouse had been converted from a courtyard on the edge of the Prince's residence.

It had been given to Shang Shuqing so she could pursue something of her own: teaching the children of poor families free of charge.

For now, she had accepted only a few dozen pupils.

With too many, she would not have been able to manage them all herself.

Seeing the children spill noisily out, Guan Fangyi, who had just arrived with Old Six Xu, quickly stepped aside and stood against the wall to let them pass.

These children had originally worn ragged clothes.

All the new clothing they now wore had been paid for voluntarily by Guan Fangyi.

She had made a promise: however many students Shang Shuqing accepted, she would provide new clothes for every one of them.

A little later, once the schoolhouse had emptied, the teacher herself came out.

It was Shang Shuqing.

Watching the children run happily away, a smile spread across her face as well.

Ever since the burden of marriage had been lifted from her shoulders, she seemed to have been freed completely.

She could do a little of what she herself wished to do.

Her entire bearing had become serene and composed.

Once all the children had gone, Shang Shuqing saw Guan Fangyi as well.

The two women walked toward one another.

Shang Shuqing smiled. "Sister Hong, you're here."

Guan Fangyi asked, "Children are naturally mischievous. Teaching them must be tiring, isn't it?"

Shang Shuqing said, "This place is different, after all. Before they came, their families probably warned them very sternly. Most of them are quite obedient. It isn't tiring."

Just then, a team of guards escorted a carriage down the narrow lane and stopped at the roadside.

One man came over to report to Shang Shuqing that everything was ready.

Guan Fangyi asked, "Commandery Princess, are you going out?"

Shang Shuqing's thoughts seemed to drift for a moment.

Her voice lowered slightly.

"I'm going outside the city for a while."

Guan Fangyi gave a soft "Oh."

She guessed where Shang Shuqing was going.

Every few days, the woman would travel outside the city and sit for a while before that cenotaph.

Guan Fangyi sighed inwardly and silently cursed a certain heartless bastard.

But a smile appeared on her face.

"Perfect. I don't have anything to do either. I'll go with you and have a look."

Shang Shuqing gave a quiet sound of agreement.

The two women climbed into the carriage together.

Old Six Xu dragged the original driver down and told him to move aside, then took the driver's place himself.

The carriage left the Prince's residence district, reached the city streets, and continued at an unhurried pace until it passed through the gates.

As the two women chatted inside the carriage, Shang Shuqing suddenly asked, "Sister Hong, you normally bring several people with you whenever you go out. Why did you bring only Brother Xu today?"

Guan Fangyi laughed softly. "There's no fixed rule for that. Depends on my mood."

That was false.

The truth was that she was not afraid.

With fifteen Heavenly Sword Talismans on her, her confidence was overflowing.

What was there to fear?

Let some blind fool come provoke this old woman and see what happened.

She was almost hoping for someone to offer himself as the chicken she could kill to warn the monkeys, just so people could see how formidable she was.

With the confidence she had now, the fact that she was not taking the initiative to stir up trouble was already restraint.

She refused to believe she would keep running into terrifying monsters like Yin'er.

Even Old Six Xu now carried a Heavenly Sword Talisman for protection.

The people from her Fufang Garden, along with Duan Hu and the others, had each secretly been given one as well.

As for Niu Youdao, in the end she had still left a few for him in case of emergency.

The remainder she hoarded in her own hands like a miser guarding treasure.

The road leading to the cenotaph had long since been repaired.

Originally, Shang Shuqing had refused to let anyone build one.

But she came here so often that walking through uneven wilderness overgrown with weeds, one deep step and one shallow, was genuinely inconvenient.

In the end, the steward of the Prince's residence had still sent men to make a simple road so she could travel back and forth more easily.

When they reached their destination, the accompanying guards quickly inspected the area around the cenotaph and took up positions to keep watch.

The two women climbed down from the carriage and walked to the gravestone.

They stood in silence for a while.

Peach Blossom Immortal.

Guan Fangyi stared at the four words carved into the stone and gave a quiet sigh.

Her gaze shifted.

She saw Shang Shuqing personally clearing away the tiny new weeds that had begun growing over the burial mound.

The small patch of ground surrounding the cenotaph was kept very clean.

Shang Shuqing had cleared every bit of it herself.

[End of Chapter 1260]