"Well, I am considering putting the results of my new batch of herbs into the Medicine Hall in return for the contribution points that it offers. So you and your sisters should be able to get them there. I doubt that they will cost too much."But I don"t mind hanging onto some of them, once they are mature, for those who would ... prefer to keep their payments off the books. There might be some, after all, who have a limited number of contribution points to their name. And would like to make their payment by ... other means."
Lingxi made a face at him, the moment that she heard that. "Hmmmph! Scoundrel! You sound as if you wish to ... taste the bodies of everyone who wishes to save on their contribution points!" she growled at him, even as she slapped him on the upper arm.
Qin Feng laughed, even as he rubbed at the spot that she had just smacked. "I didn"t mean it that way. If you are willing, you might wish to continue to be my middle-man in this matter. And demand what you think is reasonable from them.
"In return, I would be more than pleased to ... confine myself to merely ... tasting your lovely body! What do you say about that?"
"Pervert!"
But the smile on Lingxi"s lips as she called him that made it rather clear that she was as pleased with his proposed solution as he was. Which made it rather clear that she didn"t wish to lose the benefits that she had managed to coax out of her sisters either.
Well, his intentions for helping the sister disciples of the Rear Gardens out with his herbs was more to hide the fact that he had other uses for the same kind of herbs that they needed. So the longer they continued with this particular a.s.sociation, the better it would be for him!
Besides, he could use the information and the gossip that he was getting from Lingxi and the other girls to his advantage. After all, he doubted that any other Outer School disciple knew as much about the Elders and the Teaching Masters of the Inner School as he did.
And he didn"t doubt that all that information was going to be useful to him, in one way or another, when he finally started work on building up his Foundation!
"Er ... I think you should know about ... our state of affairs. Those of us at the Rear Gardens, I mean. There should be some talk about ... how we sold our bodies back then, to gain our place here in the Heaven Sword School?"
Lingxi"s voice was soft, and when Qin Feng turned to face her, he could see that her face held traces of a blush. Was she embarra.s.sed to talk about this? Then why was she bringing it up? Did it have something to do with his talk of bedding her?
"I have ... heard something about it. Just gossip, of course. Nothing serious. Is there something that I should know ... about your ... arrangement with the School?"
She grew a little redder then, as she started to run her hands over the coin that she was picking up, as though suddenly shy about what she was about to bring up. "And what of the rumors ... that pertain to ... me? And the number of ... bed-partners that I have had? Have you heard anything about that?"
Qin Feng frowned at her. What was she talking about? Her former lovers? Was that what she was worried about?
"Apart from ... the person who dragged you to the School, I have only heard about two other lovers that you had taken, while you were at the Rear Gardens. Is that what you are concerned about?"
Lingxi sighed. "In a way, yes. I suppose you are like the rest, when it comes to the information on us, the women from the Rear Gardens. Well, I am not too surprised. We have tried our best to keep our secrets.
"Like the fact that I have had four lovers, and not three, like everyone believes."
"Oh?"
Qin Feng managed to keep his face from revealing too much. But he had to admit that he was surprised, when he heard that. Then again, this sort of thing wasn"t usually discussed, among the Outer School disciples. And especially not by those who worked at the medicine fields.
"Apart from the three that everyone knows about, Sister Zhenping and I have ... often slept together. As lovers, and not as sisters. If you understand what I am talking about."
"Huh? But ... but ..."
Lingxi smiled as she nodded at him. "But the two of us are both women? What about it? Haven"t you heard of women ... being in love with one another? Well, we just so happen to be ... rather disappointed with men."
Qin Feng blinked at her. Disappointed in men? Did that mean that she was unwilling to be tied to him as well? That was something that he could use, wasn"t it?
But Lingxi was reaching out, and she caught hold of his uninjured hand before he could even begin to frame a response. The brilliant smile that she had on her face, however, warned him that all that she had said before was nothing more than a lead up to the point that she was about to make:
"But I think I shall have to think again, when it comes to you. You are far better than any of the wastrel sons that we have been dealing with, all these years at the Rear Gardens. So we shall have to ... make certain that we do not push you away."
That was when she blushed again, and quickly give his hand a squeeze. Before she let go and fled his little farm altogether!
Qin Feng watched her back as she departed from his medicine field, until she could not be seen at all. This was getting far too complicated. It seemed that it was true, what Old Man Snow Mountain had told him, back when they met. That women were far more troublesome than any feud in the martial world!
He shook his head at the whole matter, and headed towards his well-pond at once. He had better seize this opportunity, and quickly work on his cultivation while he had the chance! Who knew what other problems was going to land into his lap, once Lingxi was done talking to her sister Zhenping!
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