The Mystery of Destiny: Wasp Sting on Tail

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.

That day, close to noon, after Lin Xuankong practiced the Green Pine Stance and Spirit Crane Finger, drank the medicinal soup Li Xiaolan brought over, and sat upright by the bed, he silently circulated his cultivation method.

Over these past days, his Green Pine Stance movements had become extremely standard, vaguely carrying a vigorous and grand bearing. Though they still could not compare to the Young Lady's pleasing-to-the-eye movements, their effect in tempering his tendons, flesh, and skin had grown stronger and stronger!

As for the Spirit Crane Finger, he had become quite proficient in its forms.

Compared to the Young Lady's Spirit Crane Finger, the gap was no longer like hairy raw pork versus braised lion's head; it had roughly become medium-rare pork versus braised lion's head!

Half an hour later,

Lin Xuankong finished cultivating, opened his eyes, and looked at the empty medicine bowl on the table.

The medicinal soup his Young Lady brewed was truly miraculous. Its effect in nourishing vitality and blood was more than ten times stronger than the medicinal soup he had drunk before his Mortal Breakthrough!

He looked at the vitality and blood displayed in his Destiny: [Mortal Transformation Vitality: 210/100000]

By rights, the body-tempering techniques he practiced every day consumed vitality and blood, so his vitality and blood should have been depleted greatly.

Yet after ten days of cultivation, every bowl of medicinal soup replenished a great deal of vitality and blood. Not only was what he expended quickly restored, but some even remained after each day's training, allowing him to save up a full 210 points!

Besides,

normally, this body's flesh and blood should only have been able to contain thirty or forty points of vitality and blood. Yet his [Old and Vigorous] Destiny could actually store excess vitality and blood. It was truly wondrous!

Of course, he had only managed to save so much vitality and blood thanks to the Young Lady's medicinal soup.

Without it, forget saving vitality and blood—he probably would not even have been able to complete one round of the Green Pine Stance each day!

He only wondered how this medicinal soup was prepared, and how valuable its ingredients were.

As her old husband, he had not brought many good changes to the Young Lady's life, yet he drank her medicinal soup every day. Still, they were family—there was no need to speak as though they were two separate households!

Just as the thought of becoming an old man living off his wife rose in his heart, knocking suddenly sounded from the outer door.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Is Xiaolan home?" A gentle and kindly woman's voice sounded.

Lin Xuankong was somewhat surprised. Ever since the Young Lady had married into his home, aside from going out to buy medicine or purchase handkerchiefs and silk thread, she had scarcely associated with the young wives and older women on the street. Why would someone come specifically looking for her?

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and soon reached the front door. Li Xiaolan's crisp voice came through. "Auntie Wang, what brings you to my home today?"

Auntie Wang? Granny Wang?

Lin Xuankong's eyes shifted slightly. Every day, the Young Lady embroidered floral handkerchiefs and sent them to Granny Wang at the Clothing Shop to sell.

This Granny Wang's martial cultivation was not especially high—she was said to be at Mortal Transformation Layer One—but she was smooth and polished in dealing with people and had some talent for business. She had opened no fewer than eight Clothing Shops, with one of them even located in the Inner City.

By that reckoning, Granny Wang could be considered a notable figure. In Great Marsh Prefecture City, probably more than half the people knew of her Wang's Ready-to-Wear Shop!

"Of course I came with good news! Here, these are Honey Date Preserves from the Ancient River District. I happened to buy several pounds when I passed through Ancient River District, so I'm giving you two pounds to satisfy your cravings!" Granny Wang said with a smile.

Li Xiaolan welcomed Granny Wang into the outer room. "Auntie Wang, why are you being so courteous? Please sit down first. I'll pour you a cup of water."

Granny Wang looked around. "Is old brother Lin not home?"

Li Xiaolan replied, "He's feeling a little tired, so he went to sleep in the room!"

Granny Wang nodded. "Young Lady, I came this time to ask a favor of you! Over the past few days, several customers have come to my shop asking for embroidered handkerchiefs, but you haven't sent any over these past few days!

"Those customers are all people with money to spare, and they've set their hearts on the floral handkerchiefs you embroider. They said they wanted to reserve some, and one tael of silver per handkerchief would be fine! I got greedy for a moment and agreed to all of them!"

Li Xiaolan had originally made other plans for how to earn money.

But hearing Granny Wang say this, she hesitated somewhat. One tael of silver per handkerchief—she could embroider several in a day!

Granny Wang continued, "Those are several rarely seen wealthy patrons. If the Young Lady embroiders fifty handkerchiefs, that will be fifty taels!"

She sighed. "It's a pity my eyesight has grown dim now. When I was young, the floral handkerchiefs I embroidered were famous throughout Great Marsh Prefecture! Of course, they definitely couldn't compare to the Young Lady's skill—when you embroider flowers, butterflies come; when you embroider grass, dew forms!"

In the inner room, Lin Xuankong, who had been listening to their conversation, was somewhat astonished. Nearly one tael for a handkerchief? My Young Lady's craftsmanship is this good? One tael of silver was probably what ordinary people in Great Marsh Prefecture earned in a month. Those wealthy and powerful ladies truly did not treat money as money!

He felt around his waist and pulled out a handkerchief the Young Lady had given him some days ago. He had used this handkerchief to blow his nose and the like for many days.

Because he washed it every day, some of its color had faded, but the peonies embroidered upon it could still be seen clearly. Their stitches were delicate and spirited, remarkably lifelike.

At this moment, Li Xiaolan in the outer room had already agreed to help Granny Wang embroider the handkerchiefs, and the two began chatting.

"Oh my, Young Lady, you're truly diligent. Though this house is somewhat old, it is spotless! This table has been polished so brightly that if a fly landed on it, it would probably take a tumble like an old man diving into bed!" Granny Wang said with a smile.

Li Xiaolan felt a little embarrassed at such praise.

Granny Wang continued, "It's just a pity those people from the Huang Family couldn't recognize treasure. They actually drove the Young Lady out and forced her to marry a poor old man with one foot in the grave. A poor old man like that—even a sixty-year-old widow would probably turn her nose up at him. Oh dear, listen to this mouth of mine!"

Li Xiaolan had been about to pour her a cup of water. Hearing that, she frowned and set the kettle aside.

Granny Wang lightly slapped her own mouth and said in a low voice, "It's all my fault, bringing up the one pot that won't boil! Rest assured, Young Lady, I know how to read faces. Your features are far from ordinary. In the future, fortune will surely turn in your favor, and you will meet a good man!"

After saying that, she secretly glanced at Li Xiaolan, then rose to her feet. "All right, I should be going! Young Lady, remember to embroider those handkerchiefs for this old woman as soon as possible. It would be best if you could bring over a few every day!"

After Granny Wang left, Li Xiaolan went upstairs with a frown. Lin Xuankong, in the inner room, also frowned.

There was nothing wrong with Granny Wang coming to solicit business, but that old hag's tongue was far too venomous. This was truly Wasp Sting on Tail!

What did she mean by one foot in the grave, or that even a sixty-year-old widow would not want him?

What did she mean by fortune turning in her favor, by meeting a good man?

Why didn't she play matchmaker right in front of him?

If that old hag had not left so quickly, he would have had to give her a few slaps no matter what!

Walking into the outer room, Lin Xuankong frowned as he looked toward the second floor, wondering what his Young Lady was thinking at this moment.

Bang, bang! Knocking sounded at the door.

Lin Xuankong's expression darkened, and he strode quickly toward the wooden door.

That old hag had come back? Perfect—he would teach her a lesson!

When he opened the door, however, it was Little Tiger, the son of his neighbor Li Dahu.

Lin Xuankong's expression softened slightly as he let Little Tiger in. "You little glutton came early. I haven't even had time to cook today!"

Little Tiger chuckled and scratched his head. After closing the wooden door, he sat himself down at the table. "Uncle Lin, you're looking down on me too much. Am I someone who comes to mooch meals? I call it sharing blessings!"

He glanced upstairs and lowered his voice. "Uncle Lin, why did that Granny Wang come over just now? What was she here for?"

When Lin Xuankong heard him mention Granny Wang, his expression darkened slightly. "That old woman came to ask your aunt to embroider some handkerchiefs!"

Little Tiger froze, then said in a low voice, "Uncle Lin, it'd be best if you let Little Aunt go to Wang's Ready-to-Wear Shop less often from now on. That Granny Wang is no good person! On the surface, she runs Clothing Shops and occasionally gives alms and does good deeds, but secretly, she's committed countless evils!"

Lin Xuankong was somewhat surprised. "I could tell she didn't look like a good person, but you say she's done many evil things?"

Little Tiger said, "A few little beggars I know told me several days ago. They said that those Young Ladies who often worked for Wang's Ready-to-Wear Shop either disappeared, were sent to brothels or pleasure houses, or had their families destroyed! They never saw Granny Wang do it with their own eyes, but how could there be such a coincidence? Why were it always the Young Ladies working for her who met with disaster?"

Lin Xuankong thought to himself that the Young Lady's strength was unfathomable, so she need not fear Granny Wang making a move against her. But while an open spear was easy to dodge, an arrow shot from the shadows was hard to guard against. Besides, if Granny Wang kept whispering nonsense about him into the Young Lady's ears all day, it would be utterly disgusting.

He only wondered what his Young Lady thought.

Ruffling Little Tiger's messy hair, Lin Xuankong said, "All right, I understand!"

After Little Tiger left, Lin Xuankong sat at the table, pondering how to bring it up with his wife, when Li Xiaolan's crisp voice suddenly sounded beside him. "What are you thinking about? I'm a little hungry!"

Lin Xuankong turned to look at Li Xiaolan. "You should have heard what Little Tiger said about Granny Wang. I've known Little Tiger for more than ten years. He definitely wouldn't deceive me!"

Li Xiaolan frowned. "Even without what Little Tiger said, I wasn't planning to embroider handkerchiefs for her anymore! Hmph, how could I, Li Xiaolan, allow others to slander my husband!"

Hearing her say that, Lin Xuankong felt a little sweetness in his heart.

When he looked at Li Xiaolan again, he found her more pleasing the longer he looked. Such an adorable wife had to be fed until she was fair and plump!

He smiled. "Good, then it's settled! I'll go cook for my wife at once!"

Hearing that sweetly spoken "Wife," Li Xiaolan's cheeks reddened slightly. She lowered her head and remained silent. After a moment, she hmphed again. "Don't take a yard after being given an inch! I can call you Husband, but when there are no outsiders around, you can't casually call me Wife!"

Lin Xuankong:

The Young Lady was still thin-skinned! They would surely share a bed someday, so why be so formal with each other?

He was just about to turn toward the kitchen,

when Li Xiaolan called out to stop him again. "Come sit down first. I have something important to tell you!"

Lin Xuankong frowned, looking deeply dissatisfied. "What in this world could be more important than my Young Lady eating?"

Seeing him spout such solemn nonsense, Li Xiaolan could not help laughing. "It really is important."

With that, she took a walnut-sized pearl gleaming with a faint dark light from the brocade pouch at her waist. "Have you ever seen this kind of pearl?"

Lin Xuankong was somewhat surprised, so he focused his gaze upon the pearl.

Yet he suddenly felt an inexplicable chill rise in his heart. Every hair on his body stood on end of its own accord, as though some powerful and evil demon had fixed its gaze upon him!

How could this tiny pearl make him feel like this?