Молодой господин бесстыден - Глава 17
Fan Qingbo stared blankly in the direction he left, smacked his lips, and said dryly, "You're not mistaken."
So what she just saw wasn't some kind of unparalleled lightness skill, but rather a ghost.
Author's Note: I fixed a bug. Thank you for pointing it out, dear reader.
12
12. Yet another person selling pornographic books...
Fan Qingbo was a hedonist who always adhered to the principle of enjoying life while he could, so he never regretted it even though he died young in his previous life due to a tsunami while traveling at sea.
A judge with a full beard who looked more like Yama than the King of Hell himself once said that a person's resentment, regret, obsession, remorse, attachment, or hope after death transforms into a soul, which, together with the last vestige of clarity that leaves the body, becomes a spirit, and can be reincarnated. Fan Qingbo, however, is extremely rare; he has no resentment, no hatred, no love, and no thoughts. He has no soul, only a spirit, and cannot be reincarnated.
The judge intended to gather her soul, but that year was marked by numerous natural and man-made disasters, with tsunamis and earthquakes striking one after another, and the underworld was overflowing with ghosts. The queue for souls to be reincarnated was already six months long, so who had time for her, a soul that idled away her days? In the end, the judge even conscripted a man to work as a receptionist, responsible for registering souls—knowing full well that she was afraid of ghosts.
Until one day, she received a spirit, the real Xie Yiren, the daughter of the former Duke of Zhenguo of the Feng Dynasty. The judge discovered that Xie Yiren had not yet reached the end of her lifespan, but had taken her last breath, leaving no hope of returning to life. After signing a humiliating contract with him, she finally gained the opportunity to be reborn, so she wouldn't have to see ghosts every day.
Xie Yiren, a woman of illustrious background and stunning beauty, lived to the age of forty-six.
The judge only told her this much, and she eagerly went to be reborn, only to find out later: a distinguished lineage? Ha, her father was the Duke of Zhenguo, capable of rallying an army of 100,000 to rebel—truly illustrious! If she succeeded, she might even become a princess; but she failed, and was reduced to the lowest of slaves. Realizing she'd been tricked, she immediately decided to commit suicide to confront the judge, only to be saved by the curious Xie Dongfeng passing by.
"call……"
Fan Qingbo leaned over the edge of the bathtub and sighed comfortably.
Fortunately, she met Xie Dongfeng back then; otherwise, she might be toiling away in the underworld now, instead of enjoying this peaceful life. At that time, he loved money, she could earn money, he needed a wife to cover his tracks, and she wanted to escape the Zheyi Palace. The two hit it off immediately. After four years of planning, they finally got what they wanted.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the late Emperor Yuanzuo wasn't exactly mentally sound either, as he loved to keep the descendants of traitors under his wing.
Hmm, the water's getting a bit cold.
Fan Qingbo removed the sieve from the bottom of the bathtub, allowing the water to drain out along the hollow bamboo pole.
She got up and dressed, looking down and inevitably seeing her own body. This was the reason for her strong reaction after hearing the bookworm talk about physical intimacy, and also one of the reasons why she was determined not to get married.
If someone saw a pale, almost transparent body, wouldn't they mistake it for a monster?
Referring to mythological tales, after Bai Suzhen revealed her true form, she met two fates: either her husband was frightened to death, or he sought out a monk to subdue the demon. The lessons of history are still fresh; we should avoid such tragedies.
In the end, it's all the judge's fault. If he had said earlier that people with incomplete souls would look like this after rebirth, what would registering ghosts for entry and exit be? What would waiting in line for half a year be? She would have obediently waited for him to have some free time before gathering her soul.
She skillfully donned the elaborate women's clothing, completely covering her body. She sniffed her shoulders and arms, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't smell the "national beauty's fragrance."
"National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance" was a unique fragrance personally blended by the former Empress Qingming, given to her as a wedding gift to Xie Dongfeng. She had mistakenly worn that scented dress to the palace banquet, and the lingering fragrance had been lingering on her ever since. Today, she finally got rid of the smell completely and could go out for a stroll.
"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"
A startled shout came from outside the door. Fan Qingbo opened the door and went out. "What is it?"
Fan Bing ran over, panting, and pointed outside, saying, "I went to buy groceries and heard that Huanxitian Bookstore has been closed for the past few days, but a bookstore opened across the street, something like Xiu Zhao, and it's doing incredibly well!"
"Red Sleeves Pavilion?"
"Yes, yes! Oh, Master, you know?"
"Just a guess," Fan Qingbo said expressionlessly. "Go on, what else did you hear?"
Fan Bing nodded and continued, "I heard that bookstore also sells novels and erotica, and it's also run by a woman. Unlike our Huanxitian Bookstore, they have a lot of staff, and their prices are only half of ours!"
"A novel? What novel? A pirated copy?" Fan Qingbo frowned.
Fan Bing glanced at her cautiously and said carefully, "No, it's not pirated. They said it was written by someone under their company."
In other words, someone is copying Huanxitian's model, trying to get a share of the profits. Fan Qingbo narrowed her eyes, pondering for a moment, when a white dove flew in from the sky. She quickly untied the paper strip tied to the dove's leg and unfolded it.
"I love you as much as I love you: "
Since we parted, we've been separated by distance, longing for each other. Unable to find you, I toss and turn in bed. The ancients were right: a day apart feels like three autumns, five days apart… Damn it, someone's trying to rob me! Quickly find a solution!
The husband, who was restless and unable to eat or sleep, was growing increasingly thin.
...This guy was a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, didn't anyone teach him the most basic structure of writing?
"What does it say?" Seeing her frowning, twitching, and speechless expression, Fan Bing couldn't resist his curiosity and peeked over. "What what what what, 1, 3, 5, what what what... Master, is it a debt collector?"
Debt collectors? That's a fitting description. "Yes, debt collectors."
"Master, when did you incur this debt? I didn't know! And why are you smiling so happily, Master..."
Fan Qingbo put the note away and ruffled Fan Bing's hair in a very good mood. "Because I'll have some fun now." These four years have been far more comfortable than the four years in the Zheyi Palace. I almost died from being too comfortable. Now that I finally have a chance to stretch my muscles and bones, how can I not have some fun?
"What are you playing? Does Master have a way to deal with that Red Sleeve Pavilion?"
Faced with Fan Bing's excitement, Fan Qingbo calmly shrugged, "Not for now."
Although there's no immediate solution, knowing your enemy is half the battle. She needs to buy a few books from Hongxiuzhao to assess their quality before launching a targeted counterattack. Of course, she or Fan Bing can't do it themselves; everyone in the city knows they're from Huanxitian. If they're seen buying books from Hongxiuzhao, what will become of Huanxitian's reputation? And those kids like Pidan can't be so careless with their mouths either. Chen Datian and Chen Xiaotian are opportunistic and treacherous; she can't give them any ammunition.
It seems that... there's only one person who's best suited to buy books.
Thinking of this, Fan Qingbo didn't say a word and turned to leave. When he got to the opposite door, he didn't run into the scholar, but he did see an unexpected person coming out of the scholar's house.
"Hey, Xiao Fan, you're here to see the scholar too?"
Fifth Sister walked towards him, swaying gracefully, her ambiguous smile sending chills down Fan Qingbo's spine. He knew perfectly well that she was putting herself in his shoes, assuming he also harbored designs on the scholar.
"I have no interest in that idiot at all. Fifth Sister, please enjoy your meal. I won't disturb you any longer."