Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I was very well-acquainted with the fabric shop in town.

“The one at your house is quite the master weaver. The feel of this silk is more than just a bit better than what I get from other families!” the Shopkeeper praised generously.

I beamed with pride. “Of course. My Qingqing is excellent at everything he does; he’s truly exceptional!”

The Shopkeeper looked left and right. Seeing no one else around, he whispered, “Can you tell me how he manages to weave such fine cloth?”

I gave a couple of dry chuckles. “I cannot.”

The Shopkeeper sighed.

The reason the cloth was woven so well-aside from the loom Jun Qingyu had designed to be powered by the flow of water-was entirely due to how well the silkworm cocoons were raised.

As for why the silkworms were raised so well, that was my contribution.

Ordinary people could only pick the dense leaves on the lower branches of mulberry trees, but I could leap incredibly high, easily reaching the tender leaves at the very top.

The first time I discovered I had this ability, I was terrified.

“Qingqing, I can fly!”

Clutching Jun Qingyu’s long sleeve, my face had turned pale. “Whoosh! Just like that, I flew up!”

At that time, Jun Qingyu was learning how to cook, and his entire focus was on the water and the rice.

Compared to my panic, he was the picture of calm and composure.

“So what if you can fly?”

“…Fly! It’s flying! A person! A person is flying!” My eyes went wide. “I-I’m a person, and I can fly!”

Once he was sure the water-to-rice ratio was correct, he covered the pot and turned to look at me.

I immediately gestured with my hands, flapping them about-I could fly!

He laughed.

He pressed a fist against his lips, laughing several times without any attempt to hide it.

Was this something funny? This was clearly a terrifying, bizarre occurrence!

“You don’t believe me, do you?” I said immediately. “Come, follow me outside. I’ll fly and show you!”

“There’s no need,” he said, taking my hand with one of his while removing a small mulberry leaf from the top of my head with the other. He smiled. “I know you can fly.”

“Then-”

“In terms of Qinggong, you are a top-tier master.”

“Qinggong…” I murmured, frowning. After a long moment, I clapped my hands. “I understand!”

“Understand what?” he asked.

I looked at him with utmost seriousness. “I am not your Maid.”

No Maid could fly.

“I am actually your family’s secret sentry guard!”

It had to be that.

“…” He blinked, then sighed, and finally, his face broke into a radiant smile.

Accept the truth.

This wasn’t some elopement or double suicide between a Young Lord and a Maid; it was a Young Lord and his Guardian Martial Maiden facing life and death together.

“This is the payment for the silk, and here are twenty extra copper coins,” the Shopkeeper said, handing over a string of coins.

“Why the extra twenty coins?” I asked, puzzled.

“Because the silk is good, naturally. In the future, only give your silk to me; don’t give it to anyone else. Also…”

The Shopkeeper smiled and continued, “Winter is approaching. You sold quite a few pelts before, so I imagine you’re quite skilled at hunting. I’ve heard there are Silver Foxes on the mountain. If you manage to catch one, could you bring it to me? We can negotiate a good price.”

A Silver Fox…

My eyes lit up. “If I really catch one, can your shop tailor a cloak?”

“Of course we can.”

After receiving a satisfactory answer, I returned the extra money. “There’s no need to pay extra for the silk. As for the Fox Fur Coat, I may have to trouble you later.”

Jun Qingyu had a weak constitution.

Whenever it rained, he would cough incessantly and run a low fever for days.

I had called a Doctor to see him.

The Doctor said he had lived in an extremely cold and yin-heavy place in his early years, leaving him with a deep-seated aversion to cold and dampness. His meridians and pulse were also much weaker than those of an average person.

He was truly a delicate flower from a greenhouse.

I had been worrying about how to look after him once winter arrived. If he had a Fox Fur Coat to protect him, he might feel much better.