Gu Shi Yi had planned well, but what she hadn't expected was that the Old Taoist Priest would sleep until Noon and wake up feeling thirsty. He called out,
"Shiyi, you dead girl, get your master a bowl of water quick!"
"Coming!"
Soon after, Gu Shi Yi brought a bowl of water in from outside. The Old Taoist Priest opened his sleepy eyes, glanced casually at his disciple, and suddenly froze. He held the bowl of water for a long while until it tipped over, soaking half of his body, yet he remained completely oblivious,
"You... you... you-you-you-you..."
The Old Taoist Priest's eyes widened, his finger trembled as if he had Parkinson's as he pointed at his disciple. Gu Shi Yi felt a pang of fear in her heart and thought to herself,
"Has the old fellow noticed something?"
As she thought this, the Old Taoist Priest suddenly sprang up from the bed, his agility surpassing even that of a monkey in the mountains. His withered palm tightly grasped Gu Shi Yi's arm,
"You stinky girl, did you... did you take advantage of last night when I was drunk to sneak out and steal a man? Didn't I tell you, once you turn thirty, you can do whatever you want and I won't stop you, but you mustn't break your Primordial Yin Body at this time!"
The Old Taoist Priest looked heartbroken, as if the sky had fallen. Gu Shi Yi was completely baffled,
"Steal a man? When did I ever steal a man? You're slandering me! Stealing men is something you might do, not me!"
The Old Taoist Priest was furious and shouted,
"You'd dare say no? Then why has the Primordial Yin Qi on your body completely vanished?"
"That is..."
Gu Shi Yi was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected the Old Taoist Priest to actually notice, knowing that the events of the previous night were probably impossible to hide, yet she still put up a defiant front,
"Nonsense, I am still intact, a pure virgin. You cannot ruin my reputation like this!"
The Old Taoist Priest angrily said,
"Reputation! Reputation my foot. In these wild mountains and ridges, what use is your reputation? You plan to let the mountain spirits and wild monsters know about it? Come clean right now. What did you do last night? Did some wandering man come up the mountain, or did you run down to the town? Oh..."
The Old Taoist Priest had a sudden realization,
"Every time you see those guards from the Wang Family, you drool over them. Did you go out last night to be a lust thief and 'pluck' them?"
A lust thief?
'Pluck' them?
Do I look that desperate?
Gu Shi Yi was furious upon hearing this,
"What nonsense! I just looked. How could I actually sleep with that bunch of men?"
"If not them, then could it be the Third Young Master Wang?"
The Third Young Master Wang was famously attractive in the town, with women coming from miles around just to find an excuse to stroll past the Wang Family's house. Was Shiyi infatuated with him?
"That's even more absurd!"
Gu Shi Yi grew even angrier,
After all, despite the Third Young Master Wang's handsome appearance, he was quite frail. Gu Shi Yi preferred muscular Big Han types. She had a Pure Yin Body, and only a man with a robust, strong Yang energy would do. If it were the likes of the Third Young Master Wang, she might drain him dry within three years!
These were the exact words of the Old Taoist Priest, and Gu Shi Yi remembered them well. No matter how much she longed for a man, she wouldn't harm a life!
Seeing her looking so angry and genuine, the Old Taoist Priest asked again,
"Then why have you lost your Primordial Yin Body?"
Gu Shi Yi faltered and did not speak. The Old Taoist Priest became angry, sat down on the wet bed, and began calculating with his fingers. After a few moments, his face went from black to white, then from white to red, and back from red to black. After several changes of color, he finally stared directly at Gu Shi Yi, his lips quivering for a long time without uttering a word. In the twenty-five years that Gu Shi Yi had known him, she had never seen him like this and was genuinely frightened. She hurried over to support him,
"Master... Master, are you... are you all right?"
No sooner had she asked this question, the Old Taoist Priest made a gulping sound in his throat, his eyes rolled back, and he started to lean backwards. Gu Shi Yi was seriously scared,
"Master! Master!"
After she pinched his philtrum and poured a bowl of cold water down his throat, the Old Taoist Priest finally woke up. He lay in bed gasping for air for quite some time, then opened his eyes and turned to look at the kind-faced statue of the patriarch, staring blankly for a long time without speaking,
"Master! Master, what on earth has happened to you?"
Gu Shi Yi was both panicked and at a loss,
"Master, I... I really didn't steal any man, I... I'm still intact. I remember everything you've told me, I didn't mess around!"
Seeing the Old Taoist Priest still staring intensely at the statue in the hall, his eyes beginning to redden,
"Master, what exactly is wrong? Please say something..."