135. More Masterly Than the Master

After the Little Mo family of Yizhou had succeeded Mo Yuhua as head of the household and Mo Yan had retired, the city had enjoyed only a few days of peace before another piece of news emerged: Feng Puyu had taken Gu Fei as his god-granddaughter. The announcement landed like a massive stone dropped into a lake, and the ripples refused to die down.

Some wondered what means Gu Fei had used to ingratiate herself with the Feng family. After all, Feng Puyu’s character was known to everyone in Yizhou, and no one failed to respect him. As for Gu Fei, she was a daughter once abandoned by the Little Mo family years ago, later taking refuge with the Gu family and employing all manner of schemes and calculations. Anyone with discerning eyes could see through at least some of them. In a word, she was not someone easy to get along with, and she never allowed herself to suffer a loss.

Yet now the Feng family had accepted her. Everyone had seen the relationship between Gu Fei and Feng Lizhi before, and those with filthy minds had already decided that she must have resorted to some despicable trick.

Gu Fei’s reputation in Yizhou had never been good. After Mo Geyi’s manipulation at the Mo Merchants’ Assembly, it had been ruined beyond repair. Yet she herself did not care in the slightest. Even if outsiders regarded her as a venomous, heartless demon, she could not be bothered to pay them any attention.

Even becoming an apprentice under Elder Feng did little to restore her reputation.

But Elder Feng cared. When he heard the rumors outside, his anger made his silver beard tremble. He turned around and forbade Gu Fei from spending the night at the Feng residence. She was to arrive every morning at daybreak to begin learning the Feng family’s Willow-Whisking Thousand-Transformations Hammer Technique, and leave after sunset. At the Feng residence, she had only a resting room, not a proper bedroom.

Granny Ku and the others felt deeply aggrieved that Gu Fei had to endure such treatment for no reason. Gu Fei merely smiled faintly and voiced not the slightest complaint. She took meticulous care of Elder Feng, having You Hu prescribe a regimen to nourish his health. Every few days she went to the kitchen and cooked for him herself. She had long since figured out Elder Feng’s preferences, and now sincerely wished to win the old man’s favor.

As the saying went, those who ate another’s food found it difficult to speak ill of him, and those who accepted another’s gifts found it difficult to act against him. Elder Feng was not made of stone. After a few such occasions, seeing that Gu Fei was at least filial, he still could not manage a smile, but he was no longer as openly cold toward her as he had been at the beginning.

Gu Fei’s talent for ink-making astonished him even more. On her first day at the Feng residence, Feng Puyu had deliberately made things difficult for her. He brought out more than ten ink pellets at once and demanded that she identify them and reproduce their formulas from memory.

Gu Fei had encountered this method long ago at the Great Capital Mo family. In truth, it was an essential test for anyone aspiring to become an ink-maker.

The formulas for ink pellets were not as complicated as those used in incense-making or other crafts. No matter the variety, every ink pellet was derived from a few basic ink materials. The formulas passed down through later generations differed mostly in the minute proportions of their ingredients, along with variations in hammering techniques and certain secret methods unique to each family. That was what determined the quality of one ink pellet over another.

Elder Feng had set her this task precisely to assess her innate talent for ink-making.

Whether it was because of Feng Lizhi or some other reason, Gu Fei was doing everything she could to make Feng Puyu like her. She had been born with an exceptionally clever and perceptive mind; when she truly wished to please someone, it came naturally to her.

Thus, faced with Elder Feng’s challenge, she spent less than half an hour writing out ten ink-pellet formulas in swift strokes. She even specified the exact quantities of each material. In the end, she boldly offered suggestions for improving the formulas, making a spark return to Elder Feng’s cloudy eyes. The old man, who had been listless for days since Feng Lizhi’s departure, suddenly seemed to recover a trace of vitality.

There was no better way to win someone over than by appealing to his interests.

As for hammering techniques, Feng Puyu had originally assumed that a delicate girl like Gu Fei, even if she could lift a hammer, would be unable to swing it more than a few times. But when Gu Fei performed an entire set of the Great Capital Mo family’s Thousand-Jun Hammer Technique before him, his expression sharpened. He abandoned all thought of testing her further and began sincerely teaching her the Feng family’s hammering techniques.

Even after witnessing Gu Fei’s genius, he was still startled when she mastered the Feng family’s Willow-Whisking Thousand-Transformations Hammer Technique in less than five days. On the sixth day, she began blending the hammering techniques of the Mo and Feng families, alternating between them as she tried to devise a method suited to herself.

Elder Feng was equally unreserved. He was deeply interested in the Thousand-Jun Hammer Technique, and so the two of them would shut themselves inside the ink workshop for two or three days at a time without emerging.

The old man and the young girl were both utterly absorbed, nearly mad with enthusiasm. It seemed that only when discussing and practicing ink-making could Feng Puyu completely cast aside his reservations about Gu Fei and stop thinking about Feng Lizhi.

Although Gu Fei had received most of her early instruction from the Great Capital Mo family, during those ten years she had read every book concerning ink-making in the Mo family’s library. Added to that was her exceptional understanding, which had led her to develop many insights of her own.

Feng Puyu, meanwhile, was an old master worthy of being called a grandmaster. Whether in the techniques of ink-making or in the wisdom he had accumulated through years of dealing with people, he was far more seasoned than Gu Fei.

When the two of them collided, Gu Fei was like a parched desert caught beneath a torrential rain, frantically absorbing every bit of knowledge Elder Feng imparted. At the same time, Gu Fei’s frequent new insights caused Elder Feng’s eyes to light up. They shattered his established methods of ink-making and seemed to push open an entirely new door before him.

The old and the young were having a wonderful time, but Granny Ku and the Feng family’s head steward suffered terribly. Like the other ink-makers, the two masters had forbidden the servants from entering the ink workshop without permission.

Left with no choice, Granny Ku brought You Hu over.

The Feng family’s head steward immediately witnessed what it meant to be domineering. You Hu completely ignored the icy fury radiating from Gu Fei and Feng Puyu at being disturbed. He could do nothing about Feng Puyu, but when it came to Gu Fei, he had never cared about the claws she bared whenever she refused to obey.

He strode straight into the ink workshop and lifted Gu Fei out of her wheelchair. While she bristled like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on, every hair on her body standing on end in wary defense, he dumped her in the dining hall before a table full of dishes.

Unless Gu Fei finished every last bite, not a single servant dared take her back to the ink workshop. His presence was more commanding than that of the master of the house.

With her legs inconvenient to use, Gu Fei could not return to the workshop without help. Once Feng Puyu saw her come out, he found no pleasure in remaining there alone and would wander over to join her for a meal.

The Feng family’s head steward instantly came to revere You Hu from the depths of his heart. Whenever the same situation arose, he imitated Granny Ku and turned around to leave as quickly as possible, choosing not to see anything and thereby keeping his peace of mind.

While Gu Fei devoted herself to merging the hammering techniques of the two families, You Hu was not idle either.

Yizhou soon became lively again. This time, someone claimed to have seen a Southern Qi barbarian at the Gu residence. The barbarian was said to be a beautiful woman—but a cannibal at that. Others went even further, claiming they had personally seen corpses with chunks of flesh cut from them being carried out of the Gu residence.

The Gu family’s recent purchase of young, handsome male servants through a matchmaker was also dragged into the affair. The story was told with such vivid certainty that even the matchmaker confirmed the Gu family had bought male servants several times.

The rumors rolled onward like a snowball, growing larger with every turn and soon spiraling beyond control. As if the chaos were not sufficient, the Southern Qi barbarian Duo Gula brazenly appeared in the streets one day, pulling Gu Min along with her. Their every gesture was intimate.

Fear, panic, and ridicule toward Gu Min surged all at once. Who in the Great Yin Empire did not know that the Southern Qi barbarians were cannibals? More importantly, their women took multiple husbands. That meant Gu Min had become a shared husband.

In Great Yin, such a thing was even more laughable than the existence of a courtesan. No one knew how many green caps Gu Min had already been forced to wear. Even storytellers in the teahouses had begun saying, “A true man must never become another Gu family young master.”

Gu Min had become the greatest joke in all of Yizhou.

The Gu family’s businesses suffered in turn, their trade collapsing almost overnight and reaching the brink of ruin.

You Hu told Gu Fei all this with a smile when her study of the hammering techniques had temporarily come to an end.

How could she not know that most of the rumors about Gu Min had been planted by this mild-mannered scholar at her side? Things had reached this point, and she said nothing. Had she planned the matter herself, she would have used much the same method.

It could be said that the moment Gu Min brought Duo Gula, the Southern Qi barbarian, back to Great Yin, his tragedy had already been written.

Sure enough, only a few days later, Gu Min came to the peach grove. Feng Puyu had shown a rare touch of mercy and allowed Gu Fei to remain away from the Feng residence that day, giving her a single day of rest.

Yet in barely half a month, Gu Min had become so thin that he seemed to have wasted away. Even Gu Fei stared at him for quite some time before recognizing him by his familiar clothes.

He stood at the courtyard gate, hesitating. His lips moved before he finally called out, “Fifth Sister… no… Miss Fei…”

That single form of address had become a difficulty. Now that it had been confirmed Gu Fei was not truly a member of the Gu family, he naturally could no longer address her as his sister. Yet Gu Min had come seeking her help and feared that if he distanced himself from her, she would become distant from the Gu family as well.

Gu Fei raised an eyebrow. Beneath the peach tree in the corner of the courtyard, she had placed a water jar and was feeding the two goldfish inside. She pretended not to notice Gu Min’s discomfort and said indifferently, “Come in.”

Gu Min felt as though he had been granted an amnesty. Only after stepping inside did he realize that the seemingly modest courtyard was actually spacious, stretching far into the depths. At the very back stood a newly renovated study and ink workshop. There was no one else in the courtyard except Granny Ku, who was sweeping.

When he reached her, he hesitated for a while before sitting opposite her. After a long silence, he said, “Miss Fei, you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Gu Fei dipped her fingers into the small cup of fish food. She stopped only when there was none left. You Hu had filled the cup for her and specifically instructed her to feed the fish no more than that amount. She set down the cup and cast Gu Min a faintly mocking glance.

“Elder Brother, there is no need to be so formal. At the very least, we were once family.”

Gu Min’s expression brightened at those words. Whatever Gu Fei’s thoughts might be, it was enough that she still acknowledged her connection to the Gu family.

“That is good to hear. Fifth Sister, have you grown accustomed to living here in the peach grove? Second Uncle has been mentioning you often, and so has Third Sister. In another ten-odd days, Wanying will be married. You must return to the residence.”

The corner of Gu Fei’s mouth curled with a trace of sarcasm. Did Gu Min really take her for a three-year-old child who could be coaxed with such words?

How could Second Uncle possibly be thinking of her? When Mo Geyi had schemed against her at the merchants’ assembly, Gu Jiang had watched coldly from beginning to end. Had he stood up for her then, her reputation would never have been ruined so thoroughly. Still, remembering the kindness Gu Jiang had shown in taking her in, and the fact that he had not kicked her while she was down, she had chosen not to pursue the matter.

As for the Gu sisters—especially Gu Wanting—Gu Fei remembered perfectly well how they had once made trouble until the whole household was in turmoil.

But when she cast a sidelong glance at Gu Min, she saw the dark circles beneath his eyes, the puffiness in his face, and the wasting of his flesh. Above his collar, faint red marks from whipping could be seen on his neck. Understanding dawned on her, and she spoke with profound calm.

“What is it? The poison in your body still has not been cured? Did you not say that the eldest young master of the Great Capital Mo family had a way to save you?”

She had deliberately brought up the very subject he least wished to discuss. She was certain that before coming to her, Gu Min had already visited the Little Mo family. Mo Yuhua must have told him everything about Mo Geyi. Driven into a dead end, he had finally come to her.

Unexpectedly, Gu Min dropped to his knees with a thud. He crawled forward several steps, seized Gu Fei’s legs, and pleaded, “Fifth Sister, I was wrong. Please, show me mercy. Find Master Ninth and save me…”