[Fantasy] The Beauty's Tribulation (Complete) - 10-12

"It 's just a wedding, isn't it

?" Pei Xiaolei said, unwrapping the bandages and splints from Xingwen's foot. She was quite satisfied with the recovery and began gently applying a layer of dark, herbal ointment with a faint grassy scent.

"Xiaolei! Come sit here!" Xingwen smiled, moving slightly onto the bed so Pei Xiaolei could sit beside him.

"You!" Pei Xiaolei wiped her hands with a towel and sat down beside him. Xingwen pulled her into his arms, placing her head against his chest. Her ear was pressed against his heart, feeling its steady, powerful beat.

She vividly remembered that day at the Chu Emperor's Mausoleum, when they both jumped into the black hole, thinking everything would go smoothly. But at the exit, they encountered a giant python, and fought it for a long time, neither gaining the upper hand. Lacking practical experience, she nearly got swallowed whole by the python several times. Fortunately, Xingwen was quick-witted and managed to escape danger each time. However, this large python was truly difficult to deal with, especially when they fell into the water, where even Xingwen couldn't gain the upper hand.

In the end, the python retreated halfway through the fight, allowing them to escape unscathed. She thought they had finally escaped, but then their small boat was suddenly forced off course by a strong current upstream, capsizing. Although she was a strong swimmer, if Xingwen hadn't protected her, she probably wouldn't have survived the collisions with the rapids. While she was unharmed, Xingwen suffered several injuries, especially his leg injury, which worsened upon reaching shore, causing inflammation and a fever, among other complications.

“Xiaolei, the village chief came to ask me at noon. He said he wants to set up a school so that the village children won't run around everywhere and will have a place to go during the day. He hopes I can be the teacher and be responsible for disciplining these children,” Xingwen said.

“Setting up a school is a good idea, but your foot… let’s put this on hold for now. It’s more important to heal your injury!” Pei Xiaolei thought for a moment and felt it was still inappropriate.

“I’m a man, I have to support my family!” Xingwen gently stroked her long hair, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and murmured.

“You’re my junior brother, it’s only natural for me to take care of you!” Pei Xiaolei sat up from his lap, pulled away a little distance, pinched his cheek, and said with a smile.

Xingwen grabbed her hand that was ravaging his face, moving it down to his lips for a gentle kiss. His gaze was intense as he looked at Pei Xiaolei's flushed face. Then, he leaned close to her earlobe, his breath warm, and whispered softly, "I'm your husband, it's my duty to take care of my wife!"

Pei Xiaolei stood up abruptly, pulling her hand away. She strode to the table, her back to Xingwen, and busily began tidying up the remaining ointment. After a while, she said in an unusually low voice, "Alright then, but until your foot heals, the school will be temporarily set up in the large pavilion in our courtyard. That will be more convenient!"

"Great! I'll give the village chief an answer tomorrow!" Xingwen replied cheerfully, his eyes fixed on her flushed earlobe, a deep smile in his eyes.

But this smile didn't last long; he soon regretted his chauvinistic behavior.

Three days later, when he looked at the dozen or so teenagers in the yard who had come to accompany him, accompanied by their younger brothers, sisters, uncles, nephews, cousins, and so on, he could still smile with satisfaction and praise, "Not bad, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost; you all have a lot of ambition."

However…

on the fourth day, when he saw the boys who had come to accompany him, gathered in groups of three or five around Pei Xiaolei, helping her wash rice, helping her wash vegetables… his face slowly began to darken.

On the fifth day, when he noticed that the water tank in the house was always full, no matter how much he used it, it never seemed to run out; wildflowers and weeds had sprung up in the yard; the kitchen was full of fish and meat… and Xiaolei was always surrounded by people, his handsome face clouded over.

On the sixth day, he smiled and assigned all the teenagers who had come to accompany him a homework assignment.

On the seventh day, half of the teenagers had come to accompany him.

On the eighth day, while Xiaolei was out, he took advantage of the situation and gave the remaining teenagers a private tutoring session.

On the ninth day, only six children of about seven or eight years old remained in the courtyard, babbling after Master Xingwen, reciting the Three Character Classic word by word. The water in the house was still plentiful, and the fish and meat in the kitchen were still plentiful, but the wildflowers and weeds in the yard were nowhere to be seen. After that, Xingwen's smile became even brighter.

Now that Xingwen was in much better health and had things to do, Pei Xiaolei had more free time. Seeing that she had more free time, she began to try training pigeons. Although she didn't dare expect them to have the innate intelligence of "pathfinders," she always hoped that these pigeons could convey her and Xingwen's whereabouts. They had suddenly disappeared for so long, and her senior brothers and the elders of the mountain village were probably frantic, searching frantically for them.

Originally, she had already asked a man from the village who was familiar with the mountain paths to go down the mountain and try to deliver the message for her. A few days ago, a torrential rainstorm slowed things down. Later, when the rain stopped, the man never came to the school again. She went to look for him, but he ran away as soon as he saw her, completely unlike before when he would follow her around. She spent a long time looking in the bronze mirror, realizing that her appearance was still the same, her smile still kind. How come in just a few days, all the village teenagers had vanished at the sight of her, treating her like a big bad wolf? She pinched her soft cheek, looking at the mirror with a dejected expression, wondering what was so scary about her.

"Working at sunrise and resting at sunset," rural life was simple and monotonous, yet he showed no sign of discomfort throughout the story. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy his life, often waking her at dawn, leaning on his cane, saying he wanted to watch the sunrise with her. He never mentioned leaving.

Seeing that it was getting dark, she retrieved the last pigeon that had flown back to its cage and turned to go down the mountain. However, they encountered Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin, who lived there, halfway up the mountain. The two elderly people looked hesitant and anxious. Pei Xiaolei asked them in detail and learned that their youngest daughter, Ya Mei, had gone up the mountain to gather firewood that morning and hadn't returned yet. The two elderly people were getting impatient and didn't know whether they should go up the mountain to look for her or go down to find the villagers for help.

Pei Xiaolei looked up at the increasingly dark sky and considered that it would take about half an hour to walk back to the village. If they turned back now to find help, the round trip would take time and expense, and they would not only have to search in the dark but also miss the opportunity for rescue. After

thinking for a moment, she told Aunt Lin to go down the mountain to find help, while she and Uncle Lin went up the mountain to search for Ya Mei.

Uncle Lin took a sickle and cut grass to clear a path, while she followed behind with a torch. The two walked and called out, their throats parched, but there was still no sign of Ya Mei. As darkness fell on the mountain, wild animals began to roam freely, and their anxiety grew. Uncle Lin was so worried that tears streamed down his face. She tried to comfort him gently, but she knew in her heart that a girl alone in the deep mountains at night was likely in grave danger if they weren't found soon.

They searched deeper into the mountains and finally found a wood-chopping knife and a bundle of firewood in a ravine.

Uncle Lin rushed over and searched frantically, calling out "Ya Mei! Ya Mei!" his voice filled with sorrow.

Pei Xiaolei crouched down and, using the red and yellow light of the torch, carefully examined the weeds on the ground.

"Uncle Lin, come and see!" Pei Xiaolei suddenly called out to the old man beside her.

Uncle Lin immediately ran over, anxiously looking at Pei Xiaolei and asking, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Have you found a clue?"

Pei Xiaolei nodded, parted the grass, and saw a few dark red bloodstains on the shorter blades. She took a few steps forward and parted the grass again, revealing more bloodstains.

"Let's go this way!" Pei Xiaolei reassured the agitated Uncle Lin as she led the way, following the bloodstains in the grass.

The bloodstains disappeared at a cliff face. Pei Xiaolei lit a torch and peered down the cliff. It was pitch black below; she couldn't see anything. It seemed to be a deep cliff or something similar.

"Ya Mei, are you down there? Answer Dad!" Uncle Lin called from the cliff face, calling repeatedly, but received no response. He dropped his sickle and tried to climb down with his bare hands.

Pei Xiaolei pulled him back. An old man in his fifties or sixties, blindly climbing like that was tantamount to suicide. However, Ya Mei couldn't just leave him there. Someone had to go down the cliff and investigate. The village rescue team was nowhere in sight. Looking at her uncle, Lin, who was already weeping beside her, she steeled herself, touched the short sword at her waist, and said, "I'll climb down and check! You wait up here, and whatever you do, don't follow me down!" Without giving Lin a chance to stop her, she took a deep breath and leaped off the cliff.

Halfway down, she drew her sword and planted it in the cliff face. Several rains had loosened the soil, and she slid down another half meter before regaining her balance.

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. It was pitch black, with no end in sight, but Lin's anxious voice carried clearly. She cleared her throat, called out a few words in response, and reassured him she was safe. Then her thoughts turned to the bottom of the cliff. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and with the faint moonlight, she could clearly see the objects closer to her. She looked down...sigh! Below was still pitch black, its depth unknown.

The cliff face was densely covered with vine-like roots. Pei Xiaolei grabbed a handful, pulled it upwards with force, and finding it difficult to manage, she sheathed her short sword and began climbing down the vines.

After about half an hour, her feet finally touched the bottom.

She took out a small brocade pouch from her bosom, and took out a round ball wrapped in black cloth. Peeling back the layers of cloth, the egg-sized luminous pearl shone even more brightly in the moonlight. Pei Xiaolei smiled. She had gone up the mountain to train pigeons, and carrying a tinderbox was inconvenient, so Xingwen had insisted she carry this luminous pearl for self-defense. She had initially dismissed his fussiness, but now it had unexpectedly proven so useful.

Using the moonlight and the glow of the luminous pearl in her hand, she quickly spotted Ya Mei lying on the ground about ten meters away. She shook her and called out several times, but the woman remained motionless. She quickly checked her breath; thankfully, although it was very weak, she was still alive. However, the bluish-black color on her face startled Pei Xiaolei. Lifting her skirt, she saw two deep fang marks on her ankles, the surrounding skin swollen and blackened.

She had been poisoned by snake venom.

"Uncle Lin, I found her!" Pei Xiaolei shouted towards the sky above the cliff, notifying Uncle Lin. Then, she embraced Ya Mei, quickly pressing her acupoints to stop the venom from spreading, pressing her philtrum, gently patting her face, and calling out a few times. After a while, her eyelashes finally fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at Pei Xiaolei in confusion. Then, her eyes slowly regained their senses, and tears streamed down her face.

Pei Xiaolei hugged her tightly and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we'll go home soon."

Ya Mei nodded through her teary eyes, gave a weak "Mmm," and then fell unconscious again.

Pei Xiaolei struggled to lift Ya Mei and moved her to a flat patch of grass. The unconscious woman was incredibly heavy. She wiped the sweat from her brow, looking up at the seemingly endless cliff above, feeling quite troubled. Even this short distance had left her breathless; she had little confidence that she could safely bring Ya Mei out of the cliff all by herself.

Now, what to do?

The commotion above grew louder. She looked up and saw many torches flickering in the distance.

"Xiaolei, are you alright?" The voices above seemed to quiet down, and the village chief's voice rang out.

"I'm fine, but Ya Mei was bitten by a poisonous snake and is unconscious now." She shouted in response, and then she heard a commotion up and down above, which suddenly turned into screams. Then, when she heard shouts of "Xingwen," "Sir," and other similar calls, he was already standing safely beside her.

"Xingwen!" she cried, clearly overjoyed to see him.

"You!" Xingwen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she was alright, and pulled her into a tight hug. "You scared me to death!"

Pei Xiaolei rubbed against him for a while before she came to her senses. She quickly pushed him away, looked down at his injured foot, and saw that Xingwen was standing steadily, without any sign of limping. Afraid that Xingwen was just putting on a brave face, she bent down to examine his foot injury and asked him a few more questions.

Only after Xingwen repeatedly assured her that his foot injury was completely healed did she finally relax her brows and ask him to take Ya Mei up the cliff first, followed by her. However, Xingwen insisted that she wait below, saying he would come back for her later. Pei Xiaolei couldn't argue with him, and besides, the cliff face was dark and she was genuinely a little scared, so she happily sat at the bottom of the cliff, obediently playing the role of a weak princess waiting for a knight to rescue her.

Whether it was because Xingwen was too quick or because the cliff wasn't deep to begin with, Xingwen's round trip was incredibly fast.

When Pei Xiaolei returned to the cliff, she found hundreds of people standing densely packed on it, the bright red torches illuminating the surroundings. She went forward to check on Ya Mei's injury and saw that her complexion was much better, and some herbs had been applied to her foot, so she knew that she had taken the antidote and was no longer in serious trouble. Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin each grabbed one of her and Xingwen tightly, weeping and saying a lot of words of thanks, which

they couldn't stop no matter how they tried to persuade them. Finally, some busybody suddenly said something that seemed to have a sore spot: "It's rare to have two such brave and skilled children in our village. Why don't you two, Xingwen and Xiaolei, hurry up and get married? Everyone can join in the celebration and have some fun!"

This sparked a huge uproar. Pei Xiaolei's voice was completely drowned out by the hundreds of enthusiastic mouths around her. She turned to look at Xingwen a few meters away, only to see his eyes shining and his mouth practically splitting into a grin. What was most infuriating was that he was already discussing the wedding details with the village chief and the others, occasionally laughing and urging everyone to drink a lot at the wedding. He looked so smug that he seemed to think he was the groom all along.

He seemed to notice her attention and turned to meet her gaze. He winked, casting a flirtatious glance from afar.

She glared back fiercely. It was just a wedding, not her first time. Was she really afraid? She glared back fiercely

at the wedding

. It was just a wedding, not her first time. Was she really afraid?

************

She really was afraid!

In her memory, her wedding five years ago was far less elaborate than this one. Back then, she was only dressed in a heavy, bright red wedding gown for half an hour before the ceremony. A little rouge and powder were applied to her face to conceal her paleness. After drinking the nuptial wine, paying respects to her ancestors, heaven and earth, and thanking her parents, she returned to Yiqing Residence escorted by her four fellow disciples.

Uh... okay, even if the previous wedding was a bit simplified, we don't need to be so kind to her now and give her a complicated version, no, a super complicated version of the wedding!

That night, with Xingwen's tacit agreement and everyone's encouragement, her wedding with Xingwen was scheduled for ten days later. Because of the tight schedule, the grand wedding procession officially began the next day.

She remembered that day, just as dawn was breaking, her third aunt arrived with a large group of women from the neighborhood, carrying measuring tapes, red cloth, rouge… Xingwen, still half-asleep, was ushered out. They didn't leave until noon, when they finally dispersed in high spirits. The two had barely finished lunch and hadn't even rested when the village chief, along with several married men, came to demand Xingwen's return. They forcibly dragged the bewildered Xingwen out, only releasing him in the evening. That

night, the two looked at each other, their eyes smiling, yet their expressions were different.

Pei Xiaolei washed up early and began packing her clothes and other personal items. She would move to the village chief's house early the next morning and wouldn't see Xingwen again until the wedding day. After dinner, Xingwen stayed in his room reading, surprisingly showing no reluctance to part with Pei Xiaolei during this short separation.

"What are you reading?" Pei Xiaolei, having finished packing her belongings, noticed Xingwen engrossed in his book and asked curiously. She then quietly walked behind him and gave him a light tap on the shoulder, a playful scare. With

a "bang," Xingwen jumped up, his sudden movement knocking over a chair.

His abrupt movement piqued Pei Xiaolei's curiosity even more. She tugged at his sleeve and peered behind him, curious about what he was hiding.

Xingwen quickly pulled her away, taking a few steps back to keep his distance, his eyes wary as he watched her like a frightened animal.

"What's hidden behind that? Let me see!" Pei Xiaolei's curiosity intensified when she saw Xingwen's face suddenly turn red and his eyes darting around. She took a few steps forward, circled around to stand in front of him, and stared intently at him, determined to see what he was up to.

"There's nothing behind that, Xiaolei. I... I'm tired. I need to rest now. You need to get out, get out quickly!" Xingwen, almost cornered by her, suddenly grabbed her shoulders, looked into her eyes, and stammered in a panic. Then, without waiting for her to react, he flipped her over and hurriedly pushed her out the door.

Then, with a "bang," the door slammed shut; with a "click," it was locked from the inside.

Leaving Pei Xiaolei outside, looking surprised and frustrated, having been given the cold shoulder.

"Ah!" Pei Xiaolei's mind jolted, suddenly remembering something important. She knocked on Xingwen's door again, calling out loudly, "Xingwen, you haven't washed up yet!"

"I'm not washing today!" A deep, muffled voice came from inside, as if trapped under the covers. Then, the room went dark, and the oil lamp went out.

Pei Xiaolei was startled, shook her head, and suddenly realized she couldn't do anything about this unhygienic fellow. She stood outside the door for a while, and seeing that there was still no movement inside, she turned her head away, thinking, "Oh well, let him be." She turned to go back to her room, just then, a low, hoarse voice came from inside: "I, I'll wash up later, you go to sleep first!"

Frowning, she knocked on the wooden door again, anxiously asking, "What's wrong? Your voice sounds strange, are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine, you go to rest first, don't worry about me!" Xingwen replied, and then fell silent.

Pei Xiaolei called him softly a few more times from outside the door, but it remained quiet inside. She sighed helplessly and let him be.

The next day, early in the morning, her third aunt was already waiting outside. She dragged her valuables out, intending to say goodbye, but he was unusually reluctant to get out of bed that day. She called him several times, but he remained groggy and seemed very sleepy. After thinking about it, she decided to leave, leaving a note behind. To her

surprise, her third aunt immediately gave her a thumbs-up, praising her diligence and then showering her with compliments on her thoughtfulness and consideration. Pei Xiaolei was completely confused until her third aunt smiled and pointed to the row of half-wet, half-dry clothes hanging on a bamboo pole in the yard, at which point she finally understood.

Her eyebrows curved into a smile, and she covered her mouth, unable to suppress a soft chuckle. It seemed her junior brother had not only washed and rinsed himself last night, but also cleaned his clothes. Not bad, a hygienic and civilized young man indeed.

When she arrived at her third aunt's house, she realized that she had been far too simplistic about marriage. Her third aunt had spent over an hour just explaining what she needed to do now and what she planned to do later. Her third aunt spoke with great solemnity and caution, repeatedly emphasizing that this concerned her lifelong happiness and could not be taken lightly. She nodded in agreement, but fearing her third aunt might suddenly question her, she took out a pen and ink and meticulously memorized everything. With each stroke, her eyebrows twitched; by the time she finished, her brow bone felt like it was about to cramp.

Fortunately, it was the off-season for farming, and everyone in the village, young and old, men and women, was quite bored and had plenty of time. Plus, she and Xingwen were very popular, and the wedding was organized by the villagers themselves, so everyone was exceptionally enthusiastic. Many things that would normally be complicated became simpler with so many people involved.

After the five rites of betrothal, asking the name, auspicious date selection, presenting gifts, and setting the wedding date, the highlight of the wedding finally arrived on the tenth day – the groom's arrival.

On that day, Xingwen, dressed in a bright red suit, looking dignified and composed, with a large red flower tied around his waist, rode slowly towards the wedding on a large yellow water buffalo with two large red flowers tied to each of its horns.

Pei Xiaolei was also dressed in a bright red auspicious wedding gown embroidered with auspicious phoenix and luan patterns. A large string of jewelry jingled in her hands. Her hair was styled in an updo, topped with a phoenix crown weighing about ten pounds, and covered with a large red headscarf. One of her hands was held by Ya Mei, and she was handed over to the village chief. The village chief then gave Xingwen a few instructions and smiled as he handed Pei Xiaolei over to Xingwen , who was waiting at the door.

Pei Xiaolei held Xingwen's hand tightly and walked carefully. The red headscarf was very thick, with dense stitches that blocked out no light at all. Apart from the increasingly loud laughter and chatter around her, she could see nothing. The layers of her auspicious gown were very complicated and made walking difficult. The phoenix crown on her head made her neck ache, but she still had to keep her chest up and head held high to maintain the graceful posture of a bride.

Perhaps she was walking too slowly, or perhaps Xingwen noticed her restraint; she had only taken five or six steps when she suddenly felt light, and amidst the screams and laughter around her, Xingwen swept her up in his arms. Blushing, she gently tapped him in the chest, half-jokingly scolding, "You're messing around again!"

His response was a hearty laugh.

The bright red sedan chair swayed and wobbled for about half an hour before arriving at their hillside dwelling. The once-old house had been completely renovated, and the outer courtyard had doubled in size, filled with tables and chairs. The enormous house was packed with people, seemingly the entire village of men and women. Ya Mei

opened the bridge gate and invited Pei Xiaolei down. Aunt Chen, who was acting as the groom's elder, handed Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei a red rope tied in a love knot, instructing them to hold the rope as they entered the hall. A little girl held a bronze mirror, reflecting their image, wishing them a happy and fulfilling marriage.

Upon entering the hall, the two faced each other, seated at the same table across from each other, sharing food from the same utensils. They then exchanged nuptial cups and drank the nuptial wine together. Next, they bowed eight times to heaven and earth, and four times to each other as husband and wife. After exchanging ablutions, amidst the cheers of the surrounding crowd, they entered the bridal chamber hand in hand.

Xingwen only stayed in the bridal chamber for a short while, not even having a chance to say a word to Pei Xiaolei, before being dragged out by the village youths to drink. His aunt neatly arranged some pastries made of red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds—symbolizing "early birth of a son"—on the table, then smiled and said a few words to Pei Xiaolei before closing the door and leaving with a beaming smile.

As soon as she left, Pei Xiaolei immediately pulled off her bright red headscarf and removed the heavy phoenix crown from her head, placing it on the table. She touched her stomach, which immediately rumbled with hunger. From morning till night, apart from a symbolic two peanuts she had eaten while in the cell, she hadn't touched any food and was now quite hungry. She poured herself a cup of tea to moisten her throat, then picked out a few pastries to eat. The pastries weren't very tasty; they were too rough in appearance and overly sweet. However, they were fine for filling her stomach and replenishing her energy. After eating

two or three small pastries, she was about 70-80% full. She drank another cup of tea to cut through the greasiness, and then began to feel drowsy. She got up, washed her face, and sat upright for more than two hours, but neither the wedding party nor the groom appeared.

The commotion outside had subsided long ago, except for a few scattered shouts; the surroundings had returned to the stillness of the night.

Pei Xiaolei put down the book she had already read more than halfway through, thought for a moment, and then lifted her skirt to go outside.

Most of the villagers had already dispersed, leaving only a few men at the main table, slumped over, wine jars and bowls scattered all around. One young man, his face flushed from drinking, was gulping down wine from a large bowl, muttering incoherently, "You brat, I don't believe I can't beat you, can't make this wedding night a mess!" Pei Xiaolei recognized this man; he was the one who had promised to help her deliver a message from the mountains, but then ran away as soon as he saw her—the one who had broken his promise. Xingwen, who

had been slumped over the table, glanced at him, slammed his hand on the table, picked up a large jar of wine, and shouted, "Alright, let's keep drinking! Tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk!" He then stood up and began to pour more wine into his mouth.

Pei Xiaolei lunged forward, snatched the wine jar from his hand, threw it on the ground, puffed out her cheeks, pointed at his nose, and fiercely said, "You're already drunk, you're not allowed to drink anymore!"

Xingwen was startled, looked at her sleepily, grinned foolishly, and then suddenly hiccuped, his breath reeking of alcohol. He then leaned towards her sideways, mumbling in her ear, "Wife, you're here!"

Pei Xiaolei felt a weight on her body and hugged him tightly. In the public hall, the other men all watched the two of them with smiles, their teasing expressions obvious. Pei Xiaolei blushed, patted Xingwen's back several times, and hurriedly called his name a few times, but she couldn't wake him. Instead, she heard his heavy breathing behind her.

He had actually fallen asleep on top of her.

Seeing this, the others touched their noses and laughed heartily. Then, reeking of alcohol, they mumbled some auspicious words to Pei Xiaolei before ignoring Xingwen clinging to her and leaving in twos and threes, supporting each other. As soon as

they left, Pei Xiaolei's troubles began. Good heavens, how was she going to carry this man, weighing over a hundred pounds, into the house?

"Xingwen, wake up! It's chilly at night, we need to go inside!" she patted him, making a final effort.

Xingwen snorted, adjusted his position, his thin lips brushing from her left cheek to her right earlobe, lingering briefly on her lips before tilting his head, his even breathing, even more reeking of alcohol, making his weight on her even heavier. She sighed inwardly, resignedly adjusting her position, preparing to slowly help this drunkard into the house. The moment she moved, her body suddenly tensed, and the distance between them, which had just slightly increased, suddenly became even closer.

"Xingwen, you're awake?" she asked, her heart leaping with joy.

"Xiaolei, you smell so good!" He buried his face in her neck, his clear voice filled with deep affection.

"You're not drunk?" Pei Xiaolei was startled, immediately realizing she'd been tricked. She pushed him away forcefully, asking loudly.

Xingwen smiled at her; apart from a faint flush of wine on his face, there was no sign of drunkenness whatsoever.

He winked his right eye, triumphantly saying, "If I didn't do this, how could I appease those drunkards who're always trying to toy with the bride?"

"You little liar!" Pei Xiaolei's playful annoyance turned to laughter, and she pinched his cheek, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

"Let's go in!" He gently pulled her to his side, smiling as he took her hand, their fingers intertwined, and together they stepped into the bridal chamber.

She insisted, but he had still drunk too much, so she firmly pressed him into a chair, first pouring him a warm cup of tea, then handing him a hot towel to wipe his face and hands, and feeding him a piece of sweet peanut cake… She bustled about, doing everything so naturally, as if she were the wife of the most ordinary, common people, working tirelessly for her husband.

Xingwen quietly watched her busy figure, suddenly feeling a heavy, tight feeling in his heart, as if something was churning within him, a strong urge to cry welling up, so intense that his voice choked.

“Xingwen, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?” She ran to him, looking at his suddenly red eyes, and asked in a panic.

He looked up at her, pulled her into a tight embrace, buried his head in her chest, and a faint dampness seeped into her clothes. After a long while, he said in a low, muffled voice, “You want me, finally, you still want me!”

Pei Xiaolei’s heart tightened, and she hugged him back.

She always felt a sense of guilt towards him. They had grown up together, he had accompanied her in learning poetry and literature, and among her five fellow students, he was the closest to her. Yet, she was also the first and furthest to push him away. For the past five years, she had taken advantage of his almost absolute devotion to her, rejecting him with various reasons, real or fake, no matter how strongly he expressed his desire to visit her in his letters. She had assumed his affection for her was merely sibling love; his letters, his poems, the medicinal herbs he sent… she had never carefully considered the depth of feeling contained within them. He

cried, saying she didn't want him anymore.

At that time, she could only offer hasty explanations, repeating her clumsy reasons over and over, her words always sounding grand and eloquent.

However, the more she spoke, the clearer it became in her heart that he was right. She didn't want him anymore; from a long time ago, she had begun, little by little, to drive him far away from her life.

If she hadn't come to the State of Chu, if she hadn't gone to the imperial tomb, she might still have found all sorts of plausible reasons to keep him far away from her life.

He had ended up in this village with her, and in protecting her, he had suffered severe injuries that triggered a series of dangerous complications. During the days he lay unconscious in bed, day and night, he murmured about her in his dreams, recounting every detail of their past, from childhood to adulthood, every word revolving around her—her health, her preferences, her laughter, her tears… He said he didn't like the bustling city; he said his greatest wish in life was to one day live with her in a small rural village, her weaving and managing the household, him teaching and farming, the two of them growing old together in quiet simplicity…

"I'm sorry, Xingwen, I will never abandon you again!" she kissed his forehead, promising through tears.

He looked up, his eyes still glistening with tears. He leaned forward and lightly touched her lips with his own, a faint smile on his face. "Thank you!" he said.

Then, he lifted her up and carried her steadily towards the newly made, bright red wedding bed.

Author's Note: Let's play a riddle game and answer the questions.
Question 1: Why did Xingwen get up in the middle of the night to do laundry? What was he doing alone in his room that day? What book was he secretly reading? (Hint: Xiao Xingwen is a genuine virgin.)

Question 2. What should the next chapter be called? a. Wedding Night b. The First Time Writing c. The First Night of Writing d: The First Manifestation of Love e. Everyone, feel free to come up with something bold. (Hint: The next chapter is H, so you need to think of a title quickly.)

[ps]:
Um...
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Wedding Night

Pei Xiaolei lay on the bed, her auspicious red wedding dress being undone layer by layer, leaving only a red bodice embroidered with gold-edged peonies clinging to her body. The striking red bodice accentuated her curves, revealing her unique feminine figure. He knelt on top of her, having already stripped off his own upper body clothing while undressing her, even loosening his hair bun, his long, black hair falling sparsely and intertwining with her black hair. He gazed at her, his face flushed, his heart pounding with excitement.

"Xiaolei, I love you!" He slowly lowered his head, his heavy breath brushing her face. His awkward kisses were fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface. After a few light touches, he opened his mouth wide, pressing his thin lips tightly against her soft ones. He pressed his head down heavily, seemingly trying to go deeper, but each attempt ended in a painful bump on his teeth.

Pei Xiaolei pushed him away, one hand covering her aching teeth, unable to suppress a soft laugh.

Xingwen, frustrated by his repeated attempts, suddenly felt awkward and his face turned even redder when he saw Pei Xiaolei laughing.

Pei Xiaolei gently pinched his cheek, then pointed to the unlocked first drawer under a red cabinet beside the bed, and said with a mischievous grin, "Those books, didn't they teach you how to kiss?"

Xingwen was startled, looked in the direction she was pointing, and his face flushed instantly, like a boiled shrimp. Looking at the woman beneath him whose smile had deepened, he gritted his teeth and argued, "This, this can't be entirely my fault. Back in the village, whenever it was time to teach about the yin and yang of men and women, unlike other subjects, there was never a page who would come to inform me. I only heard..." I skipped half the class, and I noticed that apart from my second senior brother, no other senior brothers were present. I assumed it was all about medicine and health, which I wouldn't understand and would find boring, so I made an excuse to sneak away and never went again. The teacher, seeing that I was young, didn't scold me. He just told me to come back when I was older, and I would find it interesting. He said there was no need to rush, so he turned a blind eye to my blatant skipping of all the classes.

Pei Xiaolei laughed even harder, her soft giggles lingering in the air. Regarding the lessons on love and relationships, she had vaguely heard her second senior brother mention them. He said that when they were thirteen, they began receiving instruction in this area. On his first day of class, the teacher started by explaining medical principles. He hadn't expected little Xingwen to be there too. A child only a few years old was naturally not suitable to be taught about love, but seeing him standing so earnestly in class, the teacher couldn't send him away. So, the teacher focused on explaining medical terms, pretending to be profound. The five siblings each had their own specialties, and their teachers taught them according to their aptitudes. Aside from martial arts, they were generally allowed to get by in subjects they weren't particularly good at, unless they were extremely bad at them. So, with the teacher's indulgence, Xingwen genuinely believed he had gotten by, gaining more time to spend with her and studying humanities subjects like literature and law, which he himself enjoyed. He had reportedly been quite pleased with himself for this for a long time.

"I'm so regretful, and you're still laughing." Xingwen couldn't stand her lack of sympathy and her smug expression, so he angrily lowered his head and bumped her forehead. Seeing this, she immediately covered her mouth to stifle a sound, but it didn't work, and a lower, muffled laugh escaped from between her fingers.

Xingwen pulled her hand away, his face flushed, looking at her helplessly. Then, as if to punish her, he pressed his lips down heavily. Perhaps because the earlier laughter had lessened his nervousness about their wedding night, he unexpectedly did a very good job this time. Their four soft lips pressed tightly together, rubbing and swirling. His tongue entered her mouth, its tip playfully teasing hers, entwining with hers. Their steady breathing became increasingly rapid and heavy, their breaths mingling together until she was almost breathless from the kiss, before he reluctantly pulled away.

After she took a few deep breaths of fresh air, before she could even regulate her breathing, his lips moved closer again. This time, however, he began to nibble at her lips, gently sucking them, then lightly brushing his teeth across her soft flesh. The light touch was tingling and itchy, like ants crawling into her heart. Pei Xiaolei was the least resistant to tickling, and this teasing made her let out a soft moan.

This moan seemed to give Xingwen great encouragement. His lips moved down her chin, kissing her, one hand lifting her body slightly and slipping behind her back, the other hand around the back of her neck. With a gentle pull, he untied the two red strings binding her bodice, and with a slight tug, the bright red bodice was tossed aside by the bedside. A pair of fair, firm breasts came into view. His heart pounded, as if exploding, his chaotic heartbeat like thousands of galloping horses.

A rush of blood to his head surged through his body, his eyes bloodshot, his Adam's apple bobbing incessantly.

Although Pei Xiaolei had experienced many affairs, being naked from the waist up, stared at so openly and predatoryly by a man, still made her feel shy. She reached for the sheet to cover herself, but the man on top of her intercepted her movement. She suddenly felt a heat on her breast and looked down to see Xingwen already holding her left breast in his mouth, his wet, soft tongue licking and playing with her nipple. His other hand was on her other breast, gently kneading and swirling it, his thumb and forefinger pinching the bud, squeezing and pressing it lightly or firmly with each lick and nibble.

Her body was already sensitive; the licking and caressing of her nipple had already caused it to swell and ache. Now, with this pinching and biting, a slight pain mixed with a strange, overwhelming sensation immediately spread throughout her body.

"Mmm..." She squinted and couldn't help but sigh. Xingwen's other warm hand had already gently caressed her lower abdomen, slipping past her navel into her red cotton pants. He moved slowly, his fingers trembling slightly. His large hand covered her soft pubic hair, rubbing it back and forth for a while before his index and middle fingers moved to a raised peak, slowly sinking into the warm, moist crevice. His fingers began to wildly rub up and down her slippery, tender private parts, even moving downwards until his long fingers pressed against a warm, moist entrance.

Xingwen gently nibbled on Pei Xiaolei's nipple. Amidst her low moans of pain, he slowly raised his head, gazing intently at her dazed eyes, her rosy cheeks, and her half-open red lips. He had never seen her so 'smooth, delicate, and alluring' before. Something inside him swelled up, a feeling that ached.

She noticed his gaze, her misty eyes gazing at him quietly, like autumn water. Then, a smile, both charming and slightly reproachful, curved her lips, and she whispered, "Xingwen!"

Hearing this, his heart skipped a beat. He abruptly pulled away from her, sat up, and hurriedly removed the fabric from his lower body. With Pei Xiaolei's half-hearted resistance, he also easily removed her bright red trousers, and the two were finally truly naked before each other.

He rolled over and knelt on top of her again, his dark eyes as black as night, yet burning with a fierce flame.

"I love you!" he said.

His thin lips touched hers again, silencing her moan. His large hand returned to where it had lingered before, still gently and forcefully rubbing and kneading that moist, soft spot, wantonly ravaging her lower body. One finger returned to the entrance it had just been at, and while Pei Xiaolei was dizzy from his kisses, his long, slender middle finger slowly slipped inside.

So narrow! He had never known a woman's vulva (the ancient term for the vaginal opening or vestibule) could be so narrow. He tried to push in a little more, but was suddenly pressed down beneath him. Pei Xiaolei, who screamed in pain, pushed him away.

He sat at the foot of the bed, staring in astonishment at the woman opposite him, her brow furrowed, biting her lip, one hand on her private parts. Tears welled in her eyes; she looked utterly wronged and pitiful.

"Xiaolei, what's wrong? I... I hurt you?" Xingwen anxiously sat closer to her, asking nervously.

Pei Xiaolei nodded, then shook her head. She took a deep breath before looking at him, then closed her eyes, took several more deep breaths as if gathering immense courage, before opening her eyes and saying, "You've got the wrong place. That was the urethra." With that, she grabbed a pot of Shaoxing wine from the bedside table and, disregarding her low alcohol tolerance, gulped down most of it like boiling water. She then pulled Xingwen to her side, propped herself up with pillows, and leaned against the bed rail, half-reclining with her legs bent and spread as wide as possible.

Emboldened by the alcohol, Pei Xiaolei became much more unrestrained and open.

Pointing to her vulva, she began to teach Xingwen about the anatomy of the human body, explaining each part—from the labia majora and minora, the mons pubis or vestibule, the clitoris or vaginal opening, the area around the clitoris, to the vulva or vestibule—with clear diagrams to prevent him from blindly stumbling around and hurting himself and her. Xingwen

stared at Pei Xiaolei in disbelief, his mouth agape. After explaining, she immediately grabbed his hand, pressed it against her wet, warm vulva, and guided his fingers downwards until she reached a point further back than where he had initially entered.

"Remember, this is the vulva!" she emphasized, her face flushed.

He nodded hastily, his heart pounding like a thousand drums.

"Don't be nervous, relax!" she patted his stiff hand, reminding him.

Xingwen snapped out of his shock, then moved his hand beneath hers, trembling slightly as he guided it into her body, slowly pushing in inch by inch through her indescribably tender, moist warmth, gently stirring within the tightness that he couldn't describe.

Pei Xiaolei tilted her head back, her eyes half-closed, every nerve in her body sensing the movement of the slender fingers inserted into her. To be honest, Xingwen's movements were too clumsy, his entry too rough, causing her some pain.

However, her body was far too sensitive; after only a moment, she involuntarily arched her back, welcoming Xingwen's fingers.

Xingwen slowly moved his fingers back and forth, watching Pei Xiaolei's expression. His mouth grew increasingly dry, and his manhood was already throbbing and aching, standing erect. However, without Xiaolei's permission, he dared not act rashly. The book said that a good man must first know how to please a woman, and that the timing of arousal differs between men and women, making foreplay crucial. This statement was placed on the first page of the erotic illustration book, a key point throughout the entire work.

Although the strong liquor Pei Xiaolei had just drunk was starting to take effect, it didn't seem to hinder her movements. On the contrary, it emboldened her considerably. She had naturally noticed Xingwen's physical changes, but in bed, she habitually remained passive, waiting for the man to take the next step. However, as time passed, Xingwen's body and eyes burned with desire, yet he still made no move. Worse still, her own desire had been aroused, her body clamoring for more.

She was never an ascetic, nor a woman shy about taking the initiative; in matters of love, she never indulged in self-destruction. Therefore, when she pressed him down amidst her exclamation, there wasn't a trace of shame on her face. In fact, the thought of successfully subduing a man taller and younger than herself even brought a touch of excitement and an irrepressible urge to tease him.

That day, she pressed him down, her fingers tracing his features, finally resting on his thin lips. Her fingertips gently caressed his soft flesh, her rosy lips slightly parted, her smile alluring and seductive.

He hummed, trying to reach for her hand, but she skillfully avoided it. She leaned down, lowering her body slightly, her lower body lightly brushing against his erect penis, her slender fingers wandering across his chest, teasing his two hard nipples. Her lips rubbed against his chin, then bit down on his Adam's apple, her tongue licking the bony prominence that slid up and down his throat. Her warm breath fell on his neck, making Xingwen's breathing heavier. She smiled, her tongue tracing a path up his neck, across his cheek, stopping near his ear. She lightly bit his earlobe, then mischievously blew a cool breath into his ear, making Xingwen shudder. She leaned close to his ear, her eyes seductive, and teased, "On your wedding night, every moment is precious! Junior brother, let's finish quickly and rest! Hmm?"

He nodded, his eyes deep and hazy as he uttered a single "Okay," seemingly clinging to the last shred of reason, raising a... He gently stroked her head, smoothing her long, silky hair, before lifting Pei Xiaolei's face until they gazed at each other tenderly. Then, his voice was slightly hurried as he said, "Xiaolei! I love you!"

Hearing this, Pei Xiaolei giggled happily, then suddenly leaned on his strong shoulder, sharpening her teeth, and bit him hard. Xingwen cried out in pain before she stopped, looking at him and saying, "I know, you've said it so many times tonight, but..." She looked down at the tooth mark that had bled from her bite, then puffed out her cheeks like a child and said domineeringly, "I love hearing that. From now on, you can only say it to me."

"Okay, if you like, I'll only say it to you every day!" Xingwen promised happily. It's a local custom for the bride to bite the groom's shoulder on their wedding night; the harder the bite, the deeper the love. This tooth mark is the promise of love between the couple.

“But you can’t just talk the talk without walking the walk!” Pei Xiaolei continued to raise her demands, unaware that her words, though unintentional, were taken to heart.

“Just talk the talk?” Xingwen’s face paled upon hearing this. He began to wildly imagine that the gentleness and indulgence he had shown Pei Xiaolei earlier had now been interpreted by her as inaction and incompetence. A man can say whatever he wants about himself normally, but you can’t say he’s incompetent in bed, especially if it comes from the woman he loves. It’s like a devastating bolt from the blue. Xingwen’s masculine pride leaped up, growing ever stronger and more intense.

He flipped over, pinning Pei Xiaolei beneath him. Looking at the woman's bewildered expression, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Who said I wouldn't do it? I'll do it for you every day from now on!" Then, as if to prove his words, he knelt between her legs, spread them, embraced her slender waist, grasped his already red-hot penis, aimed it at her wet entrance, and thrust it in forcefully, burying the entire length inside.

"Hey! You...uh...be gentle...ah..." Pei Xiaolei realized he had misunderstood. Before she could explain, a huge male object suddenly forced its way into her, causing her vaginal muscles to ache. Before she could even adjust to his intrusion, he began to thrust violently, slowly squeezing into her tight and hot passage. Although his penis wasn't as thick, long, and difficult to penetrate as her senior brother's, its curvature and hardness were astonishing. The hot, large penis, like a steel pillar, rubbed and thrust against the layers of delicate flesh of her inner walls with increasing force. The huge penis filled her lower body until it was swollen and bulging. The high, slanted curve of his penis even made her lower abdomen bulge slightly. Waves of overwhelming pleasure swept over her with each round of his wild and brutal thrusting, sharp and irresistible.

A slight pain surged forth with the intensifying pleasure, her vaginal opening twitching slightly, opening and closing to bear the man's force. She trembled all over, her hands helplessly gripping the large red sheet beneath her. Her body rose and fell with his thrusts, his sweat dripping onto her, mingling with her fragrant perspiration, the rich scent of their joined bodies filling the air.

"Ah...slower, slower, Xingwen, umm..." The movements were too fast, she gasped, begging for mercy, but the more she pleaded, the more violent Xingwen's movements became. Each insertion of his penis was so heavy, so deep, reaching deep into her uterus. Each withdrawal was so thorough, so fast, forcefully pulling out her engorged, rosy vaginal walls, clinging to his large member, slightly everted.

She thought it would be a long ordeal, but unexpectedly, a few moments later, Xingwen suddenly lifted her snowy buttocks with both hands, spread her legs wider, and then his lower body slammed into her already swollen and red private parts with all his might. The sudden, savage thrust grazed the walls of her passage and pierced a certain spot with tremendous force.

"Ah..." Her body trembled, and she screamed. A wave of intense pleasure, strong enough to suffocate and kill, surged up her spine. Her waist arched back, her watery eyes staring unfocused at the ceiling. Her body convulsed uncontrollably, her swollen and wet passage opening and closing, the walls contracting and squeezing rapidly, swallowing the turbid and hot white fluid that Xingwen had ejaculated into her body in the midst of a magnificent orgasm.

Xingwen held her like that, maintaining the position they had just reached for their orgasms, until they slowly fell back onto the sheets.

He held her tightly, his large member still deeply embedded in her. Once their breathing had calmed, he leaned close to her ear and asked, "How was it? Did I do well?" His low voice was hoarse with desire.

Pei Xiaolei nodded, her eyes glazed, her mind still a jumble, her body still immersed in the afterglow of her climax. At that moment, whatever he said was law.

Xingwen pulled over a large red quilt and covered their naked bodies, still in the standard missionary position. Feeling the warmth wash over her, Pei Xiaolei regained some consciousness. She pushed the man on top of her away, reminding him of the correct sleeping position. Xingwen, however, suddenly became playful, rubbing against her arm for a while before saying in a muffled whisper, "Like this, let me stay a little longer."

"Don't pull me, get up, you're so heavy!" Pei Xiaolei wasn't having any of it and continued to push him away. Besides the weight on her, the most important thing was that his manhood, deeply embedded in her, was slowly getting hard again. The wedding had exhausted her from morning till night, and she simply didn't have the energy for another round of intense lovemaking.

Although Xingwen hadn't succeeded, he wasn't too disappointed. Adopting a flexible approach, he rolled over with Pei Xiaolei, successfully changing their position so that she was on top of him. With this movement, his erection penetrated her even deeper.

"Mmm!" Pei Xiaolei couldn't help but arch her body slightly, letting out a soft moan. She looked at him with a mixture of reproach and anger, pinched his cheek, and said helplessly, "I'm tired, I really don't have the energy for any more sex! Please spare me tonight!" She tried to climb off him, but Xingwen grabbed her and pulled her back down.

"Just like this, stay a little longer, okay? I promise I won't do anything!" he said, looking at her, his words broken and pleading.

"You!" She sighed, completely baffled by his thoughts. The warmth of the quilt deepened her weariness. She yawned softly, then nestled against him and fell asleep. About half an incense stick later, she suddenly sucked in her lower abdomen, shifted slightly, and murmured, "If you want to do it again, be gentle!"

He tightened his grip, lowered his head, and kissed her forehead, replying softly, "Okay, sleep peacefully!"

The night was deep. Although the bridal chamber was surrounded by red candles, it was still hazy and dreamlike. Everything around her seemed unreal. She didn't sleep well during the first half of the night, her sleep wavering between wakefulness and dreaming. She felt a swelling in her lower abdomen, and intermittent, hot streams of fluid shooting into her. She vaguely heard a man's soft whisper: "Xiaolei, let's have a child, okay?" On the second day after Xingwen's thoughts began
on March 7th , when Pei Xiaolei woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, practically blazing down on her backside. Her night of passion, her wedding night, had been incredibly memorable. Her head was spinning from a hangover, her back ached, and her body felt numb and weak – the consequences of her indulgence. The sticky feeling down there was evidence of his repeated acts of violence the previous night. "You're awake?" The door creaked open, and Xingwen entered, looking refreshed and beaming. He quickly approached the bedside, looking at her still weary face, and smiled radiantly. Pei Xiaolei shifted her body slightly, her face flushing slightly under his gaze. She quickly pulled the sheet to cover her already exposed naked body, then reached out from under the sheet and pointed to the clothes folded on a stool not far from the bed, saying, "I want to get dressed and take a bath!" "Okay, I'll help you!" Xingwen quickly replied, then handed Pei Xiaolei a red shirt he had taken off the night before, and very enthusiastically and proactively leaned in, fully prepared to help the beauty dress. Pei Xiaolei looked at him, somewhat amused and exasperated. His lecherous look, with its gleaming eyes, was completely undisguised. His lustful gaze, filled with intense desire and admiration, was so openly and naturally displayed that she couldn't pretend not to see it. Pei Xiaolei took the clothes, slapped away Xingwen's outstretched hand, and amidst his disappointed gaze, said, "I'll do it myself!" She then reached out and lowered the bright red bed curtains, keeping Xingwen outside. She turned away from him and began to rustle as she dressed and styled her hair. Pulling back the curtains, she saw Xingwen already waiting by the bed with embroidered shoes, looking as if he had decided that if she wouldn't let him serve her, he would take her shoes and prevent her from getting out of bed. Pei Xiaolei wasn't stupid; she naturally wouldn't go against her own nature. She raised her foot in front of him, displaying a somewhat queenly air. Xingwen smiled contentedly, half-kneeling on the floor, and cupped her small, white foot in his palm. Suddenly, he lowered his head and gently kissed the instep, devoutly and earnestly. "Xingwen, you…" Pei Xiaolei was startled, her body reflexively pulling her leg back. She felt a tightening grip on her ankle, but he held it firmly. "I, Pei Xingwen, hereby swear that in this life I will love only Xiaolei, be loyal to her for life, and do everything in my power to love, care for, and protect her." The simple vow, each word clear and resounding, was so humble! Pei Xiaolei looked down at him, her bright eyes glistening with tears. She pulled him closer, gently kissed his forehead, and then held him tightly in her arms.

"Thank you!" she whispered. Her second senior brother had made the same vow before, and back then she could readily say, "Me too!" But now, besides "thank you!" she didn't know how else to respond. She no longer had the right to make the same vow to anyone. It wasn't regret, nor was she blaming herself now that she was in this situation. It was just that seeing his humility and hearing such a vow always stirred a sense of indebtedness towards him and the other senior brothers. This faint feeling lingered in her heart, occasionally surfacing as a moral accusation.

Suddenly, she missed her second senior brother terribly. She didn't know why, but hearing such a similar vow filled her mind with his words, "No need, no need for that." The longing suddenly became so intense, suffocating her.

"I want to take a bath. Can you carry me there?" she said.

"Okay!" He nodded, skillfully lifting her up by the waist. Neither of them noticed the embroidered shoes still on the ground.

When they first moved in, Pei Xiaolei had a small mud hut, several meters wide, built next to the kitchen, with high-quality waterproof bricks and mortar on the floor, specifically for bathing. After the house was renovated, this bathroom was also improved, most notably by replacing the small buckets used for holding water with a large wooden tub that could accommodate two people.

The tub was now full of hot water, with wisps of white steam rising from it.

Pei Xiaolei checked the temperature; it was just right. She then told Xingwen to put her down, rejected his treacherous intentions, and sent him away. She picked up a wooden and bristle toothbrush from a stool next to the large wooden tub, dipped it in herbal powder, and brushed her teeth. She then rinsed her mouth twice with two cups of salt water and clean water from the stool. Afterward, she undressed, stepped into the tub, scooped up a handful of hot water, and splashed it on her face. The warm water washed away her weariness. She sighed softly, lay back in the water, stretched out her limbs, and completely immersed herself in the hot water, letting the warm current wash away the sweat and the thick, white discharge from her lower body.

As she relaxed, her mind cleared. She gently pressed her hands to her chest. For some reason, when she thought of her second senior brother earlier, her heart suddenly began to ache.

"It's been too long!" she couldn't help but mutter to herself. Half a year has passed since she left the manor, and her second senior brother still hasn't come to reunite with her. Is he truly held back by his cousin, or is there another reason? Back in the manor, to protect her health, even when he had to leave to gather herbs or treat patients, he never left her side for more than half a year. At first, he replied to every letter she sent, but later his replies became intermittent, until he completely lost contact with her in the Chu Kingdom. She couldn't help but ask her eldest senior brother, who was taken aback and quite surprised. He immediately dispatched two of his best horsemen, Black Knights, to his villa to find him. However, the distance was vast, and before the messengers could return with news, she and Xingwen had already ended up here.

"It's time to go back!" she sighed deeply. Now that Xingwen was better, her and his willfulness should end.

She got out of the hot water, dried herself, changed into a clean robe, her waist-length hair cascading down her shoulders, and put on a pair of wooden clogs for the bathroom. She pushed open the door and went outside.

Their new house had two bedrooms and a living room, plus a kitchen, bathroom, and a courtyard twice the size of the original. It wasn't very large, but it was more than enough for the two of them. Beyond the bathroom was the main hall. In the center of the hall stood a round wooden table that could be stacked. This table, usually only used for meals, was now laden with seven or eight small dishes of various sizes, each one exquisitely presented.

Xingwen, who was busy at the table, immediately greeted her with a beaming smile upon seeing her, pulling her to a seat in the main seat and sitting down beside her with a smile.

"You made this?" Pei Xiaolei asked him incredulously. She had never known her junior brother possessed such talent.

"Hmm, why don't you try it and see how it tastes?" He said, picking up a piece of chicken and putting it in her mouth.

Pei Xiaolei opened her mouth and bit down, chewing slowly. As Xingwen looked on expectantly, her surprise gradually turned into astonishment.

"It tastes excellent! Junior brother, when did you secretly learn cooking skills without telling everyone?" After her initial exclamation, she teased him with a smile, reaching for the bowl and chopsticks to eat herself.

Xingwen insisted on doing it for her, looking very enthusiastic, not giving her a chance to refuse. He then put a small piece of tofu into her mouth before she answered with a shy smile, "When I was little, I was greedy and often followed my senior sister and Ruomei around begging for food. I also watched them cook. Later, when I went to Chu, I couldn't get used to their food for the first two months. After going hungry for a few days, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I simply asked Uncle Zhao to borrow the kitchen from the inn. Relying on my past memories, I tried to cook myself. I didn't expect that after a few tries, I would actually do quite well!"

She looked at the shallow dimples that appeared on his face and couldn't help but pinch them, praising him, "You! You're really amazing. Your skills are almost as good as Ruomei's!" She recalled his greedy appearance as a child and imagined the mess he might make when he first cooked, facing a pile of pots and pans. A Stephen Chow-like humor crept into her mind. She chuckled, finding it utterly hilarious, and couldn't help but grin.

Her self-amusement made Xingwen blush, and he quickly lowered his long eyelashes, picking up a bowl, chopsticks, and spoon as if to scoop out some rice porridge.

It was difficult to tell her that he had spent over a decade practicing martial arts and wielding a knife, only to use his skills on acupressure on chickens and gutting and scaling fish. His first time cooking, his clumsy attempts nearly burned down the kitchen, and he was puzzled for a long time afterward. He had followed every step from memory, so how could it have turned out like this? After much thought, he still couldn't understand, so he obediently wrote a letter to Ruomei, who lived far away at the mountain villa, repeatedly instructing her not to tell anyone else. Half a month later, Ruomei sent him a cookbook, a detailed cooking guide, and a complete set of kitchen utensils.

Later, after passing the imperial examination with top honors and acquiring his own house, he spent all his free time in the kitchen battling with the various birds and beasts in the kitchen. Over time, his culinary skills improved dramatically, even earning praise from the royal chef of Chu, whom he had secretly invited to his residence for instruction. His diligent, secret learning stemmed from a hidden ambition: he always hoped that one day he could personally cook a meal for that incredibly picky young lady. If winning a man's heart starts with his stomach, then conversely, to win over an extremely picky woman, wouldn't it be equally important to focus on satisfying her appetite?

He scooped a spoonful of thin meat porridge into Pei Xiaolei's mouth, watching her swallow it with great relish, then licking her lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction. The feeling of contentment that welled up within him almost overwhelmed him; cooking for the person he loved was, after all, such a blissful experience.

Two bowls of meat porridge were quickly devoured. Pei Xiaolei stopped Xingwen from getting a third bowl. She patted her belly, pitifully indicating that she was already full and couldn't eat anymore. Then she started to serve him food, urging him to eat more, but he smiled and replied that he had already eaten. She was taken aback, looking down at the exquisite food on the table. He must have spent a lot of time and effort to make such delicate dishes with such simple tools and ingredients. Unlike her, who slept until almost noon and had been up working since, he had naturally already eaten.

She silently watched his back as he moved between the kitchen and the main hall, busily clearing away the dishes and leftovers. Suddenly, she thought that the so-called "new good man" often praised in the 21st century was probably just like Xingwen!

While he was washing the dishes in the kitchen, she took a sip of tea, rinsed her mouth, stood up, folded the table, and leaned it against the wall. She turned around to go into her room to change. She was now completely naked except for a light jacket.

Xingwen moved quickly; before she even reached the inner room, he suddenly hugged her from behind.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't want to be too far from you!" He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck.

"Stop it, it tickles!" she said, reaching out to pull his hands away. They tussled for a while, but he didn't pull his hands away. Instead, her clothes were pulled down halfway, the collar hanging loosely over her shoulders, revealing her smooth, white skin and her shapely breasts.

"Stop it, really! Aren't there classes at school today? The children will be here!" A hand, freshly washed, slipped inside her loosened collar, its cool touch resting on her breast. In her panic, she made up a flimsy excuse.

"No, I gave them ten days off. We're in a remote area, on a hillside, so it's usually sparsely populated. No one would want to spoil the mood and bother us now. Don't worry, okay?" His answer was perfectly satisfactory, leaving her no way out. His beard seemed unkempt today, brushing against the back of her ear, a little stinging.

"Ten days?" No way, her voice involuntarily rose. Then she suddenly felt a chill; another man's large, icy hand lifted her shirt and slipped inside her from behind, covering her private parts tightly. It skillfully parted her labia, fingers pinching her deep red vulva, the pads pressing against her smooth, transparent clitoris, gently and repeatedly rubbing and pressing back and forth. One finger wandered around the entrance of her vagina, but didn't penetrate. He merely covered the entrance to her rosy vulva, his movements incredibly provocative, slowly caressing and rubbing. Sometimes, he would cruelly and gently trace circles around it, or like playing the piano, his fingers would lightly and softly tap on her parted vulva, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. This tingling, itchy sensation, seemingly through the skin, seeped into her bones, making her involuntarily twist her body, seemingly both welcoming and trying to escape. He, however, seemed in no hurry to conquer her immediately. Whether above or below, his strength and movements were very gentle, as if he were patiently and slowly arousing her desire.

"Mmm!" A stronger and clearer strange sensation began to come from her vulva. A familiar emptiness slowly spread from the engorged redness. She sighed, her body trembling slightly involuntarily. Her legs wobbled a few times, then she suddenly squeezed them together, tightly clamping his wandering hands.

"Be serious, I have something to tell you, um... wait a minute!" Pei Xiaolei let out a soft moan, pressing down on the two wild hands that were roaming over her body.

"Can't wait any longer!" He chuckled, whispering in her ear, continuing very softly, "With a beautiful wife at home, one's lustful thoughts arise after a good meal. I'm being very serious!" With that, his large hand, which was trapped between her legs, moved slightly, his index and middle fingers inserted shallowly into her still slightly swollen body from last night's lovemaking. The sudden insertion of a foreign object into her narrow passage, the cool touch of his fingers gently stimulating the moist, swollen walls of her passage, caused the engorged muscles to contract and relax.

"Ah..." Her body arched back, her legs involuntarily opening, her lower abdomen gently contracting, her passage tightly gripping his two fingers, trying to absorb their coolness to soothe the heat that was slowly rising within her.

He, greatly stimulated and encouraged by her moans and the honest reaction of her body, pressed his thumb against her clitoris, rubbing it gently before pressing down hard. With a high-pitched scream from Pei Xiaolei, his index and middle fingers plunged deeply into her body, rotating and sliding along the folds of her vagina, the movements deep and varied in rhythm.

"Ugh...ha!" Pei Xiaolei felt a tingling sensation inside her, her body jerked upright, she screamed, and then her legs went weak. Almost simultaneously, his large hand, which had been on her breasts, lifted down, grabbing her slender waist and stabilizing her while simultaneously tearing open her coat.

A chill ran through her body, and she regained some consciousness. Ignoring her clothes lying on the ground, she immediately grabbed the wall just a step away, steadying her sliding body. The person supporting her waist released their grip once she regained her footing. She heard the soft rustling of clothes behind her. She tried to turn around, but the two fingers inside her suddenly increased their speed, thrusting into her with an astonishing frequency. A familiar yet strange sensation surged forth the moment she was penetrated. Her legs, unable to bear it, began to cross and try to close. In that instant, Xingwen lifted one leg from behind, bending it forward and placing it on a one-meter-high bench against the wall. Her slender waist was still held by the man, but unlike before, a hot, erect steel rod was pressed against her buttocks, slapping against them with each movement.

His fingers moved faster and faster, more and more violently. Just when she thought she was about to reach climax at this pace, he suddenly withdrew, completely withdrawing from her body amidst her increasingly rapid breathing. Clear, viscous fluid flowed from her still-open, rosy vaginal opening, sliding down her inner thighs. The swollen entrance opened and closed like a small mouth, waiting for its next meal.

This emptiness didn't last long. She felt her body tremble as her buttocks were spread open, and a huge male object with a raised red snake head slowly entered from behind, filling her wet, swollen mouth inch by inch, leaving no gap. The hard object, thicker and longer than a finger, thrust all the way in, its raised tip almost reaching her cervix.

She bent over, gripping the wall even tighter with both hands, her eyes closed. With each thrust, she took a deep breath, her heart pounding as if it already knew the storm to come, how fierce it would be. Her muscles contracted in waves, as if struggling to adapt to the massive intrusion, or perhaps excitedly swallowing food.

"I love you!" he said, then quickly withdrew, followed by a deeper thrust, the sounds of their bodies colliding filling the air as he plunged deep into her, then began to pump violently.

"Ah...uh...ah..." She shuddered, tilting her head back, then slumped down, her hands pressed tightly against the wall, supporting her body as the thrusts grew faster and deeper.

She couldn't see his face, only his heavy, animalistic breathing, and felt his arms around her waist, growing increasingly warm. Her body was completely filled by him, her vaginal canal contracting more rapidly with each thrust, swallowing more greedily with each entry. The stimulation this brought to the man was fatal. She didn't need to see his expression; his erection, the bulging veins, the trembling member conveyed his excitement and joy with every entry. Sex

between men and women brings them closer than just physically.

He half-flipped her over, letting her continue to caress the wall with one hand while the other wrapped around his neck. He lifted her legs, which were bent on the wooden stool, and used his elbow to lift the inside of her knees, half-lifting her body.

This position was bold and novel; her body was completely exposed, standing on one side with limbs outstretched, her entire body fully stretched out. In broad daylight, in this position, standing in the hall, even though he was the only audience, she felt a mixture of curiosity and anticipation, yet her thin skin still made her feel a little shy. Her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head.

Unfortunately, his actions didn't allow her to escape. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers, his long tongue rolling into her mouth as his hard, long member thrust upwards, slanting into her body and slamming in again. Different angles, different stimulations. Her high-pitched, excited moans burst forth, only to be immediately swallowed by his mouth. He was devouring her lips and tongue, and she was devouring his hardness and madness. There were no words, only their bodies intertwined, their breathing growing heavier, and the gurgling sound of fluids hitting each other as they swallowed.

It's been a long time! She squinted, gazing at the man before her with a bewildered look. This man, maintaining such a difficult standing sideways position, inside her tight, narrow, and warm body, yet still possessing an astonishing curvature and hardness, thrusting and pounding her until she was almost out of her mind—was this really the same Xingwen from last night, the one who knew nothing? It's only been one night, after all!

"Ugh... haha, no... slower, ah..." She trembled, pleading with this unrestrained junior brother, her voice a mixture of sobs and soft pleas.

It wasn't enough! He had already possessed her for a whole night, yet why did her body still feel so empty and thirsty? Her pleasurable moans, her high-pitched screams, the clear fluid gushing from her body... her smooth, white body was like an addiction she couldn't break. Once touched, she was forever intoxicated, endlessly seeking more.

He turned her nearly limp body, withdrew his penis, adjusted his position, and wrapped one of her legs around his waist. With one hand on her buttocks, and amidst her slight trembling, he raised his longsword, still covered in her sticky fluids, and aimed it at the mysterious black hole that drove him mad. He thrust it in fiercely. As expected, her vaginal muscles squeezed in, each inch deeper, the flesh walls pressing and squeezing him more tightly. The surrounding bulging, wrinkled walls felt like a mouth sucking and biting him, the warm, moist interior slowly engulfing and embracing him, as if trying to melt him into its body. He could feel her every tremor, her pleasure, her pain, her struggle… Finally, all these emotions that pushed her to climax would melt into a single cry.

“Xingwen!” Her voice, dazed, sometimes soft, sometimes heavy, sometimes high, sometimes low, always struck him directly in the heart.

"Xiaolei, I love you, I really love you, so much!" One penis withdrew, the other thrust in, striking her sensitive spot with a short, sharp scream. Her body shuddered, engulfing her passage, the walls of her vagina contracting rapidly, her breathing becoming increasingly erratic.

"Do you love me?" In this rapid contraction, he almost uncontrollably forced his way into her wet, burning body, thrusting forcefully and aggressively into her sensitive spot.

The answer he received was a sharp, short "Ah... stop... stop!" An indescribable throbbing surged from his thrusts, wave after wave of climax washing over her, from head to toe, nothing was spared, all were drowning in this unbridled pleasure.

"Do you love me?" he asked again, lifting her hips with both hands, suddenly lifting her completely off the ground.

With a scream, she was lifted into the air, her legs instinctively wrapping around his narrow waist, her arms tightly gripping his neck to prevent herself from falling. Her still-forced, tightly-nibbling member was suddenly lifted high, then slammed down, and then, from the brown tip already pulled back to the entrance of her passage, it was thrust in forcefully, hard, striking that maddening spot.

"Ugh...no more, Xingwen, no more, quick, ahh...stop!" Her whole body was burning hot, her alluring rosy skin glistening, her lower body contracting and relaxing rapidly, her entire body trembling and convulsing. She couldn't take it anymore; her heart felt like it was about to explode.

"Do you love me?" A loud shout followed by a violent thrust jolted Pei Xiaolei, who had been immersed in lovemaking and almost deafened, back to her senses.

“Love! I… ah… I love you! Mmm… slow… slow down… ah, sob sob…” With his thrusts, she answered loudly, her expression dazed, her intermittent sobs and meaningless moans reaching Xingwen’s ears.

“Ugh…” As soon as she finished speaking, he groaned, his hands pressing down on her fair buttocks, his large, hard penis plunging deep into her passage. Then, his narrow buttocks jerked upwards a few times, and amidst her short, panicked moans, several streams of hot, white, cloudy fluid shot straight into her uterus.

Half an hour later, they remained in the position of their orgasm, only some clear fluid overflowing from their joined genitals, dripping down their testicles and pubic hair onto the ground.

“You, put me down first!” Pei Xiaolei said unsteadily, her hoarse voice trembling.

“Okay!” Xingwen nodded, withdrawing his penis, which, even after ejaculating, was still harder than an average man’s erection.

"Polonium!" A clear cupping sound rang out, followed by a stream of milky white fluid flowing from Pei Xiaolei's swollen vaginal opening. Xingwen looked down, his brows furrowing. He quickly scooped Pei Xiaolei, who had just landed, up in his arms again, one hand covering her private parts, two fingers blocking her swollen, sticky vaginal opening, preventing any more of his semen from leaking out.

"Xingwen, I'm tired, I really can't go on!" Pei Xiaolei had witnessed Xingwen's astonishing learning ability and terrifying stamina today. Seeing him becoming unruly again, she immediately slapped his hand, feigning weakness and pleading softly.

"I know!" He lowered his head and kissed her luscious lips, his hand on a certain spot showing no intention of removing it, but instead pressing even tighter.

Seeing this, she felt a pang of embarrassment. While enduring his deep kiss, her lower body continued to suffer his sexual harassment. Um, how did he find out? They

entered the bridal chamber and got into the wedding bed. Fortunately, he was quite understanding and considerate, and didn't continue to torment her. However, he somehow produced two soft goose-feather pillows, one for her waist and hips, and the other for her to place her feet. Although Pei Xiaolei didn't know why he was doing this, she didn't refuse. Actually, having a soft goose-feather pillow under her waist, hips, and legs was quite comfortable!

Xingwen didn't explain anything to her; he simply covered her with the blanket, pulled her close, and fell asleep, seemingly very tired.

This nap lasted until late afternoon when Pei Xiaolei woke up. Xingwen was still asleep beside her, his hand tightly around her waist, as if he had her entirely within his protective circle.

She tried to sit up, but suddenly her waist tightened, and she was pulled back onto the bed, resting her head on his arm again.

She smiled, feeling warm inside, and liked his occasional domineering side. Her voice was sweet as she said, "You're awake!"

His long, thick eyelashes fluttered, and he looked at her with his bright eyes, smiling gently. They were standing very close, her hand against his chest, feeling his steady, strong heartbeat.

"Xingwen!" she said, lifting herself up from his arm and looking down at him. "In two days, the merchants who went out to visit will be back, and we should leave."

Xingwen stiffened, staring into her eyes. His

tone was decisive, not a suggestion, but an announcement! So, she knew. From his exaggeration of his illness to his plot with the villagers to force her into marriage. She knew everything!

He silently closed his eyes, quickly concealing the complex emotions within them. When he opened them again, only clarity remained in his eyes.

He said, "Okay!"

"These past two months have been very happy!" she whispered, nestling into his arms.

He shifted his weight, pinning her beneath him, his voice tinged with urgency as he asked, "Really? You're really... happy?"

She smiled and nodded, her every smile and gesture radiating charm after their lovemaking.

"From now on, no matter where we are, I'll do everything I can to make you happier!" he promised, then bent down and precisely bit her breast, one hand grasping and kneading the other, shaping it into various forms. His other hand expertly slipped between her wet, warm legs.

"Mmm..." With his caresses, her body arched, letting out a low moan, her legs cooperatively spreading open, placing him completely before her wide-open private parts. This simple rural life only lasted a few days; let him do as he pleased.

But...

"Mmm... there... Xingwen... no... don't... ah... haha... a little gentler, oh... ooh..."

These past few days, it seemed he wanted to use up all the previous and remaining pleasures at once, completely disregarding the occasion, time, and position, his lovemaking increasingly intense with each thrust, as if trying to merge her into his own flesh and blood, so fierce, so obsessive... Three days after

the upheaval

, the merchant caravan that had gone shopping on behalf of the entire village returned. The group of twelve, with four carts of goods, caused a stir throughout the village. Even Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei, who had stayed home in the remote area for the past few days, were alarmed. After

unloading the goods and resting for a day... On the fourth day, the leader of the merchant group, representing everyone on their journey, set out a table and chairs early in the morning, carrying a large folding fan, and sat imposingly in the central square of the village. He was ready to tell the villagers gathered around him about the sights and interesting things they had seen and heard on their journey, as well as current events in other countries.

Because the village was located in a remote mountainous area, surrounded by many towering and treacherous cliffs, travel was extremely inconvenient, and the villagers were almost completely isolated from the outside world. However, this did not mean that they were a group of people who were oblivious to the outside world and focused solely on farming. On the contrary, perhaps it was precisely because this place was untouched by the storms of the outside world, peaceful and stable like a paradise, that the villagers were filled with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge about the outside world. They did not want to be left behind by the times, so every six months they would organize the young and middle-aged men of the village into a merchant group, led by an experienced middle-aged merchant, to sell local specialties or handicrafts and exchange them for goods that the village lacked. Besides shopping, those traveling had another important task: to gather information about the outside world and local customs, which they would then recount to the villagers upon their return.

Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei had brought out stools early in the morning, and after greeting the surrounding villagers, they sat down in the front row.

The leader of the merchant group, surnamed Lü Lin, was a dark-skinned, thin man with a shrewd face; he was Ya Mei's husband. He was very grateful to Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen for risking their lives to save his wife. He had prepared a large amount of thank-you gifts, intending to personally express his gratitude with his wife after his speech today! Now, unexpectedly, he was meeting them here beforehand. It was said that the young couple were very much in love; since their wedding banquet, they hadn't been seen leaving their home.

Overjoyed, Lü Lin, without thinking twice, and together with Ya Mei, pulled the two of them aside, stuffing them with many festive gifts, startling Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei. Unable to refuse the enthusiastic couple's advances, the two could only pick two small trinkets from the pile of gifts to keep, but firmly declined the other large and lavish gifts offered. They also expressed their hope that the couple could be taken along on their next journey down the mountain. This request was naturally met with a very warm response from Lü Lin.

The autumn harvest had just ended, and it was the off-season for farming. A large group of villagers, young and old, with nothing to do, gathered in the square to listen to stories. Hundreds of people sat together, a truly impressive sight.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Lü Lin slammed his folding fan on the table and began his storytelling, nodding and gesturing wildly.

He started by recounting his travels and the customs of the places he had visited, occasionally interspersing anecdotes about the young men in his trade, which drew laughter from everyone for over half an hour. Finally, he explained why, despite the soaring prices outside, he had personally paid extra to buy an extra cartload of daily necessities to bring back to the village.

After laughing for over an hour, Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen finally got the news they most wanted to know from him.

Once the laughter subsided, suddenly, with a loud bang, Lü Lin slammed his large folding fan on the table, stood up, and, half-bowing, lowered his voice, saying in a low voice, "The world outside has changed! Chu and Qin have gone to war!"

What? War? Pei Xiaolei was stunned, and she and Xingwen exchanged glances, clearly both shocked!

"These two great powers have been at peace for over a hundred years, how could they suddenly start fighting?" An audience member immediately raised the question on behalf of everyone.

Lü Lin shook his head, seemingly prepared for this. He took the tea his wife brought him, drank half a pot, cleared his throat, and then sat down again. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on him, each face filled with curiosity.

"Because! The eldest son of the previous Chu emperor, Emperor Taizong, Prince Cheng, and his second son, Prince Guo, joined forces to rebel and usurp the throne." After their defeat, Prince Cheng was ambushed and killed on the spot, while Prince Guo, while being escorted back to the capital for questioning, escaped and fled to the Qin state with ten thousand of his former personal guards. The Chu pursuers reached the border between Qin and Chu, demanding that Qin hand over the traitors. However, Qin not only ignored them but also joined forces with Prince Guo to annihilate the Chu pursuers and capture several Chu border fortresses. It is said that none of the more than thirty thousand Chu pursuers survived; they were all slaughtered, and the blood stained the Dongjiang River red!

"Hiss..." The villagers gasped. They had all heard that the Dongjiang River was the largest river in the entire Central Plains, with thousands of tributaries flowing through almost all the states. If even the Dongjiang River was stained red, how much blood must have been shed!

"And then?" a bold villager continued to ask.

"And then!" The Chu Emperor was naturally furious. He immediately appointed Marquis Xinpin, Tang Yiren, as Grand General and posthumously appointed his eldest son, Tang Huo, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, as Deputy General to lead the vanguard with 200,000 elite troops, pressing directly towards the border between Chu and Qin. Qin Hong, the eldest prince of Qin, known for his bloodthirstiness, led his troops to meet the enemy. The two armies clashed fiercely! Qin Hong was a man who established his authority through force and enjoyed killing. The Qin army had been preparing at the border for a long time, awaiting the arrival of the Chu army. He also possessed confidential information on the military deployments of various parts of Chu brought by Prince Guo, giving him a significant advantage. He thought this would be another war where he could slaughter his enemies. However, Tang Huo was no ordinary man either. He was not only a brilliant strategist but also led from the front, never retreating from the battlefield. They managed to turn the tide of battle, and the two armies fought fiercely for over half a month. The Chu army finally forced the Qin army back more than a hundred li, driving them out of Chu's borders. Just as Chu was preparing for a nationwide celebration, Tang Huo was found dead on the battlefield. "Alas, what a pity that such a valiant man, who stood tall even after being struck by dozens of arrows, is gone just like that." Sighs

rose and fell in the square. Someone asked, "Since Tang Huo is dead, what about Qin Hong, the ruthless killer? Did he just leave like that?"

"Leave my foot! As soon as Tang Huo died, he immediately led his army back along the same route, vowing to dig up Tang Huo's body, grind his bones to dust, and bury him alive! He was filled with murderous intent all the way. Later, the old emperor of Qin suddenly received news of his critical illness, forcing him to withdraw his troops and rush back home. However, he also left a harsh vow: he would return within six months to avenge his defeat."

"That's why you were in such a hurry to go down the mountain to buy goods this time!" Three days later, some people expressed understanding for Lü Lin's hasty decision to go down the mountain again to purchase supplies.

Lü Lin nodded and sighed, "There's no other way. If Qin and Chu really go to war, the world won't be stable for at least three to five years. It's better for us to stay home as much as possible then! It's always good to stock up on supplies now!"

Everyone agreed, nodding in agreement.

"Tang Huo is dead. His father must be heartbroken to see his son die!" Considering that no matter how much Qin and Chu fought, they wouldn't reach their remote mountain village, some of the village elders were more concerned about Tang Yiren, who had lost his son.

"Speaking of this..." Lü Lin's expression was strange. He glanced at the men, women, and children around him, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to drop another bombshell. "No matter how sad Tang Yiren was, he couldn't have been as heartbroken and deranged as the Emperor of Chu. When Tang Huo's coffin was brought back to the Chu capital, the Emperor of Chu led all the civil and military officials on a thirty-mile pilgrimage to kneel and welcome it. Upon seeing the coffin, he lost control of his emotions, publicly stroking it and wailing. In the end, he completely disregarded everyone's objections and insisted on moving Tang Huo's coffin into the ancestral temple, treating it with the same honors as an emperor and empress.

And that wasn't all. The Emperor of Chu actually locked himself in the ancestral temple, holding Tang Huo's body, in front of everyone, refusing to eat or drink, and refusing to come out. This terrified the royal family, nobles, and all the civil and military officials. No matter how great Tang Huo's merits and demerits were, and no matter how much the Emperor of Chu favored his ministers, it wouldn't have been..." Such a disruption of moral order! It's said that, in an attempt to dissuade the emperor, some ministers even committed suicide by crashing their bodies against a pillar outside the ancestral temple. Unfortunately, no matter how much the people outside fussed, the emperor inside remained unmoved.

Four days later, the Chu emperor suddenly emerged, disheveled and filthy. It's said that Tang Huo's body was already stinking; the stench could be smelled dozens of meters away when the door opened. Yet, the Chu emperor didn't even flinch, simply issuing an imperial edict, closing the door, and locking himself back inside. When the ministers saw the edict and decided to commit the treasonous act of crashing into the door to remonstrate, they discovered the room was empty. The Chu emperor had already left with Tang Huo's body.

Lu Lin paused here, and the surrounding villagers, whether they understood or not, fell silent for a few seconds. Then, the entire square erupted in chaos, with all sorts of accusations and rumors circulating: homosexuality, homosexuality, sharing a peach, rabbit, husband, forbidden love… Whether expressing sympathy or discrimination, the crowd went on and on, creating quite a commotion. Lu Lin shouted for silence, banging on his folding fan, but he couldn't quell everyone's rich imagination and astonishing enthusiasm for gossip.

Finally, Xingwen managed to stabilize the situation and continued to press, "So what exactly did the Chu Emperor's edict say?"

Lü Lin nodded gratefully, tapped his folding fan, and finally managed to finish this absurd story: "The Chu Emperor's edict stated two things. First, he deposed Imperial Concubine Ye Yufu and Crown Prince Chu Yan, demoting them both to commoners. Second, he welcomed the Fourth Prince—Chu Ziheng (Tang Heng)—who had been fostered in the Xinpin Marquis's residence, back to the capital to acknowledge his ancestors, and bestowed upon him the Imperial Seal, establishing him as the new Emperor of Chu."

Before he could finish speaking, someone impatiently interrupted, asking, "What happened to the Imperial Concubine and the Crown Prince afterward? Were they really just driven away like that?" Everyone believed that the woman in the legend, renowned for her beauty, who had climbed her way up from a courtesan to become the most powerful woman in Chu, would never simply relinquish the throne she had obtained.

However, they were all wrong. Lü Lin poured cold water on their enthusiasm for palace intrigue dramas, completely extinguishing their fervent hopes.

"After receiving the imperial decree, Imperial Noble Consort Ye Yufu said nothing. She immediately packed her bags, took her son and a maidservant, and left without looking back. It's said that when the new emperor found out, he personally led troops to search for them for over a hundred miles to intercept them, but the Imperial Noble Consort, the Crown Prince, and the maidservant seemed to have vanished into thin air. No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find them."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers found this answer far more interesting and fantastical than the usual vulgar palace intrigue stories. So, they immediately began to quietly fabricate their own tales, and the square began to chatter noisily again.

Lü Lin, however, didn't call for quiet this time. Instead, he crossed his legs and leisurely sipped his tea, seemingly having already recounted most of what he had witnessed.

Pei Xiaolei, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked him, "What about the Number One Manor under Heaven? Has there been any movement?" Her voice wasn't loud, but Lü Lin could hear it clearly amidst the noise.

He propped his head up and thought for a moment before saying, "It seems like we haven't heard much about anything happening at the Number One Manor under Heaven. Even when the war between Qin and Chu was at its fiercest, the Pei family army just stood by and watched from the sidelines. It seems like nothing unusual has come out!"

Pei Xiaolei frowned,

her brows furrowing. At this time, the lack of unusual activity in the manor was the biggest unusual thing of all! On the way back, she and Xingwen held hands, both silent. No one could have imagined that in just over two months, the outside world had changed so drastically.

She sighed inwardly, never expecting that Tang Huo would choose such a tragic way to end his life. Such a proud man, perhaps only 'dying on the battlefield, his body wrapped in a horse' was truly the most suitable for him. And Chu Wenyin, the emperor who had always been considered a wise ruler by the outside world, ultimately used such a shocking way to announce his feelings to the whole world. She wasn't worried about Ye Yufu and the other two; with their abilities, the two sisters should be able to return to the manor safely. But Tang Heng, that simple little brat, had suddenly been thrust into the center of power, becoming the emperor of Chu, the largest country in the Central Plains. After the trials of court politics and intrigue, even if they met again, she feared she would never see that same expression on his face as Liu Chen's.

Ha… life is unpredictable! She had actually picked up an emperor!

03-07

Affection (Part 2) & Descending the Mountain

"Hmph, hmph, hmph…" Xingwen's Adam's apple bobbed incessantly, the suppressed sounds escaping from his throat. His movements became increasingly rapid and intense. Even inside her wet, mysterious passage, his muscular manhood refused to lower its proud head, the engorged, red tip thrusting in with increasing curvature and hardness. Her secret passage was hot, narrow yet irresistibly alluring, each thrust sending shivers of excitement through his body.

The moans beneath her had unconsciously morphed into low sobs; her body temperature was no less than his, her skin trembling slightly, flushed and sweaty, alluring and seductive. Washed by waves of pleasure, her body arched unceremoniously towards him, and with each thrust of his penis, a sticky fluid gushed from her body, slowly splitting into two thin streams that slid down her thighs and groin, some dripping onto the table edge, soaking a patch. Some dripped onto the floor, following the veins of his throbbing penis.

"Mmm...ah..." His hands tightened around her slender waist, and a hoarse, deep growl escaped his throat. Then, his firm hips and waist suddenly thrust forward wildly. After several deep and frenzied penetrations, his waist jerked violently, and several streams of hot, thick white fluid shot into her uterus, burning her all over. Rapid spasms began deep within her passage and slowly spread throughout her body.

"Ugh...ugh..." She couldn't help but sob softly. Her swollen private parts had endured his frenzied attacks again and again, and her chest also had to bear the weight of a tall boy. No matter how you looked at it, she was the one who had suffered. But he showed no mercy. After a fierce release, he collapsed heavily on top of her. Their rapid heartbeats mingled through their skin, their heavy breathing rising and falling, their damp sweat mingling together.

Xingwen remained inside her burning body, her vaginal canal contracting rapidly, greedily devouring the foreign object that had invaded her, showing no mercy even as he released. Although her body was utterly exhausted.

"Mmm...so heavy, Xingwen, get up!" After being pressed down like this for a while, Pei Xiaolei finally managed to pull her hands free from him, her voice hoarse as she pushed him away.

The man on top of her only slowly rose after being pushed twice, but he didn't completely dislodge her. He simply propped himself up on his arms, his hands on the table, his desire still deeply buried within her, showing no intention of retreating. Instead, the movement of his upper body pushed his lower body even deeper into her warm, wet body, eliciting another soft sigh from Pei Xiaolei.

"Xiaolei, you're so beautiful!" He looked down at her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

Pei Xiaolei smiled slightly at him, her eyes like autumn waters as she looked back at him. Her cheeks, flushed with love, shone brightly, captivating his heart.

He lowered his head to kiss her, but she playfully dodged. Unwilling to leave empty-handed, his thin lips followed her evasive movements, landing on her temples and licking her earlobe. She was tickled, but had nowhere to escape; she couldn't push him away, nor could she resist him. She could only giggle.

Xingwen, who was always interrupted by her playful banter, was at his wit's end. He simply let her laugh, he kissed, and they went about their own business.

At their point of contact, the temperature slowly rose again. He regained his strength inside her, slowly becoming hard and erect once more. She hummed softly, slightly shifting her body, clearly noticing his change.

He moved very slowly, incredibly gently, slowly pushing and withdrawing from her slippery, intimate place, completely devoid of his previous arrogance.

"Hmm, not here! Let's go back inside!" Pei Xiaolei understood his intentions and knew he wouldn't stop anytime soon, so she simply asked to change to a more comfortable environment. Although this position and background were quite novel and exciting, her back was still sore from rubbing against the wooden table.

"Okay!" He smiled at her, readily agreeing. He had clearly seen the red marks on the back of her hand from rubbing against the table when she raised her hand earlier.

In this position, he lifted her off the table with both hands, letting her legs wrap around his waist. He supported her buttocks with both hands, like holding a child, and pressed her against him. Their lower bodies remained tightly connected, without any separation.

With this lift, embrace, and press, he was sensitive, and so was she.

She had only taken a few steps when her body suddenly arched upwards, her lower abdomen heaving violently. Her arms, wrapped tightly around his neck, gripped him so tightly he could barely breathe. Her pearly teeth pressed against his shoulder, enduring the sudden thrust from her lower body while simultaneously biting down hard on his sweaty muscles in a fit of rage. A low, suppressed moan escaped from between her teeth, hoarse and suggestive.

He hadn't meant to, but this embrace, this movement of her body—every lift of her foot, every pull of her leg—was a fatal temptation to him. Waves of stimulation plunged into his heart, leaving him no room for hesitation. He felt his blood boiling, almost bursting, while her vaginal canal pressed in from all sides like a wall of fire, so narrow it seemed to want to crush and devour him.

Suddenly, a deep, forceful thrust, his swollen, thick member erupting amidst her rapid contractions, hot, milky-white semen spraying onto her flesh, a terrifyingly searing sight. Pei Xiaolei tilted her head back, letting out a short, high-pitched gasp. Her body stiffened, then slumped weakly against his shoulder, her skin flushed and burning, trembling uncontrollably. A hot tear slid down her cheek.

Xingwen thrust his hips forward, penetrating her even deeper into her tear-streaked body, stopping only at the very depths. He panted heavily, ignoring the bloodied muscles on his shoulder from her bites. He pulled her closer, pressing her down, his brow furrowed, suppressing a new surge of desire within him. He strode into the inner room…

Three more days passed, and before he knew it, it was time to part again.

A large crowd came to see them off, densely packed at the village entrance. Although the caravan's descent from the mountain was somewhat hastily arranged, considering this might be the village's last trip down the mountain to shop and stock up in recent years, the eight carriages, though mostly empty and lacking much to exchange for goods, were still confident, carrying a considerable sum of money scraped together by the villagers.

Besides Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen, the group included about a dozen strong men and young lads, a total of over thirty people—almost the village's most productive force. Each carried a short sword for self-defense, dressed in sleek, imposing figures, making for a formidable and impressive procession.

Auntie San, with tears in her eyes, handed them large bundles, saying they were cotton-padded clothes for them, and earnestly urged them to be careful on the journey. As Pei Xiaolei listened, her heart ached. Ever since she and Xingwen fell on hard times, her aunt and the village chief had always been exceptionally kind and caring towards them, showering them with warmth and concern.

"Aunt, you and the village chief must take care of yourselves!" she cried, hugging her aunt tightly, her voice slightly choked with emotion.

Her aunt patted her back, saying "Silly child," and secretly wiped away her own tears.

The men, unlike the women, didn't cry so easily. The village chief patted Xingwen's shoulder, simply saying "Take care," before letting him go to say goodbye to his students. A group of about ten children, each holding a handwritten book Xingwen had given them, were still not satisfied and clamored for him to hug them. Xingwen couldn't resist them, so he hugged them all, two in each arm. Unlike the somber mood among the women, the men were laughing and joking.

As they began their descent down the mountain, Pei Xiaolei truly realized just how remote and secluded their hidden village was. The mountain road was not only rugged and difficult to traverse, but also steeply winding and sloping. The only saving grace was its relatively smooth surface. The road was very narrow; their small carriages could only barely hug the rock face as they cautiously made their way through. Throughout the journey, everyone in the carriage kept their eyes level, their hearts pounding. No one dared to look down from the carriage wheels; less than a foot below were sheer cliffs and bottomless abysses.

If it were just a simple descent, it wouldn't have taken so long. However, with mountains upon mountains and rivers upon rivers, there was only one suitable mountain road for the caravan. After climbing one mountain after another and fording rivers, it wasn't until almost a month later that they finally reached the plains and saw no other people.

Pei Xiaolei, bundled up in thick cotton-padded clothes, jumped down from the carriage. Seeing the wisps of white smoke rising high above the distant village, she was delighted. Xingwen took a thick cotton-padded cloak from the carriage, walked over to her, and draped it over her shoulders, muttering, "It's cold, wear more clothes and keep warm." Those around them chuckled and teased Xingwen again. After nearly a month together, everyone had a deep understanding of his doting, henpecked nature.

Pei Xiaolei blushed, pretending to slap and push away Xingwen, who completely ignored their teasing and remained clinging to her like a persistent nuisance. She pulled the cloak tighter around herself and walked away.

Her girlish shyness caused everyone to burst into laughter again. The sight of this loving couple made some of the young, single men's hearts ache. One of them nudged Xingwen, his voice filled with resentful and angry envy for his good fortune. Xingwen scratched his head and also laughed foolishly.

The group happily spent the night in the village's only small inn, enjoying a comfortable hot bath and replenishing their water and food supplies. Early the next morning, they set off for their first destination, a town dozens of miles away.

The innkeeper recognized Lü Lin and kindly gave them a few words of advice before they left. He said that the world had been quite unstable recently. The Qin Kingdom had suffered from floods and insect plagues for the past few months, causing widespread suffering. Furthermore, a tyrannical new emperor had taken over, and instead of ordering officials to open granaries for disaster relief, he had organized the disaster victims into an army to plunder wealth and grain from neighboring small countries and tribes. This had left the sparsely populated areas in the surrounding regions living in constant fear.

They were currently located in Runguo, a small country sandwiched between Qin, Chu, and the most powerful state in the land, a country that was neither governed by Qin nor Chu.

Lü Lin's expression became very serious. He clearly hadn't expected that in just one month, the situation down the mountain had changed so drastically. Before they left, he gave everyone a thorough safety briefing, then distributed some loose silver to each person, along with short swords for self-defense, and had several of the stronger men carry long sabers. In times of chaos, thieves abound. Carrying more weapons and brandishing them to intimidate others is a form of self-protection.

Pei Xiaolei sat in the carriage, the driver beside her was a rather thin, scholarly young man named Xingwen, who had been excluded from the ranks of those carrying swords. The two occasionally exchanged a few words, but most of the time, she huddled in a corner of the carriage, wrapped in her cloak, seeking shelter from the wind and cold. In the mountain village, it was spring-like all year round; even though it was November, winter, they could still play in the river. Only after descending the mountain and leaving the plains, gazing at the surrounding snow-covered landscape, did she remember what normal December weather was like, and finally understand why her aunt and the village chief had prepared cotton-padded clothes for them.

Xingwen felt a pang of heartache, so he bought a cotton quilt from the innkeeper and laid it on the carriage so she could hug it when she was cold. Freezing to death is a small matter, but looking ugly is a big deal? Style over warmth? That's pure nonsense. When the waiter brought in a clean cotton quilt, she was almost moved to tears. Of course, as the one paying, she naturally had to show her appreciation. So, on a dark and windy night, she secretly kissed the man lying next to her.

That evening, the group arrived smoothly at a small town called Liaoxiang. After settling into the inn, Lü Lin, along with several burly men, went out to discuss business with some familiar merchants. Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei also came along, ostensibly to broaden their horizons. They walked along several commercial streets and met many merchants, but after wandering around for a while, they couldn't find the Pei family's shop. Curious, they inquired and learned that the town was too remote, and the Number One Manor under Heaven didn't have a shop there.

That day, Pei Xiaolei was very disappointed. Not finding a shop meant she couldn't contact her other senior brothers. She was dejected for a long time, but finally, Xingwen brought her good news. It turned out that along the official road, a hundred li further on, there was a larger town with thriving commerce, where they might be able to find a way to contact them. However, if they took the official road, they would have to part ways with Lü Lin and his group there.

All good things must come to an end. Early the next morning, they bid farewell to Lü Lin and his group. Although everyone was reluctant to part, they had been prepared for their departure and didn't try to stop them, only reminding them to be careful in everything they did

. Pei Xiaolei took out a letter and handed it to Lü Lin, instructing them to take it to the steward of the fiefdom of Tianxia Yizhuang when they passed through. She told them to accept whatever the steward gave them thereafter.

Lü Lin took the letter, looked at the red mark in the lower corner of the envelope, and thoughtfully glanced at Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen. Then, he bowed deeply to them, sincerely thanked them, waved goodbye, and led the remaining people away from them, driving onto another main road.

Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen didn't leave Liaoxiang immediately. Instead, they bought a carriage and some drinking water and dry rations. The carriage they chose had a simple exterior but a surprisingly spacious interior, with a double-layered soft seat that also provided shock absorption. Pei Xiaolei liked it very much and bought it without even negotiating the price. The merchant, seeing their generosity, was happy to oblige and even gave them a thermos, filling it with hot water for them.

Pei Xiaolei sat in the carriage, wrapped in a quilt and holding the thermos. She parted the curtains a little and sighed as she looked at the snowflakes dancing in the sky. Although her health was much better than before, the cold constitution she had accumulated over the years would not heal easily without a considerable period of dedicated care. Every winter, she would immediately become an ice queen with cold hands and feet, wrapping herself up in layers of cotton and fur coats like a dumpling.

The carriage traveled slowly along the official road for two days. The closer they got to the next town—Songxiang—the more vehicles came and went, and the roadside was crowded with pedestrians carrying large and small bags. Xingwen stopped the carriage, jumped down, and asked why. The person who answered grabbed him, urging him to hurry and not go any further. The bandits from Qin were coming, and everyone was fleeing to other places for refuge.

Pei Xiaolei, sitting in the carriage, felt a sinking feeling upon hearing Xingwen's news. She asked, "How far is it to Songxiang?"

Xingwen thought for a moment and replied, "At a fast horse, it would take about two hours!"

"Then let's go!" Pei Xiaolei said.

"Okay!" Xingwen nodded, remounted, and with a flick of his whip, the carriage headed straight for their destination.

Songxiang, once a thriving commercial town, now appeared desolate. The left gate, responsible for exiting the city, was crowded with people preparing to leave, while the right gate, responsible for checking entry, was empty. Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen, with the passes given to them by Lü Lin, entered the city smoothly.

The town was silent, deathly still. A few people stood scattered on the streets, still busy carrying their belongings and packing their valuables, but all were silent and their expressions somber. Occasionally, the low sobs of a child or woman could be heard, making the whole town look utterly miserable.

The Qin army hadn't even arrived yet, so why did everyone look like their country was destroyed?

The two approached a woman and, after some questioning, learned that news of the Qin army's invasion had reached Songxiang seven days earlier. Upon receiving the news, the prefect of the city sent people with large amounts of gifts and grain to surrender, hoping the Qin army would spare the civilians of Songxiang and bypass them. What was returned were over thirty heads, including the only son of the prefect who had led the group. The prefect was both shocked and furious, and hurriedly dispatched dozens of men on horseback to the nearest military camp for help. Three days later, the heads of the dozens who had gone out of the city, along with the camp's generals—more than a thousand in total—were dumped at the city gate. A blood-stained letter was left behind, stating that the Qin army would arrive in a few days and massacre Songxiang.

Songxiang was a commercial town, with plenty of food but no soldiers. If the Qin army attacked, their meager forces would be unable to resist. At this time, news arrived that the army of the Run Kingdom was encamped in another large town, which should be able to accommodate the refugees from Songxiang and other places.

The prefect's pleas for surrender and aid were ignored; having no other options, he issued a public notice ordering everyone to flee for their lives before the Qin army arrived. This led to such a large-scale relocation.

Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei exchanged a glance, then quickly asked, "Where is the army of Runguo stationed?"

"Luoxiang!" the woman replied indifferently, then lowered her head to continue packing her things, ignoring them.

The two walked for a long time in Songcheng, but didn't see any shops related to the Number One Manor under Heaven. Grabbing a merchant and questioning them in detail, they were surprised to learn that several shops belonging to the Number One Manor under Heaven had closed and withdrawn half a year ago.

Strange, very strange. Their Pei family's shops, both open and covert, were scattered all over the world. Besides trading, they also served as information and communication hubs, so no matter how dangerous the surrounding environment, they couldn't easily leave. Why? Why are there no contact points here now?

"Xingwen, something's not right!" she said, looking at Xingwen.

"Hmm!" Xingwen gripped her hand tightly, his brows furrowing slightly, also lost in thought.

They didn't leave the city immediately, but stayed temporarily at an inn. Xingwen used the excuse of going out to buy dry rations and visited the prefect, returning very late. After their heartfelt conversation, neither of them slept soundly that night, tossing and turning, thinking about Luoxiang and the army of Runguo. Some things slowly became clearer in their minds.

Pei Xiaolei decided to go to Luoxiang, while Xingwen spread out a detailed map he had "borrowed" from the prefect of Songxiang, pointing to the route and suggesting that they take a side road, bypassing the main road, and enter Luoxiang from the side road.

Having reached a consensus, Xingwen handed Pei Xiaolei a thermos filled with hot water, letting her hold it to warm herself. Pei Xiaolei smiled slightly, feeling a warmth in her heart. There were probably very few people in the world like him who could use their inner strength to heat water.

Although the side road was bumpy, it was actually much faster than the main road. They covered a journey that would normally take three days in two. During this time, they had scouted along the main road and discovered that the closer they got to Luoxiang, the more uniform the direction of pedestrians and vehicles became. Dozens of miles before entering Luoxiang, the entire main road had already become a one-way street, only allowing entry.

What Xingwen "borrowed" was a waterproof leather military map, over a meter in length and width, detailing every mountain, river, and hidden path within a radius of hundreds of miles. The map showed a mountain path thirty miles west of Luo City, a route that could bypass the city walls and guards.

Now, Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen were standing on this rugged path. The path was too steep and treacherous for the carriage; they had temporarily left it at the crossroads, and the two of them removed their gear and began their ascent. Pei Xiaolei

looked up at the winding, seemingly endless path ahead, sighing inwardly. Climbing a mountain was truly physically demanding. Even with Xingwen clearing the way and pulling her along, sometimes he couldn't bear to see her sweating and panting, and would considerately carry her for a while. But even so, alas… the physical strength of a woman and a man was indeed vastly different. For the nth time, she refused his offer to lean on her back, only asking to stop and rest.

She sat on a broken piece of wood, took a sip of freshly heated water, and pounded her calves with her small fists to relax her muscles. She looked up at her junior brother, whose clothes fluttered gracefully as he leaped onto a branch, standing high and looking far, acting as his telescope. She was filled with envy. They had been walking for over an hour now. She was unbearably hot, having taken off her heavy coat, yet she was still drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He, on the other hand, hadn't even broken a sweat. The saying "comparison is the thief of joy" was truly depressing…

Suddenly, a strong wind blew from ahead, carrying with it a nauseating, pungent stench of rotting dead rats.

Xingwen jumped down from the tree, picked up the cotton-padded coat she had taken off and tossed aside, and put it back on her, saying, "It's not clean ahead, let's take another route!"

"Not clean? Is that a mass grave?" she asked curiously. In her limited knowledge, that was the only thing she could think of as uncleanliness.

Xingwen paused for a moment, then nodded, acknowledging her guess was correct.

"Let me see!" she said, leaping onto the branch where Xingwen had been standing. She looked around, her face immediately changing, slowly turning ashen.

"Don't look!" A pair of warm hands covered her eyes, then her waist tightened, and she was pulled to the ground. As soon as

her feet touched the ground, Pei Xiaolei immediately broke free from Xingwen's hands, clutched her chest, squatted down, and began to vomit violently.

Author's Note: Not enough words to reach 6,000, so I had to combine two chapters!
Sigh...

--- November 24, 2008. After a bout of vomiting in Luoxiang, Xingwen helped her up from the ground, her face pale. He held her and sat her on a broken log, feeding her some hot water to rinse her mouth. Once she calmed down a little, he said, "Where do we go? Let's take the mountain path!"

Pei Xiaolei nodded, her face still as pale as snow. It wasn't that she hadn't seen dead people, nor that she hadn't killed people. Her mother, who had taught her law when she was young, had taken her to observe the Ministry of Justice at the number one manor in the world for a period of time. Familiarity with killing was a required course for the heir of the Pei family. However, no matter what kind of punishment or killing, it was far less bloody and tragic than the scene she had just witnessed. Men, women, old, young… tens of thousands of civilians were skinned, disemboweled, and their mangled bodies dumped in a large, concave pit several hundred meters long and wide. Some beautiful women, their skin gone, their flesh mangled and bloody, only their contorted expressions of pain clearly visible on their faces. Hundreds of such women and children were nailed to the pit walls in various poses, one per meter, like works of human art inlaid there. The weather was bitterly cold. The vast expanse of white snow prevented the corpses from rotting and decaying on a massive scale, but it couldn't stop the birds and beasts that roamed freely in search of prey. Dozens of unidentifiable ferocious beasts were gleefully tearing at the corpses at the bottom of the pit, while eagles overhead were busy pecking at the women and children nailed to the pit walls. Their bellies were torn open by sharp talons, their white, bloody entrails sliding out of their abdominal cavities, hanging there in mid-air… “My mother once said that Qin is a martial nation, advocating universal conscription, a law of the jungle, and its people and soldiers are all violent and warlike. If you encounter such an army, you can only fight violence with violence, and you must not show any mercy,” Pei Xiaolei repeated her mother's teachings, her face ashen. She finally understood why the Number One Manor under Heaven had spent so much money for so many years to recruit the best generals and train the best soldiers. Putting everything else aside, with a wolf like Qin at her side, how could she sleep soundly without a sharp weapon in hand? “I didn’t understand why Mother emphasized ‘violence against violence’ when dealing with Qin, but now I understand a bit!” She forced an awkward smile, not caring whether Xingwen understood what she was saying, bent down to stand up, adjusted her clothes and hat, and turned to say indifferently, “Let’s go!” Xingwen’s eyelashes fluttered, he nodded and caught up, but the worry on his face did not lessen. They took a detour, but there was no road at all. The ground was rugged and difficult to walk on, with cliffs and slopes everywhere. Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen, one in front and one behind, had to use their internal energy to half-walk and half-leap to move. It was already evening when they arrived in Luoxiang. Pei Xiaolei stuffed some clothes into her stomach, put her hands on her hips, and pretended to be pregnant, while Xingwen was dressed as a sickly scholar. The two of them strolled hand in hand, a loving couple, around the city. The more they walked, the stranger it seemed. Despite so many refugees coming in from outside the city, the city was unusually quiet. Vendors, merchants, passersby… everyone was doing their jobs, and the order was good. However, in this vast town, not a single refugee could be seen. Everyone on the street wore a smile, but the wooden expression, coupled with the forced facial muscles, made the smile more like a grimace—it looked utterly eerie. The two of them arrived at an inn and asked for lodging. The innkeeper looked at them indifferently, his muscles bulging as he pointed to the empty rooms upstairs and said, "Fully booked!" " Innkeeper, we just checked, there isn't a single guest upstairs. My husband and I are exhausted from our escape. Could you please make an exception? We can pay double the rent," Xingwen pleaded pitifully, his face grim, looking like a sickly scholar. Pei Xiaolei, standing beside him, immediately and opportunely puffed out her large pregnant belly, her face also showing signs of exhaustion and back pain. The innkeeper glanced at Xingwen, then at Pei Xiaolei's large belly. His indifferent eyes flickered with a hint of pity, and he seemed about to speak up to make an exception when a waiter grabbed him. The waiter didn't say anything, but his eyes darted around at the scattered "guests" looking in their direction. The innkeeper's expression changed. He coughed and looked up, his face now even colder and more sour than before. "Go, go, go... We're full. You need to report to the magistrate's office up ahead!" Without waiting for a reply, he and the waiter each forced Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen out of the inn. As the two stumbled out of the inn, a middle-aged man who looked like he was from the county government office immediately ran up to them. He gave a forced smile and talked about how much good the magistrate of Luoxiang had done for the refugees, then offered to lead the way. Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen's eyes darted around, and they immediately pretended to be very grateful, following behind him. After registering their names at the county magistrate's office, they were led to a large square surrounded by high walls, resembling the Roman Colosseum. The square was bustling with activity, already filled with people. Young women moved about, enthusiastically offering water and food to the refugees. At first glance, the scene appeared harmonious. Pei Xiaolei and Xingwen nodded, each accepting a cup of water and a red steamed bun from a woman, but didn't eat them. After the women left, they both tossed the buns on the ground. In the center of the square, someone loudly announced that tonight, the county magistrate of Luoxiang would prepare a spectacular performance for the refugees who had traveled from afar, ensuring everyone was well-fed and watered before a grand celebration.

Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei circled the square several times, but didn't see Lü Lin and the others in the crowd. They both breathed a sigh of relief.

Night fell quickly, and a row of torches, large and small, lit up the high walls of the square, illuminating the surrounding area.

The refugees below, thinking the performance had begun, cheered in unison, praising the official who had provided them with shelter and food. They then looked up with beaming smiles at the VIP seating area recessed in the wall.

Amidst the cheers, several men slowly emerged from the VIP seats, each with a full beard and a menacing appearance. They sat in the high seats, looking down at the crowd, laughing loudly. One of them asked, "Brother, how do you plan to play today?"

Seated in the center was a man with a scarred face and a ferocious expression. He toyed with a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl kneeling beside him in one hand, and stared at the short sword in the other, saying, "As usual."

The man slapped his thigh, laughed loudly a few more times, then stood up and shouted towards the square, "As usual!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of large bamboo tubes immediately extended from around the high wall, and thick smoke billowed into the square through them. The once energetic and noisy refugees slowly quieted down, and then the sounds of heavy breathing filled the night sky. Men, women, and children throughout the square clutched their chests, their faces contorted as they curled up on the ground.

Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei, who had already leaped onto the high wall under the cover of darkness before the torches were lit, looked down at the struggling people below with grim expressions. The smoke itself was not poisonous, but when combined with other specific drugs, it could form a strange poison that caused people to fall into a deep coma in pain. The water and steamed buns distributed during the day must have been mixed with other drugs that interacted with the smoke, which was why the refugees who had eaten and drunk this food were now in such a state of distress.

In this way, after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the once noisy square gradually fell silent. A middle-aged woman dressed in flamboyant attire led dozens of soldiers into the main gate. From the crowd lying on the ground, she selected a dozen or so young and beautiful boys and girls, which the soldiers carried out.

Then, a large open space was cleared in the center, and a large iron cage, several meters long and wide, was brought out. Inside the cage were dozens of large beds equipped with handcuffs and shackles. Dozens of unconscious men and women were carried in, stripped naked, and bound to the beds. Then, dozens of men wielding sharp knives entered, and one by one, they circled the beds, making clean cuts along the skin of the shoulders, drawing blood. The unconscious people were awakened by the excruciating pain, their eyes widening, only to watch helplessly as mercury was slowly poured into their skin and muscles.

The pain, an indescribable, intense agony, assaulted both mind and body. A series of agonizing screams and cries filled the air, deafeningly loud. Everyone struggled and cried out desperately, but the handcuffs and shackles, though violently pulled, remained firmly fastened to the large bed. The

high-pitched, agonizing screams of the men and women on the bed were horrifying. Slowly, as more and more mercury was injected into their bodies, their faces began to contort, their muscles contracting rapidly from the mercury's stimulation. The immense pain was inescapable, and finally, in this indescribable agony, their flesh tore away, and they escaped the large bed, covered in blood.

Seeing this, the spectators roared with laughter, applause, slamming their fists, and cheers… a continuous stream of excitement, as if they had witnessed a spectacular performance.

Amidst this shrill laughter, the men and women in the iron cages slowly died… Another group of dozens of men and women were brought in… and then the screams resumed…

Pei Xiaolei silently closed her eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.

"Let's go!" With that, she channeled her inner strength and flew away from this horrific carnage, disappearing into the darkness. Xingwen followed closely behind, his face also grim.

Pei Xiaolei didn't leave Luoxiang immediately, but instead sneaked into a heavily guarded mansion—the former residence of a county magistrate, now the residence of a Qin army general.

The mansion was heavily guarded outside, but inside it was quite relaxed. Rather than a military officer's residence, it resembled a decadent brothel, a place of debauchery and debauchery. They easily found their general's residence by abducting a man collapsed by the roadside from excessive indulgence.

The large courtyard, unlike the decadent debauchery just a wall away, was brightly lit but quiet and deserted inside.

Pei Xiaolei stood before a desk, carefully examining a map spread out on it. It clearly marked the troop deployments of the Run Kingdom and surrounding areas. Two points were most prominently marked in red: one indicated that 200,000 troops from the Chu Kingdom were stationed on the border between the Qin and Run Kingdoms, led by a prince named Anle; the other marked Yitian City, located at the border between the Run Kingdom and the First Manor Under Heaven.

The map's markings and explanations were extremely detailed, clearly indicating a thorough analysis of the surrounding situation. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly, and she sneered. It seemed this Qin general wasn't a complete incompetent.

A stack of documents was neatly piled on the desk, the top one a letter stamped with a golden Qin character.

A letter from the Qin Emperor? Pei Xiaolei raised an eyebrow, picked up the letter, and quickly opened it. Inside, white background with red characters, were only three large characters: Kill, Qin, Ao!

Qin Ao? Who was he? A member of the royal family? Or a high-ranking official? Her mind raced through the intelligence reports; she seemed to have never heard of such a person in Qin.

"Xiaolei, someone's coming!" Xingwen, who was keeping watch at the door, suddenly whispered a warning.

Pei Xiaolei listened intently and, sure enough, heard light footsteps in the distance. Turning her head, she carefully placed the letter back where it was, softly called to Xingwen, "Let's go!" and leaped out of the window…

She remained silent the entire way, her dark eyes losing their softness, replaced by a long-lost coldness and resolve.

The world had changed so drastically; it was time for her to step out of her comfort zone!

The two quickly left the Qin general's residence, then left Luoxiang, a place shrouded in slaughter and conspiracy, returning to the steep, forested slopes behind Luoxiang. The night was deep, the sky thick with dark clouds, no stars, no moon, and the surroundings were pitch black. Traveling through the steep forest in the dark on such a night was indeed extremely risky.

After they had traveled a considerable distance from Luoxiang, Xingwen suggested they spend the night in the forest and continue their journey at dawn. Pei Xiaolei nodded in agreement, and the two found a leeward spot, nestled together under a large tree, and spent the night there.

**************************

The next day, at dawn.

After traveling several miles, Xingwen and Pei Xiaolei returned to the plum grove. Waking up this morning, they realized they had slept there overnight. They had originally intended to use their light-footed skills to leap across the plum grove, but after circling around for half an hour, despite having traveled a great distance, the surrounding scenery remained unchanged, as if they had never left their starting point.

Pei Xiaolei raised an eyebrow slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips. With a light touch of her toes, she gracefully landed on the highest plum tree, looking around at the endless expanse of peach blossoms stretching for dozens of miles.

The branches beside her swayed gently. Xingwen stood gracefully beside her, his brows furrowing slightly. He said, "It seems we inadvertently stumbled into someone else's formation last night!"

Pei Xiaolei nodded, gazing at the plum grove in deep thought. After a moment, she suddenly jumped down to the ground, picked up a twig, and began to draw on the ground.

Xingwen watched quietly. He was not skilled in Qimen Dunjia, and knew nothing about divination or arrangement. Xiaolei, however, was different. Qimen formations were her forte, and few in the world could break the formations she set up.

Half an hour later, as the formation diagram under her brush became more and more complete, her expression grew increasingly strange. With the final stroke, the twig in her hand trembled slightly.

"What's wrong?" Xingwen sensed something was amiss and immediately asked with concern.

She looked up, her eyes misty with tears, and said softly and slowly, incredulously, "It's mine, the Plum Blossom Formation!"

Xingwen was startled upon hearing this.

Pei Xiaolei, however, couldn't hide her joy and excitedly continued, "It's the Plum Blossom Formation that my second senior brother and I researched together!"

With that, she lightly touched the ground with her toes and leaped into the plum grove.

Seeing this, Xingwen didn't have time to think and immediately followed.

The plum grove was like a maze, winding left and right, yet full of traps and mechanisms. If you simply wandered in carelessly, you would at most be trapped here, starving for three to five days. But if you tried to force your way in, then any small plum blossom branch could become a deadly weapon.

Pei Xiaolei ran very fast and urgently, seemingly forgetting that a junior brother was following behind her. With a light touch and a leap, she moved like a graceful fairy dancing among the flowers.

Xingwen, who was right behind her, wasn't so lucky. He dodged and weaved, looking quite disheveled. If he closed the distance between himself and Pei Xiaolei even slightly, he would be ambushed by a branch flying from nowhere.

Soon, they arrived at the center of the formation—a thatched hut with a courtyard. Pei Xiaolei's feet had just touched the ground when a sharp sword suddenly thrust straight at her. She jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding it, and then, with a clang, the weapon fell to the ground.

"Miss? Fourth Young Master?" The woman, whose weapon had been disarmed by Xingwen, stared at the newcomer in disbelief and exclaimed.

"Ruomei?" Pei Xiaolei was also surprised to see her personal maid here.

"Bang..." A loud crash followed, and then a voice with a clear sob came from behind Ruomei, "Miss..."

"Lin De..." Pei Xiaolei walked past Ruomei toward the healer's attendant. She had only taken half a step when her gaze fell from his face to the ground, where the spilled bowl of blood was a horrifying sight. Her initial joy suddenly sank, as if a mountain had descended upon her, pressing heavily on her heart. "Where 's

Second Senior Brother?" she asked cautiously, staring at Lin De.

Lin De sniffed, turning to look at the thatched hut behind him. Before he could speak, a flash appeared before him, and his young lady had already dashed into the hut like an arrow. "...Second Senior Brother..." she stood before the bed, her voice soft, hardly believing her eyes. Hot tears welled in her eyes, then overflowed, dripping onto the red sheet before her. The crimson bloodstains, some fresh, some old, scattered across the bright red fabric. He lay there, his withered body wrapped in layers of newly changed bandages, his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed, as if trapped in some terrible nightmare. His lips were pale, almost grayish-white. "Second Senior Brother!" she called softly again, her hands trembling as she grasped his wrinkled, cold hands and placed them against her chest, choking back tears, "It's me, it's Xiaolei! Wake up!" There was no response. He remained lifeless on the bed, only a thin line of blood slowly trickling from the corner of his pale lips, growing larger and larger until it formed a small stream that flowed down his cheek and onto the sheets. Pei Xiaolei reached out to wipe it away, but the more she wiped, the more blood appeared. In an instant, her palms and sleeves were stained with crimson blood. "What are you still kneeling here for? Where's the medicine?" She turned and looked at Lin De kneeling before her, angrily demanding. "There's no more medicine!" Lin De cried, collapsing to the ground. "Since the poisoning, the Second Young Master has tried every antidote, edible and inedible, but none of them worked! For the past few months, he's been vomiting blood incessantly. At first, he barely managed to stay conscious, but since last month, he hasn't woken up at all! The vomiting has become even more severe." Pei Xiaolei's hand trembled slightly, almost unable to hold Shan Yi's hand properly. Ruomei quickly came over and gently wiped the blood from Shan Yi's face with a clean, warm towel. Xingwen came over to help her, but found her trembling all over. She avoided his outstretched hand and slowly stood up, her voice low and hoarse but trying to remain calm as she looked at Lin De kneeling on the ground and said, "Come out with me!" After speaking, she glanced at Shan Yi on the bed, turned, and walked out. Half an hour later, Lin De returned with red eyes and tears streaming down his face. He took the towel from Ruomei and told Xingwen and her to go to the next room, saying that the young lady had something to tell them. When the two entered, they found Pei Xiaolei standing at a table, drawing a map with a brush. Her tear tracks had dried, and her expression was unreadable. "Xiaolei," they called in unison, "Miss." "Come here!" she said, not looking up, continuing to draw. The two immediately stepped forward, standing on either side of her. A moment later, a simple yet detailed map appeared before them. From memory, she had copied the map she had seen in Luoxiang, including its markings, without missing a single detail. "We're here now!" Pei Xiaolei pointed to the map, then to several other points, saying, "Here, here, and here—these contact points have been evacuated. We're now trapped in Run Kingdom." "Ruomei, when did you arrive in Run Kingdom?" "Last month, I got separated from the others searching for the young lady and wandered into this place by mistake. I never expected to encounter Lin De and the seriously injured Second Young Master in this small country." "When you came in, did you see Qin troops guarding the border?" "No, I only found out after I arrived. All our contact points have disappeared, not just ours, but even the spies Chu had placed here are gone. After more than a month of investigation, it seems that Run Kingdom is now a plaything controlled by Qin. What's frightening is that it seems the people of Run Kingdom haven't realized this yet, and people from other countries don't seem to know either. There's still a steady stream of merchant groups bringing large amounts of wealth into Run Kingdom." Ruomei carefully explained to her the intelligence she had gathered over the past few days. Pei Xiaolei lowered her eyes for a long while, then pointed to the border of Chu and looked up to ask Xingwen, "It takes about half a month to travel from here to Chu and back, which is much faster than our detour to Yitian City for help. Can you bring Anle King's army here in ten days?" "Yes!" Xingwen looked back at her firmly. With his martial arts skills, it wouldn't be difficult to avoid the Qin army's eyes and ears and leave Run Kingdom safely. Moreover, Anle King was not difficult to deal with, and ten days was more than enough for him. "After you go out, once you get in touch with the manor, immediately ask your master to prepare. After we escape, immediately send Second Senior Brother back to the manor for treatment. These are Second Senior Brother's symptoms; you can take them back with you." After saying that, she handed him a book that looked like a medical record. He took it, gazed deeply at her, then hugged her tightly, saying, "Don't worry, Second Senior Brother will definitely be alright!" "Mmm!" She nodded in his arms, gently hugging him back, and urged, "Be careful on your journey!" "Don't worry!" He kissed her forehead, "I'll be back soon!" With that, he turned and left. With a few leaps, he immediately disappeared into the peach blossoms. She stared in the direction he had disappeared, a strange feeling welling up in her heart. She closed her eyes, forcing down her emotions, and turned to look at Ruomei, saying, "Ruomei, I need to go to Mount Ling..." "No!" Before she could finish speaking, Ruomei immediately objected loudly, "Mount Ling is too dangerous. No one who goes there to pick red lotuses has ever returned safely!" After saying that, she paused, then suddenly realized, "Miss, you deliberately sent Fourth Young Master away so you could risk your life!" "No!" Pei Xiaolei said calmly.

"You are!" Ruomei said through gritted teeth, "You've always been like this!"

Pei Xiaolei glanced at the somewhat sullen Ruomei, but had no mood to refute her. She simply pursed her lips, lowered her head, and pointed to the map, continuing, "Lingshan is about three days' journey from here by fast horse. If we take the back road, we can reach the foot of the mountain in two days. There are three of us here. Lin De isn't skilled in martial arts, but his medical skills are good. Second Senior Brother needs his care, so he can't leave. As for you, although you are highly skilled in martial arts, you don't know anything about medicine. Even if you go to Lingshan, you might not be able to find the right herbs. Besides, you've never known the way since you were little. In the end, not only will you not find the herbs, but you might also lose yourself."

Hearing this, Ruomei blushed, lowered her head, and twisted her fingers. Her eyes were hot, and tears were welling up. She had truly been hit where it hurt. She hated this flaw of hers the most. Every time it was crucial, she could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, unable to help her mistress's personal maid. She was utterly useless. What right did she have to stop her mistress's arrangements?

Pei Xiaolei looked up at the room next door, and sadness slowly crept into her eyes again: "My second senior brother came here probably to pick the legendary red lotus that can cure all poisons in the world from Mount Ling. However, his condition worsened, and he was unable to continue. Although there is a plum blossom formation for cover here, the Qin army is nearby. We don't know when they will discover the secret of this plum grove. Lin De's medical skills are good, but his martial arts are extremely poor. I need you to help me keep a close watch on my second senior brother! Protect him and wait for my junior brother and me to return safely." After saying that, she patted Ruomei's shoulder and added, "Our worries depend on you!"

Ruomei nodded, lowered her body, knelt on one knee, and said loudly, "Yes! Your subordinate obeys!"

When Pei Xiaolei returned to the doctor's room, Lin De was already holding a shoulder bag. As soon as he saw Pei Xiaolei enter, he immediately handed it to her respectfully, saying that it was something the doctor had prepared when he went up the mountain.

Pei Xiaolei opened the box and found only a few items: a short sword, a specially made, square box (likely for containing the Red Lotus), a bottle of wine, and some first-aid supplies and bandages.

She nodded to Lin De, signaling him to leave first; she wanted to stay with her second senior brother for a while.

She sat by the bed, quietly gazing at the man on it, her slender fingers gently stroking his brow. He had stopped vomiting blood. His dry lips and lifeless, pale face... how could she believe this man was her second senior brother, the skilled physician who could snatch lives from the jaws of death?

Tears welled up and fell onto his pale face.

"Second Senior Brother," she murmured, gazing at him for a long while before lowering her head and gently kissing his forehead, her voice soft and slightly choked, "I'm going to Mount Ling. Wait for me here; I'll be back soon!" With that, she gently tucked him in and turned to leave, her departure so hurried that she missed the slight tremor in the physician's eyelashes!

Originally, she was determined to venture into Mount Ling alone, but unexpectedly, she encountered Da Xiong outside the gate. Da Xiong was carrying a large basket of fat fish in his mouth and several foxes and rabbits in each hand.

Da Xiong was overjoyed to see her, tossed the food aside, and immediately started rubbing against her, howling. Ruomei, hearing the commotion, came over, picked up the food from the ground, and began to pull it off Pei Xiaolei. The more she pulled, the tighter the bear clung to her, clearly ignoring her.

They didn't seem to mind the constant pulling and tugging, but Pei Xiaolei, at the center of the conflict, couldn't take it anymore! With a surge of internal energy, she moved left and right, pulling the two creatures away from her.

"Big Bear, stop fooling around, I'm going out!" Although she was also pleasantly surprised to see the bear, now wasn't the right time to celebrate their reunion. She went up and patted its black head, soothing its disappointment, and said, "I'll come back and play with you again!" With that, she leaped onto a cluster of plum blossoms and walked directly on the leaves.

The bear below, seeing this, lit up its big, dark eyes and excitedly howled twice, then took off chasing after her, knocking the plum trees on the ground until they swayed. The two, one on a tree and one below, disappeared from Ruomei's sight at lightning speed.

Ruomei took a few steps forward, then stopped, gazing at the swaying trees in the distance, somewhat moved. Although this big black bear was clumsy, stupid, and had a bad temper, often going against her, its martial arts skills and foraging abilities were truly remarkable. Having it with her was good!

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