The bed collapsed, and the two on it unsurprisingly tumbled into the pit together. Xin Mei’s head even hit the bedpost, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.
Suddenly, a hand gently pressed against the bump on her head. Xin Mei looked up and met a pair of blood-red yet tender eyes.
"Mischief," Lu Qianqiao murmured softly, pulling her up from the pit in one swift motion. His palm gently massaged the swelling on her head. Seeing her staring at him dazedly, he smiled. "Does it hurt badly?"
Xin Mei was overwhelmed again, her eyes welling up once more, her lips trembling.
This—this was the atmosphere she had longed for!
She threw herself into his arms, burying her head against his chest as if trying to burrow inside, tears and snot flowing freely, soaking a large patch of his robe.
"You're awake, you're awake!"
All the beautiful words she had prepared, rehearsed over and over, were forgotten in the moment. Apart from repeating those three words, she couldn’t think of anything else—nor did she want to.
Lu Qianqiao held her restless head in place.
Even now, he was still awkward, unsure of what to say. He could only keep massaging the bump on her head and use the clean part of his sleeve to wipe away her tears and snot.
He had dreamed for so long—marrying Xin Mei, living out an ordinary lifetime, waking up fulfilled and without regrets—only to be greeted by her endless flood of tears and snot.
That gentle, virtuous Xin Mei from his dream... well, it really had just been a dream.
But this was better.
His fingers tangled in her soft hair, carefully undoing her messy braid and combing through it with his fingers.
Xin Mei lifted her equally reddened eyes and mumbled, "Say something..."
She was the only one getting all worked up here, ruining the atmosphere.
Lu Qianqiao gazed at her bloodshot eyes and whispered, "Sleep for a while. We’ll talk when you wake up."
"I won’t sleep. Say it now."
He thought for a moment, his ears slowly turning red. Turning his head away, he murmured even softer, "I... missed you."
"What? You don’t have a radish stuffed in your mouth—I can’t hear you!"
"..."
His fingers lightly tapped the bump on her head. Taking advantage of her yelp of pain, Lu Qianqiao pushed her away and strode toward the tent entrance.
"Be good, go to sleep. I’ll be here. I won’t run away."
"You’re running away right now!" Xin Mei pouted.
For the first time ever, Lu Qianqiao gave her a smile that could only be described as "sweetly doting," instantly dazzling her.
"After you wake up, I’ll have good news to tell you."
...Huh? Why did she suddenly feel so lightheaded? Blushing, Xin Mei watched him leave the tent, taking a long while to snap out of it. She glanced at the collapsed bed, then simply spread the blanket on the floor, summoned Qiu Yue, and curled up beneath its wings to sleep.
He said he had good news to tell her—what could it be? Could it be... that he’d finally decided to consummate their marriage and become real husband and wife? Xin Mei rolled around beneath Qiu Yue’s wings, her heart aflame with springtime passion, drifting into a deep slumber filled with amorous dreams.
Lu Qianqiao closed the tent flap and looked up, meeting the initially ecstatic, then complicated gazes of Li Min and Li Yan.Still with red eyes, proving the awakening of power was unsuccessful. The better news was that he was alive, not dead. Such things had happened before, but how would the proud and arrogant Madam accept it? She had even set aside an entire day to wait here for the results. Knowing Li Chao Yang as they did, she would rather her son die than live his life as an unawakened failure.
The two War Ghosts silently stepped aside, watching helplessly as he knocked on the door of the snow-white carriage.
The door opened, and a gust of cold wind rushed out. Lu Qianqiao was momentarily stunned. What should have been a cramped carriage interior was instead a small courtyard filled with biting winds and icy snow—a hidden world within.
This technique, known as "Cosmos Within the Sleeve," was not unfamiliar to Lu Qianqiao. His Cosmos Sack operated on a similar principle. Creating a vast, new space within a confined area was a common practice among immortals.
Li Chao Yang was not asleep as Li Min had claimed. Far from it—she was holding a massive Halberd, sweat dripping from her forehead. The courtyard's snow, trees, and pavilions lay in ruins—she had been training. A powerful War Ghost like her would never allow herself a moment of complacency.
Li Chao Yang picked up the snow-white outer robe beside her and draped it slowly over her shoulders. Turning to the ruins, she blew a gentle breath, and everything instantly restored itself to its original state. The sharply pointed roofs, reaching straight into the sky, were characteristic of the War Ghost Clan's ancestral homeland in the Far West. She sat alone in the small pavilion and spoke: "Come, sit."
Lu Qianqiao sat across from her. Her pitch-black eyes turned blood-red the moment they met his crimson gaze.
"You failed," Li Chao Yang said firmly, staring at him. "The awakening was interrupted midway. That little girl ruined everything."
"It wasn’t her fault. It was my own doing."
"I have no need for pointless assumptions. A War Ghost who fails to awaken is a disgrace to live, let alone the son of Li Chao Yang."
Lu Qianqiao gazed at her calmly, neither sorrowful nor joyful. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Disgrace lies in how one lives, not how one dies."
The massive Halberd whistled through the air, thrusting mercilessly toward his chest. Lu Qianqiao swiftly caught the blade, their forces locked in a struggle over the weapon.
"...You’ve improved somewhat," Li Chao Yang said coldly. "But it’s still not enough!"
With a forceful push, she sent him flying backward, Halberd and all, crashing heavily into the thick snow.
"You bear the name of a War Ghost but lack the strength of one, yet you dare tell me living isn’t a disgrace! How will you prove to me that it isn’t?!"
As she stepped forward, the Halberd suddenly sprang up like an arrow, reflecting back toward her. Unable to dodge in time, a lock of her beautiful long hair was severed, drifting down onto the snow.
Lu Qianqiao crouched opposite her, looking up steadily. His voice was firm: "I will live on."
Li Chao Yang sneered. "You may live! But from now on, you are no longer the son of Li Chao Yang! However, that little girl’s transgression is too great—the War Ghost Clan will not forgive her!"
The Halberd carved a blinding arc through the air, surging toward him like a raging tide.
Lu Qianqiao had been inside for nearly half an hour without emerging. The two War Ghosts waiting outside grew increasingly anxious. Li Yan sighed, "Do you think Madam actually killed the young master?"
"I think Madam would rather kill Miss Xin."Li Min glanced back at the tent. Such a flimsy structure—Madam could tear it apart with a single finger, reducing both the tent and the person inside to dust...
"It seems the young master is quite fond of Miss Xin. If we kill her, he’d probably rather die himself, wouldn’t he?"
War Ghosts had keen hearing. They had clearly overheard everything that had just happened inside the tent... ahem —even if they hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, they’d heard it all the same.
"Though Madam never says it outright, deep down, she still hopes the young master can awaken successfully and continue the War Ghost Clan’s powerful bloodline. The reason this awakening failed wasn’t due to the young master himself, but because of Miss Xin’s interference... Well, in any case, I think she’s dangerous."
Before Li Min could finish speaking, a deafening crash erupted. The pristine white carriage shattered into fragments in an instant as two figures shot out like phantoms, slamming into a nearby tent. The unfortunate tent was immediately reduced to splinters.
"...Brother, you were right," Li Yan remarked, watching the two War Ghosts locked in a cataclysmic battle. "Madam really does intend to kill Miss Xin. We’d better stay out of the way."
The two of them found a relatively safe spot and crouched down, quietly awaiting the outcome of the mother-son clash.
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air as the Halberd was hurled high into the sky, radiating a blinding light before descending with thunderous force toward the tent where Xin Mei slept.
A black whip lashed out abruptly, forcibly halting the Halberd’s momentum. A thin trail of blood trickled from Lu Qianqiao’s lips as he frowned and called out, "Mother!"
Li Chao Yang’s voice was icy. "You die, she lives. She lives, you die!"
"Mother, misplaced anger is meaningless."
With a whoosh , the Halberd sliced through the tent, sending the roof flying. Inside, a girl and a bird remained blissfully asleep, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding outside.
A War Ghost whose power had not fully awakened could not withstand Li Chao Yang’s furious, tidal-wave-like assault. The whip emitted a loud snapping sound before Lu Qianqiao flung it aside and dropped to the ground, shielding Xin Mei beneath him.
The Halberd stopped just three inches from his back. His blood dripped onto Xin Mei’s clothes, staining them red. She was lost in sweet dreams, murmuring something unintelligible, her face utterly carefree.
Li Chao Yang watched him silently. This time, he did not meet her gaze, merely bowing his head as he quietly shielded the slumbering girl beneath him.
The scene felt familiar... Suddenly, she recalled how, many years ago, she had once been hunted down by her elders for recklessly pursuing a man. Back then, she too had shielded that man with her body, willing to give her life for him even before she had ever spoken the words "I love you."
This unspoken devotion of the War Ghosts was something not everyone could understand. They would never utter the moving, beautiful, or sweet words that touched hearts. They would only offer their lives or their blood, silently protecting and guarding from behind.
This was the only way War Ghosts knew how to love—clumsy, yet wholehearted.
...That man from back then had never understood. He had always doubted her feelings, and even in death, he had never found peace.
She thought again of that young girl’s fearless, clear-eyed gaze, how she had declared without hesitation: I’ll stay with him.
Did she understand?
Li Chao Yang slowly withdrew the Halberd.
"Qianqiao, this is the last time I will indulge you." She turned to leave. "I don’t want to see her. If we meet again, I will show no mercy."The pristine white carriage was reduced to debris by the two of them. She leaped onto the back of the whistling wind dark steed, giving a clear shout. The pitch-black spirit beast's hooves crackled with lightning as it soared into the clouds with a thunderous momentum, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Li Min and Li Yan heaved sighs of relief, approaching Lu Qianqiao with resigned expressions. "Young Master," they sighed, "you should continue serving as the General of Agile Cavalry and earn some military merits. That might ease Madam's heart a little. In recent years, the Youhu Clan has grown increasingly powerful, frequently provoking us. Our own clan dwindles day by day, and Madam is constantly worried. This time, your awakening failed again—she must be deeply saddened. When you have time, remember to visit the clan... Oh, and it's best not to bring Miss Xin Mei along, lest Madam becomes furious."
Not daring to delay, the two quickly mounted their spirit beasts and followed Li Chao Yang into the distance.
When Xin Mei awoke, night had already fallen. She found herself carried to another intact tent, nestled in a soft bed.
Rolling over, she saw Lu Qianqiao sitting beside her, now dressed in fresh clothes. One hand gently tucked the blanket around her as he gazed down at her quietly.
She giggled, burying her head against his chest and lazily asked, "Lu Qianqiao, what good news did you want to tell me? Now that I'm awake, go ahead and spill it."
A faint smile flickered at the corners of his eyes, but he hesitated, seeming slightly awkward. After a long pause, he finally spoke slowly, "Mother has left. You were asleep, so you couldn't say goodbye."
"She probably wasn’t happy to see me, right?" Xin Mei thought of those cold, bloodthirsty red eyes—even if she tried to hide it, anyone could sense the murderous intent radiating from her. "I’m the poor daughter-in-law my mother-in-law despises."
He chuckled. "Not quite a daughter-in-law yet... You haven’t officially married me. We haven’t bowed to heaven and earth, nor shared the ceremonial wine."
Huh? What did that mean? Xin Mei looked up at him in surprise.
He turned his head away, slightly embarrassed, his ears gradually reddening. "What I mean is... would you... like to do it again?"
Xin Mei stared blankly for a long moment, tilting her head as she parsed his words one by one. Suddenly, realization struck—her eyes widened, her mouth fell open, and she pointed a trembling finger at him, speechless for a long while.
"Will you?" He grasped her hand, squeezing gently. "Marry me."
After trembling for what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke with utmost seriousness, "Lu Qianqiao, I believe we should proceed directly to the wedding night."
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