That night, Xin Mei was wrapped in a quilt by Lu Qianqiao and rolled around the bed all night. When they woke up the next day, both looked pale and exhausted.
When Si Lan came in with hot water, his face alternated between red and green, his expression as if he wanted to gouge his own eyes out.
"General, Old General Bai rushed back to the capital overnight to request retirement from the Emperor."
They had been too caught up in their own chaos the entire day before to pay attention to the reactions of others in Jiaping Pass. It was truly irresponsible. Just think—first, the Emperor forcibly sent a half-dead general to snatch credit, then the suddenly crazed general nearly worked them to death. Before they could even catch their breath, the general’s mother barged into Jiaping Pass, fighting her son without regard for anyone else, reducing nearly half the tents in the pass to rubble...
Old General Bai’s fragile heart couldn’t bear such pressure. That night, he tearfully removed his armor and returned to the capital to request retirement from the Emperor. It was only natural.
Lu Qianqiao expressed understanding: "Understood."
Si Lan watched as the general, pale-faced, got up. His thin robe slipped from his shoulders, revealing faint red marks on his bare chest. There were similarly ambiguous wounds on his nose and chin, and even a split at the corner of his lips. Si Lan couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Xin Mei, who was still wrapped in the quilt like a cocooned worm, only her head peeking out, her eyes innocent as they met his.
Damn it! He knew this girl was no good! How could she be such a beast on the general’s first night?! Besides... besides, the general had just woken up during the day and fought fiercely with Li Chao Yang. How could she have the nerve to force herself on him that very night?!
"...I’ll fetch you a fresh bucket of hot water. Please bathe in peace."
Tearfully, Si Lan carried out the basin of hot water he had just brought in.
Lu Qianqiao shook his head. "No need. Si Lan, return to the Imperial Mausoleum and handle something for me."
"General, your orders?"
Lu Qianqiao looked slightly uncomfortable, a hint of embarrassment coloring his expression. He coughed lightly before speaking slowly, "Go back... and prepare for a wedding. Red paper, bridal sedan... nothing should be missing."
Si Lan looked up in shock, not quite understanding. A wedding? Whose wedding?
Lu Qianqiao handed him a slip of paper. "These are Xin Mei’s and my measurements. Have the wedding attire and phoenix crown tailored."
Si Lan’s eyes widened. The general wanted to marry that little demon again?! Weren’t they already wedded by the Emperor’s decree?! Unless... unless it was because of last night’s... incident, and the general felt guilty toward her, so he...
"Go." Lu Qianqiao didn’t wish to elaborate, standing up and putting on his outer robe.
Si Lan left, his face pale.
Lu Qianqiao tied up his hair and glanced back at Xin Mei on the bed. She hadn’t spoken the entire time, only rolling her eyes to look at him.
After a moment’s thought, he spoke earnestly, "Let’s... wait until after the wedding."
Xin Mei puffed out her cheeks. "We’re already married."
"That doesn’t count."
"Stop making excuses. You just don’t want to."
"...Xin Mei, I’m a man. I don’t want you to feel wronged."
"I feel wronged right now!"
Lu Qianqiao sighed and sat by the bed, reaching out to stroke her soft, delicate cheek. "Xin Mei, don’t be difficult."
She bared her white teeth, glaring at him fiercely. "You’re the one who tied me up! You don’t be difficult!"Last night, she had merely nibbled on him a couple of times, without even harboring any wicked thoughts, yet he couldn’t wait to unleash the Demon Binding Rope, wrapping her up tightly from head to toe before rolling her into a blanket. She spent the entire night tossing and turning, as if she were some big bad wolf preying on a pitiful little white rabbit! How absurd! Why were their roles always so reversed?!
Lu Qianqiao remained unmoved. “If you behave, I’ll let you go.”
“Hmph! I won’t perform the wedding bows with you! Forget about the wedding night—you’ll never have it!”
Despite being a little white rabbit, she always liked to bare her teeth like a wolf, putting on an adorably fierce expression. Lu Qianqiao patted her plump forehead and retracted the Demon Binding Rope. Xin Mei wriggled her way out of the blanket, her clothes and hair in disarray, and immediately jumped off the bed to put on her shoes.
“I’m going back to my parents’ home! Lu Qianqiao, don’t you dare come looking for me!”
She pushed open the window, ready to leap out with a fierce glare.
“Xin Mei, come back.”
A gentle, amused call.
She paused, stubbornly refusing to turn around, arms crossed as she arrogantly tilted her head to look at the sky.
“Be good, come back.”
…And of course, she obediently turned and walked back.
He reclined against the headboard, eyebrows slightly raised, his expression warm and smiling. Even those slightly unsettling red eyes didn’t seem so frightening now. Before, he had been like an unsheathed, peerless blade—cold, radiant, and utterly unapproachable. But now, the blade had been carefully sheathed, no longer directed at her, making him seem much gentler, even a touch delicate.
Xin Mei thought his beauty was quite remarkable. Though he couldn’t compare to the rugged, manly charm of Zhang Dahu, her first crush, he was still one in a hundred.
“Sit,” he said, pointing to the bed.
She obediently sat facing him, unable to resist reaching out to pinch and stroke his handsome face.
Lu Qianqiao caught her wrist, chuckling helplessly. “Turn around.”
She felt him pick up a wooden comb and begin brushing her hair. The teeth of the comb lightly grazed her scalp, sending a tingling sensation through her.
His voice was soft. “You didn’t even comb your hair… Did it hurt when I pulled?”
She shook her head haphazardly.
His combing was anything but skillful—slow, cautious, and terribly clumsy. Whenever he encountered the slightest tangle, he would hesitate for ages, as though using a bit more force would tear her scalp off. Xin Mei opened her mouth, ready to mock his excessive care, but for some reason, no words came out.
His fingers were warm as they rested on her neck. Though they didn’t move, that strange, unfamiliar feeling from before returned.
Xin Mei blinked in confusion, her little heart pounding uncontrollably in her chest.
She wanted… to hug him, to draw closer, even closer. Not in a playful, nibbling way, but… but… she couldn’t quite put it into words.
Lu Qianqiao didn’t know how to style hair into a proper bun, so he simply braided it into two pigtails. Then, he turned her around by the shoulders, straightened her collar and sash, wrung out a towel in hot water, and gently pushed aside her thick bangs to wipe her face clean.
“If you’re going back, take Fierce Cloud Colt with you. Leave Qiu Yue with me, alright?” he asked quietly.
Xin Mei’s unreliable heart raced uncontrollably, her face flushing as she retorted, “…Is—is this an exchange of love tokens?”
Lu Qianqiao paused, then laughed and nodded. “Fine… consider them love tokens.”...She always felt there was something odd about this couple. Already married, yet still using a Spirit beast as some sort of love token. They hadn't even consummated their marriage yet, and he insisted on performing another wedding ceremony.
What a headache.
Xin Mei rode the Fierce Cloud Colt back to her maiden home, the Sinister Clan—or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a "bridal return"?
Xin Xiong was in the stables selecting suitable young stallions to breed with several mares when he suddenly heard a loud whinny above him. His daughter descended from the sky astride a magnificent fiery-red Spirit horse, and his eyes immediately lit up—what a stunningly handsome and powerful steed!
"Dad, I've come for my bridal return."
Xin Mei dismounted the Fierce Cloud Colt and casually greeted him.
Xin Xiong was hugging the horse's hind legs, grinning from ear to ear, but froze at her words.
"Bridal return?" He turned around in confusion, looking around. "Then... where's your husband? Shouldn't you both be returning together?"
Xin Mei pouted. "We had a fight. I'm returning alone."
A fight... that's probably what it was. She touched her braided hair, her cheeks flushing and heart racing again.
"You were kicked out by your husband?!" Xin Xiong was so shocked he nearly fainted. "You've only been married for just over a month! How... how could you already be sent back?!"
"...Dad, please listen to what I'm saying. We had a fight, so I'm returning alone."
"How did you offend your husband?! Or were you lazy and gluttonous, angering your in-laws? Did he write a letter of divorce?! Is there still room for reconciliation?!"
"Dad, it's really not what you're thinking—"
Why was her father so impossible to communicate with?
By the time Xin Xiong calmed down, it was already after lunch. He finally stopped his endless muttering at the wall and instead turned to silently shed tears while gazing at Xin Mei with a heartbroken expression.
"My precious girl, so pretty, with a decent temper too... why must your marriage be so fraught with hardship..."
He choked up, blowing his nose loudly into a handkerchief, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly.
"Dad, we still haven't consummated our marriage yet. Do you think... maybe I'm not womanly enough? Too childish?"
Xin Mei was still brooding over Lu Qianqiao's reaction last night. She had merely hugged his neck and nibbled his chin twice to show some marital affection, but he had pushed her away as if struck by lightning. Unwilling to concede, she pounced again, accidentally tearing his thin robe and exposing his chest—his skin looked quite nice, so she took another bite. Then, though it was clearly him who couldn't hold back first, clutching her tightly and biting her ear, she promptly reciprocated by nibbling his nose. The next moment, she found herself tightly bound by the Demon Binding Rope and rolled up in a quilt.
It had been quite a blow. She had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well.
Xin Xiong stopped crying, his old face flushing red. He coughed before saying, "Well... this... your father isn't sure either. Precious, your mother left early, so no one taught you these things, and I was too embarrassed to bring it up... Anyway... in short... you should still learn how to please your husband... Wait here! I'll find you something useful."
Moving like a thief in his own home, he sneaked into the bedroom and fished out an oilcloth-wrapped package from the bottom of a chest. He then stealthily handed it to Xin Mei, his face red as an apple. "Xiao Mei... take this... look at it only at night... when you're alone."
What could be so mysterious?Xin Mei tried to unwrap the oilcloth bundle, but he flusteredly stopped her: "You can't look at it during the day! And never when others are around! Only at night when you're alone!"
She had no choice but to tuck the package into her robes, comforting her much-wounded father for the day.
"By the way, that stallion you rode back today was quite impressive. Where did you get it? How old is it? Our family could use some good Spirit horses—would it be alright if I arranged for some breeding?"
Xin Mei froze for a moment. Uh-oh... her father wanted to use her betrothal gift for stud purposes...
"That's your son-in-law's mount. We exchanged Spirit beasts."
A flicker of joy finally appeared on Xin Xiong's face: "Oh? My son-in-law's? Seems he does care for you after all... Sweetheart, remember to study those books in the package carefully tonight. It's rare for your husband to show such consideration—don't pick fights with him next time, understand?"
Before she could respond, the Fierce Cloud Colt outside the window let out an indignant whinny, followed by the panicked shouts of several senior brothers. Both turned to see the colt charging over, nuzzling Xin Mei's hand with its nose in grievance, pawing the ground furiously with its front hooves in clear protest.
"What happened?" Xin Xiong asked the head disciple.
The senior brother sighed: "Master instructed us to select the finest mares from the estate for the Fierce Cloud Colt to breed with. We picked over ten of the most magnificent ones, but it rejected them all. As a last resort, we confined them together, but it actually escaped..."
Xin Mei looked down at the silently weeping colt and pondered: "Maybe it prefers stallions? Try putting it together with some stallions?"
You—this is slander! The Fierce Cloud Colt was utterly devastated as it was dragged away tearfully by a group of people to be confined with stallions.
Note: "Mare" refers to a female horse. "Stallion" refers to a male horse.
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