Wu Ming could not understand why Hou Danxue was resisting this so fiercely. It was clearly just a journey to travel and see the world, yet she made it seem as if they were breaking up.
She had once been a free and easy wanderer of the martial arts world, but for Hou Danxue’s sake, she had stayed behind in the Hou household. The original agreement had been a strategic alliance and a sham marriage; now, she was the only one trapped within the Hou estate, idling away her time in a tiny courtyard. And what of Hou Danxue?
Hou Danxue was drowning herself in the “Peach Blossom Spring,” rarely returning home.
Wu Ming had wanted to follow her there, but she had been driven away. Hou Danxue said that Wu Ming’s presence would affect her “state of mind.”
“No… you haven’t raised me well at all…”
Was strength built upon a mountain of countless treasures what she called being “raised well”?
Wu Ming’s once-burning passion had been nearly extinguished; beneath her formidable martial power lay a hollow heart.
When exactly had she transformed from “Wu Ming” into the “Madam of the Hou Family”? A Madam who did nothing but wait foolishly for the Head of the Household, constantly lowering her own stature.
Wu Ming was no longer the wandering hero; she had lost herself.
Hou Danxue threw herself into Wu Ming’s arms, hugging her so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“I can give you anything you want, I can satisfy any desire. I beg you, do not leave…”
“I never meant to sever ties with you. I… I just want to go out and look around.”
“I know! We’ll go to the Peach Blossom Spring together to relax! Everything will get better…”
“Fine…”
A heavy sense of exhaustion rose from the depths of Wu Ming’s heart. She gave up arguing with Hou Danxue.
She had expressed her desires repeatedly, yet the most Hou Danxue was willing to offer was a trip to the Peach Blossom Spring.
Because Hou Danxue wanted to be tethered to Wu Ming, and because Hou Danxue’s own range of activity was fixed between the Peach Blossom Spring and the Hou estate, Wu Ming had to be imprisoned as well.
In truth, if she didn’t care for her, she could have simply left without a word. She wouldn’t need to seek permission, nor would she be bound by the other’s will.
So, why did she feel so uneasy because of this plea?
Did this desperate request not prove the other’s love for her? Why did she still doubt that love?
After a long time, Hou Danxue finally let go of Wu Ming. She asked in a small, hesitant, and expectant voice, “You’re not leaving, right?”
Wu Ming saw the terror in the depths of her eyes and eventually said, “Right…”
If she could make her believe in her love, would she finally let go?
Once she was certain Wu Ming wasn’t leaving, Hou Danxue finally felt at ease enough to depart. Wu Ming lay on the bed, feeling gloomy. Her eyes were hollow, staring vacantly at the bed curtains.
After a short while, the curtains fluttered. A familiar, soft warmth threw itself into her embrace. Wu Ming instinctively reached out to hold her.
Only this time, the sensation was very different from before. Wu Ming looked down; Hou Danxue was dressed extremely lightly. A thin white gauze draped over her body, appearing like clouds or mist.
Seeing that Wu Ming was affected, a blush crept onto Hou Danxue’s face, though she was inwardly gritting her teeth.
This outfit had originally been prepared for Wu Ming. On her way back, she had been thinking about how to coax Wu Ming into wearing it. As it turned out, she was the one who had to put it on to coax her temperamental wife!
Wu Ming stared at Hou Danxue, unmoving. She was trying to guess what kind of twisted hobby this was.
Throwing herself into her arms dressed like this—this wasn’t Hou Danxue’s style at all. She must be up to no good!
Since Wu Ming remained still, Hou Danxue took the initiative. She climbed up and kissed Wu Ming.
The strands of hair falling onto Wu Ming’s face were infused with the scent of flowers; clearly, she had prepared all of this meticulously.
Wu Ming’s hands tightened involuntarily, her eyes filled with confusion.
What exactly was Hou Danxue doing?
Was she really Hou Danxue?
Could it be an impostor with ill intentions?
But… would a disguise be this detailed? Could even the physical details of the body be identical?
Once suspicion sprouted, it could not be stopped. Wu Ming instinctively began to look for evidence.
Suddenly, she felt the sensation in her mouth was wrong. How could Hou Danxue be this gentle? The other’s movements were filled with an air of pleading seduction! Hou Danxue wouldn’t be like this! Hou Danxue would only fight her for the upper hand, and even if she couldn’t win, she wouldn’t let Wu Ming have her way.
Hou Danxue was immersed in the kiss when she was suddenly pushed away violently. Wu Ming used a great deal of force, and she was slammed onto the floor.
What happened?!
Although her wife was a martial artist, her temper had always been good! Her wife, whose temper was so good she could be bullied relentlessly—how could she start hitting people just because of a quarrel?
Perhaps because of the pain, or perhaps because of the grievance, Hou Danxue’s emotions suddenly erupted. Tears fell uncontrollably.
“You aren’t my wife! I know! You were sent by my wife to test me!”
Wu Ming, looking at the tearful Hou Danxue, became even more convinced of her conclusion. She shouted to the surroundings, “Wife, come out quickly! I passed your test!”
Hou Danxue had been crying, but hearing Wu Ming’s ridiculous statement, she couldn’t help but laugh. In the end, it morphed into a terrifyingly “yandere” expression.
The moment Wu Ming’s eyes met Hou Danxue’s, she knew she was wrong. Only Hou Danxue possessed this kind of aura. She had been so incredibly, utterly wrong!
Wu Ming hurriedly picked Hou Danxue up, her face covered in a guilty smile.
“Why would you think I would send someone to do such a thing?”
She would get jealous if anyone in the Peach Blossom Spring even spared Wu Ming an extra glance, so how could she tolerate someone else taking her place and being intimate with Wu Ming?
Wu Ming was too guilty to answer. Her imagination had run wild, thinking Hou Danxue was too insecure. An insecure person could indeed do such a thing to test love.
Hou Danxue grabbed Wu Ming’s hand, smiling as she looked at her. “You threw me so hard, it hurts~”
Wu Ming’s fingertips brushed against a familiar dampness. Her fingers trembled instinctively, and she only realized what was happening when Hou Danxue leaned unsteadily against her shoulder.
There was indeed a slight heat in her palm; that area must have been bruised red from the fall.
She had been too reckless. The thought of being defiled by a woman who wasn’t her wife had made her furious. If it weren’t for her principle of not killing women, she wouldn’t have just thrown her; she would have snapped her neck.
But… it was all a misunderstanding. She had hurt Hou Danxue.
She had hurt Hou Danxue…
Wu Ming’s mood immediately became heavy.
Hou Danxue squirmed in Wu Ming’s arms, but no further action came. She had to prop herself up on Wu Ming’s shoulders and lean back. The eyes facing her were unfocused; Wu Ming was actually daydreaming!
At a time like this, she was daydreaming?!
Hou Danxue was furious. Wu Ming’s behavior made it seem as though she lacked any allure.
Clearly, in the beginning, she only needed to seduce her slightly for Wu Ming to be ensnared by her.
Could it be… she was already tired of her?
Hou Danxue’s heart chilled. The blush on her face vanished, and she stared at Wu Ming with deep resentment.
When Wu Ming snapped out of it, she saw Hou Danxue looking deeply wounded. Her guilt intensified, and she gently stroked the painful area.
“Does it hurt much… I’m sorry… I’ll never do it again…”
It took Hou Danxue a good while to realize what Wu Ming was talking about.
It did indeed hurt, but when another emotion surged in her heart, the pain was completely hidden.
“Again? What I want is a promise for the present. You must comfort me properly…”
Hou Danxue bit Wu Ming’s earlobe, her waist swaying, but Wu Ming held her too steadily; she couldn’t get the sensation she wanted.
Hou Danxue couldn’t help but stop her small movements and look up at Wu Ming. The other’s eyes were clear, filled entirely with heartache for her.
But she was dressed like this! Was it for this kind of look?
Ultimately, Hou Danxue couldn’t hold back. She climbed off Wu Ming, grabbed the other’s clothes, dragged her to the edge of the bed, and pressed her down.
Because of her guilt, Wu Ming offered no resistance at all. She looked at Hou Danxue obediently, making Hou Danxue’s heart itch.
So well-behaved. Although she could sometimes trick Wu Ming, Wu Ming would usually make small gestures of dissatisfaction, and Hou Danxue would always lose out in the end.
But this time, she had a feeling that Wu Ming would not resist at all, truly allowing her to do as she pleased.
Hou Danxue’s inner thoughts battled fiercely, but she eventually gave up on the sudden impulse.
Everything she did tonight was to keep her wife. She knew which choice was more likely to achieve that.
Hou Danxue lay in Wu Ming’s embrace, one hand interlocking fingers with Wu Ming’s, while the other guided Wu Ming’s hand.
After the series of events, the thin gauze on her body had mostly come apart. Now, the fabric was sandwiched between them. Hou Danxue pressed her body against the gauze, watching the white, translucent fabric shift with her movements.
Staring at the gauze, the resentment in Hou Danxue’s heart dissipated a little. In this situation, what was the difference between this and Wu Ming wearing the outfit?
The visual effect was the same. In a way, it counted as her having coaxed her wife into wearing it!
Hou Danxue wanted to keep playing, but she was suddenly nipped by Wu Ming. Now, she couldn’t move the gauze anymore.
Wu Ming carefully savored the “white jade sweetcake” delivered to her lips; the thin layer of gauze didn’t hinder her perception in the slightest.
Though she didn’t know why Hou Danxue was acting so strangely tonight, Wu Ming decided to go along with her wishes.
After such a massive misunderstanding, she was certain the person before her was her wife. No matter how strange she acted, she was still the person she loved.
Hou Danxue let out a dissatisfied whimper. She tugged at Wu Ming’s motionless hand.
Wu Ming stopped her actions and looked up at Hou Danxue. Hou Danxue’s eyes were not bright or sparkling.
Was she truly enjoying this?
If this wasn’t her heart’s most sincere desire, then why wouldn’t she follow her own thoughts?
Their eyes met. Wu Ming saw a trace of terror in the depths of Hou Danxue’s eyes.
She was afraid.
Feeling the tug on her hand again, Wu Ming didn’t need further prompting this time and moved of her own accord.
Wu Ming stared intently into Hou Danxue’s eyes. She watched as that sliver of terror was covered by a watery mist until it could no longer be found.
Hou Danxue instinctively avoided her gaze. She leaned down and huddled into the crook of Wu Ming’s neck. In her moment of greatest mental confusion, she bit Wu Ming. She used all her strength, yet only left a shallow tooth mark.
Wu Ming, of course, did not feel pain from the bite. But following the bite were scalding tears that dripped onto her skin, burning Wu Ming’s heart with a sharp pang.
“I beg you… don’t leave me…”