The battle with Xuan Xing had caused the long-dormant blood within Wu Ming to boil once again; she had suddenly rediscovered her former self.
The allure of freedom had instantly become infinitely great to her. She wanted to engage in more of these exhilarating fights.
She… could wait no longer.
With a turn of her head, Wu Ming saw Hou Danxue’s eyes misted over with a shimmering red haze. She knew the other woman found her words utterly unacceptable, yet… for the sake of her own desires, she had hurt her anyway.
Wu Ming sighed and embraced her lover. Tears dampened their lapels, feeling as scalding to Wu Ming as they had last time, except… this time, her mind would not change.
“No! I don’t agree! You have to stay with me! You have to stay with me—”
Through the cadence of Wu Ming’s voice, Hou Danxue recognized the reality that this was irredeemable. Even her love was useless now; what else could she do? What else could she do?
What could she possibly do to salvage this!
Use poison? While Wu Ming was improving, she had been improving as well. Her skill with toxins had reached a level of divine mastery.
The thought flared for only an instant before Hou Danxue suppressed it.
She knew that if she chose to use poison, she would certainly achieve her goal. She could keep Wu Ming forever, controlling her completely without ever having to pin her hopes on the other’s ethereal, fleeting love.
But she couldn’t bear to do it.
Poison—it was poison!
Poison would surely ravage Wu Ming’s body and spirit. Wu Ming was her most precious treasure; she was unwilling to let this treasure suffer a single scratch, let alone actively harm her herself.
If not poison… what else could she do?
Shackle her with chains?
She knew Wu Ming’s martial arts were peerless, but… she had already found the world’s strongest metal to forge into chains. Even if Wu Ming’s martial arts were supreme, she might not necessarily be able to break through the constraints of such links.
Their thoughts drifted as they returned, both remaining silent.
Wu Ming was the first to speak: “Wife, I… even if you do not let me leave, I will go. I shall depart tomorrow morning. Tonight, you may do whatever you wish to me.”
Perhaps, during an intimate exchange, she could persuade her—convince her that they were still in love, and that being a thousand miles apart would not affect the affection between them.
Wu Ming failed to notice the heavy darkness that lingered in the depths of Hou Danxue’s eyes; she was entirely immersed in her own imaginings of the future.
First, persuade her wife, then traverse the mountains and rivers.
Except this time, she had a home.
She would not be as wretched as before; she could communicate with her wife and receive support through the shops her wife owned.
“Since anything is fine, then… I want to play something special.”
Hou Danxue brought out a set of chains. These were not the chains she placed high hopes on, but rather a failed prototype—perfect for testing Wu Ming at this moment.
“Bondage…”
Wu Ming stared at the chains shimmering with a cold light. She recognized instantly that this object was extraordinary, and she couldn’t help but hesitate.
These were chains! Cold-glinting chains! How uncomfortable they would feel on the body!
If Hou Danxue truly wanted to play at bondage, why didn’t she choose silk instead of chains?
Silk was both beautiful and comfortable; no matter how one thought about it, silk was better than chains.
“Wife…”
“Didn’t you say… anything was fine? What, are you going to break your word on this too? Just like you promised not to leave me, only to regret it a few days later.”
“I… I am worried about you. To me, chains and silk make no difference, but you, Wife, will surely be uncomfortable because of the chains!”
With such a thick, cold thing lying between them, it would be awkward no matter how she thought about it!
“I simply feel… using chains has more flair than silk. After all… chains suit your temperament as a wandering martial artist, don’t they?”
When Hou Danxue mentioned the “wandering martial artist,” Wu Ming fell silent. She knew Hou Danxue was angry; thus, she would let Hou Danxue vent that anger as she pleased.
At most… it would only result in the chains pressing red marks into Hou Danxue’s skin when she tried to lie on top of her.
Hmm?
Red marks?
Wasn’t that the same as her locking Hou Danxue up?
Wu Ming suddenly found it quite acceptable. Anyway, she wouldn’t be the one losing out, and she would gently apply medicine to Hou Danxue afterward.
“Alright, Wife, go ahead!”
Wu Ming’s sudden enthusiasm made Hou Danxue suspicious, but she didn’t overthink it and bound Wu Ming with the chains.
The other end of the chain was fastened to the bedpost. In this way, she trapped Wu Ming on the bed.
Yes… it will be like this when the time comes.
Wu Ming rattled her hands to test the chains. She estimated the hardness in her mind and reached a conclusion that set her heart at ease.
It was fine. She could shatter these chains with her internal energy. This could not hold her, and it certainly wouldn’t delay her departure tomorrow.
Hou Danxue pressed closer, her fingers pinching the links, carefully adjusting how the chain lay against Wu Ming.
She tentatively tightened and flicked them, but it had no effect—Wu Ming’s skin was too resilient.
Hah…
Hou Danxue withdrew her hand. Her fingertips were red from the effort, which only made her angrier.
Was it possible… that she truly had no way to handle her?
Wu Ming felt nothing from Hou Danxue’s maneuvers. She was thinking: Why is Wife so slow? She was nearly driven to impatience by her own fantasies.
She so badly wanted to see her wife covered in red marks. Her wife’s skin was delicate; if she just lightly touched those marks… her wife would let out a pitiful gasp.
And then she would apply medicine. Even the best ointment couldn’t take effect instantly; the moment it was applied, her wife would surely feel a sting—first a sharp pain, then a cool soothing…
Sigh… so, why hasn’t she pressed down yet?
Wu Ming looked up. The darkness in Hou Danxue’s eyes was irrepressible; she could tell at a glance that the other was in a state of extreme irritability.
“Wife…” Why haven’t you come to me… why are you looking at me like that…
Hou Danxue snapped out of it at Wu Ming’s call. She let out a cold snort, gave up her struggle, and chose to ravage Wu Ming’s most vulnerable area.
Since she had forged her exterior to be so formidable, she didn’t believe her interior would be just as tough!
Hou Danxue grew ruthless. She grabbed the chain, and Wu Ming was forced to swallow the icy thing. Her fantasies were frozen away.
Hou Danxue looked down from above, clearly having no intention of pressing her body down.
Then… everything she had hoped for wouldn’t be seen?
How could this be!
“Mmph…”
Dissatisfied, Wu Ming surged her internal energy to vibrate the chain out of her mouth. Finally, she could speak a full sentence.
“Wife, press down!”
I want you to play with me yourself! I don’t want you to play with me using chains!
The difference between the two was immense. When played with by Hou Danxue, Wu Ming felt pleasure even in the subordinate position; just watching Hou Danxue’s impassioned expression was enough for her.
Furthermore, when they were pressed tightly together, it was easy for Wu Ming to pull some small tricks. At that point, it would be hard to say who was playing with whom…
But now, Hou Danxue was standing over her, merely tugging at the chains. Yet Wu Ming felt nothing from her various operations; the only thing that could give her a sensation was Hou Danxue’s display of emotion.
Hou Danxue pursed her lips, staring coldly at the uncooperative Wu Ming, neither speaking nor moving.
Didn’t you say I could play however I wanted?!
Why was it that even after she locked her up, she couldn’t do as she pleased?
This was different from what she had imagined!
In Hou Danxue’s imagination, she would bind Wu Ming, rendering her immobile, and do whatever she wanted to her body—things she usually couldn’t do—while maintaining absolute dominance.
But now, even though Hou Danxue had Wu Ming locked down, the one controlling the rhythm was still Wu Ming. Even as she looked down upon her, she was actually in the inferior position. This made Hou Danxue very unhappy.
If Wu Ming had the ability to end all of this whenever she wanted… then when the time came that she truly locked her up against her will… when they reached a total falling out… would she… would she not even be able to touch Wu Ming, let alone do as she pleased?
Dammit! It really is a hassle when the person you want to control has such high-level martial arts!
Despite these thoughts, the idea of crippling Wu Ming’s martial arts never crossed Hou Danxue’s mind. Nor did she regret nurturing Wu Ming to be this powerful.
Wu Ming’s peerless martial arts were the brilliant luster upon the treasure Hou Danxue cherished; she couldn’t bear to destroy it.
But if she didn’t deal with the martial arts…
Hou Danxue didn’t want to spend her days merely looking but never tasting.
Before Hou Danxue could decide what to do, the frequent clashing of the chains pulled her back to reality.
She looked back and saw Wu Ming fidgeting. Her eyes were full of longing—was she craving her?
How strange. Why was Wu Ming so eager for this?
She clearly hadn’t done anything yet.
Could it be that Wu Ming had accidentally touched some of the toxins she carried? Was that why she was acting so out of character?
Since it concerned Wu Ming’s safety, Hou Danxue didn’t dare delay for a second. Thus, while Wu Ming was full of anticipation, Hou Danxue finally leaned down… using her hands to check Wu Ming’s mouth and nose.
Wu Ming: “???”
How did it turn out like this? How did it turn out like this?!
Could it be that Wife is going to play some incredibly perverted trick?!
Wu Ming’s heart tightened; she was terrified. She decided to strike first.
Although Wu Ming primarily practiced palm techniques, it didn’t mean she was ignorant of weapons. On the contrary, thanks to her supreme martial power, she was naturally proficient with most armaments.