It was a fatal blow. Ning Xi felt as though her lungs were about to burst with rage. In the end, the pair’s tag-team routine drove the Eldest Miss Ning completely out of her wits, and she threw them out.
The evening sun was sinking toward the west, scattering shards of golden light across the ground. Su Yu halted outside the gates of the General’s Manor and turned to catch the blind, helpless girl. Only when she had her safely tucked into her arms did her brow finally ease. “If you want to laugh, laugh. Doesn’t it hurt holding it in?”
Those words were like turning on a magical valve. The girl beamed with joy, throwing her arms around Su Yu’s waist. “Ayu, what should we do? We seem to have enraged Ning Xi terribly. But I’m so happy! From now on, I won’t ever be afraid of her again.”
“Is that so?” Su Yu reserved her judgment.
“You don’t believe me?”
“Fine. I’ll reluctantly believe you for seven and a half minutes.”
“Seven and a half minutes?” Lingmiao hugged her tighter, blushing. “That’s too short. How about fifteen? Ayu, I’m just so happy.”
She tilted her head up and planted a soft kiss on Su Yu’s neck, making the unruly young master’s face flush hot.
She was truly just an innocent child—one you couldn’t bear to scold or strike, someone you’d feel guilty even lifting a finger against. Gazing down at the girl’s snow-white neck, Su Yu thought of the origin and meaning behind the Heart-Locking Pendant. She couldn’t deny it: she was genuinely shaken.
Yet, was it really a good idea to let her run wild like this? Su Yu’s eyes shifted, and she muttered in a low voice, “I humored you in front of A-Xi, but now that we’re out of the manor, do you still expect me to indulge you?”
“I don’t care,” the girl replied, her voice sweet and gentle. “Ayu is my fiancée. You acknowledged it right in front of Ning Xi, not denying it is the same as admitting it! If you love someone, you want to be close to them. I love Ayu, and I want to be close to Ayu. It’s only natural and entirely blameless.”
“Tch. You dare talk back now?” The corners of Su Yu’s mouth curled. “Since when do you try reasoning with an unreasonable rogue? Are you silly?”
“I’m not silly. Everything I do is what I truly want to do.”
Her words reminded Su Yu of the earlier kiss. Her cheeks and neck still carried the sweet, lingering scent of the girl. Her thoughts grew somewhat muddled; she actually found the way this little thing acted so brazenly to be utterly adorable.
“Ayu, take me home. I want to go home.”
Her face flushed crimson, and Su Yu’s imposing aura somehow withered away. Hooking her finger with the girl’s, she muttered under her breath, “Got it, got it. Stop acting so spoiled.” When will this ever end? It’s truly the death of me.
Her voice was muffled, but the girl happened to have extraordinary hearing. As the words trickled into her ears, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. She remained quiet, obediently letting Su Yu lead the way.
The journey home was long. The weather had been unpredictable—a fine drizzle when they set out, but now they walked under a canopy of golden twilight.
Passersby hurried along. A man in a short hemp tunic walked with his head lowered, lost in thought. Su Yu was preoccupied with her own inner turmoil, and just as she finally sorted it out, she realized they were only three paces away from a collision. Without a second thought, she pulled the girl by the shoulder to sidestep him, snapping in irritation, “Watch where you’re going! You almost ran into someone!”
Half-leaning into her embrace, the girl fluttered her eyelashes, a smile playing at her lips. She had known all along that even without her bamboo cane, even without sight, Ayu would always protect her.
Having scolded the oblivious passerby, Su Yu glanced down at her, pinching her chin in mock protest. “What are you smiling at? Smiling after nearly getting run into? You little fool!”
She used very little force, so it didn’t hurt at all. Lingmiao swayed Su Yu’s arm, her eyes dancing with quiet amusement. “Stop being so fierce. You’ve snapped at me so many times today, aren’t you tired?”
Her gentle, cooing tone was simply too effective. Seeing her bright, innocent smile, Su Yu couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh. She wanted to tease her back, but felt too self-conscious, so she took the girl by the wrist. “Let’s go!”
“Can I stop walking?”
“Stop walking? You want to sleep in the street?”
Su Yu was mercurial and supposedly difficult to get along with, yet this delicate girl wasn’t afraid of her in the least. She lazily clung to Su Yu’s arm. “Ayu, I don’t want to walk anymore. I want you to carry me on your back.”
“Did you lose your mind, or am I hallucinating?” Su Yu stared at her in disbelief. “Xue Lingmiao, don’t push your luck!”
“Push my luck?” The girl parted her lips innocently, indulging in a rare moment of stubbornness. “But today, I just feel like taking advantage of your favor.”
“Are, are you moving or not? If not, I’m leaving first. Find your own way back!” Su Yu told herself she couldn’t indulge her, or where would her pride as a rogue go? They were out on the bustling street, with people coming and going. If she yielded here, wouldn’t she become the laughingstock of the town?
Worse yet, Auntie Bai—who had never liked the look of her was watching them intently from not far off.
Auntie Bai had the sharpest tongue in the border city, on par with Concubine Yun. While Concubine Yun was merciless with her words, Auntie Bai was a living, breathing megaphone. If she found out about this, the entire town would know by nightfall.
Su Yu couldn’t fathom where the girl had found the audacity to throw a tantrum in public. Giving a final warning, she asked, “Are you coming? If you don’t, I really won’t care about you anymore!”
“My feet hurt. I want you to carry me.”
“You’ve been thoroughly spoiled!” With a flick of her wide sleeves, Su Yu strode forward with her long legs, putting several paces between them in the blink of an eye.
Left on the street, the white-robed girl looked fragile and helpless. She kept her chin tilted up, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall. It had been years since the border city had seen such a delicate beauty.
Was the rogue Su Yu beautiful? Yes, striking indeed, but who dared to look twice at someone so arrogant and unruly? Was Miss Ning beautiful? Yes, but with a fierce, overbearing edge—a single lash of her whip could rip skin and tear flesh.
People spoke of ruthlessly trampling blossoms, but those two were the fiercest blooms of all; they only trampled others.
Unlike the dominant presence of Su Yu and Ning Xi, this little beauty was soft, gentle, and vivid. Just standing there, she could soften the roughest borderland scenery into a delicate Jiangnan ink painting.
Passersby on both sides of the street exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with worldly greed and desire. Without Su Yu guarding her, the girl was a lamb cast into a pack of wolves.
The girl hadn’t expected to truly be left behind. She didn’t dare make a sound, fearing that if Ayu were watching from the shadows, she would think she was begging for mercy. She refused to plead. What was wrong with demanding a little indulgence from her own fiancée?
Her father had said they were betrothed from childhood, the closest bond in the world between two people without blood ties. If Ayu had done the same to her, she would only have been thrilled, and nothing on earth could have driven her away.
Fingering the hem of her clothes, she stood entirely alone. She waited and waited, but no one came to guide her home. Finally, fear set in, leaving her panicked and at a loss.
Seeing that Su Yu had truly gone, the men and women in the crowd grew restless. Whether for money or for beauty, she was a prize waiting to be taken.
Life in the border city was rough. When Su Yu was by her side, she could deter those sinister intentions. But now that she was gone, and since she had explicitly said she didn’t want the girl.
Then no one could blame others for rushing in to claim her.
Around the corner of the next street, Su Yu crouched against the wall, brooding. No one had ever dared speak to her like that before.
Rubbing her chin, she tried to untangle her thoughts. Rather than anger, it was more accurate to say she felt torn. Looking at it from another angle: if A-Miao had thrown such a fit at home, wouldn’t she have given in?
The image of the girl’s teary, reddened eyes rose before her mind. Her heart softened, and she cursed under her breath.
She really hadn’t been wrong, the girl was an outright troublemaker. Aside from making trouble, what else could she do? Before meeting her, Su Yu had lived an easy, carefree life. When had she ever been bogged down by so many unsolvable dilemmas?
Gritting her teeth, she grumbled, “With people bustling all around, she dared ask me to carry her on my back. In another three to five years, she’ll be walking all over me! Who am I? I am Su Yu! And who is Su Yu? The premier rogue of Xiushui City! Am I someone who softens up so easily? Absolutely not!”
Frustrated, Su Yu got to her feet, took a few paces forward, and muttered again, “There were just too many people. She might be cute, but does that mean I can just throw away my face?”
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she grew. She struck a bluestone slab with her palm, the force gouging a deep crevice into the thick stone. Staring at the mark, she stamped her foot in frustration. “Couldn’t you find a place with fewer people to act cute?”
Spinning on her heel, she rushed back like a gust of wind.
Back on the street, the helpless girl took step after step backward. The men and women closing in were already squabbling over who would get first claim. A few well-meaning passersby tried to step in and help, but before they could even get within a foot of her, she bristled like a terrified hedgehog.
In a daze, she felt as though she had returned to her first arrival in the border city. She had traveled far and met many people along the way, most of them kind. But the border city was unlike anywhere else she had been, and so were its people.
Surrounded by a tangle of avaricious gazes, she took another step back and fell directly into a warm embrace.
Su Yu had arrived on the wind, catching the girl before she even fully planted her feet. She teased, “Why are you always throwing yourself into my arms?”
“Ayu?” The girl spun around and grabbed her arm, a wave of relief and joyous surprise washing over her heart. “Ayu, you came! You didn’t leave me behind!”
“Hmph.” Su Yu ignored her and swept a cold glare over the predatory crowd, recognizing several familiar faces. Her lips curved into a chilly smile. “Looking to stay for a fight?”
A fight? With her beating a whole group of them single-handedly?
It was common knowledge that the young master’s notorious reputation was earned half through mischief and half through her fists. The crowd was astonished to see her return; this hardly seemed like something Su Yu would do.
“Don’t forget my warning: this girl is under my protection! Try this again, and we’ll settle it on the Dueling Ring!”
The Dueling Ring was a unique institution of the border city, specifically established to resolve blood feuds that even the authorities could not mediate. Once you stepped onto the platform, your life was in heaven’s hands. If you won, vengeance was yours; if you lost, you could never pursue the grudge again.
Without deep hatred, ordinary people never dared set foot on the Dueling Ring. Stepping onto it meant putting one foot through the gates of hell; it was no laughing matter.
For her to casually stake lives over this gave everyone pause. Unless they had lost their minds, they had to weigh the cost.
With the arrogant rogue standing in the middle of the street with a frosty glare, who dared stick around to watch? The onlookers tactfully withdrew, and Su Yu finally relaxed, letting her intimidating presence fade.
Looking at the girl with feigned impatience, she asked in a detached tone, “Are you hurt?”
“No! Ayu arrived just in time!”
Remembering the scene she had rushed back to, Su Yu swallowed hard. Had she been a step slower, this little kitten might have been torn apart. There were precious few saints in the border city.
After looking the girl over to ensure she was truly unharmed, Su Yu glanced around. “Are you walking or not?”
“No.”
If she walked now, wouldn’t all that earlier fuss have been for nothing?
At this point, Su Yu couldn’t bring herself to threaten to leave her behind again; she had just seen what leaving her entailed. Shaking her head, she snapped, “So annoying! Get on!”
Unable to see, the girl fumbled as she tried to climb onto her fiancée’s back. Before she had even touched her twice, Su Yu barked, “Stop groping around!”
Lingmiao: “?”
After clambering up with great effort, Lingmiao happily wrapped her arms around her neck and nuzzled against her. “Ayu, you’re the best.”
“Yes, I’m the best, while you’re utterly wicked.” The girl was light and weighed next to nothing. Resigned to her fate, Su Yu carried her along. “Stop wriggling. Wriggle again and I’ll toss you down.”
“You won’t.”
“Heh, want to test that?”
The girl on her back went silent.
Seeing her quiet down, Su Yu playfully bounced her arms twice. Terrified that she was truly going to be dropped, the little cat instantly tightened her grip around Su Yu’s neck.
It choked her uncomfortably. In that instant, the young master tasted the bitter fruit of digging her own grave. “L-Loose your grip! Are you trying to strangle me?”
“Ah? I, I didn’t mean to.” She eased her grip, her small hands gently massaging the spot she had squeezed.
It felt like the tentative scratch of a kitten’s paw, making Su Yu’s throat itch. Inwardly admitting total defeat, Su Yu sighed, “All right, all right, stop rubbing.”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll stop.” The girl rested against her neck with utter reliance. “Ayu, I thought about it just now. I got a little carried away. Will you forgive me?”
“You think a simple apology makes up for throwing a tantrum in the middle of the street? You made me lose face. I have to find a way to get it back, or I won’t even be able to sleep peacefully.”
“Is it that serious? Have you thought of a way yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Tell me when you think of one.”
“Tell you?” Su Yu chuckled. “If I tell you, what will you do?”
“Coax you and make you happy, of course.”
Tch! So utterly simple-minded. Carrying her with steady strides, Su Yu walked for a while before finding herself in another bind: Against such a naive little kitten, how could I have the heart to bully her?
Turning a corner into the next street, Su Yu warned, “Don’t say I didn’t tell you. If there’s a next time, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Unlike when facing strangers, the girl—who knew nothing of worldly romance—wore an enchanting smile as she softly teased in Su Yu’s ear, “Ayu, if you repeat a threat too many times, it loses its bite. I may be timid, but I’m not stupid.”
Su Yu ground her teeth in frustration. You little ungrateful thing. She asked, “So you mean I’m the stupid one?”
“I didn’t say that. I told you I’m timid, so how would I dare say that about you?”
“You, timid?” The rogue scoffed. “You drove Ning Xi completely out of her mind. In the entire border city, fewer than five people could pull that off. A-Miao, oh A-Miao, you truly are the boldest cat I’ve ever seen.”
Hearing her call her ‘A-Miao’ over and over, Lingmiao buried her face in Su Yu’s back, so thoroughly flustered that she forgot the pain in her feet. Before long, she actually drifted off to sleep.
“Fell asleep just like that?” Su Yu curled her lip in utter disbelief.
“Trusting people so blindly—if someone sold you off, you wouldn’t even know where to cry. Honestly, why couldn’t you just stay comfortably in Jiangnan? What did you come to this border city for? Even if the Su and Xue families have an engagement, I have no desire to take a wife, let alone that marriage certificate of yours.”
She abruptly fell silent, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “Never mind. Just stay by my side until you truly understand love. I, Su Yu, might not be a saint, but I’m no villain either. With me protecting you in this border city, you’ll be safe.”
Dusk settled quietly around them. She walked steadily along the stone path, looking at the two stone cats guarding her gate in the distance. Her mind drifted back to the girl’s first arrival, remembering how she had praised those stone cats with heartfelt admiration.
She murmured to herself, “A good girl like you is impossible to find even searching with lanterns lit. Everyone else thought my stone cats lacked decorum; even A-Xi and A-Zhou felt setting stone cats by the front gate was inappropriate. You’re the only one who liked them.
“Yes, indeed—A-Miao truly has an eye for good things. Since you don’t look down on my stone cats, I have no reason to look down on you.”
A smile graced her brow. Tilting her head, Su Yu gazed at the girl’s pure, innocent sleeping face. When she spoke again, the usual lazy swagger was gone from her voice, replaced by an airy tenderness. “Xue Lingmiao, do you really intend to cling to me for the rest of your days?”
Asleep on her back, the girl had no idea what a whirlwind of tangled emotions her fiancée had weathered on the journey home. She murmured softly in her sleep, her subconscious adrift in affection and adoration for the person carrying her.
Having her heart completely melted, Su Yu did her utmost to keep her footsteps steady. Crossing the threshold and stepping into the bedchamber, she gently lowered the girl onto the bed. The little kitten closed her eyes and let out a faint whimper of pain.
Seeing her knit her brows, Su Yu leaned over. “Where does it hurt?”
Met with the question, the girl lapsed back into silence.
Sitting by the edge of the bed, Su Yu racked her brain. Did I overlook something? Remembering how the girl had complained of aching feet on the walk home, she slipped off the girl’s boots and tentatively pressed through her stockings. When her fingers reached the ankle, another soft, pained gasp slipped past the girl’s lips.
“How did you twist your ankle?” Having the girl right under her nose yet failing to notice her injury filled Su Yu with quiet self-reproach. When did she hurt it? Was it when she hopped down the steps outside the General’s Manor, or after I stomped off in a huff?
Setting her wandering thoughts aside, Su Yu fetched a hot towel to apply a compress, then carefully worked an ointment for bruises and blood circulation into the swollen skin. By the time she finished, the dinner hour had long passed.
The kitchen had kept the meal warm. Standing by the door, A-Zhi watched her master’s every move in quiet awe. Even she was astonished to see the most notorious rogue in Xiushui City displaying such tenderness. Could the two of them truly share an engagement, then?
“You’re awake?”
Lingmiao’s sightless eyes turned aimlessly toward the bed curtains. Catching the faint scent of herbal ointment in the air, she realized her foot injury had been discovered. She curled her toes self-consciously. “I didn’t hide it on purpose. I was just afraid you’d think I’m clumsy.”
At least she knows to confess the moment she wakes—not entirely hopeless, then. After washing her hands and drying them with a towel, Su Yu turned and lightly flicked the girl’s forehead. “When did you hurt it?”
“Just, when I jumped down the steps outside the General’s Manor.”
“Quite the stoic, aren’t you? Will you go jumping down steps again?”
“No.”
Lingmiao wasn’t used to being reprimanded like a child, but the realization that Ayu had personally tended to her ankle filled her with bubbling delight. Her delicate pout was equal parts sulky and adorable. Mutters of “little troublemaker” falling from her lips, Su Yu helped her sit up.
“Ayu, I’m hungry.”
Su Yu snapped back at her, “Speak properly! Why do you sound so delicate and spoiled.”
Dealing with a fiancée who swung between tenderness and prickly irritation was no easy feat. Lingmiao decided to change the subject, turning to serious matters. “Ayu, will you take back my jade pendant?”
“Aren’t you hungry?” Su Yu had no desire to discuss the Heart-Locking Pendant. She turned her head toward the door. “A-Zhi, bring in the food.”
Seeing her brush it off, Lingmiao ignored her and stubbornly reached down to unfasten the jade pendant herself, only for a hand to clamp over hers.
“Xue A-Miao, could you please stop causing trouble? How can you give away a heart-locking pendant so casually? Do you have any idea how important this jade is to you? It’s the personal token of Patriarch Huo! Huo Quyi is someone whose word is worth nine sacred tripods. To give away her gift on a whim—what on earth is going on in that little head of yours?”
“You called me Xue A-Miao again.”
“Is the name the issue right now? The issue is what you’re thinking!”
“Haven’t I made it clear enough? The heart-locking pendant belongs to me now. Senior Sister Huo has no right to dictate whom I give it to. You are my fiancée, so isn’t it only right that I give it to you? Or is it that, after all is said and done, you simply don’t want me?
“Rejecting my jade pendant is rejecting my feelings! Bringing up Senior Sister Huo is just an excuse. You refuse to acknowledge our betrothal, and you refuse to believe the marriage certificate I brought.”
“Marriage certificate? What kind of marriage certificate is that supposed to be?” Su Yu gritted her teeth. “In any case, I’m not taking your jade pendant.”
Being clumsy with words, the girl froze, her face flushing crimson with frustration. After a long silence, she finally squeezed out, “Su Yu, you go back on your word! You’re awful!”
“I’m awful? I carry you all the way home on my back, dress your wounds, and I’m the awful one? What did you just call me? Su Yu? Xue Lingmiao, say that again if you have the guts!”
“I, I don’t have the guts. But you, you called me Xue A-Miao first.”
“And so?”
“So.” Lingmiao reached out, timidly tugging at the corner of her fiancée’s sleeve. “Ayu, my foot hurts.”