“Do not get too close to His Majesty.”
Shen Tinglan’s expression was calm as he gently warned her.
He then put an arm’s length of distance between them again, as if the way he had just grabbed Yun Ni’s wrist had merely been a hallucination brought on by her lingering feelings for him.
Yun Ni tightened her fingers. She thought of Wang Ruodan, whom everyone kept mentioning. Everyone paired Wang Ruodan with Shen Tinglan, surrounding the two of them and teasing them with suggestive jokes, yet Shen Tinglan had never once denied it. But now, when Yun Ni had merely exchanged a few words with Li Yi, he had suddenly decided to interfere.
She felt unwilling and even resentful, but she also knew that she was no match for Shen Tinglan. It was better not to oppose him.
Yun Ni lowered her eyes. “I know my status is low. I am merely a commoner. I will not get too close to His Majesty, so please rest assured, Lord Shen.”
“That is for the best. His Majesty has a noble status as the ruler of a nation. He will never make a woman from the commoner class his consort. If you harbor foolish hopes of a sparrow becoming a phoenix and deliberately approach the emperor, you may only end up losing everything.”
Yun Ni could not tell whether Shen Tinglan genuinely looked down on her humble background or whether, because they had once known each other, he was simply offering her some well-intentioned advice.
He folded away the powerful horn bow in his hand. Perhaps still worried about Yun Ni, he added another warning.
“Yun Ni, if you carelessly enter the palace and cause me to suffer another attack from the love poison, I will kill you first and then dig out the mother parasite myself.”
At that moment, Yun Ni finally understood.
Shen Tinglan had never been kind to her. He was merely afraid that she would develop foolish ambitions and end up dragging him into trouble.
“I understand. I value my life very much, so I would never disobey you, Lord Shen.”
After saying that, sadness appeared in Yun Ni’s eyes, yet for some inexplicable reason, she curved her lips into a smile.
Perhaps her expression of crying and smiling at the same time was too strange, because Shen Tinglan could not help glancing at her.
He frowned. “What are you laughing at?”
Yun Ni shook her head without answering. Instead, she stepped forward and boldly raised her head to look at him.
It was the same exquisite, elegant jawline. The same pale, jade-like skin. The same long, narrow phoenix eyes framed by thick lashes. The same cold, thin lips…
It was clearly the same person. So why was he so different after regaining his memories?
Without thinking, Yun Ni raised her hand and lightly touched Shen Tinglan’s slowly moving Adam’s apple with her fingertip.
She felt his shoulders and back tense. His gaze turned hostile, and his thin lips pressed together in obvious resistance.
Only then did Yun Ni sadly withdraw her hand.
With a bitter smile, she sighed, “You really are… quite different from before.”
Her voice was slightly hoarse. The discomfort Shen Tinglan had shown when she touched him had stabbed painfully into her heart.
The Shen Tinglan of the past had actually loved being touched by her in bed. Sometimes, when she was too shy to touch him freely, he would take her wrist and patiently teach her how to stroke his walnut-sized Adam’s apple, how to undo his belt, and how to tease him with her hands until he became aroused.
Shen Tinglan had loved his wife’s touch. Even when guiding her, his voice had always been gentle and patient.
He had never deliberately avoided her like this, as if he could not get away from her quickly enough, as though he hated her to the bone.
Yun Ni smiled with resignation.
“If you are really like this now… then perhaps I can slowly let you go.”
Shen Tinglan understood.
Yun Ni did not like the man he was now.
The only person she had loved was her former husband—the Shen Tinglan who had lost his memories.
For some reason, an inexplicable irritation arose in Shen Tinglan’s heart.
Perhaps the love parasite that had been bound by their marital bond had sensed that Yun Ni’s heart was dying and had begun to stir and resist.
Shen Tinglan felt as if his entire body were burning from within. The pain in his chest grew increasingly severe, as though thousands of knives were carving into his heart, stripping away his flesh and leaving nothing behind.
His body temperature suddenly dropped. It felt as though an invisible force had entered every part of his body, draining away his vitality. Even his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Mr. Shen, I’ll return to my tent first.”
Yun Ni called Cai Xia over and grabbed the saddle, struggling to climb onto the horse.
When she lowered her head, she saw Shen Tinglan, following the manners expected of an aristocratic gentleman, instinctively reaching out to help her onto the horse.
Yun Ni quickly stopped him.
“No need… Mr. Shen, I’ve thought it through. From now on, you should continue treating me coldly.”
That way, she would not lose her resolve again and start dwelling on their past, only to do something foolish.
Yun Ni gently squeezed the horse’s sides. Her riding skills were not particularly good, but fortunately, Cai Xia was intelligent and knew to carry her steadily.
Before long, Yun Ni disappeared into the distance.
Once she entered the thick forest, all the strength seemed to leave her body. She slumped against Cai Xia’s neck.
She loosely wrapped her arms around the jujube horse’s neck and said gratefully, “Cai Xia, thank goodness you run so fast. Otherwise, I would have embarrassed myself in front of everyone. You really helped me today. When we get home, I’ll buy you some fresh jujubes… No, I’ll add a whole basket of alfalfa!”
Although alfalfa was premium feed for warhorses, it was not particularly expensive. Rural people called it “grass head” and often picked it to make soup or porridge.
Yun Ni knew Cai Xia loved it, so she planned to buy a basket for her beloved horse when they returned home.
After Yun Ni disappeared, Shen Tinglan did not stay there for long either.
His claim about “chasing a mountain tiger” had naturally been nothing but a lie he had made up on the spot.
He had gone to the imperial tent looking for Li Yi, only to find that the emperor was nowhere to be seen. When he realized that Yun Ni was also far away from him, the pain in his chest intensified, forcing him to suppress his irritation and search for her.
Shen Tinglan had intended to bring Yun Ni back.
But even he did not understand why he had fired that arrow—an arrow powerful enough to intimidate even the young emperor.
He and Li Yi had always been friendly only on the surface while secretly distrusting each other. One more arrow or one less arrow hardly mattered.
Shen Tinglan had never been someone who dwelled on things.
Whether their year of married life had contained more sincerity or more pretense, it was all useless history to him. Since it had become a burden, it should be abandoned.
Why else had Shen Tinglan insisted on bringing Yun Ni back to Longzhou?
Part of it was because he wanted to force her to face reality and give up on him.
Only after Yun Ni had personally experienced the strict rules and suffocating customs of an aristocratic household would she understand how difficult it was for a woman of commoner origins to survive among them—how out of place she was and how much the noble families looked down on her.
After suffering enough humiliation and hardship, Yun Ni would naturally give up on him.
A clean break would be best.
After all, she had once saved Shen Tinglan’s life. If possible, he wanted to spare her.
At most, half a year.
Once the love parasite was removed, he would never have to see her again.
Shen Tinglan’s expression remained firm and emotionless.
Yet the pain in his chest surged like a raging tide, twisting his organs with agony and leaving him restless.
A wave of unbearable pain struck.
Shen Tinglan endured it stubbornly, but a salty, bloody taste suddenly surged up his throat.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
He could no longer hold it back. Turning his head, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, fell from his horse, and lost consciousness.
“Master!”
Wei Lingfeng saw Shen Tinglan fall from his horse in the distance and cried out in alarm. He immediately called several soldiers guarding the camp to help carry Shen Tinglan back to his tent.
…
Shen Tinglan remained unconscious for a long time.
He had fallen into another “nightmare.”
The door was slightly ajar. Rain seeped through the cracks in the window. Everything around him was filled with sights that irritated him.
Shen Tinglan knew this was a dream.
It was a memory from the past.
A year ago, Shen Tinglan had been seriously injured and was lying in a crude hut in Xuzhou, waiting for Yun Ni to return home and give him food and medicine.
There was no underfloor heating in the room, nor was there a smokeless charcoal brazier. Even the quilt covering Shen Tinglan was Yun Ni’s treasured possession that she had kept packed away.
When she took it out for him, she had sighed several times in distress.
Yun Ni’s family was desperately poor. When they cooked porridge, there were barely any grains of rice in it. The broth was so thin that even after drinking several bowls, one only felt full because of the water.
Every time Yun Ni brought him food, she would guiltily avoid his eyes and paint him a hopeful picture.
“There isn’t much rice or flour at home right now, but in a few days, when winter comes and the mountains are covered in snow, there won’t be much food for the wild rabbits and musk deer either. They’ll have to wander around looking for food, so they’ll be easier to hunt. Once I catch a rabbit or a fox, I’ll go to town and buy you two pounds of mutton to help you regain your strength…”
Yun Ni had not been lying to him.
One day, she really returned home carrying a young musk deer.
Knowing Shen Tinglan was badly injured and had difficulty getting up, she excitedly carried the prey to his bedside and proudly announced,
“Look! We have meat now! Musk deer meat is delicious. It smells wonderful when roasted. You’ll definitely like it. The hide is too dull-colored to make nice clothes, though, so I’ll sell it for some money and buy you a long robe!”
Shen Tinglan listened quietly before glancing at Yun Ni.
Yun Ni was full of happiness and continued talking to herself, thinking about what color clothes she should buy for him.
White was plain and elegant. He would surely look like an immortal who had descended into the mortal world.
Blue was gentle and refined. Shen Tinglan always looked distant and otherworldly, so clothing decorated with pine and bamboo patterns would suit him perfectly.
Yun Ni thought of Shen Tinglan in everything she did.
She wanted to buy him new clothes, yet she was unwilling to spend money on thread to mend the frayed hem of her own skirt.
At night, as usual, Yun Ni washed herself and climbed into bed.
There was only one quilt in the house.
Yun Ni was afraid of the cold, so she had no choice but to sleep beside Shen Tinglan.
Perhaps the wind and snow were particularly fierce that night. Yun Ni was so cold that even while sleeping soundly, she instinctively curled herself toward the warmth beneath the quilt.
Without realizing it, she crossed over the bamboo pillow that had been placed between them to keep her safe and wrapped both arms tightly around Shen Tinglan’s narrow waist.
Shen Tinglan was awakened by the careless rubbing against him.
He lifted the quilt and saw a thin, bony arm belonging to a young woman, as well as Yun Ni’s flushed face resting against his shoulder as she slept.
Shen Tinglan had always disliked people behaving disrespectfully toward him.
Yet this time, for some reason, he unexpectedly showed mercy and did not push Yun Ni away.
With Yun Ni pressed against him, Shen Tinglan could not sleep.
He allowed her to use him as a pillow while keeping one hand around her slender waist so she would not accidentally fall from the bed.
Shen Tinglan could not help frowning.
This girl seemed a little foolish.
When Shen Tinglan awoke from the dream, it was already deep into the night.
Those scenes of them sharing a bed were nothing more than memories of the past.
After returning to Longzhou, Shen Tinglan no longer had to force himself to stay in a cramped, cold thatched hut.
He lay silently on a soft wooden bed covered with thick animal fur.
Wei Lingfeng lifted the tent flap. The moment he saw Shen Tinglan awake, he hurried over happily.
“Master, you’re finally awake! Does your chest still hurt?”
Shen Tinglan waited for a moment and felt that the pain in his chest had eased considerably. The bloody taste in his throat had also disappeared. It seemed the attack had subsided.
The shaman doctor knelt beside the bed and said anxiously, “This cannot continue, Master. What exactly happened to you? Why is the poison from the parasite getting worse and worse?”
After hesitating for a long time, he continued,
“I still want to advise you to spend more time with the woman carrying the mother parasite. Ideally, you should even stay in the same room with her regularly. The love parasite is extremely dangerous, and we really have no other choice but to resort to this. Once you endure another four or five months, you can simply drive her out of the residence…”
The shaman doctor knew that if anything happened to Shen Tinglan, he would be forced to die with him.
To save his own life, he could only gather his courage and offer more advice.
The shaman doctor had witnessed Shen Tinglan’s violent temper and murderous nature. He knew that when Shen Tinglan became furious, he could even draw his sword and kill someone.
Therefore, after finishing his advice, the doctor immediately lowered himself to the ground, trembling as he lay there, hoping Shen Tinglan would spare his life.
In the past, Shen Tinglan would already have been furious and ordered the doctor out of the tent.
But this time, no one knew what Shen Tinglan was thinking.
He remained silent for a long time.
Even though Shen Tinglan had hurt her again that day, Yun Ni still did not mistreat herself.
She reheated the remaining venison and ate it, then used a clay pot to cook herself a bowl of rice broth.
After eating and drinking her fill, Yun Ni wiped herself down with hot water before finally lying down on the bed.
She tossed and turned for a long time but could not fall asleep.
Eventually, she let her long black hair fall loose and got out of bed again.
Yun Ni crouched beside a wooden chest, opened her bundle, and took out a sachet wrapped in red cloth.
The sachet was embroidered with a crude design of intertwined lotus flowers. Inside was a talisman.
On the back of the talisman was a blessing:
“May husband and wife remain loving and devoted, and may their marriage last a hundred years.”
A Taoist priest had written those words for Yun Ni stroke by stroke.
Yun Ni had never believed in gods or spirits and had never wanted to waste money on such things.
But that day, hoping to spend the rest of her life happily married to Shen Tinglan, she had foolishly gone to a Taoist temple and spent two copper coins on a talisman meant to “bless a happy marriage.”
She had hidden it beneath her pillow.
“It doesn’t work at all. I suppose there really are no gods or spirits in this world…”
Yun Ni took out the talisman and threw it into the brazier.
She watched as the yellow paper blackened and curled, completely consumed by the crimson flames.
Halfway through the night, Yun Ni was suddenly awakened by the chaotic sound of weapons clashing.
She sat up and looked outside.
The glow of fire flickered through the tent. Shadows overlapped everywhere. Loud shouts, desperate screams, and frantic cries filled the air.
A moment later, a splash of bright red blood—so dark it was almost black—suddenly sprayed across the tent canvas.
The thick smell of blood terrified Yun Ni.
She finally realized something was terribly wrong.
This was human blood!
Yun Ni rose in panic. She did not even have time to comb her hair.
She hurriedly put on her shoes, grabbed a quiver filled with arrows, a powerful horn bow, and a dagger used for cutting meat, then crouched down and hid in the shadows.
Not long afterward, an assassin carrying a terrifying long blade quietly slipped into her tent.
He suddenly swung his weapon violently at the wooden bed where Yun Ni had been sleeping.
Bang!
The blade struck down.
Only cotton stuffing flew through the air.
There were no bones or flesh.
The woman was not in the tent?
The assassin frowned in confusion and began searching through the disheveled bedding.
Before he could pull the blade free from the wooden window where it had lodged, Yun Ni had already nocked an arrow and drawn her bow.
She aimed directly at the assassin’s head.
“Die!”
Yun Ni whispered angrily and released the bowstring, which had been pulled taut like a full moon.
Whoosh!
The black-feathered arrow shot forward with incredible speed, its sharp point gleaming coldly as it flew straight toward the assassin’s throat.
Yun Ni knew that a human skull was too hard. Her arm strength was not particularly great, and she might not be able to pierce it.
But the throat was soft.
One arrow was enough to kill.
That was why, when hunting outside, Yun Ni preferred to aim for the necks of her prey.
Sure enough, the sharp arrow instantly pierced the assassin’s throat.
Flesh split and blood exploded outward, splattering Yun Ni’s entire face.
The assassin had never expected that this seemingly delicate, defenseless woman would possess such fierce courage when cornered.
Before he could recover and fight Yun Ni, a second arrow followed immediately, shooting straight toward his forehead.
At this critical moment between life and death, Yun Ni did not dare relax for even an instant.
She pulled with all her strength.
She had no deerskin gloves or thumb ring, and the thin, tough bowstring nearly cut into the bend of her fingers.
Fortunately, Yun Ni was an experienced hunter.
The arrow struck the assassin directly in the brow bone, violently knocking him backward.
Blood poured from his wounds, and he collapsed dead.
Only after the assassin hit the ground did Yun Ni realize how frightened she was.
This was the first person she had ever killed.
Even though she knew the man lying before her was a vicious criminal, tears still filled her eyes.
She was terrified and uneasy, yet she did not dare cry aloud.
She did not know why the camp had suddenly descended into chaos, nor why the assassin had been determined to kill her.
But this was no place to stay.
Yun Ni was merely a disabled woman. The only reason she had managed to kill someone with a bow was because the assassin had underestimated her and she had caught him off guard.
She had to run.
She needed to leave as quickly as possible.
Because of her disabled legs, Yun Ni could never run very far no matter what danger she faced.
Thinking of this, Yun Ni took a deep breath, summoned her courage, lifted the tent flap, and stumbled toward the distant stable.
Yun Ni’s legs were weak. Whenever she tried to run too quickly, a dull pain would shoot through her ankles.
Cold sweat covered her forehead as she forced herself to endure the pain.
Holding her bow in one hand, she whistled repeatedly toward the stable, trying to call Cai Xia.
Fortunately, Yun Ni knew Cai Xia disliked being tied up. She had therefore left the horse untethered the previous night.
That made it easier for Cai Xia to hear her whistle and come to find her.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the tent.
Torrential rain poured down.
The campfires used for illumination were quickly extinguished by the cold rain.
Behind Yun Ni, the sounds of fighting continued without end, mixed with the sharp clang of swords and blades.
Amid the chaos, many guards arrived to rescue their masters and escort them away.
Yet no one came looking for Yun Ni.
It made sense.
She had no relatives or friends here.
Who would care whether she lived or died?
She should never have stayed here.
She had never belonged here.
“Cai Xia! Cai Xia!”
Yun Ni stumbled into the mud.
Her leg condition worsened whenever she was exposed to wind and rain, and she could no longer run.
With nowhere else to turn, she could only call out loudly for her horse, hoping Cai Xia would hurry over to save her.
Before Yun Ni could crawl another few steps, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her slender waist.
The arm tightened abruptly, pulling her firmly against a broad chest.
Yun Ni’s heart pounded like a drum.
She nearly screamed, but bit down on her lip and tremblingly reached for the dagger at her waist.
The man behind her seemed to sense the murderous intent that suddenly arose within her.
He lifted her into his arms and placed her on horseback, pulling her into his embrace.
“Don’t be afraid.”
The man sighed.
“It’s me… Shen Tinglan.”
The murderous determination that had filled Yun Ni’s heart disappeared.
In its place came tears, relief at having survived, and a tiny bit of grievance.
Back in Xuzhou, even her hardest days had amounted to little more than insufficient food and clothing.
But after coming to Longzhou, she had either been mocked by others or found herself with her life hanging by a thread.
Yun Ni even wondered:
What kind of walking disaster was Shen Tinglan? Wherever he went, calamity seemed to follow.
Yun Ni also knew why Shen Tinglan had come looking for her.
He was simply afraid that something would happen to her and that her death would cause the parasite in his heart to attack him.
She was no longer the innocent and easily deceived girl she had once been.
Seeing that Yun Ni had calmed down, Shen Tinglan tightened his grip on the reins and rode toward another dark mountain valley.
Yun Ni wiped the rain and tears from her face and asked,
“What exactly happened? Why… why are there suddenly so many soldiers?”
Shen Tinglan was unusually patient tonight.
He glanced at the woman in his arms and actually took the time to explain.
“There was a traitor among the foreign tributary delegation. They joined forces with the rebels and attempted to assassinate His Majesty. I have already lit the signal fires and released the messenger eagles. In another two hours, the troops stationed around the capital will arrive to reinforce us.”
After saying this, something seemed to trigger an old hidden illness within Shen Tinglan.
He suddenly coughed, and a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his lips.
Yun Ni saw the dark red blood and immediately panicked.
“You’re injured?! Where were you hit by an arrow?”
She knew that, for the moment, she could only rely on Shen Tinglan to escape alive.
Honestly, she did not want anything to happen to him.
Shen Tinglan saw the worry on her face.
He lowered his long, thick lashes and said calmly,
“It is merely the love parasite acting up.”
Yun Ni nervously clutched the horse’s mane.
“Is there any medicine that can relieve the pain?”
“I left it in the tent when I came in such a hurry.”
“Then… then what should we do?”
Hearing this, Shen Tinglan slightly lowered his phoenix eyes and looked at her.
“Yun Ni, do you want to save me?”
Tears still clung to Yun Ni’s lashes.
She answered helplessly, “Of course… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Tonight, Shen Tinglan had saved her life.
Without him, she would never have been able to escape the camp alive.
Yun Ni knew how to repay kindness. She also understood that only if Shen Tinglan survived would she have any hope of escaping and receiving help from the reinforcements.
Of course she did not want him to die.
But Shen Tinglan seemed to think of something.
He reached out, grasped her chin, and forced her face toward him.
“Don’t hide.”
Yun Ni was forced to tilt her head.
The first thing she saw was Shen Tinglan’s clear, prominent Adam’s apple and the blood-stained white collar of his robe.
Too much had happened that night.
Yun Ni had long since become too exhausted to think properly.
She was simply too slow to realize that something was wrong with Shen Tinglan, nor did she realize how intimate and suggestive his action of holding her chin beneath the rain actually was.
By the time Yun Ni sensed something was wrong, the man’s hot breath was already brushing against the tip of her nose.
A faint, refreshing scent of spring orchids suddenly entered her senses.
Then Shen Tinglan’s low voice sounded beside her ear, cold as a ghost orchid.
“I apologize.”
Without hesitation, Shen Tinglan lowered his shoulders and covered Yun Ni’s soft, full lips with his own.
Only when his cool, damp lips touched hers did Yun Ni realize what he had done.
Shen Tinglan had suddenly kissed her.
Yun Ni stared in disbelief.
Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she looked at the man only inches away from her, enduring this damp, passionless kiss.
She did not know whether she should push him away or respond.
She even felt that Shen Tinglan was being shameless.
It was as though he had known for certain that she would not dodge him.
He was a lofty god who occasionally lowered his gaze to the mortal world and showed her a moment of mercy.
And she was expected to be grateful and accept it.
She hated how useless her own resolve was.
Whenever Shen Tinglan showed her even the slightest bit of affection, she hesitated and allowed him to stir her emotions.
Yun Ni’s entire body stiffened.
Although they had kissed many times before, her kissing skills were still terribly clumsy. She had hardly improved at all.
When Shen Tinglan’s lips and tongue blocked hers, she could only press her lips together stiffly, not knowing how to open her mouth and respond.
Perhaps knowing how clumsy she was, Shen Tinglan decided to help her.
He pulled the horse to a stop, gently grasped Yun Ni’s slender waist, lifted her up, and held her in front of him face-to-face.
That way, Yun Ni no longer had to twist her neck and would not have to endure the strain.
“Open your mouth.”
Shen Tinglan stroked her soft lips, coaxing her to open them.
His fingertips were slightly rough, carrying even a faint, hidden scent of ink.
Yun Ni was overwhelmed by his subtle orchid fragrance.
Like a puppet controlled by strings, she simply allowed him to manipulate her.
When her lips were pressed apart, she instinctively parted them.
Shen Tinglan’s cool tongue immediately slipped inside, entwining with hers in a lingering, relentless kiss.
…
The kiss was slow and thorough, yet terrifying enough to make Yun Ni’s heart tremble.
She still retained a little clarity.
She was not lost in passion.
She only thought that Shen Tinglan must have gone mad.
When the kiss finally ended, Yun Ni struggled to breathe, trembling as she clutched his sleeve.
Her clothes, already soaked by the night rain, clung heavily to her body like wet paper.
She felt uncomfortable all over, and her lips were sore and raw.
“You…”
She did not know what to ask and could only hesitate.
Shen Tinglan, however, seemed satisfied, and the pain in his chest had eased considerably.
Like a lion or tiger that had eaten its fill and become sleepy, he lazily stroked the back of her neck now and then, as though soothing a beloved pet he kept at his side.
“I apologize for my lack of restraint. What happened tonight was merely the work of the love parasite… But I did take liberties with you, so I should take responsibility.”
Shen Tinglan stared at the young woman before him—the girl he had once regarded as nothing more than a speck of mud on his robe.
“Yun Ni, if you cannot forget our past… I can take you as my concubine. It would also fulfill the bond we shared during that year together.”
This was Shen Tinglan’s compromise.
He had originally intended to let Yun Ni go and give her enough money to support herself for several lifetimes as repayment for saving his life.
After that, they could each marry whoever they wished, with nothing more to do with each other.
But because of the love parasite, he would still have to remain with Yun Ni for another six months.
Rather than keeping her by his side without giving her any status, it would be better to give her the position of a concubine.
Shen Tinglan thought that he did not actually dislike Yun Ni.
In fact, he found her rather pleasing to look at.
If that was the case, there was no harm in keeping her by his side.
Yun Ni did not know whether she should laugh or cry.
She also understood that Shen Tinglan was a powerful prime minister with immense authority.
To an ordinary woman, becoming his concubine could be considered an extraordinary favor—perhaps even more precious than a thousand taels of gold.
But Yun Ni had already seen through the cold-heartedness of the powerful aristocratic families.
She knew that a man like Shen Tinglan had no heart.
If so, why should she willingly trap herself in his cage?
Yun Ni was tired.
She did not want to become anyone’s concubine, nor did she want to have anything more to do with Shen Tinglan.
She knew that staying with him might temporarily soothe her pain.
But in the future, when Shen Tinglan took other women into his household, when she saw him with them, heard him whisper sweet words to them, and saw him share a bed with them, she would surely become jealous and resentful.
She would become someone she no longer recognized.
Yun Ni could not bear that.
She was already miserable enough.
Why make herself even more pitiful?
If she severed all ties with Shen Tinglan now, the pain would last only for a moment.
At most six months.
After that, she would no longer have to endure any humiliation and could return home.
Yun Ni understood perfectly well that the man before her was no longer the gentle husband who once took care of everything for her.
He was now a cold-hearted, merciless demon.
That warm and kind face from the past had merely been one of the countless masks he could wear in this world.
“It’s fine. I know you have no feelings for me. Everything that happened before was only because of the love parasite, which made you unable to control yourself.”
Yun Ni deliberately maintained her dignity as she explained,
“Shen Tinglan, you don’t need to feel guilty or insist on giving me a title. I’m willing to help you break the parasite’s influence, even if it means we have to be physically intimate…”
Yun Ni would no longer deceive herself into believing that Shen Tinglan cared about her.
She no longer wanted him.
Shen Tinglan’s fingertips paused.
The back of his hand tensed.
His cool voice carried a trace of coaxing that even he himself failed to notice.
“Yun Ni, are you sure?”
“I am.”
Yun Ni smiled.
“Shen Tinglan, let it be this way. Once the parasite is removed, you can remain the head of your noble family, and I’ll return to my hometown in Xuzhou. From now on, we owe each other nothing.”