Chapter 14: Husband

A chill poured through her heart like a basin of cold water.

The inner chamber of the suite was more spacious and comfortably furnished, while the outer compartment only had a narrow bed.

After the meal, they lay on their respective beds to rest without disturbing each other. Li Youqing’s tense mood over the past few days finally relaxed slightly.

Actually, the daytime had been fine before—all his transgressions occurred only at night.

After lying in bed for a while, she heard the sound of the room door opening and closing. Quietly, she cracked open the window and watched the inn’s main entrance.

Once Xuan Rui had truly left, Li Youqing immediately took another set of dresses from her luggage, covered her face with a veil, and then left the room while the corridor was empty.

Whether it was an illusion or not, she kept feeling as if someone was watching her along the way.

If he had left spies around her, then the letter might very well fall into his hands before it could be sent.

With this consideration in mind, the content of the letter needed to be carefully deliberated.

In the end, Li Youqing decided to write two letters. One, written in Yang Zhi’s tone, would be sent to the Prime Minister’s residence, clearly stating her location and situation.

The other, after much contemplation, she decided to send to Jin Cheng.

The two had known each other since childhood and had become very close while accompanying the Crown Prince in his studies.

Back then, to pass messages under Grand Tutor Jin’s watchful eyes, they had even devised a special set of coded language.

To avoid arousing Xuan Rui’s suspicion, she wrote the letter in the tone of an admirer, extravagantly expressing her longing and admiration for Jin Cheng.

Although the entire letter was filled with the infatuated words of a young girl, by connecting the first character of each paragraph according to their code, it read: “The Crown Prince harmed me.”

Knowing Jin Cheng as she did, she was confident he would recognize her handwriting upon seeing the letter and, with a little deduction, understand its meaning.

Even if Xuan Rui discovered that the handwriting matched the Third Princess’s, she could use the excuse of being a study companion to cover it up.

By the time she finished sending the letters, it was almost dark.

Thinking about what Xuan Rui had gone to do, Li Youqing unconsciously walked toward the city gate, completely forgetting her earlier promise to him not to wander off.

Just then, a carriage suddenly pulled up sideways, and the foreign coachman who had brought them into the city got down to block her path.

“Miss, it’s time to return,” he said, this time in the Central Plains language with a hint of Zhongzhou accent.

He truly didn’t trust her to be alone and had sent the coachman to watch her from the shadows.

Li Youqing inwardly grumbled. He hadn’t stopped her when she left the inn, only choosing to intercept her after she had completed her tasks—this guy’s methods were truly insidious.

But she was confident that even if those two letters fell into his hands, they wouldn’t reveal the slightest flaw.

If it really came to that, at worst she would swallow her pride and beg him again to help her send the letters.

Otherwise, once the scouts sent to the capital returned, she would surely have no way out.

Waiting in the inn until midnight with no sign of Xuan Rui’s return, she couldn’t help but wonder if he had left this time never to come back.

~

In the northwest, Xuan Rui’s reputation as the Mad Wolf General was not unfounded.

Three years ago, when he had just turned eighteen, he was surrounded by several hundred cavalry during a breakout battle. Facing the fierce and battle-hardened Moho tribe, his own squad had been slaughtered until only a dozen or so remained.

The enemy general initially thought victory was assured, only realizing the true danger when the cavalry around him fell one by one.

Without even seeing clearly how the other party struck, his own men were nearly wiped out.

Those dozen or so Zhenbei Army soldiers were already battered remnants—how could they possibly possess such methods?

Even the sturdy warhorses grew restless, pacing back and forth amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Soon another man and his horse collapsed. The enemy commander hastily turned his steed to flee, but before he could react, his entire body abruptly stiffened.

Xuan Rui had shed his armor, sliding like lightning beneath the enemy commander’s horse before thrusting his longsword upward with brutal force.

The blade pierced clean through the man’s torso, nailing him to his saddle.

With their commander slain, the remaining Mohe remnants lost all morale, falling one by one to his blade.

Thus Xuan Rui made his name in a single battle, climbing to the position of Zhenbei Army commander and officially becoming the nightmare of all tribes in the northern deserts.

Now, three years later, after countless even more perilous battles, he had tempered himself into greater composure.

To survive on the battlefield, one should harbor no superfluous emotions.

From the moment he entered the city and saw those three corpses, his heart had been filled with a thirst for slaughter.

It was as if a wild beast roared within him, demanding blood debt paid in blood.

Now he was using himself as bait to draw the Rou Lan royal forces’ firepower, buying Xiao Ziqi and the others enough time to first reclaim those three corpses.

Another battle of few against many—but unlike last time, he had made thorough preparations and had no intention of a head-on confrontation.

Tonight was only the beginning.

Luring the Rou Lan royal forces to a cliff outside the city, he single-handedly bought time for the other team.

After an intense and satisfying battle, brilliant fireworks suddenly exploded across the sky—Xiao Ziqi’s signal of success.

Xuan Rui retreated step by step toward the cliff edge, blood-soaked broadsword in hand, while more Rou Lan royal soldiers closed in ahead.

A fresh wound split his brow, moonlight glinting off the bronze mask as blood slowly seeped from beneath it, creating a ghastly sight.

The lead Rou Lan officer panted heavily, about to give chase, but the next scene left him stunned beyond words.

The man actually turned and leaped off the cliff!

“Find him alive or dead! Search the base of the mountain!” the lead officer shouted, sending troops scrambling down the cliffs.

Xuan Rui carried climbing gear, and with his naturally formidable arm strength, he first concealed himself beneath a rocky outcrop. Waiting until the enemy had moved away, he swiftly scaled the cliffside from another angle, soon vanishing into the night.

Below the cliff, they had prepared a corpse dressed identically to him—now mangled beyond recognition from the fall.

Xuan Rui moved with agile grace through jagged rocks like a nimble leopard, soon reaching the rendezvous point.

A black-canopied carriage stood quietly by the roadside. The subordinate sent to receive him handed over fresh clothes and water, collecting the discarded black outfit and bronze mask into a bag to be burned later.

On the way back to the inn, the subordinate briefed him on Yang Zhi’s afternoon movements.

Xuan Rui took the two intercepted letters, reading them in the carriage, his expression growing increasingly grim.

～

Meanwhile, Li Youqing lay on the spacious, comfortable bed in the inner chamber, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

She had mentally rehearsed several ways to negotiate with him, to prevent him from blocking her letters home.

Alas, deceived by the brief peace of daylight, she had utterly forgotten what kind of man she was dealing with.

Shortly after the witching hour, Xuan Rui returned to the inn reeking of blood after a killing. Li Youqing’s heart tightened as she hurried forward to call out to him, but he gave no response.

Watching him ignore her completely and begin undressing the moment he entered, she hastily averted her gaze.

Only when the sound of running water came from the shower room did she let out a slight sigh of relief.

Though she hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, she could imagine what he had been through that night. It was only natural that he would want to wash up and rest immediately.

Standing in the room, Li Youqing felt a mix of tension and helplessness.

Everything had been fine during the day, yet now the relationship between them seemed to have frozen over again.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a corner of a letter peeking out from the blue robe he had discarded. A chill ran down her spine.

She had anticipated this possibility, but now that she was caught, she couldn’t help but feel guilty and anxious.

Was his cold, unresponsive demeanor just now because he was angry about this?

The bathroom door swung open with a clatter. The man had changed into a moon-white robe, but his hair was still dripping, soaking the fabric at his shoulders.

The thin summer fabric accentuated his well-built physique, especially across his chest, where his muscles seemed ready to burst through the cloth.

It was the first time she had seen him in white. Li Youqing was momentarily stunned before she picked up a towel from the rack and offered it to him. “Dry your hair first, so you don’t catch a cold.”

Her cautious attempt to please only highlighted her guilt.

Standing face to face, Li Youqing only reached his chest, making her appear even more delicate and pitiful.

His physical dominance and his inherently fierce aura made her feel nothing but fear.

A mocking glint flashed in Xuan Rui’s eyes as he retrieved the two letters from his discarded robe and slowly walked over to the lamp.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of a bloody battle, but the sharp lines of his face seemed even more rigid, radiating a ruthless intensity.

Li Youqing’s gaze fixed on his slender fingers as he gently pushed the letters forward, igniting them in the flame.

“General!” Li Youqing lunged to snatch the letters back, but he easily seized her by the neck with one hand.

An overwhelming pressure engulfed her. Any further, and she wouldn’t be able to breathe. She could only watch helplessly as the pages burned to ashes under the lamp.

“I was merely concerned about my family and sent two letters. Why must you interfere, General?” Li Youqing broke free from his grasp and shouted angrily.

No one had ever treated her this way in her entire life.

He was truly a madman. Once she returned to the palace, she would make him pay—

But when she looked up and saw the crimson flicker in his eyes… that expression, as if he were ready to kill again.

Suddenly, she remembered the kick she had received when they first met, and regret washed over her.

The man before her now was many times more terrifying than usual.

Li Youqing shivered involuntarily as he said coldly, “Do you have any idea what would happen if these letters were intercepted by others?”

Xuan Rui stared at her pitiful, fragile form, his tone growing even harsher. “If Miss Yang made a promise, she ought to keep it. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your safe return to the capital.”

Scolded mercilessly and confronted with the possibility that her letters could have been intercepted by the enemy, Li Youqing felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. She was overcome with shame and regret.

Finally having a chance to be alone, at that time she only thought she absolutely couldn’t miss it, so she overlooked the trouble it might cause him.

Remembering the three corpses hanging on the city wall, she now felt a belated fear.

“This matter was my lack of consideration,” she said with her head lowered, explaining softly. “But I was only missing my family, I didn’t mean to deliberately harm the General.”

Xuan Rui only felt that this woman before him was becoming more and more annoying. Keeping her by his side would surely lead to unknown troubles, yet she had been used by the cunning Eerhai people. If he left her to her own devices, she would only meet a dead end.

Just then, the voice of the inn attendant came from outside the room: “Apologies for disturbing you, but are the two guests asleep?”

Li Youqing waited a moment, but Xuan Rui didn’t speak. The attendant at the door pressed again, so she had no choice but to respond: “Not yet, what is it?”

The attendant apologized: “It’s like this—just now, many soldiers conducting inspections came onto the whole street. They’ll probably come to the inn soon, so I’m giving you both a heads-up.”

“Understood.” Hearing this, Li Youqing couldn’t help but glance at Xuan Rui with some worry.

With his current fierce appearance, one could easily believe he had just been robbing and killing, or brawling. It would be strange if he could avoid the inspection.

Knowing she was in the wrong in this matter, Li Youqing took the initiative to speak to him: “If the inspecting soldiers come later, let’s pretend to be husband and wife like we did during the day, so we can get through it.”

Xuan Rui found her voice unbearably grating. He blew out the oil lamp and coldly warned: “If you keep making noise, I’ll throw you out to feed the wolves.”

Hearing her hesitant tone, he inexplicably recalled that extremely explicit letter she wrote to her lover.

It seemed Central Plains women weren’t as reserved as he had imagined—there were also thick-skinned ones like her.

Li Youqing resentfully closed her mouth and sat quietly to the side.

But remembering that he hadn’t used much force when he choked her earlier, her fear subsided a little.

She let out a soft yawn and suddenly felt her consciousness grow hazy.

When she came to her senses, voices of several men could be heard outside. One of them was Xuan Rui, dealing with the soldiers’ inspection.

She tried to stand up but found her head spinning, as if something was swirling in her mind—

After taking a few steps, she fell into a man’s solid embrace.

She reached out her arms and softly hugged him, sweetly calling out, “Husband.”