Chapter 008

Could she really be sleepwalking?

When Li Youqing woke up, she found herself still chained by iron shackles. The slightest movement of her wrists sent piercing pain through her.

She remembered she used to sleep very quietly, never tossing and turning. So why were both her wrists now covered in bloodstains, as if she had struggled violently in her sleep?

Could it be that she truly was sleepwalking?

When Hua Ping entered the room, she was also startled by the scene. Suppressing her shock, she cautiously advised: “General Xuan is a rough man who only knows how to wield weapons on the battlefield. He has never shown the slightest mercy toward women. Why don’t you just comply with him instead of opposing him? In the end, you’re the one who suffers.”

The General had stayed in this room until nearly dawn last night. Combined with the condition the young lady was in, it wasn’t hard to imagine how intense things had been between them.

She had long heard that military officers tended to be particularly fierce in the bedroom, but for the General to use iron chains and other tools on the young lady while her injuries hadn’t even healed was truly frightening.

Many people had heard the scream that came from this room last night.

Hua Ping had always thought the General showed no interest in women, but she never expected him to be so… brutal when he finally set his mind on someone.

Over the years, she had always hoped to gain his favor, but after seeing this young lady’s miserable state today, she actually felt somewhat grateful that her looks weren’t sufficient to catch the General’s eye.

Looking at those iron chains thicker than her wrists, one really had to wonder whether General Xuan was pleasuring a woman or interrogating a prisoner.

While Hua Ping’s thoughts were swirling with complexity, Li Youqing was secretly lamenting her misfortune. If she really did have a sleepwalking condition, then what about last night at the windowsill…

“What time is it?” Li Youqing asked uneasily.

She felt like she had slept for a very long time – it was less like falling asleep and more like losing consciousness.

Although she had always feared Xuan Rui, she now urgently wanted to see him and ask him what exactly was going on.

Her life now hung in his hands. She could only swallow her pride for now and find a way out first.

When she calmed down, she noticed something else strange – her dagger was missing.

She clearly remembered Xuan Rui placing the dagger on her pillow before leaving last night.

So where was the dagger now?

From being pinned down by him at the window late last night to now having her arms covered in wounds, everything about this situation felt eerie.

Li Youqing had never felt so desperate and humiliated before. Since leaving the palace, not only could she barely take a step, but she had almost become an old man’s plaything.

Last night under the moonlight, she had finally clearly seen the man’s face. To call him old was actually somewhat excessive, but that stern, unsmiling, intimidating cold expression made her uncomfortable at first glance.

Why was she so unlucky…

She had escaped from that old monster Zhenbei Wang, only to fall into the hands of this hungry wolf.

“It’s already past Yin hour. You haven’t eaten all day, come and have your meal.” Hua Ping had genuinely developed some pity for her. She served a bowl of rice from the food box, added some dishes, and handed it over, saying gently: “The General left your room at dawn and went directly to the training ground. He returned in the afternoon and took a short rest, and he’s still in the residence now. Should I go beg him later to remove these torturous shackles and treat your wounds first?”

Although she said this, she wasn’t confident in her heart. The General had just discovered the pleasure and was currently at the peak of his excitement – would he easily let this woman go?

The blame lies only in the fact that this girl was far too beautiful, with a figure utterly captivating. What man could remain unmoved upon seeing her?

Li Youqing was taken aback. “You mean General Xuan only left my quarters this morning?”

She remembered parting with him when the sky was still dark last night. Could he have turned back halfway after leaving?!

She had long known about his habit of taking liberties while she slept. Perhaps the red marks on her wrists were injuries from his unrestrained actions last night.

What a complete degenerate—fabricating nonsense about sleepwalking while putting on a righteous facade! Utterly shameless!

This suspicion cast another shadow over Li Youqing’s heart.

Now, to secure her escape, she had no choice but to play along—feigning affection to win his trust before planning her next move.

Once resolved, a fighting spirit ignited within her. Ignoring the pain in her wrists, she took the bowl and chopsticks handed by Hua Ping and focused on eating.

Seeing her expression full of grief and indignation, Hua Ping didn’t know what to say and quietly withdrew.

As Hua Ping hesitated about whether to seek out the General, she spotted his tall figure approaching in the distance. She quickly lowered her head and stood silently in place.

The door opened and closed, followed by the crisp sound of shattering porcelain from inside, then silence fell once more.

Hua Ping’s heart ached with sympathy, but the sight of those thick chains made her reconsider. Such “blessings” were better off not falling upon her.

~

Xuan Rui pushed the door open, backlit with half his figure shrouded in shadow, his imposing posture resembling a man-eating beast.

Li Youqing’s fear of him was etched deep into her bones. The moment she saw him, her limbs stiffened.

The porcelain bowl in her hands shattered instantly with a clear, sharp sound, leaving the floor stained and messy.

Frowning, Xuan Rui approached and directly pulled out a chair to sit at a measured distance.

Having barely slept for two consecutive nights, faint dark circles hung under his eyes. He massaged his temples with one hand, elbows propped on his knees as he leaned forward.

Crouched like a stalking leopard, Xuan Rui fixed his unwavering gaze on the dazed young woman before him.

He still didn’t understand what kind of creature he had gotten himself involved with.

Clearly, her actions had crossed his bottom line, yet out of moral obligation, he couldn’t simply discard her.

Last night, he had securely bound her and deliberately left a dagger nearby to test her, observing her behavior during her episodes from the shadows.

After a while, the woman sat up, drew the dagger, and struck at the chains.

Those were Mystic Iron chains specially used to restrain rebellious traitors—impossible to sever easily. With her limited strength, not only did she fail, but she also injured herself.

When she couldn’t break the chains, she foolishly tried to cut her own wrists in a desperate bid for freedom.

It was then that Xuan Rui finally confirmed she hadn’t been pretending to get close to him—she was truly a victim of foul play.

He ultimately intervened to stop her self-harm, but the moment he appeared, the girl lunged at him like a madwoman.

As if he carried some unique scent that drove her to recklessly draw near.

Unwilling to relive the previous embarrassment, Xuan Rui had no choice but to knock her out with a single strike.

Worried that strange phenomena might recur, he remained in the room until daybreak before leaving.

After a whole night of turmoil, this woman actually had the nerve to look at him with those pitiful, rabbit-like eyes.

Just seeing her affected expression and the shattered porcelain fragments she had thrown all over the floor made Xuan Rui feel utterly overwhelmed.

“I captured and interrogated the men who delivered you here. According to their confession, you have indeed been poisoned with the Love Gu passed down in their tribe.” Just uttering these words made Xuan Rui’s scalp tingle.

It seemed that the women they had sent before must have also been implanted with the gu, but he had overlooked it all.

No wonder they were all in a frenzied state when carried out the next day.

Li Youqing had already prepared for the worst. Hearing his words, she asked somewhat bewildered, “General, please speak plainly. What exactly do you intend to do?”

Xuan Rui sneered, “What do you think, Miss Yang?”

Li Youqing glanced at the red marks on her arm, some of which had begun to bleed at the edges, and bit her lip.

She silently calculated how to successfully win the man’s sympathy and make him stop using such rough methods to restrain her.

Xuan Rui also noticed the bloodstains on her arm. He slowly stood up, step by step approaching until he stopped by the bedside.

Seeing him lean over, Li Youqing immediately crossed her arms over her chest and couldn’t help screaming, “In broad daylight, please show some restraint, General!”

“I need to show restraint?” Xuan Rui shook his head, his gaze carrying a chill as he glanced at her.

Last night, who was the one desperately clinging to me?

Who really needs to exercise restraint?

When the people sent to the capital to investigate return, she’d better pray her identity checks out.

Otherwise, given her current condition, he would definitely kill her to eliminate any future troubles.

“The General has long been stationed in the northwest. You must have seen beauties as numerous as hairs on an ox. Someone as plain-looking as me would only dirty the General’s eyes…” Li Youqing tried her best to dissuade his covetous intentions, trembling with her head lowered, then continued, “If the General could be merciful and send someone to escort me back to the capital, my father would surely reward you handsomely.”

Xuan Rui chuckled softly. Li Youqing inexplicably felt there was a hint of helplessness in his laughter. Curious, she looked up and saw him holding a key, leaning over to unlock her shackles.

It seemed that speaking softly was indeed useful – men always fell for this tactic.

She blinked, letting two tears fall on the back of his hand, then immediately apologized like a startled bird: “General Xuan, I didn’t mean to cry, no, that’s not it, I actually wasn’t crying, my eyes were just sore—”

She vaguely remembered him saying that if she cried again, he would throw her into the desert to feed the wolves.

Li Youqing silently reminded herself that even a young woman must know when to yield and when to stand firm. No matter what, she needed to gain his trust first.

So she put on a pained expression and pleaded pitifully: “General, please don’t throw me out to feed the wolves.”

Hearing her own soft, pleading tone, she felt nauseated.

With a ‘click’, the shackles opened.

The girl’s slender wrists were terribly bruised, but the more they were like this, the more they could stir the primal instincts in a man.

Only someone as uncivilized as Xuan Rui would coldly ignore it.

Having witnessed the brutality of battlefields, the severed limbs of comrades, and the gradual fading of life in his own hands… such a minor injury meant nothing in his eyes.

Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty to one’s own side.

Even if she was merely a delicate woman, as long as the slightest doubt remained about her identity, she could not evoke a shred of sympathy or pity from him.

Xuan Rui glanced at her and said coldly, “Do you know what the Love Gu is?”