Chapter 64

Chapter 64

"Is it raining?"

In her half-sleep, Xiao Luolan vaguely heard the sound of rain, her eyelids fluttered several times before she finally opened them. The room was dimly lit, but the sound of the rain was clearer, a continuous whooshing mixed with the howling wind, making the doors and windows rattle.

Zhou Xu wrapped his wife in his arms, answering her as he had been awake for a while. Seeing his wife sleeping soundly, he did not disturb her. It was the annoying sound of wind and rain that woke her, but it was good she awoke, as he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Xiao Luolan looked around the dimly lit room, feeling as if she had slept straight into the evening, still overwhelmed with drowsiness.

"What time is it now?"

"It must be the beginning of the Shen hour," Zhou Xu replied, noticing his wife's sleepy eyes and the flush of deep sleep still on her face, which stirred something in his heart. He felt parched and pulled the bed curtains shut, darkening the room further.

Xiao Luolan, seeing Zhou Xu's actions and gaze, knew what he was thinking. She said uneasily, "Let's wait for the evening." It was still afternoon, and she felt it wasn't right to indulge in such acts.

Zhou Xu, unable to wait, insisted, "I have plans tonight, my wife. Let me kiss you now." It had been a long time since he was close to his wife, and the temptation was too much for him, almost driving him out of his senses.

Without waiting for her response, he kissed her directly.

Xiao Luolan gasped for air, smelling as sweet as orchids. Since arriving here, she always felt something was wrong with her body. She looked the same in the mirror, but dared not look too long.

"My wife looked so beautiful when she returned last night," Zhou Xu murmured vaguely. His desire had been ignited since the previous night when he saw her draped in a black cloak, wearing a hood, revealing only her snow-white chin and full lips, walking towards him like a seductive fairy.

"Be gentle," Xiao Luolan frowned slightly, still apprehensive.

"Alright, alright, as my wife wishes," Zhou Xu chuckled without any temper.

Xiao Luolan, seeing him pounce like a big dog, couldn't help but tense up. It wasn't that she was unwilling, but she needed a long rest afterward.

The autumn rain was cold outside, but inside, it was a picture of spring.

Xiao Luolan's eyes were hazy, her body covered in sweat.

Zhou Xu looked at his wife tenderly, pushing her damp hair behind her ear. Her voluptuous body was completely under his control. She belonged to him, Zhou Xu thought.

Raindrops fell heavily from the eaves, battering the banana leaves, with greenery framing the window. The courtyard was deserted. Dark clouds piled up in the distance, the sky dark as ink, lit intermittently by flashes of lightning. Xiao Luolan's jade feet trembled on the floor.

Suddenly, a rough, large hand reached out, almost entirely covering her snow-white, willowy form.

The man's hand had thick knuckles and a few faint scars on the back, with calloused palms from years of wielding swords, faintly smelling of blood, giving off a fierce aura.

Two hours later, it was evening, and the rain had lessened significantly.

Xiao Luolan's eyes were unfocused as she saw Master Zhou approaching, her body involuntarily trembling.

Zhou Xu brought dinner to serve his wife, seeing her like this, he put down the tray, approached, and held her hand in his: "This time I was too reckless, my lady, please don't be annoyed."

Xiao Luolan looked at the man seemingly begging in a low voice, even her flushed face, as beautiful as a blooming flower, could not hide the slight annoyance in her eyes: "Let's eat."

It was only when she spoke that she realized her voice was a bit hoarse.

Zhou Xu heard his wife's voice, a result of her plaintive screams and kisses from the afternoon, his heart fluttered momentarily, but knowing he had gone too far this time and worried about upsetting her, he stopped playing with her hand.

"I will feed my lady," Zhou Xu said with a smile looking at his wife.

Xiao Luolan felt completely drained, as if she had lost half her life this time, the first time since they left Langge.

Zhou Xu held his wife in his arms, admiring her elegant and graceful eating, like a delicate flower. After she finished, he ate her leftover food before starting on his own.

"Later, Li Fan will come to check on my lady," Zhou Xu said as he dressed and sat by the bed, kissing her hand when she still refused to pay him attention.

Seeing him about to leave, Xiao Luolan, recalling something she had thought of before sleeping, couldn't help but speak: "If you're sending a message through Hu Shang, don't send it to Magina's father."

Zhou Xu laughed: "My lady is so thoughtful. Don't worry, I'll handle it well."

After Xiao Luolan finished speaking, she saw the sachet she gave him still hanging on his waist, wanting to say something, but she never did.

She had made only two such sachets, and Master Zhou wore them alternately every day. Over time, the sachet had worn out, and the scent of the herbs inside had almost faded.

"I'm leaving," Zhou Xu said as he placed the snow cream beside his wife's pillow, kissed her forehead: "I won't be back tonight due to urgent matters, my lady, rest well." He lingered with a kiss before leaving.

Xiao Luolan watched him walk away, the room door closed, leaving her alone, finally relaxing completely. In their intimate moments, Master Zhou was always ferociously unhuman, especially this time.

Xiao Luolan, recalling the afternoon's scene, touched her stomach and shivered, still remembering that terrifying, protruding sensation.

When Li Fan entered with the medicine box, he first lit some incense.

The subtle incense was long-lasting and gentle, combining with the steady drip of rain outside to create a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Xiao Luolan saw Doctor Li's blush and felt embarrassed about such matters being known to others. She didn't know how to face Doctor Li, even though he had comforted her many times.

Li Fan opened the medicine chest and placed various bottles and jars on a wooden table.

"Relax, madam. I will ease your body," Li Fan said with a smile, then seriously set about his work.

Half an hour later, Li Fan looked at the sleeping madam, extinguished the incense, which was meant to aid sleep. Since she was already asleep, there was no need to keep it lit.

As gentle as warm jade, with a willowy waist as delicate as snow, Li Fan looked at the red marks and fingerprints on the lady's body. He applied the ointment to the bruises, secretly thinking that the lady... seemed even more irresistibly mature and seductive, her character capable of arousing a man's deepest desires.

Outside the ancient Changcheng city, the Wang family was nowhere to be seen.

Deep in the dungeon, Magina's teeth chattered in fear. Hiding in a corner of the women's cell, she stared with wide, terrified eyes at the riders passing by the bars, each carrying a wooden box. From her angle, she could only see the messy, dirty hair on top of the boxes, some loose, some tied, all confined in these small wooden boxes.

Magina couldn't hold back and vomited. Soon after, continuous wails echoed in the dungeon from the men's cell. Following the procession, Magina saw the lady's husband. His face showed neither joy nor anger, a stark contrast to his demeanor around his wife. To Magina, his indifferent glance felt as impersonal as if he were looking at a piece of furniture.

After the man left, Magina lay exhausted on the straw bed, trembling all over, overwhelmed by immense fear.

In the depths of the prison.

Wang An looked at the dozen head boxes beside him, his expression numb and stiff. His son-in-law had already fainted, and he seemed deaf to the curses of others.

A dwarf was branding his youngest son's leg with a red-hot iron. Since he couldn't reach, he jumped to brand it again, causing the son's miserable and desperate wails to pierce Wang An's ears, yet he remained silent throughout.

Yao Nan lay on a straw bed. Hearing footsteps, he hurriedly ran to the bars, knelt down, and cried out, "My lord, the Jiedushi, I truly didn't know the Wang family was transporting bows/crossbows! All of this was done by the Wang family, it has nothing to do with me! Jiedushi..."

The dwarf approached with a sinister laugh, stuffed a dirty cloth into Yao's mouth, and, with great strength, dragged him like a dead dog to the torture rack. Soon, Yao passed out. Nearby, Wang An's son-in-law also lay unconscious on another rack, like two brothers in misfortune.

"My lord, Wang An is stubbornly silent, refusing to confess. Should we continue the execution?" Liu Ren stood beside the Jiedushi, making a gesture and inquiring if they should keep beheading.

Zhou Xu sat in a chair, looking at Wang An among the pile of heads, and smiled, "His silence doesn't mean he doesn't care. Start beheading right in front of him, make his family beg him."

As he spoke, several members of the Wang family were pushed into the cell. Instantly, Wang An was surrounded by people hitting and cursing him, and more so by family members kneeling desperately, begging him.

Wang An's hands trembled as he closed his eyes.

"Not for wealth, not for fame, not for lust, a merchant's family can't even participate in the imperial examinations, so it's not for power either."

Zhou Xu thought of Tai Yangjun's Governor Li Bozhi, and couldn't help but notice the similarities in their defiance in the face of death. The only difference was that Li Bozhi was pretending, while Wang An was genuine.

Zhou Xu sneered and waved his hand.

Tuo Ba Aguo grabbed a member of the Wang family, pressed down his head, and with a swift motion of his blade, blood splattered all over Wang An. Wang An's eyelids fluttered, and the Wang family members burst into horrified screams.

Datong Jinxi, Datong in Songyu.

A land of fish and rice, a fine place.

Among the twenty bows/crossbows, three were identified by Xue Si as being coated with Huperzia wax. One of them had a crossbow string coated with both Huperzia wax and beeswax, suggesting the beeswax had run out and was replaced with Huperzia wax.

The cell was filled with corpses. Wang An, bent over, seemed to age decades in an instant. Zhou Xu stepped through the blood into the cell, looking at the once-renowned spice merchant of Youzhou.

Wang An clenched his teeth tightly, refusing to speak.

Zhou Xu smiled, "Do you think by staying silent, their deaths will have meaning?"

"What a loyal and respectful dog you are," Zhou Xu mused, recalling the intelligence reports he had seen.

Upon hearing these words, Wang An slowly raised his head, his chest heaving painfully like a broken bellows, his eyes bloodshot and crazed with grief and despair. He spat out blood, exclaiming, "What did you say!?" It was impossible; his actions had always been secretive. How did Zhou Xu know?

Zhou Xu watched Wang An's distress with satisfaction. So, Wang An thought his silence would make the other Wang family members' deaths meaningful? Then let them die because of him first, and then tell him his actions were all in vain.

A cold smile played on Zhou Xu's lips.