Chapter 117

After Huo Jingzhou finished dealing with the banquet, he returned to the mansion with Wen Xin at almost eleven o'clock.

It was almost midnight when she finished changing and washing up.

Wen Xin was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping, and she was just about to lie down and go to sleep when there was a knock on the bedroom door.

She jolted awake, half of her drowsiness vanishing.

Someone knocked on the door at midnight, and Wen Xin's mind instantly conjured up countless bloody ghost stories.

She was terrified!

Xiao Jin: "..."

No, Master, you are a supreme god of a great world, what are you afraid of?

Wen Xin frowned. What necessary connection did her fear of ghosts have with her being a deity?

Xiao Jin said: Shouldn't ghosts be afraid of you?

Wen Xin didn't want to bother with this silly butterfly who didn't understand the fragile heart of a delicate girl. She got up, walked to the door, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who is it?"

Huo Jingzhou was surprised to hear that her voice sounded strange; he hadn't expected that he would frighten her.

He quickly softened his voice, speaking in a reassuring tone, "It's me."

Wen Xin immediately opened the door without hesitation, her watery eyes looking timid. "Young Marshal, what's wrong?"

Huo Jingzhou handed him a glass of warm milk. "Sorry, I startled you."

He explained, "I was afraid you'd be frightened tonight, so I warmed up a glass of milk for you."

Wen Xin smiled and took the milk, saying softly, "Young Marshal, you're so kind."

A smile appeared on Huo Jingzhou's lips. "Go to sleep after you finish drinking. We have to travel tomorrow."

"Uh-huh."

The girl nodded her little head obediently.

However, she suddenly thought of something, and her fair fingers gripped the cup, tapping the cup slightly uneasily.

"Young Marshal."

Huo Jingzhou: "What?"

Wen Xin looked up at him, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "If that woman tonight wasn't a spy, would you... accept her?"

Huo Jingzhou heard her words and understood what she wanted to ask. He was slightly taken aback, and then a deep smile appeared in his eyes.

Wen Xin felt extremely embarrassed; she didn't know why she cared about this issue.

She hurriedly shoved the milk glass into Huo Jingzhou's hand and turned to run back to her room.

How could Huo Jingzhou let this little white rabbit get away?

He grabbed her wrist, his cold voice laced with amusement, "Why are you running?"

Wen Xin blushed and stammered, "I...I didn't run away, I was just sleepy."

Her last sentence, as if she were emphasizing something, only made her seem more like she was trying to cover something up.

Huo Jingzhou's smile deepened, luring the little rabbit into the trap, "Don't you want to know the answer?"

Wen Xin froze, her face full of confusion, and she didn't dare to meet his gaze.

She remained silent, and Huo Jingzhou also kept quiet, creating an ambiguous atmosphere in the air.

Wen Xin became increasingly uncomfortable.

She mustered her courage and raised her head, instantly meeting his eyes, which were as bright and deep as a vast starry sky.

The girl's heart started racing uncontrollably.

Wen Xin's red lips parted slightly as she stammered, "Young Marshal, if... if it's not someone you truly love, please don't accept women offered by those other men, okay?"

Huo Jingzhou's Adam's apple bobbed as he asked her, word by word, "Why?"

Wen Xin nervously clutched her skirt, "Y-because this isn't good. It will leave a bad impression on the woman you truly like in the future."

She bit her lip. "I heard from the wet nurse that this is how Huo Ershao's mother, the second concubine, came to be. I know it's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, but my father didn't. No matter how many women others offered him, he never accepted them."

“Father said that even though my mother left early, he wanted to stay with her and didn’t want her to despise me when I went down to the underworld. He was also afraid that the new concubine would bully me and hurt me.”

It's not to say that all concubines are bad. Many times, those women are also helpless and have no choice in their actions. Ultimately, the root of the problem lies with the men.

Wen Xin thought Huo Jingzhou was a gentleman of integrity and upright character, and she couldn't imagine him being decadent and infatuated with beautiful women.

Huo Jingzhou suddenly said, "I am not a gentleman."

Seeing the girl's bright, expectant eyes about to dim, he gently stroked her wrist with his fingertips, not giving her a chance to pull away, and chuckled softly, "But I won't want any other women either."

Wen Xin stared at him blankly.

Huo Jingzhou's smile faded slightly as he said in a promise, "I will only have one wife in the future, and I only want her by my side. I will not allow any third party to interfere in our relationship."

Wen Xin parted her lips, her face flushed even more, and her heart beat faster.

Even though he was talking about his future wife, why did she feel like she was being boiled alive?

Why is the young marshal staring at her so intently?

The air between the two grew increasingly ambiguous. Wen Xin's mind was spinning, and she uttered a silly "oh."

As if she felt this was a bit perfunctory, she said softly, "Then the young marshal's future wife will be very happy."

Huo Jingzhou's chest heaved, a low laugh escaping his throat as he looked at her. "Yes, I will make her happy for the rest of her life."

Wen Xin: "..."

After the door closed again, Wen Xin didn't even know how she got back to bed.

She buried her face in the pillow to cool it down.

Little Jin flew over with a swish, "Master, there's no one here anymore, are you still going to act?"

Wen Xin... Wen Xin swatted that silly butterfly against the wall with her sleeve!

Why would she have such a clueless and dim-witted companion golden butterfly?

Wen Zhushen's perfect persona is always ruined by it, so who else should we beat up if not it?

Two lines of tears slid down Xiao Jin's face: Waaah, how come even a butterfly can't tell the truth these days?

Fortunately, her relationship with Huo Jingzhou progressed well tonight, and Wen Zhushen was in a good mood, so she didn't get so angry that she turned the silly butterfly into a specimen.

Little Gold hugged its wings tightly, trembling.

...

The next morning, Huo Jingzhou and his group left Yucheng and continued their journey to Haicheng.

Wen Xin did not see the female spy from last night again.

She didn't ask any more questions; it was confidential, and she wasn't that oblivious.

On the contrary, Huo Jingzhou treated her like an outsider at all, telling her the results of the interrogation last night. The female spy was indeed sent by the Ghost Army, and the Dai family was involved in the connection.

Wen Xin's brows furrowed tightly, "This Dai family..."

Huo Jingzhou said indifferently, "A bunch of fools who brought about their own destruction."

Wen Xin sighed, "It's just that the ordinary people under their rule suffer."

Huo Jingzhou patted the little girl's head without saying a word.

Wen Xin recoiled from his hand as if she had been electrocuted. The memory of blushing and her heart pounding last night was still lingering in her mind, and she could no longer be as open and honest with his touch as before.

Huo Jingzhou's hand stiffened slightly, but his gaze fell on the girl's reddened ears, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.

It seems that the female spy last night actually did him a great favor.

The female spy/ghost soldier who tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead: Fuck!

Damn Huo Jingzhou, what kind of nonsense is this?!

Wen Xin realized her reaction might have been too much, and fearing Huo Jingzhou might misunderstand, she looked at him timidly and anxiously, "Young Marshal, I..."