Chapter 4, "After bearing an heir for our Xie family,..."

Xie Linyuan woke up.

He was drenched in sweat, panting heavily, his Adam's apple bobbing rapidly like a protruding peak.

Xie Linyuan lowered his head and looked at his hands.

The bizarre and fantastical dream faded away like wisps of smoke in the wind, but the images within it became ever clearer.

The woman's soft, snow-white body could be bent into any position at will; his neck could be crushed with one hand, his waist could be broken with another; her long hair flowed over his fingers; their damp, sticky skin was covered in their sweat...

And then there were those teary, misty eyes.

She was crying.

Crying and shouting... Lin'an.

Xie Lin'an.

His elder brother.

Xie Linyuan gave a cold snort, then clenched his outstretched hand into a fist.

His eyes, which had just been tinged with a dreamy, lustful light, suddenly turned cold and deep.

She really knows how to seduce people; she can bewitch people to such an extent.

They are very skilled.

Is she a mountain spirit?

She seduced her brother to death for her, and now she's using the same trick on him.

That's really a brilliant tactic.

Shameless.

But he is not Xie Lin'an, he is Xie Linyuan.

Since she provoked him herself, she shouldn't blame him.

He was not as easily fooled as his brother.

Brother, is it because of a woman like this that you abandoned the entire family?

He blocked a total of twenty-four blows.

My brother is truly bewitched.

How could someone be so infatuated with a woman like that that they would risk their life and their family?

But Xie Linyuan and Xie Lin'an are different.

They were born different.

Xie Linyuan pulled a hairband from the side, lowered his head and bit it, then gathered up his long, drooping hair, revealing a sharp, sword-like profile.

He was handsome and beautiful, even more so than a woman, but he was also full of murderous intent and ferocity.

It is terrifying to behold.

Even on the battlefield.

Xie Linyuan tied his long hair back with a hairband, his long eyelashes drooped, and his eyes were filled with deep shadows.

He waved his hand to lift the gauze curtain and got out of bed. Outside, the sky was already bright and the spring scenery was beautiful.

Just then, the guard Qingshan reported from outside the door: "Master, I have something important to report, but I don't know..."

"Come in."

Only after hearing this did Qingshan enter the room.

He went in and glanced around the room discreetly; only his master was there.

He dared not ask any more questions or think any more, and simply bowed his head to report: "Master, the bandits who caused trouble at the temple that day have all committed suicide, and the Dali Temple has closed the case as a bandit disturbance."

"Master, should we send someone to investigate again?" Qingshan asked tentatively.

"No need."

Xie Linyuan walked to the weapon rack inside the room, where a row of swords, spears, and halberds exuded an invisible killing intent.

"Under the emperor's nose, in a royal temple, bandits have wreaked havoc. Not a single person survived, not even the worshippers were killed, except for that woman." Xie Linyuan's hand lingered on the spear, blood seeping from his fingertips.

"The woman my brother protected with his life."

He chuckled very softly, his eyes drooping, revealing his disgust and mockery.

It seems he always said the same thing whenever that woman was mentioned.

Having served Xie Linyuan for many years, Qingshan naturally knew how to read his master's mind, and he quickly realized, "Master means..."

Xie Linyuan suddenly picked up the long sword from the weapon rack.

The longsword was drawn, a clanging sound rang out, its light sharp and incomparably piercing.

This is the sword that accompanied him to the battlefield.

Xie Linyuan did not answer, but Qingshan immediately understood.

He said no more, and then said, "Wu Zizhuo, the commander of the Imperial Guards, has arrived. He said he came to offer condolences and sympathy on behalf of His Majesty and is waiting for you, Master."

"Oh." Xie Linyuan sheathed his sword, a chilling smile in his eyes. "A rare guest, interesting."

He put on his plain white clothes, along with the long sword he had just carried, and was about to step out the door when he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Did that woman come out today?"

He always referred to this so-called sister-in-law as "that woman," even when Xie Lin'an was alive, as if those three words were unworthy to come out of his mouth.

He felt ashamed even mentioning it.

Qingshan naturally knew who his master was referring to when he said "that woman." He lowered his eyes and replied respectfully, "I saw that she went to Chunhui Hall. She must be going to pay her respects."

Xie Linyuan said coldly, "She's acting like nothing happened."

Qingshan was truly puzzled.

Miss Su is always like this, so why is she acting like nothing happened today?

But Qingshan was perceptive and knew his master's temperament, so he didn't say a word.

Xie Linyuan strode out of the room, a chill emanating from him.

Qingshan hesitated, then kept quiet.

What exactly happened yesterday?

——

Su Muying was actually summoned by Xie's mother.

She had been feeling unwell for the past few days and hadn't gone to pay her respects. Today, as soon as she got up, someone came to her courtyard to inform her to go to Chunhui Hall.

She was filled with anxiety, wondering if Xie Linyuan would tell Xie's mother about what happened last night.

He was clearly disgusted with her after what happened yesterday.

If Xie's mother knew, even with Xie Lin'an's last words and even if Xie Linyuan was willing to keep her in the Xie family, she would still be unable to escape death.

Su Muying was worried, but she didn't show it on her face, and secretly considered countermeasures in her mind.

She should make plans as soon as possible.

Upon arriving at Chunhui Hall, Su Muying was led into the inner room by a maid.

She entered the inner room, but found no nannies or maids who usually waited for her. Only Xie's mother was there, leaning against the couch.

She was dressed in plain white clothes, her hair was neatly tied up, and all her gold, silver, and jewels had been removed, with a white headband on her forehead.

Having experienced the pain of losing her son, and with Ronghua gone, Xie's mother looked extremely haggard, but she possessed an elegant demeanor and a face like a jade plate, clearly the matriarch of a high-ranking family.

Her maternal family was also a century-old aristocratic family, a true lady of high birth.

Therefore, she placed great importance on social standing and believed in marrying someone of equal social standing.

When Su Muying came to her door with the marriage contract that Xie's father had promised many years ago, she looked down on her and strongly opposed it.

She came from some humble background, trying to climb the social ladder, and with her foxy appearance and extremely lewd appearance, how could she be worthy of entering the Xie family?

However, Xie Lin'an insisted on accepting the marriage contract, overcoming all objections, and she had no choice but to let the woman into the family.

Who knew that she was truly the cause of all trouble? Her eldest son had always been well-behaved and excelled in his studies and official career, with a promising future ahead of him. However, he went astray because of that woman and eventually lost his life.

He was skilled in both literature and martial arts. In that situation, he could have easily escaped on his own, but he chose to risk his life to protect that woman.

His whole body was covered in knife wounds. He had been slashed twenty-four times while protecting the woman.

Twenty-four cuts...

When she saw it, the flesh was a bloody mess, and the white bones were visible; the person had already died.

The woman was completely unharmed.

He even left a will instructing Lin Yuan to marry her and bring this woman into the family.

Even after his death, he protected this woman.

I don't know what kind of spell they were cast on, but they're willing to risk their lives.

She, his mother, his brother, and the entire Xie family no longer wanted her.

All for this orphaned girl from a humble family.

Now, she fears that her second son, Xie Linyuan, will suffer the same fate.

Although her two sons were completely different in temperament, with her second son being eccentric, cold, and ruthless, and not necessarily like her gentle eldest son, Xie's mother still couldn't rest easy looking at Su Muying's face, which was so beautiful even without makeup.

Mother Xie looked Su Muying up and down.

Dressed in white, with her hair tied up only with a jade hairpin, she still had a foxy look.

Lin'an died for her, yet she showed not a trace of sadness.

After Su Muying entered the inner room, she ignored the look in Xie's mother's eyes that seemed to want to gouge her out. She gracefully bowed and greeted her mother, her manners impeccable and without a single fault.

After Su Muying bowed, Xie's mother remained languidly leaning against the daybed, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "You really are lucky."

"Lin'an suffered more than twenty stab wounds for you, and even on her deathbed, she did not forget to arrange a way out for you, so that you could marry Lin Yuan and stay in the Xie family."

Su Muying's knuckles turned white beneath her sleeves. She said nothing, standing quietly and respectfully before Mother Xie. Though her face was stunningly beautiful, her demeanor was gentle and proper. After reciting a few words, Mother Xie stopped speaking and instead said:

"Since it is his last wish, I will not make things difficult for you. In the days to come, I will let you stay comfortably in the Xie family and marry Lin Yuan as his concubine, but I have one condition."

Although Su Muying had guessed that Xie's mother would come to her, she hadn't expected her to say these things.

condition?

Su Muying raised her head.

Mother Xie sat up straight, and wisps of smoke drifted from the Boshan incense burner in front of her, filling the room.

She looked at the woman in front of her, whom her son had risked his life to protect, and the pain of losing her son welled up again.

A few strands of silver hair had appeared at her temples, and when she looked at Su Muying in front of her, she seemed to be mercifully giving her a way out:

"You must bear children for the Xie family and continue the bloodline."

"After bearing a son for the Xie family, you must leave immediately,"

"The Xie family will spare your life, but you will never be allowed to appear before any member of the Xie family again."