It was late at night, and apart from the patrol teams, there was basically no one walking around in Changliu Village.
When Qiao Xun said Changliu Manor was simple, it was obviously a humble remark. The manor was quite large. Jiang Chuting nimbly dodged the people and it took her a while to reach Qiao Xun's courtyard. Lights were burning inside, and the shadows of a man and a woman could be seen through the window. It must be Qiao Xun and his wife. Jiang Chuting heard them whispering to each other.
"Husband, let me help you change your clothes."
"Hmm, where's Zheng'er?"
"She's already asleep; the wet nurse took her away."
"We'll be busy tomorrow, let's get some rest early."
"good."
After a while, the candlelight in the room went out, and the two of them went to sleep.
Aside from Qiao Xun's overly cold tone, the mistress of the manor sounded overly cautious, as if there was nothing unusual about her.
After searching around elsewhere and finding no trace of the young father, Jiang Chuting returned to her room.
Lin Zhishou was by the window. As soon as he came in, he asked, "Is there anything wrong?"
Jiang Chuting shook her head, closed the window, took his hand and led him back to the bed, where she briefly spoke to him.
Lin Zhi said, "Then let's wait and see tomorrow."
Jiang Chuting hummed in agreement; that was all she could do.
Jiang Chuting had barely lain down when Lin Zhi leaned in and kissed him, clearly eager to make a move. But since they were in someone else's house, it wasn't quite appropriate. Jiang Chuting offered a few words of advice, and although Lin Zhi was still sulking and unhappy, she got off him and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Meanwhile, inside Qiao Xun's room, once Han Yunsi, who was lying on the bed, had calmed down a bit, he couldn't wait any longer. He reached out and pressed her sleep acupoint, then turned and walked to a tall table, turned the vase on it, and the secret door to the hidden room opened.
Qiao Xun's eyes were filled with an almost man-eating fervor as he eagerly stepped inside.
"Ah Zhen!"
The room was lit, and in the corner of the bed, there was a young man whose hands and feet were bound. His mouth was stuffed with a soft cloth, so he could neither move nor speak. But when Qiao Xun entered, his eyes were filled with hatred that turned into sharp, icy blades that stabbed straight at him.
Qiao Xun didn't care at all. He untied his hands and feet, removed the soft cloth from his mouth, rubbed his wrists which were red from being tied up, and breathed on them, saying with heartache, "Does it hurt? If you had been more obedient, I wouldn't have had to treat you like this."
When Xie Zhen was touched, her disgust and resistance reached their peak, and her first words were: "You're worse than a pig or a dog, why don't you just die!"
Qiao Xun's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly as he touched his face and smiled gently at him, gazing longingly into his eyes. "So many years have passed, and Ah Zhen is still as sharp-tongued as ever. Back then, I was hurt quite badly by your words. But I don't blame you, because I like you." With that, he kissed him on the lips.
Xie Zhen's hands and feet were untied, but his acupoints remained unopened. He couldn't resist being kissed and clenched his teeth tightly.
Things I've tried so hard to forget over the years suddenly started churning violently in my mind, making my whole body tremble uncontrollably.
Xie Zhenzhen was originally a junior disciple in Misty Moon Valley, also known as Medicine Valley. He and the other disciples were mainly responsible for planting and harvesting herbs, patrolling the herb fields, and guarding the alchemy furnaces. He had a childhood sweetheart in the valley named Han Yunsi. Han Yunsi was beautiful and innocent, and they had been close since childhood. Although neither of them had confessed their feelings, they were practically a couple in the eyes of everyone around them, and people often teased them about it.
Life was peaceful until one day Qiao Xun and his friend came to the valley seeking medicine.
The Valley Master was obsessed with studying medicine to the point of madness, rarely paying attention to worldly affairs in the valley and rarely showing his face. However, this time he received them and even let them stay in the valley.
Qiao Xun's friend was a womanizer and frivolous man. Within a few days, he had flirted with all the female disciples in the valley, including Han Yunsi.
Xie Zhen usually appears refined, but he has a short temper and is easily impulsive. When he learned about this, he was furious and, disregarding the fact that the other person was the Valley Master's guest, went to his door and started beating him without saying a word.
Misty Moon Valley is famous for its medicine, not its martial arts. Xie Zhen himself was mediocre in both internal strength and martial arts. However, he not only managed to beat up Qiao Xun's friend, but also accidentally injured Qiao Xun, who was trying to break up the fight, causing Qiao Xun to have his head smashed.
When the Valley Master found out, he was furious and originally wanted to punish Xie Zhen. However, Qiao Xun raised his hand to cover the bandaged wound and said with a smile, "It's alright, it's alright. We were the ones who were in the wrong first." Then, instead of letting the Valley Master punish Xie Zhen, he asked Xie Zhen to take care of him until the injury healed.
The Valley Master agreed, but ordered Xie Zhen not to leave without permission before Qiao Xun's injuries had healed.
To be fair, Qiao Xun is an extraordinary person, gentle and polite, very different from his friend. Xie Zhen had no dissatisfaction with him. He felt guilty after accidentally hurting him, and his goodwill towards him increased because of Qiao Xun's help in pleading for him. So he did his best to take care of him.
Qiao Xun was so dizzy that he couldn't get up and move around, so he could only lie down and rest. He was so bored that Xie Zhen stayed by his bedside all day, racking his brains to come up with topics to keep him entertained.
Xie Zhen was completely unfunny. He would just sit there stiffly and talk about what happened in the valley in a dry and unfunny way. Qiao Xun would always look at him with his eyes crinkled and smile very happily.
Xie Zhen felt a little embarrassed and ashamed of his support, but she thought he was a really kind-hearted person and gradually grew closer to him.
Qiao Xun's friend often came to visit, and Xie Zhen would always glare at him whenever he saw him. Although he no longer impulsively fought, he would get up and do something else as soon as Qiao Xun arrived, turning his back to him with disdain. He simply couldn't control his temper, and he would openly express all his emotions.
Surprisingly, Qiao Xun wasn't angry at his rudeness. Instead, he said that Xie Zhen's straightforwardness was quite endearing. Xie Zhen was so shocked by this compliment that he spat out the water he was drinking, while Qiao Xun couldn't help but laugh for a while.
Because he had to take care of Qiao Xun, Xie Zhen neglected Han Yunsi. Although he had the Valley Master's orders, he couldn't resist the longing in his heart. While Qiao Xun was asleep, he secretly ran away from his residence to talk to Han Yunsi for a few words.
When he returned, he found that Qiao Xun was awake and staring at him with a dark and uncertain look in her eyes.
Xie Zhen had never seen him like this before, and was filled with surprise and doubt. Qiao Xun laughed again and advised him not to run out again, because if the Valley Master found out, he would be punished.
Xie Zhen felt guilty and agreed.
However, after that, he noticed that Qiao Xun stared at him intently with that indescribable look more than once, making him feel a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason. When asked what he was looking at, he would just laugh and say, "Of course I'm looking at you, Ah Zhen."
Xie Zhen found him increasingly strange and couldn't understand him anymore.
Qiao Xun suffered from recurring headaches, and Xie Zhen stayed with him day and night for a full month and a half before he was finally free.
But when he returned home relieved, he found that his junior sister seemed different. She was absent-minded and distracted when talking to him, seemingly lost in thought. Xie Zhen asked her several times but couldn't get any answers, which frustrated him greatly. His junior brother, who was close to him, privately told him that a woman acting like this usually meant she had fallen for someone else, and advised him to be careful. However, Xie Zhen scolded him, refusing to believe that his junior sister would change her mind.
Qiao Xun knew he was in a bad mood, so he came to drink with him. When they were both drunk, Qiao Xun told him that everyone knew Han Yunsi had another man in her heart, and that he shouldn't be sad and should give up as soon as possible.
Upon hearing this again, Xie Zhen was furious and still refused to believe it. Qiao Xun mocked him for deceiving himself. Xie Zhen, unable to contain his anger, tried to leave, but Qiao Xun stopped him. After apologizing to him with regret and haste, Qiao Xun unexpectedly confessed his love to him, saying that he was different from Han Yunsi and would never let him down. He even tried to kiss him.
This sudden confession was like a bolt from the blue for Xie Zhen, who had always only liked women. She was shocked and disgusted, and her drunkenness had subsided considerably.
The thought of spending over a month with him, only to find out when he developed such filthy thoughts and chatted and laughed with her without any guard, almost made her want to vomit.
Still feeling the effects of the alcohol, Xie Zhen not only overreacted by pushing Qiao Xun away, but also verbally abused him, hurling extremely offensive insults.
He didn't expect that after being scolded, Qiao Xun, a grown man, would just look at him and shed tears, his eyes filled with sadness, looking pitiful, as if he had been deeply hurt by his words.
This was the first time Xie Zhen had encountered something like this. After calming down a bit, she realized that she might have gone too far.
Just refuse him directly; why hurt his self-esteem?
Qiao Xun cried until her eyes were red, promising that she would never bother him again, but she only wanted to ask for one last hug from him.
Xie Zhen stood frozen in place, unsure whether to refuse or not. She forced herself to suppress her strange and repulsive feelings and let him hug her.
Later, he really wished he could go back to that foolish and naive self and kill him, and that he could even feel a little sympathy for such a devil in sheep's clothing.
Before he could push Qiao Xun away, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and fainted.
When he was awakened by the pain again, he was lying on a bed with his hands tied above his head, and the man who had said he would no longer bother him was ruthlessly thrusting into his body, which caused that tearing pain.
Qiao Xun smiled at him, panting, "Ah Zhen, I'm not a very patient person. If you don't want to be so firm in your words, I'll have to force you. After all, what you get is what's real, don't you think?"
Xie Zhen was too shocked by his shamelessness to even react; he was in so much pain that he lost his mind. Plus, he had been acupunctured and had no chance to resist. He didn't even have the strength to curse him. He was dragged into hell like that.
Qiao Xun appeared refined and handsome on the surface, but in bed he was nothing short of a beast. He didn't say a word during the entire process, tossing and turning him over for a long time. Afterwards, he had a high fever for five days and vomited for five days, suffering both physically and mentally, feeling like he was living a life worse than death.
However, this is just the beginning.
Qiao Xun imprisoned him in a heavily guarded house, where Xie Zhen couldn't even leave the courtyard. He was utterly helpless. Xie Zhen wanted nothing more than to skin him alive and crush his bones, but he discovered that Qiao Xun's martial arts skills far surpassed his own, making him no match for him. Each time he was subdued, he was forced into sexual relations with Qiao Xun, enduring his nauseatingly sweet and saccharine whispers. He was going insane!
But he was more stubborn than an ox, never learning his lesson. He constantly smashed things, beat and cursed, making a scene and causing endless trouble. The furnishings in the house had to be replaced frequently, and he never gave up trying to kill Qiao Xun. As you can imagine, he never succeeded. In contrast, Qiao Xun was not angry at all. On the contrary, she seemed to enjoy seeing him trying to escape but unable to get away, and she was always smiling.
Xie Zhen used to think Qiao Xun looked quite handsome when he smiled, but back then, every time she saw him smile, she just wanted to tear his skin off! That heartless scumbag!
Nearly five months passed in this dark and hopeless state before he finally managed to escape. He felt he had no face to see his junior sister again, and knew the Valley Master wouldn't care whether he lived or died. In addition, Qiao Xun was leading people to search for his whereabouts everywhere, so he fled in panic, not daring to return to Misty Moon Valley. He only secretly sent a letter to his junior sister, and after fleeing for a long time, he finally settled down in a remote village.
I had planned to continue living like this, but I ran into my former junior brother by chance a while ago and found out that my junior sister Han Yunsi had actually married Qiao Xun!
He was greatly surprised and suspicious. No one knew better than him how terrifying and horrifying Qiao Xun's true face was hidden beneath his gentle and kind exterior.
He wouldn't have objected to his junior sister marrying anyone, so why did she have to marry Qiao Xun?!
He feared it was Qiao Xun's conspiracy, and worried about his junior sister. After tossing and turning and feeling anxious for several days, he finally decided to return to Jiangling. However, more than five years later, he heard that Changliu Manor was going to hold a full moon banquet as soon as he returned.
Changliu Manor was heavily guarded, so there was no difficulty in him seeing Han Yunsi. He had originally come to loiter around the area to scout out the location, intending to disguise himself and sneak in the next day. But unexpectedly, he was arrested.
Qiao Xun couldn't pry open his tightly clenched teeth, but he wasn't angry. After letting go of him, he rubbed his nose against him, his smile deepening. "You can refuse me up there, but you can't refuse me down there. Ah Zhen, I've really missed you all these years."
Then he began to undress Xie Zhen. Xie Zhen looked at his usual smile, her scalp tingling, her eyes bloodshot, a heavy shadow falling over her heart. "Qiao Xun, don't do anything rash! I'm warning you, if you touch me again, I'll..."
Qiao Xun sighed softly: "So what? Whatever happens, let's talk about it tomorrow, okay?"
His gentle tone made it sound like he was politely negotiating with someone. Qiao Xun took out a pill from somewhere, held it close to Xie Zhen's face, and smiled, "This is a good thing, take it."
Xie Zhen was startled when he smelled the aroma, and his pupils dilated. He had been dealing with herbs since childhood; his medical skills were not proficient, but he was very sensitive to medicines.
The formula for this pill should be roughly similar to the one he accidentally ingested in the apothecary eight years ago.
That very pill caused him to...
Xie Zhen resisted the pill with all her might, keeping her mouth tightly shut to prevent him from feeding it to her. Qiao Xun said affectionately, "Zhen, this isn't poison. I won't hurt you. Be good, take it."
Xie Zhen's forehead veins throbbed as she glared at him and roared, "I won't eat it, get out!"
Qiao Xun looked at him with a troubled expression, as if he were looking at a willful child: "How can this be? I saved it especially for you."
Xie Zhen couldn't move, and in the end, he was stuffed into his mouth and forced to swallow. Qiao Xun smiled brightly, while Xie Zhen's face turned ashen.
Qiao Xun was consumed by her longing for him, and by this point, she had exhausted all her stamina. She pushed him down and began to remove her own clothes, her eyes blazing with wicked fire, but her voice was unusually gentle: "Keep your voice down later. Your junior sister is sleeping outside, so don't wake her. Of course, if you don't mind, I don't care."
This madman actually locked him in their bedroom!
Xie Zhen's eyes widened, her whole body trembling. "Qiao Xun, what exactly did you do to my junior sister? Why did you marry her? You forced her, didn't you!"
"I married her, of course, to force you to come back, but who knew you wouldn't care at all and left so carefree. On the wedding day, I was so anxious that I wanted to kill her, but then I thought, you'll find out someday, so keeping her as bait is a good idea."
Xie Zhen couldn't help but burst out cursing: "I'm fucking insane! God is truly blind, how can scum like you still live in this world?! You should go straight to the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated!"
Qiao Xun wasn't angry at his scolding. She leaned down and kissed him, saying, "Azhen, don't misunderstand. I didn't force her. She did it willingly."
Xie Zhen could never believe him. "Pah, liar!"
Tragically, Qiao Xun proved to be a useful bait. Knowing full well it was a trap, he still took the bait and willingly returned to the den of wolves he had so painstakingly escaped.
"Release my junior sister, do you hear me? I won't allow her to be hurt!"
Qiao Xun's eyes darkened, a half-smile playing on her lips. "You still value her so much, but do you think she'll be moved? Silly Zhen, I'm not lying to you. Back in Misty Moon Valley, her heart was already elsewhere. She secretly gave me a sachet, and you were so oblivious you didn't even notice. I kindly told you then, but you didn't believe me. Marrying me was her own choice. I don't touch her, and she doesn't complain at all, saying she's happy as long as she can see me often. My mother wants a grandson, and she obediently agreed to fake a pregnancy when I asked her. Tell me, even if I let her go, do you think she'd be willing?"
"...You're talking nonsense!"
Junior Sister's heart has already changed? Qiao Xun had indeed said that before, but he hadn't believed it at all. Now Qiao Xun was saying that Junior Sister had married him willingly and even faked a pregnancy for him... No, how could that be? Qiao Xun must be lying to him!
Xie Zhen was still in shock when he suddenly felt a pain that almost made him faint. He gasped and looked up with a scream, then quickly bit his lip to try to control himself. Qiao Xun was too eager to possess him, so he made some hasty preparations and started like this.
Not long after, Xie Zhen was almost in a semi-conscious state. Qiao Xun whispered in his ear, "Zhen, the child in the manor was brought from elsewhere. Will you give me a child? I promise to love him dearly."
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhen's eyelashes trembled violently, her face turned pale, and her lips trembled for a long time before she finally said in a hoarse voice, "Go to hell."
Qiao Xun chuckled softly and kissed his lips. Another long night followed.
The next day, Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhixian accompanied Jiang Xian to visit Old Madam Qiao. Qiao Xun also came, looking even more radiant than the day before, clearly in a very good mood.
The old lady had a kind face, but she was not in good health and was not in good spirits. She managed to say a few words, then picked up the child to look at him, and then went to rest.
Jiang Xian also hugged the child, and he said bluntly, "The child doesn't look like Master Qiao, so he should look more like Madam."
Qiao Xun smiled but remained silent.
Qiao Xun went off to do his business, and since it was still early before the banquet, the three of them strolled around the garden. Jiang Xian whispered to Jiang Chuting, "I heard from my mother that Qiao Xun married a female disciple from Miyue Valley."
Jiang Chuting: "Medicine Valley?"
Misty Moon Valley is more commonly known as Medicine Valley. Jiang Xian nodded, "Yes, although Misty Moon Valley has some reputation, that female disciple is unknown and has no outstanding qualities. In fact, her status is somewhat mismatched with that of Long Willow Manor, which has caused a lot of discussion. However, I think some preconceived notions need to be broken. As long as two people truly love each other, even if there are differences in status, age, or position, even if there have been past grievances, they are not a problem... Am I right, Lin Zhi?"
Jiang Chuting glanced at Jiang Xian, who gestured for him to be quiet.
Lin Zhi, who was holding Jiang Chuting's sleeve and looking around listlessly, turned around with a puzzled look when he heard Jiang Xian call him: "What do you want?"
Jiang Xian patiently repeated what he had just said and asked, "Am I wrong?"
Lin Zhi didn't understand why he insisted on asking her, but still gave him face and answered, "The first part is right, the second part is wrong. There are grudges, but it depends on what kind of grudges they are, and it depends on the situation. If there is unforgivable hatred, can you be with him without any resentment? I certainly can't."
Jiang Chuting remained silent, his eyes lowered. Jiang Xian gave a sneer with an ambiguous expression, "Very good, very good. This is what they call having clear-cut love and hate."
Lin Zhiwei raised her voice slightly: "Very good? But why do I feel like your tone is sarcastic?"
"No, you're overthinking it." Jiang Xian raised an eyebrow and said to him, "I just think that people with principles should stick to those principles for life and not let them change. Otherwise, they'll end up contradicting themselves and becoming a laughing stock. Oh, I was just having a sudden thought about certain people, not you, so don't look at me like that." He chuckled and walked ahead first.
Lin Zhi's expression changed, and he angrily said to his back, "Why are you being so sarcastic? What's wrong with him? Are you trying to slap me in the face and make a fool of me? Are you implying something?" His paranoia resurfaced, and he frowned as he asked Jiang Chuting, "But I have no grudge against you, and I would never slap you in the face. Is he dissatisfied with me and trying to sow discord between us?"
Jiang Chuting's heart tightened slightly, and she said softly, "No, that's not what he meant. Don't overthink it."
In this world, there is no one else who can separate us but you.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
