“Hiss—hiss—” It seemed to be sizing up these outsiders.
Xing Muzheng’s expression didn’t change. He tossed the weed and glanced at Qian Jiaoniang. She looked back at him, their eyes meeting in midair, neither speaking—almost as if competing silently.
In a flash, Qian Jiaoniang pulled back her legs, sprang to her feet, grabbed a nearby branch, and swiftly flicked the snake toward Xing Muzheng. Xing Muzheng’s eyes widened—he snatched the dagger by his foot, and with several flashes of its razor-sharp edge, the snake was sliced into several pieces and fell to the ground along with the branch, barely distinguishable from the scattered snake flesh.
When he looked back at Qian Jiaoniang, she had already let down her pant legs and even put her shoes back on. With a scowl, Xing Muzheng walked over, dagger in hand, glaring at her without a word. Qian Jiaoniang blinked innocently. “That snake wasn’t venomous.”
Was this really about whether the snake was venomous?! Xing Muzheng frowned. “What were you showing off for?” She had no martial skills. Couldn’t she just ask him for help? Even though he knew expecting her to call out “Husband, save me” was a fantasy, still—doing something so reckless? What if the snake had been more dangerous? Even a non-venomous bite was painful.
“How was I showing off? Didn’t I hand it over to you to deal with?” She would never kill a snake herself.
“Still pretending to be clueless. A proper woman behaving so recklessly—why couldn’t you just sit still and let me kill it?” So impulsive.
Qian Jiaoniang smiled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “They say it well: better to rely on yourself than on others. Who knows if Marquis would’ve helped or not?”
Did she not trust him—or did she just not trust people at all? Xing Muzheng said, “Who says relying on others is worse than relying on yourself? I was cursed. If not for relying on you, I’d be dead.”
That was the honest truth.
Qian Jiaoniang’s smile grew wider. “Then My Lord was just lucky. Why not try getting cursed again and see how that goes?”
Xing Muzheng: “…”
What she meant was: if he were cursed now, she wouldn’t even lift an eyelid.
Back then, he had wanted to take an equal wife and coldly pushed her aside, yet she’d still cared for him without holding a grudge. And now—her heart had truly gone cold. No—she had said before that she only saved him out of duty. But now, she didn’t even care to uphold that duty anymore.
Xing Muzheng felt miserable. He turned and stormed off.
Qian Jiaoniang hadn’t expected him to just leave like that. She curled her lips, then remembered to pick up the softly glowing bamboo ball and slowly walked back. When she looked up again, Xing Muzheng was still waiting not far ahead.
***
Liu Ying had dozed off in the carriage during the day and, being older now, couldn’t sleep at night. What’s more, she’d skipped dinner after getting angry at that brat Xing Pingchun, and now her stomach was growling. She couldn’t take it anymore and got up to toast some steamed bun slices by the fire. Ah Da yawned as he fetched the leftover roast chicken for her. Wu Shunzi, who’d been dozing, also woke up and added some firewood.
Liu Ying ate happily. Seeing Ah Da glancing nervously at the woods from time to time, she asked if he was worried about wolves or something. Ah Da said, “What wolves would there be in this little grove? You’d be lucky to find a snake! It’s just that the Commander went to find the Madam, and it’s been quite a while with no sign of return. I’m a bit concerned, that’s all.”
Liu Ying was stunned. “Muzheng and Madam Qian both went to the grove?”
“Exactly. I thought Madam had gotten up in the night and was hesitating about whether to wake Miss Qingya to accompany her, but unexpectedly, His Lordship followed her. I wanted to go with them, but the Lord wouldn’t allow it.”
“Should we go have a look?” Wu Shunzi asked.
“Well…” Ah Da rubbed his bald head, unsure what to do.
What were the two of them doing going into the woods in the pitch dark? Could they be… messing around in there? Liu Ying’s eyes darted. That Qian woman had some looks on her—could it be she was also skilled in bed? If a man is well served, his brain stops working. Her good nephew had been away at war for years, rarely seeing women. Could he have been ensnared?
If that was the case, it’d be trouble.
“They’re back!” Ah Da craned his neck and cried out joyfully, quickly getting up to greet them.
From a distance, Liu Ying saw two silhouettes walking out, along with a glow of green light. She quickly crawled back into her carriage, knelt on the board, and secretly lifted a corner of the curtain to peek. But the two returned without saying a word and each went back to sleep.
Liu Ying couldn’t sleep at all now. She knelt there and thought half the night.
—
The next day, Liu Ying anxiously sought a chance to speak with Tian Linwen. Tian Linwen stroked his beard and squinted as he looked toward Xing Pingchun, who was happily playing with the glowing firefly ball not far off, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking his head.
Liu Ying grew anxious and urged Tian Linwen to make a decision.
Tian Linwen said, “Wife, I fear we’ve underestimated this Qian Jiaoniang. For her to remain in the marquis manor even after being dismissed, and with that child of hers protecting her like that—she clearly knows how to handle people and is not to be taken lightly! I think she’s not waiting for us to offer a hundred taels of gold—she’s waiting for a chance to get back at us!”
Liu Ying was startled. “Truly?”
“I’d say there’s an eight or nine chance. That woman is waiting for us to let our guard down, so she can trip us up and make my good nephew believe whatever she says.”
“That wretched woman would definitely do such a thing. Husband, what do we do now? We can’t just let Qian Shi bully us.”
Tian Linwen thought for a while longer. “In my opinion, we must strike first.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Tian Linwen beckoned her closer, motioning for her to lean in.
