“It’s the first watch of the night, the heavens are dry, and the fire is burning brightly……”
The sound of the bamboo flute faintly drifted into the room lit by red candles, and although there were no festive couplets on the doors and windows, all the objects in the room had been replaced with red ones or covered with red fabric.
The process of taking a concubine was quite simple, but the ceremony of the wedding night was indispensable.
If it were a wedding, the couple would each cut a lock of hair and combine them, symbolizing “tying the knot.”
But since it was taking a concubine, this ritual was replaced by the exchange of cups of wine.
“Husband.”
Lu Jingyao handed a cup of wedding wine to Wei Changtian, taking a step forward.
She didn’t know why, but she felt like she was getting more comfortable calling him that.
But Wei Changtian seemed unresponsive.
“There are only the two of us now, you don’t have to be polite.”
“……”
Lu Jingyao’s mouth opened slightly, and she asked in a soft voice, “Husband, don’t you believe what I said during the day?”
Wei Changtian smiled, poured the wine that was meant for both of them into his cup, and asked back, “Do you believe it yourself?”
“I… I really didn’t deceive you.”
Lu Jingyao’s expression was somewhat melancholic, with a hint of mystery.
The more she acted like this, the more Wei Changtian felt amused.
Keep acting! See if you can keep up the act later!
If everything goes as planned, Xiao Feng should appear soon.
Then, hehehe…
As long as Xiao Feng dies, there will only be one person left with the golden finger in this world, and wouldn’t that make him unbeatable?
He thought to himself, getting more and more excited, and didn’t speak.
Lu Jingyao felt awkward for a moment before changing the subject.
“Husband, do you remember the poem you recited last night?”
“Can you tell me the whole thing?”
“Hmm?”
Wei Changtian was taken aback, put down his cup, and thought for a moment, but couldn’t remember the context of the poem, so he shook his head and made an excuse, “No, I just said it casually.”
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“Is that so… what a pity.”
This time, Lu Jingyao’s disappointment seemed genuine, and she murmured to herself:
“I would have directed my heart to the bright moon, but alas, the bright moon shines on the ditch…”
It’s undeniable that this poem has a strong sense of resonance.
Perhaps everyone can find their own shadow in it, whether it’s “I,” “the bright moon,” or “the ditch.”
Or maybe it’s all of the above.
Wei Changtian entrusted his heart to her, but her heart was full of Xiao Feng… Looking at Wei Changtian’s “forced smile” across from her, Lu Jingyao, who had misunderstood, felt a pang of guilt.
And an even more extravagant thought arose…
As long as Wei Changtian didn’t kill Xiao Feng, she could really become a daughter-in-law of the Wei family.
“Boom! Boom!”
The sound of the bamboo drum signaling the second watch of the night resonated.
After a silence, Lu Jingyao suddenly lifted her head, gently pouring wine from a white jade wine jug into Wei Changtian’s cup.
“Lord, I’d like to have a drink with you.”
“Oh…”
Wei Changtian glanced at Lu Jingyao, bringing the cup to his lips, but his heart was filled with suspicion about why there was no movement outside.
This wasn’t right!
According to the novel, Xiao Feng should have made his move by the second watch!
He absolutely couldn’t have misremembered this plot, and he could even recall the original dialogue.
【……The distant drumbeats were drowned out by Lu Jingyao’s screams, Wei Changtian’s face was filled with lust, taking step by step towards Lu Jingyao, who was unable to move……】
【……Tears rolled down her exquisite face, and just then, a figure suddenly broke through the window and flipped in, kicking Wei Changtian away before he could react……】
So… where was Xiao Feng?
Why hadn’t he burst in through the window and kicked him away?
Could it be… Wei Changtian suddenly understood.
It seemed that the acting wasn’t done convincingly enough!
Thinking of this, he immediately put down the wine cup, looking at Lu Jingyao with a serious expression: “You call out twice!”
Lu Jingyao was taken aback: “Call out… twice?”
Wei Changtian urged: “Yes! The more terrified, the better! It’s best if you can make it sound like I’m about to take advantage of you!”
Lu Jingyao: “……”
Wei Changtian was anxious: “Not you, hurry up and call out!”
Lu Jingyao: “Ah…”
Wei Changtian: “……”
Upon hearing the “terrified” cry that was barely louder than a mosquito’s hum, Wei Changtian felt a sense of helplessness in his heart.
Cough, it wasn’t that he wanted to take advantage of the situation…
Without warning, he suddenly pulled Lu Jingyao into his embrace.
“Ah!!”
The terrified scream sounded on cue.
“Shh shh shh!”
The rustling of the leaves sounded urgent, as if a strong gust of wind had suddenly swept by.
However, before the wind could stop, the sound of swords being drawn echoed from all around the courtyard.
The “clang clang” of metal scraping against metal was filled with a sense of killing intent, and Wei Changtian finally let out a sigh of relief, slowly releasing his grip.
It was done.
……
“Clang! Clang clang!”
In the flash of lightning, a black longsword danced up and down, narrowly parrying several blades that attacked from different angles.
Xiao Feng gazed coldly at the dozen or so strong enemies, all dressed in plain clothes, who had suddenly surrounded him, never expecting to fall into such a predicament.
He had arrived at the Wei Manor in the afternoon, disguising himself as a servant and hiding in the shadows, waiting for the night when the guards would be lax, and then he would launch a surprise attack to rescue Lu Jingyao.
Although it was a bit cowardly, the chances of success were high.
In fact, the entire plan had been going smoothly up until now.
However, just as he was about to rush in to rescue people upon hearing Lu Jingyao’s scream, a group of people wielding swords and knives suddenly appeared from all directions.
Xiao Feng had already observed the surroundings beforehand and didn’t notice anything unusual.
This meant that these people had very strong anti-detection skills.
Combined with their agility and well-trained combat tactics… it was clear that they had come prepared!
Xiao Feng didn’t know where he had exposed himself, but he was clear that now was not the time to dwell on it.
Saving people, taking revenge – none of that mattered at the moment.
The priority was to escape!
He lowered his sword, the tip lightly scraping the ground.
Xiao Feng moved swiftly, his feet tracing the Eight Trigrams as he gazed coldly at the shrinking encirclement, his mind racing to come up with a strategy.
There were eighteen people in total, ten of whom were seventh-rank and eight of whom were sixth-rank.
Such a luxurious lineup, if coordinated properly, could even take down a fifth-rank warrior. Yet, they were being used to deal with him, a lone seventh-rank warrior.
Hmph, they really looked down on him… But did they think he only had this much talent?!
Xiao Feng suddenly smiled, and in the next second, his entire aura underwent a drastic transformation.
His internal energy, almost solidified, burst forth in an instant, countless sword auras revolving wildly around him, even leaving behind trails of torn marks on the bluestone ground.
Internal energy released! Sixth-rank realm!
In just one breath, he had elevated to a higher realm, which was undoubtedly unbelievable.
However, the experts from the Suspenseful Pavilion were not fools who would wait for their opponents to finish their preparations. They sensed the anomaly and immediately rushed forward, attempting to disrupt his “preparation”.
“Ding!”
“Clang!”
“Whoosh! Ding ding ding!”
“Clang!”
In the blink of an eye, both sides had exchanged several blows, the sounds of clashing swords filling the air.
“Sixth-rank peak! How is this possible!”
A burly man who had been sent flying by Xiao Feng’s sword looked incredulous, but Xiao Feng didn’t have the time to explain. He was preparing to force his way out.
With his current strength, he could indeed kill everyone present, but it would take a lot of time.
The experts from the Wei Manor wouldn’t be limited to just these few, so he couldn’t afford to linger. He had to escape first and then plan his next move.
His sword movements quickened, and he pointed his toes to the ground, dashing towards two seventh-rank warriors who were already losing their balance.
The two warriors didn’t resist, instead choosing to roll and dodge the sword attack.
This meant that the encirclement had been breached.
“Whoosh!”
Xiao Feng didn’t pursue, instead immediately retracting his sword and using his momentum to charge forward.
Ahead lay a small bamboo forest, followed by several servant quarters, and then the Wei Manor’s walls.
At his current speed, he could clear the walls in at most ten breaths.
And once he entered the vast city, even if the Wei family sent many people, it would be difficult for them to track him down.
Looking at the empty bamboo forest ahead, Xiao Feng’s tense heart relaxed slightly.
But just in the next instant, a sense of unprecedented crisis suddenly surged up from the depths of his soul.
It was as if he had received a warning from his very soul.
Stop!
Or die!
“Puff! Whoosh!!”
The black long sword’s blade was almost entirely submerged in the muddy ground, plowing out a long, deep trench.
“Roar!!”
At the same moment, the nearby bamboo trees suddenly snapped in half, as if cut by an invisible force.
The broken ends were as smooth as a mirror, without any sign of a sword or internal energy fluctuations.
Xiao Feng’s emotions plummeted to an all-time low, and his body trembled with fear.
This was… using momentum as a blade!
Third-rank realm!