Can't We Just Not Divorce After All? - Chapter 1

The snow raged and the wind howled; the biting frost stung the face. In Jiangling, it had been snowing for several days, making the official road increasingly difficult to traverse. A squad of elite cavalry moved slowly, the wheels of their carriage grinding against the snow, producing a persistent creaking sound that accompanied them the entire way.

Before noon had even arrived, the particles of snow shimmered with light. Looking at them for too long left one feeling slightly dazed. The driver suffered a momentary lapse in concentration, causing the lead horse to slip under its feet. Due to the momentum, the carriage tilted precariously toward the side of the road.

Xiao Yue had only just dismounted when he saw a figure flash by. In an instant, three or four footprints were left on the snow. “Pull the reins tight!”

Hearing the command, the driver was both startled and panicked; he even forgot to respond.

At the same moment the voice landed, Xiao Yue saw the tilted carriage steadily pushed back into an upright position. The person at the side of the carriage pressed their knee against the wheel, their hands gripping the carriage shaft tightly, veins bulging on the back of their hands.

Their boots crushed the snow, sinking an inch deep into the mud.

“Young Master!”

Xiao Yue stepped over, but the man ignored him entirely. He lifted half of the carriage curtain and asked in a low voice, “Elder Sister, are you injured?”

The curtain shook, and a pale, slender hand reached out, gently patting the hand that had lifted the curtain. “Don’t worry, I only bumped a little; it’s nothing.”

Even after being told this, the man still could not rest easy. He turned his head and ordered Xiao Yue, “Find a place to stay and let’s rest for a while.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Xiao Yue turned to give orders to the men at the front.

Not long after, the group cleared a wide area, and the only carriage in the convoy stopped in the middle. Xiao Yue carried a bag of dry rations, and from a distance, he saw his Young Master sitting boldly on the ground, starting a fire.

Xiao Yanshi was busy with the fire, his hem tucked into his waistband. In such freezing weather, he wore no heavy cloak, only a thin, agile set of warrior’s attire. His deerskin boots were covered in a layer of mud. If not for that back, straight like a powerful bow, the dignified heir to the Pingbei Marquis estate would have looked like a crude, unmannered villager.

After finishing the fire, he carefully boiled some hot water to send into the carriage, then dropped a single sentence, “I am going to scout the road,” and headed toward the front.

Xiao Yue skillfully took a metal rack from his horse, placed it over the fire, and laid out the dry rations. Then, he took a small jar out from somewhere and sprinkled on some spices.

Before long, the scent of the spices began to drift. Xiao Yue sniffed, “It’s fine, everyone come over and take some to eat.”

The group was small, and the dozens of flatbreads were soon distributed, leaving two slightly larger ones on the rack.

When Xiao Yanshi returned from scouting, the fire was nearly out, and the flatbreads were barely lukewarm. He didn’t mind, picking one up and taking a bite.

He tossed the other one to Xiao Yue, “If you’re hungry, eat it. We aren’t far from Jiangling now. Why save such a small amount who are you keeping it for?”

Xiao Yue took a bite of the bread; it was a bit hard on the teeth. “The snow is getting heavier. A one-month journey has been dragged out by an extra ten days. Never mind the people, even the horse feed is running low.”

Xiao Yanshi finished the bread in a few quick bites, then took the water canteen Xiao Yue passed him and drank deeply.

As the icy water entered his stomach, his whole body shivered.

Xiao Yanshi’s expression didn’t even change. He capped the canteen and continued, “Looking at the markers ahead, there should be an old relay station about ten li away. It’s getting late; let’s hurry a little on the road so we can reach it early and rest for the night.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Xiao Yue went off to give the orders.

Xiao Yanshi stamped out the fire, walked over to the side of the carriage, and tapped it lightly. “Elder Sister.”

Xiao Yanxun lifted the small curtain. “A-Shi, I heard everything you said. I am fine. This trip has been delayed solely because of me, but now that we are near Jiangling, it is fine to walk a bit faster.”

Unlike Xiao Yanshi’s rugged temperament, Xiao Yanxun was delicate and gentle, her speech soft and slow. Seeing her pale, thin cheeks, Xiao Yanshi felt even more guilty. “Had I known… I would have called off this engagement.”

Xiao Yanshi’s fist beneath his sleeve clenched tightly, but Xiao Yanxun chuckled softly, pointing at Xiao Yanshi’s nose through the small window. “How old are you, still telling such tall tales!”

Afraid she would catch a cold, Xiao Yanshi tucked her hand back inside and looked up at the sky. “Elder Sister, are you… willing to marry Meng Tan?”

Behind the small curtain, Xiao Yanxun was silent for a moment. After a long while, she whispered, “I am willing.” Xiao Yanshi could not see it, but she was stroking the bead bracelet on her wrist. “The Meng family is prominent, and he possesses excellent features; he is a rising star in Jiangling. Marrying him… I am not losing out.”

“…Is it just ‘not losing out’?” Xiao Yanshi frowned. “If only…”

“A-Shi, don’t harbor any chaotic thoughts!” Xiao Yanxun knew her younger brother too well; just as he started to speak, she interrupted him immediately.

“But…”

“Young Master!”

Xiao Yanshi had only just begun to speak when he was interrupted. He looked over to see Xiao Yue running toward him with a look of joy. “Young Master, I just walked down that side road earlier. It is a new path opened by the common folk, and it looks like it eventually merges back into the official road… there are wheel tracks left by a merchant caravan not far away. They look fresh. If we travel a bit faster, we might be able to catch up with them and buy some food to keep us warm, which would also help Elder Sister feel more comfortable.”

Xiao Yanxun had been traveling with a bunch of rough men; although her food had been slightly more refined than theirs, it was still cold cakes and cold water.

She had caught a cold several times and had grown quite thin from the illness.

“Are you certain it is a merchant caravan?” Xiao Yanshi furrowed his brow. “In this deep winter weather, we haven’t seen any tracks along the way…”

“Perhaps the snowfall from last night covered the old tracks. We are not far from Jiangling, and there are many checkpoints on the official road. Those tracks are similar to the ones from previous merchant caravans; I think it is reliable.”

Xiao Yue was cautious; if he hadn’t been fairly certain, he wouldn’t have dared to report it rashly.

Xiao Yanshi pondered briefly but nodded. They could still hold out, but his sister was physically weak. If she didn’t get some hot soup and food soon, how would she be able to endure?

The sky grew dark, and snow began to fall in heavy flurries, making the official road even harder to navigate. To prevent any further trouble with the carriage, Xiao Yanshi simply rode his horse alongside it to protect it.

“Whoa!”

“Who goes there!”

Xiao Yue let out a sharp cry, and everyone immediately guarded their sides, hands on their swords.

The carriage jolted, and Xiao Yanshi shouted coldly, “What are you panicking about!”

The carriage driver was so startled he trembled, clinging to the reins and not daring to speak.

Xiao Yanxun asked from behind the curtain, “A-Shi, what is it?”

“It’s nothing, I’ll go to the front to see.” Xiao Yanshi calmed her down and rode his horse to the front. When he arrived, Xiao Yue was in a standoff with the other party.

The night was dark, and the snow was falling heavily. The other party held only ten or so torches, making their faces look like flickering shadows. In the silent official road, they looked like ghosts traveling at night.

“Young Master, it’s bandits,” Xiao Yue said in a hushed tone. “Looking at this stance, they have been waiting here for a long time.”

This was the first time in his life that Xiao Yanshi had encountered bandits blocking the road, and he became interested. “Look at what is behind them… is that grain and supplies?”

Xiao Yue was stunned and rode his horse a few steps forward. “…It looks like it.”

If there were no other hidden bandits in the surroundings, more than half of these thirty or so people were already circling those few carriages. Without needing to think, it was certain that they contained something “extraordinary.”

“Protect the Elder Sister well; I will go and meet them.” Xiao Yanshi pulled on the reins, and his horse trotted past the soldiers, moving to the very front.

Although the other party were bandits, the leader clearly had methods. A few experts stood at the front, their large sabers eager for action.

Xiao Yanshi looked down from his horse, his aura of slaughter fully revealed.

“Where are you lot from? Do you know what territory this is?” The lead bandit was sturdy and tall, his face covered in a thick beard, his bulging muscles nearly bursting through his clothes.

Xiao Yanshi was expressionless. “To think you would dare to rob me.”

The bearded man was provoked by Xiao Yanshi’s disdainful tone and rushed forward wielding his large saber. The other bandits also cursed and slashed toward the rest of the group.

Xiao Yanshi did not even raise an eyebrow. He pulled on the reins, and his horse let out a neigh, raising its front hooves high.

With a slack and a pull on the reins, the horse’s hooves struck the bearded man right in the chest. Xiao Yanshi did not use a weapon; he swung the horse whip in his hand, striking the bearded man directly until he fainted and collapsed.

Soldiers who had been on the battlefield were specialists at striking vital points; they were not people a few bandits could handle. Xiao Yanshi had sharp eyes; he could see that this group of bandits had blood on their hands, so he did not hold back.

Solving a few ruffians took no more than a few moments.

Just as Xiao Yanshi’s horse whip swung toward the last remaining bandit, his eyelids twitched. Instinct drove him to pull up his horse’s head, narrowly avoiding an incoming arrow.

“Young Master!” The soldier beside him drew his blade.

“Guard the carriage.” Xiao Yanshi’s eyes burned with fire. His gaze pierced through the hazy night, catching a white shadow not far away.

From the start of the standoff until now, that person had remained hidden in the darkness, having barely moved. This caused him to lower his guard, nearly falling into a trap.

The person knew they had been discovered and rode their horse over slowly.

The other bandits holding torches stood not far behind him. In the flickering light, half of the person’s face remained hidden in the darkness.

Even seeing only half a face, Xiao Yanshi couldn’t help but feel a sense of amazement.

He had a golden-quality jade appearance, with refined features. The thin, lightly pressed lips were the first to steal one’s attention.

Xiao Yanshi had seen the graceful women of the Northern Frontier, whose figures and appearances were both excellent, and he had seen the famous aristocratic families of Jiangnan, whose every movement possessed elegance and refinement.

But this was the first time he felt moved to sigh over a man.

Perhaps because he was staring so intently, his gaze was too hot. The other party frowned, and with a wave of his hand, he struck at Xiao Yanshi with a soft sword.

A horse whip was no longer enough. After exchanging only three moves, Xiao Yanshi quickly drew the long blade from his side.

The collision of sword and blade sent silver sparks flying.

Both of their arms felt numb from the impact. Xiao Yanshi raised a brow slightly this person not only had a beautiful face but also possessed impressive martial arts.

Especially… when he leaned back to dodge, that strong, slim waist…

Xiao Yanshi’s eyes shifted, his tongue tasting a hint of metallic rust.

Before he could develop any strange thoughts, the other party’s soft sword suddenly moved like a silver snake, turning sharply from his chest toward his throat.

Years of warfare allowed his instincts to smell the threat. His body leaned toward the opponent before his brain could react. This maneuver, which was almost like presenting himself to die, startled the other person, causing his soft sword to subconsciously swerve. Taking this opportunity, Xiao Yanshi used his free hand to skillfully climb onto the opponent’s reins. With his body like a swimming fish, he used the momentum at an impossible angle to spring onto the opponent’s horse.

And… with extreme audacity, he wrapped his arms around the other person’s waist.

Tsk, that waist is truly thin!