Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 18

Compared to the Worm Vine Tribe, Jiang WanShu was more inclined to choose to stay by Zhou Yan’s side.

After all, the people of the Worm Vine Tribe were truly ruthless. The incident that befell her on her journey to fulfill the imperial decree for a marriage alliance was orchestrated by this tribe. Having seen a true devil, would she still be afraid of a lone wolf who was comparatively less ferocious?

If she were truly caught by the Worm Vine Tribe during her escape, deep down, she still wished to be rescued, even if the one who saved her was still Zhou Yan.

She met Zhou Yan’s gaze, full of anticipation.

Zhou Yan caught the expression in her eyes, realized the answer she was hoping for, and an unconscious curve appeared on his lips.

He proudly raised an eyebrow, about to blurt out that he would definitely rescue her and rip out the tendons and bones of those who captured her, but he quickly restrained himself.

This girl, though timid as a bird in everything she did, was very calculating in her heart.

If she was still planning to escape, he needed to dampen her spirit now.

He had to speak harshly, to ensure she would not dare to run away from him.

He placed his large hand on Jiang WanShu’s shoulder. The man’s immense strength caused the girl’s entire shoulder to slump under the pressure.

He feigned sincerity, treating Jiang WanShu seriously and sternly, “If I find out you were caught by them because you were trying to escape from me, not only will I not save you, but I might even wait for someone else to marry you, and then continue our ‘old relationship’ together.”

Jiang WanShu’s apricot-shaped eyes grew slightly moist. She looked up at the man before her. “What do you mean?”

As she spoke, Jiang WanShu seemed to understand something. Her body involuntarily trembled, and her face paled for an instant.

“Are you thinking of implementing your grassland customs on me?!”

She was referring to shared wives (polyandry).

Hitting the snake at its seven inches, he had also grasped her weakness.

Jiang WanShu held her breath, waiting for Zhou Yan’s reply.

The man nodded in appreciation, noticing the fear on her body. He moved the large hand from her shoulder down and forcefully pulled the girl into his embrace.

“WanWan, you’re thinking too highly of yourself. By that time, do you think you will still hold such valuable worth? You would merely be in a state where anyone can bully you. A white-eyed wolf who tries to run away and betrays me—I’m too lazy to bother nurturing such a creature.”

He held her as if comforting her, but his movements were rough, and the words he spoke were as cold as winter snow shattering ice, forcing her to fall into a bottomless ice cave.

Jiang WanShu’s throat tightened, as if choked by a heavy object, leaving her speechless.

This man was breaking his word!

The man’s strength was great, and he easily lifted her as she remained silent.

He used one hand to separate Jiang WanShu’s knees, which were braced against her abdomen, making them wrap around his lean, muscular waist.

Once his mind wasn’t on teaching, Zhou Yan once again felt lustful desires for the soft girl he held. Unfortunately, Jiang WanShu was completely uncooperative. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction from her struggle, she jumped down, escaping in panic under Zhou Yan’s watchful eye.

Zhou Yan let her go, focusing instead on the bow and arrows that had fallen to the ground.

He bent down to pick them up, practicing diligently.

This scene continued until Zhou Yan washed the rice and prepared dinner that evening.

When he brought the food to the table, Zhou Yan saw Jiang WanShu sitting obediently on the round chair.

Because of the kiss that day, she took the bowl he offered with embarrassment and a slight anger, her expression hateful.

This man was not only moody towards her but also utterly heartless. She had now completely given up any hope that this man, the only one capable of saving her, would appear if she were caught by the Worm Vine Tribe during an escape.

His answer this afternoon had completely extinguished her expectations, leading her to adopt a reckless “don’t care” attitude.

Zhou Yan observed her shifting emotions. He sat down and added chicken meat, which had been kept in the enclosure yesterday, to Jiang WanShu’s bowl. His eyes scanned around. “Tomorrow, I’ll borrow a screen from Mu Sha’s house to block off this wooden bed.”

Jiang WanShu’s temper came quickly but also subsided quickly.

Her expression was unclear, and she was suspicious. “Why?”

“Starting the day after tomorrow, people from the grasslands will continuously come to this house to discuss matters. It’s necessary to pay attention to privacy.”

“Then what should I do?” In her eyes, the relationship between them was something “not to be seen.” If that group of people saw her, she would surely die of shame.

Fortunately, Zhou Yan had already planned for her. “I know you are thin-skinned. Mu Sha will be back tomorrow. If you feel embarrassed to meet the grassland people who come to the house, you can go and stay at Mu Sha’s house.”

Mu Sha was his own man, and Zhou Yan always trusted him. Moreover, that woman, who was like a big vinegar pot, was also there, so he didn’t need to worry about any problem of a man and woman being alone together.

Jiang WanShu glanced at Zhou Yan, then nodded in agreement.

In truth, even if she disagreed, nothing would change. His words were merely a notification to her.

Jiang WanShu lowered her head, picked up some food, and put it in her mouth. Her cherry lips chewed the greens. The girl’s slender neck line was beautiful and elegant.

The time of the meal gradually passed. Zhou Yan cleared the leftover food from the wooden table. The daylight outside had long since darkened. Jiang WanShu sat alone at the clean wooden table, resting her chin on her hand, looking idly at the flickering candle flame.

These past few days seemed to pass quickly, so much so that due to her embarrassment about appearing before other grassland people, she had stayed in Mai Gu La Ji’s house for only a few days, yet the two girls had become quite familiar with each other.

Presently, the two girls, with their strikingly different yet charming beauty, were sitting at the wooden table playing with the game of Go that Zhou Yan had bought in the market yesterday.

On the table, which glowed with a new sheen, Jiang WanShu, holding the white pieces, directly blocked Mai Gu La Ji’s attempt to connect five pieces in two different lines.

Her fingers were slender and distinct. After Mai Gu La Ji placed a piece, Jiang WanShu placed one of hers and collected a black piece into her hand.

She observed Mai Gu La Ji’s expression while trying to guess her strategy, then said, “Miss Mai, you should think more before placing a piece, and not be so reckless.”

To some extent, a person’s way of playing chess has a stable connection to their personality, and clearly, Mai Gu La Ji’s temperament was completely exposed on this board.

Because Mai Gu La Ji’s name was too difficult for Jiang WanShu to pronounce, Jiang WanShu simply used the courtesy title that noble ladies in the Central Plains used when first introduced.

Mai Gu La Ji sighed, grabbing another handful of pieces from the black bowl beside her. Her tone was mournful. “Your Central Plains’ pastimes are truly as intricate as your Central Plains’ people, making them difficult to understand.”

Jiang WanShu smiled, deliberately letting her win by placing a piece on the board. Afterward, Mai Gu La Ji successfully connected five pieces and collected Jiang WanShu’s white piece into her hand. The expression on her face visibly smoothed out in an instant.

Once she was in a cheerful mood, Mai Gu La Ji became more talkative.

For instance, now, as Mai Gu La Ji grew tired of listening to Jiang WanShu’s instructions on how to play, she immediately changed the subject to keep the conversation going.

“WanWan, you are so beautiful and intelligent, it’s no wonder Zhou Yan doesn’t want other grassland people to see you.” She said this casually, but to Jiang WanShu, it sounded different.

She looked up at Mai Gu La Ji’s round eyes, her own filled with suspicion. “He let me stay here because he was afraid I would be embarrassed.”

But it was strange. A couple of days ago, when people came to the house, Zhou Yan would always make her stay, teasing her and not letting her leave, wanting others to see his future A’Jia (wife). Yet today, for some reason, he was determined, emphasizing repeatedly that she must stay in Mai Gu La Ji’s house tonight and not come out.

It was only after Mai Gu La Ji answered that she understood the reason.

Mai Gu La Ji found Jiang WanShu’s theory amusing. She organized her words. “Perhaps considering your personality is a small part. His fear that you might fall back into the hands of the Old Khan might be his true purpose for having you stay here this time.”

Since Mu Sha and Zhou Yan were on the same side, Mu Sha knew the story of Jiang WanShu being the Central Plains princess sent for a marriage alliance with the grasslands. As Mu Sha’s A’Jia, she naturally learned the details from him.

They spoke about almost everything, so last night Mai Gu La Ji found out that among the people coming to Zuo Jing Cha’er’s house today to persuade him to return to the grasslands were the envoys who had exclusively arranged the Central Plains marriage alliance princess’s participation in the capital banquet. These envoys had seen Jiang WanShu’s real face.

Upon hearing this, Jiang WanShu’s hand, which was holding a piece, paused. She slowly looked up. “Miss Mai, could you tell me a little more?”

Jiang WanShu didn’t drop the piece she held, completely captivated by Mai Gu La Ji’s words.

So, Mai Gu La Ji decided to fully reveal the information, speaking slowly, “I heard Mu Sha say that among the people who came to your house today to persuade Zuo Jing Cha’er, there were people who had seen the real face of your Central Plains marriage alliance princess.”

As soon as Mai Gu La Ji brought this up, Jiang WanShu’s expression became vigilant.

She thought through all possibilities, but still couldn’t figure out why Zhou Yan insisted she stay with Mai Gu La Ji today.

She didn’t know what the people in the house were discussing. She wondered, was he afraid of her being discovered by those few people, thus ruining his plan?

But if that were the case, her staying with Mai Gu La Ji was also dangerous for him. Mai Gu La Ji’s house was so close to the house where they were talking. What if she happened to walk around outside for some reason and was seen by them?

A cautious person like Zhou Yan wouldn’t overlook something she could think of.

Jiang WanShu thought left and right. Since it wasn’t for his sake, it must be for hers.

But if it was for her, why?

Suddenly, Jiang WanShu seemed to remember something. The chess piece in her hand dropped, clattering onto the board.

Jiang WanShu recalled a conversation she had with Zhou Yan a few days ago.

“I am the future Third Lady personally selected by your Old Khan. The envoys who discussed this matter have seen my face. What will happen if I am recognized then? You can’t possibly protect me all the time, right?”

Those were her exact words that day, and Zhou Yan had answered, “That’s simple. I heard the grasslands sent three people to participate in the Central Plains banquet this year according to the rites. I’ll just get rid of them before we return to the grasslands to worship the Sky God.”

Suddenly remembering this, Jiang WanShu’s expression tightened, and she opened her mouth in disbelief.

Mai Gu La Ji noticed her look of confusion and spoke up, “WanWan, what’s wrong?”

She was surprised by Jiang WanShu’s reaction to her words.

But Jiang WanShu seemed not to hear her. Instead, she stood up by herself, smoothing out the clothes that had gotten wrinkled from sitting and playing chess with Mai Gu La Ji.

She used both her left and right hands quickly. Her pink lips articulated clearly, “Miss Mai, I forgot something in your kitchen.”

If Mai Gu La Ji had truly been instructed by Zhou Yan, telling her now that she wanted to return to her own house would definitely cause Mai Gu La Ji to stop her.

Instead of wasting time fighting, it was better to save time for important matters. She didn’t want anyone to lose their life because of her.

So, it was better to let Mai Gu La Ji think she was genuinely going to the kitchen to get something, rather than returning to her own house.

The fact that she and Mai Gu La Ji had been in the kitchen together earlier today, preparing pastries, was a good pretext.

After all, Zhou Yan had only instructed Jiang WanShu to stay overnight in Mai Gu La Ji’s house today, without any other specific orders. Mai Gu La Ji naturally let down her guard and even thoughtfully asked, “Does WanWan need it urgently? Should I go get it for you?”

Compared to Jiang WanShu, she was a faster runner. If what she needed was truly urgent, she could save a lot of time by going.

Jiang WanShu quickly shook her head when she heard this. “No need. It’s just the anti-mosquito sachet I left there. It’s not urgent.”

Her soft voice was heard. “Then I’ll go get it first, so it’s not hard to find when the night gets dark.” Mai Gu La Ji nodded in agreement. “I’ll wait for you here, then. You should go now. It would be dangerous later when it’s fully dark.”

Jiang WanShu looked outside, where the last vestiges of the sunset glow remained. The distant sky had many clouds tinged with a faint yellow. Her steps quickened as she walked out.

She opened the door and, once out of Mai Gu La Ji’s sight, she wasn’t content with just walking; she started to run.

Since their houses were not far apart, she quickly reached the space between Mai Gu La Ji’s kitchen and Zhou Yan’s kitchen. Due to the urgency of the situation, Jiang WanShu even forgot to lift the hem of her skirt, which was slightly touching the ground, and gradually, dirty mud stained the hem.

But Jiang WanShu couldn’t bother with such things now. She could only pray in her heart to run faster and faster.

Unexpectedly, just as she was about to rush to Zhou Yan’s house, she saw a muscular man holding a spent arrow from the repeating crossbow he had given her to practice with yesterday.

Support