Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 9

…It wasn’t until he tucked her under the quilt, and Jiang Wan Shu turned her back to him, hiding her face, that he grabbed the fabric of her skirt and pressed it against himself. His thin lips brushed against her fragrant hair.

Jiang Wan Shu wanted to move but was afraid of his truly aggressive actions, so she controlled her calm and moved the clothing on her body. His slight panting sounded particularly loud in the quiet night. The man’s actions behind her made it easy for Jiang Wan Shu to guess what he was doing.

Jiang Wan Shu felt the constant rush of heat coming from behind her. Her face was flushed, and she was very carefully moving her body away, trying to reach the farthest distance from the man on the bed. Her face was so hot it felt like she had been rolled in hot water. Just as she was rejoicing at having successfully distanced herself to the maximum possible extent, a long arm instantly swept her back.

“I told you not to move, Wan Wan. Didn’t you hear me?” At this point, Zhou Yan’s voice was already low and hoarse.

Jiang Wan Shu could clearly feel that even though she was fully dressed and sleeping beside the man, the heat from his body could still scorch her skin through the clothing. Her heart was pounding, and her words became stuttered, “I… I didn’t.” She was truly afraid that Zhou Yan would force himself on her, especially since his actions right now seemed genuinely frantic.

Upon receiving Jiang Wan Shu’s answer, Zhou Yan simply stopped caring and concentrated on what he was doing.

After a long time, a long string of sounds suddenly came from behind, wetting her skirt. The sticky heat from the recovered fabric clung to her clothes. Realizing what it was, Jiang Wan Shu felt her whole body heat up with shame.

The man behind her seemed to be in an excellent mood after his release, his low chuckles incredibly deep. Jiang Wan Shu didn’t dare to move. Zhou Yan, in turn, found her stillness more pleasing. He swung his long leg over Jiang Wan Shu’s body and, feeling satisfied, walked out, telling her, “Don’t sleep yet. Your skirt is dirty. I’m going to get some water for you to wash up.”

Saying this, Zhou Yan walked out without waiting for her reply.

As the night progressed toward its peak, in the small, quiet kitchen, Zhou Yan poured a bucket of cold water over his broad shoulders, quickly cleaning himself up. After he was clean, he carried a bucket of clear water back to the room.

The candle on the old wooden table was lit again. In the not-so-large room, the man’s arm was strong, pressing down Jiang Wan Shu’s body as she tried to get up, and he meticulously washed the soiled area on her skirt.

During this, he chuckled and said, “You have too few changes of clothes. You should pick out a few tomorrow when we go out.” Zhou Yan’s gaze shifted to Jiang Wan Shu’s face, but he saw the quilt on her head rising and falling with her breaths. She was likely too ashamed. Zhou Yan chose not to wait for her answer and quietly continued his work.

The girl, still burying her head in the quilt, was already scorching hot. The hand the man used to clean her clothing occasionally brushed against her ankle. Perhaps because he had just taken a cold shower, his large palm was ice-cold when it touched her ankle. She flinched and drew her foot back, only to have the man pull it back the next moment.

She had been absolutely terrified by the man’s loud movements beside her earlier. She was not an ignorant girl from the inner chambers; a wet nurse had taught her the knowledge of the physical relationship before the political marriage. Because this marriage was important, she had been forced to listen closely to a few lessons.

In those lessons, the wet nurse had mentioned that the time a man needed from foreplay to climax was merely a few kèzhōng (a short period of time), but she now had a clear understanding of the powerful man beside her. One and a half hours without a single pause was an existence that could inflict intense suffering. Thinking this, Jiang Wan Shu’s body trembled. She worriedly thought that if she truly couldn’t escape his grasp, her wedding night would definitely subject her to countless hardships.

No, she forced herself to think. From now on, she must maintain absolute vigilance and must escape this man’s clutches.

It wasn’t until she was sweating profusely, with fine beads of cold sweat on her forehead, and was about to suffocate, that she finally lifted a corner of the quilt and urgently gasped for fresh air.

By now, Zhou Yan had cleaned up the mess on the floor and, after washing his hands, went to bed. The man’s body was tall and imposing. He snuggled up behind her, and with a simple flex of his long arm, he easily pulled her into his embrace.

Jiang Wan Shu subconsciously tried to slip out of his arms, but in an instant, the man held her even tighter. His voice was lazy, speaking very pure and fluent Central Plains dialect, “Alright, stop moving. If you move again, don’t blame me for moving, too.”

Immediately, Jiang Wan Shu stiffened, allowing the man behind her to embrace her. It felt like heavy stones were being added to the carriage, making an already difficult road even harder. Jiang Wan Shu suppressed the humiliation in her heart and had no choice but to follow his arrangement. As a weak woman, she would definitely be the one to suffer if she resisted. Before she could escape, all she could do was protect herself safely to the greatest extent possible. As for the intense and subtle humiliation, she couldn’t afford to dwell on it.

The bright moonlight gradually gave way to the sweetness of the early morning. Outside, in the cold air of September, an autumn rain had fallen. The ceaseless raindrops flowed continuously over the old tiles on the roof and then dripped rhythmically down the eaves.

When the sun began to shine brightly, the rain stopped. From the side of the house where Jiang Wan Shu was staying, they clearly saw Mai gu laji sitting on the back of the horse ridden by Musha, kissing him openly as if no one else was present.

Jiang Wan Shu was lifted onto the horse by Zhou Yan. Having never been on horseback, she was so frightened by the horse’s slight movement that her hands became sweaty. Following Zhou Yan’s suggestion, she tightly gripped the reins.

After settling the girl on the horse, Zhou Yan effortlessly swung himself onto the saddle. The hot breath emanating from the man behind her made Jiang Wan Shu feel uncomfortable. Sitting in front, she tried her best to lean away.

Zhou Yan sighed inadvertently and, as was his habit, wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her closer to him.

On the damp, gravel-strewn mud road, Zhou Yan’s thin lips drew near her ear and he slowly said, “I wish you could be as open as that crazy girl Mai gu laji, even if it was just for show.”

He knew it was hard for a princess who had been steeped in the teachings of the inner court to accept such a way of being treated. He was only complaining. If Jiang Wan Shu were to truly become like Mai gu laji one day, he would be the one to worry. He liked the current Jiang Wan Shu, her true temperament, not a disguised version of herself.

Because Zhou Yan mentioned Maigulaji, Jiang Wan Shu subconsciously looked at the couple again.

It was fine if she hadn’t looked, but once she did, the more intimate they seemed. Finally, she actually saw Musha leap off the horse, grab Mai gu laji in an embrace, and walk toward the house.

Jiang Wan Shu glanced over, startled and flushed, whispering, “Mai gu laji didn’t say that Musha was preparing to return to the grasslands?”

Why were the two of them getting so intensely close here? She could rationalize Mai gu laji being wrapped up and kissed on the horse as emotional fervor, but with Musha preparing to leave, why did they dismount and head into the house?

People of the grasslands truly are not punctual.

Jiang Wan Shu humorously rationalized for the couple, but Zhou Yan overheard her remark. The man’s thumb, slightly calloused, gently pinched her cheek, and he teased her near her ear, “Wan Wan, you need to get used to it. When we return to the grasslands, you’ll see a lot of things like this. Grassland people are fiery and direct. Sudden ‘thunder meeting the earth fire’ is perfectly normal.”

The man’s warm breath tickled her ear. Jiang Wan Shu could now automatically ignore everything the man said that included the word “grasslands.”

She looked at the deep forest ahead, haughtily lifted her chin, her heart full of anticipation. As long as she knew the path Zhou Yan took to lead her out of the forest, she could learn from today’s exit and escape. In the end, whoever wanted to return to the grasslands with him could go; she, Jiang Wan Shu, would not be joining them.

Responding to the horse’s raised front hooves, Zhou Yan snapped the reins, and the horse began to gallop. The wind rushed past her ears, along with the man’s renewed reminder, “I told you, the forest after a rain is the favorite hunting ground of the Worm-Mantra Tribe (Chóng Mànbùluò). Don’t blame me if we run into danger and you get scared. I said we shouldn’t go today and should depart tomorrow, but you insisted on going today.”

“Mhm, I know.” She urgently nodded. Having left that tiled hut, her mood was open and light. How could she genuinely take Zhou Yan’s words to heart? Besides, he was such a large, tall man; was he afraid of not being able to protect a small woman like her?

And Zhou Yan was thinking along the same lines. He was famously formidable, having been undefeated on the grasslands for a long time. The Worm-Mantra Tribe was nothing; he wouldn’t even need a boomerang. The longbow on his back would be enough. Still, the Worm-Mantra Tribe was not to be underestimated; it was merely their bad luck to run into him.

Sure enough, not long after galloping halfway through the forest, faint footsteps sounded all around. After the horse darted past a few small stones blocking the way, Zhou Yan’s ears subtly caught a sound.

In an instant, Zhou Yan snatched the long, flat bamboo basket he had placed on the horse’s side and, following his movement, picked up the Central Plains-style cloak, whipping it into the air. He completely covered Jiang Wan Shu with the cloak, draping it over her head.

The Worm-Mantra Tribe was fond of using flying insects to kill people. The insects were fast and small, making them extremely difficult to detect. The moment he heard the fluttering sound of the insects in the air, Zhou Yan quickly became alert.

The man’s long, powerful right arm instantly grabbed the longbow he carried on his back. The flying insects weren’t as fast as Zhou Yan. He skillfully placed an arrow, taken from the bamboo cage on the right side of the horseback, onto the bow. In an instant, the long arrow flew, stringing and extinguishing a line of flying insects.

In the damp forest, as Zhou Yan shot the flying insects in the air, he also remembered Jiang Wan Shu on the horse. His tone was urgent, his hands moving constantly, “Lower your head and body. If these flying insects land on your skin, they will cause incredible itching.”

Jiang Wan Shu obediently lowered her head and body, her hands still gripping the reins under the cover of the man’s cloak. The sharp arrows shooting above her head made her feel safe.

The man’s cold scent wafted over her. He was heroic and spirited. The insects were shot down in strings. In the end, Zhou Yan did not disappoint Jiang Wan Shu’s hopes, successfully leading her and the horse out of the deep forest.

The horse, whose speed was now nearly that of a flying bird, was gently controlled by Zhou Yan. The person behind her seemed to be considering her emotions and slowed his pace. The horse was now moving at a walking speed. The thick cloak on the girl was now put back into the bamboo cage. After the terrifying ordeal just now, Jiang Wan Shu was no longer afraid of the black horse beneath her, though she was still nervously processing what had just happened.

When her emotions finally settled, Jiang Wan Shu turned her head to ask, “Zhou Yan, are you okay?”

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