Wushuang braced himself with his hands and moved backward, trying to widen the distance between them, but unfortunately he was no match for Gesang's speed and was caught up by him in a few moments.
Wushuang was slightly discouraged and turned her head away angrily. Just then, by the light of the fire, she saw the spot where Yunmo had fallen. There was a rope about two feet high stretched between the two big trees.
"You cheated!" she exclaimed indignantly. "This round can't be settled!"
“Why can’t it be considered?” Gesang retorted. “Don’t your Central Plains military books say that ‘all warfare is based on deception’? As long as we can win, what’s wrong with using some tricks?”
Wushuang was a young woman who had never read any military books, but she had heard the four-character idiom many times before, and for a moment she was speechless.
Gesang pressed his advantage: "Since I've won, then what happens next..."
He paused deliberately, as if to whet the appetite or to show off.
Wushuang knew in her heart that if the previous horse race was just a game of cat and mouse, now it was a clear sign that they wanted to tear her apart and devour her. Poor thing, she had injured her ankle and couldn't escape. She didn't even know where her riding whip had gone when she fell off the horse, and she didn't even have a weapon to defend herself.
Fortunately, she was naturally quick-witted. Although she seemed lazy and pampered on ordinary days, her mind was always as fast as lightning when in a crisis: "Next... next, of course, we have to go back to the camp. If you want to marry me, you have to ask my parents for my hand in marriage first, and after obtaining their consent, you can ask His Majesty to withdraw the earlier bestowal of marriage."
This is a delaying tactic. As long as she can return to the camp safely, either her father or Chu Yao will be able to come up with a way to save her.
"This is how you Central Plains people discuss marriage. I still prefer the way we grassland people do it." Gesang wasn't fooled and said with a grin, "Do you know how men and women on our grasslands pledge their love?"
Wushuang wanted to cry but had no tears. She didn't want to know at all; she could tell from her ears that it was definitely not a good thing.
Gesang continued, “On our grasslands, if men and women are in love and express their feelings to each other, they can go to the Obo (cairn) to pledge their lives to each other. Such vows are witnessed by the gods, and neither parents nor the king can object. If the Obo cannot be found for a while, there is another way: to pledge their lives to each other in a secluded place. Once it is a fact, no one can stop it.”
The first is the truth, the second is nonsense, but that's also Gesang's real purpose today. The grassland people don't value female chastity as much as the Qi people. In the past, before the various tribes were unified, it was common for them to fight over cattle, sheep, and women, and it was often the case that the wives of tribal chiefs had given birth to children from other tribes. Even so, no one considered it abnormal. The idea that after having marital relations with a man, one could only marry him was utter nonsense to the girls of the grasslands. However, Gesang's mother came from the Qi Kingdom, and he had naturally heard stories of Qi girls being required to uphold traditional virtues, even being forced to marry someone if a man touched their hand. He then used this misattribution to deal with Wushuang.
Wushuang's face turned deathly pale. In her upbringing, a young woman's premarital sex was a matter far more serious than losing her life. She was unaware of the Northern Frontier people's concept of chastity, but if Gesang used this as a reason to ask Emperor Deqing for her hand in marriage, the entire Runan Marquis's mansion would become a laughingstock in the capital. Not only would she herself be looked down upon, but her married and unmarried sisters would also be despised.
For a fleeting moment, she even contemplated suicide.
Since her rebirth, Wushuang has been determined to live well no matter what, and to try her best to change her fate from her previous life, so as to make the most of the opportunity that God gave her. In fact, she has done very well. Everyone, including her parents and sister, is doing better than in her previous life. Wushuang has always been happy, except for a slight dissatisfaction with her marriage.
Is it really impossible to get past this hurdle now?
Wushuang felt despair.
She has always been a beauty, but due to different experiences, the beauty of the two lifetimes is somewhat different.
Having lost her parents at a young age in her previous life, and always at odds with her former second aunt, her stubbornness was evident in her eyes, revealing a sharp edge.
Everything in her life has gone smoothly, and she has been pampered by her parents. Her resentment has long since dissipated over time. Now, at the age of thirteen, Wushuang has grown into a girl who is clearly raised in a sweet environment. She is soft, cute, and looks like a porcelain doll that would break if poked at her.
In other words, they look like they're easy to bully.
Seeing Wushuang's tearful eyes, Gesang realized that even if she was unwilling, she wouldn't be able to resist and would be at his mercy, so he completely relaxed. He was still carrying a lantern, which made many things inconvenient, so he turned around and walked back to his mount, intending to hang the lantern on the saddle.
While he turned around, Wushuang reached into his hair.
Today she went out hunting, and for ease of movement, she wore riding clothes. Her long black hair was styled in a way similar to that of a man, with a golden crown holding up part of her hair and securing it with matching hairpins.
Gesang hung up the lantern, and when he turned around, he saw Wushou holding a golden hairpin, pressing the pointed end against his neck, and shouting sternly, "Don't come any closer, if you dare to take a step, I will... I will kill myself."
Gesang didn't care at all and arrogantly said, "Third Miss, you've poked the wrong spot. Even if you poke several holes in her neck, she might not die."
As he spoke, he pointed to his neck and said, "You have to poke here. The veins here are thicker. Once you puncture them, the blood will gush out like a fountain, and you'll die quickly and ruthlessly. Otherwise, you'll still have to obediently become my queen."
Wushuang had never practiced martial arts, so the idea of killing someone with a single thrust was already unreliable. Being ridiculed like this made her both frightened and ashamed, and even her hands began to tremble. The hairpin, after all, had been polished and was not as sharp as a real weapon. Even with Gesang "teaching" her the correct position, she still couldn't find the right spot several times in a row.
“Yes, this is it. You’ll have to put in some effort.” Gesang teased casually, believing in his heart that Wushuang was just talking and didn’t have enough courage to commit suicide.
Wushuang was truly determined. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, raised her small hand, added force, and thrust downwards in one go.
...
Huh, something's wrapped around my wrist, I can't poke it down.
Unconvinced, she pressed harder, determined to poke it down.
But the thing wrapped around her wrist was even stronger. This time, not only did it not poke down, but her hand was also lifted up a bit.
Don't we even have the freedom to die?
Wushuang opened her eyes angrily and saw a horsewhip wrapped around her wrist.
Her small hands were fair and delicate, almost translucent, while the whip was jet black and glossy. The contrast between the two was quite striking.
Wu Shuang had no interest in admiring the scenery. Following the whip, she looked up and saw Chu Yao standing a few steps away, dressed in military uniform, his black cloak fluttering in the evening breeze.
Chapter List 100 | 0.99
Chapter ninety-nine:
How could that be? [80]
What a coincidence!
Wushuang didn't believe it was true at all.
She's probably already dead.
Or perhaps it was a delirious state before death.
Otherwise, how could illusions occur?
As Wushuang's soul wandered beyond the heavens, the "illusion" spoke softly: "Gesang, it's windy. I didn't hear you very clearly just now. What do you want my queen to do? Say it again so I can hear it."
Gesang was just as frightened as Wushuang.