Луна ярко светит над пустынными горами, а небо усеяно цветами

Глава 10

You can call for help!

"Please! You're sleeping so far away, by the time you hear me and rush over, I'll probably be dead." If he were smart enough, he would have deduced that the situation at that time did not allow her to sit and wait for death.

Shi Wuji knew, of course, that what she said was true, but this young woman seemed not to understand that protecting women was a man's responsibility. He had to teach her that she could never again recklessly risk her life alone, no matter what the situation. She was just a weak and helpless woman, and this time she had only suffered minor cuts and bruises. But she wouldn't always be so lucky! Heaven knows that when he saw her injured, his heart ached as if it were being torn apart. He had actually allowed "his" woman to be harmed. Thinking of this, he wished he could chop those three people outside the door into pieces.

"Promise me you won't do that again! Only those who know when to yield can save their lives."

Huan'er was about to argue that she had handled the situation perfectly, but under the threat of his imposing gaze, she had no choice but to keep quiet and nod in agreement.

"Do you think I've done something wrong enough to warrant punishment?" Although Huan'er knew she hadn't done anything wrong, by Shi Wuji's standards, she had clearly made a mistake; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept reprimanding her.

"Of course. However, I owe you a favor; you protected Wuxia very well." The guarded look in Huan'er's eyes annoyed him; he knew what she was thinking.

really--

"If it weren't for this, you would have hit me, wouldn't you?"

"What do you think?" His gaze was deep, neither admitting nor denying, but his face secretly moved closer to hers.

"Go ahead and hit me! You're so strong, it'd be easy for you to kill me with one punch, and you have the right, don't you?" Huan'er said defiantly, closing her eyes to await his fist. But... she opened her eyes wide in shock—he laughed! A low, deep laugh emanating from the depths of his throat. Opening her eyes was a huge mistake; his deep, resonant laugh had already stirred her heart. And seeing his face, less than ten centimeters in front of her, made her utterly captivated! She had always known he was handsome and masculine, but she had never really looked at him closely before! When he laughed, his usually cold features softened into gentle handsomeness. The fine lines around his eyes and lips held a maturity beyond his years, which stirred a sense of pity in Huan'er. His features overwhelmed her, and the pressure from his closeness made it hard for her to breathe.

Before she could even realize his intentions, he had already kissed her soft, rosy lips. Huan'er gasped, instinctively wanting to retreat. But his arms were already on top of her, encircling her slender waist, preventing her from escaping. She succumbed to his breath, lost in his strong embrace, as if he wanted to meld her into his very being. She forgot to breathe amidst the teasing of his lips. Helplessly, she could only wrap her arms around his neck.

Her two rose-like lips always exuded an alluring, almost seductive, quality, as if waiting to be plucked! Shi Wuji had long desired her taste, and today he finally began to enjoy "his" red lips! They were sweeter than he could have imagined! She looked so bewildered, and he loved that about her; it meant that she had always belonged to him, and no one had ever been intimate with her before him.

Finally, he moved his lips away. She stared at the candlelight, avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks were flushed, and her body trembled with breathlessness. She seemed completely at a loss. Shi Wuji lifted her face and saw a hint of shyness in her eyes—the first time he had seen that adjective on Huan'er. He smiled slightly, helped her lie down on the bed, and then took off his shoes and got on as well, seeing Huan'er's panicked face. After Shi Wuji lay down and pulled the blanket over them, he said:

"You are my wife, and I will make you a true Mrs. Stone, but not tonight, because you are injured." With that, he extinguished the candle.

In the darkness, he pulled her into his arms, leaving her no room to resist.

"I'm not used to being held while I sleep," Huan'er protested weakly. Heaven knows his masculine scent had been triggering her feminine instincts; her heart was pounding like a drum, and she was afraid he could hear it too. Especially now, being in his arms made it even worse.

"You'll get used to it eventually." His breath brushed against her hair.

“But you always sleep in your own room. It’s not safe for Wuxia to sleep alone. Why don’t you…” Her words were cut off by his lips.

Only when she was panting and buried herself in his arms to prevent him from kissing her again did he speak:

"You'd better close your eyes and go to sleep. If you open your mouth again, I'll use this method to stop you. But my self-control is limited. I don't know if I'll lose control if I keep kissing you and make you mine tonight!"

Of course, Madam Shi, also known as Miss Huan'er, obediently closed her eyes, not daring to utter another sound. She thought it impossible to fall asleep while he was holding her, but sleep quickly came to her, giving her the most comfortable sleep she had ever had since arriving in ancient times. On the contrary, Shi Wuji couldn't sleep a wink all night! How ridiculous! She was his rightful wife, a woman he could openly touch. Yet now he could only hold her, enduring the torment of desire alone, afraid of hurting her in the slightest. She was so petite and delicate! Shi Wuji gazed at her sleeping face all night.

Daylight had broken, and the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) had passed. Normally, they would begin their journey home at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM). But today, Shi Wuji told his younger siblings to wait until the hour of Si (9-11 AM) to depart, not only to deal with the three bandits but also to ensure Huan'er got a good rest. Everyone else agreed. Huan'er's behavior yesterday had already won over the four Shi siblings, who no longer felt the same coldness and rejection they had before.

Although Fulong City wasn't within the sphere of influence of the six northern provinces, those who wanted to make a living in the north all relied to some extent on the protection of "Aolong Fortress." Shi Wuji possessed substantial financial and military resources. Due to the instability of the court and the fact that the north bordered foreign territory, the government's power couldn't effectively govern this area. In the past, the north was frequently plagued by foreign land occupation and rampant banditry, to the point that local officials abandoned their posts, creating a lawless zone. Over the past ten years, after Shi Wuji initiated a crackdown, bandits either reformed under his guidance or sought refuge elsewhere, while the truly bloodthirsty and wicked disappeared inexplicably. The reformed bandits, under his leadership, became the impregnable warriors of Aolong Fortress. With Aolong Fortress in place, the invasion of foreign tribes was temporarily halted, as Shi Wuji's warriors were ten times more formidable than the imperial guards.

As for the petty bandits who roamed the north, they dared not act recklessly in the six northern provinces, and even in Fulong City, they were somewhat wary, given that the city was located on the outskirts of the six northern provinces. How could what happened last night? The three brothers, believing they were back in their own territory and out of Su Guangping's sphere of influence, slept soundly without any precautions. If it weren't for his unexpectedly kind wife, they would likely have been brutally violated or murdered by the time they discovered what had happened. Thinking of this, Shi Wuji was even more enraged!