As if encountering an invisible wall, Li Mu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Looking at her completely indifferent expression, the wild joy and excitement that had surged in his heart upon first seeing her slowly receded.

“A’Mi, you clearly didn’t return to Jiankang, yet you said you did! It’s fine if you’re angry with me, but why did you deceive me like this? Do you know that these past few days, searching everywhere for you without finding you, thinking something had happened to you, how did I manage to get through it?”

His expression was grave, his tone questioning, his voice muffled, sounding dry and hoarse.

Luoshen snorted.

“Whatever I say, you believe it?”

“That night I clearly explained the musical score matter to you, saying that Li Jianzhi and I were in the past, and having married you, I would be wholehearted toward you. Why won’t you believe it?”

Li Mu fell silent for a moment, then said: “That night I also told you that I believe you! What more do you want me to do to prove myself?”

“Pa!”

Luoshen slammed the comb in her hand heavily onto the mirror box and suddenly stood up.

“You’re talking nonsense! If you truly believed me, that night when you retrieved the musical score, such an important matter, why didn’t you ask me face to face? Instead you kept your anger bottled up inside, taking it out on my body! You clearly believed Lu Huanzhi’s words!”

“At that time I didn’t know what had happened. Afterwards, I asked you repeatedly, wanting you to tell me the truth. Why wouldn’t you say anything? Do you know how miserable I felt those days? If I hadn’t later gone to find people myself and finally learned what happened that night, how long were you planning to hide it from me?”

In her beautiful eyes, reflected the dancing points of candlelight, like sparks igniting, exceptionally bright.

“Li Mu, you say you believe me, but search your heart – is this how one believes in someone?”

“I would rather you had come back and thrown the musical score in my face! If it was my fault, wouldn’t I admit it? But you didn’t! You clearly harbored dark suspicions in your heart, yet put on a magnanimous facade! You probably even think yourself magnanimous, don’t you? But I don’t treasure such kindness from you!”

She breathed slightly heavily, her chest rising and falling continuously with her breathing.

“When I first married you, I truly was unwilling. But later, the things I did for you – are you blind or deaf? Did you not sense any of it? During the time I wrote that musical score, what happened – have you forgotten it all? When A’Ye used the pretext that you harbored ill intentions toward the court to forcibly bring me back to Jiankang and forbade me from being with you anymore, if I hadn’t had you in my heart then, would I have defied A’Ye’s opposition and gone to Yi Cheng to find you myself?”

“I know that compared to your kindness toward me, what I’ve done for you is truly insignificant. But I really had decided that you were my husband for this lifetime, and I thought you also regarded me as your wife.”

“Now I realize you never did. Originally it was you who forcibly married me. While you self-righteously treated me well on one hand, on the other you were always brooding in your heart about my past with Lu Jianzhi!”

“Li Mu, why are you like this? Tell me! If there’s anything I’ve done poorly, I really can change…”

Luoshen’s eyes grew hot, her nose stung, and a tear quietly slid down from the corner of her eye.

She quickly turned her face away, hiding the tear in the darkness where the candlelight couldn’t reach.

Tree shadows swayed on the window, and the small building fell into silence.

Li Mu gazed at her profile illuminated by the dim candlelight, only half visible to him. The bloodshot lines in his eyes from traveling through the night grew even redder, and even the corners of his eyes gradually became tinged with red marks.

Luoshen waited for a long time without hearing him speak a word. Suddenly she turned back, staring at his sunken eyes, stubbled face, haggard expression, yet consistently silent appearance.

“Do you think that with this appearance of yours, having worried about me for days and not sleeping well, I’ll feel sorry and blame myself? Let me tell you, my heart is quite hard! If I wasn’t unwilling to make Grandmother worry, would I have endured until now? If I wasn’t unwilling to let A’Ye and A’Niang know, would I have left you a letter asking you to come here? If I hadn’t wanted to give you one more chance, would I be waiting here for you to come?”

“You don’t trust me, preferring to keep things bottled up rather than speak clearly with me.”

She laughed coldly.

“This time Lu Jianzhi’s musical score fortunately came to nothing, but next time, who knows if some Zhang or Wang will appear! A lifetime is long, and someone as stupid as me can’t guarantee I won’t make mistakes again or offend you. Who knows what you’ll do next time? Rather than that, I’d prefer we part ways completely, each going our separate ways!”

“This time I did it on purpose – what can you do about it! If you’re really that angry, just leave!”

Li Mu’s footsteps shifted slightly, but then stopped.

She paused.

“You’re still not going to speak?”

“Good, good.” Her pretty face went pale with anger as she nodded.

“Get out right now, go back to your Yi Cheng!”

He still didn’t make a sound, nor did he move his feet again.

Luoshen walked toward him and began pushing him with her hands.

“Go quickly! I don’t want to see you anymore!”

Li Mu seemed to have lost all his strength, easily pushed by her, his feet retreating backward, continuously retreating, until he reached the door with nowhere left to retreat.

His back was pressed against the wall by those two small hands on his chest. Then those hands left his chest, reaching over to open the door.

Just as her hand was about to touch the door handle, Li Mu suddenly raised an arm, grasped her wrist, and pulled. Luoshen stumbled forward and fell toward him, caught by his open arms and held tightly in his embrace.

“Let me go… release me!”

Though she was clearly in his arms, her pretty face still contained anger as she struggled forcefully, continuously hitting and kicking him, like a fierce little tiger baring sharp fangs and claws.

Li Mu pressed one hand firmly against the back of her head, lowered his head, and immediately blocked her small mouth that kept opening and closing to drive him away.

Luoshen whimpered and desperately shook her head, trying to break free. But his kiss was unprecedentedly firm and powerful. No matter how wildly she kicked and beat him, he wouldn’t let her lips and tongue leave his even half an inch.

Luoshen’s hands gradually dropped, limply resting on his arms, and her body also softened.

The man’s kiss was passionate and wild. With reddened eyes, the hot breath from his nostrils was like boundless heat waves steaming and boiling in the wilderness under scorching sun, stealing away both their breaths. Lips pressed against lips, teeth knocked against teeth, entangled together, leaving no gaps whatsoever.

Luoshen’s slender, graceful swan neck tilted helplessly backward, supported by his broad palm behind her head. She closed her eyes and endured the storm-like invasion and assault from his lips and tongue.

As if this still wasn’t nearly enough.

He suddenly released her mouth, gasping heavily, then lifted the weak, petite person in his arms completely, turned around, and pressed her between his burning chest and the hard wall.

The night was cool as water. A breeze surged in through the window he had pushed open earlier. The candlelight flickered several times and went out.

The small building was plunged into darkness.

Pearl curtains swayed gently in the wind, accompanied by the man’s intermittent heavy breathing and the woman’s soft gasps from within the small building, creating water-like, light rustling sounds.

………………………

In the darkness, amid the night wind, the gasping sounds from lips and teeth pressed together in the corner by the door finally slowly subsided. Streams of hot sweat still poured like rain from every pore of the man’s skin. His heart still beat violently in his chest. He didn’t put Luoshen down, still pressing her tightly against the wall with his body, supporting her with both hands as he slowly lowered his head, burying his face in the cool, soft strands of hair scattered over her shoulder.

“A’Mi, I can’t control myself…”

After a long while, in the darkness, Luoshen heard his low, hoarse voice by her ear.

“I’m jealous of that Lu.”

Luoshen was stunned, hearing his muffled voice reach her ears again.

“A’Mi, originally I relied on a stubborn obsession, racked my brains, and with heaven’s favor and good enough fortune, was able to marry you. After marrying you, I gradually came to know what a wonderful girl you truly are. The more wonderful you are, the more I suffer from fear of loss and gain. I don’t know how I could ever win your heart. But he could accompany you playing flute and qin, composing poetry and painting. When you gave him a song, without words he knew your thoughts. When you played flute and qin together, even after so many years, it’s still talked about as a beautiful story in Jiankang…”

His voice grew increasingly dark and hoarse, like the boundless dark night enveloping the small building.

“But I can’t even write characters well enough to satisfy your father. Having such a son-in-law as me, he must be utterly helpless…”

He paused.

“A’Mi, that night when Lu Huanzhi stole the musical score and sought people to spread it everywhere, after I retrieved the score, he said in front of me that you were thinking of his brother, that you’ve had the softest heart since childhood, that you pitied me and were only kind to me out of pity. After returning, I kept reminding myself that his words were all fabricated, malicious attempts to sow discord. But I still couldn’t help taking them to heart. Because he happened to speak aloud thoughts that perhaps even I hadn’t consciously acknowledged in my heart.”

“A’Mi, even if someone schemed to kill me, I’ve never hated anyone as much as I hate him. That’s why I beat him nearly to death…”

“This is the kind of person I am. What you said earlier was right. Clearly harboring unspeakable dark thoughts in my heart, full of doubts, I came back and took out my remaining anger on you. Afterwards I still acted magnanimous in front of you, never mentioning it, as if my forgiving your transgression was so moving that I almost touched myself. What a bastard I am…”

Luoshen moved slightly in his arms.

“…You scolded me correctly earlier… A’Mi, I know I was wrong…”

His voice grew increasingly hoarse, seeming to choke.

He paused.

“Originally it was I who insisted on marrying you, and now it’s still I who doesn’t trust you… A’Mi, it’s all my fault… As long as you can stop being angry, no matter how you treat me, it’s what I deserve…”

“Don’t drive me away…”

The voice by her ear suddenly broke off.

Luoshen felt her shoulder grow slightly heavy as his head leaned against it.

This man who was invincible on battlefields, who made barbarians tremble with fear and earned the reverence of countless southerners, now seemed stripped of armor and shield, left with nothing but vulnerabilities. He buried his face deeply in her hair, motionless.

His hot body pressed tightly against her, his burning body temperature scorching her skin through the thin fabric.

Luoshen also felt his heartbeat striking against her chest. Beat by beat, heavy and slow.

She remained motionless, letting him hold her like this, his face buried against her shoulder.

For a long time, only the silence of night remained in the dark small building.

Finally she twisted her body, pushed him away, stepped down from his embrace with both feet on solid ground, and walked to the candlestick that had been blown out by the wind, using the night light from outside to relight it.

Dim yellow light once again filled the room in the small building, completely driving away the previous darkness.

She turned around, and under his gaze that watched her with dim eyes, she slowly walked toward him, stopping in front of him. Looking up, she gazed at him for a moment, then raised her arm and reached toward him.

“Husband, you’re not a bastard. You’re a fool…”

She spoke softly, her small hand gently stroking his face covered with disheveled stubble.

“Those past events between Lu Jianzhi and me ended long ago. In my heart, he’s no different from my brother. Playing flute and qin together, conveying feelings through music – another person could surely take his place.”

“Only you are unique and irreplaceable to me.”

“What does it matter if my writing displeases A’Ye? What does it matter if you don’t understand music? I love you as a person. Seeing your face, hearing your voice, my heart fills with joy. I only want to be with you for a lifetime, and bear you several children who will call you A’Ye and call me A’Niang…”

She stopped, her long lashes trembling lightly, her white teeth biting her lip, her face quietly reddening. Yet she still rose on tiptoe, her red lips moving toward him to gently kiss him.

Li Mu stared steadily at the Luoshen before him.

Candlelight shone behind her, gently enveloping her in soft light. How could that thin layer of clothing fiber block the graceful outline of her slender body?

Like a night orchid, hazy and graceful, blooming before him. If only he reached out his hand, he could pluck her, making her completely his possession.

“A’Mi—”

Li Mu’s eyes reddened, seeming to shimmer with moisture at the bottom, as he reached out his hand toward her.

But Luoshen opened her eyes and stepped back, avoiding his hand.

He was startled. “A’Mi?”

“Li Mu, you must promise that if such things happen again in future, you must tell me. You’re not allowed to brood and suspect on your own, and you’re definitely not allowed to treat me like that again! Otherwise next time, when I’m truly angry and truly don’t want you anymore, don’t think you’ll be able to find me again!”

He seemed to see her as she was when she first married him, raising that long-missed little chin, puffing out her chest that looked a bit fuller than before but still like a flower bud not yet fully bloomed, somewhat pitiful.

Li Mu’s eyes grew even redder.

“Alright.”

He said hoarsely, tightly tensing his facial muscles, not daring to blink.

“You sound somewhat unwilling?”

Luoshen stared at him suspiciously.

“No.”

The corners of his lips unconsciously curved into a smile for her.

It was this moment of relaxation that made him feel the moisture that had gathered in his eyes would be impossible to hold back in the next moment.

He hastily turned his head, partially turning his back to her.

“Ah! You’re crying?”

Her voice suddenly came from behind him.

It sounded as if it even carried delight?

“No!”

Li Mu firmly denied it.

“You clearly cried! Let me see quickly!”

As if encountering something rare, Luoshen grabbed his arm from behind, forcibly trying to turn him back around. Unable to pull him, she went around to face him, cupping his face with both hands, positioning him toward the candlelight, insisting on seeing clearly.

His little wife, this little rascal, wasn’t satisfied with tormenting him like this when angry, and now was even laughing at him!

Li Mu immediately grasped her two mischievous little hands, restraining them, and blocked her mouth again.

She finally forgot about wanting to see him cry, like a little cat, docilely soft in his arms, letting him caress her intimately without reserve.

His body gradually heated up again. The hand pressed against her smooth, cool skin slowly increased its pressure. Suddenly he lifted her, heading toward the bed.

Luoshen’s nose moved close to smell him, and with a disgusted expression, she pushed him back to the door, opened it, and told him to go clean himself up first.

A’Ju had been guarding at the top of the stairs all along, listening to the sounds from the room. At first she was somewhat worried, but gradually relaxed, quietly going downstairs. She had already had bathing materials prepared, and now hearing Luoshen’s call from upstairs, she climbed the stairs with a candle, smiling as she said: “Li Langjun, please come with me.”

Luoshen leaned against the doorframe, secretly smiling.

Li Mu quietly squeezed her little hand and followed A’Ju downstairs. When he returned, his head and face were refreshed, and he had changed into clean clothes.

Luoshen had already climbed onto the bed, holding a thin blanket, kneeling in the center of the bed, head slightly tilted, watching that handsome husband walk toward her. Before he reached the bedside, she got up and threw herself at him.

Li Mu rushed forward, catching her with open arms as she fell laughing into his embrace, both tumbling onto the bed together.

“Husband, wasn’t I too terrible, tormenting you like this when angry, making you run around searching for me in vain? Look how thin you’ve become.”

Luoshen’s small hand touched his face, kissing him fragmentarily while murmuring.

“You’re tired. Sleep quickly. I won’t trouble you anymore. Tomorrow I’ll properly nourish you…”

She also pulled the blanket over him, coaxing him to sleep.

Li Mu felt his whole body relaxed and comfortable. Even though he was weary, at this moment he was completely energetic with no thought of sleep.

Embracing her, holding her waist, he drew her toward himself, saying: “I’m not tired. Your safety comes first, as long as you’re happy…”

“What a foolish husband—”

Luoshen’s clothing collar was half-undone, exposing a smooth, fragrant shoulder. Supporting herself with a jade arm, she lay sprawled across his chest, covering her mouth and giggling softly at him.

With lotus-flower cheeks, willow-leaf brows and eyes, delicate and tender, incredibly fragrant and beautiful – it made one want to crush her and swallow her whole.

Li Mu stared in a daze. Suddenly remembering how that night she had been roughly treated by him, crying until she became a tearful mess, his heart filled with even more guilt. He couldn’t help but say bitterly: “A’Mi, though I deserved punishment for not trusting you, that night if not for that damned musician misinterpreting your score, causing me to err upon error, I wouldn’t have been so unable to resolve my inner turmoil, wronging you…”

Luoshen was startled: “Husband, that night when you concealed things from me, exactly how many places did you go?”

Li Mu realized his slip of tongue immediately and quickly turned to press her beneath him, urgently trying to perform conjugal duties while pleading in a low voice: “A’Mi, I haven’t touched you for several days…”

Luoshen pushed him away, pouting her small mouth: “You just promised me that you’d tell me if anything happened. How is it that barely turning around, when I ask you, you won’t say again?”

She extended her arms, hooking them around his neck, smiling charmingly: “Husband, rest assured, no matter what it is, as long as you’re willing to tell me, I won’t be angry.”

“Tell me quickly, where did this musician come from? Where else did you go that night? I really want to know!”

She urged him on, full of interest.

Only then did Li Mu relax, and so he told her about how that night, seeking clear evidence, he had specifically gone to find Xu Ying to interpret the score for him.

“I thought he was an expert, but who knew he had such an undeserved reputation! He caused me such misunderstanding! Next time I see him, I’ll definitely make him eat all the musical scores in his house! Let’s see if he dares to speak irresponsibly and harm others again!”

Just mentioning it still made him furious.

After listening, Luoshen let out a long “oh,” showing an expression of understanding. She nodded and smiled: “No wonder you were angry! That old thing really harmed you greatly! But Li Mu, you took my musical score, and with a ready person at home, you didn’t ask me but secretly had someone else interpret it. You deserved to be punished!”

Her expression suddenly changed, the smile disappearing as she pointed toward the floor: “You don’t get to sleep on the bed tonight either. Get down there and make do!”

Only then did Li Mu realize he’d fallen into her trap. Regretting greatly, he quickly embraced her to coax her.

Luoshen snorted: “You can sleep on the bed. But first I must punish you!”

At this moment, let alone punishment, even if she wanted to beat and scold him, Li Mu would accept it gladly. He quickly agreed.

But how could he have imagined that the punishment his little wife’s small brain devised would be so sweet, yet so excruciatingly painful.

The bed curtains hung low, with her soft laughter continuously emanating.

When he was finally allowed release, he was nearly completely spent, lying there with eyes closed for a long while before slowly opening them to look at her flushed face beside him, extending his arm to embrace her once more.

It was already deep night, the candle burned out and quietly extinguished.

The small building in the darkness was silent and peaceful.

“Husband, that day you told me you disliked Jiankang, this imperial city. Can you tell me why you dislike it?”

Her gentle voice suddenly sounded by his ear.

Li Mu was silent for a moment, then said: “A’Mi, I dislike Jiankang because this place is filled with endless conspiracies and full of unguardable betrayals.”

“Originally I always worried that someday it would snatch you away from my side again.”

“But tonight, I’m no longer afraid, and no longer hate it.”

“Jiankang is right there.”

“I want this city to witness how fortunate Li Mu is to have a wife like you, never to part in this lifetime. I also want this city to witness that Li Mu will someday achieve the unfinished great undertaking, restore the glory of the homeland, so that thousands upon thousands of Nanchao people will have, in life, a place to stand, and in death, a home for their souls!”

“A’Mi, are you willing to accompany me to the end?”

Luoshen’s eyes grew hot, her heart surging with emotion as she tightly embraced the man beside her pillow, nodding forcefully: “Husband, A’Mi is willing!”