Between pushing down and being pushed down, Lu Qianqiao felt he could better accept choosing the former. So he stepped forward, gently grasping the soft shoulders of the bride on the bed. His hesitation lasted only an instant before he prepared to push her down.

Xin Mei suddenly raised her hand to stop him: “Wait.”

…She had been the one in such a hurry before, and now that they were finally married, she was telling him to wait?

He wouldn’t wait.

The phoenix crown was gently removed, his fingers searching through her thick hair arrangement, slowly pulling out a hairpin.

A strand of long hair slipped down.

Xin Mei looked up at him, then at the window behind him. After a pause, she asked: “You… you really plan to consummate the marriage with the window open?”

Lu Qianqiao turned around to see the window wide open, with a group of little demons from the Imperial Tomb all crowded outside, staring wide-eyed and biting their fingers as they watched them.

“…”

The hairpin slipped from his hand to the floor.

Tao Guoguo was busy covering her little brother’s eyes to prevent his pure mind from being corrupted, Si Lan was busy pulling people away, and Yinglian… Yinglian was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding somewhere again making voodoo dolls.

Only Scholar Zhao had moved a table to sit in front of the window, piled high with snacks and tea. While munching away, he smiled lecherously at him: “General, just go ahead boldly, we’ll cheer you on. If there’s anything you don’t know, I guarantee I’ll teach you properly.”

Lu Qianqiao walked over expressionlessly and said: “Leave.”

With a whoosh, the group of demons scattered like birds and beasts—the General’s accumulated authority over so many years was indeed no joke.

Scholar Zhao swept half a table of melon seed shells to the floor, walked over, and secretly stuffed him a paper ball while winking and whispering: “General, in these matters, men sometimes inevitably lack vigor. Here’s something good for you.”

Lu Qianqiao opened the paper ball to find two small pills of extremely obscene color and shape wrapped inside.

Scholar Zhao’s beard trembled: “You’ll know once you use them, I don’t tell just anyone about this.”

The two pills were stuffed up his nostrils. Lu Qianqiao yanked the window shut, locked it, and pulled the curtains tight.

…The wedding night atmosphere didn’t seem to have much left. He turned around to find Xin Mei had somehow removed her wedding dress and was sitting at the table wearing only a water-red silk skirt, eating noodles with chopsticks.

The noodles were mixed with sesame oil and sprinkled with crushed peanuts and walnuts, taking the auspicious meaning from their names.

Xin Mei thoughtfully served him a bowl and called out: “Come eat something, you must be hungry?”

He had gone through knife mountains and oil cauldrons, busier than breaking stones with his chest—it wasn’t easy.

Seeing her mouth glistening with oil from eating, he couldn’t help but want to laugh. The tension hidden in his heart all day finally dissipated. Lu Qianqiao walked over to pick up the bowl, lifted a chopstick of noodles to her mouth, and said softly: “These are meant to be fed to each other, open your mouth.”

Xin Mei obediently opened her mouth and also lifted chopsticks for him: “So your clan’s custom isn’t drinking from wedding cups, but eating wedding noodles.”

A few crushed peanuts stuck to her lips. Lu Qianqiao gently wiped them away with his hand. For some reason, he thought of the first time he brought her to the Imperial Tomb, locking her in that dark little room. When he pushed open the door, he saw her eating pagoda tree flower cakes with her head down—soft black hair, soft cheeks, and crumbs stuck to her face.

She was like a little white rabbit.

“Xin Mei, come here.”

He put down his bowl and gently grasped her wrist. With a tug, she slid from the chair onto his lap, taking the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Lu Qianqiao.” She pressed her face against his cheek. “You didn’t bring the demon-binding rope today, did you?”

“Mm, didn’t bring it.” He smiled.

“Then close your eyes, I want to kiss you.”

He once again obediently closed his eyes, his beautiful thick lashes trembling slightly. Xin Mei held his head, liking what she saw more and more, and lowered her head to plant firm kisses on both his cheeks.

He… was disappointed again.

Just as he was about to open his eyes, his lips suddenly felt soft—a light kiss flavored with sesame oil, peanuts, and walnuts.

Without deep and entangled passion, she kissed for a while then moved away. The candlelight reflected in both their eyes, bright and dancing.

Both their faces were somewhat red.

“How well have you learned?” she asked quietly.

Lu Qianqiao paused, then reacted, but didn’t blush. He just lowered his head and smiled, asking back: “And how well have you learned?”

“Should be… not bad.”

“Words are no proof.”

Then she would take direct action.

Xin Mei reached out, fumbling to untie one of his sashes. A beautifully shaped collarbone was revealed.

Untying another, a small patch of chest appeared—firm and lean.

He remained motionless, just watching her undress him.

Xin Mei frowned: “Why aren’t you undressing me? Did you really learn it?”

Lu Qianqiao thought for a moment: “You go first.”

He wanted to respect her in this regard.

Xin Mei smiled knowingly: “Hmph, you actually still don’t know, do you? Then watch carefully, I’ll teach you.”

His outer robe was gently untied, removed, and slid to the floor. Then his inner garment—his chest was now fully exposed in the firelight. Beautiful collarbones, firm muscles. She hesitated, then raised her hand to touch lightly. The skin was burning hot, intense heartbeats transmitted through her palm.

“…Don’t be afraid.” She comforted him. “Come, get on the bed with me.”

His hands scooped down and she was lifted up entirely. The bed curtains fell, he on top, she below, the atmosphere intimate.

Xin Mei shook her head: “No, I should be on top.”

Lu Qianqiao rolled over, pushed down by her onto the bed, another weight on his body—she had climbed on top.

Kisses, scattered long hair falling on his chest, moist burning breath… it was truly unbearably ticklish. Lu Qianqiao suddenly gripped her waist, his palm stroking up her spine vertebra by vertebra. With slight pressure, she tumbled into his embrace, their panting lips somehow entangled again, deepening, pressing and caressing.

“…I’m hot…”

Her mind was in chaos. Right, she had to teach him… but she couldn’t bear to let go, whether body or lips, both craved his touch. Even separating for a brief moment was unbearable.

Hot, then remove clothes.

He clumsily and tremblingly helped her untie her sashes. The next moment her lips eagerly pressed up again, half her chest exposed—skin touching skin.

Like lighting a great fire on dry grasslands, the situation instantly lost control, losing all method.

How the clothes actually came off, neither could remember, nor had time to think about it.

…Right, Guanyin Sitting on Lotus.

In Xin Mei’s consciousness that had turned to mush, these four words flashed by. Lu Qianqiao didn’t know how, and she had great responsibility—tonight she had to teach him properly.

So…

The gauze curtain shook violently, followed immediately by two wails. Xin Mei “swoosh” pulled open the curtain, face pale as she stuck out a bare arm, frantically searching through the bedside cabinet.

A hand pulled her back.

She weakly crawled outward, mumbling: “I’m injured, and bleeding… wound medicine… that Orchid Musk Tender Pistil Collection…”

She needed wound medicine, and the demonstration manual for wedding nights…

“Don’t go!”

Having endured to the ultimate extreme, with veins nearly popping from his temples, Lu Qianqiao finally could no longer bear it. He reached out to pull her back, shifted his body slightly, and supported her neck to lie on her side.

“Don’t go…”

Otherwise he would die, truly die.

“It hurts.”

“Bear with it a little, it won’t hurt soon.”

He turned to press over her, kisses falling on her chest, using all the willpower of the War Ghosts to not think of that instant’s soul-stealing taste just now. His fingers gently caressed her earlobes and neck, easing her tense muscles.

What a difficult and thorn-filled wedding night, for both her and him.

“Don’t… don’t touch there!”

Then switch to the other side—

“Ahaha! So ticklish! Don’t touch!”

Then change to rubbing—

“…Gentler, it hurts so much…”

Really hard to please.

He bit her lower lip as punishment. Xin Mei immediately retaliated unwillingly, wanting to bite his nose. When he lifted his head to avoid it, her small teeth gently bit his chin.

He suddenly moved, tentatively, but more unexpectedly possessive and irresistible. She immediately stiffened.

“…Hurt?” he asked with restrained panting.

She couldn’t say… she couldn’t describe what that feeling was. It seemed to hurt, but not the same kind of pain as before—strange and alien. Xin Mei gripped his shoulders tightly, looking at him in confusion. Those dark red eyes were deep and somewhat frightening. Suddenly, his lashes trembled and he closed his eyes, kissing her forcefully.

The world spun.

She clutched the blanket, not knowing why she wanted to crawl out again: “No… I don’t…”

…She wasn’t allowed to say “no.”

One hand supporting her waist, he pressed completely down, invading, attacking, conquering. She immediately went soft, her throat releasing trembling moans for the first time. Opening her eyes, the festive red everywhere swallowed her.

“Lu Qianqiao…” She struggled to find her voice, fingers threading through his hair, meeting his deep gaze.

“It should… should be me teaching you. I want to be on top.”

“Tomorrow I’ll let you be on top.”

She wanted to protest, but suddenly forgot what she was going to say. Her restless hands were pressed to both sides as he entangled endlessly with her, inseparable.

The Orchid Musk Tender Pistil Collection in the cabinet silently wept—they had looked at those diagrams so many times, but when the moment came, not one was used.

The wedding night passed in such an awkward and conservative manner…