Dark forest, bleak sky. Xin Mei kept running on the muddy road, her heart about to jump out of her throat.

Suddenly a large hand grabbed her, and a certain expressionless lord sneered while pinching her chin.

“Keke keke keke! What a beautiful little girl, come back to my stronghold to be my mountain wife!”

Xin Mei’s face turned pale as she struggled in the wind.

“No! I won’t marry! I…”

She fell off the bed, her head hitting the ground with a loud thud.

………..

Eh, so it was just a dream.

Xin Mei lay on the ground for a long time, listlessly looking at the faded beams on the ceiling. A bit of sunlight was resting on them, with fine dust dancing in the light. Outside the window were sounds of flowing water and people talking. She hugged her quilt and sat up softly, thought about it, then lay back down.

Since she couldn’t leave this room anyway, she might as well sleep.

Yesterday evening Lu Qianqiao had brought her to the Imperial Tomb. Honestly, she had always thought the Imperial Tomb would inevitably be overgrown with weeds and filled with ghosts and monsters, presenting a scene of decay. Unexpectedly, passing through the thick fog, she saw vast seas of cherry blossoms, with the huge stone people and horses around the spirit path submerged in pale pink.

Green mountains and clear waters, white walls and green tiles—there was only peaceful tranquility here.

However, none of this had anything to do with her. As soon as they entered the Imperial Tomb, Lu Qianqiao had thrown her into this room.

“Si Lan, watch over her. Don’t let her leave this room.”

After giving these instructions, he left. She spent most of the night staring blankly on the bed. She had originally wanted to talk to the guard called Si Lan, but he was Expressionless Lord Number Two. No matter what she said, he acted like a deaf-mute. Whenever she opened doors or windows, he immediately blocked them like an iron wall.

In frustration, Xin Mei could only sleep.

“Brother Si Lan, I heard Brother Lu brought a young lady here last night. Since she’s a guest, I made some food. Please help me give it to her—I hope it suits her taste.”

What a gentle female voice, what pleasant words… Xin Mei got up and pressed against the window to look outside. She saw Si Lan receiving a food box from a girl in a pink silk dress. The girl looked up at her once—she was truly… Xin Mei racked her brains trying to think for a long time but couldn’t come up with other words, so she could only praise: truly beautiful as a flower!

“Thank you for Miss Yinglian’s kind intention.”

So that Si Lan fellow could speak, and quite pleasantly too. Yinglian smiled slightly at Xin Mei and turned to leave.

“…Eat.” Si Lan turned around and put on his expressionless face again, placing the food box on the windowsill.

Xin Mei was overjoyed and quickly lifted the lid. Inside were two large wooden boxes placed side by side, packed full of countless exquisite pastries covered with crystal lids. She had been hungry all night and was seeing stars, so she quickly grabbed a piece of Fragrant Snow Hibiscus Cake and stuffed it in her mouth.

Seeing Si Lan unusually staying by the windowsill staring at her with somewhat envious eyes, she thought about it and asked: “Do you want to eat?”

Si Lan kept an expressionless face and ignored her.

She sighed: “Facial paralysis is a disease that needs treatment.”

He seemed to twitch twice and slammed the window shut with a “bang.”

Xin Mei picked up another sophora flower cake and was halfway through eating it when the door opened. Lu Qianqiao, whom she hadn’t seen all night, stood backlit in the doorway looking at her. Xin Mei immediately dropped the sophora flower cake and looked around before hiding behind the large wardrobe.

She still had crumbs on her cheek, and having slept all night without combing her hair, it hung in fine strands over her shoulders—still like a rabbit, the white, soft kind.

Lu Qianqiao closed the door and walked in. She swallowed and her mind filled with scenes often performed in plays: sealed small room, dim lighting, villain cackling wickedly while extending demonic claws toward the heroine…

She really wanted to drill into the wardrobe right now.

“Come here, sit.” He indicated for her to sit in the chair.

“…I won’t come over.”

“…Come here.”

“…I won’t.”

He took two steps toward her, and she immediately sat in the chair like lightning.

Lu Qianqiao rubbed his forehead: “Why do you know how to break the Cloud Mist Array? Who taught you?”

“I already told you I don’t know about any Cloud Mist Array…”

“Tell the truth.”

“The truth is I have a particularly good sense of direction…”

He stopped talking, just quietly looking at her. Deep contours, gem-like eyes—clearly a face carved from jade, yet without a trace of jade’s warmth. He didn’t hide his coldness and sharpness at all, always presenting himself like a renowned blade showing its edge.

At this moment, the cold gleaming blade edge was pointed at her.

Xin Mei fearlessly met his gaze. He felt that even her courage seemed soft and gentle. When he saw the cake crumbs on her cheek, his eyebrows really couldn’t help twitching twice.

“That…” Xin Mei looked at his slightly trembling eyebrows and kindly suggested, “Facial paralysis really is a disease that needs treatment. There’s a doctor in Lushui Town whose acupuncture technique is quite good…”

He expressionlessly reached his hand toward her. She immediately turned pale and looked around for somewhere to hide.

Her arm was still caught. Xin Mei panicked, considering whether she should scream and faint or die rather than surrender to protect her chastity, when suddenly he pulled her to the window and opened the wooden window.

Beautiful spring scenery rushed toward them. Outside the window, pear blossoms were blooming perfectly, white as cotton, with several exquisite flower sprites laughing and playing on the branches. In the distance, mountains were green as jade with hints of rural homes.

“Three hundred sixty-two demons,” Lu Qianqiao spoke, his voice very light. “The Imperial Tomb is their home. I won’t let them go out to harm people, nor will I let outsiders come in to harm them.”

The Imperial Tomb was, after all, an imperial place. A few ghosts causing trouble was harmless, but if the emperor really knew that a group of demons were occupying the mountain as kings and living happily here, there would probably be immortal cultivation sects coming to exterminate them the next day.

Xin Mei scratched her head and said “oh.”

“I don’t care what method you used to break the Cloud Mist Array. Since you pose a threat to me, I won’t let you go until the issue is resolved.”

He released her arm.

Xin Mei was shocked: “You… you’re unreasonable…”

He seemed to smile slightly: “I’ve never been reasonable.”

Xin Mei felt she should seriously express her position: “Even if you imprison me until I die of old age, I still won’t marry you to be your mountain stronghold wife!”

He looked down at his hands, really wanting to yank off that head of hers that wouldn’t listen and let her imagination run wild, and kick it hard like a ball…

He turned and left with a flick of his sleeves, instructing Si Lan outside: “Watch her. Don’t give her any food except water, and don’t let anyone else approach.”

Si Lan respectfully cupped his fists: “Yes, General.”

General? What kind of damn general was this demon?! Xin Mei held back a belly full of anger, racking her brains to catch up and curse at him. After thinking for a long time without coming up with any sharp insults, she could only kick pillows by herself.

“Brother Qianqiao…” A childish voice called him from outside the window. She turned to see a round, ball-like little bird demon flying and swaying in mid-air, much smaller than the one she’d encountered at the Imperial Tomb last time, looking only three or four years old. His wobbly appearance didn’t look like a bird but rather like a fat duck.

Lu Qianqiao reached out to hold him. In that instant, sunlight fell on his face, and that expressionless face was surprisingly gentle.

“Brother said he’s ready and wants to know when you’ll give him the inner core?”

The little bird demon asked in a baby voice.

“Right away.” Lu Qianqiao stiffly patted his little head.

The food box was taken away by Si Lan. Xin Mei sat by the window holding her starving stomach, staring blankly. Staring and staring, somehow she fell asleep, dreaming of feasting on a big basin of braised pig trotters, drooling all over her sleeve.

When it got dark, seeing her foolish and patient endurance of hunger, Si Lan finally couldn’t help speaking: “If you tell the truth, you won’t have to go hungry.”

Xin Mei turned her head away with dignity and snorted.

“Those who oppose the General never have good endings.”

“What kind of general is a demon anyway?” Xin Mei was very disdainful.

Si Lan was angry: “Who told you he’s a demon?! He’s Qiong Kingdom’s legitimate Cavalry General! He’s been achieving military merits since he was fifteen!”

“…Prostitute General?” she said in amazement.

“Cavalry General!” Si Lan was going crazy.

“If he’s a general, why isn’t he fighting wars but hiding in the Imperial Tomb?”

Si Lan looked somewhat dejected: “The emperor has no vision and believed slanderous words, demoting the General to guard the Imperial Tomb…”

Xin Mei suddenly understood: “He’s a general who always loses battles, so the emperor angrily banished him to the Imperial Tomb!”

Si Lan angrily slammed the window shut again.

Until deep into the night, when no more sounds came from the room, he became somewhat worried. After all, she was an ordinary young girl who had eaten nothing but two pieces of cake all day—she might get sick from hunger. He looked at the food box beside him, hesitating whether to secretly slip her a piece to satisfy her hunger.

Suddenly sounds of rummaging came from inside the room. Si Lan hurriedly pulled open the window, only to have a strong wind attack from within. Caught completely off guard, he was struck directly and flew backward unconscious.

Xin Mei sat on Qiuyue’s back, patting its head in praise: “Well done!”

Fortunately she had Qiuyue as her trump card. She hadn’t used it the first night just to wait for this moment when he let his guard down.

“Qiuyue, quickly fly away quietly.”

She hugged Qiuyue’s neck tightly and commanded.