“Exhausted already?” Ruo Wen chuckled, exuding immense pride. “Then it’s our turn!” With that, he tossed aside the meat in his hands, wiped his palms on his clothes, and hoisted Huang Beishuang over his shoulder, heading towards his own quarters.
Huang Beishuang’s face turned ashen at this sudden move. Upon entering the room, Ruo Wen wasted no time and threw her onto the bed. In an instant, her red wedding dress spread out like butterfly wings, and the row of jeweled ornaments on her forehead glimmered with an otherworldly light.
A flicker of confusion passed through Ruo Wen’s eyes. He removed the weapons from his waist and tossed them aside, then leaned over to examine her closely. “Truly beautiful. I’ve never seen a woman this stunning.” His excitement seemed to grow as he spoke, casually caressing her cheek. “What exactly sets you apart? Your eyes? Full of fury and pride. Your voice? Tinged with coldness and mockery. And…” His tone shifted as he pressed a hand against her chest, “Your heart, brimming with passion and fearlessness. Ena Yi tribe? You’re from the North. What’s your name? Tell me…”
Huang Beishuang bit her lip, glaring at him fiercely. Seizing an opportunity, she rolled to the side, grabbing a curved dagger and a sword that lay nearby, and held them defensively towards Ruo Wen.
Ruo Wen, as if having witnessed an entertaining spectacle, laughed mockingly.
He picked up a spear that had fallen aside and approached her step by step, toying with her like prey. “Heavy, aren’t they? Getting heavier? The dagger is called Patricide; the sword, Matricide. These sins are weighty; can you bear them?” With a sweep of his spear, he added, “You should wield this. This spear is called Wife-Snatcher!”
At this moment, Huang Beishuang’s hands grew increasingly weak. As he pressed closer to her, her weapons clattered to the ground.
“You’ve drugged me!” she exclaimed, supporting herself on the edge of the bed, certain that the bandit had slipped something into her food earlier.
Hearing this, Ruo Wen indeed looked extremely pleased. He taunted, “Oh? Seems it’s taking effect. I added sap from the Twin Fruit Tree to your food. Anyone living in the desert knows it has aphrodisiac properties.”
Huang Beishuang, feeling powerless, could only curse him as a scoundrel. He pressed his forehead against hers forcefully, demanding, “Tell me your name!”
“What do you want?”
“To toy with you, of course!”
Ruo Wen drove her onto the bed, his expression wild. His hold on her seemed inescapable, like a vast net. Huang Beishuang, out of options, finally unable to contain her anger, retorted with a flushed face, “I will never tell you my name.”
“It doesn’t matter. You will, eventually!” Perhaps accustomed to captives’ resistance, Ruo Wen paid no heed. He tore off her wedding dress with one hand, brought it to his lips for a deep kiss, and exclaimed excitedly, “From now on, you’re my woman!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent. In the stillness, there was a heart-stopping sense of impending violence. Ruo Wen didn’t turn around, his hands still gripping Huang Beishuang, but a sword was now pressed against his neck, its blade gleaming silver, flashing across Huang Beishuang’s eyes.
“Who are you!” Ruo Wen demanded.
“Release her first!” The responding voice was low and hoarse, carrying an underlying threat.
Ruo Wen’s grip loosened involuntarily, and Huang Beishuang scrambled up, moving to stand beside the newcomer.
“Qing Yun!” she exclaimed in surprise.
“Indeed, you remember my name!” Qing Yun smiled, pressing his sword more firmly against Ruo Wen’s neck. Ruo Wen, however, had calmed down. He stood up against the blade, holding his spear.
“Kill me, and you won’t escape,” he said.
“I didn’t say I was going to kill you,” Qing Yun replied impassively.
Ruo Wen narrowed his eyes. “You want to take her away?”
Qing Yun smiled, “Naturally!”
“A life for a life. You can take her and leave!” Ruo Wen unexpectedly agreed readily.
“What about my tribespeople?” Huang Beishuang couldn’t help but ask.
Ruo Wen laughed loudly, “I’ve already said, one life for one life. Otherwise, we all perish together.”
The three fell silent, as if a deal was forming. Finally, Qing Yun spoke first.
“This spear is called Wife-Snatcher?” he asked.
Clang! In the next instant, Qing Yun had flown his sword to break the spear. Wife-Snatcher snapped into two in Ruo Wen’s hands.
“Deal accepted. We’re leaving!” Qing Yun sheathed his sword, and before Huang Beishuang could react, he hoisted her over his shoulder and leapt out the window. Their figures disappeared into the cool moonlight and white sand.
Ruo Wen angrily smashed the two halves of the broken spear to the ground. “Damn it! Damn it!” He cursed twice, his rage still burning fiercely.
Qing Yun carried Huang Beishuang, running swiftly. Despite the freezing desert night, with wind as sharp as knives, he moved rapidly. After about an hour of running, they found a small oasis.
He dropped Huang Beishuang under a tree and turned to bring over a white horse named Fei Ta that was tethered nearby.
“We’ll rest here tonight!” he seemed to be speaking to Fei Ta.
By now, Huang Beishuang had gradually regained her senses. She sat up and asked, “Where are we?”
“A moving oasis,” Qing Yun replied.
“Oh…” Huang Beishuang’s gray eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. She noticed a small desert lake, its surface perfectly still. It seemed the trees at the oasis’s edge blocked much of the wind and sand.
“This is my first time seeing a moving oasis. It’s so small and beautiful. Is it because no one has settled here?” Huang Beishuang’s voice was very soft; at this moment, she truly had no strength left. Moreover, thanks to Ruo Wen’s Twin Fruit Tree juice, her body was overwhelmed with uncontrollable desire.
Qing Yun built a fire and threw in a few tree branches. After seeming to ponder for a moment, he suddenly stood up and walked towards her. Without warning, he embraced her forcefully, devoid of gentleness, caressing her wildly.
“What are you doing?” Huang Beishuang, struggling with her burning desire, trembled at his touch. She could only pinch her fingers, trying to maintain composure.
“I’m saving you! You’ve been poisoned. You’re desperate for it!” Qing Yun spoke casually, already removing his outer garment to reveal a strong chest, incredibly alluring in the night. He smiled, then with one hand gripping Huang Beishuang’s waist, used the other to undo her belt.
“Stop!” she cried out weakly, her hands pressing against his chest in resistance.
“What’s wrong? This shouldn’t be a problem. Your body doesn’t seem to reject me as it did Ruo Wen!” Qing Yun indeed stopped all movement, looking at her with a hint of playfulness.
His words reminded Huang Beishuang of the humiliation in Ruo Wen’s tent, and she nearly broke into tears. “Stop, stop, I will never submit to this!”