He lowered his arms and slowly walked towards me. His tight outfit outlined a slender silhouette, like power coiled to be released. Suddenly feeling regretful, I stepped back. “Actually… it’s not that urgent, hero, don’t take it seriously…”
The hero pondered, “Why do you want to see?”
“I feel you’re a bit like my husband.”
“That sugar cake seller? You think I’m him?”
“Uh—” I intended to smile but only managed a lip twitch. “No one says a sugar cake seller can’t be a hero.”
“Fine.” He unexpectedly agreed. “If you want to see, come and unveil it yourself.”
I hesitated. “Will you kill me to keep it secret?”
“No.”
“Will you poison or blind me?”
“No!”
“Will you kidnap me as a mountain bandit’s wife?”
He grew angry, leaping up and reaching for me. Startled, I couldn’t dodge and was caught in his embrace. “Do you think I’m a bandit? Are you looking or not?”
“Looking.” I mustered courage and pulled down his black cloth.
He stared at me, eyes like black smoke, face like polished jade.
“Indeed… quite similar.” After a long look, I asked, “Do you have a brother named An…?”
He gritted his teeth. “Xiao Yao!”
I lowered my head. The hero had merely struck the Crown Prince’s pressure point, clearly not an assassin but intentionally there to rescue me. That familiar feeling from our decade together couldn’t be erased, but I didn’t understand how he suddenly became a martial arts master. I thought I knew him well, but now I discovered he might have secrets unknown to me, leaving me somewhat disappointed.
“It’s me.” His tone softened.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Heroines of Antiquity
The husband transformed into a muscular hero was no longer the elegant gentleman in court dress or the suave figure in casual wear. He looked agile and sharp, with a severe expression that made me uncomfortable.
Noticing my unease, he asked, “Does it… look really bad?”
Remembering how I had criticized heroic types as brutish, I quickly comforted him: “Not that bad, you’ll get used to it after a while.”
His face stiffened.
