Qin Yuhang gently patted his wife’s shoulder, smiling perfectly: “My dear, don’t worry. With me around, you won’t go hungry. I can certainly ensure you get a meal.”
Ye Hui couldn’t help but laugh. She had only heard of transmigrators aspiring to become high-ranking officials, never of anyone starving to death after transmigration. That would be embarrassing beyond measure.
Back at Tianying Gate, it was already evening, and Ye Hui had fallen asleep on her husband’s shoulder. She didn’t know when they had arrived or when she was placed on the bed. She slept deeply, and in the middle of the night, she seemed to hear people talking. At first, it was blurry, but then she could hear clearly, and she could sense the speakers spiritually, yet she couldn’t wake up, as if trapped in a nightmare.
“Senior Brother, are you sure you’re determined to be my wife’s secondary husband?”
It was her husband’s voice, which she remembered from the night she arrived, who had been by her side ever since, though he went out on business the day after their marriage, but afterward had been inseparable for half a year.
“Aren’t you the one who has already arranged everything?”
Another low voice responded, somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. He continued, “I don’t want to wait anymore. I’ve consulted with Uncle Qingtian about the imperial calendar. The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day for marriage. Let’s finalize the wedding!”
“Why are you in such a hurry? You’ve lived alone for thirty years, and now you’re like a cat on a hot tin roof? Senior Brother, you’re not actually falling in love with my wife, are you?” Qin Yuhang raised his voice in surprise.
“Let me remind you, don’t say ‘my wife’ anymore. She’s not just your wife now; I have a share too,” the man addressed as Senior Brother spoke in a cold voice.
“Senior Brother,” Qin Yuhang laughed, with a hint of amusement, “I think you should be self-aware. It seems your position is on the side, while I’m in the main position, and you’re several levels below me.”
“I don’t think you’re higher than me.”
“Don’t tell me Senior Brother wants to pull his brother down from the primary husband’s position. Let me remind you, your wife won’t agree.”
“You’re not even worthy of my consideration. I am a noble prince of the Yingtan Kingdom. Perhaps one day I’ll sit on that supreme throne. Although I’m a secondary husband, who would dare treat me as such? When I speak, I could make you suffer,” the Senior Brother said slowly.
“I’ll wait and see when that day comes,” Qin Yuhang laughed loudly, completely unconcerned by the threat.
“Quiet, the wife is still sleeping,” the Senior Brother hushed.
“Senior Brother, after all these years, you’ve been as cold as the ice layer on this Tianying Peak. Seeing you moved today, I find it quite refreshing. Ha ha, even a thousand-year-old ice mountain can melt. Wait until the master returns to the mountain, what a show that will be!”
The two left, their footsteps and voices gradually fading.
Ye Hui again sank into a deep sleep.
This sleep was sweet, and she was awakened early the next morning by the sound of morning exercises in the square outside. Rubbing her eyes and getting up from bed, she looked around, wondering if it was all a dream. She remembered being on her husband’s back on the way to Tianying Gate last night, and now she had woken up in a different place.
She was somewhat surprised, but no surprise could compare to the miracle of her transmigration.
Barefoot on the wooden floor, she walked to the window and pushed it open.
In the distance, mountains surrounded a large circular valley. At the foot of the mountains sat rows of neat palaces, with a massive central square about the size of three or four football fields. A group of men in Taoist robes were practicing sword techniques, creating a rhythmic sound of martial prowess.
This was Tianying Gate!
I haven’t tasted salt for a long time now.” Facai cried with a sorrowful face: “Ever since last year when the Grand Master donated everything the sect could donate, everyone has been starving. Last month, Master Ma secretly sold a bronze statue from the Laojun Temple when the Grand Master was out on business, and they exchanged it for salt, but that was eaten long ago.”
Ye Hui knew that in ancient times, due to inconvenient transportation, people found it harder to get salt than grain. She understood their difficulties. She used her chopsticks to pick up a bowl of meat and handed it to Mochi, who took it and, not daring to sit at the same table as his master, went to eat by himself.
The meat without salt was tasteless. She tried a bite and then put down her chopsticks.
“Shifu, please eat more, it’s delicious,” Facai swallowed, staring straight at the table. He had already found the pig intestines and wild vegetables this morning quite fragrant, and the steaming bowl of meat was irresistibly tempting.
Ye Hui picked up another small piece and put it in her mouth, then pushed the large bowl towards him: “Facai, if you want to eat, sit down and eat. Don’t be polite, we’re not strangers.”
“No, no, Shifu, you eat. I wouldn’t dare.”
“Cough, cough…” Ye Hui coughed. How did he even call her grandson? It made her uncomfortable. “Facai, I’m asking you, answer honestly. Who is your master, and what is his name?”
Facai’s eyes widened: “Shifu, my master is your husband. How could anyone not know their own husband’s name?” This shifu looked beautiful, like an immortal, with a good temperament, but she seemed a bit foolish.
I know nothing, Ye Hui thought, her face turning dark.
At that moment, a tall, imposing man entered the room, with a resolute face and deep, thoughtful eyes, looking at Ye Hui.
“Mas… Master,” Facai trembled, hurrying to pay his respects.
He was the naked man she encountered in the oasis lake who had previously been inappropriate with her! Ye Hui stared in shock.
“You all leave,” Huangfu Zeduan ordered the others, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Ye Hui, his dark eyes with a peculiar gleam.
Facai bowed and retreated quickly, afraid of being frozen by his master’s invisible cold aura. Mochi, knowing his master, remained motionless as if he hadn’t heard.
Huangfu Zeduan frowned and cast a cold glance at him.
“Mochi, you may go,” Ye Hui didn’t want him to be implicated. After all, no one would harm her in Tianying Gate, and this man, despite seeming frightening, appeared rational from his previous behavior.
Mochi hesitated, then bowed to his master and turned to leave.
The room fell silent for a few seconds. Huangfu Zeduan’s gaze remained on her as he approached.
Ye Hui stepped back, her expression unclear. Who was this man? How dare he brazenly enter her room, unless he held a high position in Tianying Gate?
Ye Hui retreated until her back was against the wall, unable to move further. The man, a head taller than her, was now inches away. Suddenly, he reached out and embraced her.
The strong masculine scent enveloped her. Ye Hui’s heart raced, and she struggled briefly before giving up. Comparing physical strength with such a man was futile. She looked up at him, her voice cold: “What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re planning to vent your sexual desires. If that’s the case, it’s fine, but I don’t like men who have lost their virginity.”
Huangfu Zeduan was surprised by her directness and nodded slightly: “I haven’t lost my virginity. You can be assured of that. The chastity mark on my arm can prove it.”
Ye Hui looked him up and down. A virgin at almost thirty was unbelievable. She had intended to provoke him with harsh words but was now at a loss. His large hands were still around her waist, one hand moving down to knead her buttocks.
Ye Hui instinctively resisted: “Even if you’re a virgin, I don’t like it. I hate men who are technically clumsy and know nothing.”
