Chapter 49: The Argument Part 2

Xun Changqing released her to respond, her tone like a chilling night wind stirring the heart. “If it hurts, then shut up!”

With that, she lowered her head to bite another spot. Wei Lingci immediately covered her mouth, feeling the cool dampness of tears. Her heart suddenly ached more sharply than the bite on her shoulder.

She did care, after all. Her fingertips gently traced Xun Changqing’s cheek, the cool wetness piercing her heart. Bewildered, she said, “Changqing, think this through. Don’t ruin everything for me. If you insist on me again this time, it might still lead to utter doom, and all your efforts will be for nothing.”

What difference was there from their past lives in what they were doing?

The difference was that they now controlled their fate. As long as Xun Changqing didn’t love her, everything would diverge from the original path.

“Even if it’s for nothing, it’s your nothing. I only spent six years on Lingyun Mountain, playing for six years. Everything else was you. Are you refusing me because you can’t bear to abandon your current achievements?”

Wei Lingci grew wary of this person. Her illogical words were delivered so righteously. She tried pushing the reluctant little rogue off her. “Think what you will. I’m tired.”

“We’re not done talking. You can’t sleep yet. I won’t allow it.” Xun Changqing draped a hand over her waist, nibbling her lip. In the dim room, she fumbled around until she found the sash, mischievously intending to untie it.

Wei Lingci felt a cold hand slithering like a snake around her waist. As an adult, she understood Xun Changqing’s intent and grew more troubled. Their intimacy was escalating beyond her expectations. She hurriedly seized the restless hand, her voice softer and less firm. “Changqing, stop fooling around. You’re still young.”

Xun Changqing ignored her—if she believed her now, she might turn around and marry someone else tomorrow. Freeing her hand, she continued groping aimlessly, retorting, “Wei Lingci, you only see me as young, so you bully and deceive me.”

Her cold fingertips explored her waist, sensing the warmth beyond the thin gauze. The heat seeped through the fabric, warming her fingers and her heart. Gliding over the flat abdomen, she seemed to find what she sought.

Wei Lingci disliked braziers for warmth, so the room had none. The first month of the year should have been cold at night, yet she felt hot, increasingly irritated. She snapped, “Xun Changqing, enough of your nonsense. If you keep this up, I’ll move out tomorrow.”

In the past, Xun Changqing would have been frightened, but today she brushed it off, annoyed by Wei Lingci’s nagging. She freed a hand to cover her mouth. “Tomorrow, move wherever you like. Worst case, I’ll pack up and go with you.”

She had just touched the sash when Wei Lingci snatched it away. Now it was lost again— so tricky…

Wei Lingci saw Xun Changqing not just as a rogue but a troublemaking scoundrel, a stark contrast to her usual gentleness. Enraged, she shoved her into the corner, then flipped over to pin her down, securing both hands with a cold laugh. “The County Princess Mansion doesn’t welcome you. Starting tomorrow, you’re banned from entering.”

Xun Changqing stiffened. Wei Lingci’s long hair cascaded from her shoulder, brushing her cheek. In the night, her glassy eyes sparkled like stars in a dark curtain, exuding unique beauty. She couldn’t overpower Wei Lingci; pinned like this, her face flushed as she stubbornly said, “I’m a princess. You can’t stop me.”

“A princess in name only. Don’t hype yourself up,” Wei Lingci snorted coldly, her gaze tinged with complex emotions.

Catching that look, Xun Changqing’s lips curved in delight. Her anger faded, and she hurriedly said, “Wei Lingci, you’re overthinking. Those things are far away from us. Even if your plans succeed, I don’t want anyone else—man or woman. I only want you. Don’t be so heartless.”

Wei Lingci could indeed be heartless, as their past life proved. Once her hands were freed, Xun Changqing wrapped them around Wei Lingci’s neck. “You have to promise me: no marrying anyone else first, no leaving the Imperial Capital. Wait for me one year. After my hairpin ceremony, I’ll find a way to solve this.”

Their noses nearly touched, Xun Changqing’s warm breath entering her mouth. Wei Lingci, impatient, rolled to the outer side, pulling the quilt over herself lazily. “You have no right to bind me.”

“You’re not honest at all.” Xun Changqing sat up to tug half the quilt over, rolling back beside her. She poked the bite mark. “Does it hurt? If you don’t agree, I might not control my teeth.”

Tonight, she had resorted to every trick—coercion, inducement. Wei Lingci found this rogue more headache-inducing than any scheme. Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, “One year is fine, but you can’t come live at the County Princess Mansion.”

If she couldn’t live there, so be it—a mere wall. Worst case, tear it down and make a side gate. Xun Changqing nodded eagerly, resting her head on Wei Lingci’s shoulder, closing her eyes contentedly.

The cramped space fell briefly silent. Wei Lingci couldn’t sleep, still feeling that hand at her waist. She grasped Xun Changqing’s hand in the middle and suddenly asked, “Changqing… that person… who did you learn it from?”

Wei Lingci was always decisive, never hesitant or stammering like this. Xun Changqing opened her eyes. “Learn what?”

Wei Lingci rubbed her forehead, unsure how to phrase it, and dropped the topic. “Nothing. Go to sleep.”

“But you just asked?”

“I misspoke. Don’t make a fuss.”

“You’re hiding something. What did I learn?”

“Nothing. Your martial arts have improved lately. Good.”

“Oh, but I learned from you. No one else taught me.”

“That’s why I misspoke.”

…

In the Borderlands’ first month, Xun Yisu felt no warmth. Faint stars gleamed across the sky, the pitch-black night chill and foreboding, thick clouds hanging low in the distance. The serene darkness concealed the opulent mansion’s golden splendor.

She stood under the corridor, face anxious. Servants bustled, reporting external news. Ana Xuan hadn’t returned to the mansion in three days, no word of her. They were tied together like grasshoppers on a rope—if she was in danger, Xun Yisu’s last safeguard would vanish.

When the menacing torchlight reached the gate, she suddenly calmed. Perhaps Ana Xuan truly wouldn’t return.

Leaning against a pillar, she watched the intruding soldiers calmly, smiling faintly at the leader. “Princess Consort… no, this is the Borderlands. I should call you Princess.”

The long-missing Ana Yanran finally appeared in the Border State Capital, clad in white silver armor, weaponless but aura fierce. She stood tall in the courtyard, torchlight illuminating her deep, enigmatic eyes with a cold, ambiguous smile. “Ana Xuan was a woman all along, yet she and her mother deceived the sovereign, disguising herself as a man to confuse the public—treason unforgivable.”

With a wave, her soldiers scattered toward the rear courtyard. Maids screamed, but Xun Yisu remained composed, her smile tinged with sarcasm. “Princess, with military power in your hands now, even the sovereign must heed you.”