Chapter 43: Extra Part 3

Xie Zhaoran’s face was etched with killing intent. She had nearly screamed for these scum to die when she saw Shi Yuning on the brink.

They had dared harm the one she cherished most. None of them would leave today.

Xie Zhaoran glanced at Shi Yuning—Second-in-Command Lu was guarding her now—and averted her eyes.

She turned to the distant enemy ship, to the man surrounded by deferential underlings.

Nocking an arrow, she loosed three in rapid succession.

“Help! Sir, sir, are you all right…?”

Shouts of alarm rose from the enemy deck amid the rain, but the runners soon crumpled dead.

Yellow-Teeth had ducked at the first sign of trouble, peeking out to spot the shooter.

But that one glance cost him— the next arrow pierced his right eye.

“My eye! My eye—help!” His agonized scream faded as pain overwhelmed him. He swayed and plunged into the churning Surging Gold River.

Chaos on the enemy ship panicked the boarders. Hearing their leader dead, they fled back.

But arrows from the shadows claimed them before they reached safety.

Corpses littered the deck; some, in blind panic, jumped overboard.

With Xie Zhaoran’s arrival, the tide turned completely. Second-in-Command Lu led a counterattack, wiping out the enemy boarders and capturing several key figures.

Qiangdi was skilled at interrogation and quickly extracted their hideout’s location.

After consulting with Second-in-Command Lu, Xie Zhaoran decided to rally reinforcements from the nearest Canal Gang outpost. She also sent Qiangdi with Xiao Liju’s credential to the local authorities for backup.

She would wipe these suicidal bandits out completely.

Shi Yuning watched quietly from the side as Xie Zhaoran calmly directed everyone, handling the aftermath methodically.

Once everything was arranged, Xie Zhaoran returned to their cabin with Shi Yuning.

The door had barely shut when Shi Yuning started to apologize—and was enveloped in a tight embrace.

“Are you trying to scare me to death?”

Even now, holding Shi Yuning close, Xie Zhaoran’s heart raced. That moment had been too close; one second later, and the consequences didn’t bear thinking.

“I’m sorry. I was reckless.” Shi Yuning apologized at once. In her near-death instant, she had regretted it too.

No wonder her mother said she had plenty of courage but never weighed her own limits.

She had nearly never seen her parents again—or Xie Zhaoran.

She hugged Xie Zhaoran fiercely. “You were incredible just now.” That red-clad Xie Zhaoran reminded her of the Spring Hunt, when she had won her sachet in red and begun their story.

Xie Zhaoran squeezed her tighter and kissed the damp crown of her head.

“I was terrified I wouldn’t be good enough.”

For the first time, as she loosed that arrow, Xie Zhaoran had feared missing. Failure would have doomed Shi Yuning.

Shi Yuning understood. She nuzzled into Xie Zhaoran’s embrace. “You were more than enough.”

A seasick woman had saved them all.

“Are you not feeling sick anymore?” Shi Yuning pulled away from Xie Zhaoran’s embrace and asked with concern.

This question brought all of Xie Zhaoran’s dizzy sensations rushing back.

“A little dizzy,” she said, her feet stumbling beneath her as if she could barely stand.

Shi Yuning couldn’t help but laugh. This woman… she wasn’t sure if Xie Zhaoran was faking it, but the ploy certainly worked. At least for that night, Xie Zhaoran had earned herself a completely compliant Shi Yuning.

Shi Yuning had always refused to bathe together before, but today, adrift on the vast river, she’d agreed in her haze.

In the warm wooden tub, Xie Zhaoran wrapped her arms around Shi Yuning from behind. Shi Yuning’s skin was flushed a soft pink all over. Xie Zhaoran leaned in close and whispered into her ear, “Ningning, why won’t you look at me?”

Her voice carried a soft, buzzing lilt at the end, laced with a hint of grievance.

The hot breath from her words scorched Shi Yuning’s ear tips red, the flush spreading from the roots of her ears across her entire face. Shi Yuning alternated between covering her face and clutching at her chest, wishing she had extra hands to spare.

How could she dare look? The lantern light was so bright, and they were both completely naked in this cramped tub. The slightest movement sent ripples splashing over the edges.

The woman behind her had hands that roamed mischievously beneath the water—one sliding over her waist, another tracing her back, then dipping between her legs, brushing that indescribable place.

And yet she had the nerve to ask why Shi Yuning wouldn’t look at her. How was she supposed to look? Just to witness how utterly shameless she could be?

Xie Zhaoran held the woman in her arms, feeling her body shift from tense rigidity to pliant softness.

She watched as mist gathered in Shi Yuning’s eyes, her nose tip turning pink, her breaths growing short and ragged.

Xie Zhaoran let out a soft chuckle and murmured against her earlobe, “Don’t worry—Qiangdi is guarding the door.”

Far from relaxing Shi Yuning, the words only made her more tense.

Qiangdi knew about their relationship, of course, but Shi Yuning had only just asked for a tub of water. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Qiangdi had seen right through her—especially after that cryptic smile she’d given before leaving.

“But the cabin walls aren’t soundproof,” Xie Zhaoran added. “Try to keep it down a little.”

Before Shi Yuning could puzzle over what exactly she was supposed to keep quiet, her body was turned in the water. Suddenly, she faced Xie Zhaoran directly.

In the next instant, her lips were claimed in a tight, searing kiss that stole away her voice.

So much for keeping quiet. Under Xie Zhaoran’s expert touch, Shi Yuning couldn’t even manage a sound—tears welled up in her eyes instead.

All words shattered into fragments amid their tangled lips and tongues. Even after the water had cooled, she hadn’t uttered a single noise.

Exhausted beyond measure, Shi Yuning let Xie Zhaoran dry the dampness from her body and carry her to the bed. Her eyelids were already too heavy to lift.

As the tingling numbness faded from her scalp, she felt utterly drained of energy, craving nothing more than deep, uninterrupted sleep.

But for some reason that night, even after one round of pleasure, Xie Zhaoran showed no signs of relenting.

By the end of it, Shi Yuning felt like she was meeting Xie Zhaoran all over again.

As she drifted into a hazy slumber, she even wondered if Xie Zhaoran had truly been seasick—or if Xiao Liju’s medicine had some uncanny potency.

When it finally ended, Shi Yuning collapsed atop Xie Zhaoran, overwhelming drowsiness sweeping her away into sleep.

In the dim cabin, dawn’s faint light filtered through. A morning breeze wafted in from the window, and the rain that had fallen all night had finally stopped.

By the time Shi Yuning stirred fully awake, sunlight streamed in brightly, and the ship had already docked.

Seeing her awake, Xie Zhaoran leaned down to kiss the corner of Shi Yuning’s lips. Deeming it insufficient, she pressed in fully, their mouths lingering in a mutual tangle for a while.

When the kiss finally broke, Shi Yuning was wide awake, the last traces of sleep banished.

“Sleep well?” Xie Zhaoran asked with a smile.

Shi Yuning nodded, her face burning red. This was too much for first thing in the morning.

Laughing, Xie Zhaoran pulled her upright. “Then let’s get you washed up quick. Time to go punish some evildoers.”

Shi Yuning’s eyes lit up, and she scrambled out of bed with eager speed.

Before setting out on her journey, she had promised Tu Chunhua that she would become a righteous heroine, meting out justice. So far, though, she hadn’t had a single chance to step in—and she felt a twinge of regret over it.

If she returned home without a single tale to tell, what would she have to boast about to Tu Chunhua?

Dressing in record time, Shi Yuning emerged to find the Canal Gang all assembled, along with officials from the local yamen.

The sight of such a formidable force filled her with confidence and a profound sense of security.

She had completely abandoned any notions of going it alone. Yesterday’s events had proven that sometimes, strength truly lay in numbers.

From the previous day’s interrogation, they knew the water bandits’ stronghold was a water fortress along the Surging Gold River. With their warships assembled, they set off in grand array toward it.

The bandits had come prepared yesterday, leaving their forces battered and disorganized. Today, the tables had turned.

They struck with full preparation and wiped the bandits out in one fell swoop.

From that day forward, tales of the Red-Clothed Female Hero echoed along the Surging Gold River. No one knew how the stories grew more outlandish with each retelling. By the time Shi Yuning and the others returned to the Capital a year later, the version they heard had her single-handedly holding off a barrage of cannon fire from the water thieves.

Of course, that was a tale for another time.

After dealing with the water bandits, Shi Yuning and Xie Zhaoran pressed southward. Whenever Shi Yuning spotted injustice along the road and let out a shout, Xie Zhaoran would step forward to resolve it all.

They traveled and paused at intervals like this until they reached Jiangnan amid the biting chill of winter.

Snowflakes drifted down lightly when they arrived in Linzhou—a rare sight in the south. Shi Yuning, who had seldom seen snow in her life, took it as a sign that even the heavens were welcoming Xie Zhaoran’s arrival.

Welcoming Xie Zhaoran with equal enthusiasm was Shi Yuning’s grandmother and her extended family.

They had received Tu Chunhua’s letter well in advance, learning that Shi Yuning was bringing a friend home for an extended stay. Grandmother had aired out the old family estate in the countryside, stuffing the bedding with freshly harvested cotton to ensure Shi Yuning wouldn’t catch a chill.

Shi Yuning introduced Xie Zhaoran to her grandmother, who clasped Xie Zhaoran’s hand and lavished praise on the girl’s striking good looks.

Xie Zhaoran flushed with embarrassment under the compliments.

Spotting the sachet at Xie Zhaoran’s waist and catching its scent, Grandmother smiled.

“So you’re the wonderful girl Ningning wrote to me about—the one she met in the Capital.”

Xie Zhaoran blinked in confusion. “What? Ningning told you about me?”

Grandmother opened her mouth to reply, but Shi Yuning swiftly clamped a hand over it. “Grandma, I’m starving! Is there anything to eat? I’ve been on the road so long, I’m about to waste away.”

“Aiyo!” Grandmother exclaimed. “Your aunt and the others knew you were coming—they stocked up on chicken and duck ages ago. I’ll go brew you a bowl of soup first.”

Shi Yuning nodded vigorously. “Yes! Put plenty of longans in it.”

Xie Zhaoran wasn’t so easily distracted as Grandmother. The moment she left, Xie Zhaoran blocked Shi Yuning’s path as she tried to slip away.

“Ningning, why don’t you tell me all about this ‘wonderful girl from the Capital’ first?”