Xue Niang felt a bit down, as Xiao Shan didn't want children, and she couldn't have them alone.
She planned to visit Qu Linglong in the city later to ask for advice.
However, when Xiao Shan went out wearing his newly made cotton clothes, Wang Xiulan immediately noticed something was wrong. Embarrassed to speak to Xiao Shan directly, she mentioned it to Xue Niang.
Xue Niang thought Xiao Shan's arms were of different lengths. To avoid gossip, she didn't say anything, just acknowledged it and made him another coat.
This time, she deliberately lengthened the shorter side. But they were still different lengths. After much thought, she couldn't figure out the problem and asked Wang Xiulan for help.
Wang Xiulan pointed out the issue and helped fix it. This time, Xiao Shan's coat fit perfectly.
Xue Niang thought Xiao Shan had been teasing her last time and got angry, hitting him. Xiao Shan, bewildered, endured a flurry of punches, shrugging it off due to his thick skin.
Now Xue Niang was ready to have a child, but Xiao Shan simply refused.
"Could it be, like Chen Dong, that his seed is rotten?" Xue Niang muttered to herself.
Xiao Shan, not hearing clearly from a distance, only caught Chen Dong's name. "What did you say?"
"Nothing."
She desperately wanted a child, a child with Xiao Shan.
That night, Xue Niang had another dream.
She dreamt she was back in Fengque Tower and saw her father. He looked thin and disheveled, his yellow robe wrinkled, without Bai Xi Gonggong by his side. He said nothing, his eyes vacant, just looking at her. Then, tears of blood streamed from his eyes.
Xue Niang woke up terrified, her fear and unease spreading like wild grass.
Xiao Shan, alert, could hear the slightest movement. He opened his eyes to see the little woman in his arms silently shedding tears, her sorrow almost unbearable.
"What's wrong? Bad dream? Don't worry, none of it is real. I'm here!"
Yes, he was here!
"A Shan," Xue Niang proactively kissed his sharply defined lips. His masculine aura was so commanding, always able to easily dispel the coldness within her.
The Divine Maiden was born in an Yin year, Yin month, and Yin hour, inherently prone to coldness and weakness. The Great Yao Divine Lord, however, was born in a Yang year, Yang month, and Yang day, with abundant Yang energy and strong vitality.
Therefore, she sometimes truly felt that Xiao Shan was her Great Yao Divine Lord, her destined guardian.
Unfortunately, Xiao Shan was born in September, not in the peak Yang month of August.
Yet, this man was like the sun, always capable of warming her, her body and her heart.
In the dark night, she coiled around him like a snake.
"A Shan, hold me~"
This was the first time the little woman had initiated intimacy. It seemed she was truly frightened.
Despite the boldness of her actions, she remained so shy, her words so demure.
"I'm holding you..." Xiao Shan deliberately misinterpreted her words, enduring the strain. "What else do you want? Tell me."
"I want, I want... you to serve me."
Xiao Shan chuckled softly. "How should I serve you? With what?"
"A Shan..." She began to sob. She desperately craved security, but Xiao Shan wouldn't give it.
She felt wronged.
Her little mouth pouted, like a child denied candy.
Seeing this, Xiao Shan's heart ached.
"I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm so scared, Xiao Shan!"
She feared leaving him, she was terrified. Her heart felt unsettled, as if something was about to happen.
Xiao Shan relented, not daring to push her. He wiped the tears from her face and soothed her in a husky voice, "Don't be afraid, don't cry. I'll serve you now."
"I..." Xue Niang bit her lip and whispered.
Xiao Shan, hearing Xue Niang's shy, delicate voice, would have missed it if not for his keen hearing.
Her words were like the strongest medicine, sending Xiao Shan charging out like a tiger descending a mountain.
The moon shyly hid behind the clouds, plunging the night into pitch darkness.
...
A beam of white light swept over them. Before Xiao Shan could move away, his sensitive ears were caught, his body went limp, and he fell back.
The joyful stream cheered and surged, rushing towards the long-desired celestial pool.
"Xue Niang..."
"Don't go."
It was too late to leave. He propped himself up, afraid of crushing her.
Oh well, let nature take its course.
Even if they had a daughter who took after him, he could still find her a good husband.
Xiao Shan fetched water and carefully cleaned her. After sleeping for a few days, the tiger skin had indeed absorbed her scent. However, the charm for warding off evil was useless; it didn't prevent her nightmares.
Xiao Shan felt a slight disgust and carried the used water out.
He returned a while later, his previously cheerful face now grave. He found clothes and helped Xue Niang dress.
"What, isn't it dawn yet?"
Xue Niang was confused. Xiao Shan was fussing with her bare arms, her cheeks still flushed, her entire being hazy and languid, still caught in the afterglow of their intimacy.
As they spoke, Xiao Shan had already put her pants on.
"Something's wrong outside. Stay here honestly, and absolutely do not go out."
He took a dagger from the cabinet and placed it on the kang. "I'm going to check. There's a formation set up in the courtyard, so outsiders can't get in. You must not go out."
"Okay, be careful."
Xue Niang nodded obediently. She knew Xiao Shan's skills and that ordinary people couldn't harm him, but she couldn't help but worry.
Xiao Shan blew out the candle and quietly slipped out the door.
After a while, she faintly heard the sound of a gong. That was the village's agreed-upon signal for alerting everyone.
Because of the formation, the sound seemed distant, but Xue Niang knew it was actually at the village entrance.
Had bandits arrived?
How many of them were there?
She heard a clamor, like many people shouting. How could they be everywhere? The village seemed surrounded.
Were there so many bandits?
Could Xiao Shan handle them all?
Then, the door to their house seemed to be knocked on, indistinctly, followed by sounds of stomping. This time, Xue Niang heard clearly. She picked up the dagger on the kang and left the bedroom.
It was pitch black. The weather was poor that night, with not a single star, making a distant gleam of light particularly noticeable.
Something was on fire.
The door to their house was made of white birch wood that Xiao Shan had specially felled from the mountain; it was very sturdy and wouldn't break easily. After a few stomps from outside, the sound stopped.
"Xue Niang, open the door quickly! Xiao Shan is in trouble!"
Xiao Shan was in trouble!
Xue Niang felt a wave of dizziness. As she took a step, she remembered Xiao Shan's warning not to go out. She listened carefully. The voices outside were male and female, all shouting at the top of their lungs. She couldn't make out who it was.
But she was sure they were villagers.
Had he really run into trouble?
Xue Niang hurried to open the door. As soon as she lifted the bolt, the door was kicked open from the outside. She couldn't dodge in time and fell to the ground.
Then, a pair of large hands grabbed her and dragged her outside.
"Big Brother, this is the most beautiful woman in our village. What do you think?"
Chen Dong said ingratiatingly, a fawning smile on his face.
Two burly men with beards held their torches closer. In the firelight, a peerless face was revealed, and the two men gasped.
In this poor mountain village, there was such a beautiful woman?
She was more beautiful than a fairy. Her eyes were so soulful; a single glance made one's entire body go numb.
This must be presented to Big Brother for his enjoyment!
Seeing their expressions, Chen Dong knew he had succeeded. He grinned happily. Before he could say anything else, he felt a chill in his stomach. His obsequious smile froze on his face. He looked at the woman before him with disbelief, her eyes cold and sharp as death in the dim firelight.
"Ah—" Su Peilan, who had been cowering nearby, shrieked.
The two bandits finally reacted. This was a fierce one! They drew their long sabers and surrounded Xue Niang from either side.
"Monster, she's a monster..."
Su Peilan trembled, acting crazily.