Chapter 35

Yun Pianpian was held by Xiao Changyuan as if she were a hugging pillow.
She wasn’t used to being embraced like this so she couldn’t fall asleep.
That night, Yun Pianpian, who usually fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, drifted into a fitful slumber only in the latter half of the night.
Yun Pianpian’s light, steady breathing was like a lullaby.
Whenever Xiao Changyuan heard her breathing, he would inexplicably begin to feel drowsy.
Before long, Xiao Changyuan also fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream, Xiao Changyuan saw a young boy dressed in black robes and a large tiger with beautiful fur.
The boy and the tiger were locked together in a tiger cage.
The cage was larger than half a palace hall, empty and drafty, with gaps everywhere.
Only the two of them were confined inside.
Thick blood, red mist filled the surroundings, obscuring the boy’s features, making it impossible to see his face.
The boy held a cold sword in his hand, its blade still dripping with blood, as if he had just returned from killing someone.
Seeing the boy holding the sword, Xiao Changyuan thought he intended to kill the tiger, but the boy did no such thing. Instead, he pulled out a lotus leaf, wrapped package from his robes and handed it to the beautifully colored tiger.
The boy’s voice was very young, cold and clear, with a hint of pride in his tone.
“Today, I defeated all the death, row warriors and demanded a beggar’s chicken from that old man.”
The tiger let out two roars, sounding as if it were praising the boy’s great achievements. While roaring, it eagerly extended its paw, opened the lotus leaf package, lowered its head, and began nibbling small bites of the beggar’s chicken wrapped inside.
The boy tossed the blood, dripping sword far into a corner of the tiger cage.
It landed with a crisp clang.
The tiger didn’t even lift its head, continuing to eat the food from the lotus leaf.
They showed no wariness toward each other.
The boy lazily leaned against the tiger’s flank, his thin, pale body sinking into the tiger’s fluffy fur.
He stretched out his pale, slender hand and stroked the tiger’s large, furry head as it ate.
“When you celestial maidens descend to the mortal world to endure trials, doesn’t the Heavenly Court care about you at all? You wouldn’t even eat the raw meat the eunuchs brought you. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve starved to death here long ago…”
The tiger seemed to choke, clutching its neck with its paw and coughing desperately.
The boy straightened up and scolded it disdainfully, “How can you choke while eating meat? You’re so stupid…”
Despite his words, the boy took out a water pouch from his robes, pried open the tiger’s mouth with his hand, and fed it water.
While feeding it, he complained disdainfully, “Did the Heavenly Court think you were too foolish and thus banish you to the mortal realm to endure trials? You're dim, witted, lazy, and picky, how did you ever become a celestial maiden back then?”
The great tiger seemed provoked by his words, stretching out a paw to swipe at the boy, not too lightly but not too heavily either.
The boy sidestepped nimbly, dodging the strike. “One criticism and you're already throwing a tantrum? Why such a hot temper?”
Xiao Changyuan found this dream absurd and bizarre beyond belief.
Yet it held a strange allure that made him want to keep watching.
Xiao Changyuan slowly lifted his foot and stepped forward.
He wanted to see the boy's face clearly, but the more he advanced, the farther the boy and the tiger drifted away, as if carried off by the wind.
Realizing this, Xiao Changyuan halted immediately.
He stood still and continued observing them.
After finishing the beggar's chicken, the tiger paced a couple of circles in its cage, stretching its limbs like a cat, its tail swishing back and forth.
The boy seemed drowsy, yawning as he patted the spot beside him and said to the tiger, “Come here, I need to sleep.”
Obediently, the tiger lay down next to the boy.
Leaning against the tiger's flank, the boy soon drifted into a gentle slumber.
The dream grew exceptionally quiet.
Unnoticed, a few snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.
The tiger rolled over, placing its paw over the boy's tattered clothes.
It tried to share its body heat with him.
The boy's garments were riddled with holes torn by sharp blades, some parts stained an unnatural deep black, as if soaked through with blood. The biting cold had left the boy's face bluish, but as the tiger covered him, his skin gradually returned to its usual pallor. In his sleep, the boy nestled closer to the tiger's soft body, drawing upon its meager warmth to sustain his life.
Xiao Changyuan felt the scene was strangely familiar.
Just as he began to ponder it, the vision before him was engulfed by a dense, overwhelming crimson mist.
Xiao Changyuan slowly opened his eyes.
The sky had already begun to lighten with the first hints of dawn.
He lowered his gaze, lost in thought for a moment.
He felt as though he had experienced an utterly absurd dream the previous night, but upon waking, he could recall none of it.
Later, when he went to the county town with Yun Pianpian and saw someone selling beggar's chicken by the roadside, Xiao Changyuan paused, feeling a flicker of recognition, as if he had seen it somewhere before. So, he asked Yun Pianpian to buy one to take home.
Even after eating half of the beggar's chicken, Xiao Changyuan still couldn't remember what he had dreamed that night.
On the other hand, Yun Pianpian’s eyes lit up after tasting the beggar’s chicken, finding it incredibly delicious. She was so tempted that she wished she could rush to the county town to buy two more.
As time passed, Xiao Changyuan gradually forgot about the dream he once had.
After being frightened off by Xiao Changyuan that day, Zhao Rouyin had been looking for an opportunity to get close to Yun Pianpian again and continue her attempts to seduce her.
During this period, Xiao Changyuan had been staying by Yun Pianpian’s side, so Zhao Rouyin dared not act recklessly.
Finally, one day, when Xiao Changyuan went hunting alone in the mountains, Zhao Rouyin sneaked into Yun Pianpian’s home and presented her with a jade bracelet.
“Little sister, I saw this jade bracelet on the street and thought it suited you perfectly, so I bought it. Please accept it.”
Yun Pianpian, recalling how Zhao Rouyin had tried to drive a wedge between her and Xiao Changyuan a few days earlier, felt a surge of anger. Without even glancing at the bracelet, she said with a stern face, “Miss Rouyin, please leave. My husband and I share a deep bond, and there’s no way you can come between us.”
Zhao Rouyin hadn’t expected Yun Pianpian to be so direct, skipping any pleasantries and immediately issuing a dismissal. Since Yun Pianpian was being straightforward, Zhao Rouyin decided not to beat around the bush either. She cut to the chase, saying, “Little sister, you’ve misunderstood my intentions. I’m not here to break you two apart, I’m here to join you…”
Yun Pianpian: “…”
Zhao Rouyin persisted relentlessly, “As long as you allow me to join you, I’ll do anything you ask.”
After days of deep contemplation, Zhao Rouyin had suddenly come to a realization: since she lacked the ability to break them apart, she should instead choose to join them. This young couple, one was a man she had once loved, and the other was the woman she now adored. In the end, they were both her beloved. Deep down, she didn’t actually resent Xiao Changyuan; it was just that, compared to him, she now loved Yun Pianpian more.
Yun Pianpian was left utterly speechless by Zhao Rouyin’s words.
She had truly underestimated this green tea beauty.
How dare this woman say such shameless things right to her face?
She was even trying to steal her man with such audacity…
This was just too much…
Yun Pianpian immediately pushed Zhao Rouyin away.
Her delicate, fair face scrunched up in displeasure.
“Leave. You’re not welcome in my home.”
Zhao Rouyin attempted to reason with her, “Little sister, it’s perfectly normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines, especially since…”
Especially since Xiao Changyuan was the emperor.
Zhao Rouyin swallowed those words back down. She couldn’t reveal Xiao Changyuan’s identity in front of Yun Pianpian, as doing so would expose herself. She genuinely loved Yun Pianpian, and if Yun Pianpian were to think she was pursuing her because of Xiao Changyuan’s status, it would be a total loss. So, Zhao Rouyin had no choice but to continue reasoning with Yun Pianpian in a roundabout way.
“Besides, Shitou is so exceptionally heroic, who knows how many women will pursue him in the future? How could you possibly fend them all off? Even if you drive them away, others will gossip and call you jealous. But I’m different. I am loyal to you, and I’ll take on the blame for jealousy on your behalf. I’ll help you chase away all those flirtatious women, so you can rest easy…”
Zhao Rouyin felt she had made her hints quite clear: once Yun Pianpian became empress, she would serve as the blade in Yun Pianpian's hand. Whichever seductive consort the empress wished to eliminate, she would eliminate. She aimed to become Yun Pianpian's pillar of support in the harem, the sharp sword in her grasp, and the woman Yun Pianpian cherished most.
Upon hearing Zhao Rouyin's words, Yun Pianpian grew even angrier.
How could there be such a sanctimonious and hypocritical mistress in this world!
It truly broadened her horizons.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a broom in the corner. Yun Pianpian walked over, picked it up, raised it high, and made a move as if to strike Zhao Rouyin.
Zhao Rouyin had no idea what she had done to offend Yun Pianpian and retreated in fear.
“Little Sister, why are you so angry?”
“You have the nerve to ask me why?”
Yun Pianpian held the broom aloft, her delicate, fair face stern as she glared at Zhao Rouyin as if facing a formidable enemy.
“Get away from me. I don't want to see you again.”
Zhao Rouyin had no clue what had provoked Yun Pianpian. Seeing that Yun Pianpian was currently enraged, Zhao Rouyin didn't want the situation to escalate further and surrendered, saying, “Little Sister, please calm down first and think carefully about what I said.”
Yun Pianpian, her expression fierce, took two steps forward, pretending to hit Zhao Rouyin.
“Are you leaving or not?”
Zhao Rouyin had no choice but to concede, “Alright, alright, I'll go, I'll go right now. Please calm down, little sister.”
With that, Zhao Rouyin left in a disheartened and embarrassed huff.
Only after watching Zhao Rouyin's figure disappear into the distance did Yun Pianpian throw down the broom she had been clutching.
She sat on the bluestone slab in the courtyard, staring at the broom lying on the ground, stewing in her anger alone.
“My husband stays away from women, he would never keep multiple wives and concubines.”
Just the thought of Xiao Changyuan surrounded by a flock of flirtatious women made Yun Pianpian's temper flare.
If Xiao Changyuan were his former self, Yun Pianpian could confidently guarantee he would remain indifferent to women.
But the current Xiao Changyuan held her every night as they slept and occasionally gazed thoughtfully at her red lips.
It seemed that because of her, he had started to become drawn to women.
Who could guarantee he wouldn't develop feelings for other women in the future?
The mere thought made Yun Pianpian furious.
She had worked so hard to tame the great tyrant, pulling out his fangs and claws, making him gentle and obedient, how could she let other women take advantage of that?
Meanwhile, Zhao Rouyin trudged home in low spirits. Her house was at the end of the village; after reaching the edge and turning the corner, she still had to pass three more households to get there. Just as she rounded the bend, she encountered Xiao Changyuan on the road.
Xiao Changyuan sat on a large rock, his expression cold and detached, his gaze icy and profound, as if he had been waiting for her specifically.
Upon seeing Xiao Changyuan, Zhao Rouyin couldn't help but feel terrified, her wrists seemingly aching faintly.
Xiao Changyuan gazed coldly at Zhao Rouyin, leaping down from the rock and landing lightly with a soft sound.
That faint sound seemed to strike right at Zhao Rouyin's heart, frightening her so much that her legs went weak. Trembling, she took a step back.
Xiao Changyuan slowly lifted his eyelids, his dark, icy eyes cold and indifferent, as if looking at a corpse.
“I told you not to go looking for her again. It seems you have a death wish.”
Hearing these words, Zhao Rouyin trembled all over. Clenching her teeth, she said, “You can't kill me. If you kill me, Yun Pianpian will have nightmares.”
Xiao Changyuan slowly approached Zhao Rouyin, his voice frigid. “Indeed, I won't kill you, but I will crush every bone in your body one by one.”
Hearing his icy tone, Zhao Rouyin turned pale with fear, collapsing to the ground, her lips quivering.
“Don't come any closer.”
Xiao Changyuan's footsteps halted right in front of Zhao Rouyin.
He looked down at her from above, his cold, arrogant gaze as if he were staring at an insignificant ant.
“Today, I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you go.”
In his dark, icy eyes, a bloody mist seemed to swirl, flashing with a cold killing intent.
“If there's a next time, I'll crush your brother's bones.”
Zhao Rouyin cried out in terror, “No!”
Xiao Changyuan lowered his eyelids and cast a cold glance at her.
He turned around and walked away indifferently.
Zhao Rouyin returned home, her face as pale as paper.
Seeing her in such a state, Zhao Mao immediately grew worried. “Sis, what's wrong with you?”
Zhao Rouyin lifted her head and looked coldly at Zhao Mao. “Mao'er, starting tomorrow, you will jog twenty laps around the village every day and practice horse stance for two hours. In a few days, I'll go to the city to find you a martial arts master.”
Zhao Mao widened his eyes. “Why, Sis?”
Zhao Rouyin replied, “Xiao Changyuan actually used you to threaten me. You cannot become my weakness.”
“Why would he use me to threaten you?”
Zhao Rouyin said, “Because he found out that I like Yun Pianpian.”
Zhao Mao burst into tears. “Why don't you just stop pursuing Yun Pianpian?”
“How could I give up on Yun Pianpian?”
Zhao Mao cried even more pitifully. “Then are you going to abandon me? I'm your own brother!”
Zhao Rouyin gazed at him gloomily. “Precisely because you're my own brother, I'm forcing you to train. You must learn how to protect yourself within a year so that I can pursue Yun Pianpian with peace of mind.”
Zhao Mao never expected his sister would treat him like this.
When they fled the marriage procession, she hadn't forced him to practice martial arts.
When she was captured by the villagers and nearly drowned in a pig cage, she still hadn't forced him to practice martial arts.
Yet now, for the sake of pursuing Yun Pianpian, she was forcing him to train!
Truly, the allure of women brings ruin!
He never wanted to like women in this lifetime!
A butterfly flapped its wings, and everyone's lives began to veer off course.
Because of that butterfly, they escaped the deaths written in the original story.
Who could have imagined? The future valiant and battle, hardened General Zhao Mao of Mo Kingdom began his martial arts training for no other reason than his sister's desire to pursue the future Empress of Mo Kingdom.
As imperial power shifted and storms of change swept through, everything would become buried history.
Yet the story of Jiangjia Village would become an immortal legend.