Chapter 60

Yun Pianpian’s eyelashes trembled.
She never expected Xiao Changyuan to turn back halfway.
Her heart tightened as she braced herself and looked at him, instinctively starting to lie.
“I, I wanted to go feed Buling Buling.”
She had asked Xiao Changyuan about this in the morning, but at the time, he hadn’t answered her question, he had just pulled her into practicing demonic arts.
So now, she could conveniently use this as her excuse.
In the past, whenever Yun Pianpian deceived Xiao Changyuan, she always felt a pang of guilt toward the innocent, amnesiac Yuan.
But now, the person she was deceiving was the evil, tyrannical Yuan, so all the guilt in Yun Pianpian’s heart vanished without a trace.
Only a sense of righteous integrity remained.
This integrity made her eyes appear exceptionally clear and innocent, as if she weren’t lying at all.
Xiao Changyuan didn’t doubt her words.
His gaze was dark and cold as he faintly furrowed his brows.
“I’ve already fed him.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian felt inexplicably touched.
Even though the great tyrant had been so furious these past few days, he still remembered to help her feed the dog.
What a virtuous and kind, hearted tyrant he was.
“Husband, why did you come back?”
Yun Pianpian was worried that Xiao Changyuan had noticed something, which was why he had turned back.
Xiao Changyuan walked over and scooped Yun Pianpian up into his arms.
Startled, she immediately clutched the thin fabric over his chest with her small hands.
Her clear, almond, shaped eyes were filled with fear.
“Husband, what are you doing?”
“Taking you to the county town.”
Xiao Changyuan lowered his lashes, his expression cold as he looked down at the pale, faced Yun Pianpian in his arms.
“If Pianpian isn’t staying within my sight.”
His dark, profound eyes were icy and shadowed, like snow, covered abysses.
“I can’t rest assured.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian’s heart instantly twisted into a tight knot.
Xiao Changyuan’s desire to control her was far too strong, so strong it frightened her.
Clutching the front of his robe, Yun Pianpian lifted her trembling lashes and looked at him with pitiful, pleading eyes.
“But husband, I’m in so much pain. I don’t want to go to the county town.”
The girl’s long, thick lashes fluttered delicately, as fragile and beautiful as a butterfly’s broken wings.
Xiao Changyuan couldn’t resist lowering his head to kiss her quivering eyelashes.
His movements were gentle, but his tone was colder than the frost under winter eaves.
“You’ll have to endure the pain.”
The man kissed her lashes intimately, his voice as icy as a blade of snow.
“This is your punishment for deceiving me.”
Hearing his words, Yun Pianpian’s nose tingled with the urge to cry.
She feared she would never escape Xiao Changyuan’s grasp in this lifetime.
After kissing her lashes, Xiao Changyuan straightened up and, with a cold expression, carried her out of the room.
He set her down on the ox cart. The wooden plank was too hard, and Yun Pianpian really was in pain, instinctively curling up. Seeing this, Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly, turned around, went back inside, and brought out a quilt to cushion the cold, hard surface.
Settling onto the quilt, Yun Pianpian finally relaxed her curled, up body.
“Thank you, husband.”
She could always easily sense the tenderness Xiao Changyuan buried beneath the frost and snow.
However, compared to the innocent, amnesiac Yuan of the past, the current cold and tyrannical Yuan was not as gentle as he used to be.
Xiao Changyuan drove the ox cart to bring Yun Pianpian to the county town and headed straight for the medical clinic. He carried Yun Pianpian down from the cart and held her all the way into the clinic. Yun Pianpian, her cheeks flushed, wanted to walk on her own, but Xiao Changyuan refused her request.
Everyone in the clinic looked up, their eyes fixed on the two of them, filled with astonishment.
On one hand, they were surprised by their actions, and on the other, they were captivated by their appearances.
In the past, before entering the city, Yun Pianpian would always use soot from the bottom of a pot to darken Xiao Changyuan’s face, hiding his extraordinarily handsome features under the grimy layer to evade the spies of Chu Yi and the Prince of Rui.
But now that Xiao Changyuan had regained his memories, she no longer needed to worry about this matter.
Because she knew that the current Xiao Changyuan was fully capable of dealing with them.
The emperor’s peerlessly handsome face was now completely exposed to everyone’s gaze.
The crowd looked at the two of them with admiring eyes.
Noticing the stares, Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly and tightened his arms around Yun Pianpian.
He slowly raised his cold, gloomy eyes, his gaze icy and menacing as he scanned the crowd.
His voice was cold and sinister, filled with murderous intent, as if dripping with blood.
“If any of you look at her again, I’ll gouge out all your eyes.”
An oppressive aura emanated from him, like a chilling, deadly force that inexplicably instilled fear in everyone.
The crowd lowered their heads, their faces pale with fright, not daring to continue staring at them.
Xiao Changyuan, radiating a cold aura and with a dark expression, carried Yun Pianpian into the inner room of the clinic. A short while later, he emerged with her in his arms. The people in the clinic kept their heads down, not even daring to breathe loudly, and the room fell into complete silence.
Only after Xiao Changyuan had left did the crowd dare to look up. As they breathed a sigh of relief, they began whispering among themselves.
“Who was that gentleman just now? So handsome, yet so terrifying in temper?”
“He must be someone from the martial world. I could see the killing intent in his eyes.”
“Such ruthless martial artists are best avoided…”
One of them suddenly pulled out a portrait from his pocket and showed it to a patient nearby.
“Did you notice that young gentleman just now? Doesn't he resemble this person?”
The patient glanced down at the portrait and replied, “Similar, yet not quite. Though both are exceptionally striking. Are you searching for someone?”
The man answered without changing his expression, “A distant relative's son has gone missing, and we're currently asking around for any leads.”
“I see.”
Just as the patient was about to say more, he realized the man had already vanished from his side.
That man was none other than a spy planted in Qingcheng County by Prince Rui, tasked with locating Xiao Changyuan.
The spy hurried out of the clinic and scanned the streets, but Xiao Changyuan's figure was nowhere to be seen. His expression darkened as he swiftly made his way to a secluded residence. He knocked on the brass ring adorning the door, and moments later, the wooden door creaked open. Stepping inside, he addressed the person within, “Report to His Highness Prince Rui immediately, a man resembling Xiao Changyuan has appeared at the Qingcheng County clinic. Request reinforcements for confirmation.”
Though these spies were Prince Rui's hidden operatives scattered across various counties, none of them actually knew what Xiao Changyuan looked like.
That same day, a secret missive from Qingcheng County was tucked into a courier's robes and swiftly dispatched toward the capital, Luojing.
After purchasing the medicinal ointment, Xiao Changyuan drove the ox cart back to Jiangjia Village with Yun Pianpian.
He lifted her by the waist and carried her into the house. By now, Yun Pianpian had grown accustomed to treating Xiao Changyuan as her personal mode of transport, being carried back and forth by him daily. He laid her on the bed and reached to apply the ointment himself.
Yun Pianpian, her cheeks flushed, shrank into the corner.
“I, I can apply it myself.”
“Pianpian.”
Xiao Changyuan's thin lips pressed into a line, his expression icy as he said, “This emperor does not enjoy being refused by you.”
In the end, Yun Pianpian could only half, heartedly allow herself to be pinned to the bed as Xiao Changyuan personally tended to her wounds. She found that bathing and applying medicine with him were even more intimate and tormenting than practicing demonic cultivation. By the time he finished, her body was limp, her eyes damp, and her face so red it seemed about to burst into flames.
Like a ragdoll, she was pulled into Xiao Changyuan's embrace.
Unable to resist, he lowered his head and kissed her scorching, hot cheeks.
His voice was deep and rough, as though suppressing some turbulent emotion.
“This emperor will spare you for the next few days.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian nearly wept with joy.
Her tyrant of a husband was finally acting human.
Perhaps the overwhelming relief in her eyes was too obvious.
Xiao Changyuan bent down and caught her crimson, blood, red earlobe between his lips, biting down sharply.
Tears welled up in Yun Pianpian's eyes once more, this life was truly unbearable.
True to his word, the tyrant kept his promise.
Over the following days, he never again dragged her into practicing demonic cultivation.
However, Yun Pianpian still couldn't escape his daily rewards and punishments and the situation only grew more intense.
Refusing to give up, Yun Pianpian began plotting her next escape plan.
“Husband, we're almost out of money.”
She counted the silver notes in her treasure box and found only a little over a hundred taels remaining. Xiao Changyuan hadn't gone hunting in the mountains for some time, so Yun Pianpian blinked her eyes innocently and gazed at him.
“The prey in the mountains must be eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
She hoped to use hunting as an excuse to send Xiao Changyuan away, giving her a chance to grab her belongings and flee.
Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze, his expression cool as he replied, “This emperor will carry Pianpian along to hunt.”
Yun Pianpian tactfully declined, “Husband, how can you shoot arrows while holding me? Your strong hands should be used for archery, for earning money, not for such a trivial matter as carrying me.”
Xiao Changyuan gazed at her with a cold, penetrating look.
“Pianpian speaks wisely.”
Hearing his words, Yun Pianpian was just about to feel overjoyed, but the next moment, she heard Xiao Changyuan's icy, deep voice.
“Then Pianpian can walk up the mountain on her own.”
Yun Pianpian froze, instantly wilting like a frostbitten eggplant, her entire body slumping weakly.
She had no way to refuse Xiao Changyuan, so she had no choice but to carry the bamboo basket and climb the mountain.
Buling Buling followed closely behind the two of them.
The forest was deep and secluded, the ground covered with dry branches and scattered stones that crunched underfoot.
Halfway up, Yun Pianpian's legs began to feel weak.
She was panting heavily from exhaustion.
It was all because Xiao Changyuan had been carrying her around so much lately that her legs had become practically useless. After just a few steps, they felt weak and limp. Yun Pianpian, utterly exhausted, sat down on a rock, tilting her delicate face upward to gaze pitifully at Xiao Changyuan.
She stretched out her arms, wanting him to carry her.
“Husband, I'm so tired.”
Xiao Changyuan walked up to her, lowering his cold eyes to look down at her with an aloof expression.
“Didn't you say my hands shouldn't be used for such trivial matters?”
The great tyrant really holds a grudge.
Yun Pianpian immediately admitted her mistake, “I'm sorry, husband, I was wrong.”
Xiao Changyuan didn't move, only staring coldly at her. “Tell me, what should my hands be used for?”
Yun Pianpian said pitifully, “They should be used to carry me.”
Xiao Changyuan didn't make things difficult for Yun Pianpian for too long before reaching out to scoop her up by the waist.
When he lifted her, it was as effortless as picking up a paper doll.
Once nestled in his arms, Yun Pianpian immediately felt at ease. She rested her rosy cheek against Xiao Changyuan's broad shoulder, and drowsiness washed over her instantly. Her eyes half, closed, she murmured sleepily, “Husband, I think I'm tired from walking. Let me sleep for a while.”
The cool breeze of early summer swept through the quiet forest, rustling the leaves with a soft, fragmented sound.
After a moment, a clear, low voice sounded by her ear.
“Sleep.”
Hearing his voice, Yun Pianpian almost had the illusion that the tyrant Yuan had reverted to the amnesiac Yuan because his voice sounded somewhat gentle.
Yun Pianpian didn't think too deeply about it.
She was too sleepy, her mind grew hazy, and she drifted off to sleep.
When she woke again, she found herself lying in Xiao Changyuan's arms, halfway up a mountain in the forest. To the west, there were no trees blocking the view, and in the distance, the setting sun cast a molten gold glow, painting the clouds in the sky as beautifully as brocade.
Yun Pianpian was covered by Xiao Changyuan's dark robe.
She rubbed her eyes, gazed at the distant sunset, and curved her red lips into a smile.
“The sunset today is so beautiful.”
She hadn't expected to sleep from noon until dusk.
Did he deliberately carry her here to let her admire the beautiful sunset?
“Husband, why didn't you wake me?”
It was already dusk, and with Xiao Changyuan holding her, he surely couldn't go hunting.
They might have to return down the mountain empty, handed today.
As if sensing what Yun Pianpian was thinking, Xiao Changyuan said indifferently, “Buling went hunting.”
Yun Pianpian froze, thinking she had misheard.
“Wh-what?”
Xiao Changyuan said, “I taught Buling how to hunt.”
Yun Pianpian turned her face to stare at Xiao Changyuan, her almond, shaped eyes filled with disbelief.
“But Buling is a puppy. How can a puppy hunt?”
Xiao Changyuan replied coolly, “Only you would think it's a puppy.”
Not long after, Yun Pianpian heard a noise and looked back to see Bu Ling returning with a wild rabbit in its mouth.
It tossed the rabbit beside a rock, where several small prey and a few ginseng roots were already piled up.
Seeing that Yun Pianpian was awake, Buling's watery eyes immediately lit up, and it wagged its tail vigorously, as if seeking her praise.
Yun Pianpian widened her clear, bright almond eyes in disbelief.
Her puppy not only climbed cliffs and found thousand-year ginseng but could also hunt.
Was it on the verge of becoming immortal?
Xiao Changyuan spoke calmly behind her, “From now on, Bu Ling will be responsible for hunting in the mountains and earning a living for the family.”
Yun Pianpian: “...” Listen to yourself, is that even human speech?
How could a puppy be expected to support the family?
Xiao Changyuan gathered the prey into a bamboo basket, slung it over his back, scooped Yun Pianpian into his arms, and headed home.
After they ate, bathed, and lay down in bed, Yun Pianpian began to feel that the tyrant seemed to be treating her a bit more gently today.
But then Xiao Changyuan leaned over and began practicing his demonic arts.
Yun Pianpian's cheeks flushed crimson, her body grew weak, and as her sweet dreams shattered, she racked her brains for an escape plan.
After a while, she finally came up with an idea using her muddled little head.
“Husband, don't you want to return to the palace?”
It was strange, ever since Xiao Changyuan regained his memories, he had never mentioned returning to the palace.
In the original story, after Xiao Changyuan regained his memories, he immediately stormed back to the palace.
But now, Xiao Changyuan hadn't even brought it up.
Xiao Changyuan held Yun Pianpian's soft, delicate body in his arms, his pale, slender fingers stroking her fair, pink shoulders.
His expression was cool, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, with a lazy satisfaction lingering at their corners.
“Pianpian wants to go to the palace?”
Yun Pianpian nodded nervously.
Xiao Changyuan asked indifferently, “Why?”
Yun Pianpian racked her brains for a long time before finally saying with a blushing face, “Be-because I want to be the empress.”