Chapter 37: Reconciling Accounts

Qi Chuyao took a swift step forward, reaching out to pull Qin Junyue up from the ground.

“Junyue, what are you doing? What’s going on? Get up.” Qi Chuyao’s voice still carried the shock that hadn’t fully dissipated, her eyes wide and round. “Is this really necessary? What’s the big deal that makes you act like this?”

She didn’t understand. A single letter, was it really worth kneeling down and making such a severe oath?

‘What mountains of knives and seas of fire, what dying ten thousand deaths without regret… who is she saying this for?’

She had never seen Qin Junyue like this in all her life, actually kneeling before her husband and saying those words.

Song Ning heard the thump first, followed by the sound of Qi Chuyao pulling someone up. Only then did he realize what had just happened.

He groped his way to his feet, his hands probing the air, unable to find the right direction, a look of helpless amusement on his face.

“What are you doing?”

“I entrusted this matter to you because I trust you. You don’t need to be like this.”

He couldn’t see Qin Junyue’s face. In their interactions, he had always thought of her as a gentle and polite martial artist, treating him with courtesy and respect, speaking politely, and behaving properly when they met.

He also wanted to win her over. After all, a second-rank martial artist was a rare asset for any faction.

The two of them had always interacted as friends. Who could have imagined she would get so emotional?

He took a step forward, his hand continuing to search the air, his fingertips sweeping through a wide arc, touching nothing.

Then he touched something.

A warm, soft hand. The size of that hand, the curve of its palm, the feel of its knuckles… it all felt strangely familiar.

It was exactly the same as the hands he had touched last night. Those hands that had cupped his face, gripped his waist, and lifted his entire body up and down.

It was Qi Chuyao’s hand.

Being blind was still too troublesome.

He had groped in the wrong direction and ended up touching Qi Chuyao.

‘Well, it’s better than touching Xia Ling or Xia Shuang.’

He naturally took hold of that hand, his fingers threading through the other’s, locking together, warm palm pressed against his palm.

“Having this sentiment is enough,” he said, his voice gentle. “This isn’t just my request, but also my mother’s and mother-in-law’s entrustment. When the time comes, they will send people to assist you.”

Qi Chuyao’s expression became somewhat subtle, even a bit ugly.

She watched as Qin Junyue reached out to take her husband’s hand, and how her husband actually clasped Qin Junyue’s hand in return. The two of them stood there, intimately close, talking together.

‘What is this? How can such a thing happen?!’

Her brows knitted into a knot, the corners of her mouth turned down. Something churned in her chest, making her feel stifled.

She couldn’t quite name that feeling. It wasn’t anger, but it was a bit like anger. It wasn’t grievance, but it was a bit like grievance.

It was like when she was a child and saw her favorite toy being played with by someone else. Even though she didn’t play with it much herself, it still made her uncomfortable.

‘Doesn’t he know he shouldn’t casually touch other women’s hands? Where is his Male Virtue? Wasn’t he taught any Male Virtue?’

Indignation rose in her heart, her expression turning unfriendly.

‘Whether I like him or not… but aren’t we married after all?’ But these words reached the tip of her tongue, only to be swallowed back down.

After all, Qin Junyue wasn’t an outsider. They were good sisters who grew up together, and she had just been kneeling on the ground making that kind of oath.

Holding hands… would speaking up make her seem petty?

‘I don’t like him anyway, I…’

She just stood there, watching helplessly.

Qin Junyue’s peripheral vision was frantically glancing at Qi Chuyao, like a cat that had stolen some fish, enjoying the treat while staying wary of the owner’s broom.

Yet the expression on her face remained that same respectful, grateful, indebted look.

She subtly withdrew her hand from Qi Chuyao’s arm, circulated her internal power, and quietly shifted her steps to the side.

The movement was light, almost gliding, without making a sound.

She bent down, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured herself a cup of tea.

“Young Master Song has shown me great kindness. Naturally, I will serve with my utmost effort, even unto death.”

Song Ning was somewhat surprised.

He felt the hand that had been so pliantly letting him hold it suddenly slip away, fingertips sliding across his palm.

‘Why is Qi Chuyao so hot and cold? She was fine just a moment ago, then lets go without a word.’

He was disoriented now. Orienting himself by the sound, he turned his head slightly toward Qin Junyue.

“That matter… it was years ago.”

“Why do you remember it so clearly?”

Qin Junyue didn’t speak. She just gave Song Ning a deep look, raised the teacup, and drained it in one gulp.

“Young Master Song, since there is an important task entrusted to me, I shall take my leave now.” She set down the cup and clasped her fists.

Her voice had regained its usual brightness, clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. She turned and strode toward the courtyard gate.

Seeing this, Xia Ling stepped forward, took Song Ning’s arm, guided him back to the chair, and helped him sit down.

“Young Master, be careful, don’t fall.”

Qi Chuyao stood in place, watching Qin Junyue’s resolute departing back.

‘I was going to invite her to stay for a meal. She left so fast.’

The sunlight in the courtyard grew a bit brighter. The surroundings quieted down. Song Ning felt the atmosphere lighten considerably.

After all, Qin Junyue was an outsider. It was fine that she left.

Qi Chuyao was family, especially after last night’s intimacy. That kind of thing had already happened.

He leaned back in the chair, tilting his head toward Qi Chuyao’s direction.

“Do you want to have someone move your things here to live?” His voice was gentle, carrying a hint of a smile. “Our Song Mansion is actually quite nice.”

Qi Chuyao was sitting opposite him, cradling her face in her hands. Hearing this, she shot him a glance.

The sunlight fell on his face, softening his handsome features, revealing a faint, subtle smile.

Something stirred slightly in her heart, as if something had bumped gently in her chest, or as if brushed by a feather.

“Why should I move here?” She shifted her gaze away, staring at the teacup on the table, her tone stiff. “The place I live in now is perfectly fine. I’m not moving.”

Song Ning was choked into silence.

He opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head. The smile on his face turned into a bitter one.

“Then I’ll have Ling’er and Shuang’er move my things over to your place,” he said, his voice softening a bit, taking on a negotiating tone.

“It’s just that everything in this courtyard was built for my convenience. Moving would be quite troublesome.”

“Can Ling’er and Shuang’er come with me?”

“After all, you can’t always be by my side.”

Of course, even if Qi Chuyao didn’t agree, it wouldn’t matter.

These two sisters had been with him for so many years. They were not only loyal but also like family.

But this was, after all, a female-dominated world. He still had to say a few words to Qi Chuyao about it.

The formalities had to be observed. If she really didn’t agree, he could just mention it to his mother-in-law.

After all, in a female-dominated world, the husband listens to the wife, and doesn’t the wife also listen to her mother?

Qi Chuyao looked at Xia Ling beside her, then at Xia Shuang who stood holding her sword in silence.

“Why do you need to move?” she muttered. “If this place suits you, just live here.”

“You live in yours, I’ll live in mine. We won’t bother each other.”

Song Ning was completely speechless.

He was even amused by his own anger.

‘What kind of person is she?’

‘Why didn’t she say that yesterday when she was riding me so fiercely?’

If he lifted his clothes now, he could probably see countless kiss marks and bruises.

And today she says they should live separately?

‘Are you kidding me?’

‘How did I not see you were this kind of person before? Ride and run?’

“What are you laughing at? Are you happy?” Qi Chuyao shot him a glance, her tone unfriendly.

‘What’s so funny? Is what I said funny?’

Song Ning restrained his temper, took a deep breath, and suppressed all those messy thoughts.

He spoke through gritted teeth, hinting:

“Qi Chuyao, last night you…”

“What about last night?” Qi Chuyao’s eyes widened, and she stood up abruptly. “You have the nerve to bring up last night?”

The anger she had been holding in all morning finally found an outlet.

Last night, she had slept slumped over the table the entire night.

Her neck was crooked, her arms were numb from being pressed, her face stuck to the cold table surface.

When she woke up, half her face was red, imprinted with the wood grain of the table.

Song Ning hadn’t woken her up. He hadn’t helped her to the bed to rest. He hadn’t even draped a robe over her.

She had woken up before him. He was sleeping soundly, didn’t even know when she left, and now he had the nerve to talk about last night!

Song Ning was instantly dumbfounded by the question, caught between advancing and retreating.

‘What about me last night? Was my performance not good? How else was I supposed to perform against a martial artist like you?’

‘I was completely defenseless!’

His mind was a jumble. He instinctively retorted:

“What about me last night?”

Qi Chuyao stood up, sweeping her gaze over the Xia Ling and Xia Shuang sisters.

One maid was lowering her head, pretending to wipe the table. The other was holding her sword, looking at the sky. Both were pretending not to hear.

The young master’s private affairs were not for polite ears.

She gave a light snort.

“You don’t know yourself? Don’t pretend to be ignorant just because you can’t see.”

With that, she strode away, the hem of her skirt swishing around her feet, stirring up a gust of wind.

Song Ning stood up sharply. The chair slid back half an inch from the force. His hand groped in the air, catching nothing. He could only shout in the direction of the footsteps:

“You…”

But she was already gone. The sound of footsteps grew farther and fainter, finally disappearing beyond the courtyard gate.

Song Ning stood in place, his hand still extended mid-air, fingers splayed, having caught nothing.

Slowly, he withdrew his hand, letting it hang by his side. The corner of his mouth twitched, unsure if it was a smile or a sigh.

“What did she mean?” he asked, his voice full of confusion. “What about me last night?”

Xia Ling, head bowed as she wiped the table, said softly, “I don’t know. Who knows what that jerk is thinking.”

“To be honest, marrying her isn’t as good as marrying Qin…”

Song Ning frowned slightly. “What are you saying?! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Xia Ling immediately shut her mouth and continued wiping the table with extra diligence.

Xia Shuang held her sword, looked at the sky, stood motionless, and blinked toward the heavens.

Song Ning stood for a while, then slowly sat back down, leaning against the chair back, tilting his head up, gazing in the direction of the sky.

He couldn’t figure it out. Last night was perfectly fine. How did it become like this today?

……

In the shadows at the corner of the courtyard wall, Qin Junyue held her breath, hiding herself in the gloom at the base of the wall.

Hearing the courtyard fall into silence, she waited a moment, then quietly turned and slipped away along the wall’s shadow, leaving the scene of the ‘crime’.