Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 116 Cloud Court

Luo An was usually fierce during intimate moments, and today he was even more ruthless. Nian Yao soothed him, calling out, "Luo An... Luo An..."

Despite her soft, low voice, Luo An's movements remained rough, but his expression gradually softened. His voice was muffled: "Nianyao...we...will be alright...unlike...them..."

Luo An's brows were still furrowed even in his sleep. Nian Yao looked at him closely, wanting to call him a hypocrite but unable to bring herself to do it.

Nianyao gently removed Luo An's hands from around his waist. Luo An opened his eyes as if startled: "Nianyao?"

Nianyao whispered, "It's me. You sleep, I'll drink water."

Luo An closed his eyes and fell asleep. Nian Yao got up after a while, gently lowered the bed curtains to block out the light, drank a glass of water, and turned to leave the room.

Luo An always seems to be in a bad mood whenever he runs into Xu Sheng. And Xu Sheng just seems to enjoy provoking him; he wonders what Xu Sheng said to him today.

Nianyao didn't quite understand Xu Sheng. As someone with an unknown background, he didn't seem cynical, vengeful, or driven by greed... What did he want to do?

Nianyao slowly walked into the courtyard, a chilly breeze blowing from the river. She leaned against a tree, staring at the dim red lantern, recalling the question: "Sister, do you want to be the Empress?"

If she is the Empress, then what is Luo An? A king? Which king? He wouldn't compete with An Liangchen for the crown prince position, much less go to Nan Yue...

“Sister?” Nianyao straightened up and turned around. Xue Yunting took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders: “It’s cold at night, sister, be careful not to catch a cold.”

Nianyao and Xue Yunting had only met a few times, yet they acted as if they had known each other for a long time. Their intimacy was natural, with no need to avoid suspicion, and they had a natural trust and reliance on each other.

Girls are naturally fond of gossip. Nianyao pulled her cloak tighter: "Yunting, are you married?"

Xue Yunting shook his head: "Not yet."

Nianyao asked, "Is there a girl you like?"

Xue Yunting asked, "Sister, do you have any suitable girls to introduce to me?"

Nianyao laughed: "You men are all eyeing what's in your bowl while wanting what's in the pot? I heard that General Xue is a candidate for the imperial son-in-law..."

Xue Yunting smiled: "She's still a child... Princess Dongyang, An Xingchen, is only fifteen years old, which is just the right age..."

Xue Yunting stood with his back to the lamplight, his expression obscured by the darkness. Nianyao couldn't tell if he was joking or had ulterior motives.

Nianyao said, "After you left Chongming Island last time, I remembered seeing you before... I was being naughty at the Imperial Academy, and your father dragged me to the manor and gave me a beating... and you even said..."

General Xue grabbed her clothes like he was carrying firewood, carrying her all the way from the Imperial Academy to his residence. When he put her down, he slapped her bottom a few times.

Nianyao immediately burst into tears...

Xue Yunting, though young, already possessed his father's imposing manner, standing ramrod straight and speaking with a brutal tone: "The fault lies with the father for not teaching his son. Her unruly behavior is entirely due to her father's poor upbringing. Lock her father up and torture him, cut off his hands and feet, parade him through the streets, and behead him as a public spectacle..."

Nianyao was so frightened that she forgot to cry and looked at the little boy with teary eyes.

The elegant general's wife chimed in, "Yun Ting is absolutely right. Xiao Jing, take your men and arrest her father and throw him in jail..."

Nianyao knelt down in front of General Xue with a thud, hugging his legs and begging for forgiveness: "I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong... I'll study hard from now on and never hit anyone again... Please don't arrest my father... Please don't arrest my father..."

Nianyao used to live in the palace where she was taken care of by special people. But that day, she was staying at the General's Mansion. She couldn't sleep at night and kept imagining her father being locked in a cage and paraded through the streets, with people throwing rotten eggs at him... and her father's head being hung high on a bamboo pole for all to see...

While the servant attending to her was dozing off, Nianyao slipped out of the room from under the table, climbed up the pillar to the eaves, grabbed a lantern, and threw it into the woodshed...

The mansion was in chaos as people were busy putting out the fire. Nianyao took the opportunity to run out of the gate and saw her father coming over.

Nianyao screamed and rushed over, but before she could even cry, she saw General Xue come out.

Father seemed about to say something, but Nianyao stretched out her hands to block him, crying out, "Father, let's go quickly... He's a bad man, he'll arrest you, lock you up in jail, cut off your hands and feet, parade you through the streets, and behead you..."

General Xue saw that she was frightened and stood still at the door, while her father carried her away. The memory was so traumatic that Nianyao never went to Qinzhou again.

Xue Yunting clearly remembered: "...you set fire to the woodshed...luckily it was discovered in time..."

Looking back, it was incredibly embarrassing. Nianyao couldn't help but complain, "I was terrified. I had nightmares for a long time after I got back..."

Xue Yunting laughed and said, "If I said you were a coward, you would have set fire to the woodshed; if I said you were brave, you would have been scared by just a few words..."

Engagement, longevity lock, the father's fault for not teaching his son... she took it all seriously, even though it was all just made up on the spot...

Nianyao said, "You're all liars, Xu Sheng is... Luo An is... and you are too... I don't know who to believe anymore..."

Xue Yunting said, "...You can trust your brother-in-law; he won't hurt you."

Nianyao looked at him, quite surprised: "I thought you were going to talk about yourself."

Xue Yunting said sincerely, "You can trust me while your brother-in-law is away. Sister, I have a country to protect, parents and family to care for, and sometimes I have no choice but to do what I'm told..."

Family? Doesn't she count? Nianyao said, "Since you're so honest, why not be even more honest? What do you want Luo An to do in Hengshan? You're really short of doctors..."

Xue Yunting said, "Sister..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Yunting reached out and pulled Nianyao into his arms, and a flying knife pierced the tree trunk that Nianyao had just been leaning against.

A figure flashed through the darkness, and Xue Yunting grabbed a throwing knife and gave chase. Nian Yao ran towards the room, lifted the bed curtains, and saw Luo An open his eyes.

Xue Yunting jumped down from the roof and gently knocked on the window frame.

Nianyao opened the window, and Xue Yunting said, "We haven't found anyone. Be careful, sister."

Luo An asked, "What's wrong?"

“Yun Ting saw a figure, but he might have been mistaken…” Nian Yao closed the window, hung her cloak on the rack, took off her clothes, crawled into the quilt, and yawned widely: “So sleepy, time to sleep.”

Luo An held her in his arms, looking at the dark cloak, a shadow falling over his heart: "Nianyao, stay away from Xue Yunting from now on..."

Nianyao rubbed her head against his chest and mumbled, "Mmm... whatever you say..."

When Nianyao woke up, Xu Sheng and Xue Yunting had already left. Yan Zeyu and Hu Zi were having a competition.

Eighth Sister was dazzled, her mouth agape: You can't judge a book by its cover, Tiger is really this amazing!

Seeing that Eighth Sister looked silly, Nianyao pouted and went to find Luo An. Just then, she saw the two of them clashing swords, which sent sand and stones flying on the ground.

Eighth Sister screamed, and Nianyao grabbed her and shoved her backward. Eighth Sister had no martial arts skills whatsoever, and in her stunned state, she was caught off guard by Nianyao's pull and push, and ended up crashing into a pillar…

Tiger withdrew his knife and retreated, landing in front of a pillar. Eighth Sister bumped into him but was not injured at all.

Yan Zeyu's sword momentum was unstoppable, and the sword energy came towards Nianyao with immense pressure. Nianyao dodged it, and when she landed, her foot landed on the edge of the step. For some reason, her ankle hurt and she lost her balance, falling headfirst onto the step.

Yan Zeyi rushed over to help her, his voice filled with fear: "Chief, are you alright! I didn't know Tiger..."