Chapter 9

#Eight Streets

My mission ended in failure before it even began—thanks to that wave of tricks from Xie Xuanqing, I was left a bit out of sorts.

I was so dazed on my way back that I couldn’t even find the entrance to Xie Zhuo’s barrier.

Wandering aimlessly in the snowy bamboo forest, I felt like I was trapped in a maze. But to my surprise, I soon ran into Xie Zhuo—who looked just as disoriented as I was.

It seemed he was also searching for the entrance to the barrier.

We bumped into each other in the forest. I stared at him blankly; he looked silently back at me.

“I can understand not finding the entrance, since you were the one who set up the barrier. But how are you unable to find it?” I asked.

Xie Zhuo didn’t answer. He simply raised his hand and finally touched the entrance. “Let’s go back…”

He led me into the barrier, and we returned to the snowy bamboo courtyard. We both plopped into our chairs, collapsing at the same time—looking nothing like the confident people who had left that morning.

I had no idea what Xie Zhuo had gone through today…

“You go first,” I prompted. “What did the past me do to you?”

Without a word, Xie Zhuo pulled out a bamboo dragonfly from his robe.

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I must’ve given you a recovery gift, huh…”

Before I could finish, he kept pulling things out—hand drums, a spatial pouch, a jade hairband… even half a roast chicken he hadn’t finished…

A whole table full of random trinkets appeared before long.

“…”

Looking at the tired expression on Xie Zhuo’s face, I suddenly understood: I must have dragged him around town all day, which would explain how he ended up with so many random purchases. I nudged through the pile and clicked my tongue. “I was really nice to you.”

At that, Xie Zhuo leaned back against the bamboo chair and uttered three words: “Eight whole streets…”

That’s nearly twenty li…

Xie Zhuo was impressive, but like every other Kunlun husband, he wasn’t good at shopping. Eight streets was really pushing it for him. But still…

“That just proves how much I cared about you. At first glance, all this stuff seems random, but it really shows my attention to detail. Look—bamboo dragonflies and hand drums. When you’re by yourself, you can entertain yourself with those.

Then there’s the spatial pouch and the jade hairband—one’s for utility, the other for dignity. Thoughtful and caring. Why didn’t I have someone buying me stuff like this?”

Xie Zhuo said nothing—probably just too exhausted today.

I pushed the pile toward him. “So, did you achieve our goal?”

“Uh…” He pressed his lips together in silence for a moment. “We continue tomorrow.”

Got it. He got thrown off by Xiaxia.

Can’t blame him—I know how persuasive I am. Honestly, I saw this coming.

“Then tomorrow, take all this stuff and smash it in front of Xiaxia. The more expensive, the harder you smash,” I suggested.

Xie Zhuo froze, stared at the pile of random knickknacks, then absentmindedly picked up the hand drum and gave it a shake. The childish jingle echoed through the snowy bamboo hut.

He didn’t agree to my suggestion.

Watching him fall silent, I suddenly felt something stir in my heart.

“You don’t want to?” I asked, voice tinged with curiosity—unconsciously, I started to feel a flicker of hope.

It was like he’d been jolted awake. He looked up at me, lips tight, swallowing his emotions. A moment later, he yanked the little drumstick off the hand drum.

He tossed it aside and coldly said, “I know what to do.”

I glanced at the broken toy on the floor and scoffed a little. I’d been overthinking. I knew what kind of person Xie Zhuo was. Him? Reluctant?

“Now talk about yourself,” he said.

“Me?” I snorted and sprawled even more shamelessly in my chair. “If I hadn’t come back five hundred years, I wouldn’t even know how much you tricked me before our marriage.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Tricked you?”

“What was all that nonsense about not drinking or eating spicy food? That guy in the cave didn’t have any such restrictions. So why did you have to control me after we got married?”

“It wasn’t good for you.”

Those four damn words again. Same excuse you’ve been using for centuries.

“Forget it, I’m not here to argue with you today.” I crossed my legs, bouncing my foot anxiously. “Spicy food and wine aren’t enough to rattle the current you. I need a different tactic for tomorrow…” I glanced at the tight-lipped Xie Zhuo. “How about giving me a few ideas? You should know what ticks you off.”

He lowered his eyes, deep in thought.

I waited… until the candle burned down a chunk.

I tapped the table. “Are you actually thinking?”

He mulled it over for ages before finally saying, “Go earlier tomorrow.”

“Hm?” I leaned in, curious.

He explained slowly, “He’s injured. Needs rest. Don’t let him sleep. That should…”

He didn’t finish, but I got the idea. I slammed the table. “Now that, I can do. I’ll keep you up all night if I have to.”

Xie Zhuo: “…”

Ignoring his complicated expression, I finalized my plan, got up, and prepared to head to bed. But as I stood, I accidentally bumped the table.

The mountain of trinkets scattered. Some began to roll off the edge.

I stood frozen, but Xie Zhuo, quick as lightning, caught every single item before it hit the floor.

He cradled the worthless little toys in his arms, not letting a single one fall.

I looked at him. He seemed to realize something too and looked up at me.

The things Xiaxia gave him—the ones I told him to smash, the ones he claimed he didn’t care about—he was now holding tightly in his arms, safe and intact.

To be honest, my heart wavered for a moment. It was a familiar feeling—this habit of mine—whenever Xie Zhuo did something that seemed to show he cared, I couldn’t help… but feel moved.

But I held it in. Because learning to suppress that feeling—was the best way I’d found in centuries to protect myself.

No fluttering heart, no heartbreak.

Feigning indifference, I picked a small jade pendant from his pile.

A yin-yang fish jade pendant—just a little Kunlun trinket. It splits into two so that two people can use it to communicate. “Nice catch. This one’s actually useful.”

Xie Zhuo’s eyes dimmed slightly as he placed the rest of the items back on the table.

I split the jade pendant—pocketed the white one, and handed him the black. “Take this with you when you go out. Hang it on your belt. Press the fish’s eye and we can talk. If anything unexpected happens, contact me immediately.”

Xie Zhuo was silent for a moment, then accepted it without a word.

I stretched and said, “I’m off to bed. You figure it out yourself tomorrow.”

Back in my room, I closed the door and didn’t speak to him again.

The next day, I got up early. Without greeting Xie Zhuo, I pattered straight into the cave.

“Xie Xuanqing!” I called out as soon as I reached the entrance. I kept shouting as I walked inside, and sure enough, Xie Xuanqing woke up.

But he clearly hadn’t had enough rest. The whites of his eyes were streaked with blood, and he looked a bit dazed. He struggled to sit up, tilting his head to look at me. “Jiuxia, you’re up early.”

“I couldn’t wait to share something joyful with you!”

He looked at me curiously, head tilted.

“I learned a tune—listen!”

I pulled a suona right out from my robes and brought it to my lips.

Xie Xuanqing: “……”

He’s not much of a talker, so I didn’t give him the chance. I went straight in with a blast of suona that could send someone to the heavens.

Of course, I wasn’t very good at playing this mortal instrument. Forget staying in tune—just getting a sound out of it was hard enough. This “melody” echoed through the cave, and before long, I couldn’t take it anymore myself.

I stopped and rubbed my ears.

Turning to look at Xie Xuanqing, I saw him staring at me blankly. That blast of suona had not only jolted him awake but also stunned him—maybe even deafened him.

“Sounded good?” I shamelessly asked.

“Good…” His voice trembled as he got one word out, then fell silent and rubbed his own ears. I figured he probably couldn’t hear his own voice over the ringing. After a pause, he managed a review: “Very… loud…”

I looked down at the suona in my hand, thinking, I just didn’t want him to sleep, that’s all. No need for such a mutually destructive move.

“It is a bit loud in a cave,” I said as I stashed the suona away.

Just as I tucked it behind me, I caught Xie Xuanqing quietly letting out a breath of relief from the corner of my eye. He must’ve been scared stiff—but at least he wasn’t mad yet.

I had to keep working at it. “I’ll try another one.”

Xie Xuanqing: “……”

I pulled out a bamboo flute.

The moment I raised it to my lips and blew, there was a sharp crack—the flute split down the side, and the air I pushed through it turned into a hoarse “hsssh.”

Oh? Broken?

I looked at Xie Xuanqing.

With a dead-serious face, he told me, “It’s broken. No more playing.”

I laughed coldly in my heart. Oh, so this guy’s trying to save himself like this? I gave him a dazzling smile. “It’s fine, the Snow Bamboo Grove is just outside—I’ll grab a new one and we can make one together!”

“Jiu—”

If I can make out a single word of your protest, I lose!

I bolted out of the cave. Outside, I picked a snow bamboo of just the right thickness, but as I yanked it up, a sharp pain suddenly lanced through my chest.

I knew this feeling. It meant Xia Xia was nearby.

Clutching my chest, I cursed Xie Zhuo. Can’t even stop one of me from getting out?

This was bad. I absolutely couldn’t let Xia Xia see me. If she entered the cave and spoke to Xie Xuanqing, our whole plan would be exposed! After that, he’d grow suspicious of me, and it’d be much harder to sever the marriage fate!

My eyes swept through the snow bamboo grove and quickly caught sight of a figure in a thin green robe skipping over.

It was me…

Blissfully unaware, cheerfully heading this way.

The pain in my chest made my limbs weak, and I couldn’t move. The bamboo in my hand suddenly felt as heavy as iron and dropped straight to the ground.

The noise startled Xia Xia—she immediately started scanning the forest.

Just as her gaze was about to land on me, a hand suddenly pressed down on my head.

Warmth spread from my crown through my body, instantly soothing my limp, stiff limbs. With gentle pressure, he pushed me down the small slope in the bamboo grove. A dark figure flashed past and stood at the top of the slope, in front of me.

I hid in his shadow—and under his protection.