Chapter 41: Past Events.

When Yan Luan next came to, she realized that she was lying on a humongous soft bed, her body was sore and it ached whenever she tried to move a little. Her brows furrowed slightly as the vague memory of being held against the side of the hot spring as his beast entered her again and again, not stopping even after climaxing many times.

Finally, after the fruitless begging of mercy, together with her occasional moans and his deep breathing, she had all out fainted. She could not help but blush shamefully every time she remembered that scene…

“Would you like your dinner, WengZhu?” A soft and polite voice sounded up near the door.

Realizing that it was already sunset, she turned her head towards the voice, gazing at the handmaiden briefly before speaking, “Where’s my brother?”

“The young master had already returned to the city, claiming that an emergency had risen up. He had insisted that WengZhu should not miss any of your meals.”

He’s back at the city? Yan Luan paused in her tracks momentarily, not knowing if it was disappointment or relief she felt in her heart, hesitating slightly before waving her hand at the handmaiden, “I see, in that case, bring me some chicken porridge.”

She had not heard from neither of her brothers for several days consecutively, it was as if they had disappeared entirely from her life… Though, Jiang FuYuan had been sending numerous gifts and letters to her, letting her know about the beautiful sceneries she had visited while bragging about her progress with Emperor QiLing.

It wasn’t hard to confirm that her best friend had fallen in love, Yan Luan sighed deeply as she stared at the letter in her hands, silently praying that they can have a good ending, and not end up like the history she knew.

With nothing left to do, Yan Luan decided that she would practice her sewing with the seamstresses in the villa, as they came from the best.

Hence, when Yan Dao arrived, what he had seen was his lovely little sister hunching over her embroidery while a group of seamstresses surrounded and guided her hand. He almost couldn’t bear disrupting the quietness as he observed her focused actions.

Though this scene… It was somewhat familiar…?

“WengZhu, please use the scarlet thread here, a needle change is required here too…”

Yan Dao moved towards her swiftly and silently, flashing a cold glance at the flinching seamstresses as he passed, urging them to keep quiet.

“Ah Luan’s embroidery work is really good~”

Yan Luan jumped in shock at the sudden deep voice beside her ears, almost knocking down her work-table before she landed her glare on him, “You could’ve been louder, but don’t mind me dying of shock then.” She pursed her lips in pretense anger.

Yan Dao touched his nose softly in embarrassment, as he did not expect his spontaneous joke would fright his adorable gem so.

He quickly sat down beside her, pulling her soft body into his arms, “Why the sudden interest in embroidery?” He asked curiously as he eyed the leaving handmaidens with the seamstresses in tow.

“There’s nothing much to do here, and time seems to pass quickly when I’m doing something,” She sighed softly as she nestled against his warm chest.

Yan Dao’s usual cold face softened significantly as he gazed down at her, kissing her on her peachy cheeks before reaching out a hand towards her half-completed needle-work, stroking the embroidered flowers on the cloth.

“Why not make it a purse? I’ve been searching for one recently.”

Yan Luan paused slightly at his words, truth be told, she had learned embroidery to pass time, hence her cloth and thread weren’t specifically chosen… But looking at her half-completed work, she realize that the pink flowers looked exceptionally striking against the green cloth she used, thankfully, the color combination was suitable for a purse.

“Stop nibbling on my ear, it’s itchy.” Wiggling away from his constant meddling lips, she nodded softly to his words, “But I can turn it into a purse, though I’m not proficient in the decoration part.”

Purses matched with a jade decoration was the favorite trend among the nobles, but she hadn’t had the chance to learn it, as she had initially intended to try making a knotted decoration after mastering her embroidery work.

“I am, I’ll make that.”

Yan Luan glanced up at her second brother in surprise, eyes wide with disbelief, she could not believe someone like him would take the time to learn such a homely skill.

His eyes glinted at her expression, before leaning down towards her before clamping his lips over hers, refusing to let her go until she was almost out of breath.

“When I was young, there was a southerner woman at the borders where I grew up. She used to be a master seamstress, happily married to a loving husband and blessed with an endeared daughter, but due to her exceptional beauty, she had been kidnapped by deserter-turned-barbarian.” He explained deeply, “I used to sneak her milk from the goats, and every time I went there, she would be creating a new knotted decoration. She claimed that it could perhaps sell for a copper, which she would use to buy food. I… somehow picked up the skill after watching her do it so many times.”

This was the first time he had spoken of his past to her, and from the chilly look on his face, his time there must’ve been really difficult.

“What happened to the woman after that?” She asked curiously.

“Dead. When I was almost eleven, Country Qi from the north had sent an army to attack the barbarians in the neighboring country, and their soldiers, knowing that they could not win against the Qi, suggested that they use the refugees from the borders as meat shields. They were cruel, but it was also there that I had learned my martial skills, but regretfully, I was too young to change anything…”

“What happened next???” Yan Luan asked hurriedly as he paused momentarily.

“As soon as the refugees heard that they would be used as meat-shields, a group of men decided to escape. My nursemaid had urged me to escape with those men, but we were ambushed by a group of barbarians. She died saving me, as she took a fatal blow in my stead.”

He remembered it clearly as if it had happened yesterday, it was because of that woman that he had managed to survive his early childhood days, and finally, returning as the second young master of the HuaiYin Hou…

He’s probably thinking about that unfortunate woman… She sighed as she stared at Yan Dao’s face, which was cold and aloof, “But still, why didn’t your nursemaid brought you home as soon as you got separated from mom?”

If she had taken Yan Dao home, he wouldn’t had suffered for twelve years in the middle of a war-zone.

“It had been really chaotic back then, and my nursemaid had injured her head when she protected me, hence losing all of her memories… They had only resurfaced when the escape trip triggered her lost memories.” He explained patiently, while soothing her soft silky hair with his fingers.

“I see…”

“Alright, that’s enough old memories for now.” He grinned as he picked up some colored ropes and began knotting them skillfully.

I can’t believe this pervert can do such skillful work, oh my god! Yan Luan thought enviously as she stared at his swift hands in awe. She had not expect to see him so soon, as he had been really busy lately.

“If Ah Luan continues to stare at me like this, I cannot promise that my hands will stay tamed.” He murmured deeply, he had been away for more than half a month, and if it wasn’t for the fact that the mood right now was suitable for cultivating feelings, he would’ve literally pounced on her the moment they met.

She jumped up in shock upon hearing his words, How could I forget that this man is a huge pervert!? She screamed out in regret within her mind as she quickly turned her gaze towards the side, praying that he would not turn into a starving wolf in a blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Yan Dao had returned his focus onto the knotted decoration within his palm, he had chosen to use BingSi ropes, which was so expensive that they costed a hundred gold nuggets per foot.

His mind fluttered back towards the past once again, he remember making a promise to the woman, claiming that he would bring the most beautiful and expensive ropes in the world to her, just so she could create the world number one knotted decoration. She had always grinned warmly at his words, promising that she would wait…

As his mind wandered, his eyes landed back on the lush young woman beside him. Coveted all her life, she possess such beauty like no one else could in the entire country, and when she wept, it was as if the entire sky would weep together in pity, but whenever she grinned, she would lit up the entire area with her charms.

Her smiles and frowns, happiness and sorrow, fear and indignation, were all engraved deeply within his once-empty heart, and he knew that it would beat for her, and only her.

And now, the woman he loved was sitting next to him, quiet and still, but with a hint of caution and vigilance, and he knew that if he would reach out an arm towards her and pull her in for a tight hug, she would never be able to escape from his grasps.