143: Nightmares and a Wife

A tiny stream, so clear it seemed almost transparent. If not for the shimmering, fractured amber reflections upon its surface, one might not even realize there was water at all.

Yet, into water this pure, blood diffused like fine needles along the current.

His gaze was dim and clouded, his handsome face smeared entirely with blood—some his own, some belonging to his friends.

He tried to stand, but lacked the strength.

Both of his hands were completely broken, the bones in his arms shattered, bent at unnatural and grotesque angles.

Pain could no longer be felt, for as life drew toward its final moments, his brain had shut down the sensation of agony to allow for a more peaceful death.

"An... luo..." His parched lips could only form simple, fragmented syllables.

Ming Tian’s eyes were wet with tears.

An Luo lay just three feet away, but he was no longer breathing. His sturdy body was torn open, as if all his bones had been ruthlessly crushed to pieces.

Nearby lay Xin Zhu, and his parents, and the corpse of Yin Chan.

Before him, a figure slowly approached.

He could not make out the face, but he could see a mouth twisted in a ferocious, maniacal grin.

In the next instant, the figure raised a fist and smashed it down toward Ming Tian’s head...

"Ah, ah, ah!"

With a start, Ming Tian jolted awake in his sleep, springing up like a frightened crayfish poked in the belly.

He gasped for air in huge, ragged breaths, his clothes soaked through with cold sweat.

After staring blankly and panting for nearly half a minute, Ming Tian finally managed to collect his wits.

A nightmare? Damn it, that scared the hell out of me! What was up with that dream anyway? It felt way too real!

Ming Tian replayed the dream in his mind, swallowing hard over and over again. The sensation of approaching death, coupled with the sorrow and fury of watching his companions perish, felt so visceral it was unforgettable.

It was as if he had experienced it firsthand!

With such intense realism, Ming Tian had never had a dream so lifelike.

Glancing around the room to ensure little Li wasn't anywhere nearby, Ming Tian finally let out a sigh of relief.

It must have been too much stress, leading to endocrine imbalance, and a-uh, no, hormonal disorder!

Yesterday, Ming Tian had made a decision: Su Xiaoxiao would sleep at his house again tonight, and tomorrow she would be sent away to old Wang's place.

Meng Lang had taken a fancy to Su Xiaoxiao and had hunted her down because of it. Ming Tian was well aware of this bit of historical trivia.

Yesterday, when Magistrate Yue announced that Meng Lang was coming, Ming Tian had instantly guessed why Su Xiaoxiao had appeared at his home.

Because her father opposed her romance with Ruan Yu, she should currently be kept under house arrest at home. Left isolated and helpless, and targeted by Meng Lang, Su Xiaoxiao naturally had to flee.

Coupled with the appearance of a time-traveler altering history and creating a butterfly effect, Su Xiaoxiao had ended up escaping to this Sumen Town.

Meng Lang's coming to Sumen Town was definitely not just to collect bribes; half the reason was likely to track down Su Xiaoxiao.

My father, Zhuge Fang, is a wealthy landowner and has such a close relationship with Magistrate Yue. If Meng Lang were truly searching for her, he would only need to send a scout to discover that Su Xiaoxiao was hiding in my house!

Therefore, Su Xiaoxiao could not stay at his home!

Meng Lang would arrive in Sumen Town today. Ming Tian's task for the morning was to escort her along with An Luo to stay at old Wang's place for three days.

Why old Wang's place? Because Wang was dirt poor! Who would ever suspect she was hiding in the home of someone so impoverished? Exactly!

Wiping the cold sweat from his face and running through the plan once more in his mind, Ming Tian finally recovered from the nightmare. Seeing that it was still not yet dawn, he prepared to catch a few more winks of sleep.

"Lord Consort? What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah, oh—wait, what?"

Lying flat on his back, Ming Tian blinked twice.

"Did I just hear Xin Zhu's voice? That's not right! I'm in my own bedroom. Hahaha, it's an illusion, it must be an illusion. I'm just being too neurotic!"

"Lord Consort, what are you talking about? Aren't I right beside you?"

A familiar voice sounded right next to him again, and this time, a smooth, delicate arm wrapped across his chest, embracing Ming Tian in a tight hold.

At the same time, the right side of his body felt as though it was being cuddled by a soft, warm physique.

Ming Tian froze.

Stiffly turning his head, he saw Xin Zhu, with sleepy, drooping eyes, hugging him tightly, her face flushed with a shy, rosy hue.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah! Why are you in my bed?!"

With a loud thud, Ming Tian rolled off the bed in sheer terror, nearly chipping his front teeth on the floor.

"Xin Zhu?! Wh-wh-why are you in my bed?!"

Ming Tian's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

Good lord, nothing scares you quite like sudden human contact in the dark!

Imagine waking up and suddenly discovering someone lying right next to you—terrifying, right?

"Mmm..." Rubbing her eyes a few times, Xin Zhu feebly propped up her fair upper body, pouting as she said, "Lord Consort, come back. I want a hug."

"No, no, no! Before that, you better explain how you ended up in my room!"

Ming Tian was genuinely frightened out of his wits.

Having just emerged from a nightmare only to have someone suddenly pop up beside him—such wild emotional swings! If this had been his previous life's physical state from working overtime and sleeping only three hours a day, he would have suffered a sudden heart attack and gone to meet his ancestors long ago.

"Mmm... I couldn't fall asleep," Xin Zhu said, looking somewhat aggrieved, her little nose sniffing slightly. "Ever since we slept together that night with the Lord Consort, I haven't been used to sleeping alone anymore. Besides, it's my first time at the Lord Consort's house, so I was excited! And the Lord Consort is such an upright person, I trust you."

No, no, no! You're right to trust me, but you need to realize that a man has two heads! The head up top might offer guarantees, but the commander down below is thinking about firing cannons twenty-four hours a day!

I can't control myself!

"Th-this... men and women should not touch hands when handing things over. Princess, we aren't married yet; you should really go back to your own room to sleep," Ming Tian said with an awkward, strained smile.

Indeed, thinking of his own situation, if they went to the Di tribe and Xin Zhu's father refused to consent, then if they crossed that line, they would simply become illicit lovers.

Even in modern times, ordinary folks caught in such scandals risked being drowned in pig cages; placed in ancient times—and with her being a princess, no less—not only would the princess face death, but he himself would be subjected to cruel execution.

Yet, as it happened, Ming Tian had zero confidence in his own self-control!

Of course he had no confidence! He wasn't some impotent anime protagonist, and Xin Zhu was far more beautiful than any anime heroine! Furthermore, anime heroines might look pretty, but if you stare at them for long, you realize their eyes are as big as E.T.'s. In reality, that's called a deformity, alright?

"I don't want to, Lord Consort." Xin Zhu let out a whimpering sound, her little nose twitching again. "Does the Lord Consort dislike me?"

This crying was far too fake; forget about actual tears, could you at least make a convincing sobbing sound?

Even knowing it was an act, Ming Tian's heart still twitched involuntarily when he saw it.

Right in the flush of new love, any normal man would dote on his woman, and Ming Tian was no exception.

Yielding to her spoiled pleading, Ming Tian could only slap a hand across his face, forcibly steady himself, and crawl back onto his bed.

Seeing Ming Tian return, Xin Zhu instantly broke into a smile through her "tears." With a cute giggle, she looped her arm through Ming Tian's, a radiant smile of pure bliss on her face as she closed her eyes once more.

Helplessly stroking her adorable little head, Ming Tian sighed.

Whether it was his imagination or not, ever since sharing a bed with Xin Zhu that night at the bathhouse, she seemed even more attached to him.

Before long, Xin Zhu drifted off into a deep slumber, while Ming Tian...

Well, how on earth could you sleep when your personal cannon was standing at attention like a wooden stake?

Sighing, Ming Tian stared straight up at the ceiling the entire night, enduring a long vigil of sweet torment until dawn broke.

Let's hurry up and get this messy business settled. Once we go to the Di tribe, ask for her hand, and get married, I can finally graduate from virginity.

Until then... I'll just have to find a chance for my right hand to comfort my little commander.

By the way... that dream earlier was terrifying.