Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 50 - Take Off Your Clothes

In the curtain of rain, Luo Tianyi held an umbrella.

This was originally Gu Banxia's job.

The crushed-stone-paved road was fine on normal days, but once it encountered a downpour, it would turn into a muddy paste. As the group walked, water splashed with splish-splosh sound.

The craftsmanship of the oil-paper umbrella was also rather average. A misty spray of water passed through the paper umbrella and hit her face. The hair at Luo Tianyi’s temples became damp and stuck to her face.

However, the downpour was not without its benefits. At least the smell of blood on Luo Tianyi had been dispersed quite a bit.

As they walked, no one spoke. Luo Tianyi would occasionally raise her head to sneak a peek at Song Yan on the other side of the oil-paper umbrella, her expression somewhat hard to describe, it was unknown what she was thinking.

"Thank you for just now. If it weren't for you, I might have been killed by that Yang Hua," Song Yan said with a chuckle.

"I'd long heard you liked to brandish swords and spears and were quite strong. Today was a real eye-opener. For me, the brother-in-law, to need his younger sister-in-law for protection, is rather shameful."

Luo Tianyi let out a sigh of relief. Her originally tense pretty face couldn't help but break into a smile.

It's good that I wasn't seen as a demoness who kills without batting an eye.

She was clearly indifferent before. She hooked a stray strand of hair from her ear with her free fingers. When did she start caring about these things?

She couldn't remember clearly.

"Do you know why I broke one of Song Zhen's arms and one of his legs this time?"

His voice was intermittent, mixed in with the curtain of rain.

Probably, he still wanted to confide in someone.

"Why?" Luo Tianyi was a good listener. The way she tilted her head was a little cute.

"When I was very young, probably five or six, Song Zhen and a few house servants were kicking a ball in the courtyard... uh, ‘cuju’. Then, they accidentally kicked the ‘cuju’* up into a tree."

[TL/N: Cuju is a name for an ancient Chinese ball game, literally translating to "kick ball". It is recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of a kicking game with documentary evidence. Cuju was played for sport, military training, and cultural ceremonies.]

"There were clearly household guards with good Lightness skills, but that Song Zhen insisted that I climb up to get the ‘cuju’. Otherwise, my mother and I would have no food to eat. I had no choice, I could only climb up. I finally managed to climb up, and Song Zhen and the several house servants started forcefully shaking the tree trunk from below."

Song Yan paused slightly.

"Then I fell down. One arm and one leg were broken. Song Zhen and the several house servants surrounded me and laughed heartily. It was my mother who rushed out regardless of anything and snatched me back."

His tone was very flat, as if he were just narrating a matter that had nothing to do with him. But Luo Tianyi fell silent. In her mind, that scene appeared: a five or six-year-old child lying on the ground, looking in terror at the group of adults surrounding him. Perhaps, at that time, he still didn't understand why these adults were laughing so happily.

Perhaps, compared to the physical pain, the mental helplessness was even more despairing.

Involuntarily, Luo Tianyi's body slowly leaned towards Song Yan's side. She switched the oil-paper umbrella to her other hand. Her free, fair hand seemed to want to grab something, but after hesitating for a long time, she ultimately put it down.

"Then, Brother-in-law, do you feel a little better now?"

"Much better." Song Yan smiled.

"When I was little, I really envied those household guards with high skills. I probably felt that if I became a martial arts master, I would have enough capital to protect myself and Mother."

"I once swore in my heart that one day, when I had enough strength, I would definitely kill Song Zhen, kill all the people who had bullied me... You should be able to tell that I am cultivating martial arts, right?" Song Yan changed the subject.

He knew that the matter of him possessing internal force could not be hidden from the people of the Luo Mansion.

Luo Tianyi nodded.

"I have been cultivating for a long time, probably almost a month. I want to know, how exactly can one become a First-Rank martial artist!" Song Yan looked at Luo Tianyi.

Although his internal force grew day by day, Song Yan knew he still couldn't be considered a First-Rank martial artist.

It's hard to describe that feeling, it's like something is missing.

Luo Tianyi smiled gently. The younger sister-in-law was usually ice-cold; she was actually quite beautiful when she smiled.

"How could becoming a First-Rank martial artist be so easy? Normally, being able to reach the First-Rank in one year of cultivation is already considered very talented."

"Then how long did it take you to reach the First-Rank?" Song Yan was a little curious.

Luo Tianyi thought for a moment and held up three fingers.

"Three months?"

Looked at this way, he was indeed a bit too impatient.

"Uh, three days."

Song Yan was utterly shocked.

As if feeling that her answer was a bit too demoralizing, Luo Tianyi's little face turned slightly red.

"Um, actually Yushuang said that breaking through too quickly isn't necessarily a good thing. It's easy for one's foundation to become unstable. Someone like me has a particularly unstable foundation. Breaking through in the future will get harder and harder."

Song Yan blinked his eyes: "So, what realm is my younger sister-in-law at now?"

"The peak of the Ninth Rank?"

Confirmed. The younger sister-in-law was humblebragging.

Not even nineteen years old, at the peak of the Ninth Rank, a half-step to the Grandmaster realm—this is called an unstable foundation? This is called breaking through getting harder and harder?

Luo Tianyi's face grew even redder. She felt that the more she said, the more wrong it sounded. She hurriedly and forcefully changed the subject.

"Actually, just looking at internal force, brother-in-law's realm has long since surpassed that of a First-Rank martial artist."

"But, brother-in-law has gone down the wrong path in his cultivation."

"A martial artist's cultivation of tempering the physical body and cultivating internal force are complementary. Neither can be dispensed with. If one only cultivates internal force and doesn't train the physical body, even if the internal force is unprecedentedly powerful, it is useless. A single arrow can take your life. Your body might even collapse first from being unable to withstand the constantly expanding internal force."

"Starting tomorrow, I will help brother-in-law temper his physical body. Once brother-in-law's physical body is strong enough, the First-Rank martial artist realm will naturally be broken through."

Song Yan understood in his heart. That ‘Hundred Treasures Compendium’ should only be a method for cultivating internal force. To temper the physical body, he would need to find another way.

Chatting idly, they returned to the Luo Mansion.

The downpour was still coming down in sheets. Occasionally, a carriage would rush past, splashing water everywhere.

The entire world was shrouded in a gloomy darkness. It wasn't until they neared the Luo Mansion that they could see a few lanterns on the gatehouse, still stubbornly emitting light. Although hazy in the dark and rainy night, it gave off a rather warm feeling.

A figure was sitting on the doorstep, waiting quietly. Even when water splashed up from outside the gatehouse, she had no intention of moving out of the way.

When they got closer, they found that the figure was Luo Yuheng.

She seemed to have been waiting here for a long time. Although she was supporting her chin with one small hand, her little head was still nodding.

It wasn't until she heard the footsteps that Luo Yuheng was startled awake from her drowsiness. She didn't ask why Song Yan and Luo Tianyi had returned so late, as if she hadn't seen the bloodstains on their bodies at all. There was only a faint smile on her pretty face.

She stood on her tiptoes and patted Song Yan's damp hair.

"You're back."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

"It's very late. Go back and sleep early.”

"So sleepy. I can't compare to you young people anymore."

Saying this, Luo Yuheng yawned while waving her hand, picked up the oil-paper umbrella from beside the doorpost, and walked towards the inner courtyard.

Watching Luo Yuheng's figure disappear into the curtain of rain, Song Yan's nose twitched, and a faint smile bloomed on his lips. The feeling of having someone waiting for you to come home is actually quite nice.

It's been a long, long time since I've experienced this kind of feeling.

Kong Chan and the other handmaidens had already prepared hot water. After washing the filth from his body, he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

There was no bed-warming handmaiden, and no inexplicable night raid.

This night, Song Yan slept very soundly.

At night, he had a dream, a dream he often had ever since his mother passed away.

In the dream, he was still living in that small courtyard. He was still just a boy. His mother, just like usual, was holding him, basking in the warm sun, feeling the warm breeze, pushing him on that little swing as it creaked back and forth.

But this time, his mother's expression was no longer as sad as it used to be.

Early morning.

Song Yan opened his eyes. The downpour had disappeared. Gentle sunlight was gradually dispelling the damp mist.

He subconsciously reached out his hand, as if wanting to grab something, but in the end, there was nothing in front of him.

Huu!

Letting out a breath, Song Yan collected his emotions and straightened his clothes. The bronze mirror reflected a pair of slightly red and swollen eyes, and white marks on his face, like salt stains.

Shaking his head, he suppressed the weakness deep in his heart. After washing up, Song Yan had returned to normal. When he pushed open the door and walked out, there was already another person in the courtyard. It wasn't Gu Banxia, but his younger sister-in-law.

It's just that today, the younger sister-in-law's attire was a bit strange. She was no longer dressed in her usual ethereal white long dress, but was dressed like a farm girl, in a linen skirt and shirt.

She seemed a little tired, and fine beads of sweat had appeared on her smooth forehead.

Behind the younger sister-in-law was a large vat. It was unclear what it was for.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, the younger sister-in-law finally stopped what she was doing. She looked up, glanced at Song Yan, and then spoke:

"You're awake?"

"Perfect. Take off your clothes."

Pfft!