Volume 1, Chapter 41: Never Speak of Divorce Again

To her utter astonishment, he stood composedly under the bright candlelight, and right before Xie Mingyue’s eyes, he began to strip himself bare, layer by layer, starting from his belt.

With broad shoulders, exquisite lines, and Qi Jingshan's heroic and martial face, it was quite a sight to behold.

Only, Xie Mingyue was in no mood to appreciate it. She quickly covered her eyes and blurted out anxiously, "Qi Jingshan, stop right there!"

Qi Jingshan had already shed his outer garments, leaving only his lower attire untouched.

Standing there unbothered by the chill of the night, he weighed the bundle of thorny brambles in his hand, walked over, and took Xie Mingyue's tender hand in his.

Both angry and flustered, Xie Mingyue cast all decorum aside and sharply scolded, "What are you doing?!"

She kept her gaze lowered; had she raised it by even an inch, she would have seen his unshielded, lithe waist and abdomen.

Instead, Qi Jingshan trimmed away the sharp thorns from the brambles, placed them in her hand, and used his other hand to gently hook her chin upward.

Xie Mingyue was forced to look at him completely uncovered.

Pinned by his dark, burning gaze, she felt as if she were being scalded, quickly dropped the thorny branches, and clenched her fists tightly.

"D-Don't you dare pull any stunts."

Xie Mingyue moved her lips, feeling her throat suddenly turn exceedingly dry.

She licked her lips, fixed her gaze firmly on the bridge of Qi Jingshan's nose, and dared not move again.

"Carrying brambles to beg for forgiveness."

Qi Jingshan took a step forward, the scent of a mature man enveloping Xie Mingyue, making her blood boil and her breathing hitch.

"Wife," amidst a dizzying spin, her waist was caught, and she was pressed against the door panel, "Those who do wrong must be punished. In this entire estate, only you would dare to strike me."

Xie Mingyue curled her fingers, her cheeks burning with humiliation and anger as she retorted, "You're still holding a grudge because I slapped you earlier today!"

A hidden smile flickered in Qi Jingshan's eyes. He leaned back against her and gave a light kick to the floor, sending the bundle of brambles flipping gracefully into the air before he caught it effortlessly in his hand.

Xie Mingyue: ......

His martial skills were this good? Then dodging her slap earlier must have been as easy as turning over his hand!

"My words brought countless wounds and sorrows to my wife, so today, I am sincerely accepting my punishment."

Qi Jingshan's low, rumbling breaths poured densely into her ears.

Holding the thorny branches she could not get rid of, Xie Mingyue stood there dumbfounded.

How could such a person exist, practically forcing her to whip him with thorns?

Tears glistened in her eyes, and she was on the verge of crying.

"I forgive you, you don't have to go this far."

"I must."

With a calm and profound look in his eyes, he seized Xie Mingyue's hand and pressed it directly against his own shoulder.

"Wife, it was my fault."

The thorny branches grazed his shoulder, and tiny barbs instantly pierced his flesh. Beneath his robust shoulders and back, beads of blood welled up and began to roll down frantically.

Xie Mingyue's tears fell instantly.

With a forceful sweep, she flung the brambles aside, stepped forward to embrace him tightly, and sobbed, "You are utterly hateful! Knowing full well that I have a soft heart, you deliberately made me feel guilty, didn't you?"

Qi Jingshan's features were as picturesque as ever: "How could that be? My wife has never shown me a soft heart before."

Today's outburst had shattered the constraints he had imposed upon himself.

Quietly gazing at Xie Mingyue's tear-stained, blushing cheeks, a raging fire blazed within his heart, making him yearn to transform into a fierce beast and ravage her utterly to death.

Xie Mingyue did not see the look in his eyes; otherwise, she would have fled for her life at all costs.

With a soft sniffle, she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood seeping from his wounds.

In this lifetime, Xie Mingyue had never even witnessed a chicken being slaughtered; how could she possibly bear to look at this?

After wiping the blood a few times, she found herself unable to watch any longer.

"Qi Jingshan, have you lost your mind? Playing these life-or-death dramas, what kind of behavior is this?"

Dropping the handkerchief, Xie Mingyue was both angry and heartbroken.

Qi Jingshan had entirely too many schemes up his sleeve. Knowing she was soft-hearted, he had deliberately pulled a stunt like this.

Did he really think this would make her forget those hurtful things he had said?

She turned her head away, only to have her chin lifted by Qi Jingshan the very next instant.

Half of his face was shadowed beneath the candlelight, his chest rising and falling heavily as he suddenly pulled her in and pressed his lips hard against hers.

Her lips swelled to a crimson red before he finally released her with palpable reluctance. Xie Mingyue gasped desperately for air, too furious to utter a single word.

"My wife can hit me, scold me, do whatever she pleases," Qi Jingshan's gaze settled on her mouth, which looked as tempting as a dew-kissed cherry, his eyes burning like fire, "On one condition: you are never permitted to mention a divorce again."

"Otherwise—"

Pinning her hand, he leaned in close to her ear.

Xie Mingyue raised her eyes anxiously, terrified that he would utter some more brazen, wild words like he had back at the Qihai Courtyard, and hurriedly swore an oath.

"I won't mention it! I'll never mention it again!"

Her gaze drifted back to the wounds still oozing blood on Qi Jingshan's body, and a wave of sympathy stirred within her.

"Stop acting crazy and playing the fool. Let me put some medicine on those wounds first."

Having secured her promise, Qi Jingshan was like a wild beast pacified, the bristling fur all over him instantly smoothing down.

"Just minor injuries. They'll heal in the blink of an eye."

Even as he stopped Xie Mingyue from fetching the medicine, he picked up his inner robe.

"I must trouble my wife to help me dress."

Xie Mingyue frowned: "Put it on yourself."

Qi Jingshan looked helpless: "My wounds hurt, I can't lift my arms."

Didn't he just say they would heal in the blink of an eye?

Having no other recourse, Xie Mingyue glared at him, took the inner robe with a defeated sigh, and gently helped him slip it on.

She wasn't entirely foolish; was Qi Jingshan acting like this... simply acting spoiled?

With a slight shiver, Xie Mingyue shook the thought out of her mind and meticulously tied his robe sash for him.

Qi Jingshan possessed a slender yet tall build, broad without appearing cumbersome. Beneath those distinct, sharp lines lay an explosive strength known only to her...

As she dressed him, her hand nearly drifted in a trance toward his waist and abdomen.

Catching herself halfway, she snapped out of it and hurriedly picked up the outer garment.

"You said the grand gift you prepared for me was carrying brambles to beg for forgiveness?"

She randomly brought up a topic, striving to maintain her composure. Seeing her fingers fluttering like butterflies, Qi Jingshan took her hand and guided it to tie the outer belt together.

"Of course not," unable to resist, he reached out to pinch Xie Mingyue's fair, adorable earlobe, "I have found someone for you, wife."

"Who?"

Suppressing the strange sensation in her ear, Xie Mingyue lifted her face to look at him.

Qi Jingshan sat down, pulled her close to his side, and kept his gaze fixed on the slender curve of her neck.

"Widow Yang."

Finding the name vaguely familiar, Xie Mingyue paused for a fleeting second before her eyes widened in sudden realization.

"My mother's wet nurse?"

The Xie family habitually employed hereditary servants whose entire households served within the estate—once something went wrong, none of them could escape. Alternatively, they would purchase helpless servants and pair them off within the manor to create new hereditary lineages.

Consequently, when Yuan Bai went to the Xie family to make inquiries, those servants had been kept under strict control, too terrified to utter a single extra word.

As someone who had served intimately by Madam Xie's side, Widow Yang was even harder to reach.

Heaven knows how Qi Jingshan had managed to track her down.

Instantly, she gripped her fists in nervous tension.

"I want to see her!"

Was her mother alive or dead after all this time? And how had the Xie family treated her?

Consumed by anxiety, Xie Mingyue grabbed Qi Jingshan's hand, looking entirely like a cat with its fur on end.

"Take me to see her, I have questions to ask."

Qi Jingshan smoothed down her hair: "Don't rush. She cannot be brought into the estate right now. Another day, when you accompany me out, I will take you to see her."

His voice acted like a soothing draught; listening to it, Xie Mingyue felt the turmoil in her heart gradually subside.

Exhaling slowly, she pushed open the window and looked out at the westward-slanting moonlight, only then realizing that their commotion had stretched deep into the night.

A flush of unease crossed her face as she bit her lip, hesitating before asking, "Then... are you staying in my quarters tonight?"