"Xue'er..."
"Waking up only to call for that Little Scorpion? It seems she hasn't scolded you enough."
"Zhi'er?" Chu Ruo bolted upright, her soft, sleepy mumble instantly sharpening into surprise. "You... why are you..."
Bai Zhi'er chuckled. "Ruo'er, you look quite adorable when you've just woken up."
"I... wait, that's not right. How did I fall asleep? Where's Xue'er? I remember we were just outside chatting..."
"Enough, you're rambling the moment you open your eyes. It's 'Little Scorpion' this and 'Little Scorpion' that—you'll break my heart if you keep this up."
"I..."
"Ruo'er," Bai Zhi'er’s tone suddenly shifted, "you really are a fool."
Chu Ruo was bewildered. "What is it? Why the sudden change in tone?"
"It's nothing. Tomorrow, I'll take you for a stroll in town. Or rather, since you've been here so long, you can play the host and show me around."
"Huh? I don't—"
"No 'no's allowed," Bai Zhi'er said softly, yet with a firm edge that brooked no argument. "You were the one who asked me to come. Besides, you kept me in the dark for so long and let me worry for nothing. Are you really going to refuse me such a small request?"
Chu Ruo had no choice but to agree. Then she asked, "Where did Xue'er go? Did she go looking for that bastard Qian Tong again? She's going to be the death of me."
Bai Zhi'er spoke languidly. "Ruo'er, if you're so indignant, we could always... give her a taste of her own medicine."
*Cough...* The implication was far too obvious. "No, uh, I'd like to live a few more days, thanks."
"Heh." Bai Zhi'er pinched her cheek, her smile radiant. "Ruo'er, you truly are precious."
"You're all just teasing me."
"How far along is that book of yours, *Master, Have Mercy*? Let me have a look."
"If I let you see it, you'll just make fun of me and then use it to provoke Xue'er, and I'll be the one suffering in the end... Hey, why are you poking me?"
"Despite all that talk, are you giving it to me or not? If you don't, I'll be cross with you."
"Fine, fine, here. You'd probably find it yourself anyway." Chu Ruo called Wotou over and hugged the dog. "My poor little Wotou, looks like it's just the two of us squeezed together again tonight."
Bai Zhi'er teased, "The dog isn't the pitiful one. You are."
*Everyone's bullying me, laughing at me... they're all villains. Not a single one of them is sweet.*
That night, just as Chu Ruo expected, she was back to sleeping on the floor. The Little Scorpion was still ignoring her. *Sigh, such is my lot in life.*
However, perhaps because she had slept too much during the day, she found herself tossing and turning, unable to drift off. Wotou, on the other hand, was snoring away—a big, fluffy ball of warmth. But no matter how she adjusted, it didn't feel right. Her thoughts kept drifting to the person on the bed. She had provoked her too much these past few days; if she tried to crawl up there now, there was no way Xue'er would indulge her like before. She’d likely get a beating and be kicked out the door.
*Wooo... I want my wife. I want to hold my wife and sleep. I don't want to sleep on the floor, and I don't want to sleep with Wotou...*
After tossing and turning until her blankets were kicked into a heap, she finally gathered her courage and whispered, "Are you asleep?"
There was no answer. Honestly, Chu Ruo would have preferred a scolding; the silence was worse. Whenever the Little Scorpion didn't respond, it meant she was truly, deeply, *extremely* angry. Chu Ruo sighed and prepared to shut up, but her heart felt as though it were being gnawed at by ghosts. She couldn't help herself.
"Shifu?"
She didn't call her Xue'er, nor did she call her Little Scorpion. Chu Ruo didn't know why she had reached for this title she hadn't used in so long, but looking back, it felt so precious. They were master and disciple; Xue'er had pampered her, indulged her, and granted her every whim, even while Chu Ruo frequently drove her to the brink of exasperation. Everything had started with that word: *Shifu*. Once, she had been so desperate to escape this life, but now she was willing to stay by this Little Scorpion's side forever—to love her, to protect her. Chu Ruo suddenly realized that she actually quite liked calling her "Master."
Of course, being thick-skinned was her greatest "virtue." "Shifu? Won't you acknowledge me?"
"What is it?" Heavens, listen to that response. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. "Does my disciple have a request?"
*Pfft!* Chu Ruo couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. Even now, the Little Scorpion was as tsundere as ever, yet she was willing to play along. This tone was exactly like how they used to be before they were together.
"Yes, yes!" she replied hurriedly. She scrambled up and felt her way to the edge of the bed. "It's just..."
"Get down."
"Your temperament hasn't changed a bit." Having successfully pulled the beauty into her arms, Chu Ruo nuzzled against her. "Mmm... do you remember the first time you took me down the mountain? We were just like this."
Nan Muxue didn't turn around. She simply replied, "I don't remember."
"See? You're being un-cute again."
"Get lost."
The command carried no weight, so Chu Ruo stayed right where she was, shamelessly clinging to her. "Xue'er, do you remember? Back then, I only dared to call you Shifu. You'd get angry if I even called you Nan Muxue."
"Was it not 'Little Scorpion'?"
"Ha, I only called you that in my head. No, wait, I also called you Yan'er."
"One moment it's this, the next it's that." Nan Muxue finally turned over to face her beloved. "Are you trying to distract me by bringing up the past?"
"I would never. It's just that I couldn't sleep tonight, and for some reason, I started thinking about the old days. The first time you took me down the mountain, I slept on the floor first, and then..."
"And then," Nan Muxue took over the story, "you shamelessly crawled into bed, just like you're doing now."
"Well, who told you to be so comfortable to hold? A 'gentle village' of beauty—who could resist?"
"All you do is smile like a fool all day. Even though you're blind, you're still this happy."
"As long as you're by my side, I'm happy doing anything."
Nan Muxue's lips finally curled into a faint smile. "Don't think that saying such things will stop your Master from punishing you."
"Oh, come on. I've already admitted I was wrong."
"Every time you admit you're wrong, it only leads to you making me even angrier the next time."
"But you spoil me," Chu Ruo said, pressing closer. "Xue'er, actually, back then, every time I held you, I felt like you and Yan'er were the same person. Like that first night we spent away from the mountain."
"You keep mentioning that day. Fine then, tell me: what exactly happened that night?"
"Of course I remember! You made me sleep on the floor, but I crawled up anyway. Hehe. Then I asked if you were asleep, and you ignored me for the longest time. I thought you were out cold before you finally answered. When I said it was nothing, you seemed a bit speechless. I remember you even wore your mask to sleep back then; you must have been afraid I'd realize you were Yan'er. You wouldn't even let me be afraid of you. We even traded a few blows, and then..."
Nan Muxue found herself genuinely interested. She hadn't expected that a casual question would lead to this person recounting every detail of that night as if they were precious jewels. So much time had passed, yet her Ruo'er remembered every bit of their history. She smiled, and though she knew what was coming next, she asked anyway, "And then what?"
Chu Ruo had been waiting for this. She immediately replied, "And then... a ki—"
Unfortunately, she didn't succeed. Her mouth was pinched shut. She grumbled unhappily, "What are you doing?"
"Who gave you permission to lean in?"
"I..."
"Until that woman surnamed Bai leaves, you will continue to sleep on the floor."
"You... you're being excessive!"
"Why? Are you uncomfortable because I didn't hit you today?"
"Xue'er... don't be angry anymore, please?"
Nan Muxue let out a cold huff. "You talk a good game, but your actions grow more presumptuous by the day. This time, I won't let you off easily."
"Don't..."
"You dare bring up the first time we went down the mountain? The very next day, you had the audacity to run away!"
*Wait, what?!* Chu Ruo wanted to cry, but no tears came. "I..."
Looking at her expression, Nan Muxue felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. She pulled Chu Ruo into her arms, sighing helplessly. "Sometimes, I really want to strike you dead with a single palm."
*Mmm, the feeling of my wife initiating a hug is wonderful.* Chu Ruo felt like she was floating on air. " I know you couldn't bear it. I'm your precious Ruo'er, after all."
"I'll allow you to linger for one more night. Tomorrow, go back to squeezing in with your dog."
"Okay, okay. Whatever my Xue'er says. Goodnight, mwah~" *Hehe, tomorrow's problems are for tomorrow.*
Holding her beloved, Nan Muxue couldn't help but smile.
However, the next day, when Bai Zhi'er brought Chu Ruo back from town, they discovered that Nan Muxue had been captured.
"You want to save her?" It was that damnable voice, one that made Chu Ruo tremble to her core. "You two certainly made me look hard for you!"
"Nan Menghua!"
The woman across from them sneered. "I won't kill you. Living is the real torture."
Chu Ruo rushed forward like a madwoman. Surprisingly, she didn't hit anything; it seemed the other woman was intentionally toying with her. Chu Ruo screamed viciously, "Nan Menghua! If you've got the guts, kill me! Come at me!"
But there was no response. She attacked wildly, only to hit empty air time and time again. All those days of practice were for nothing! On her final attempt, she collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. She felt a gust of wind at the back of her head, and then everything went black.
Lin Jianghong looked at the unconscious Chu Ruo and couldn't help but ask, "Hey, are you guys sure this trick will actually work?"
Bai Zhi'er sighed and went over to support Chu Ruo. "Perhaps. Since it's a heart-illness, we must use a medicine for the heart. Nan Muxue's martial arts are gone and cannot be restored, so we must let her be in 'danger' one more time."
"Oh," Lin Jianghong said, only half-understanding. "So we recreate a scene similar to that day to make her desperate? If she's desperate to save Nan Muxue, she'll push her potential to the limit and regain her sight?"
"You're not as dim as you look. I didn't expect you to mimic her voice so well."
"Hmph, I told you I was good at impressions. You didn't believe me. Now you do, right?"
"Enough. Help me carry Ruo'er back to her room."
"But looking at this, how long is this play supposed to last? How do you plan to keep it going?"
Just then, Fenghuang returned. "Ooh, look at her, a beauty in each arm. What a lucky girl."
"Stop joking around. Where's Nan Muxue? Is she hidden well?"
"She was on her way back," Fenghuang said. "I figured she was worried about Chu Ruo, and having her nearby would probably stimulate Chu Ruo even more, so I went for a walk nearby. She hasn't returned?"
The expressions of the other three changed instantly. Fenghuang continued, "Could she have left on her own? She's gone back to the Hundred Flowers Palace to seek death before, hasn't she?"
"No, this involves Ruo'er's eyes. Besides, we discussed this together. She wouldn't leave. She's living in seclusion here with Ruo'er; why would she go?"
"This is bad," Lin Jianghong blurted out, the most frantic of them all. "What if... what if she really was captured by Nan Menghua?!"
As the saying goes: Good premonitions never come true, but the bad ones always do.
***
