Guangjiang City was a place of perpetual bustle, and Chu Ruo had become so enchanted by it that she was loath to leave. Her disciples were young and full of playfulness, constantly pestering her to take them out and buy them this or that. Even her relationship with Nan’er had improved significantly, putting Chu Ruo in high spirits. They had stayed for quite some time, but since there were no pressing matters and Nan Muxue was being indulgent, Chu Ruo spent every day happily frolicking about.
One night, she returned far too late. She jogged back and gingerly opened the door, moving with the stealth of a thief for fear of waking the person inside. She figured the "Little Scorpion" must be asleep by now. *Heaven help me,* she thought, *if she finds out I’m back this late, she’ll skin me alive.*
*Creak—*
She tried her best to keep the door silent as she slipped inside, hoping to steal away to bed. Instead, she was met with a white-clad figure whose ice-cold expression was more bone-chilling than any ghost in a horror film. Chu Ruo gave a weak, forced smile, pulled the door shut as if nothing were wrong, and immediately turned on her heel to flee.
In the blink of an eye, a gust of wind swept past. Before she could see what happened, the door swung open and slammed shut again. The figure from outside was gone.
"Heh... heh... Xue'er," Chu Ruo stammered. Facing the woman slowly approaching her, she was now utterly terrified. She kept one eye on Nan Muxue and the other on a potential escape route. "So... you're still awake?"
Nan Muxue actually smiled, though the sheer terror that smile inspired went without saying. "Why have you returned so early?"
That single sentence nearly sent Chu Ruo to her knees. It was over—this was level-ten seismic fury. "It’s not early, not early at all. Let’s go to sleep."
But Nan Muxue wasn't listening. She pressed Chu Ruo back until her spine hit the wall. "On the contrary, I think it’s still quite early."
Chu Ruo reached out, trying to tug at the other woman’s sleeve to act pitiful, but her hand was heartlessly brushed aside. "It’s late, let’s just go to bed, okay?"
"Late?"
Chu Ruo nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. "Mhm, mhm. Very late."
"I suppose you're right. It is indeed deep into the night."
"Exactly! It's incredibly late, so we should—"
Nan Muxue’s gaze sharpened, her voice turning piercingly cold. "Then why are you only returning now?"
*So that’s the trap,* Chu Ruo thought. *Woe is me, why is my wife so terrifying?* "Xue'er, I... I was wrong."
"And what exactly did my Ruo'er do wrong?"
"I... I shouldn't have stayed out so late. I got carried away playing and lost track of time. I was wrong, please forgive me."
Nan Muxue tilted Chu Ruo’s chin up. "Returning this late... where did you go?"
Chu Ruo’s expression immediately became unnatural. "Nowhere. Really."
"Hmm?"
"I really didn't go anywhere! It’s just... the streets were so lively, I forgot the time while wandering around."
Nan Muxue’s eyes were sharper than a hawk’s, staring straight into her as if trying to see through her soul. "Is that so?"
*If I tell you the truth now, will I even survive?* Adhering to the principle that resistance leads to strictness while confession leads to even stricter punishment, Chu Ruo decided to dig her heels in. "Yes."
The next second, she saw that familiar, wicked smirk. "Fine."
Bad. Very, very bad.
In the middle of the night, everyone in the inn heard the blood-curdling screams coming from a certain room. It was truly a pitiful sound.
The commotion woke the others. Chu Ruo’s young disciples huddled together. "That sounds like Master’s voice."
"It sounds like Master is getting a beating..."
Duan Ning had also woken up. She stood outside, chuckling to herself. "Ignore her. She deserves it. Go back to sleep, all of you."
The wailing continued for a full hour.
"Xue'er..."
No answer.
"Darling wife..."
Ignored.
"Wifey?"
Still no response.
Chu Ruo pouted and muttered under her breath, "Little Scorpion."
*Whoosh!*
"You—"
"One more word and you can get out!"
With a sigh, Chu Ruo sat up. "You’ve already punished me and beaten me. Why won't you let me sleep in the bed? The floor is hard and cold..."
"The brothels are so wonderful, aren't they? Full of soft, fragrant beauties and plush beds."
"No, no, no!" Chu Ruo scrambled to flatter her. "My Xue'er is the best, the most fragrant, and the softest. Yours is the only plush bed I want."
Immediately, a chilling voice rang out. "Are you comparing me to a brothel girl?"
"No, that's not what I—"
"Chu Ruo, do you have a death wish?"
"I—" Realizing things had taken a turn for the worse, Chu Ruo prepared to bolt again, but it was too late.
This time, the wails echoed throughout the entire night.
