*Crackle!*
Flames leaped from the pile of branches. Chu Ruo rubbed her hands together and stretched them toward the heat, muttering to herself, "Dark clouds obscuring the moon... tsk, tsk, truly a sign of..."
Suddenly, someone yanked her ear, making her cry out in fright. "Wah!"
"A sign of what?"
"Wife! You walk without making a sound. You’ll scare me to death!"
The other woman sat down directly beside her. "You were clearly lost in your own world. What, thinking of your precious Zhi’er?"
"If I’m thinking of anyone, it’s you. Besides, Zhi’er will be here soon anyway—ow, ow!"
Nan Muxue showed no mercy. "Is that so?"
Chu Ruo begged for forgiveness while simultaneously reaching out to grasp the other’s hand. "How could you actually be so ruthless?"
"And why shouldn't I be?" Nan Muxue arched an eyebrow. "No wonder you were wolfing down your dinner earlier; you were in a mad rush to come here for a midnight tryst with a beauty."
"I gave you a full report today! You’re slandering me!"
Nan Muxue scoffed. "If I had said no, would you have stayed away?"
Chu Ruo leaned her head against her shoulder. "My Xue’er would never say no to me."
A smile finally broke across Nan Muxue’s face. "Scoundrel."
"It’s been raining incessantly these past few days. I was worried it would pour again tonight. Well, even though there’s no moon, at least the rain has stopped. It’s quite fitting for the occasion."
"Fitting?"
"Mm-hm. I was just about to say that 'dark clouds obscuring the moon' is very atmospheric. By the way, why did you come out here?"
"The entire Hundred Flowers Palace is mine. I shall be wherever I please."
Chu Ruo clicked her tongue repeatedly. "Why must you always be so *tsundere*? You clearly just couldn't bear to be away from me."
Nan Muxue replied with mock solemnity, "This is a forbidden area. Naturally, I must keep an eye on it."
*Tsundere again.* The shores of the Silent Lake were currently filled with nothing but the vegetables Chu Ruo had planted and a few weeds; aside from the Cold Ice Cave, there were no secrets left. Even the junior disciples could come here now—what kind of "forbidden area" was it? "Fine, fine. But are you really staying?"
"Are you hoping I’ll leave?"
"I’m just afraid you’ll be bored." Chu Ruo had originally invited everyone for ghost stories by the campfire, but the rain had delayed them for days. She knew Nan Muxue didn't usually care for such rowdy gatherings, so she had only mentioned the plan without expecting her to actually attend.
"It is indeed boring."
"You—"
But Nan Muxue’s next words were enough to make Chu Ruo beam with a silly grin. "However, you are here."
"Hehe," Chu Ruo smiled brilliantly. "It’s rare for my Xue’er to grace us with her presence. I’ll grill something delicious for you. Look, I prepared a mountain of food today—fish, meat, wine, fruit, and..."
Nan Muxue frowned. "You did all this alone? Why didn't the others come to help?"
"Oh, I just came early. I wanted to get everything ready, so I figured I’d come an hour ahead of time. It worked out well," she said, pulling the other woman into an embrace. "This way, we get a little time to ourselves."
"You certainly are diligent when it comes to others, hm?"
"Am I not diligent for you? For as long as we’ve been married, the martial world has been saying I’ve been 'working hard' to manage the Palace. Haven't I been diligent enough?"
"You are lazy by nature."
Chu Ruo didn't argue. Instead, she said softly, "Xue’er, I’m really happy you came."
Nan Muxue looked at her with amusement. "Is it really worth all that?"
"I don't know." The two of them huddled together. Though the night sky held nothing but ink-black darkness, they both looked up at it regardless. "I just like having you by my side. It doesn't matter if others are around. Even if I’m chatting with everyone or busy with something else, as long as you’re there, even if you don't say a word and just watch me quietly, I’ll be happy."
"You certainly have it all figured out. You get to busy yourself chatting away, while I’m relegated to just watching you?"
Chu Ruo gently patted the soft hand she was holding and nodded. "Yes. You’re someone who loves peace and quiet, while I’m the exact opposite. Yet, you still indulge my nonsense. Xue’er, I just want you near me, to let you experience the real me—my interests, my hobbies, the things I love. As long as you’re by my side, anything is fine."
Nan Muxue stroked her hair. "Have I not always been there?"
"But I’m a greedy person. I want you to see what I’m like in front of others. I want you to know everything about me. I want you to be inseparable from me."
"Inseparable... you truly are insatiable."
"After all, you are mine."
"Ruo’er," Nan Muxue met her eyes. Then, she leaned in and gave her beloved a quick kiss, her expression carrying a rare hint of playfulness. "You are the one who is mine."
Chu Ruo leaned back onto her shoulder. "Mm, I’m the 'pretty boy' you keep."
"You’re quite self-aware today." Footsteps approached. Though they were still some distance away, they couldn't escape the ears of two women with such high-level martial arts. "Aren't you going to sit up?"
"Why should I? We’re a married couple, it’s perfectly honorable. I like leaning on you." As she spoke, Chu Ruo’s hand slid around Nan Muxue’s slender waist.
"You’re so sure I won't push you away?"
"You definitely won't." The footsteps were very close now. "I really want to kiss you right now..."
Nan Muxue popped a piece of fruit into her mouth. "Glib-tongued."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Morals are truly declining these days!"
That voice... another old acquaintance. "Fenghuang! You came too?"
"Not welcome?"
"How could that be?"
Fenghuang didn't stand on ceremony and sat right down. "Now that sounds like something a human would say. I came to see my Aunt."
*Seriously... does everyone just treat the Hundred Flowers Palace like their own home now?* Chu Ruo glanced at her Little Viper. *You let her come too.* No matter how casual things were, no one could sneak onto the Hundred Flowers Palace grounds without her knowing—unless the Palace Master herself had allowed it.
"Didn't you say you liked it when everyone gathered together?" Nan Muxue asked.
"I just didn't expect you to move so fast." Fenghuang had arrived later than the others. They had all stayed in touch, and Fenghuang had spent most of the last three years in Miaojiang. Considering the travel time, Nan Muxue must have sent word the moment Chu Ruo had offhandedly mentioned missing the old crowd. For her sake, the Little Viper really did everything.
"Hmm?"
Chu Ruo quickly redirected the conversation to Fenghuang. "How are things in Miaojiang?"
"Eh, at least you have a bit of a conscience left to remember the Miaojiang people. Everyone is doing well. I’ve been trying to convince them to see the world. Even if they haven't moved yet, the clansmen’s way of thinking is changing."
"That’s good news. Your hard work hasn't gone to waste."
Fenghuang looked at the two of them teasingly. "Haven't seen you in three years, Ruo. What, has your body grown so weak already?"
*I’m leaning on my wife, how does that make me weak?* "You’re the weak one!"
As they spoke, the rest of the group arrived. Naturally, seeing Chu Ruo draped over Nan Muxue’s shoulder, everyone had an opinion. Duan Ning remarked, "A seven-foot-tall 'man'... alas, the dignity of the Hundred Flowers Palace is gone~"
"Bah!"
"Little Ruo-Ruo, how are you even more delicate than this Young Master?"
"Shen Shiyi, you—"
"Ruo’er," Bai Zhi’er added playfully, "do you want me to prescribe some tonics for you?"
Laughter erupted.
Seeing everyone laughing at her expense, Chu Ruo pulled a long face. "Zhi’er, even you’re making fun of me."
Nan Muxue, surprisingly, didn't get angry or even speak, which made Chu Ruo feel a bit aggrieved. But it was all in good fun. Finally, Chu Ruo raised her hands and clapped. "Back to business. Let’s tell ghost stories, shall we?"
Nan Gongyan grew interested. "Sure! Let’s make it a drinking game. If someone tells a bad story, or if it’s boring, or if we’ve heard it before, the storyteller has to drink."
"Add a rule," Fenghuang chimed in. "Anyone who gets scared has to drink too!"
"Bring it on! Who’s afraid of who?"
"Fine, I’ll go first. Once upon a time, there was a woman..."
After that, everyone except Nan Muxue took turns telling stories. As the night grew darker and the wine flowed, the atmosphere became increasingly eerie. The usual chorus of insects fell silent, leaving an oppressive stillness. Some people’s eyelids began to droop. The campfire, which had once made their faces flush with heat, had shrunk to a small, flickering flame. Suddenly, the sky flashed twice—a storm was coming.
Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by absolute, crushing darkness as the fire finally died out. Then—*CRACK!* A deafening clap of thunder exploded without warning, jolting the drunken, sleepy group awake.
"AH!"
"What?" Duan Ning asked groggily. "Who... who screamed?"
A few seconds passed before an answer came. "Me... it was me."
Hearing it was Chu Ruo, the others burst out laughing. "It’s just thunder! Screaming like that... what, did the stories just now scare the soul out of you?"
"That was a sudden bolt of thunder!"
"Stop pretending. You’ve never been this scared of thunder before. Who would’ve thought? You’re the one who suggested ghost stories, yet you’re the one afraid of ghosts."
"Me? Afraid?"
Xiao Guo’er piped up from the side, "Exactly! Back at the branch sect, you were shaking so hard your hands were trembling!"
"Who said I’m afraid of ghosts? No, wait, you guys—"
"Just stop. It’s not like it was Xue’er. We all know who it was..."
"Fine, it was me, it was me," Chu Ruo nodded, admitting it. "I just got a bit spooked by the thunder."
"See? We knew it. The great Palace Master’s spouse is afraid of ghosts. If word got out, people would never stop laughing."
"Alright, alright. You all are so magnanimous, please spare me. It’s late; everyone should head back to rest."
On the way back, Chu Ruo didn't say a word, enduring the teasing of the others all the way to their room. Once she closed the door, however, her body began to shake.
"Are you quite finished?"
"I... Hahaha!" Chu Ruo doubled over, nearly laughing to tears. "Xue’er, I never would have guessed... the great Little Viper actually..."
Nan Muxue, flustered and exasperated, rushed forward to cover her mouth. "You are not allowed to laugh!"
"Mmph, I’m not laughing. I’m done. Really... pfft, Hahaha!"
Nan Muxue stamped her foot. "Chu Ruo!"
"Wife, just... let me laugh for a bit. I even took the fall for you!"
"It was only because of the thunder!"
The word "feeble" came to mind. Chu Ruo laughed for a long time until Nan Muxue glared at her for what felt like an eternity. Finally, she managed to stop. "I really didn't expect it. You’re actually afraid of ghosts. Haha..."
"Laugh one more time and you’re sleeping outside."
Who could have imagined? The Little Viper—the cold, aloof, terrifying Little Viper—was afraid of ghosts. Chu Ruo pulled her into an embrace. "Xue’er, you’re getting more and more adorable."
"Get lost." Nan Muxue regretted everything. Why had she gone to listen to those stories? Now look...
"Seriously, I never noticed before. You hid it so well."
"Boring," Nan Muxue forced out.
"You’ve probably never heard them before, right? Makes sense. No one in the Palace would dare talk about such things, and even if they did, they wouldn't tell you. You knew about that disciple who went mad before; you ignored the rumors, of course. It turns out it’s not that you weren't afraid all these years, you just never had the chance to hear the stories..."
Seeing that Chu Ruo was about to start laughing again, Nan Muxue gave her a sharp glare and climbed into bed to sleep.
A moment later, however, warmth enveloped her from behind. "That thunder was quite loud; are you still a bit shaken? I mixed some pearl powder for you. Drink it before you sleep."
"Go ahead, laugh all you want," Nan Muxue grumbled, but she still cooperated and drank the mixture before lying back down.
Chu Ruo pressed close, pulling her into her arms. "If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have let them tell those stories."
Silence.
Chu Ruo continued, "Well, how should I put it? At least I finally got to see your 'down-to-earth' side."
Still silence.
Chu Ruo kissed her forehead. "I’m here. Go to sleep."
The next night, when the others suggested gathering in a room to tell more stories, Chu Ruo refused.
Nan Muxue was surprised. Didn't this woman love that sort of thing? "You’re not going?"
"No. I’m going to stay with you."
"I—"
"My wife is more important. I have to coax her to sleep."
And so, the rumor that Chu Ruo was so afraid of ghosts she didn't even dare show her face again became an established fact.
***
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Master, Spare My Life: A Disciple's Sweet Rebellion | Chapter 249 | The Palace Master's Secret Fear | Novela.app | Novela.app
