After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 8.2

After finishing their meal, it was still early in the day.

Chen Yunzhong took Ruan An to a nearby medicinal mountain. When Ruan An was young, she used to come here with her mentor, Divine Doctor Sun, to collect herbs.

The mountain scenery here was just as she remembered, tranquil and beautiful, like a fairyland on earth.

Chen Yunzhong glanced at the soft young girl by his side and said, “Ah Xu, I first saw you here.”

In his memory, the young Ruan An, when she was collecting herbs with a basket on her back, looked like a fairy in these mountains, lively and adorable.

Ruan An gazed at the mountain scenery but didn’t respond to his words.

However, she finally figured out why Huo Pingxiao had appeared in Jiazhou.

Chen Yunzhong and Huo Pingxiao were classmates, born in the same year and month. Chen Yunzhong’s father was originally a capable general under Huo Pingxiao ‘s uncle. When they were both thirteen, they both received martial arts training in Jiazhou.

So, the first place she saw Huo Pingxiao was in this herb field.

At that time, Ruan An actually didn’t like this young man from Chang’an. She detested his arrogant and haughty eyes and found his demeanor overbearing, injuring many stubborn monkeys in the process.

She spent a lot of effort treating those injured monkeys, and she thought Huo Pingxiao ‘s actions were too aggressive, using brute force.

The day she saw Huo Pingxiao lying half-awake in the grass, Ruan An, carrying her herb basket, ran over to him and asked in a childish voice, “Why did you hurt those monkeys?”

Huo Pingxiao, at the age of thirteen, already had that scar extending from his left neck to his shoulder. The sun’s rays gradually fell on the handsome young boy’s face.

Hearing the girl’s voice, the young boy didn’t open his eyes; he had a cold expression and lazily replied, “Why don’t you go ask those wild monkeys why they always have to forcibly take the mountain people’s supplies?”

At that time, Ruan An was dissatisfied with Huo Pingxiao’s statement and persistently questioned him several times.

Huo Pingxiao, after yawning lazily, finally raised his eyes to look at her. His dark eyes were as sharp as thorns.

Ruan An was intimidated by his piercing gaze and only heard the young boy coldly utter two words, “Don’t bother.”

Since then, Huo Pingxiao has become the person Ruan An disliked the most.

Later, he saved her life in Fengzhou, and her perception of Huo Pingxiao began to change.

After the Li Kingdom’s army arrived in Fengzhou, Huo Pingxiao enforced strict discipline and did not allow his soldiers to plunder the people’s gold and silver. He not only quelled the chaos but also stayed in Fengzhou for some time, helping the surviving townspeople rebuild the city and restore peace.

Perhaps, at that time, his goal was merely to establish order and rules.

Many of the mischievous monkeys indeed posed a threat to travelers passing through, and it was only then that Huo Pingxiao resorted to force against them.

Since then, there have been no more incidents of wild monkeys harming people in the area.

Seeing the girl beside him lost in memories, Chen Yunzhong’s gaze also fell on the distant Medicine Mountain. He said, “This place is considered a treasure of Jiazhou; many precious herbs are found on that Medicine Mountain. Every year, the famous medical families of Chang’an send people here to purchase medicinal ingredients.”

Hearing Chen Yunzhong mention Medicine Mountain, Ruan An’s thoughts returned.

The two exchanged glances, and Chen Yunzhong added with a deep tone, “But if a mountain fire were to break out, there would be nothing left of these medicinal ingredients.”

A chilly wind entered the girl’s sleeve, and her expression suddenly changed.

Chen Yunzhong was threatening her!

If she entertained the thought of escaping or acted against him, he could destroy the Medicine Mountain at any time.

Ruan An gritted her teeth in silence.

He was indeed ruthless.

***

The next morning.

Ruan An had a sleepless night, and as the day was breaking, she finally felt a bit drowsy.

The young lady was wearing a delicate, revealing garment, and her small hands were held up in a protective posture in front of her.

In a daze, she realized that someone was holding her hand and moving it closer to them.

The young lady woke up abruptly, opened her eyes, and saw Chen Yunzhong sitting beside the bed. His expression seemed gentle but mixed with a hint of intensity.

She struggled to free her slender, fair hand from his grasp and softly pleaded, “Don’t… don’t do this. We agreed to wait for an auspicious day for our wedding… then we can be intimate…”

Chen Yunzhong released her delicate hand, his face displeased, saying, “I can’t even touch your hands?”

Blushing, she lowered her eyelashes and softly replied, “After we’re officially married, you can do whatever you want.”

However, deep down, she thought, “No, you can’t.”

She detested his touch and, even more, the way he looked at her.

Just as Chen Yunzhong was about to let the awakened Ru An go back to sleep, a bandit soldier arrived with urgent news.

The bandit soldier looked flustered and informed Chen Yunzhong, “Isn’t Huo Pingxiao dead? Isn’t his body just a skeleton, devoured by dogs?”

“But… I heard from the scouts that the Jiannan army is indeed not far from the mountains.”

Chen Yunzhong was infuriated and left in a hurry, but he specifically ordered the bandit soldiers outside to keep an eye on Ruan An.

Once Chen Yunzhong left, Ruan An breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly got up from the four-poster bed ¹ and suddenly remembered the events of that day.

Gradually, disjointed images began to surface in her mind. That day, Huo Pingxiao also grabbed her hand and held her ten fingers. His grip was strong, and his hand was warm.

She remembered how he had suddenly lifted her arm to the top of her head and gazed at her face with those cloudy eyes, his voice hoarse as he ordered, “Don’t move.”

“Thud!”

With a sudden crash, the redwood lattice window shattered.

Ruan An caught a strong scent of blood, carried into the room by the chilling mountain wind. Her interrupted memories caused her to panic, and she hastily stood up. Her thin, delicate shawl slid off her shoulders, brushing against her skin and falling to the ground.

A man with iron boots, making a resounding sound with every step, was approaching her. Huo Pingxiao, clad in black iron armor, stood tall and imposing. The colorful feathers behind his ferocious helmet shone brilliantly, and the intricate scales on his shoulders glimmered.

Ruan An recognized the familiar handsome face and met his deep and proud eyes, and her emotions began to plummet in an uncontrollable direction.

“I’ll be impolite.”

As soon as Huo Pingxiao’s deep voice fell, he suddenly lifted Ruan An’s slender waist with his strong arm. His warm breath brushed against her ear, making her neck tingle, and the exposed half of her calf lightly grazed his black iron armor, which felt cold.

Ruan An couldn’t bear the shiver-inducing cold, and she instinctively pulled her legs closer.

Huo Pingxiao was intentionally controlling his strength to avoid harming her, but for some reason, Ruan An’s soft abdomen, resting against his broad shoulder, began to feel a faint ache.

Four Poster Bed

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