Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 9 - Bed-warming Maid

"Young Master-in-law, it's time to undress."

Hearing this crisp and clear sentence, a ripple also spread through Song Yan's heart.

Song Yan hadn't seen many women. The white-robed immortal in the cave was one, Luo Tianyi was another. The rest were mostly handmaidens from the Duke's mansion.

Among the women Song Yan had met, the white-robed immortal was the most mysterious, and Luo Tianyi was the most beautiful. As for Gu Banxia, in terms of looks alone, she was probably second only to Luo Tianyi, not losing out in the slightest even when compared to a younger Yang Shi.

As for her figure, it was probably even sexier than Luo Tianyi's.

Those who knew would know this was the bed-warming maid sent by the Luo family. Those who didn't would probably think she was the eldest young miss from some great household.

Song Yan roughly knew what was about to happen.

His first woman—to this day, he still doesn't know what she looks like.

His second woman—he had only just met her today.

Song Yan did not ask Gu Banxia to leave. If he did nothing, he was afraid it would arouse Luo Yuheng's suspicion.

At this critical juncture, he would not create unnecessary complications. What's more, Song Yan was very clear about what was most important to him right now: strength. Only with sufficiently powerful strength could he live securely in this world, and cultivating the 'Hundred Treasures Compendium' was currently his only way to obtain that strength.

Therefore, he wouldn't be like other transmigrators, feigning magnanimity and saying things like "we just met and don't have feelings for each other," or "you were forced by the Luo family, I won't hurt you at a time like this," and so on... as if each and every one of them were a perfect gentleman, comparable to Liu Xiahui.

The fear of countless near-death experiences had forged the Song Yan of today.

He was not a perfect gentleman; he did not have such high moral standards.

He would desperately grasp any opportunity that could let him survive.

As for Gu Banxia's own opinion, it was likely that no one cared. This was also the sorrow of women in this era.

Tap, Tap-tap…

The sound of footsteps was exceptionally clear in the quiet bedroom. Even though Gu Banxia had already prepared herself, her body subconsciously tensed up.

"Are you afraid?"

Pursing her pink lips, Gu Banxia nodded: "A little."

Song Yan had no experience in this kind of situation either. He thought for a moment and said:

"I'll try to be as gentle as possible."

Pft.

Hearing a young man say such a thing, Gu Banxia couldn't hold it in and let out a laugh. The tension dissipated quite a bit without her realizing. Gu Banxia finally stood up. Her height was almost the same as Song Yan's.

"I am nine years older than the Young Master-in-law. Doesn't the Young Master-in-law think I'm too old?"

Song Yan shook his head:

"No. Older is good. Older women know how to dote on people."

"You have a glib tongue."

A bit of banter had brought the two of them much closer. Song Yan could clearly see Gu Banxia's long eyelashes trembling slightly. In a trance, there seemed to be an invisible force drawing the two closer.

As the saying goes:

The lamplight by the window flickers, the beauty by the bed trembles;

A soft moan escapes her vermilion lips, a peach-blossom blush dyes her snowy face.

Good poem, so wet!

...

The Duke's mansion study.

The flickering candlelight illuminated two faces. One face was Song Hongtao's, and the other face was also Song Hongtao's... Pah, it was Butler Wang.

Butler Wang was reporting everything that had just happened to Song Hongtao. Just as Butler Wang had expected, Song Hongtao was not angry that he had beaten Xiao Cui to death.

She was just a handmaiden.

After listening, Song Hongtao sneered, unconcerned:

"Getting arrogant the moment one gains power—that's exactly the kind of person he is. Doesn't know the slightest thing about hiding one's strength and biding one's time. A true idiot."

"Does he really think he can become the legitimate son and inherit the title of Duke? But this is good too. A little dumber is easier to control. No need to pay too much attention to Song Yan's side. Just arrange for people to keep an eye on him. For these few days, let him be as arrogant as he wants. He won't be arrogant for much longer."

After Butler Wang left, Song Hongtao let out a breath, his eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the paper on the desk, it was unclear what he was thinking.

The night wind blew in from the window.

Swoosh.

The candlelight swayed.

Perhaps it was due to the sudden chill, or perhaps the restlessness in his chest, but a layer of goosebumps appeared on Song Hongtao's neck.

Just then, footsteps sounded. It was Yang Shi.

She wanted to discuss the matter of the dowry with Song Hongtao.

"Let's go according to the Luo family's specifications."

After thinking for a moment, Song Hongtao said as much:

"Although he is marrying into their family, we can't lose the face of the Song family."

Large households cared about propriety; the dowry and the betrothal gifts were often of equal value.

Yang Shi nodded in agreement, but in her heart, she was unconcerned. A mere concubine's son, how could he be worthy of a dowry of seventy to eighty thousand taels of silver? However, since this matter was being handed over to her, there was a lot of room for manipulation. Thinking this, Yang Shi already had a plan in mind.

…

The Green Bamboo Courtyard.

A white sheet was spread on the bed. Black hair was scattered upon it, a stark contrast of black and white, like a waterfall in an ink wash painting.

Outside the window, a cold wind blew. Under the bright white moonlight, Song Yan did not feel cold. On the contrary, a wave of warmth gradually grew from his lower abdomen, like a trickling stream, flowing through his four limbs and entire body.

Song Yan unconsciously used the method from the 'Hundred Treasures Compendium'. That wave of warmth was probably internal force.

Although he hadn't slept all night, Song Yan did not feel the slightest bit of drowsiness. When his breathing stabilized, he put on his clothes again and got out of bed.

At this moment, Song Yan felt his entire being was in an extremely special state, his mind clear and empty. If not for the big sister lying on the bed behind him, as limp as mud and already fast asleep, Song Yan would even think that everything he had just experienced was just a dream of clouds and rain over Mount Wu.

This should be the so-called 'sage state'? Thinking this, Song Yan couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

However, the sage state was quite beneficial for cultivation. In that clear and empty state, Song Yan could even clearly feel the trajectories of the spider-silk-thin streams of qi flowing slowly through his body.

A pity that this state lasted for too short a time. Before long, that feeling had already disappeared.

Facts have proven that not every woman can make the Golden Kidneys lean against a wall for support.

That white-robed immortal... Hmm, since she's an immortal, she's naturally extraordinary.

Looking at Gu Banxia's gentle and beautiful side profile, Song Yan couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. This kind of woman, if it were his previous life, he probably wouldn't have been able to marry her no matter what, right?

He pulled the blanket over her body, then left the bedroom and went to the front hall.

He now had internal breath growing inside him, which should be considered as having taken the first peek through the threshold of martial arts. But just having internal breath without any moves probably wouldn't work either.

He stood in the front hall, closed his eyes, and searched through his memories.

Unfortunately, he had never learned anything like Sanda, Muay Thai, or Karate. The only memories he could scrape up seemed to be of old men and women in the park practicing Tai Chi, or some scenes from movies and TV shows.

After thinking hard for a good while, he spread his legs, opened his arms, and began to slowly practice, following the ambiguous movements in his mind.

At first glance, it looked quite decent.

But Song Yan knew very well that the Tai Chi he was performing was only a superficial imitation, having the form but lacking the spirit. He tried to mobilize his internal force to infuse his fists, but he was always unable to do it.

The internal force was not yet under his control, but he wasn't anxious. With more practice, he would eventually be able to master it.

He practiced like this over and over. He didn't know for how long, but Song Yan began to feel hot all over and was panting for breath. Even with such slow movements, his legs had become weak.

"Young Master-in-law, what are you doing?"

Gu Banxia's voice came from behind him, slightly hoarse.

Turning to look, Gu Banxia had already gotten dressed. To Song Yan's surprise, apart from a trace of charm in her eyes, he couldn't see much else that was unusual.

Song Yan couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Even a woman had a better physical constitution than him. If it weren't for the Golden Kidneys, he probably really wouldn't have been able to subdue this vixen.

Seeing Song Yan staring at her, a red cloud floated onto Gu Banxia's face, and the charm in her eyes intensified. She couldn't help but curse herself internally for being useless. What was wrong with this body? She was always unable to control herself around the Young Master-in-law.

"Practicing martial arts," Song Yan said, picking up a silk cloth and wiping the sweat from his face.

Outside the window, the fish-belly white of dawn had already appeared. The quiet Duke's mansion was also gradually stirring with some activity. Gu Banxia had not forgotten her duties as a handmaiden. She straightened Song Yan's long robe neatly before asking:

"What kind of martial art is this? I've never seen it before."

"Tai Chi."

"It sounds like a Daoist martial art."

"You practice martial arts too?" Song Yan was a little surprised.

Gu Banxia shook her head slightly:

"The Second Young Miss cultivates a Daoist martial art, so I've seen a little of it. It's just that although Daoism emphasizes cultivating the body and nurturing one's temperament, I've never seen a Daoist priest cultivate himself into a snail."

"You dare to tease your Young Master-in-law? You're asking for a spanking."

Song Yan feigned anger and lightly slapped Gu Banxia on her body.

Gu Banxia's face turned even redder, making her look all the more delicate. After serving Song Yan his breakfast, she left the Duke's mansion. Song Yan knew she was returning to the Luo Mansion to report on the situation.

When Gu Banxia returned, it was already the afternoon, and she had three more handmaidens with her.

Song Yan had once asked Gu Banxia how exactly Luo Yuheng had described him. Gu Banxia, shy and timid, shot him a sideways glance and then spat out two words:

"Beast."

Alright, a beast is a beast. Song Yan didn't really care.

The beastly Song Yan was not so beastly as to 'eat up' all three of the new handmaidens Gu Banxia had brought.

These few days, he lived quite leisurely. Even his cultivation was only a light dabbling.

He could guess that there were definitely many of Song Hongtao's eyes and ears in the Green Bamboo Courtyard. At this critical moment, Song Yan would not leave any openings.

He just found a few books and crammed on the history of this world, especially that related to the Ning Kingdom.

Song Zhen did come looking for him once, most likely about Xiao Cui. Song Zhen had been very fond of that handmaiden.

Just for accidentally provoking Song Yan, she was beaten to death. Song Zhen felt it was a great pity, especially when he saw Xiao Cui's corpse, beaten until her skin was split and her flesh was mangled, all bloody. Song Zhen was even angrier. She was just a handmaiden; out with the old, in with the new. Song Zhen didn't particularly care, but she was his handmaiden. Hitting Xiao Cui was the same as slapping his own face.

Song Zhen came to find him, and both openly and covertly threatened and hinted for Song Yan to give that Gu Banxia to him. In exchange, he wouldn't hold a grudge over Xiao Cui being beaten to death. Song Yan pretended he didn't understand any of it.

This good-for-nothing, who was usually meek, subservient, and trembling when he saw him, actually dared to put on airs in front of him. Song Zhen was very angry and was about to make a move on the spot, but that old codger, Butler Wang, appeared at just the right moment and stopped him.

Helpless, Song Zhen could only go huffing and puffing to tattle to Song Hongtao, but in the end, he was the one who got a harsh scolding instead.

After that, Song Zhen became much more well-behaved.

Such a change, even the most foolish servant could sense that something was off. Who could have thought that this disliked concubine's son would actually have a day where his fortunes turned around.

Three short days passed in a flash.

In the silent night sky, a multitude of stars shone brightly.

On the grass of the Green Bamboo Courtyard, Song Yan had a blade of foxtail grass dangling from the corner of his mouth. The night wind blew, and the furry foxtail swayed gently. He rested his head on Gu Banxia's soft lap, relaxed and content.

Her tender fingers caressed the young man's face. A slight smile played on Gu Banxia's lips. She also didn't know why the Young Master-in-law always liked to lie on her lap. Although she felt shy, who could say no when he was the Young Master-in-law? She just let him be.

His dark eyes gazed at the firmament. Tomorrow, he was going to be married off.

It felt strange!