Chapter 1 Flower Fragrance in the Bridal Chamber

A fragrant breeze wafted through the bridal chamber, sunlight shone on the mirror, beams of light danced on the rafters. In the back garden, butterflies sunned themselves on the warm grass, while in the hall, dust settled as swallows flew in pairs.

The first to wake,

Was Si Niang;

Si Niang turned and looked at her lord, lying beside her.

There was no sense of loss, no bewilderment, and certainly no sweet, sweet, honey-sweet roundabout.

Only a clear, limpid gaze.

Talk of love and affection,

For a demon king, was simply the height of affectation.

To put it bluntly,

What underpins human ethics and morality is the universal depth of human life.

Ordinary people, when they reach a certain age, study, when they reach a certain age, go on blind dates, when they reach a certain age, have children, when they reach a certain age, see off their elders, and then, when they reach a certain age, are themselves seen off as elders.

Every stage of life is arranged with clarity.

Not everyone in the world is subject to this rule, but it is definitely the epitome of most people;

Most people doing this is the established rule, and taking a step back is morality.

But the depth of the demon king's life far exceeded this norm.

Si Niang had once said that there was no man in this world who could move her heart.

She had seen too much, experienced too much,

Often, below there was clamor, a hubbub, twittering swallows and warbling orioles, and even further below, dirt and filth, with countless tears of pulverized bones flying;

And she,

Would be sitting on the rooftop,

Or leaning against the railing,

Or,

With a cigarette in her hand, or a pot of wine;

Like a figure in a painting,

Yet also like someone appreciating the painting.

Just like now,

She was looking at Marquis Zheng.

This man,

Undeniably,

Had an increasingly refined air about him, and having spent his life practicing martial arts and fighting battles, his physique was beyond reproach, complemented by a few well-placed scars;

Like the best seasoning, bringing out the most appropriate masculinity.

But to say that she liked him, wanted to be close to him, eagerly wanted to have something happen with him.

Not really.

So,

When he said he wanted her,

She only came back after finishing her work.

Truth be told,

When a woman is self-sufficient and strong to a certain degree, a man is really just an optional accessory.

However,

When it came down to it,

In this world,

If there was one man who could touch her body without causing her revulsion or disgust, it was him.

Not love,

Not intimacy,

Just,

Not repulsive.

At this moment,

Zheng Fan woke up, he opened his eyes, saw Si Niang's gaze, and said:

"How did you wake up before me?"

"Is my lord disappointed?"

"I was thinking that I would wake up first, then lie here and look at you, still sound asleep from exhaustion; that would be the right tone."

"It was this servant's oversight." Si Niang lay back down and said, "This servant is too tired, my body feels paralyzed. Please forgive this servant for being unable to serve you with your morning ablutions."

"Heh."

Zheng Fan laughed and asked:

"How do you feel?"

Si Niang shook her head and said, "I can't really say."

"Very bad?" Zheng Fan pursed his lips, looking slightly anxious.

"Without a comparison, how can I compare?"

"True."

"But it's also comfortable."

"That's good then."

Zheng Fan got up,

And Si Niang followed suit.

Zheng Fan's legs were a little shaky, and when he stepped down the stairs, he swayed. Si Niang reached out and firmly supported her man.

"A bit soft."

Marquis Zheng was a little embarrassed, but fortunately, this kind of embarrassment didn't feel shameful in front of Si Niang.

There was no passionate love between them, but it was very pure, with no need for pretense or concealment;

Perhaps,

This was the highest realm of the legendary mutual respect between husband and wife?

"Three times was a bit too much."

Si Niang complained.

"Wasn't I afraid you wouldn't get enough?"

Marquis Zheng sat down,

Si Niang put on her clothes and brought water.

While Zheng Fan washed up, Si Niang stood in front of the mirror, combing her hair, and said:

"They all say that afterward, there will be a clear peach blush on the face, why don't I see it?"

"Should be, right?" Marquis Zheng wasn't very sure.

"Perhaps, this is like how you often mock those civil officials who write military books, talking about loving soldiers like sons, and sucking pus from sores. Perhaps those are also fake?

Just like what you said, wanting to wake up and see this servant lying there, exhausted.

Since ancient times, how could a plowing ox ever truly be angry with the field?"

Zheng Fan nodded and said, "So, generally, those who write like that can't do it themselves, have regrets, so they use words in books to complete the picture?"

"Stories are the same as reality. Why look at stories? Why not look at yourself and look in the mirror?"

"Insightful."

"However, maybe it's because this servant's constitution is different. Ru Qing is an experienced woman, so we won't talk about her. When you favor Li Qing, I would like to observe from the side."

"Observe from the… side?"

"Does my lord not like it?"

"You're skipping steps a bit too much, aren't you?"

"It all depends on what my lord likes."

"Hmm..."

Zheng Fan finished washing up,

And got up.

Si Niang also finished combing her hair. Without asking Zheng Fan, she chose clothes from the closet and helped Zheng Fan match them.

Asking a man how to match clothes is a waste of time;

Most of Zheng Fan's clothes were handmade by Si Niang in her spare time, and they would be updated as his official rank rose.

Si Niang wore a simple, elegant red dress.

In fact, whether clothes look good or not depends on the person wearing them.

"Wearing these clothes..."

"What's wrong, my lord?"

"They have a bit of the flavor of Brigitte Lin's Invincible East."

"I remember, what you seemed to like was Joey Wang in *A Chinese Ghost Story*."

"We can change again tomorrow."

"That's right."

After getting dressed,

Zheng Fan was about to say something more,

But Si Niang spoke first:

"My lord, there's no need to be so formal. It's not like we won't be sleeping in the same bed anymore. After all, it's not certain that one time will be enough to conceive a child."

"Haha, true."

Marquis Zheng walked out of the bedroom,

Outside,

The sun was already high in the sky.

Turning back,

Looking at the bedroom door again,

Marquis Zheng suddenly felt like he was the bride last night.

Facing the sunlight,

He took a deep breath,

His legs weren't soft now, and he felt refreshed.

When he walked outside,

In the middle courtyard,

The Sword Saint stood there, looking at Zheng Fan as he slowly walked over.

"Last night, nothing happened." The Sword Saint said.

Zheng Fan nodded solemnly,

And said:

"Thank you for your hard work."

"I always feel like something is wrong."

"Some things aren't convenient to explain right now."

The Sword Saint frowned slightly.

Zheng Fan continued:

"I'm also doing this for the most prudent outcome. You know, there are so many refugees in J восто region, still relying on me to survive."

"You're very strange today."

The Sword Saint's sixth sense was really strong.

Generally speaking, true masters, especially those who have opened the Second Rank, masters who are close to "harmony between man and nature," already have a certain ability to predict good and bad fortune.

"Maybe, after all, I've been enfeoffed as a marquis. Before, it was small-scale stuff, not important, but now that the family business is bigger, I know the burden is heavier."

"Who exactly wants to attack you?"

"It's unspeakable."

Before the Sword Saint could continue to ask,

Zheng Fan reached out,

And gently pointed to the west.

A very vague answer, a very illogical answer.

But,

It just so happened to defuse the atmosphere at this moment.

The Sword Saint sighed,

And said;

"I won't ask."

"Good."

"Because I have a feeling that if I keep asking, I might not be able to resist stabbing you to death with my sword."

"Well... It's really hard to imagine how you could have such a dangerous thought?"

The Sword Saint turned around,

Waved his hand,

And prepared to leave,

Saying:

"Remember, you have to fix the chicken coop in the yard for me, and leave a small vegetable garden."

"How about adding a small pond? And raising a few koi carp."

"You wouldn't dare!"

………

"So, where's the bottle of wine I treasured?"

In the ice cellar,

A'ming frowned.

At this moment, Liang Cheng walked in.

"Did you take it?" A'ming asked.

"What?"

"The red wine."

Liang Cheng shook his head and asked, "Was it very valuable?"

"The private collection of a noble from the Chu Kingdom, the kind they take to their ancestral graves."

Liang Cheng frowned slightly.

"You despise it?"

A'ming seemed to have discovered something extremely interesting,

And said:

"You're a zombie, you despise things from coffins?"

"Can't I?"

"It just feels a little strange." A'ming stretched and said, "Aren't you training new recruits?"

"I'm back to mobilize troops to pick up Blind Man and the others."

"Do you need to go yourself? Just let that Jin Shuke go."

Obviously, Jin Shuke had already become someone that even the demon king recognized as... one of his own.

"Last night, my lord issued an order. Jin Shuke guarded outside my lord's residence all night."

"Hmm, what's the situation?"

"I don't know, don't you know either?"

"I'm busy with the workshop. You don't know how high the backlog of orders that need to be shipped is. Yesterday, there was a fire in one of the perfume workshops. I went to put it out and came back planning to ask Si Niang to help me sew up and treat my wounds."

As he spoke,

A'ming pointed to his back.

He could handle ordinary injuries himself, but when putting out the fire, he had obviously used sand and soil, so the wound had to be cleaned first, otherwise, after it healed, his back would be bumpy and uneven, not pretty.

Liang Cheng and A'ming walked out of the cellar together,

Outside,

Xue San and Fan Li were standing in the garden,

Xue San was sitting on the trellis, swinging back and forth.

Fan Li was holding a baked potato,

Squatting there, peeling the skin.

"Yo, what a coincidence." A'ming said.

It was rare for everyone to gather together when they were all so busy.

Xue San said, "Si Niang sent someone to call us back, saying it was my lord's intention for everyone to have a meal together at noon."

"What's the matter?" A'ming asked.

Xue San shook his head. "I don't know either. A'li and I just went to see Si Niang. Si Niang said we'd eat together later, but she didn't say what it was about.

I think it's good, everyone's been busy these days, we need to take a break."

At this time,

Fan Li, who was squatting on the ground and taking a bite of the baked potato,

Closed his eyes,

Looked at the sky,

Chewing and lamenting the preciousness of food,

And said:

"Hoeing the millet under the noonday sun..."

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Don't wait for the next chapter, it will take a while, read it tomorrow morning.