"Ah..."
Qiu Feng, standing outside the study door, was dumbstruck. It took him a long mont to process the bizarre story. "Is that... so?"
"Uh..."
Inside the study, Chai Chai grimaced. Li Ang’s lifeti reputation is ruined in an instant.
Qiu Feng hesitated. "Then... shall I bring you so Clothes?"
"No, no, no, I’m quite comfortable as I am," Chai Chai said, giving up. "The temperature is just right. It’s actually more comfortable without Clothes; it feels cool and pleasant."
"Alright then."
Qiu Feng could only say, "So I’ll hang the gift on the door? That way, you’ll see it when you open it."
"Mm."
Chai Chai heard a rustling sound from outside the door.
Qiu Feng finished hanging the sachet and stepped back half a pace. He imagined Li Ang’s reaction to seeing the gift—a mix of shyness and panic. Sowhat flustered, he said, "The hangover soup will be ready soon. I’ll go check on it in the backyard."
With that, he quickly ran toward the backyard.
"Phew..."
Chai Chai breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. I narrowly dodged that bullet.
But what kind of gift is Qiu Feng giving Li Ang?
Just as she was peeking through the crack of the door, curiously looking outside,
Galuo, slumped on the recliner, drunkenly sat up.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes bleary. Her wheat-colored skin, flushed from the alcohol, glowed like ripe apples on a branch.
"HIC—"
Galuo let out a small hiccup, looking around in a daze, confirming she was indeed in Li Ang’s house.
Then she threw off the blanket and staggered toward the study door.
Inside, Chai Chai’s heart leaped into her throat. Galuo is a Postnatal Martial Artist! She wouldn’t even need to exert much effort. Just a light push, and this ordinary wooden door would collapse!
Chai Chai hurriedly released her Telekinesis, reinforcing the inside of the wooden door.
Fortunately, Galuo didn’t try to push the door open. She leaned against the doorfra and murmured softly, "Li Ang?"
Chai Chai quickly replied, "Uh? I’m here."
"I like you."
Galuo stated bluntly, her head resting lightly against the door, her small, golden flower-shaped earrings swaying with the motion.
"Uh??"
Chai Chai’s brain froze for a mont, unsure of how to react.
Outside, Galuo didn’t notice the pause from within and continued, "The Wolf Garden of the Turkic was created in imitation of your Academic Palace.
"Despite the vast expanse of the grasslands, our population is not as large as that of Yu Country. To compete with the Academic Palace, the Wolf Garden enrolls more students and is more brutal.
"Everyone, from the children of herdsn to the descendants of the Great Khan, is subjected to the sa treatnt.
"Before dawn broke, we were awakened by cold water and forced to run frantic circles around the training grounds.
"Day and night, we desperately studied writing, calligraphy, history, Military Studies, and Natural Science.
"Students were ranked.
"The best-performing class got to drink wine and eat at; the less distinguished ones only received leftovers, or even had to endure starvation.
"Teachers routinely inflicted corporal punishnt, openly flogging those deed ’unambitious’ with whips, forcing everyone to watch their piteous wails and screams.
"Every year, even every month, so students from the Wolf Garden couldn’t bear it any longer. They would quietly walk into the Frozen Lake and disappear without a trace."
Galuo raised her hand to caress the Wolf Tooth Pendant hanging at her throat. "They said this was the necessary price to contend with Yu Country," she continued softly. "For every seven inches Turkic strength grew, Yu Country’s would grow by a foot.
"Between our two nations, there would inevitably be a war of annihilation, one that would destroy the other.
"Only by becoming stronger, at any cost, could we protect our families, our territory, and the future of our descendants.
"The students of the Wolf Garden all loathed Yu Country—I did too, at first—blaming Yu Country for everything that happened at the Wolf Garden.
"But ten years passed, then twenty, then thirty, then fifty.
"The Wolf Garden had existed for so long, but that great war never ca. Only Disciple after Disciple stepped into the Frozen Lake and vanished.
"Whenever a bed beca vacant, a new person would fill it within days.
"The cycle just kept repeating."
Galuo paused, her eyes losing focus. She murmured, "Why is it like this?
"Why can’t our two nations live in peace?
"To shatter the scimitars and reforge them into plowshares,
"To unburden the warhorses of their armor and let them run free.
"They say both nations have inflicted too much suffering upon each other, that our hatred runs as deep as the sea, and that in the end, only one can remain standing.
"But the ones who truly suffer...
"Are not those standing on stage, the impassioned Princes and Princesses of Yu Country, the court officials, or the Turkic Yabghu, She, and Special Mission—these nobles.
"It’s the herders and farrs along the border,
"In every household, it’s the mothers’ sons, the wives’ husbands, the children’s fathers."
Galuo lifted her head, gazing at the ceiling beams. "If only there were no war," she whispered. "How wonderful that would be."
"..."
"The only lesson humanity seems to learn from history," Chai Chai said softly, "is that humanity never learns anything from history."
"That’s quite a mouthful. I don’t understand."
Galuo shook her head, let out another hiccup, and laughed tipsily. "Seriously, I really, really like you. I think I’ve liked you ever since you stitched up my wound.
"That day, after you sent Bian Chenpei flying, I felt even more strongly that it had to be you, or no one else.
"But it’s impossible.
"I’m a daughter of the Blue Turkic, and you’re so kind of noble in Yu Country.
"You wouldn’t return to the Turkic lands with , and I can’t stay in Chang’an forever—even if I wanted to, I have to consider my kinsn still at the Turkic Royal Court.
"So... let’s have a child, shall we?"
Chai Chai: "...What?"
"Open the door! Open the door quickly!"
Galuo gently bumped her forehead against the wooden door, a drunken, mischievous smile on her lips. "I’ve seen those picture books from Chang’an, you know. I know how babies are made.
"Don’t worry, you won’t be—HIC—at a disadvantage. My mother and aunts all say I’m very fertile.
"Anyway, I’ll be leaving with the envoy mission in a few days. The child will take my surna."
I knew it! You little minx! Staying in Golden City Square even after your leg healed—you were plotting sothing all along! And I actually thought of you as a good sister! I was even planning to write to you every month after you returned to the grasslands, sending you all sorts of specialties from Chang’an!
Inside, Chai Chai was aghast. She quickly used her Telekinesis to brace the wooden door, frantically searching her mind for the right words. "Stop!
"You need to calm down! I’m not wearing any Clothes right now!"
"Isn’t that even better? Oh, it’ll be quick."
"There’s soone else in the room!"
"Huh? Who? Chai Chai? Don’t you know how to make a soundproof talisman?"
"This... you... I..."
Chai Chai stared at the vibrating door, feeling completely helpless and on the verge of tears.
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