Princess Zande strode out without a word, heading straight for the gate. Baili Ziyun and Baili Hao followed closely behind, not hesitating for a moment. The guards, under Luoluo's control, also departed. Only when the last person stepped onto the official road did Shen Xiaoyan instruct the gates to be closed.
"From now on, pretend this never happened, understand?" Shen Xiaoyan said sternly to the servants.
"Yes." The servants' expressions turned solemn, and they bowed in unison. After all this time, Shen Xiaoyan still trusted these people. Another reason was that they had all signed indentured servitude papers; their lives were in Shen Xiaoyan's hands. If Shen Xiaoyan fared poorly, they would have no good end. After dismissing everyone to sleep, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei returned to the main courtyard.
In the master bedroom's east wing, after coaxing Sanshengzi to sleep, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei sat in the study to talk.
"When you first treated Baili Hao's wound, you did something to it?" Zheng Wei held Shen Xiaoyan, playing with her fingers as he spoke casually.
"Yes, since he dared to ambush me, I naturally couldn't let him off easy," Shen Xiaoyan replied, tilting her head up to give Zheng Wei a proud smile.
"And today, Princess Zande and the others' reactions, is this... the superpower you told me about?" Zheng Wei's face showed a puzzled look. Shen Xiaoyan had told him about her superpower when she first mentioned her space. At that time, he hadn't paid much attention, nor did he think it was a big deal. After all, the space had already been a much greater shock to him. It wasn't until just now, seeing Princess Zande and the others in such agony at Shen Xiaoyan's words, that he realized what kind of concept this superpower truly was.
"How do you activate your superpower?" Zheng Wei continued to ask. He had been standing behind Shen Xiaoyan and hadn't seen any strange movements. How had she done it?
"My superpower is wood-elemental. Meaning, I can accelerate the growth of plants. I can also make any plant obey my command and become my weapon." As Shen Xiaoyan finished speaking, she looked up at Zheng Wei and indeed saw him staring at her in astonishment.
"What? Do you think I'm amazing?" Shen Xiaoyan's expectant look, as if waiting for praise, greatly diminished Zheng Wei's shock.
"Then, Mìmi, show me," Zheng Wei said, starting to get up to find seeds.
"Hey, where are you going?" Shen Xiaoyan grabbed Zheng Wei's clothes, stopping him.
"I'm going to find some seeds..." Before he could finish, Zheng Wei lightly patted his head. He was foolish; what kind of seeds did Shen Xiaoyan's space not have? As he was thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan had already retrieved a seed from her space and placed it in her palm.
"Watch carefully." Shen Xiaoyan extended her fair hand, on which rested a tiny seed. She looked up at Zheng Wei, a faint smile on her face. Zheng Wei saw no action from her, yet the seed slowly sprouted. It was as if he were hallucinating, or as if magic had been cast. The sprout grew rapidly, from a small bud to a branch, which elongated, and at its tip, a bud appeared. The bud gradually enlarged, then slowly unfurled layer by layer. It seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it was just a moment. A bright red rose appeared before Zheng Wei.
"I love you." Shen Xiaoyan offered the flower in her hand to Zheng Wei, saying gently. Zheng Wei had read many books and watched many movies and TV shows in Shen Xiaoyan's space, so he understood the meaning of giving a rose.
"Mìmi, you're becoming more like a queen. It seems I'll have to step back and become the new generation's perfect husband," Zheng Wei said, taking the rose from Shen Xiaoyan and smelling it gently. Shen Xiaoyan was taken aback by Zheng Wei's words, then let out a giggle.
"What, you don't want to be the man behind me? Then whose man do you want to be?" Shen Xiaoyan turned, knelt before Zheng Wei, and provocatively lifted his chin.
"Naturally, you. Only you, my queen, my empress," Zheng Wei said, tilting his head up and pressing a light kiss to Shen Xiaoyan's lips. Shen Xiaoyan looked at his enlarged face, his eyes filled with a gentle smile and lingering affection, and slowly closed her own eyes. After a while, their breaths grew ragged. As there were still things to discuss, they parted. Holding each other, they calmed their emotions before Zheng Wei spoke again, his voice now a little hoarse.
"Then, how did you deal with them just now?" Shen Xiaoyan said, playing with her hair and chuckling.
"It's very simple. I mixed some seeds into their dinner, and they all ate them. These are not ordinary seeds; they are seeds that I have already controlled. No matter how far away they are from me, I can control them." Zheng Wei finally understood. If this was the case, then Princess Zande and the others' lives were truly in Shen Xiaoyan's hands.
"What if they discover something and forcibly vomit them out?" Zheng Wei thought for a moment and asked again.
"It's useless," Shen Xiaoyan shook her head. "Unless they dig out their stomachs, they can't get rid of them." Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's certainty, Zheng Wei finally felt relieved. However, he felt he was truly developing in the direction of being protected by Shen Xiaoyan, which was not a good sign. While he didn't mind Shen Xiaoyan being more capable than him, as a man, he preferred to stand in front of his wife and children, protect them, and hold up the sky for them.
Shen Xiaoyan was unaware of Zheng Wei's thoughts at this moment, nor did she wish to know. Because what she wanted to do now was to pounce on Zheng Wei, again and again.
The night of tenderness was beyond words. The next day, however, Zheng Wei woke up unusually early. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. Although he didn't have Shen Xiaoyan's heaven-defying abilities, there were many ways for him to strengthen himself. Zheng Wei tucked in Shen Xiaoyan and the three children, then tiptoed out.
It was still dim outside. Zheng Wei, afraid his punches and sword practice might wake Shen Xiaoyan and the others, decided to go for a walk around Baiyun Peak. Bringing back some game for lunch would be nice too. But as soon as he opened the door, a figure rushed towards him. Instinctively, Zheng Wei dodged. When he steadied himself and saw the figure on the ground, he felt utterly speechless.
"Ouch..." The person on the ground rolled over, clutching their waist, and lay straight on the ground.
"Why are you here so early?" Zheng Wei frowned at the person on the ground, asking in an ambiguous tone.
"Big brother, how can you be like this? You see it's me, but you don't help me up? You just let me fall on the ground like this. How can you bear it?" Lu Taobao cried with a mournful face, inwardly complaining furiously. His poor old back, having fallen on the ground like this, was probably broken.
Zheng Wei looked at him coldly, waiting for his answer. Lu Taobao waited for a long time without a sound. Some of his eyes opened in surprise, only to see Zheng Wei looking at him chillingly. Knowing that pretending to be pitiful was useless, Lu Taobao stopped lying on the ground. He pushed himself up slowly, then bent over and dusted himself off.
"Big brother, it's not that I'm disturbing your peace so early. I originally wanted to lean by the door and wait for everyone to get up before coming in. But who knew you'd be up so early today, right?" Lu Taobao said, even giving Zheng Wei a fawning smile.
"Stop fooling around. Tell me, why are you here so early?" Zheng Wei glanced sideways, his expression saying, "I'm not buying it." Lu Taobao retracted his somewhat obsequious, no, rather friendly smile, and with a mournful face, pleaded, "Little brother is truly homeless. Look, my luggage is all there. My father said if I don't go back and get married, he won't let me into the house, and I can't manage the family business either."
"Then that's perfect. You can live your carefree life," Zheng Wei said coolly. Before, Lu Taobao always complained about being too busy, not even having time to rest. Now that his father wasn't letting him worry about family matters, it was exactly what he had wished for.
"Freedom is certainly good, but I also have no home to return to." Lu Taobao sighed a little about this. He finally had freedom, but he had been kicked out. He couldn't just be a homeless wanderer, could he?
"So, big brother, little brother will have to trouble you to take care of me from now on. Rest assured, I am hardworking, capable of labor, and skilled in everything. Just give me a bed and feed me, and I can do anything," Lu Taobao guaranteed, patting his chest.
Zheng Wei looked at Lu Taobao's face and noticed that under his eyes were not only dark circles but also bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept all night.
"When did you arrive?"
"Just now," Lu Taobao replied immediately. But seeing Zheng Wei's slightly narrowed eyes, Lu Taobao flinched and lowered his head, saying, "Around midnight, I think."
"Why didn't you knock when you arrived?" Zheng Wei's tone grew colder. Although he and Shen Xiaoyan hadn't intended to let Lu Taobao stay, they had sent Princess Zande and her group away around 9 PM. Lu Taobao had arrived at midnight. If he had knocked, he would definitely have been let in. Besides, even if he had happened upon them, it wouldn't have mattered. Keeping it from him was just to prevent him from getting involved.
Seeing Zheng Wei's face growing more displeased, Lu Taobao finally reacted and quickly said, "Big brother, don't overthink it. Truthfully, little brother didn't have the face to knock."