Nangong Yue, lost in thought, was momentarily careless. Suddenly, her waist went numb, rendering her unable to move. A soft, lazy, and casual voice echoed in her ear: "Since you know the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole behind, who is that oriole?"
Hua Wuyou cursed inwardly, realizing he had fallen into her trap. He was too careless, never expecting this woman's martial arts to be so profound, to have actually acupointed him in the blink of an eye. This was both a result of his carelessness and her superior skill.
"Liu'er, what are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Liu Liu exhaled playfully, her tone suddenly turning cold. "You ask what I'm doing after kidnapping me, and you still ask what I'm doing?"
Hua Wuyou's body was immobile. Listening to her calm voice, he seethed internally, helpless. "Alright, I admit my actions were inappropriate. Quickly release my acupoints, the carriage is about to lose control."
Liu Liu raised her hand, stopping the galloping horse, and leaped out of the carriage.
Hua Wuyou's eyes lit up. She was devastatingly beautiful, with delicate brows and rosy cheeks, her skin fairer than snow. A subtle fragrance wafted from her. Dressed in a pink gown, she appeared ethereal and celestial, as radiant as a star in the sky, leaving him stunned.
He had seen countless beautiful women, but never one who was so accomplished both inwardly and outwardly, possessing talent and looks that captured every man's gaze.
Liu Liu smirked at Hua Wuyou's overly astonished expression. Her eyes, as bright as jewels, swept across the sky.
She should leave now. It was late, and she didn't want to spend the night in this desolate wilderness with this man. While he was not unattractive, his personality was not to be commended.
Liu Liu moved, her slender foot kicking Hua Wuyou down from the front of the carriage. She then leaped onto the carriage and, looking at the man sprawled on the ground, called out.
"Your acupoints will be automatically released in an hour," she said, pulling the reins and galloping away.
Hua Wuyou looked at her receding figure with tears threatening to fall. Was this what they called bringing ruin upon oneself? To be tricked by this woman, and to end up with nothing. He roared at the sky, but it was to no avail.
Five years later...
Liu Liu and Dai Mei walked out of the grand hall and down the stone steps.
Night had fallen. There was no moon, but the stars dotted the sky, appearing even more brilliant. Xiaoyao Island was enveloped in silence.
Among the lush green foliage, a few lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, appearing and disappearing, like stars fallen onto Xiaoyao Island, elegant and soft.
In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against the shore could be heard intermittently, rising and falling, mixed with the fresh, sweet, and fragrant scent of aquatic plants.
The two walked along the stone path towards the back. On either side of the path, rows of crescent pines were planted, adorned with strings of lanterns that illuminated the path exceptionally clearly. All was silent.
Only the soft footsteps of the two could be heard, accompanied by the tinkling of the silver bells on Dai Mei's feet, rippling through the dark night, up and down, a wave of sound.
Upon reaching the courtyard gate, Liu Liu stopped and looked back at Dai Mei. "Get some rest early. I'm tired too."
"Yes,楼主 (Louzhu)," Dai Mei nodded. She was indeed a little tired, and she knew that the楼主 must be worried about the Emperor of Tianfeng. Regardless of their past grievances, they had a child together, so it was impossible not to worry.
The two rough maids guarding the courtyard gate looked up and saw the楼主 returning. They quickly called out happily, "The楼主 is back, the楼主 is back!"
Cheers erupted from the house. It was Muxing's voice.
Liu Liu furrowed her brow slightly. Why wasn't this child asleep? She looked up and saw a small shadow flitting out from the entrance of the reception hall. He gazed at her with bright eyes, a sweet smile on his lips. "Mother, you're back. Muxing was waiting for mother to have dinner."
Liu Liu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. There wasn't a single child on the island, making Muxing appear somewhat lonely and mature for his age. Lacking paternal affection, he clung to her easily.
His heart was sensitive and cautious, fearing his mother's displeasure. The little one had learned to guess his mother's thoughts.
"Yes, mother is back. Muxing should eat and go to bed early, as you have practice tomorrow morning."
Liu Liu walked over, took Muxing's hand, and reminded him that he had training tomorrow morning. Muxing pouted dismissively. He didn't want to train; it was boring. But he dared not contradict his mother, so he could only nod.
"Muxing understands, mother. Don't worry, Muxing has been practicing these days."
Cui'er came out from inside and heard Muxing's words, her face twitching several times. Had he been practicing?
She didn't recall. She only remembered a little brat waking up late every day and then going to torment that dog. Fortunately, she didn't say anything, only smiling at her mistress.
"You must be hungry. Come, dinner is ready. Muxing hasn't eaten yet; he was waiting for you to eat together." Although the little fellow often made her spit blood in anger, Cui'er still felt for him and was afraid he would go hungry.
Liu Liu disagreed with Cui'er's words. She led Muxing to the dining table and sat down with him, gazing at her son earnestly.
"Muxing, sometimes mother is busy, so you must eat by yourself first. Don't wait for mother. If you go hungry, you won't grow tall. Then who will protect mother?"
Hearing his mother's words, Muxing's little face lit up with pride. Mother needed him to protect her! He immediately nodded his little head vigorously, his big eyes sparkling, extremely dazzling. The candlelight leaped in his dark pupils, a proud gleam.
"Mother, don't worry. Muxing will eat more, practice martial arts more, earn more money, and then protect mother, so no one can bully mother."
Liu Liu was very pleased to see her son, so young yet acting like a man. She reached out and stroked Muxing's head. A silver hairpin tied up a small bun, exuding an air of nobility. Smiling, she urged her son to eat. "Alright, Muxing, eat quickly. Mother is hungry."
"Okay," the little fellow nodded with a smile. Cui'er quickly served him his favorite dishes. Mother and son ate and laughed, filling the room with warmth.
Muxing suddenly remembered a question, a very important one. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at his mother with a serious expression. "Mother, what is 'father'?"
Because Muxing lived in a world where the word "father" never existed, he was very curious. What was it?
Why did Uncle Hua say everyone should have a father, but Muxing didn't? What was a father? He was very curious about it. Could a father be used for play? Like the dog mother gave him on the island, could it be given to him to play with?
Upon hearing Muxing's question, Liu Liu almost choked on her soup. This seemed to be her mistake. For so many years, she had forgotten to tell Muxing about this. Furthermore, there were no other children on the island, so it was normal for him not to understand what a father was.
Liu Liu looked up at Cui'er behind Muxing. Had Cui'er said something to him? Cui'er quickly shook her head. She hadn't said anything. Who knew where Muxing had heard it from.
"Muxing, who told you about this?"
"Uncle Hua?" Muxing told his mother, puzzled as to why her expression had turned unpleasant. Did this "father" thing not sound good? Did mother get angry whenever she thought of it? His blinking eyes flickered with doubt.