Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Will She Come?
The long whip split the air, trailing a sharp, slicing sound.
CRACK!
Qi Chuyao's body jolted violently. She let out a miserable cry and stumbled backward, clutching her backside.
The fawning smile hadn't even left her face before the lash twisted it into a grimace, and she howled:
"Ahhhh! Mother! Don't hit me!"
She screamed and ducked, but the whip seemed to have eyes—it chased her down again.
"What's wrong with not wanting to marry him?!"
Qin Junyue stood in place. Her expression stiffened, and her mouth twitched.
She watched the scene unfolding before her: in the courtyard, Qi's Mother gripped a long whip and bore down on Qi Chuyao with furious momentum.
Qi Chuyao shielded her head and bolted this way and that, her skirt snagged ragged by tree branches, her hair completely undone—looking for all the world like a little dog being chased around the yard.
"You send a maidservant to deliver the Auspicious Letter, then you drag Qin Junyue out to the city outskirts for a hunt—idle and irresponsible!"
Qi's Mother's whip came down again, cracking against the stone tiles near Qi Chuyao's feet with a sharp snap.
Qi Chuyao lurched in fright and scrambled forward several more steps.
"You're a fighter who hasn't even reached Ranked Expert—and you dare run around outside as you please!"
"Useless in letters, useless in martial arts—how did I give birth to something like you!"
Qin Junyue quietly stepped back and tucked herself behind a corridor pillar.
The way that was phrased… even she felt a flicker of secondhand embarrassment.
Qi Chuyao's martial talent truly couldn't compare to hers.
The Qin Family had served in the military for generations. She had trained in martial arts since childhood—not only had she long since reached Ranked Expert, she was a full stride ahead of most, which was precisely why both the Qi and Song families had taken notice of her.
And Qi Chuyao? After all these years of training, she hadn't even grazed the threshold of the lowest rank—4th Rank.
Though to be fair, one couldn't blame Qi Chuyao entirely. Even with abundant training resources, reaching Ranked Expert was no small thing. Across the entire Great Qian Dynasty, Ranked Experts were few.
Qi Chuyao was clearly thinking the same thing.
Clutching her stinging backside, she ran and wailed: "Mother! Does everyone have to be like Junyue?! Reaching Ranked Expert isn't that easy!"
"Were you at Ranked Expert when you were my age?!"
Qi's Mother stopped abruptly, one brow arching up.
The whip hung loose against the ground. She gave a slow nod, her beautiful eyes wide and round, fixed on Qi Chuyao.
Seeing her mother finally halt, Qi Chuyao pressed her advantage. She stiffened her neck and shouted:
"I'm not fit to be your daughter? Then does a blind man deserve to be your son-in-law?!"
Qin Junyue's heart lurched.
Her face remained composed, but the hand behind the pillar had already curled into a fist.
Qi's Mother's grip loosened. She slowly coiled the long whip and hooked it at her waist.
She stared at Qi Chuyao for a long moment and said nothing.
The courtyard lanterns swayed gently in the evening breeze, their light shifting over her face—light and shadow trading places, expression unreadable, thoughts impossible to guess.
"Marrying Ning'er is a humiliation for you, is that it?" she finally said.
Qi Chuyao rubbed the place that had been struck. Seeing her mother's hand stilled, she grew bolder.
She straightened up and let everything spill out in one rush:
"Am I even your flesh and blood? Why must you force me to marry a blind man?"
"You treat him better than you treat me—I can't even tell whose child you actually gave birth to!"
"Even if our families are old friends, you can't force me to marry someone I don't want to marry. Anyone would be better than marrying him!"
She clenched her fists, a stubborn look set across her face. She stared straight at her mother, waiting—hoping—for her to take it all back.
Qi's Mother was quiet for a moment.
She looked at the daughter standing before her and let out a long, slow sigh:
"I'm not someone who tears apart lovebirds either."
"Do you have a secret attachment to another man?"
Qi Chuyao blinked.
"If you do, just say so," Qi's Mother said, looking at her. "I can make it happen."
There was, oddly, a note of regret in her voice.
Qi Chuyao's mouth twitched.
"What do you think?!" she snapped. "You keep me on such a short leash—what man was I supposed to get attached to?"
From behind the pillar, Qin Junyue gave a quiet nod.
That much was true.
Qi Chuyao was idle and flighty, and her letters and martial arts were both middling—but the Qi Family kept a strict household. Of course there had been no secret attachments.
Hearing this, Qi's Mother suddenly smiled and gently stroked the long whip.
That smile was full of meaning, and it sent a chill down Qi Chuyao's spine.
Damn it! It was a trap all along!
"Ah." Qi's Mother let the smile fade and sighed. "Sooner or later, you'll understand—this match I've arranged for you will be the Qi Family's protective talisman."
She looked at Qi Chuyao, her gaze complex:
"Perhaps in time, it will also be your guarantee of a comfortable life."
"You simply don't understand yet."
Qi Chuyao gave a light, dismissive huff, her face a picture of defiance.
A protective talisman? A guarantee? A comfortable life?
She didn't believe a word of it.
Song Ning was a blind man—what kind of guarantee could he offer her? The only things that could serve as a talisman were power, status, and martial achievement.
All of which she could earn herself.
Qi Chuyao had always believed that if she one day rose to high office and made something great of herself, it would be she who gave Song Ning a comfortable life.
And by then, everyone would have to depend on her.
After all, she was the eldest daughter of the Qi Family.
The daughter of the Great Qian Dynasty's Minister of War.
A young girl's ambitions soared higher than the sky itself, her daydreams already reaching the summit of Great Qian's power.
She felt she had been born to greatness—that a pinnacle was simply her destined end.
Qin Junyue stepped out from behind the pillar and bowed respectfully to Qi's Mother, who was making to leave.
Qi's Mother smiled, glanced at her, patted her shoulder, and disappeared into the night.
Qin Junyue straightened up. She watched the retreating figure fade into darkness, then turned to look at Qi Chuyao—who was still rubbing her backside.
Protective talisman. Guarantee. In time. None of Qi's Mother's words had landed. Qi Chuyao was already grinning at her with a mouthful of white teeth, her hair a complete mess from the chase.
But Qin Junyue had caught every word. She rubbed her chin, turning over the phrase in time—just what future was Qi's Mother referring to?
****
Next morning.
Song Ning woke early.
The light beyond the window was just beginning to grey. Sparrows chattered and chirped among the branches.
He lay in bed, listening to distant, faint sounds of movement.
Today they were to visit the Qi Family Residence to deliver the return letter—naturally, one couldn't be lax about that.
He sat up, felt his way into his inner robe, and had just finished tying the sash when a soft knock came at the door.
"Young Master, are you up?" It was Xia Ling's voice.
"Come in."
The door swung open and light footsteps hurried inside.
Xia Ling wore a pink skirt, carrying a basin of hot water and a cloth. Xia Shuang followed close behind, as she always did—at the rear, sword cradled in her arms.
After he had washed and rinsed, Xia Ling began to help him dress.
Her fingers were nimble, smoothing his collar and fastening his sash.
Then she moved around behind him and began to comb his hair.
"Young Master," Xia Ling said, her voice bright and crisp. "Do you think when we go to deliver the return letter this time, Qi Chuyao will actually be home? She wouldn't hand it off to a maidservant again, would she?"
She paused, then added: "What if she's rude about it?"
Song Ning sat still, feeling his hair drawn through the comb in long, even strokes. He smiled faintly.
"She won't be," he said. "This time, she'll definitely be home."