The once-in-a-decade Martial Arts Conference draws fighters from all over the country. Unlike the emperor’s events, it’s even grander—there are no borders, no status limits, anyone with martial skill can join.
Honestly, most martial artists don’t care much for the imperial court, but they don’t go out of their way to oppose it either. They know the rule about ‘well water not mixing with river water’—as long as things are peaceful, there’s no reason to stir trouble.
The court, though, totally hates this tournament every decade. Sure, the martial world isn’t as big as the imperial guard, but the tournament’s influence is massive. If it messes with the court’s reputation, the emperor’s gonna freak.
But this event’s been around for ages—no way to change it overnight. This year, though, things are different: Song Zhijue isn’t fighting it. Instead, he’s offering ten thousand taels of gold to whoever becomes the new Martial Alliance Leader.
With a prize like that, even people with barely any skills are itching to join. It’s all thanks to the Crown Prince’s blanket pardon this year, so everyone’s extra hyped. Ivy Shen has to admit, Song Zhijue’s move is genius—he’s probably winning tons of new fans without even trying. And if he’s being this generous, she bets he’s got Lady Silver pegged as the winner!
On the road, the place is packed with gossiping martial artists, so the trip to the tournament is anything but boring. There’s still half a month before the big event, but thanks to Ivy’s calculations, they’ll arrive three days early—just enough time to campaign for votes.
But what really throws her off is that her period shows up early.
After days on the road, Ivy’s body starts acting up. She’s got no choice but to find an inn and rest before making any more plans.
She grabs a quick dinner and heads back to her room first. The others are busy stocking up, prepping supplies, feeding the horses—everyone’s got a job. But Lucian Vane still notices how pale Ivy looks.
A while later, Lucian knocks on her door. Ivy softly calls for him to come in.
Walking into the room, Lucian sees Ivy sprawled weakly on the bed. He rushes to her side, worry all over his face. “Xin’er, are you okay?”
“Huh?” Ivy looks up at Lucian. “Second Brother…”
“It hurts, right? Let me do some acupuncture.” Lucian has been quietly tracking her period cycle, so he’s able to show up the moment she needs him.
“How did you know it was my time?” Ivy asks, lips pale as she lies there, too weak to move.
“I’ve been keeping track,” Lucian replies, focusing on the acupuncture as he answers.
Hearing that, Ivy’s heart gives a little tremble. This guy… Seeing his serious face, she suddenly feels mischievous. She wonders if Lucian will admit he’s her husband, so she frowns and asks, “Second Brother, have I always been like this? Do you always know when I’m hurting? How do you know?”
“Uh… Silly, I’m your second brother. Of course I know everything about you.” After thinking it over, Lucian decides this is the safest answer—she hasn’t regained her memories, so he shouldn’t push it and make things awkward.
Seeing this, Ivy’s heart warms. She can easily spot Lucian’s frown and hesitation, but he still goes along with her lie. No doubt he’s afraid she’ll feel awkward. This fool—how is she supposed to love him?
“Second Brother…” Suddenly, Ivy slowly sits up. Lucian quickly reaches out to steady her, grabbing a pillow and tucking it behind her waist. “Don’t move around, I’m doing acupuncture,” he gently reminds her.
“Second Brother, I like you.” With that, she throws her arms around Lucian’s neck, greedily breathing in his scent. Her heart is full of emotion—Lucian, I’m sorry. I can’t acknowledge you all yet, because the tournament is dangerous. Only this way can you all stay united and not fight, so Silver Consort and the others won’t get a chance to mess with us.
Hearing that, Lucian wraps his arms around her waist, just as greedy for her scent as she is for his. Silly girl, I like you too. Even if you never remember me, I’ll stay by your side. This life, you’re not getting rid of me!
*Cough cough!* Suddenly, there’s a cough at the door, making the two of them slowly pull apart.
“Eh? Big Brother, what are you doing here?” Ivy asks, all innocent, noticing Adrian’s slightly awkward face.
“Drink this.” Adrian walks in with a wooden tray and hands her a bowl of soup.
“What’s this?”
“Silly, it’s ginger-brown-sugar tea. Big Brother brought it to warm you up.” Lucian smiles, not jealous at all—he’s happy as long as Ivy’s being cared for.
Seeing this, Adrian looks a bit embarrassed at Lucian, then drags a stool over and sits down in front of them. “You do acupuncture, I’ll do massage,” he says, picking up Ivy’s hand and gently massaging it.
“Qingcheng… Brother Qingcheng…” Ivy almost slips up, but manages to hold back.
“Mm, Xin’er, drink this. We’ll massage and do acupuncture—you’ll feel better in no time,” Lucian coaxes softly.
Hearing that, Ivy stares at the two of them, eyes growing misty. How did she deserve their love? They’re both so perfect, loving her with all their hearts, and yet she can’t give them her whole love in return—it’s split into too many pieces. Suddenly, she remembers what Liam Willow once said: it’s not that he’s not good enough for her, but that she’s not good enough for them!
“What’s wrong, Xin’er? Does it hurt a lot?” Adrian asks, looking up from his massage and softening his touch.
Ivy quickly takes a deep breath to calm herself, then says, “I’m fine, really. It doesn’t hurt much. You guys can go, I want to take a bath.” After days on the road, she can smell herself and feels embarrassed about her sweat. Even though her stomach hurts, she’d rather wash first and call them back later.
(This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page for more!)
Bath?!
Those two words are way too sensitive. Adrian and Lucian both blush at the same time.
Seeing this, Ivy knows exactly what’s running through their heads. They’re definitely thinking something naughty!
“Big Brother, Second Brother, Seventh Sister wants to bathe. Are you two planning to go too?” she asks loudly, reminding them she’s their little sister—hello!
At that, the two glance at each other and cough awkwardly. “Seventh Sister, what are you talking about? We’re just worried you’re not well enough to bathe alone,” Adrian says.
“It’s fine, I’m totally okay.”
“Alright, we’ll take you to the bathhouse, then wait outside for you,” Adrian says.
“Ah, no need! I want to soak a bit longer—if you guys wait outside, I’ll feel so awkward.” These two pervs… What if they barge in later? Wouldn’t that be a 2P? Just picturing it, Ivy’s face turns beet red.
Seeing her blush, the two assume she’s just shy. “Don’t worry, Seventh Sister, we’re just keeping watch for you,” they say.
“Oh.” Ivy mumbles, head down, then gets up to follow them to the bathhouse. Ugh, Ivy, your mind is so dirty—2P? Why not imagine a 6P? Shameless!
Soon, they arrive at the inn’s exclusive open-air bath—a natural hot spring with huge partitions, usually big enough for twenty people at once. But since Xin’er’s using it, they pay a hefty fee to keep everyone else out. The owner leads them to a private medicinal hot spring, reserved for VIPs. It’s huge—fifteen people could fit inside.
Adrian is super pleased: it’s hidden, Lucian checked the herbs and says they’re good for cramps, and even though it’s outdoors, it’s not cold at all. The lighting is great, so it won’t be dark. Both guys nod in satisfaction, hoping a good soak will help Xin’er feel better.
So, under their hopeful gazes, Ivy steps inside.
Not long after, Butterfly Rogue and Ethan Chu come over, shouting, “Where’d you guys take Xin’er?”
Adrian lounges on a rattan chair, eyes closed, clearly not interested in responding.
Lucian is busy studying herbs under the light, ignoring them just as hard.
“Hey, don’t go too far! Tonight you two were sneaking around Xin’er’s room, and now she’s missing—where’d you hide her?” Butterfly Rogue demands, sounding anxious. Ever since spending more time with Xin’er, he’s realized he cares about her way too much. Not seeing her makes him panic, like his soul’s gone missing.
“Shh!” Suddenly, Ethan Chu puts a finger to his lips, signaling Butterfly Rogue to hush. He closes his eyes and listens, then moves toward the curtained bath entrance.
“Stop!” Adrian’s deep eyes snap open, staring at Ethan. “Xin’er’s bathing in there.”
“Ah, Xin’er’s bathing? Is she okay alone? Should I go help her? I could scrub her back!” Butterfly Rogue says, stepping forward—only to have Adrian block him with a sword after just three steps.
“Heh, I was just joking!” Butterfly grins, then finds a rock and sits down, clearly planning to wait with the others.
Ethan doesn’t say anything, just finds a spot and sits down to wait.
“The moon’s really round tonight. Must be the fifteenth, huh?” Butterfly Rogue mutters, bored, and starts drawing circles in the dirt with a stick.
Just then, Caleb Miles arrives with Liam Willow. “They’re over here,” Caleb says blandly, like it’s no big deal. Liam, though, is frantic, rushing over: “Where did you all go? You scared me! I thought you’d left without me!”
“Huh? Where’s Xin’er?” Liam looks around, not seeing Ivy, and asks.
“Fourth Brother, Xin’er’s bathing. We’re waiting for her to come out for a late-night snack,” Butterfly Rogue says cheerfully.
“Oh, great! Count me in,” Liam says, hurrying to sit beside Butterfly, who scoots over to make room.
“Where’s your bodyguard?” Butterfly Rogue asks, not seeing Colin Kerr.
“I told him I was going to sleep, then Third Brother helped me sneak out the window,” Liam Willow says, blushing. Lying feels so weird!
“Huh, you’ve been corrupted by Third Brother,” Butterfly Rogue teases.
“He was never that virtuous,” Ethan Chu says coolly, still affected by what happened earlier. This little rabbit might have some tricks up his sleeve!
“No, I haven’t, I haven’t!” Liam panics, face red as he tries to explain. He hates being misunderstood—how is he supposed to clear this up?
“Don’t worry, Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother’s just joking,” Butterfly Rogue says, seeing Liam as jumpy as a hot pan ant and rushing to comfort him.
“Uh? Really?”
“So single-minded,” Ethan Chu mutters, eyeing Liam. How can this guy be so clueless?!
“Ah—!” Suddenly, a sharp scream rings out, making everyone freeze. That’s Ivy’s voice.
“Xin’er—!” In the next second, everyone leaps up and rushes inside in a panic—
------ Good news ------
PS: Thanks to hm771180 for the flowers and Zihan for the magic pen! Tomorrow and the day after, there’ll be daily updates of ten thousand words—maybe even the day after that too! You guys are awesome, keep supporting! By the way, the heroine just screamed in the bath, and all six guys rushed in. The consequences… hehehe, looks like it’s gonna be a 6P, haha~~~