Chapter 2

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In the late afternoon, a large batch of new high tables and chairs were delivered to the Xue residence, replacing the batch of sandalwood low tables and golden-threaded couches. Yue Nu personally led several servants to arrange everything. These were newly custom-made pieces of furniture, all made from the finest redwood. The value was one thing, but for anything Xue Shao personally inquired about, Yue Nu never dared to be the slightest bit lax or careless.

Xue Shao required that one could sit with their legs fully extended. Yue Nu felt that merely extending the legs was far from enough; all the furniture had to be made from the best wood and crafted by the finest craftsmen, otherwise it would not befit the identity of the young master of Lantian. Even the placement of the furniture had to be meticulously considered, to avoid disrupting the feng shui of the residence.

If Xue Shao required ten, she would do twelve. She handled everything personally, without the slightest bit of negligence.

Xue Shao stood under the veranda, watching this young woman in her late teens who was surprisingly capable, and smiled in satisfaction. Yue Nu was certainly not the kind of woman who only knew how to flirt and was as shallow as a vase. Thus, in this "great cleanup" of the Xue residence, she was retained.

"Is the young master satisfied?" Yue Nu walked up to Xue Shao, bowing respectfully without being overly humble.

"Very good, thank you for your hard work." Xue Shao smiled and nodded, pointing to the antiques, paintings, jade flutes, and zithers in the hall, he said, "There are too many of these things. Have the merchants come to sell some of them. Also, when you have time, go to the market to buy some knives, bows, and hunting equipment. Going on a distant hunt is much more interesting than staying in this residence."

"Yes, young master." Yue Nu responded with a charming smile, her beautiful face showing a hint of joy. The young master was finally no longer indulging in wine and women, which was greatly beneficial to his health.

Xue Shao smiled in approval and nodded, then turned to leave. It was clear that although the previous Xue Shao was very distant with Yue Nu, her loyalty and care for him were genuine.

Yue Nu gazed at Xue Shao's back, taking a deep breath. Her full, beautiful breasts slowly rose and then slowly returned to their original position. This deep breath used all her lung capacity.

Her heart raced, her face slightly flushed.

There were few women in the world who could completely resist the charm of Xue Shao's smile, and even Yue Nu, who had been with him for a considerable time, might not be able to.

It was already late at night, but the light in Xue Shao's room was still on. At this time, there should have been lewd sounds coming from his room, but today it was unusually quiet.

Xue Shao sat by the newly custom-made high table and chair, holding a willow twig charcoal pen, and focused on drawing on a piece of paper. A large pile of crumpled waste paper was scattered around him, and the only sound in the room was the rustling of his pen on the paper.

After a long time, the drawing was completed. A smile that had been absent for a long time appeared on Xue Shao's face. He carefully examined the sketch, then gently touched the paper, letting out a long, helpless sigh.

The paper was a sketch of a young woman, with short hair, arched eyebrows, and a sweet smile. Next to it were a few lines from Nalan Xingde's "Jin Lu Qu" — "If there are two fish in the deep spring, may they know his joys and sorrows, and with whom he leans."

Her name was An Xiaorou.

Xue Shao held the sketch and lay down on the bed, placing the paper on his chest, his hands resting on it, and slowly closed his eyes.

In recent days, Xue Shao could only fall asleep this way, gradually forming a habit.

Habits are a terrifying thing.

He was accustomed to the simple, monotonous, and tense life of the military, and to the cold, cruel, and perilous life of a mercenary. At that time, he was not called Xue Shao, but Cheng Yu — which was Xue Shao's courtesy name.

Cheng Yu, a man who should have lived in the 21st century.

Closing his eyes, many images flashed through Xue Shao's mind like a slideshow: An Xiaorou's sweet smile, the life-and-death brothers in the green military camp, the man-eating pythons in the South American jungle, the various people who fell in the sights of his rifle, and the bullet that pierced An Xiaorou's forehead!

That image — An Xiaorou lying in a pool of blood — might be a psychological shadow he could never shake off for the rest of his life!

An Xiaorou was once the only woman he deeply loved. They were classmates from junior high to high school, growing up together from their awkward years, sharing a sweet first love. After high school, they both got into good universities, but Cheng Yu, with a dream of being a soldier, joined the military in his sophomore year. They were separated for six years, but they incredibly managed to keep their first love alive, finally reaching the point of discussing marriage.

By then, Cheng Yu had already spent five years in the special forces and had become a member of the elite assault team.

His codename was "Blood Wolf."

After several years in the special forces, "Blood Wolf" had become a death symbol in the hearts of many criminals. Fierce as a wolf, heart of iron, decisive and merciless, Blood Wolf struck fear and hatred into the hearts of his enemies!

An Xiaorou, after graduating from the history department, worked in archaeology. She was killed by Cheng Yu's enemies during a field expedition — a sniper shot through her forehead!

At that time, Cheng Yu was only three days away from being discharged and three months away from his wedding with Xiaorou.

After that, Cheng Yu, who had no other family besides An Xiaorou, did not return to complete his university studies but disappeared from people's sight, becoming a professional mercenary overseas. For another six years, he lived in darkness and bloodshed, determined to find the killer and avenge An Xiaorou.

An accident, however, brought his soul to the Tang Dynasty, merging with the body of Xue Shao, the young master of Lantian. He transformed into a man living in the Tang Dynasty!

Not being able to avenge An Xiaorou with his own hands became a permanent shadow and regret in his heart.

An Xiaorou's archaeological work often involved research on this era. Cheng Yu had once studied the knowledge of this era intensively to have more in common with her and to bridge the gap between them. They even discussed Xue Shao, Wu Zetian, Taiping Princess, and Shangguan Wan'er, these historical legendary women... and then, his soul came to this era after his death.

Faced with such cruel irony from heaven, Xue Shao could only sigh.

In recent days, Xue Shao had been walking on thin ice, as he could not let outsiders see the flaw of being "replaced." Thus, the women close to him were successively dismissed, leaving only Yue Nu, whom Xue Shao had previously been very distant from.

Fortunately, Cheng Yu had once been an outstanding special forces soldier, trained in extremely strict "behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance." He could easily play any role.

A bad actor might be booed by the audience, but a bad performance by Cheng Yu could cost him his life. He had successfully completed many missions in the elite assault team without failure and had been in the mercenary organization for more than six years without being exposed. Cheng Yu had honed his "role-playing" skills to perfection.

Moreover, the perfect fusion of the two souls in Xue Shao's body meant that his memories from his previous life were not completely lost. Therefore, even after so many days, even the closest person to Xue Shao, Yue Nu, had not noticed any major flaws. Even if Xue Shao's behavior and habits occasionally seemed different from before, it was not something a subordinate could casually criticize. As long as Xue Shao stayed at home and did not go out, adapting for a while would be fine.

It was already very late, but Xue Shao was still wide awake, his mind filled with thoughts. Due to the heavy burden of many matters, he had been drinking heavily for many nights, and only after indulging with the Tang Dynasty beauties until he was exhausted could he fall asleep.

The days of indulgence did not last long. Xue Shao soon began to dislike the effeminate and perfumed atmosphere of the Xue residence, which resembled a brothel. The women who clung to him had become nothing more than tools for his pleasure. Moreover, he could clearly feel that his body, due to long-term indulgence in wine and women, was severely depleted and lacked vitality. If this continued, he would surely age prematurely and might even die in a woman's arms.

This was also one of the main reasons why those women were successively dismissed.

To restore his health and strengthen his body, Xue Shao sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced the "Eight Pieces of Brocade." This was not some mysterious, secret technique; it had been widely popular since the Qin Dynasty, a traditional Chinese health-preserving method, simple and practical, and was almost tailor-made for Xue Shao, who was overindulged in wine and women.

He also planned to pick up the "Xingyi Quan" he had practiced since childhood once his body improved. Xingyi Quan was excellent in practical combat and, like all internal martial arts, placed great emphasis on health preservation.

"Only those who are good at preserving themselves are invincible in the world." The reason why Xue Shao stood out and excelled in the military in his previous life was largely due to his martial arts foundation and excellent physical condition from a young age.

As the sky began to show the first light of dawn, a rooster crowed.

Xue Shao heard the sharp sound of swords cutting through the air and a woman's sharp cry from the polo field in the backyard.

The Xue residence was large, and the polo field was quite far from Xue Shao's room. However, after years of special forces training and combat experience, Xue Shao's hearing and alertness were far beyond those of ordinary people.

Dawn was the time for morning exercises in the military, starting with a five-kilometer cross-country run. Even after leaving the military, he had always maintained this habit.

After practicing the "Eight Pieces of Brocade" for half an hour, Xue Shao went to the edge of the polo field.

Yue Nu was practicing swordsmanship.

The sword light was like a ribbon, radiating a cold and fierce killing intent!

This was absolutely not the "lady's sword dance" popular in the brothels of the Tang Dynasty, but a real, blood-soaked killing sword.

Xue Shao kept Yue Nu, a woman with a mixed-race face and a tall, model-like figure, half because of her loyalty and competence, and half because of her swordsmanship.

Even the most beautiful face and the best figure would eventually become tiresome. Yue Nu was different.

Yue Nu was drenched in sweat, and when she unexpectedly saw Xue Shao watching from a distance, she quickly stopped and came over to apologize, "Yue Nu is at fault, please forgive me, young master!"

Xue Shao smiled, "Why are you at fault?"

Yue Nu stood with her sword, lowering her head, "Yue Nu hasn't practiced swordsmanship for a long time. Today, I couldn't resist practicing a few times. I didn't realize it would offend the young master, I really am at fault!"

"You're still alive, otherwise who would serve me tea and water." Xue Shao said indifferently, "Practice again, let me see."

Yue Nu was slightly taken aback, thinking that the young master had always disliked women who practiced martial arts, saying, "Women practicing martial arts ruin their gentle and fragrant nature." Therefore, for the past two years, the young master had been very distant from her, not treating her as a woman at all. She had been a useless presence in the residence, rarely seeing the young master or speaking to him. If it weren't for the sake of her adoptive father, the young master would have probably kicked her out long ago!

"What are you standing there for? Practice!" Xue Shao's words broke Yue Nu's thoughts.

"Yes, young master!"

Yue Nu felt unexpectedly delighted and excited, raising her sword and starting again, her sword techniques even more fierce and precise.

Each move was lethal, exquisite and unparalleled!

The Tang Dynasty was a martial dynasty, and it was not unusual for women to practice archery, horseback riding, and swordsmanship. Historical records show that the current Empress Wu had often accompanied Emperor Taizong Li Shimin on hunting trips, and her archery skills were not inferior to those of the imperial guards.

Xue Shao narrowed his eyes and patiently observed Yue Nu's sword practice. Although he had not practiced such ancient martial arts, he was not unfamiliar with the killing intent in her sword techniques.

Yue Nu's sword techniques had a similar purpose to modern combat techniques, both designed to kill the enemy.

Xue Shao thought to himself, I didn't expect Yue Nu to be a hidden expert. She was far superior to those mediocre martial arts instructors!

She finished her practice.

Yue Nu was drenched in sweat, her beautiful, standard oval face exuding a heroic aura.

Xue Shao carefully examined Yue Nu. Although he was long past the age of being captivated by a pretty face, he had to admit that Yue Nu was indeed very special and very appealing.

Her features were indeed very delicate and beautiful, but they were not overly feminine. Her facial lines were distinct, with a hint of strength, large eyes with long lashes, and deep, gem-like eyes that sparkled like a pool of spiritual treasure.

Her eyebrows were like swords, her nose and lips were delicate, and her skin was smooth, perfectly blending beauty and heroism, far from being just a pretty face.

Yue Nu's heart raced as Xue Shao stared at her, and she lowered her eyes to look at her toes. Xue Shao couldn't help but smile; a tomboy blushing was indeed a unique charm. What was even more remarkable was that Yue Nu, a Tang Dynasty tomboy in her prime, had a pair of exceptionally full and firm breasts. None of the women he had dismissed recently could compare to her.

Well, this might be one of the reasons she was kept.

Although the current Xue Shao was only in his early twenties, he had the heart of an older man. His attention to a woman's figure far exceeded his attention to a pretty face.

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