Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool-Chapter 70: Why Is That Woman Also Hurrying to Xilingzi?

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Why Is That Woman Also Hurrying to Xilingzi?

It was no big deal. Song Meiqin hadn’t done anything wrong, and Lu Yuan wasn’t one to hold a grudge.

However, regarding what Zhao Qiao’er said, Lu Yuan just smiled.

"Still, she’s better off than the average person."

’Aunt Zhao is being a little dramatic,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’So she can’t afford to burn Spirit Stones in the winter.’

’If that’s what she calls ’not easy,’ then how are common folk supposed to survive?’

Hearing this, Zhao Qiao’er just shook her head slightly and sighed.

"Don’t be fooled by how glamorous she looks now. She’s really never had an easy life."

"To curry favor with her future in-laws, her father married her off at sixteen to that sickly husband of hers."

"The poor man died two months after the wedding, and at her in-laws’ home, she was constantly being bad-mouthed behind her back."

"They called her a husband-killer, this, that, and the other."

"Her mother-in-law was no saint either and always gave her a hard time."

"She faced their scorn every day, with no one to turn to and nowhere to voice her grievances."

"Things only got better for her in the last few years, after her younger brother became a Vice General and married the Governor’s firstborn daughter."

"Only then did people stop daring to give her trouble."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, not saying anything more. ’Every family has its own problems, I guess.’

He just said,

"Alright, don’t you worry, Auntie. When Aunt Song heads back to the Provincial City, we’ll go with her."

"We can install an Underground Heating System in her room, and check out the Provincial City while we’re at it."

"I hear there are three natural springs in the city that have been bubbling away for hundreds of years~"

Zhao Qiao’er beamed at Lu Yuan and said,

"Alright, whatever you say~"

...

「That night.」

"You two need to keep it down at night."

"You two little rascals are driving me crazy these past few days!"

"Don’t you ever get tired?!"

"Every single chance you get, you’re at it!"

"And so rough, too! Can’t you be a little gentler?! Are you two a pair of breeding bulls?!"

Zhao Qiao’er sat on the edge of the bed, clad in a loose, brown silk slip. Her pale, beautiful flesh was a dazzling sight.

The room was sweltering; it must have been over thirty degrees.

It was their first time firing up the Underground Heating System, so they hadn’t gotten the hang of it and had shoveled in way too much coal.

But what could you do? The stuff was cheap, so you didn’t feel the pinch when using it.

The cost of coal to heat a large room like this for an entire winter was less than a single Spirit Stone for a Spirit Stone Furnace.

Lu Yuan had also changed into a pair of baggy shorts and a loose undershirt, and was still fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

They had started installing an Underground Heating System in Aunt Zhao’s room as well, but her room was large, so a single heating channel wasn’t very effective.

But that was no problem; they’d just install two.

So, for now, Aunt Zhao had moved into the East Wing to sleep with Lu Yuan and Su Liyan.

Before, when the two of them were "at it" in their own room, Zhao Qiao’er had been too embarrassed to say anything.

But with some things, you’re shy at first, and then you get used to it and it’s no big deal.

At first, Zhao Qiao’er was too embarrassed to say it in front of Su Liyan.

But now, she had no such qualms.

’Besides, if I don’t say something, how am I ever going to get any sleep?!’

’I’m up half the night just listening to you two!’

’And another thing—I’ve discovered that neither of them is an innocent party!’

’In the first half of the night, it’s my sweetheart pestering Su Liyan.’

’Then, in the second half of the night, Su Liyan gets all worked up and starts pestering my sweetheart.’

’These two little rascals are so infuriating!’

’Can’t they spare a thought for a lonely widow like me?!’

’Couldn’t they just hold off for a few days until I move back to my own room?!’

Lu Yuan responded to Zhao Qiao’er’s accusations with a hearty laugh, not looking the least bit embarrassed.

Su Liyan, on the other hand, turned bright red.

She hurried to Zhao Qiao’er’s side, hugging her pale arm and whining playfully,

"Auntie~~"

Having spent so much time together lately, their relationships had naturally grown closer.

The initial awkwardness was gone, and they spoke to each other more and more like a real family.

’My wife and Aunt Zhao were also getting along better and better.’

Zhao Qiao’er looked at Su Liyan, who was clinging to her and acting cute, and poked her gently between the brows with an incredibly fond expression.

"Oh, you~"

"When you get worked up in the middle of the night, you’re even wilder than he is!"

This made Su Liyan mortified. She shook Aunt Zhao’s arm, whining,

"Oh, Auntie~~ Stop it~~"

Lu Yuan fanned himself with his large palm-leaf fan, laughing heartily at the harmonious scene.

Just then, however, there was a knock at the door.

The old steward’s hushed voice came from the other side, breathless yet incredibly excited:

"Young Master, it’s ready."

Lu Yuan froze for a second, then immediately stood up.

"Wait for me at the main gate."

The old steward acknowledged and departed.

Lu Yuan then turned to Su Liyan.

"Quick, honey, get my clothes. I’m going out tonight."

Hm?

Seeing how anxious Lu Yuan was, Su Liyan didn’t dare ask any questions and hurried to get his clothes.

Zhao Qiao’er, after a moment’s surprise, also got up and came over.

While helping Su Liyan dress Lu Yuan, she frowned and asked,

"What’s all this about, in the middle of the night?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"I’ve got such a beautiful wife, but you won’t let me touch her. It’s torture!"

"So I’m going out drinking and gambling!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Qiao’er couldn’t help but shoot him a coquettish glare.

"You’re never serious. What are you really up to?"

Lu Yuan grinned, his eyebrows raised.

"I really am just going out drinking and gambling!"

"It’s too hot to sleep at home. Besides, I’ve met some new people in the city recently. Just going out to have some fun."

"So, what do you say, Auntie? Gonna spot me some cash?"

Zhao Qiao’er couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

"Get it from the bookkeeper yourself!"

With the help of the two women, Lu Yuan was quickly dressed.

He walked to the door, grabbed a dog-skin hat, and plopped it on his head.

"Not sure when I’ll be back tonight. I might just pull an all-nighter."

"You two can cuddle up and sleep. Don’t wait up for me."

"If it gets too hot in here tonight, open a window to air it out. Don’t want you overheating."

With that, he pushed open the door and left.

Zhao Qiao’er was a little suspicious of Lu Yuan’s claim about going out gambling.

She didn’t dwell on it, though. ’He’s probably off tinkering with those gadgets for dealing with the Xingzi again,’ she figured.

...

「In a patch of wasteland outside Taiping City.」

Sixty horses, sixty Travelers. On their backs were long-barreled Flintlock Guns and a mortar tube half the height of a man.

In addition, small, bulging packs of explosives were fastened to their waists.

They weren’t proper mortar shells like you’d see on television, just packs of explosives held together by a metal band in the middle.

"Everyone’s here?"

"Move out!"

Lu Yuan swung himself onto his horse, ready to head for Xilingzi.

The old steward at his side was stunned. When he came to his senses, he quickly exclaimed,

"What?!!"

"Young Master, you’re going too?!!"

SHING! Lu Yuan drew the Celestial Master Sword from his back. He raised an eyebrow and said,

"And why shouldn’t I?"

"You of all people should know what I’m capable of."

But the old steward shook his head frantically.

"Absolutely not! This is dangerous. Even with your skills, you can’t go."

"Besides, with these Mortars and Flintlock Guns, we can definitely take down that Xingzi. We don’t need you."

Lu Yuan arched an eyebrow at the old steward’s words.

"How could you not need me?"

"With these Mortars, do you know how to arrange them? Do you know what covering fire is?"

"Do you know what carpet bombing is?"

"Do you know what a saturation strike is?!"

Lu Yuan casually threw out a bunch of terms, not caring whether they were entirely accurate.

In any case, it left the old steward speechless.

After a moment of thought, the old steward suddenly said,

"Young Master... how about we don’t rush into this? We could wait another half-month."

"You could train us, and that would solve it, right?"

But Lu Yuan waved his hand, rejecting the idea outright.

"No. We can pass this Mortar off to outsiders as a ’thunder-striker,’ a hidden weapon, or something of the sort."

"But it’s a sensitive piece of equipment. If we drag this out, it’ll be hard to explain if the Court finds out."

"This thing doesn’t require extensive training. You just need to fire when I give the order."

There was another reason Lu Yuan insisted on going. A Mortar, at the end of the day, is still an artillery piece.

It wasn’t a gun; it couldn’t be aimed with precision.

It was very possible they would only injure the Xingzi, not kill it.

If it escaped and came to hold a grudge, things would get ugly when it came back for revenge.

If that happened, he would be the one who’d have to go in with the Celestial Master Sword to land the killing blow.

Lately, Lu Yuan had been learning to write the Daoist Talismans from the ’Celestial Master’ manual with his wife every day, as well as studying other things on his own.

Combined with his Holy Body...

Basically, the clouds had parted, the rain had stopped, and Lu Yuan was feeling invincible again.

In reality, he always had been.

Lu Yuan had his Holy Body, the Celestial Master Sword, and Lu Ban’s Ink Pot. He could have taken this Xingzi head-on from the start.

Especially since Lu Yuan had also recently learned the Purifying Heart Spell from the ’Celestial Master’ manual.

Even if he encountered one of those illusion-casting Xingzi, Lu Yuan wouldn’t be fooled like he was last time.

The old steward wanted to say more,

but Lu Yuan had no patience for it. He just stared at the old steward with a cold expression and said,

"Li Fu, what did my aunt say?"

"Does my word count for anything in this household or not?!"

"Isn’t it that she’s the boss, and I’m second-in-command?!"

Li Fu looked helpless.

"But the mistress also said not to let you put yourself in danger."

"If the mistress finds out I took you to Xilingzi today, she’ll skin me alive when we get back!"

But Lu Yuan just held his head high and continued,

"Aunt Zhao definitely won’t give you any trouble afterward. I’m here, so what are you afraid of!"

"Stop wasting time and let’s get a move on!"

"You keep talking nonsense, and I guarantee I’ll make your life a living hell from now on!"

With that, Lu Yuan slapped his horse’s rump, and it shot forward with a SWOOSH.

The old steward was left speechless.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words. ’What did I do to deserve this?’ he thought. ’I’m caught between a rock and a hard place!’

’To hell with it,’ he thought, and with a flick of his reins, he shot off as well.

And so, the party of more than sixty men galloped majestically toward Xilingzi.

After about two or three hours of hard riding,

a troop of several hundred soldiers suddenly appeared in the moonlight ahead of Lu Yuan.

’This is...?’

’Song Meiqin?!’

’What’s she doing heading to Xilingzi?!’

While Lu Yuan was still in a daze, a cold, clear voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations, Host. The reward for Song Meiqin’s x5 Multiplication Factor has been met. Reward: ’True Martial’]