Chapter 1344

"Ah-Cheng, Ah-Cheng, Ah-Cheng...."

Cheng’er looked at Ning Cheng and called out nonstop. Ning Cheng quickly let go of her hand and handed her paper and brush with a smile.

"I’ll stay," he emphasized seriously.

"Business people do things by business rules. Words mean nothing, paper is evidence," Cheng’er was serious too.

"You mistrust me that much?" Ning Cheng asked.

"This is all the sincerity you offer me?" Cheng’er retorted.

Ning Cheng didn’t want to negotiate with her any longer. He took the brush and openly wrote down an indenture agreement that sold himself as a slave to Cheng’er. Before she could remind him, he went to find a stamp from the study table and marked the agreement with his fingerprint. Cheng’er watched every word from beginning to end before she bit open her finger and added her seal in blood.

"All right, Ah-Cheng. From this day forward, you’re my Shangguan Cheng’er’s man when alive, and my ghost when dead! I’ll definitely treat you very well!" Cheng’er laughed.

Ning Cheng ignored her, so Cheng’er took out the blood-covered acupuncture needle and carefully wiped it clean while he looked on in silence. Once she was done, he was about to take it when she refused. "You can pretend this is your gift to me to certify our affections."

Ning Cheng’s gaze grew complicated before he murmured, "Give it back, I’ll give you something else."

"I don’t want to!" Cheng’er gripped the needle, afraid that Ning Cheng would snatch it away. "I heard that the Di Clan’s Ning Family is most loyal to West Qin besides the Shadow Clan. This must be something very important to you, right? Heheh, I just want your most important thing!" As she spoke, she stabbed the needle horizontally through her clothes and wouldn’t let Ning Cheng even touch it.

He didn’t force the issue, but only said, "Do as you like."

Cheng’er teased, "Just treat it as a family heirloom. Suppose one day our child can’t make it in Mysterious Continent anymore, they can take this item to find Han Yunxi and we can get a meal along the way."

Ning Cheng gave Cheng’er a look of incalculable disdain. But in the end, he didn’t ask for the needle back. He had already steeled his heart to hide his name and identity. Perhaps decades later, or even centuries later, this acupuncture needle would let later descendents trace the Di Clan’s Ning Family to its roots.

Cheng’er stored away Ning Cheng’s indenture agreement before running off to tell Shangguan Ze that Ah-Cheng was her man now and they were simply having a falling-out before. If the Shangguan Clan wanted her as a daughter, then they needed to recognize Ah-Cheng as a son-in-law. Shangguan Ze already admired Ah-Cheng, so hearing he was "my man" from his little sister simply made him nod. But he told her seriously, "Cheng’er, your status will be publicized after father leaves closed door cultivation. Those uncles might not accept Ah-Cheng..."

He paused, then got straight to the point. "Shangguan Clan’s daughters never married beneath their status."

Cheng’er was so angry that she nearly spat out Ning Cheng’s identity, but she stopped to think and replied, "Fine. Then I’ll wait ’til father comes out and tell him myself."

How could she wait that long?

She was never the type to wait for others to decide for her. After leaving Shangguan Ze’s rooms, she already had a plan in place. Shangguan Ze was arranging living quarters and wanted Cheng’er and Ah-Cheng to live in separate quarters before his father emerged to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings. After all, everyone knew he had brought a female home.

Two days later, Shangguan Ze personally sent Cheng’er and Ah-Cheng secretly out of the manor and drove them around in a circle to avoid Han Xiang’s men before settling them down in a small compound in the alley next door. Before he left, Cheng’er couldn’t help asking, "Big brother, what happens to Han Xiang kills her way here?"

One thing that had to be noted was that on the second day Ning Cheng left Liubei Trade Consortium, someone gave Han Xiang the account books and spread news that she was now in charge of the consortium. Han Xiang just wanted to collaborate with Ning Cheng, but realized after both events that she’d truly underestimated that man. She had been lured into a trap and was now looking for him all over the world.

"Don’t worry. Within the grounds of the Shangguan Clan, she won’t dare to try a thing. Don’t go out too much before your identity’s publicized, and avoid going to the south. That’s her turf," Shangguan Ze instructed.

Cheng’er nodded seriously. "If we can’t afford to offend, then we’ll just hide away."

After sending him off, Cheng’er and Ah-Cheng began their life as a world of two. Even if they couldn’t leave home, Ning Cheng wasn’t idle. He began to research ways to brew wine and shut himself up in his rooms all day. Cheng’er was uncomfortable staying cooped up all the time and kept guard by his side daily. As soon as it was mealtime, she would urge him to eat, but the rest of the time she was very, very quiet.

This lasted for three days before Ning Cheng got antsy. He stopped halfway through cooking the rice grains for his wine and asked, "Aren’t you going to find something to do?"

"Aren’t I spending time with you?" she grinned back.

"Aren’t you going to do anything else?" he asked.

"I have plans," Ning Cheng answered.

"What are you going to do?" Ning Cheng grew curious.

The tips of Cheng’er’s ears turned red. "Secret."

The lighting in the stove room wasn’t very good so Ning Cheng didn’t notice her flush. He only felt uneasy and asked, "Then why are you still standing here? Go do it?"

Cheng’er replied, "Wait a bit more, I...haven’t finished preparations yet."

She had been preparing for this ever since her brother said Shangguan daughters only married above their station. Ning Cheng was even more doubtful, but he didn’t probe and continued to roll up his sleeves and fan the fires.

Cheng’er watched his back and couldn’t help wondering how she ever disdained him for being blind in the beginning? He was so handsome even when burning fires or cooking rice. If she knew this earlier, she would obediently listen to Le Zheng and marry him. Perhaps then there’d be less troubles today.

NIng Cheng sealed up the tankards of wine and hid them in the cellar. By then it was already late night. He soaked in a bath and went to his rooms to begin drinking. For some reason, he’d gotten into the habit of drinking a cup of wine before bed every night. He leaned lazily against the bed and played with his cup while thinking over things. Despite being forced to stay, his days were quite leisurely and carefree.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

The servants only came on set day and would never knock so late, so Ning Cheng knew it was Cheng’er. He didn’t open up, but asked, "What is it?"

"Something important. Hurry and open the door," Cheng’er said.

"What’s so important you have to speak now?" Ning Cheng asked.

"Not speak now, but do now! I’ve finished preparations, so I have to do it now," Cheng’er replied.

Ning Cheng recalled her words from the afternoon and felt both curious and wrong. In the end, he opened the door. But who knew...

Cheng’er was dressed in a pink dress that covered her chest and revealed a pair of very attractive collarbones. Her outer robes were a single thin layer that half-revealed her jade-like shoulders, while she wore light makeup that changed her usual adrogynous looks to something more softer and feminine.

Her smile ruined the whole effect, because it was too sneaky.

Ning Cheng’s eyes rested on her chest, which was adorned with a giant bow that was cute while hiding a tempting furrow. She followed Ning Cheng’s gaze down before her smile grew even more devilish. After all this time preparing, her appearance really did catch his eye.

"Ah-Cheng, I..."

Ning Cheng began to shut the door as soon as she spoke. He was almost at the age of manhood, not some 16 or 17-year old youth or idiot. What else could this woman want when dressed like this in the middle of the night to knock on his door? Thinking back to their conversation in the stove room, he wanted to curse himself for being a fool.

Cheng’er immediately stopped him and lightly evaded his hands to enter the rooms. She just smirked without any words as if she couldn’t stop grinning.

"Do you have any shame?" Ning Cheng asked directly.

"You’re already my man. At any rate, you’ll have to marry me anyways once my father comes out of closed door cultivation," Cheng’er muttered.

"But have we married yet?" Ning Cheng asked patiently.

"We will eventually," Cheng’er replied.

"Are we, married right now?" Ning Cheng asked again.

Cheng’er was silent before she muttered, "Not yet..."

Ning Cheng yielded a step and pointed at the door with an order. "Go back to bed!"

Cheng’er could only leave obediently, but she suddenly turned and hugged him like some shameless female rascal. "Ah-Cheng, let’s have a child first."

Ning Cheng wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been angered to death by this woman yet. Despite everything, he was already too furious to speak. He had to survey her in a new light to see exactly how shameless and careless she was. He let her hold him without moving or speaking.

Cheng’er didn’t notice the loathing in his eyes, but assumed he tacitly agreed when he didn’t resist. She was thrilled and her eyes flickered with determination as she pulled apart his belt.

It was then that Ning Cheng spoke. "Cheng’er, if you need a man so much, go out and find one. Don’t come here to disgust me, all right? Take it as me begging you."

Cheng’er’s actions stopped abruptly.

She needed men?

More like she needed a child!

She had already planned it out: once she and Ah-Cheng cooked the rice and she went to meet her father with a big belly, he’ll have to let her marry Ah-Cheng. The other uncles in the family could only agree as well. Moreover, for the sake of the family’s face, they’d have to hide the face that she was pregnancy before marriage. At that time, they’d announce directly that Ah-Cheng was the Shangguan Clan’s son-in-law and that they had already been married.

This was the simplest, most direct method to protect Ah-Cheng.

She didn’t care what the elders thought or whether they actually got married. With Ah-Cheng’s indenture agreement in her hands, he was hers. The rest was all formalities. Seeing him so enraged now and hearing his insulting words, it’d be a lie to say she wasn’t mad. She had a bad habit of never wanting to explain when she was misunderstood and instead doing "more evil" instead.

"Ah-Cheng!" she shouted.

Ning Cheng looked coldly over and she quickly undid her butterfly bow to loosen the trappings of her dress.

Her naked form...was fully exposed!

Previous Chapter

Ruyi’s Thoughts

"Ah-Cheng, Ah-Cheng, Ah-Cheng...."

i’m going to have nightmares about this arc because of this annoying girl, oh god, one more chapter before it’s over. i may be suffering but by all means don’t let that ruin your enjoyment ahaha.

oh god he really did sell himself to her in slavery is this supposed to be romantic? their whole dynamic has been skewed and weird and this forced happy thing i’m just "wth wth wth" like this:

"I heard that the Di Clan’s Ning Family is most loyal to West Qin besides the Shadow Clan. This must be something very important to you, right? Heheh, I just want your most important thing!"

yes she’ll treat him well but she’ll provoke him at every turn and honey i can’t help but imagine they’d get a divorce in X years’ time if it isn’t for the author’s magical marriage endings. there is a lot of pain and feelings associated with that needle and its memories, and all right ning cheng might have opened up to share them with cheng’er, but what gives her the right to TAKE and TAKE from him everything she wants...?

i guess in this one case it’s karma for ning cheng since he kept the needle from HYX b/c of his unrequited feelings and now it’s not his anymore. i also can’t say anything if ning cheng’s the one yielding back, but it just feels...so stupid...all around.

there are ways to do their kind of dynamics RIGHT but this is just...i have no words.

dangit i really do prefer danmei over BG romances now.