Would my departure cause him grief and sorrow?
Zuo Jing held her breath, feeling an inexplicable sadness.
"I could tell just now that Lin'er was reluctant to part with her Brother Liang Xiao."
Liang Xiao's soft words made Zuo Jing's body go weak, forgetting to resist.
Qing bowed deeply to Liang Xiao and pleaded, "Please, Marquis An Guo, treat my young lady well..."
Liang Xiao understood and nodded.
Luo Qingxue exchanged a glance with Zhuo Xun and Zuo Wushang. Zuo Wushang understood and led Zhuo Xun away from the courtyard.
"Husband, you two talk it out."
As Luo Qingxue said this, she took Jian Qinwan back to their room to wait.
Only Liang Xiao and Zuo Jing were left in the courtyard.
"Lin'er..."
Zuo Jing quickly interrupted, "You know very well that Lin'er used a false name only to get closer to you."
"Lin'er," Liang Xiao called out again.
Zuo Jing was speechless.
Only then did Liang Xiao release Zuo Jing, pull off her veil, and look at her tear-streaked face.
Zuo Jing lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Liang Xiao, and simply extended her hands to show her smooth palms.
"There are no calluses on my hands anymore..."
A pang of pain shot through Liang Xiao's heart. He gently held Zuo Jing's hands and sighed, "Are calluses really that important?"
Zuo Jing said tearfully, "You bullied me so much back then, and you didn't even show mercy! After I returned to Da Liang, my father slapped me hard, but you didn't appear in my dreams like you used to..."
Liang Xiao was stunned and said, "It was my fault. You slap me too. This time, I absolutely won't fight back."
Upon hearing this, Zuo Jing suddenly raised her right hand and swept a palm towards Liang Xiao, stopping it an inch from his face.
Seeing that Liang Xiao indeed didn't resist, Zuo Jing bit her lower lip and lightly touched Liang Xiao's face.
Liang Xiao grabbed Zuo Jing's hand. Zuo Jing merely turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze.
"They said you've been secretly helping me, and that you provided the evidence against the He family."
"Hmph! It was just business..." Zuo Jing replied vaguely.
Liang Xiao laughed heartily and hugged Zuo Jing tightly.
"You will always be Brother Liang Xiao's Lin'er, not some Cloud Sky Guard leader."
Hearing Liang Xiao's murmur, Zuo Jing finally embraced him and burst into tears.
In Liang Xiao's room, they kissed for a long time. Only then did Zuo Jing reluctantly let go of Liang Xiao, saying nervously, "I should go back to Da Liang..."
Liang Xiao tightly grasped Zuo Jing's hand, pulled her onto his lap, and whispered, "Don't go back. Be my wife."
Zuo Jing's breathing quickened. She looked back at Liang Xiao, her heart pounding like a wild deer.
Suddenly, Zuo Jing had an idea. She quickly brewed tears, covered her face with one hand, and trembled, saying, "When I returned to Da Liang, my father was furious to learn that you had subdued my uncle. To vent his anger, he offered me to the King of the South! I am already a withered flower. Do you still want me..."
Before Zuo Jing could continue, Liang Xiao had already hugged her tightly, stroking her long dark hair.
As if sensing Liang Xiao's heartache and guilt, Zuo Jing finally let down her guard, embraced Liang Xiao again, and initiated a kiss.
...
In the bed, Liang Xiao gently tidied Zuo Jing's slightly disheveled hair.
"It was your first time, why did you lie to me..." Liang Xiao said, tucking Zuo Jing in.
"It hurts..." Zuo Jing's eyes were half-closed, her breath like orchid fragrance. She murmured, "If you had hesitated even slightly, I could have left without any regrets..."
"Silly girl," Liang Xiao said, a mix of amusement and exasperation. He then smiled, "Then don't leave from now on."
Zuo Jing, enduring the pain of losing her virginity, gently shook her head. "I have to go back. From now on, we will truly forget each other in the martial world, and you are not allowed to think of me!"
Liang Xiao couldn't help but pout. "Women are all like this. You use sweet words to trick someone's body, and then when you're done, you discard them, complaining about them aging later on."
Zuo Jing stared blankly at Liang Xiao, who had put on a wronged expression. She playfully chided, "This, isn't this what I'm supposed to say!!"
"We've already been like an old married couple for a night. Does it matter who says it?" Liang Xiao retorted.
An old married couple for a night?
Looking at his familiar, roguish face, Zuo Jing was speechless and couldn't help but lean into Liang Xiao's embrace.
Only then did Liang Xiao say seriously, "Don't go back. I will give you a happy life. Qingxue and the others all approve of you."
Zuo Jing said softly, "No, my father can't lose me. He says I resemble my mother too much, and that I am his last tie to this world. Every year on my mother's death anniversary, my father takes me to her burial mound and cries tears of blood..."
"Then he still hit you," Liang Xiao said with a look of frustration.
Through Zuo Wushang's description, Liang Xiao was certainly aware of Zuo Wuji's hatred for Da Gan, a significant part of which stemmed from his wife's suicide in the fire.
"He's just disappointed in my lack of progress. After all, he painstakingly trained me to be the leader of the Cloud Sky Guards, so that I could bully men, not be bullied by them. But I was..." As Zuo Jing spoke, her pretty face seemed about to bleed.
Liang Xiao blushed and said, "In short, don't go back. How will you explain yourself to him if you do?"
Zuo Jing just shook her head repeatedly. "I have to. I don't want him to lose his tie to the world. But don't worry, he won't make things difficult for me..."
Liang Xiao took a deep breath. "Stay here for a while longer before making a decision, alright?"
He could vaguely sense Zuo Wuji's fatherly love for Zuo Jing, but he truly couldn't bear to let her leave, nor was he willing to.
"Okay..." Zuo Jing agreed obediently, then remembered something and warned, "In any case, don't come to Da Liang to find me. My father will kill you."
Liang Xiao was rendered speechless, a smile playing on his lips. He already had a plan in mind.
"Don't worry, I'll abduct your father to Da Gan as well."
Zuo Jing merely pursed her lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
No one knew better than her Zuo Wuji's deep hatred for Da Gan. For this, he had even changed his name and surname to defect to Da Liang, becoming the Marquis of Zhenbei of Da Liang.
Regardless, Zuo Jing just wanted to cherish the time spent with Liang Xiao.
In Yan Province, countless lights twinkled.
Without the threat of the barbarian tribes, the people of Yan Province could live and work in peace. Outside the northern city of Yan Province, the government was slowly beginning to reclaim land and establish farms.
Da Gan had captured the Hetao region and dispatched troops to guard it, commencing construction to protect the area.
As long as Hetao remained, Yan Province would have no cause for worry!
The return of the Hexi Corridor also allowed the northern regions to safely engage in farming and herding.
At night, Zuo Jing accompanied Liang Xiao to meet Luo Qingxue and the others, offering her respects.
"Good sister," Luo Qingxue and Jian Qinwan each took one of Zuo Jing's hands, showering her with warmth and concern.
Zuo Jing was touched and responded obediently.
Zhuo Xun, noticing that Zuo Jing's walk was not smooth, pouted like her elder sisters had.
Meanwhile, in Xichuan.
Centered around Jincheng, riots erupted in various places!
Liang Xiao's cousin, Liang Yun, who was managing affairs in Xichuan, upon hearing the news, ordered the destruction of all tools in his bookstores and sugar mills overnight and fled to Luzhou!