Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

That sound...

Bai Baizhi's whole body tensed up instantly, then completely relaxed in the next second.

Clang!

The willow-leaf dagger she had been gripping tightly slipped from her trembling fingers and hit the bluestone floor with a particularly jarring, crisp sound.

It felt as if all the strength in my body had been drained away by that crisp sound.

Bai Zhi stiffly turned her head away.

The candlelight was dim and yellow, and the flickering light outlined the man's all-too-familiar silhouette.

That face still wore a cynical, mischievous smile as he stared intently at her.

If it's not Lin Mo, then who is it?

"you……"

Bai Zhi's lips moved, but her throat felt like it was blocked by a ball of hot cotton, and she couldn't make a sound.

My nose stung, and the candlelight before my eyes quickly blurred.

The lingering fear of being hunted night after night, the exhaustion of forcing composure in front of tens of thousands of people, and the immense pressure of running out of copper coins...

All the emotions that had been suppressed burst forth the moment they saw Lin Mo.

Lin Mo didn't let go; instead, he tightened his grip even more.

Without leaving a single gap, he pressed that soft yet taut body even deeper into his embrace.

The gossamer-thin dance skirt offered absolutely no protection from anything.

He could clearly feel the frantic beating of Bai Zhi's heart in her chest, resonating with the one in his own chest in a chaotic yet synchronized manner.

Warm breaths, intentionally or unintentionally, brushed against Bai Zhi's sensitive earlobe.

His deep voice, close to her skin, relentlessly drilled into her ears.

"What? You haven't seen me for a few days, and you don't even recognize your husband anymore?"

Bai Zhi shuddered, a tingling, electric-like sensation shooting from her ears throughout her body, and her cheeks suddenly burned intensely.

"How...how did you get in?"

She finally managed to squeeze out a sound, but it was filled with a sob and an overwhelming sense of shame and anger.

"Climb out the window," Lin Mo replied confidently.

Bai Zhi was so angry at his shameless behavior that she choked. She wanted to push him away, but her hands were too weak to lift.

She could only bury her face in his chest and give him a muffled punch.

"Why climb through the window when there's a door available?"

"Do you know...do you know you almost scared me to death just now!"

"I just wanted to give my wife a surprise."

Lin Mo chuckled, freeing one hand to magically produce a handful of things from behind his back.

Those were little flowers he casually picked from someone's yard wall on the way.

A dozen or so blue and purple flowers, still covered in dew, were haphazardly tied together with a straw rope, looking as unappealing as could be.

"Who wants your surprise...?"

Bai Zhi mumbled something, but her voice grew softer and softer.

Her hand had already reached out unconsciously and caught the bouquet of flowers, which was so rough it was almost comical.

She brought the flower to her nose and gently sniffed it; a refreshing floral fragrance, carrying moisture, filled her nostrils.

I don't know if it was the fragrance of the flowers or the man's strong chest,

Bai Zhi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for several days, finally settled down.

How did you find this place?

She held the ugly bouquet of flowers and asked sullenly.

"My shadow guards always need to leave some kind of mark."

Lin Mo put his arm around her waist and easily led her to sit down at the table.

"I found the sentries outside, and they brought me here."

By the candlelight, he carefully examined the angelica in front of him.

The fiery red dance dress was truly stunning.

But the faint bluish tinge around her eyes and her bloodless lips made him feel inexplicably depressed.

"How have things been these past few days? Anything going smoothly?"

When serious matters were mentioned, Bai Zhi's expression immediately became serious.

"It's going fairly smoothly. The news of the fairy's blessing has spread throughout the city. Every time it starts, the area in the East Market is basically emptied out."

"However, the recent days have alarmed the government troops, who have been chasing us every night, but the shadow guards have managed to shake us off."

Bai Zhi paused, then suddenly remembered something.

Pointing to the large boxes in the corner, his tone revealed a hint of lingering fear.

"Thank goodness you came today. The money you gave me is only enough for one more day at most. I... I'm worried about what to do..."

The soldiers were closing in, and I was afraid…

Seeing the lingering weariness between Bai Zhi's brows, Lin Mo felt a tightness and pain in his heart.

"It's alright, I'm here now."

He spoke softly, pulling her closer to him, wanting her to relax against him.

He moved his arm up slightly, wanting to hold her more securely.

But his palm had just touched a certain spot on Bai Zhi's side—

"hiss!"

Bai Zhi suddenly let out a suppressed, distorted cry of pain, her body trembling violently as if pricked by a needle.

The flowers she was holding scattered on the ground with a "whoosh," leaving a mess.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Mo's heart sank, and he immediately released his grip.

"No...it's nothing."

Bai Zhi shook her head, her face appearing somewhat pale in the candlelight.

She instinctively wanted to cover the spot where Lin Mo had just touched her with her hand.

Does this reaction make it seem like nothing's wrong?

Without saying a word, Lin Mo reached out and touched the spot she was covering.

"Ah—no!"

Bai Zhi gasped again, instinctively shrinking back to avoid his touch.

"Are you injured?"

Lin Mo's face instantly darkened, and his voice held no trace of a joke. "Let me see!"

"It's really nothing, I just rubbed it a little while dancing..."

Bai Zhi remained defiant, pressing her hands firmly against her skirt to prevent him from touching it.

But the more she acted this way, the more intense the fire in Lin Mo's heart burned.

Without another word, he stood up, scooped her up in his arms, and swept her up in his arms.

Caught off guard, Bai Zhi gasped and hugged his neck.

Lin Mo strode to the bedside and placed her heavily on the edge of the bed.

"Don't move."

Lin Mo's tone was not harsh, but it carried an unyielding authority.

He half-squatted in front of Bai Zhi, ignoring her resistance filled with shame and anger, and pressed down on her fidgeting legs with one hand.

With her other hand, she directly lifted the hem of the fiery red dance skirt.

Beneath the hem of her skirt, there was no soft undergarment as she had imagined.

Instead, it was a black, stiff leather corset that tightly bound Bai Zhi's incredibly slender waist.

Lin Mo recognized the waist belt.

It was designed by him personally.

To create the ethereal feeling of a "fairy" descending from the sky, he designed a mechanism at the back of the corset, connecting it to an extremely thin yet strong steel wire.

However, it did have an effect.

But damn it, he overlooked the most fatal problem!

The leather of the corset was made extremely sturdy to bear the weight.

After several days of dancing and pulling, the hard edges of the leather were like the dullest knife.

Again and again, it cuts into Bai Zhi's soft waist.

The red and purple marks on that once fair and delicate skin made his heart clench.

In some places, the skin was even worn through, and fine beads of blood were seeping out.

"You're saying you're fine after all this?"

Lin Mo frowned and reached out to unfasten the metal buckle on the waist belt.

"No... I can do it myself..."

Bai Zhi was startled by his rough actions, feeling both ashamed and anxious, and reached out to push him away.

"Don't move."

Lin Mo gave a low shout, grabbed her slender wrist, and looked up at her.

"At a time like this, what are you still shy about?"

He pushed her hand away, but his movements became cautious as his fingertips touched the cold clasp.

"We'll see."

Lin Mo said without looking up as he fumbled to undo the complicated clasp.

"What part of your body haven't I seen?"