Chapter 113: Unexpected Fatherhood

"Haha, Wangcai, get lost! Your master isn't here to see you today." Guan Shiyin pushed hard against the giant head of the dog, which was extending its tongue to lick him. But Wangcai, lovesick and stubborn, was determined to coat her master’s neck with her enthusiastic slobber regardless of his resistance.

Guan Shiyin was, of course, unwilling. He had specifically gone back to change into a fresh set of clothes after finishing his work, just for this midnight tryst. How could he let a dog kiss him instead of his beloved?

He tightened his grip on Wangcai’s neck and lifted his legs, shoving them against her belly, intending to toss her aside.

At that moment, a low, mournful whimper escaped Wangcai’s throat. She hadn’t seen her master in two months! She had been so lovesick she couldn't eat or sleep. To see him, she had even sniffed through that disgusting toilet paper and used her own noble golden-retriever body to lead her brothers through tunnels from the surface to the underground. When the gate couldn't be opened, it was she who found the ventilation shaft in the latrine, allowing her master to reach his mistress.

"Awooooo..." Wangcai pulled back her paws. Before Guan Shiyin could push her, she rolled away on her own. Two months ago, she was clearly the mistress of his heart. Who would have thought that in just two months, a new person would replace the old? It was in vain that she had conceived another litter for him, thinking that since her master loved golden retrievers, she would give him as many as possible. Yet he—how could he shove his leg into her belly while she carried his puppies?

He was a heartless man! She wouldn't bear him any more golden retrievers! Wangcai whimpered incessantly. With a glare full of resentment and anger at Guan Shiyin, she turned and trotted toward the latrine. If this place didn't want her, she would find a place that did! Hmm, the new young monk looked quite handsome, and more importantly, he was younger than her master! She decided: she would make that little monk the new father of the unborn puppies.

At the entrance of the tunnel, Jietang suddenly shivered, the phrase "unexpected fatherhood," once mentioned by Fang Rulai, flashing through his mind. He pinched his thigh hard, thinking, *It must be because I'm so tired that I'm hallucinating. I must be missing the Abbot too much.*

Inside the underground secret room, Fang Rulai laughed until she was breathless. "My god! Did Wangcai just leave with her own tragic background music? Are you sure you didn't say or do anything to abandon her after winning her heart?"

Guan Shiyin looked genuinely innocent. "Jietang said she’s pregnant again. Is it normal for pregnant creatures to have such inexplicable mood swings?"

"Hmm, that makes sense." Fang Rulai nodded solemnly.

Guan Shiyin finally seized the chance to pounce. "Don't worry, my love. When the day comes that you are the one pregnant, I promise I will not strike back or curse if you scold or hit me."

Fang Rulai didn't dodge, letting him land right on her. However, just as he leaned in for a kiss, she snatched a pillow and smacked it against his face. "Did anyone see you come here?"

Guan Shiyin batted the pillow away and leaned in again, aiming for her lips. "How could they! Do you think I'm some frail invalid with the combat strength of a five-year-old?"

This time, Fang Rulai didn't dodge. Not because she couldn't, but because his words sounded so familiar and dear that she didn't want to.

After her rebirth in this strange world, she had spent a long time doubting her own memories. Why was it that she remembered things no one else did? Back then, she had no one she could trust to talk to, so she could only tell the young Jierou. Jierou was too small to take it to heart, and naturally wouldn't gossip and cause her trouble. But as time passed, she felt unsatisfied. Jierou wouldn't tell others, but he couldn't talk back to her, either. Being forced to talk to herself only made her feel more isolated.

When she first heard those familiar phrases from Guan Shiyin, her initial reaction was annoyance at having her secrets pried into. But at some point, the annoyance vanished, replaced by a growing sense of intimacy. After all, in the Yaotian Kingdom, besides Guan Shiyin, who else could communicate with her using words only she understood? Jietang understood parts of it, but was a man of few words; Zhu Xishi also understood some, but usually missed the point. Only Guan Shiyin, while she wasn't looking, had managed to coax everything out of Jierou. And not only did he coax it out, he possessed an innate talent for hitting the nail on the head every single time. It made her feel, at times, that she had found a kindred spirit.

This feeling was too rare, too elusive. Once she grasped it, she didn't want to let go.

As Guan Shiyin’s lips approached, Fang Rulai stretched out her neck and kissed him first.

"Mmph!" Guan Shiyin’s eyes lit up. His mouth opened naturally, his eager tongue waiting at his lips, ready to greet his long-missed lover without wasting a second.

But Fang Rulai held his face, pecked him once, and pulled back.

Guan Shiyin blinked rapidly. In his eyes, Fang Rulai clearly saw the unspoken dissatisfaction of *Are you f***ing kidding me?*

Fang Rulai nearly laughed. Had he learned that phrase, too?

Sadly, no.

She patted his head, soothing him like a large, unsatisfied dog. "Let's leave this place first!"

She hadn't hesitated to make her menstrual cycle common knowledge just to have Guan Shiyin rescue her from this place as soon as possible. Now that the plan was succeeding, if she delayed their escape for the sake of a moment of passion, she would be no different from those idiotic heroines in television dramas who, at critical moments, drag everyone down and give the villains time to act—the kind of characters viewers love to mock for lowering the intelligence of the protagonists! She might have a ditzy attitude, but she certainly wasn't an idiot!

Fang Rulai began to pull at Guan Shiyin’s arms. "No time for useless chatter. Let's get out of here first."

Guan Shiyin didn't care. He wrapped his long limbs around her, refusing to be brushed off so easily. She had been the one to initiate it, hadn't she?

"Don't worry, there's still time for kisses. Come now, my love, let me make up for the last two days."

His lecherous look made Fang Rulai laugh again, but she remained firm.

"I'm not feeling well."

"Oh? Where?" Guan Shiyin’s lips stopped less than an inch from hers.

Fang Rulai kept a straight face. "You didn't forget what scent you followed to find me, did you?"

*Ah! Menstrual blood.*

Guan Shiyin instantly regained his clarity. He rolled over, scooped Fang Rulai up into his arms, and stood. "Right, we’re leaving immediately. The invalid has a royal physician with him. Just bear with it for a moment; we’ll see him as soon as we get back."

Fang Rulai lazily wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him carry her out of the tunnel and toward the courtyard. As for the royal physician—if he didn't find it awkward, she wouldn't mind discussing proper menstrual care with him.

***

In the early summer night, with the moon bright and the stars sparse, Fang Rulai, returning in her human sedan, finally had the mood to indulge in a bit of romance as the Guan residence receded into the distance.

She looked up. Guan Shiyin’s tightly set jawline caught her eye. In the clear moonlight, she could see the stubble that had emerged during the night—a result, no doubt, of him staying up to rescue her.

Sending messages out had been easy for her; it only required some thinking. But for him, arranging the rescue after receiving the news must have been difficult! He had to avoid all eyes, find a way to save her, and ensure no commotion was caused during the process. If any step went wrong, the whole effort would be wasted. He must have been under immense mental strain, his mind racing.

His demand for kisses earlier was understandable, and her firm refusal hadn't meant she was ignoring his feelings. Now that the danger had passed, he deserved some tangible encouragement for all the running around he had done for her.

She tightened her arms, pressed her face closer to his chest, and rubbed against him tenderly.

Guan Shiyin’s pace faltered, then he quickened his speed. "Are you cold, or is your stomach hurting more? Just bear it a little longer, we're almost there."

Fang Rulai froze, her rubbing motion stopping. She finally understood how frustrating it was to have one's romantic mood interrupted by someone being so hopelessly practical.

She looked up, and again, those tense jawline and stubble hit her sight. Fang Rulai stiffened her neck and took a bite.

Guan Shiyin wobbled, nearly dropping her. "Stop it!" It was more dangerous outside the courtyard than inside! Inside, he had timed the guards' patrol patterns perfectly. But outside the Guan residence, the streets of the capital were complex and tangled; who knew where other spies might be hiding? If he let his guard down and was followed, it would be a disaster.

Fang Rulai immediately felt a pang of self-reproach for her earlier lack of romance. She vowed never to refuse his advances so bluntly again; it really hurt his pride. Having finished her self-reflection, her own bruised ego immediately rose in protest. *Hmph, he won't let her bite? She’ll bite anyway!*

She bit his jaw, his stubble, his neck, his Adam's apple! In her position, sitting sideways in his arms, she sank her teeth into every reachable spot without mercy! A girl rarely felt the mood to be proactive, and he dared to refuse? Did he want to die?

The body pressed against her began to tremble and heat up. Fang Rulai curled her lips, biting even more joyfully. Life is short; one must be daring! Once dawn broke, the conflict caused by Shi Bilian would surely involve more than one faction, and there would be no chance for intimacy then. She might as well make the most of it before the sun rose and her escape was discovered, accumulating enough "happiness power" to face the scheming of tomorrow.

As she bit, she felt Guan Shiyin suddenly stop. She pulled back slightly. "Why did you stop? Keep going! You walk, I bite, we won't interfere—"

Her words were silenced by his lips.

He never played the part of a soft, gentle lover. When he crashed into her, his tongue immediately pried open her teeth, launching a full-scale assault. When he wanted to kiss her earlier, she had used every excuse to refuse; now that he had finally followed her orders and focused on the mission, she was the one teasing him! It was too much!

He released the arm hooked under her knees and shifted his hold, setting her down in front of him. His mouth didn't stop its offensive; with a slight nudge of his body, he pressed her against a corner of a wall.

Fang Rulai’s face fell into the shadows, but her collar had slipped, exposing her smooth, exquisite collarbone to the bright moonlight. Guan Shiyin caught a glimpse, his eyes darkening. He pulled away from her lips and bowed his head to bite her collarbone.

Fang Rulai instinctively wanted to gasp, but seeing they were at the back door of someone’s house, she bit her fist to stifle the sound. If she woke the residents in the middle of the night, what would she become?

Guan Shiyin wasn't satisfied. The "battlefield" grew longer. Beyond the collarbone were her rounded shoulders. As his lips and tongue worshipped the silky skin, the sound of Fang Rulai’s soft gasps filled his ears. Like a warrior hearing the drums of war, he pressed on, leaving a dense trail of bite marks on his newly conquered territory.

Fang Rulai’s body turned hot and limp; her knees buckled, and she began to slide down the wall.

Guan Shiyin tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his hard, burning body.

As they pressed together, both of them stiffened.

She stiffened because she felt his arousal.

He stiffened because, looking down, he saw her chest, where the collar had been pushed aside—a sight of half-exposed splendor.

It was so pink and tender, as luminous as jade! He had touched her countless times, and had even fantasized about it in his dreams. But this was the first time he had truly seen it! His first thought was: *Peaches! Luscious, juicy peaches, not the apples he had imagined!*

The peach was too delicate, swaying in the night breeze with a flush of pink. Like the first green buds on a branch after winter, it drew every gaze, yet simultaneously commanded a reverence that forbade desecration.

He felt the same.

His hands were too rough, his stubble too coarse, his teeth too sharp.

How should he proceed? Or rather, how should he bite?

For the first time, he felt a sense of awe, not daring to rush forward.

And so, he missed another chance to advance to the next base.

Fang Rulai regained her senses.

She was startled by his intense physical reaction, chilled by the cool night air hitting her chest, and jolted by a sudden, familiar surge within her.

She was still on her period; how could she endure such heated physical entanglement?

Fang Rulai pulled her collar up with one hand and pushed Guan Shiyin away with the other. This really couldn't continue.

Guan Shiyin wouldn't hear of it. What was this? She wanted to call a halt again? Did she want him to spend the rest of the night in an ice cellar? No way! Guan Shiyin locked her hands with one of his, lowered his head, and prepared to kiss his way into her clothes again.

"Don't!" Fang Rulai’s cry rang in his ears. It was a genuine refusal. Guan Shiyin paused, confused. What was going on?

Fang Rulai glanced around, stood on tiptoe, whispered something into his ear, and blushed crimson.

Guan Shiyin’s face broke into a wicked grin. "Really?"

Fang Rulai bumped her forehead against his chest. "That's enough of you."

"Fine, since you confessed honestly, I'll spare you this once." Guan Shiyin spoke with feigned magnanimity, though his eyes scanned her stomach with dissatisfaction. "Really, such bad timing! Did I waste all those delicacies feeding you? You little ingrate, ruining my fun!"

Fang Rulai glanced at him, blushing. "Alright, let's go." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "I won't tease you anymore; just hurry back."

Guan Shiyin gave her a strange look. Before Fang Rulai could wonder why, he reached out and pushed open the back door.

Fang Rulai was stunned. What was happening?

Guan Shiyin crouched slightly, scooped her up, and carried her in his arms again.

He stepped inside, teasing, "My love, we're home, no need to rush anymore. But I can still satisfy your wish to be carried like this!"

Inside the courtyard, a glance showed no one.

But straining to listen, faint, suppressed snickers drifted into their ears.

Fang Rulai’s eyes shifted. She reached out and grabbed the doorframe as they passed.

—*Brothers, place your bets! Do you think when Brother Guan and his lady return, they’ll wait to get back to their room, or will they start getting intimate before they even enter?*

—*I bet two radishes that Brother Guan won't wait until they're inside. He’ll start as soon as he’s sure they’re in our secure zone!*

—*I bet a bowl of braised pork that you’re both wrong! With Brother Guan’s personality, he’ll start rolling around the moment he sees her!*

—*Oh, Little Langzi makes a good point! Fine, let's add another plate! Those who bet he waits until the room, put your bets in the left basket; those who bet he starts before entering, the middle basket; hehe, those who bet he waits until they're done with the sheets, the right basket! Hahaha, place your bets!*

Fang Rulai suddenly pulled back and called out, "Banxia, come out!"

"Yes." Banxia appeared.

The snickering vanished instantly. They had heard the mistress had special abilities and could know things without asking. Had they been exposed? Was she about to fly into a rage from embarrassment?

Fang Rulai crossed her arms, sat upright in Guan Shiyin’s arms, and wore the face of a queen. "You received the news from Jietang that Shi Bilian is going to Qitian Taoist Temple tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"And you've arranged who will snatch her?"

"Yes." These were the very people hiding in the courtyard.

"You're more professional than I am, so I won't give instructions on the operation."

A collective sigh of relief came from the shadows. It seemed they had overthought it.

"However!" Fang Rulai’s tone sharpened, and the people in the shadows shivered.

"When Shi Bilian leaves the Guan residence, the Crown Prince will certainly send people to follow openly, and the Old Master of the Guan family will surely have people following in secret. If you want to avoid both factions and get away clean after grabbing her, you must be unexpected."

Banxia looked at her, questioning. So, what should they do?

"Dress up in women's clothing!"