Chapter 7

Caring for the Husband

    Even though she didn’t possess any martial prowess or demonic techniques of her former self,

    Shan Shan still retained the knowledge of all the demonic martial techniques, including the creation of all types of stratagems. Hence, setting up a simple trap wasn’t difficult for her now.

    In her past life, Shan Shan was a formidable female martial artist, inevitably dubbed the Demoness due to her ferocious skills.

    Now, in this life, even though she’s a bit weaker, exerting herself meant she was essentially training. Since her body still had all its limbs intact, there was nothing to worry about. Building these traps also counted as basic training, and Shan Shan, who had always enjoyed practicing martial arts, found joy in these activities.

    She intended to start training in martial arts anew, just like when she first began practicing with swords and sabers as far back as she could remember.

    But in the initial work, Shan Shan exhausted herself to the point of collapsing. After resting and recovering, she would resume her efforts. If it became too much, she would stop and rest, and once she regained strength, she would continue, following this cycle repeatedly.

    Now, she paced back and forth between her house and the stream, up and down the yard to the foothills ceaselessly. From morning until dusk, and dusk until night, she completed the basic trap over several days. Eventually, her previously frail body began to grow stronger bit by bit, her physical stamina increased, and her wrists and arms began to gain more strength.

    Zhao Wei watched Shan Shan’s actions in silence. He did not ask or intervene, his dark eyes were still as deep as the bottomless ocean, thinking to himself: Whatever she wanted to do in his house was fine, just as long as she didn’t bother him.

    However, he was mistaken. One night, as they were about to go to sleep, Shan Shan suddenly used her small frame to pin down his larger body on the bed, seizing his thick wrist and quickly checking his pulse.

    “What are you doing?” Zhao Wei asked sternly, displeased.

    “Stay still,” Shan Shan closed her eyes as she listened to his blood flow.

    Since they were already married and shared the only bed in the house, despite not engaging in any sensual rhythmic activities typical of a man and woman, they still slept together.

    And since she was free from stratagem duties that night, Shan Shan devoted her full attention to her husband.

    In the candlelit room, her face was serious, her gaze intense and focused as if she were about to engage in the most crucial task imaginable, where even the smallest mistake was not an option.

    Zhao Wei narrowed his eyes in confusion, frowning deeply.

    Shan Shan shifted from checking the pulse on his wrist to his neck, then gently slid her fingertips along his body, tracing his bones.

    “What are you doing?”

    Zhao Wei asked in a stern voice, the atmosphere tense as he tried to suppress the heat rising from her touch.

    “It turns out the martial arts of my Ye Niu have been destroyed.”

    Shan Shan stated in surprise, seemingly encountering something extraordinary, yet her demeanor remained calm and composed.

    “You…”

    This time it was Zhao Wei who was taken aback, looking at her in astonishment.

    In truth, she had been behaving oddly since she started running up and down the hills, setting traps, but he merely watched from a distance, thinking she was just having fun. But now, she was clearly not the simple woman he thought he saw.

    She wasn’t the foolish Qing Lin.

    It was clear Zhao Wei could not fathom that Shan Shan had mastered various demonic arts and martial disciplines, and that checking such pulses was easily within her grasp, let alone treating them.

    Once a ruler of a great sect, commanding many subordinates, she would be inept if she didn't possess such minor knowledge; she wouldn't have been able to care for her subordinates who risked their lives for her.

    She herself had broken their bones and set them back. She had also ripped their tendons and mended them with her own hands.

    The techniques for setting bones and healing tendons were fundamental to the Deadly Palm technique Shan Shan had mastered in her previous life.

    Although she had yet to begin practicing martial arts in this life, all knowledge remained intact within her mind, certainly beneficial for treating her husband.

    In her previous life, Shan Shan frequently made enemies, constantly bringing danger to her sect, causing her followers to fight to near death.

    She had to ensure they recovered completely to continue fighting in her nefarious schemes.

    It's unknown whether those followers would cry or laugh at her demise.

    For a long while, Shan Shan's delicate fingers gently traced over Zhao Wei's tense muscles.

    It was as light as the wings of a bee brushing across flowers.

    This almost lulled the young man into tranquility. But suddenly, he heard a loud snap of a bone!

    "Aaaah..."

    In the deep darkness surrounding the isolated bamboo house by the river, a hoarse, painful voice erupted from Zhao Wei’s robust throat, so intense that it echoed far beyond the confines of the house.

    All through that night, no one knew that a man named Wu Jie was making a tremendous effort to save his crown prince.

    However, passing through the Eight Directions Stratagem Expelling Demons was no easy task; the guard was severely wounded, bloodied, and battered.

    His energy drained as he floated down the river.

    "Yo...Your Highness, I cannot protect you..."

    The voice was faint, barely louder than the night breeze.

    As dawn broke, sunlight pierced through the bamboo, illuminating the bedroom.

    Zhao Wei's large body lay face down on the bed, immobile as if lifeless, pain spreading through his thick frame, penetrating deep into the bone, agony nearly unbearable.

    But now, the man who had long suffered from misshapen bones could finally lie straight, clearly indicating his bones were beginning to heal properly, just waiting for recovery.

    Actually, he could have sought the best doctors to treat him, but it was too risky. If word leaked about bringing a renowned physician to treat a hunchbacked man at Ping Yan village, it could expose his hiding place and lead to danger. He preferred to wait until the turmoil subsided before returning to the royal palace for treatment.

    Who would have thought he would end up married to such an extraordinary woman?

    At this moment, this extraordinary woman of Zhao Wei was not in the room; she had left the house to ascend the mountain long ago.

    Shan Shan, having trained in the art of Myriad Poisons and knowing many medicinal herbs, both beneficial and harmful, planned to continuously brew medicine to treat her husband.

    Having finally got a husband of her own, she felt it was only right to take good care of him.

    The young woman spent a long time searching for the herbs she needed. Once she found them, she descended the mountain back to her home, where she sat and brewed them for quite a while. During this, noticing how dirty and disheveled she had become, she thought about taking a bath.

    However, the house was so small, it didn't have a separate bathroom from the bedroom, and bathing in the river during daylight seemed too exposed.

    Thus, Shan Shan dragged an empty wooden tub into the bedroom. She filled it nearly full with water and bathed right there in front of the big, robust man who was lying stretched out on the bed.

    Ordinary villagers usually didn't bathe every day; it was only this couple that frequently bathed, a shared preference they were both unaware of.

    Previously, the two had bathed separately at night when the skies were completely dark and hadn't slept together since their wedding day.

    The young man kept a clear distance from the woman, lacking any stimulant to arouse him, thus he thought not to touch her anymore.

    As for Shan Shan, busy with her stratagem duties throughout the day, she used up much of her energy and was thoroughly exhausted by evening, falling into a deep sleep.

    The couple had a strange relationship; they were neither close nor distant.

    At this moment, Shan Shan was bathing naked in the wooden tub inside the same room as Zhao Wei, who lay motionless on the bed.

    She admired her body greatly; her skin was soft, smooth, and flawless without any wrinkles or scars. It was so beautiful.

    In her past life, her skin was dry and coarse, brown, marred with scars, unlike the jade-like fair skin now. Her face was disfigured, her entire body covered with rough scars. It was truly a stark contrast.

    She slowly stroked her long limbs, dragging her fingers up to caress her soft, plump flesh, enjoying the touch while delighting in her own beauty.

    Her face was adorned with a satisfied smile, her cheeks flushed with a rosy glow, and her lips moist and red,

    Looking very enticing.

    Zhao Wei could only lie there, watching Shan Shan, his body tensing as his blood rushed, feeling a painful throbbing, convinced that she was tormenting him on purpose.

    After calculating that the medicine she had left simmering was ready, Shan Shan slowly rose from the tub, displaying her alluring body to someone's gaze, letting water droplets roll down her curves, shimmering like starlight. She gracefully walked towards the clothes rack and dressed herself with calm, unhurried movements, clearly not intending to seduce anyone; it was all in the observer's head.

    Zhao Wei clenched his jaw tightly.

    A husband and wife should help each other unconditionally, giving without regard to right or wrong, and without expecting anything in return.

    This statement couldn’t be truer. Shan Shan took great care in administering the medicine to her husband, setting his bones, stretching his tendons, pressing his pulse points, and especially cleaning his body, making Zhao Wei's ears burn with embarrassment because Shan Shan focused particularly on cleaning that sensitive area, causing it to become painfully taut and uncontrollably prominent.

    And most importantly, Shan Shan sat staring intently as if she had discovered the most marvelous thing beneath the heavens.

    Countless times, the young crown prince would internally scream for the heavens, feeling the utmost embarrassment he had ever experienced.

    Besides providing meticulous care without heeding the young man’s reluctance, Shan Shan traveled up and down the hills to gather herbs and brew medicine for seven consecutive days, repeating the process consistently without seeking her husband’s consent.

    Of course, Zhao Wei couldn't refuse because his body was almost shattered by her hands, leaving him with no choice but to lie still, completely immobilized.

    Tonight marked the last batch of medicine for the first stage of his treatment. Shan Shan carefully administered the medicine to Zhao Wei, a bowl after a bowl.

    The young man endured the bitter taste, which scorched his throat unbearably because she fed him by the bowl, not by the spoon...

    “Wait!”

    Zhao Wei finally spoke after swallowing the last gulp.

    “What is it?”

    Shan Shan looked at her husband, puzzled, pausing her gentle stroking on something.

    He coughed and asked in a low, pressing voice,

    “Why must you strip me?”

    She replied calmly, “Because you cannot move on your own, and we are in the phase of bone healing. I must do it.”

    “That’s not the point. And you don’t need to undress me.”

    “How come? If I don’t undress you, how can I see your entire body clearly? It’s crucial. I need to know exactly where each bone should align, and see all the tendons and muscles. Everything is connected. Do you understand?”

    Every word she spoke was a genuine reason that could hardly be disputed.

    However, Zhao Wei sighed deeply and said coldly,

    “But you shouldn’t linger too long on the lower abdomen.”

    Shan Shan blinked and whispered into Zhao Wei's ear,

    “Even though there are no bones there, it has very important tendons and muscles.”

    Her voice drew out seductively. As she finished, she gave a meaningful smile and continued to playfully tease with her fingertips.

    Her husband had a very robust and attractive body. Despite his scarred face and untamed beard which made him less appealing, his skin under the clothes was smooth and firm.

    Some parts were particularly huge and it grew noticeably larger and more potent as she kneaded.

    After being satisfied with her caresses, Shan Shan lay down next to her husband. Her head rested on his strong arm, her body draped across his firm muscles, snugly against his warm chest, and she fell into the most contented sleep.

    It was countless times that Zhao Wei had to clench his jaw.

    The healing sessions with Shan Shan continued to be peculiar.

    Eventually, the young man regained a normal physique, tall and majestic as he finally could stand upright.

    Only his voice remained hoarse and unpleasant, sounding quite terrible because his throat still needed gradual healing.

    As for the scarred face and untamed beard, they remained untouched because Zhao Wei did not wish for them to be handled.

    Shan Shan was indifferent to these features, so she didn’t touch them. She thought it was good that her husband was unattractive, as it meant no other women would covet him!