"Li Li, why can't I draw the arrow?" Chai Xiaomi set up the bow again, her face full of seriousness. "Teach me quickly. I've been trying for ages."
Wu Li looked at this student who always slacked off in class. Her posture was passable, at least—no surprise since he had taught her hand by hand. Right now she was tilting her head, wrestling with the bowstring, and that adorable stance made him instinctively want to wrap his arms around her from behind.
His hand had just reached out when it suddenly froze midair.
A single word floated slowly into his mind—cloying.
Song Yueyao was a woman, and Mi Mi was also one. Between women, some truths had to be the same.
No. He couldn't cling to her every moment.
He withdrew his hand, crossed his arms, and leaned against the bedpost, only moving his lips to speak. "Divine weapons are usually forged from condensed spiritual energy of heaven and earth. To wield them, you must rely on your own intent. The moment you draw the bow, if your intent is strong enough, an arrow will naturally materialize on the string."
He paused and couldn't help but laugh. "Mi Mi, give it up. Is your intention to kill someone strong? Or are you desperately trying to destroy something? Neither, right?"
Just looking at her—she wouldn't even dare kill a rabbit. How could an intent clash with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?
Even before, when she'd had him place a bewitching bug beside Ouyang Huai's pillow, indirectly sending that man to the Yellow Springs, she'd been trembling with fear that night. Right at midnight, she'd had a nightmare, mumbling indistinctly, "Don't take my life... back off, back off..."
Her hands had unconsciously clutched his clothes, her petite body trembling in his arms, drenched in sweat, as if she were running and fleeing in her dream.
So he had pressed his lips to her ear, soothing her over and over again: "Don't be afraid. The bug was mine. That means I did it. It has nothing to do with you."
"No matter what happens, I'll stand in front of you. All evil spirits and curses will only come for me. They won't even touch a single finger of yours."
He had gently kissed her earlobe, her cheek, and her trembling lips in sleep: "Mi Mi, I'll always protect you. Don't be scared."
He had coaxed her for a long time before finally getting her calm.
Staring at the girl in his arms, breathing deeply and sleeping peacefully,
he himself had lost all desire to sleep. Afraid she might fall into another nightmare, he had lifted her gently and let her lie on his chest, face down.
He had stroked her back, slowly, again and again. Not until the window paper turned pale did he realize he had stayed awake the whole night until dawn.
...
Chai Xiaomi turned her head and saw Wu Li leaning there, looking lazy and carefree. His gaze was briefly distant, as if lost in thought.
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
He glanced over leisurely, his eyes filled with undisguised amusement. "In your hands, this bow is nothing more than a toy. Its purpose is to keep you entertained."
"Who do you think you're looking down on?" Chai Xiaomi grabbed the bow and held it across his neck, standing on her tiptoes, raising her voice each time. "Huh? Looking down on who? Say it again?"
Wu Li's lips curled in a smile as she forced him back step by step until his back hit the wall and there was nowhere left to retreat.
He had the good sense to give in. Casually raising his hands in surrender, but the corners of his eyes lifted with a hint of amusement, showing no real fear at all.
The cold bow pressed against his jaw. Forced to tilt his head back, he could only look down at her.
But with his height and that half-lidded gaze, it somehow gave off an air of condescension instead.
Even that smile on his lips looked like he was mocking her.
Chai Xiaomi grew even angrier.
She flipped her wrist and pushed the bow higher. "What are you laughing at?"
Wu Li looked down at her, his Adam's apple rolling against the bow as he let out a helpless laugh. "I'm not laughing."
"You think I'm blind?" She glared at him.
By the time he was cornered like this, Wu Li could already guess what Chai Xiaomi wanted to hear.
He moved his lips and said in a low voice, "I was wrong. Spare me... Sister..."
Pressed by the bow, his voice came out hoarse, carrying a hint of feigned submission.
"Oh, your tongue's gotten better," Chai Xiaomi raised an eyebrow, finally showing a hint of a smile. "No longer dipped in poison, but coated in honey."
Satisfied, she withdrew the bow, stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly stepped forward.
Wu Li instinctively tried to lean back, but the wall was behind him.
His fingers curled slightly. It wasn't that he didn't want to hold her; he was afraid she'd get sick of it.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth and hid his hands behind his back.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his tone still lazy. Only he knew how tight his voice was at the end.
Chai Xiaomi said nothing, stepping even closer until her nose almost touched his chin. She looked up, her eyes bright as if they held two little suns.
"Li Li." She called his name, soft and sweet.
"...Mm."
"Why are you hiding your hands?"
He paused.
Without waiting for an answer, she reached back, grabbed his wrist, pulled it forward, and pressed it against her waist.
"Something's off about you today." Chai Xiaomi frowned, squeezing his wrist. She couldn't even feel his arm tensing.
Ever since they'd married, he would always lean in for a kiss whenever she was in a good mood, never missing a chance to get close. But today he was unnaturally polite, even deliberately keeping his distance.
Wu Li: "What's off?"
Chai Xiaomi narrowed her eyes and studied him for a moment, growing increasingly uneasy.
Normally, in this position, he would have lost control and kissed her already.
Why wasn't he being the least bit aggressive?
His hand still rested obediently on her waist, with neither too much nor too little pressure—like a wooden puppet programmed to stand still.
"..." Chai Xiaomi was furious. Definitely something wrong.
A surge of boldness rushed through her, and she leaned in to bite his lip.
"So fierce?" Wu Li licked the spot she had bitten, but instead smiled. "Is this your revenge for me saying you can't use the bow?"
Chai Xiaomi looked at his carefree expression and, for the moment, decided not to press further.
She stepped back half a pace and changed the subject: "Tell me, if a student can't learn a skill, is it the student's fault or the teacher's?"
"It's naturally the teacher's problem." Wu Li answered instinctively, his head still fuzzy from her bite, not thinking much.
Chai Xiaomi's eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly at him. "Then I'll leave it to Teacher Wu to teach me how to focus my intent and use the Ice Bow and Frost Arrows. If you can't teach me, you'll be the worst teacher in the world."
"Even worse than Old Ji."
All of Wu Li's romantic thoughts vanished instantly.
He could accept being the worst teacher in the world, but he absolutely would not accept being ranked lower than the white cat.
"..."
He looked down at her, his gaze complicated.
A long pause.
"...Fine." He forced the word out through clenched teeth.
