Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

The heavy, carved wooden door emitted a sickening groan.

This kick left no room for error.

The entire door panel snapped off at the hinge, crashing into the room with a sharp gust of wind, kicking up a cloud of dust on the floor.

Wood chips flew everywhere.

The cold wind from outside rushed in through the broken hole, and the once warm and cozy west wing instantly turned to freezing.

Chu Jinglan withdrew his leg.

The boots stepped over the threshold, crushing a piece of sawdust on the sole.

He was carrying a sword.

The sword tip dipped to the ground, drawing a long, piercing sound as he moved across the bluestone bricks.

The room was very quiet.

The silver charcoal in the copper charcoal brazier was burning brightly, occasionally popping out a few red sparks with a crisp "crackling" sound.

The warm yellow candlelight flickered violently in that instant of change, casting extremely long shadows of the two people in the room onto the screen, where they overlapped.

Jiang Yining sat on the edge of the bed.

She was only wearing a thin, plain white nightgown, her long black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, with a few strands hanging in front of her, the ends still slightly damp.

He was holding a white jade medicine bowl in his hand.

Hearing the loud noise, she did not turn around, nor did she even flinch.

The porcelain spoon tapped gently against the rim of the bowl, producing a crisp sound.

She placed a spoonful of the dark medicine into the bed curtains.

Open your mouth.

Her tone was indifferent, as if the man behind her, who had barged in with a sword and a murderous aura, was nothing more than a stray cat passing by.

A hand reached out from behind layers of curtains.

The hand was pale, slender, and had distinct knuckles. It loosely grasped Jiang Yining's wrist and used the leverage to put the medicine into her mouth.

Chu Jinglan stood by the screen, his fingers gripping the sword turning bluish-white from excessive force.

He watched this scene unfold.

He looked at his wife, who was sitting disheveled on the edge of his brother's bed.

She watched as that hand, belonging to another man, carelessly touched her skin.

"Jiang Yining".

The three words, squeezed out from between his teeth, carried the bloody scent of war.

Jiang Yining finally stopped what she was doing, put down the medicine bowl, and turned around.

Those eyes appeared exceptionally clear in the candlelight, reflecting Chu Jinglan's distorted face, yet remaining completely calm.

"What are you doing, husband?"

She didn't even get up, but simply straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, her movements slow and deliberate: "It's time for Sikong to drink his medicine. If this bowl gets cold, we'll have to brew it again."

"What are you doing?!"

Chu Jinglan strode forward and swung his long sword sharply.

A cold glint flashed.

That sword, which had slain countless enemies, was now pointing at the person closest to him.

The sword's edge stopped three inches from the tip of Jiang Yining's nose.

A sharp sword aura severed a strand of hair near her ear, and the black hair drifted down, only to be crushed by Chu Jinglan's foot the instant it touched the ground.

"Have you no shame?"

Chu Jinglan stared at her, his chest heaving violently, each word sounding like blood vomited from his lungs.

"Dressed like that in a man's room in the middle of the night?"

Jiang Yining looked at the sword but did not back down.

"If you want to kill, then do it."

Her tone remained calm: "Anyway, for the past three years, the entire Chu family has been kept afloat by my life."

"Now you're back, wanting to repay kindness with enmity..."

"you……"

Chu Jinglan's hand trembled, and he wanted to sheathe his sword, but he couldn't swallow his anger.

Just as the two were at an impasse.

One hand slipped under Jiang Yining's armpit and wrapped around her waist.

That hand looked powerless, but it was actually extremely domineering.

Suddenly pulled backward.

Jiang Yining fell into a hug that smelled of medicine.

The curtain was completely pulled back by a pale hand.

Chu Sikong sat up.

His nightgown was loose and baggy, with the neckline wide open, revealing a large expanse of pale skin, and a red mark that hadn't faded could even be seen on his collarbone.

Those glassy eyes met Chu Jinglan's bloodshot eyes through the flickering candlelight.

He showed none of his usual timidity or weakness.

There was only a chilling calm, and... a blatant provocation.

"Big brother."

Chu Sikong's voice was a little hoarse, with a languid quality, as if he had just woken up: "You scared her."

"Take your hand off me!"

Chu Jinglan stared at the hand gripping his wife's waist, his reason completely collapsing: "That's your sister-in-law!"

"I know."

Chu Sikong nodded, but instead of letting go, he rested his chin on Jiang Yining's shoulder.

He pressed himself against Jiang Yining's back like a snake coiled around its prey.

"But she is also...my wife."

Chu Jinglan felt his blood surging.

"What...did you say?"

Chu Jinglan looked at his younger brother, whom he had doted on since childhood, in disbelief: "Say that again?!"

Chu Sikong smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it exuded an infuriating satisfaction.

"With my elder brother dead, how unbearable will it be for my sister-in-law to live a life of widowhood?"

He reached out and gently twirled a strand of Jiang Yining's long hair that had fallen behind her, playing with it between his fingers.

"Whether the house is cold or hot, or the blankets are cold or empty, someone has to keep it warm."

"Shut up!"

Chu Jinglan roared and swung his longsword, aiming directly at Chu Sikong's wrist.

This sword strike was imbued with true energy.

Jiang Yining's pupils contracted, and she grabbed Chu Sikong's wrist with her other hand, turning around to block him.

Clang—!

The sword's edge stopped abruptly an inch from Jiang Yining's back.

The sword energy surged, shattering the white jade medicine bowl on the table.

Debris flew everywhere.

A sharp shard of porcelain grazed Chu Sikong's cheek, leaving a thin, long bloodstain.

Blood beads rolled down, appearing particularly alluring on his pale face.

Chu Sikong didn't even blink.

He simply looked at Jiang Yining, who was standing in front of him, at her thin back, and a kind of crazy emotion surged in his eyes.

He stuck out the tip of his tongue and pressed it against his cheek.

Chu Sikong peeked out from behind Jiang Yining and slowly stood up.

Barefoot on the floor.

He was half a head shorter than Chu Jinglan, and his figure was thin, but his aura was in no way inferior.

"My brother wants to kill me?"

Chu Sikong took a step forward, his chest almost touching the tip of the sword.

"I'm jealous that I was the one by her side for the past three years."

"I'm jealous that she calls my name at night."

"Still jealousy..."

He leaned closer to Chu Jinglan and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Jealous of her now? Do you prefer my service?"

when--!

The longsword fell to the ground.

Chu Jinglan threw a punch, which landed heavily on Chu Sikong's face.

This punch was extremely powerful.

Chu Sikong was knocked to the side by the blow, and his body staggered as he bumped into the bedpost behind him.

A trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

But he quickly turned around, extended his thumb, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Well played."

Chu Sikong chuckled lightly, "Brother, now that you've delivered that punch, shouldn't we get down to business?"

He straightened his disheveled clothes, sat back down on the edge of the bed, and reached out to pull Jiang Yining, who was standing beside him, over.

This time, he didn't let her stand in his way.

Instead, he had her sit next to him, their fingers intertwined.

That was a gesture of absolute possession.

"The clan elders presided over the ceremony of the consort's ancestral worship."

Looking at Chu Jinglan, whose face was ashen, Chu Sikong said, word by word, "It's written clearly in black and white on red paper."

"Now, in this Chu family mansion, I am the husband of the second wife."

"And Ningning..."

He deliberately addressed her affectionately, every word pushing Chu Jinglan's limits: "She is the eldest son's sister-in-law, and also the second son's wife."

"That's the rule."