My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!

Seeing Li Nuo uninterested, Song Yu could only regretfully shake his head and say, "That's truly a shame."

Zhou Yu appeared regretful on the surface but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had braced himself for it, the thought of Yuan Yang spending her nights under another man still made him feel quite uncomfortable.

At this point, Li Nuo became somewhat curious and asked, "What kind of woman is she that she could fascinate you both to this extent?"

Song Yu and Zhou Yu were, after all, from the upper stratum of Chang'an's nobility. With just a word from them, countless beautiful women would throw themselves at their feet, including daughters of prominent families and ladies of noble birth. Despite such backgrounds, they ended up fighting over a courtesan to the point of bloodshed and public brawling. This Yuan Yang must indeed possess some extraordinary qualities.

Song Yu sighed, "Brother-in-law, you have no idea. Although Yuan Yang comes from the brothel, she remains unblemished by the mud. She has always maintained her purity, not only mastering Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, but also being well-read in military texts, with profound insights into military strategies. She's a rare and exceptional woman in this world..."

Zhou Yu chimed in, "Indeed, there are many women in Chang'an with better looks and figures than Yuan Yang, and many with surpassing talents as well, but when it comes to understanding military strategies, no other courtesan can match Yuan Yang..."

Li Nuo understood now that their fascination with Yuan Yang was not because of her beauty or talent, but primarily because she understood military strategy.

For a courtesan, this was indeed quite rare.

Both Song Yu and Zhou Yu came from a General's family and had studied military strategies since childhood. In a brothel full of coquettish and disdainful women, it was not surprising that they were attracted to someone they could relate to, who also kept herself pure.

If there was a courtesan who kept herself pure and was also proficient in Law, Li Nuo would probably take a second look as well.

Song Yu wasn't pleased with Zhou Yu's words and added, "What do you mean among courtesan women? Even outside the brothel, in all of Chang'an, there are hardly any women who comprehend military strategies like she does. Take Jiaren, for example—despite her beauty, she doesn't know Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, can barely recognize characters, let alone read military texts. All she knows is how to fight..."

Hey, hey, hey, how had the topic shifted to his wife?

In front of others, he still had to uphold his wife's reputation. Li Nuo glanced at him and said, "I think Jiaren is pretty great."

Song Yu patted Li Nuo's shoulder, rather sympathetically saying, "It's just you, brother-in-law. Ask the young talents of Chang'an, how many would want to marry Jiaren. Zhou Yu, would you?"

Even though he was Jiaren's brother, he could not lie and violate his conscience, given his brother-in-law's kindness to him.

Zhou Yu shook his head vehemently.

Song Yu turned to Zhou Tao and asked, "What about you, Zhou Tao?"

Zhou Tao shook his head even faster.

Song Jiaren's fierce reputation had spread far and wide among the offspring of the General's families; almost all had suffered beatings from her as children. They all grew up in the shadow of her terror—who would have the gall to marry her after eating the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?

Were they out of their minds?

Once Song Yu started, he rattled on endlessly to Li Nuo about the great deeds of Song Jiaren.

This was the first time Li Nuo had heard about her childhood—how she wouldn't study properly, skipped classes, didn't do her homework, fought with the sons of General's families every day, and could single-handedly take on a group and leave them all lying down, while she remained unscathed. Once, she had been pursued by the elders of more than a dozen families, all the way to the Song Residence to lodge a formal complaint…

Li Nuo found her dark past quite entertaining.

He couldn't help but remark inwardly that truly, she was his wife. Compared to her, the mischievous Song Ning'er was simply an angel...

"Are you done?"

Just as Song Yu was enthusiastically detailing Song Jiaren's illustrious achievements to Li Nuo, suddenly a chilling voice came from behind.

Hearing this voice, Zhou Yu's face turned deathly white, he kept his head down, trembling uncontrollably. Li Nuo even felt the table shaking.

Song Yu's expression froze on his face. In the next moment, he shakily picked up his wine cup, drained it, and then collapsed onto the dining table, mumbling unclearly, "This liquor is strong, I need to sleep…"

It wasn't until Song Jiaren had left for a while that Song Yu crawled up from the table.

He peeled off the vegetable leaves stuck to his face, glanced back to see that she was indeed gone, and then patted his chest, still shaken.

Li Nuo glanced at him and asked, "Is the wife really that frightening?"

Song Yu shook his head and said, "You didn't know Jiaren when you were a child. Although I'm her brother, she didn't spare me from her beatings either..."

Zhou Yu nodded earnestly, "Terrifying doesn't even start to cover it. All of us here were beaten by her as children. Pei Jun once pulled her braid and got kicked three yards away by her, breaking two ribs, and had to lie in bed for a month. Du Yong said she was motherless and got his leg broken by her, he even limps when he walks now..."

Listening to his wife's great accomplishments, Li Nuo felt his chest start to ache again.

Song Yu waved his hand and picked up his wine glass again, saying, "Let's forget about Jiaren for now, brother-in-law, I'm toasting to you. To apologize for my past offenses, I'll drain this glass, and you are free to do as you wish..."

Li Nuo had no choice but to pick up his wine glass as well since the other party had said as much. If he didn't reciprocate, it would seem as though he was looking down on others.

Little did he expect that after Song Yu finished one glass, he poured another, saying, "With this glass, I thank you, brother-in-law, for getting me out of a difficult situation today..."

"After drinking this one, we'll truly be one family!"

"This glass... whatever, let's drink our fill today, we won't return until we are drunk!"

At first, it was Song Yu initiating the toasts. Later, Zhou Yu and his brothers joined in the merriment. Li Nuo had an average tolerance for alcohol, and after a few drinks, he began to feel dizzy. He didn't remember when he left the table, much less how he ended up in his wife's bed.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside the window was dotted with stars, and all around him was silent, save for the occasional chirping of insects.

Before Li Nuo opened his eyes, he was certain he was in his wife's bed, for the quilt was filled with her fragrance. He dared not imagine what it felt like to sleep while holding such a fragrant wife.

Of course, such things existed only in his imagination.

He glanced at the night sky outside the window. It wasn't early, likely past curfew, and it seemed he would have to spend another night at the Song Residence.

Li Nuo sat up from the bed, and the figure who had been sitting at the table also stood up, poured a cup of tea, and silently brought it over to him.

Having sobered up, Li Nuo was quite thirsty. He took the tea cup, gulped it down in one breath, and handed it back to her, saying, "Thank you."

Song Jiaren did not say anything, placing the tea cup back on the table, then returned and lay down on the well-made bed.

A wave of emotion surged through Li Nuo. Was she waiting for him to wake up?

Having grown accustomed to solitude, it was the first time Li Nuo felt having a wife could indeed be quite blissful.

Even if it was just her pouring him a cup of tea to quench his thirst upon waking from his drunken state, it was an experience Li Nuo had never had before.

He had just woken up and felt no sleepiness at the moment, so he leaned against the headboard and read a book. After flipping through a few pages, Li Nuo suddenly said, "Actually, you shouldn't take to heart what Song Yu said. Everyone is unique at birth, not all women need to understand Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting..."

Li Nuo had recently been reading widely. In Daxia, as in ancient China, women were expected to be good wives and mothers, and their fundamental skills would include needlework, cooking, and basic literacy, with bonus points for being able to read and write. On top of that, possessing talents in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting would be seen as the hallmark of excellence, a role model for all women and the ideal partner for most men.

If he were to measure his wife by those standards, she would not qualify in any category.

But what most people deem correct is not necessarily so.

Song Yu was outspoken, and Li Nuo did not want her to overthink after hearing his words.

After a brief silence, Song Jiaren calmly said, "I haven't taken it to heart."

"Good."

Li Nuo did not speak again, continuing to read his book quietly.

Following another stretch of silence, Song Jiaren suddenly asked, "Do all men like that kind of woman?"

"What kind?"

"Those who can play instruments, play chess, write poetry, paint pictures..."

While reading, Li Nuo replied, "Not necessarily, to each their own. Take, for example, a woman's figure, some like thin ones, some prefer plump, some are attracted to tall and proud, while others like petite and clingy. Preferences vary from person to person. Song Yu and the others like gentle and fragile women, but I think it's better to know a bit about the Martial Path..."

It wasn't that Li Nuo didn't like frail girls. Such girls indeed tended to arouse a man's protective instinct.

But what Li Nuo sought was not the protective instinct; he sought tangible protection.

In this world where the Martial Path flourished and the Hundred Schools contended, with things like True Qi, Vast Qi, Power of Laws... whether living or spectral, anyone could show off their skills. Before he formally joined Legalism, he was just an ordinary person, the one who needed protection most.

Song Jiaren no longer spoke. Li Nuo continued reading for a while until sleepiness overwhelmed him once again.

He'd usually worry about a maid barging in to stab him in the middle of the night, but with his wife by his side, he felt completely secure. He closed the book and set it aside, quickly falling asleep in the fragrant warmth of the bed.

On the floor beside the bed, Song Jiaren laid with her hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling with her usual calm expression.

In a certain moment, as if a ripple formed on a serene lake, the corners of her mouth subtly lifted into a slight smile. It was as if flowers bloomed quietly in the darkness, a sight sadly missed by the sleeping Li Nuo...