Chapter 57: The Groom Bullies the Bride

The wedding was celebrated right inside Iron Forest Fortress.

Before the sky even brightened, the entire garrison fort was bustling with activity.

The women were busy steaming buns and stewing pork, while the men set up long wooden tables on the drill grounds.

Blacksmith Zhao and his apprentices worked through the night to forge a new door frame.

Crude characters meaning "A Century of Harmony" were carved onto it.

The calligraphy had been requested from Lin Chuan himself, and a carpenter traced the outlines to carve it in.

Lin Chuan was yanked out of his warm bed by Hu Dayong before dawn and pinned down in front of a water basin to shave.

The freezing well water made him shiver violently.

Hu Dayong, however, laughed with malicious glee: "Commander, the new groom needs to look sharp!"

"Get lost!" Lin Chuan kicked him. "Why didn't you say that when you were forcing wine down my throat yesterday?"

By mid-morning, the fragrance of meat was already wafting across the drill ground.

Two wild boars were being roasted over fires, their skin sizzling and dripping fat.

Twenty bamboo steamers of buns were piled up like small mountains.

The most extravagant items were the dozen jars of aged wine.

These were the aged brews confiscated from the Zhang family cellar a few days prior.

Once the mud seals were cracked open, the aroma drifted for miles.

"The auspicious hour has arrived——"

Following the village head's cracked-gong shout, Lin Chuan led the way, holding one end of a red silk ribbon.

At the other end, Yunniang was supported by two women, her crimson jacket and skirt making her skin look whiter than snow.

A mishap occurred during the bowing to heaven and earth.

Madam Lin was crying a flood of tears, while Madam Liu was so nervous she stepped with the same-side foot and arm.

"Bow to each other——"

Just as Lin Chuan was about to bend down, he suddenly heard a ripping sound.

He had stepped on the hem of Yunniang's skirt.

The bride stumbled, and he swiftly caught her by the waist.

This instantly provoked hearty laughter from the entire room.

Yunniang, blushing fiercely, buried her face in his shoulder.

After three rounds of toasts, Lin Chuan had already made the rounds to every single table.

Hu Dayong and the others were up to no good, specifically targeting him with the strongest liquor.

By the end, he was walking unsteadily, yet he still remembered to shield Yunniang.

Whenever anyone tried to make the bride drink, he blocked every single cup.

"M-M-Miss Lu! Have a drink!"

Lin Chuan offered a cup of wine to Lu Chenyue.

Lu Chenyue was about to refuse, but considering it was a day of great joy, she thought better of it.

She tilted her head back and downed the entire bowl of wine in her hand.

"Glug—glug—"

Hu Dayong and the others stared with their eyes popping out of their heads.

Even grown men wouldn't dare drink like that!

"Commander! It's dark! Time for the bridal chamber!"

Someone started it, and over a hundred people began hooting in unison.

A few veteran soldiers even banged on iron basins, clanging away like a battle.

Lin Chuan scooped Yunniang up into his arms and strode out amid the whistling of the crowd.

Suddenly remembering something, he turned his head and roared: "Hu Dayong!"

Hu Dayong, who was sneakily stuffing a wine flask into his waistband, gave a start. "Subordinate is here!"

"Send men to keep watch outside my door."

Lin Chuan narrowed his drunken eyes. "Whoever dares eavesdrop on our bedroom door will be docked two months' salary!"

Hu Dayong's expression instantly collapsed. "……Ah?"

"Dammit, don't think I don't know your plans!"

Lin Chuan laughed and scolded, "You think I won't dock your pay first—"

"Subordinate obeys——" Hu Dayong replied with a crying face.

Lin Chuan couldn't be bothered with them, carrying Yunniang through the noisy crowd.

The lattice windows of the bridal chamber were pasted with crude paper-cuts, and two newly sewn sets of bedding lay on the brick kang bed.

Lin Chuan set Yunniang down on the edge of the kang, momentarily unsure of what he was supposed to do next.

Yunniang tugged at the corner of his robe, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "F-First... drink the nuptial wine..."

She fished a small gourd out of her sleeve, filled with medicinal wine that Blacksmith Zhao had secretly slipped to her.

She had no idea what kind of wine it was.

Uncle Zhao had just said that once Lin Chuan drank it, he would bear a son.

At the sight of that suspicious ink-green liquid, Lin Chuan felt his scalp tingle.

Yet, looking at the bride's expectant gaze, he braced himself and swallowed half a mouthful.

The next moment, his entire face crunched up like a walnut:

"What on earth is this?!"

Yunniang burst into a giggle, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

The moonlight leaked in through the window.

It illuminated the collar of her unbuttoned dress, revealing a length of jade-white neck.

That mouthful of wine seemed to be starting to heat up...

Deep in the night.

Lu Chenyue lay on the bed in the neighboring wing room, staring blankly at the ceiling beams.

After drinking that bowl of wine, her entire body felt uncomfortable.

Burning hot.

Though she could use her inner qi to force the alcohol out of her system.

For some unknown reason, she didn't want to do so.

Separated by a single wall.

Rustling noises came from the other side.

"Ah!" Yunniang let out a low, soft cry.

"What is it?"

"M-My hair..."

Yunniang's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, seemingly so embarrassed she was on the verge of tears.

"It's caught on the button..."

Lin Chuan seemed flustered, the sound of fabric rubbing together rustled continuously.

"Don't move..." he lowered his voice, amusement carrying through. "Why is this button so hard to untie..."

"D-Don't pull..."

Yunniang's voice trembled with anxiety. "This is a new outfit..."

"Rip—"

A slight sound of fabric tearing.

"Ah!" Yunniang was both startled and bashful. "Y-You..."

"My bad, my bad..."

Lin Chuan's voice grew even raspy. "I'll buy you ten new ones tomorrow..."

The wooden bed suddenly creaked, followed immediately by Yunniang's suppressed gasp.

Lu Chenyue frowned.

On such a proper day of great joy...

Was Lin Chuan bullying Yunniang?

"Does it hurt?"

"A-A little..."

Yunniang's voice carried a crying tone. "Slower..."

"Alright..."

"W-Wait..."

"Hmm?"

"The lamp... the lamp is still on..."

"What's to fear, just leave it on..."

"N-N-No..."

Lin Chuan chuckled softly, footsteps sounded, and the oil lamp was blown out with a *puff*.

In the darkness, Yunniang's voice became even clearer:

"Hey! Y-You, how..."

"Wife... come, help me untie this..."

"I-I don't know how..."

"I'll teach you..."

The more Lu Chenyue listened, the stranger it felt.

She sat frozen for a long while, then abruptly pulled the quilt over her head.

What on earth were those two doing?

The scene from that day suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Hay flying everywhere.

Lin Chuan pinning her down like a starved wolf.

That fierce intensity, as if he meant to tear her to pieces.

Her face instantly burned.

Her fingertips brushed against the ties of her undergarment, then recoiled as if scalded.

Moonlight filtered through the window lattice.

The temperature beneath the quilt grew hotter and hotter.

...

...

...

The hooves of the Langrong cavalry.

Once again tore through the dawn at the frontier.

General Chen stood on the watchtower, morning frost clinging to his iron armor.

The rising dust in the distance grew closer, and the menacing wolf-head banners of the Langrong cavalry could already be clearly seen.

"General! Supervisor Wang's order flag has arrived!"

Without turning his head, General Chen squeezed a few words through his teeth: "Defense again?"

His personal guards lowered their heads, not daring to answer.

"Damn his mother!"

General Chen snatched the order flag and slammed it onto the ground.

"All day long it's defense, defense, defense! How much longer can we hold out? What do the other garrisons say?"

"Reporting to the General, the Huben Garrison says provisions have not arrived..."

The guard's voice grew softer and softer. "The Yingyang Garrison excused themselves by saying arrows are insufficient..."

General Chen laughed out of sheer anger, his chest heaving violently: "Good, good, very good!"

He pointed fiercely toward the beacon smoke outside the pass.

"Those wolf cubs are already slaughtering their way to our very doorsteps, and they're still making excuses to shirk responsibility..."

Inside the central military tent, Ministry Official Wang was sipping tea leisurely.

"Lord Wang!" General Chen charged into the tent. "The enemy main force has not yet established a firm foothold—it is the prime moment to sally forth! Why block us?"

"General Chen, do you dare defy the imperial court's military orders?"

Ministry Official Wang blew the tea foam, not even lifting his eyelids.

"The Langrong are cunning; a rash sortie will only lead us into an ambush."

"The imperial court's military orders?"

Veins bulged on General Chen's temples. "Military opportunities vanish in the blink of an eye, and you talk to me about the imperial court?"

"General Chen, don't be so rash!"

Ministry Official Wang smiled. "Do you know why I can sit securely in this position? It is precisely because I understand the art of retreat and advance."

"Report——"

The tent curtain was suddenly flung open.

A personal guard rushed in, drenched in sweat:

"The supply battalion has been ambushed in Wild Wolf Valley! Commander Zhao has already led troops to rescue them!"

Ministry Official Wang's teacup slammed onto the desk with a *clack*. "What?!"

"Pass the order!" General Chen ripped off his cloak and turned to leave. "Xilong Garrison, follow me to reinforce!"

"Chen Yuanshan! Do you dare?!"

Ministry Official Wang chased out of the tent in a fury.

"Believe it or not, I will impeach you—"

General Chen vaulted onto his warhorse.

The reins creaked inside his iron gauntlets.

"Lord Wang!"

He sneered coldly.

"I've been impeached so many times, one more memorial from you won't make a difference!"

The mud kicked up by the horse's hooves splashed all over Ministry Official Wang's face.

Fuming with rage, he wiped his face, only to see General Chen having already led his personal guards rushing out of the camp gates.

"General!"

"General!"

"General!"

Outside the gates, a group of commanders were already armored and weaponed.

Upon seeing the General, they cupped their fists in salute.

General Chen was about to give the order when his gaze suddenly paused at the tail end of the formation.

"Lin Chuan?"

"General! Iron Forest Fortress Wind-Thunder Banner, reporting for reinforcement!"

Lin Chuan saluted with cupped fists.

Dozens of combat soldiers from Iron Forest Fortress behind him saluted in unison.

"Wind-Thunder Banner? A new gadget you cooked up?"

General Chen's gaze landed on the backs of those soldiers, where a row of dark, heavy iron tubes rested.

"These are Wind-Thunder Cannons! They can blast a hundred paces away and are specialized in subduing Langrong light cavalry!"

Lin Chuan patted the iron tube, which emitted a dull echo. "I request the General to permit us to enter battle!"

General Chen laughed heartily three times: "Good! Follow me into battle!"

"Orders received!"