Wedding Night

Xuan Jin glanced at her.

Ya Fei turned back and smiled. It was exactly the same smile she wore when selling worthless junk for an exorbitant price on the auction house stage—bewitching, seductive, utterly flawless.

Yet the corner of the list in her sleeve had already been pinched ragged by her fingers.

"Everyone." Ya Fei raised a hand toward the group. "Return to your rooms."

The doors of the Eight Fan Sect closed one after another.

Only Xuan Jin, Cao Ying, and Cai'er, who was holding a child, remained in the corridor.

Cao Ying stuffed the heavy hairpin into Xuan Jin's hand.

"Take it."

"What for?"

"Tonight, you'll lift eight red veils and drink eight cups of wedding wine." Cao Ying stepped half a pace closer and lowered her voice. "This hairpin is the one I wore today. Bring it with you when you go in. You can enter anyone's room, but remember this—the principal wife is me."

Xuan Jin gripped the hairpin.

Its shaft was still warm.

"Remember."

"Then go on." Cao Ying stepped back, then recalled something and turned around. "Oh, right."

"Mm?"

"Xixi is with me tonight."

"Where is she?"

"She went to play with the Patriarch." Cao Ying's expression remained calm. "The Patriarch likes Xixi very much, and Xixi is quite gifted. He said that since none of us have the time, he'll personally teach Xixi alchemy."

Xuan Jin nodded.

"That works too."

"I'll go get my daughter back first." Cao Ying held out a hand to Cai'er. "Come on. I'll go back to your room with you and put Xuan Yao down."

The two women headed toward the other end of the corridor.

Xuan Jin stood where he was, the hairpin clenched in his hand, looking toward the door at the far right.

Inside the