Mistress and attendant both fell, Yingqiong panicked and could not move, and Hua Wucuo took the stage.

It was early to mid-October, well into autumn. That night, autumn rain washed away the last lingering heat of summer. It scoured a thousand towers and ten thousand pavilions, sent roadside vendors packing up their stalls to seek shelter, and cleansed the dust from blue tiles and red mansions.

The rain fell harder and harder. An old vine tree grew in the Nurtured Blossoms Residence, green tendrils twining around it. Put up a wooden frame, and its vines would climb over it; given time, they would form a shady arbor. The tree had stood for many years. Now, nourished by the sudden autumn rain, its leaves turned tender green as new growth, brimming with life.

The vine tree had borne no fruit for a long time, yet under this autumn rain, two fresh, tender fruits appeared. The steady rain pattered onto the tiled roof of the Nurtured Blossoms Residence, ran down the channels between the tiles, and plunged in streams, drumming out a rapid rat-a-tat-tat.

Back in the bedroom, autumn rain lashed the window, and the candle flame flickered between light and shadow. Seeing Li Xian suddenly turn frivolous, Zhao Yingqiong had angrily slapped at him, only to lose her composure afterward. Her defenses collapsed, and she suffered defeat after defeat.

The candles burned brightly. Held around the waist, Zhao Yingqiong thought in dismay, This general's dignity might not survive this. Her heart throbbed again and again, waves surging through it. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Oh! Has this boy swallowed a leopard's gall? How... how dare he keep going? A shiver ran through her body, making her scalp tingle. Left unchecked for even a moment, that fire had finally climbed to the peaks. At last, she clenched her teeth and shoved him away, snapping, "Out... outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! You bastard!