I Understand

Late at night.

A fine drizzle fell.

A figure leaped over the wall from outside and landed in the rear courtyard of the Xia residence.

"Master, you're back! Did everything go smoothly?" Under the eaves, Liu Qiaolian hurriedly set down the ancient book on "Formation Arrays" she had been reading by lamplight and rose to greet him.

"Heh heh, when your master takes the field, naturally everything goes smoothly." Xia Daoming smiled as he removed his bamboo hat and handed it to Liu Qiaolian, then took down the bundle slung across his shoulder.

"Come inside. Your master has something good to show you." Xia Daoming carried the bundle and gave a mysterious smile.

"Mm!" Liu Qiaolian hung up the bamboo hat, carefully put away the ancient book, and followed Xia Daoming inside.

Under the lamplight, Xia Daoming opened the bundle.

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet at once, and a mist of water quickly gathered around the stalks of Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma.

"So many Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma! Th-this one is nearly shaped like a human!" Liu Qiaolian's eyes went round with shock.

"Heh heh, there were originally even more, but I ate two on the way. This nearly human-shaped Purple Ganoderma is probably four or five hundred years old. Put it away carefully and save it until my cultivation advances a little further, then I'll eat it slowly." Xia Daoming said smugly.

During the journey, with all its stops and starts, Xia Daoming naturally had not stopped replenishing himself. Every three to five days, he would gnaw through a century-old Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma, making Liang Jingtang's scalp go numb just watching him.

Before entering the city, however, Xia Daoming had deliberately hidden the Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma in a secret location outside the city, worried that the Xu Family might discover it.

Only after the Xu Family had inspected them and found nothing suspicious did Xia Daoming leave the city in the dead of night to retrieve the bundle.

"Four or five hundred years!" Liu Qiaolian covered her cherry lips in astonishment.

When she had traveled southeast with Xia Daoming last time, Liu Qiaolian had seen clearly enough that a single century-old Purple Ganoderma had cost her master five thousand taels.

As for one four or five hundred years old, Liu Qiaolian did not even dare imagine how much it would cost.

"There are also several that are thirty to fifty years old. With your foundation, you should be able to withstand their medicinal power if you eat a little every day," Xia Daoming said.

"Thank you, Master. This servant will fetch water for your bath right away." Liu Qiaolian curtsied in thanks, then turned and left.

Seeing Liu Qiaolian soon return, bent over as she poured hot water into the wooden bathing tub, the rising steam casting a rosy flush over her fair face while gleaming droplets clung to her hair, making her indescribably delicate and enchanting, Xia Daoming felt heat surge through his heart.

"Lian'er's gratitude is certainly sincere!"

Before long, one person's bath became a lovers' bath.

The next day.

Quiet Heart Tea House on Qing Shi Street, private room on the second floor.

Outside the window, the fine drizzle still fell.

Seeing Xia Daoming push open the door and enter, Ji Wenyue gave a "Hmph," turned her head away, and presented him with her graceful, slender back.

What's with this girl today? She's never treated me like this before! Could it be that the days of endless rain happened to coincide with her period, putting her in a foul mood?

Xia Daoming was slightly taken aback, but he had already stepped forward.

As a man from another world, his knowledge of women's health was quite solid.

He also understood far better than the men of this world the complicated, subtle moods women experienced during those days of unceasing bleeding.

"What is it, are you feeling unwell? Is it that time of the month? Then don't drink tea. I'll have the shop prepare some brown sugar ginger water for you." Xia Daoming stepped forward and spoke gently and considerately.

He understood this sort of thing!

For the past several days, Ji Wenyue had received no news of Xia Daoming's safe return. She could neither eat nor sleep, worrying about him day and night.

Now that she had finally seen him standing safely before her, an inexplicable fire rose in her heart, and she even felt like crying. That was why she had turned away and ignored him.

She had thought Xia Daoming would understand what she meant.

Yet she had not expected Xia Daoming to launch into a string of concerned words the moment he arrived, talking about her period and brown sugar ginger water. Ji Wenyue was immediately left lost in the clouds and mist, her little mouth open and her face full of bewilderment.

"Big Brother understands. Women always have a few days like that every month. During those days, you must keep warm, don't overwork yourself, and don't drink strong tea.

"Mm, and you must keep your spirits cheerful. If you're in a bad mood, it's fine if you scold Big Brother a few times. Today, I absolutely won't fight back if you hit me or talk back if you curse me. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Seeing Ji Wenyue's bewildered expression, Xia Daoming continued speaking with a gentle, considerate look.

As he spoke, he felt a little secretly pleased with himself.

This girl must be touched, right?

Heh heh, what man in this world understands the troubles women face during their periods better than Lord Xia?

"Big Brother, what are you talking about?" Ji Wenyue finally caught the meaning behind his words. Her face flushed crimson with embarrassment, and she stamped her feet repeatedly.

For women, such matters were already difficult to speak of. When it first came, they did not even dare tell their own mothers.

Yet now, Xia Daoming was chatting with a woman about her monthly flow as casually as if he were discussing household matters.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. You're already eighteen. It's perfectly normal to have your period!"

"What period?"

"Cough, cough, your monthly flow!"

"Big Brother, you... you... I'm not talking to you anymore!" Ji Wenyue was finally so embarrassed and angry that she flung her sleeve and prepared to leave.

Watching Ji Wenyue become so embarrassed and angry that she was about to leave, Xia Daoming was speechless.

Back in the day, when his first love had gotten her period and found it inconvenient to go downstairs, he had even gone to the supermarket to pick out sanitary pads for her. The cashier had been a woman, and the look she gave him had been brimming with admiration and envy!

Sigh, this world's thinking is still far too feudal and backward!

I'm too ahead of my time!

"I really was only concerned about you. I didn't mean anything else!" Xia Daoming lamented inwardly as he reached out and grabbed Ji Wenyue's arm.

With her arm caught by a man, Ji Wenyue's delicate body trembled slightly, her heart pounding like a startled deer.

"Anyway, I'm a girl. Big Brother should be more careful with his words in the future!" Ji Wenyue quietly pulled her arm free, raised a hand to smooth her hair, and said with a faint blush.

"Fine! But I meant what I said just now. Girls really must take care during their monthly flow." Xia Daoming said with a serious expression.

"I know!" Ji Wenyue shot Xia Daoming a helpless glare.

If it had been any other man daring to say such things to her, she probably would have drawn her sword and stabbed him to death on the spot.

But when it came from the man before her, aside from embarrassment and annoyance, she seemed to have truly felt a little warmth deep down.

"It's good that you know. Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back." With that, Xia Daoming pushed open the door and went out.

When he returned, he actually brought back a steaming pot of brown sugar ginger water.

"Brother Xia, you... I never said it was th-that!" Seeing that Xia Daoming had gone out specifically to fetch brown sugar ginger water, Ji Wenyue felt both moved and embarrassed.

"If it's not that, then why did you turn your head and ignore me the moment I came in, giving me that look?" Xia Daoming asked, slightly stunned.

"Who told you to follow Master Liang into the Vast Mountain Range without telling me? You made me worry for days! Do you know how dangerous the Vast Mountain Range is?

"Master Liang has so many disciples, and you've been under him for less than a year. Why did you have to go? Do you really think you're that capable? If you hadn't come back, I, I..."

The more Ji Wenyue spoke, the more emotional she became. Her ample chest rose and fell, and tears rolled in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, it was my fault. I should have told you." Only then did Xia Daoming understand, and he could not help feeling touched.

"It's not about telling me. You shouldn't have gone at all!" Ji Wenyue wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and said.

"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll change!" Xia Daoming nodded repeatedly.

At a time like this, with Ji Wenyue's emotions running high, he naturally had to go along with her.

Seeing that Brother Xia, who had always ridden roughshod over her, was being astonishingly agreeable today, Ji Wenyue instead began to feel somewhat uneasy.

"Brother Xia, I was only worried about you, so I may have spoken a little... like that. You're not angry, are you?" Ji Wenyue asked cautiously.

"Haha, a beauty is worried about me. What is there for me to be angry about?" Xia Daoming said with a smile.

"That's good. Wen Yue will pour tea for Big Brother!" Ji Wenyue's pretty face reddened slightly as she began pouring tea for him.

Fine rain fell endlessly outside the window. Inside sat a lone man and woman, facing each other as they drank, the atmosphere tinged with ambiguity.

Over the following days, the situation in Li City grew increasingly tense and chaotic.

Xu Zhiji, an elder of the Xu Family, had met defeat in the Vast Mountain Range. Of the five factions that had followed him, aside from the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School, all had suffered severe losses. Two had even been wiped out entirely, with not a single survivor.

Xu Shixiong's branch had fared relatively better, but they too had lost quite a number of men.

This not only weakened the Xu Family's strength and dealt a heavy blow to its reputation, but also filled those factions that had suffered grievous losses with resentment toward the Xu Family. Some factions even threw themselves completely behind the three major powers: the Lin Family, the Ding Family, and the Hegemon Blade Sect.

As one side waned and the other waxed, conflicts between the Xu Family and the alliance of the three major powers became increasingly frequent.

The forces drawn into the conflict gradually expanded from the lowest-level gangs to include factions with Great Martial Masters at their helm.

News that Yan Yanfeng, Great General under the King of Lingzhou, was leading troops in besieging the provincial city, where the battle was ferocious, gradually reached Li City as well, leaving its people even more panicked, living each day in fear.