Volume One, Chapter 12: The Divine Skill Pill

The woman smiled and said, “My lord, this is already the best we have on the grasslands. If the young lady still can’t get used to it, she might have to go to the market twenty miles away. There are many merchants from the Central Plains there; surely they have what the young lady needs.”

Kedashi glanced at the small woman, shyly shrinking beneath the quilt. “I will send someone to buy it now...” But as the words left his mouth, he seemed to reconsider. “No, I’ll go myself.”

He didn’t trust entrusting such intimate matters to others.

“I want to go, too,” Lilan called out softly, stopping him.

Kedashi turned back and bent to kiss her forehead. “Lie still, I’ll be back as soon as I’ve bought it.”

Yet Lilan followed closely behind.

Mounting his horse, Kedashi soon realized she was trailing like a little shadow.

He stiffened his expression, pointed toward the great tent, and ordered, “Go back.”

Lilan bit her lip hard, bowing her head, her voice muffled, “My... undergarments are uncomfortable—too tight, too tight. They need to be replaced...”

Kedashi’s heated gaze slowly traveled down from her flushed little face. His small woman, delicate and petite, yet fully formed where it mattered—always marked red by tight bindings, looking pitiful. It was time for a change.

Remembering the night’s scene, his heart seemed to be struck. When he came to, the little woman was already nestled in his arms as they set off.

Lilan’s tense expression finally relaxed.

She had always thought the grasslands stretched endlessly, but now she knew there was a market full of Central Plains people just twenty miles away.

In her palm, she clenched a handful of golden beads—originally a bracelet given by this barbarian. As they rode, she quietly dropped a bead every so often, marking their route.

Once she obtained the imperial jade seal, she would escape with the crown prince.

Given his status, merchants would surely be willing to take them back to the capital.

Then she could completely flee the grasslands—flee this barbarian behind her.

The horse galloped beneath them, and as they neared the market, the hope in Lilan’s eyes grew ever brighter.

When she finally saw the market, her eyes lit up completely.

This was no small fair, but more like a vast trading city. The shops lining the streets were run by Central Plains merchants. Their clothing and delicacies were everywhere; walking inside felt no different from strolling through the capital.

A smile involuntarily spread across Lilan’s lips.

She wanted to dismount and explore immediately, but the man behind her gripped her waist, and with his rough palm, covered her mouth.

Lilan’s wide eyes turned to him in terror.

Kedashi forced her to look forward, then opened his other palm to reveal dozens of golden beads.

They were the very beads she had secretly dropped!

“Behave yourself, or...” His threatening voice whispered in her ear. Lilan stared at the beads, trembling violently under his palm.

He had found every single one—without a single miss!

Lilan’s breath grew ragged. This man was terrifying.

No matter what she did, she could not escape his gaze.

The air seemed to freeze, starkly contrasting with the lively market not far away.

“I—I love this string of beads the most, wanted to keep it close. I didn’t mean to drop them...” she stammered weakly.

Kedashi’s thin lips brushed her ear as he dangerously asked, “Is that so?”

Lilan’s eyelashes trembled fiercely as she nodded slightly.

He took in every expression on her face, then found the red string in her palm and, before her eyes, strung the beads back into a bracelet—exactly as before.

A sharp pain struck Lilan’s waist as he squeezed her, turning her around on horseback.

Face to face.

He grabbed her arm, sliding the bracelet onto her wrist. His voice was low and firm: “If you like it, wear it properly.”

Lilan understood his warning. Her little tricks and schemes were transparent to him at a glance.

He was warning her not to waste her efforts anymore.

Or else, anger him, and he would make her life a living hell.

The cool beads on her wrist chilled Lilan’s heart utterly.

The market bustled wildly, but she had no heart to enjoy it. His powerful hand held her waist like shackles; she was a bird trapped in a cage.

The man led her in buying many everyday items for women. His spending was generous. To onlookers, they might seem like an ordinary, deeply affectionate couple. Yet between them stood an immense, thick wall of ice—impenetrable and unmeltable.

“This place is well situated, connected in all directions, once exclusively a market for us grasslanders,” the man suddenly said.

“Three years ago, a group of Central Plains merchants discovered the opportunity here. They brought rare silks and brocades from the grasslands to sell, making a fortune. More and more merchants came, selling goods scarce on the grasslands and buying our finest furs. The trade was mutually beneficial—until that emperor of yours forbade it.”

Lilan’s heart jumped. She instinctively glanced around. Such words were a grave insult to the emperor; if overheard, it could mean death.

But Kedashi paid no heed.

“That old man insisted on imposing market taxes. Only by paying the court could Central Plains merchants trade here. More than that, he forbade quality goods from flowing here—only allowing inferior or defective items. Yet the finest furs from our grasslands were reserved strictly for palace use.”

Lilan pondered. Indeed, in recent years, many high-quality sable and fox fur garments had appeared in the capital, even the Dowager Lady of Dingyuan Marquisate had acquired two or three.

“Our grasslands lack advanced textile skills. Even with the emperor only allowing inferior goods, tribesmen still cherished them like treasures. But the emperor was not content with merely taxing the market. He stationed imperial guards here, claiming this land belonged to the Great Yong dynasty. Using force, he drove away all who had lived here for generations. The tribespeople were left homeless and wandering...”

Kedashi’s sharp eyes closed as if reliving the scene of the displaced people.

His words completely overturned Lilan’s understanding. Since childhood, the capital’s streets had been filled with talk of the barbarians’ wickedness, their repeated uprisings, and how the emperor deployed troops to defend against invasion, securing peace for the capital’s citizens.

“So you killed all the imperial guards stationed here?” she asked in return.

Kedashi’s eyes snapped open, filled with murderous intent. “Not only did I kill them all, I sent their heads to that emperor’s great hall. From then on, he dared no longer claim this land as his own.”

Lilan was startled. The exalted emperor had once declared her a calamity that doomed the nation. She had instinctively thought herself a despised jinx, longing only for death to fulfill everyone’s wishes.

But now she realized, the Son of Heaven is not always right.

This man before her was powerful enough to make even the emperor wary.

Her heart boiled like scalding broth, limbs tingling. Though she had once resented the barbarians, his words were like heavenly dew upon this parched soul about to die.

“Come and see! Come and see! Premium Divine Power Pills, bringing the ultimate experience!” a nearby vendor shouted.

Kedashi’s gaze was drawn, and he halted, picking up one. “Do these truly strengthen the body and enhance martial arts?” he asked.