Chapter 893: First Volume, Chapter 893: No Striving, No Grabbing—Reliance Is Enough

First Volume, Chapter 893: No Striving, No Grabbing—Reliance Is Enough

Though Qin Feng's face beamed with triumph, his heart was trembling; he instinctively guarded his vital parts, for when he first met Li Xiaolan in Beixi County, she had nearly crippled him. This time, Qin Feng had gone even further—if he angered Li Xiaolan, he might spend the rest of his life as a cripple.

Fortunately…

Qin Feng's fears were unnecessary. Though Li Xiaolan's gaze burned with fury and constantly threatened him with her eyes, she made not a single physical move to resist.

This undoubtedly emboldened Qin Feng's audacity; he pulled Li Xiaolan tightly against him, expressing his "affection" for his elder sister through the most direct action possible.

Li Xiaolan's body burned hot, her breaths coming rapid and ragged—she had never been so utterly disoriented in her life, feeling the world spin wildly before her eyes—but somehow, she did not dislike this sensation.

Because of past trauma, Li Xiaolan had sealed her heart behind layers of armor; few had ever truly reached her inner self. Yet now, facing Qin Feng's bold assault, her once impregnable defenses were crumbling layer by layer.

Even Li Xiaolan herself had not realized she was beginning… to respond to Qin Feng.

This response, for Qin Feng, was unmistakably the battle horn sounded; with his current strength and status, he could act without restraint.

Their lips parted, and just as Li Xiaolan finally caught her breath, she was stunned to find Qin Feng's hand already beneath her knee—before she could react, he lifted her clean off the ground.

Li Xiaolan instinctively wrapped her arms around Qin Feng's neck, her snow-white cheeks flushed crimson with tension; as she met his resolute, unwavering gaze, she realized Qin Feng was no longer the mischievous boy she remembered—climbing roofs and fishing in rivers—but a true man.

Their eyes locked, and feeling the blazing fire in Qin Feng's gaze, Li Xiaolan felt a strange, unexpected urge to obey—as if a wife naturally followed her husband's lead.

Li Xiaolan bit her thin lips; her once haughty, cold, disdainful gaze had softened into something hazy and tender.

To become the most important person in Qin Feng's heart, Li Xiaolan felt both comforted and happy—only before Qin Feng did she feel herself truly become a woman again.

Even without a betrothal, even though Qin Feng had never made a promise, Li Xiaolan felt no regret or resentment, for she firmly believed Qin Feng would take responsibility for her.

"Feng'er…"

"For the first twenty years, I lived only for myself. For the rest of my life, I wish to live for you…"

These words pierced straight into Qin Feng's heart, warm and deep; he drew a slow breath and silently swore within himself—he would never betray Li Xiaolan's trust, would never let her suffer even the slightest hardship for the rest of his life.

Qin Feng carried Li Xiaolan and turned toward the bedroom…

Unbeknownst to them, in a nearby room, Shen Qingci and the two maids were pressed against the door crack, having witnessed the entire scene.

Watching Qin Feng carry Li Xiaolan away, Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng naturally understood what would follow; their faces flushed crimson, they exchanged glances but said nothing.

Shen Qingci was genuinely happy for Elder Third—someone like Li Xiaolan craved a steady anchor more than anything. Yet… Shen Qingci's eyes held a quiet sadness.

Jealousy? Envy? Disappointment? Perhaps none of these—or perhaps all of them. Even Shen Qingci could not say for certain.

Recalling her laughter and chatter with Qin Feng back at Qingya Pavilion in Jingdu, the memories of scolding him while secretly delighting in his presence, her gaze grew even more desolate.

Shen Qingci's pride was merely a shield for self-protection; if forced to admit it, among the four sisters, she was the most insecure.

In literary talent, Shen Qingci was indeed the most gifted of the four sisters—but what use was literary talent to Qin Feng?

Besides, Qin Feng himself was a genius of the highest order; his poems "Out of the Pass" and "Bring in the Wine" had swept across the entire Jiangnan and beyond, becoming classics every scholar must read. In contrast, Shen Qingci's sole literary achievement was opening Qingya Pavilion in Wang Du—a trivial, inconsequential thing.

Shen Qingci's literary talent was useless to Qin Feng.

By comparison, Second Sister Liu Hongyan, with her acumen in commerce, finance, and internal governance, had long become Qin Feng's indispensable pillar.

Why could Qin Feng stay away from Jingdu so long without worry? Was it not because Liu Hongyan held the rear in his stead?

Now, Liu Hongyan and Xie Yun'er had become Qin Feng's most reliable arms in Jingdu; with a single word from him, affairs in the capital could be handled flawlessly.

And Elder Third Li Xiaolan held a critical post: as Da Liang Ming Yue Princess, she was the bridge between Qin Feng and Liang; as Jin Yi Wei Commander, she controlled his largest intelligence network—Li Xiaolan was Qin Feng's eyes and ears.

As for Elder Fourth Jing Qianying, she was the former princess of Northern Di. Though she had long operated in Sangzhou, she would eventually return to the Northern Di imperial court—then, her aid to Qin Feng in Northern Di would be unmatched.

In contrast, Shen Qingci sighed softly to herself. Though she assisted Lin Quqi in Beixi County with financial and tax matters, and handled "propaganda" externally, these roles seemed utterly dispensable—any scholar could easily fill them.

Even if she refused to admit it, she could not deny the truth: she seemed useless to Qin Feng.

Precisely because she had come to understand this so deeply, Shen Qingci's heart grew heavier, and she sighed again and again.

Seeing this, Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng hurried to comfort her in hushed tones.

"Elder Sister, what's wrong? You were fine just now—why are you suddenly sulking? Is it because of Master and Third Miss?" Xiao Xiangxiang sat beside Shen Qingci, whispering gently.

Shen Qingci's lips curled into a bitter smile: "Xiangxiang, do you think I'm useless?"

Hearing this, Xiao Xiangxiang was taken aback: "Elder Sister, how can you say that? You are Master's Elder Sister, and the Qin Family's First Miss. In Master's words, you are the anchor that steadies Beixi County."

"Anchor that steadies Beixi County?" At these words, Shen Qingci laughed bitterly: "Mother is the anchor of Beixi County—when did it become my turn to hold things together?"

Shu Feng quickly added: "That's exactly what Master said: as long as Elder Sister is in Beixi County, Beixi County will never fall into chaos."