Chapter 167

Liao Qiniang clenched her fists tightly, her brows furrowed as she watched the arrogant Moduo march proudly in place with Yang Yaozong trapped in his arms, showing off to everyone around them. Seeing that Yang Yaozong was neither flustered by the overwhelming atmosphere in the arena nor affected by Moduo's contemptuous display—his steps remaining steady and methodical, his posture poised to prevent a fall—she felt a wave of relief despite her lingering worry. Instead, she let out a cold snort toward the arrogant Moduo, mentally plotting how she would punish him if he dared to harm Yang Yaozong.

Mu Qinghan likewise stared at Yang Yaozong with furrowed, anxious brows, her hips lifting slightly from her cushioned seat as if she were ready to rush out at any moment to check on his injuries. She was now all the more convinced that the Hu people lacked all sense of propriety. Moduo, noble prince though he was, and clearly a formidable Turkic warrior judging by his physique, had actually challenged a scholar to a wrestling match. Even if he won, what honor was there to be gained? Every action of his filled Mu Qinghan with utter disdain.

Moduo deliberately shouted, "Here I come!" With that, he bent down, wrapped his arms around Yang Yaozong's waist, and hoisted him completely upside down with brute force.

This maneuver startled Aiyi so much that she paused her task of carving the mutton, gripping her curved dagger tightly.

The surrounding Hu people burst into deafening cheers and shouts at the sight.

Moduo intended to slam Yang Yaozong violently onto the ground, but to his surprise, the inverted Yang Yaozong locked his legs tightly around Moduo's neck, choking him so severely that he could barely breathe. Moduo had no choice but to release his hold on Yang Yaozong's waist and reach up to pry away Yang Yaozong's legs.

How could Yang Yaozong let him succeed? He thrust his waist upward with force, righted his body, and smoothly straddled Moduo's shoulders. This explosive movement caused Moduo to stagger back several steps.

Before Moduo could react, Yang Yaozong pinned Moduo's head and vaulted right over him. Grabbing Moduo's collar the moment he landed behind him, Yang Yaozong delivered a fierce kick straight to the back of Moduo's knee. Just as Moduo was forced to buckle onto his knees, Yang Yaozong yanked his collar hard in the opposite direction, sending Moduo crashing flat onto his back on the ground.

Silence. Absolute silence! Although Yang Yaozong had not used traditional wrestling techniques to take Moduo down, the undeniable fact was that Moduo had indeed been brought down by Yang Yaozong.

Yang Yaozong extended a hand toward Moduo, who was now sitting up.

Understanding the gesture, Moduo slapped his hand firmly into Yang Yaozong's and leaped to his feet with the aid of Yang Yaozong's pull. He then burst into hearty laughter, patted Yang Yaozong's shoulder heavily, and said in a booming voice, "Good! You truly have some skills, Yang Yaozong. I underestimated you after all! But a loss is a loss! As for whatever reward you desire, just go ask my sister. I am certain that whatever she is able to grant, she will bestow upon you."

Seeing the warm and friendly manner in which Moduo treated Yang Yaozong, the surrounding Hu people once again burst into cheerful merriment, and the lively atmosphere was restored.

Seeing her brother bring Yang Yaozong back, Aiyi curved her eyes into crescents and smiled at Moduo, saying, "Brother! Did he manage to catch your eye?"

Moduo scratched the back of his head and laughed good-naturedly. "I underestimated him today; another day I shall spar with him again. Still, he has genuine skill to have thrown me to the ground, and his courage is exemplary." With that, he picked up the jar of wine in front of Aiyi, gave it a gentle shake, spilling a few drops, and smiled at Yang Yaozong. "You and I shall drink this jar of wine to the bottom, and from this day forward, I will consider you my brother!"

With those words, he tilted his head back and chugged for a good long moment, then handed the jar to Yang Yaozong, wiped the corner of his mouth, and said, "You drink the remaining half of the jar!"

Aiyi immediately sprang to her feet, snatched the wine jar back into her arms, and scolded Moduo playfully, "Who asked you to treat him as a brother!"

Moduo froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. However, he snatched the wine jar right back from Aiyi's arms, shoved it into Yang Yaozong's arms, and declared, "If you drink this half-jar of wine, I will consider you my brother-in-law!"

Yang Yaozong's tolerance for alcohol was never very high, nor did he particularly enjoy drinking. Hearing Moduo put it this way, even if he could drink, he simply could not manage it.

Aiyi had always prided herself on being bold, but with her brother teasing her so blatantly, she could not help feeling a blush of shyness. Seeing Yang Yaozong standing there awkwardly holding the wine jar, Aiyi snatched it back once more. Before Moduo could stop her, she drained the remaining half-jar of wine in one continuous breath and declared, "He cannot hold his liquor, so I drank it in his stead. From now on, do not make things difficult for him again. To trouble him is to trouble your sister!"

Stupid as Moduo might be, he could clearly see that his sister favored Yang Yaozong deeply and was fiercely protective of him. Knowing that although his sister had some capacity for drink, downing half a jar of potent liquor like this would inevitably leave her intoxicated, he hurriedly said with concern, "Your brother agrees." Then, turning to Gewu beside Aiyi, he ordered, "Gewu, quickly help the Princess back to her tent to rest."

Gewu stepped forward to support Aiyi, but Aiyi shook her head. She felt a dizzy haze washing over her and her body growing light. Her eyes, naturally resembling bright blue sapphires, shone even more brilliantly as she stared bewitchingly at Yang Yaozong and said, "I want him to escort me back!" With that, she leaned her entire weight against Yang Yaozong's body.

Seeing this, Moduo smiled good-naturedly. "Yang Yaozong, since my sister wants you to escort her, you should take her back!"

Yang Yaozong was momentarily stunned by Moduo's words, thinking to himself whether this fellow trusted him far too much or simply did not regard him as a man at all. Then, feeling Aiyi's limp, soft form resting against his chest and remembering how she had downed half a jar of wine just to help him out of a tight spot, he nodded to Moduo, turned back to Liao Qiniang, and said, "I will return to my own tent to rest as soon as I escort the Princess back. Do not worry."

Supporting Aiyi under Gewu's guidance, Yang Yaozong walked toward Aiyi's tent.

Upon entering the tent, Gewu said, "I am going to brew some sobering soup for the Princess. I must ask Lord Yang to kindly look after her in the meantime."

Yang Yaozong nodded and supported Aiyi toward the low couch inside the tent.

Just as he settled Aiyi onto the low couch and began to straighten up, he found Aiyi's previously hazy, beautiful eyes staring brightly right at him.

Before he could react, Aiyi reached out, threw her arms around Yang Yaozong's neck, and pulled him down onto the couch with her. Then, pressing her body down over his, she brought her flushed cheeks close to his face and chided softly, "Where has your usual boldness gone?"

Feeling the scorching breath and rich scent of alcohol exhaled against his face, Yang Yaozong gently patted Aiyi's shoulder and said in a gentle voice, "You've had too much to drink. Get some proper rest quickly."

"I only wish I had drunk more, enough to drown every ounce of sobriety, so that I could devour you without a single reservation! Tell me! Do you like me or not?" Aiyi's eyes grew even more luminous as she stared unblinkingly at him.

"You are drunk!" Yang Yaozong said helplessly.

"I am not drunk! I am more clear-headed now than at any other moment!" Aiyi pressed on relentlessly.

"You are still just a young girl! You do not yet understand what passion and love are!" Yang Yaozong advised gently.

Aiyi deliberately arched her full, amply proportioned breasts, pressing them tightly against Yang Yaozong's chest as she challenged, "How am I small? You say I do not understand passion and love—do you think you understand them yourself?" With those words, she swooped down and planted a fierce kiss squarely on Yang Yaozong's lips, biting down firmly on his lower lip. "Is it because I am a Hu woman that you deliberately blow hot and cold with me? You do like me, don't you?"

Stirred into a spark of heat by Aiyi's provocative actions, Yang Yaozong rolled over, pinning her beneath him, and demanded angrily, "Do you have any idea that you are playing with fire?"

Aiyi laughed bewitchingly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and murmured seductively, "I am burning with fire right now!"

Hearing her say this, Yang Yaozong let out a sudden, involuntary chuckle. "At your tender age, what do you know about burning with fire?"

The already flushed cheeks of Aiyi turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Reaching down toward Yang Yaozong's lower body, she grasped him firmly and declared, "I may not understand, but you do! You can lie all you want, but your body doesn't!" (To be continued.)