Practice Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Times

Wu Xingzhou appeared to be under thirty years old. He had a dignified appearance and was quite handsome. He was likely wearing plain clothes to avoid drawing attention, but it only added a touch of dashing elegance to his demeanor.

Upon entering, he bowed respectfully.

"Former Pingling Garrison Commander Wu Xingzhou pays his respects to General Wang Ming!"

"I have come specifically to surrender. I hope General Wang Ming will appreciate my utmost loyalty to the Duke and accept me!"

After looking him up and down, Wang Ming did not make things difficult for Wu Xingzhou. He had someone bring a stool, and after Wu Xingzhou sat down, Wang Ming eagerly asked the question that had been burning in his mind.

"Lord Wu, as our grand army marches all the way into Yunjing, you are the very first officer to surrender on your own accord. I must admit, I am quite curious."

"Logically speaking, with your abilities and the strategic defenses of Pingling, even if you couldn't stop my army entirely, you could have delayed us until reinforcements arrived. So why..."

"...have you come to surrender?"

"This isn't some sort of ruse, is it?"

Wu Xingzhou cupped his hands. Without rushing to defend himself, he let out a bitter laugh and said with utmost sincerity, "Family matters are usually not something to share with outsiders, but since the General asks, I dare not hide the truth."

"I..."

"...was kicked out of my own home!"

"Huh?" Wang Ming was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"Kicked out?"

"What do you mean?"

"And why were you kicked out?"

Wu Xingzhou's smile grew even more bitter. He sighed helplessly, "Probably because there was no love to begin with. For my wife, Qin Shuyao, being with me was just settling."

Before Wang Ming could ask further, Wu Xingzhou continued, "My wife and I were brought together by a matchmaker."

"The one who set us up was my superior."

"He gave me, a lowly soldier at the time, two choices."

"The first choice was a promotion to Garrison Commander."

"The second choice was to marry Qin Shuyao, a woman I didn't know at all, but whom he described as incredibly beautiful!"

At this point, Wu Xingzhou turned the question around: "General, if you were in my shoes, what would you have chosen?"

Heavily influenced by Ren Tianye, Wang Ming replied without a moment's hesitation, "Even a second of hesitation would be a disrespect to the position of Garrison Commander!"

Wu Xingzhou's face immediately filled with admiration.

"General Wang Ming, you truly live up to your reputation as a general under the Duke who has repeatedly achieved extraordinary merits. Your level of thinking is infinitely higher than mine. At the time, I hesitated..."

Wang Ming couldn't help but chuckle.

Then he heard Wu Xingzhou say, "I didn't answer my superior right away. Instead, I first asked him about Qin Shuyao's background."

"When I learned that her family held great power and influence in Yunjing, I realized that if I married her, my achievements would not be limited to a mere garrison commander. I could very well become a high-ranking official or even a marquis."

"So, I chose to marry Qin Shuyao!"

Wang Ming: "..."

Immediately, he screamed internally.

Holy crap!

Brother, the only person I've ever seen with this level of calculating clarity is the Duke himself!

I was just laughing at you, but now I realize I'm the clown!

"Although that was the reason I ended up with Qin Shuyao, a stranger to me," Wu Xingzhou continued, "I knew what kind of family responsibilities a man should shoulder."

"After we married, I treated her very well."

"I took care of her meticulously. She was a young lady from a noble house and had quite a temper, but as long as it didn't involve major issues, I was always infinitely tolerant."

"She treated me well too. Although she occasionally had some inexplicable moods, she, who always wore a cold face towards everyone else, was always passionate and fiery with me."

Speaking of this, Wu Xingzhou sighed, "My original dream was just to live a steady, grounded life with Qin Shuyao. Regardless of how we became a family, we were husband and wife in the end."

"As the saying goes, it takes a hundred years of good deeds to cross paths on the same boat, and a thousand years to share the same pillow."

"I cherished this hard-won fate."

"I thought I would have a warm home with a wife and kids, while fighting on the battlefield outside to build a career for my country. That would be a life well-lived."

"But..."

"Just three days ago, without any warning, Qin Shuyao dumped me."

"And gave me a chest of gold."

"That Pingling Garrison Commander position was something she helped me get using her connections. Three days ago, she had someone strip me of that post..."

"Now, I can't even be considered the commander of Pingling..."

...

Three days ago!

Three miles outside Pingling, in an exquisitely built courtyard, the lights were dim, but the intimate sounds inside the room were ceaseless.

It was a good thing the maids and older servants had been sent away early, otherwise they definitely would have huddled by the wall to listen to this feast of passion.

It took a long time before things finally quieted down.

Inside the room, Wu Xingzhou lay naked under the covers, looking with hazy eyes at his wife getting up to dress. Even after being together for a whole year, she was still so...

...ferocious and insatiable!

It intoxicated him!

It made him feel that this life was truly worth living!

"Clang!"

Right then, a loud, sharp noise jolted the dazed Wu Xingzhou awake. He looked over in surprise, only to see his wife, Qin Shuyao, drag a chest from the foot of the bed and forcefully throw it open.

In the dim candlelight, a brilliant golden glow emanated from the chest. Looking closely, it was an entire chest full of gold.

While Wu Xingzhou was still in shock, Qin Shuyao's icy voice suddenly rang out.

"Wu Xingzhou, here is one thousand taels of gold!"

"Over the past year, I have slept with you nine hundred and ninety-nine times. According to the current going rate for a handsome male escort in Yunjing, which is ten thousand coins a night, giving you one thousand taels of gold is more than enough!"

"The extra is because your performance was quite good."

"Consider it my tip to you!"

"Let us get a divorce!"

A faint, lingering blush remained on Qin Shuyao's face, her eyes rippling like water. Her collar was slightly gathered but could not hide her exquisite curves and slender figure. This was the appearance Wu Xingzhou loved the most.

Yet at this moment, her face was as cold as frost, and the words she spoke were like a thousand-year-old iceberg, piercingly cold.

Wu Xingzhou sprang up from the bed in a flash.

He almost thought he had misheard.

He asked in disbelief, "Madam, what did you say?"

"I didn't mishear you, did I?"

"I said, let's get a divorce!"

Qin Shuyao's voice remained cold, carrying an unquestionable absolute resolve.

"Why?"

"No, everything was fine, why are you suddenly acting like this?"

"What? Has the love conquers all propaganda in Yunjing gotten to you too? But even if it did, it shouldn't lead to this!"

Wu Xingzhou was bewildered, even deeply confused.

In that moment, he had the urge to immediately hire a Taoist priest to see if there was something wrong with the feng shui of the house.

What the hell...

Wasn't this like seeing a ghost in broad daylight?

Why would his perfectly fine wife spout such nonsense?

"Ah Ping has returned to Yunjing..."

Qin Shuyao said slowly, "I once swore that I would make myself better, make myself someone Ah Ping would like more, make myself capable of outshining any other woman."

"And then, in my most perfect state, marry Ah Ping."

"Over this past year, I have used you for practice nine hundred and ninety-nine times, and I have finally achieved it!"

...