"It also released a cloud of sleeping powder."
"Which did not affect me."
"Because I pulled you out of the room before it could."
Yan Cijin gave her a narrow look. "Are you going to bring that up for the rest of our marriage?"
"Probably."
"Then I will bring up the time you challenged an old master to a match because he insulted my sword technique."
Bai Li blinked. "He did insult your sword technique."
"And you were supposed to ignore him."
"I did ignore him. I merely defeated him after he insisted."
Yan Cijin stared at her, then began to laugh. Bai Li's smile softened at the sound. The strange pulse beneath the mountain remained, but it no longer filled the room with uncertainty. Their lives had always contained mysteries and responsibilities. Some were solved through patience, others through effort, and a few required them to admit that they did not yet know enough. None of that changed the fact that they would meet the next day together.
