I Was Forced to Marry the Empire’s Valkyrie and Lay Low Until I Became Unbeatable - Chapter 8:

Chapter 8: An Nanjing Returns to the Residence!

Bang!

An Beixue rushed to Ning Chen’s courtyard and pushed the gate open with force!

When she saw that refined figure in a green robe standing calmly in the courtyard, her delicate face finally relaxed with relief.

“Whew…”

She stepped quickly up to him, her expression filled with concern. “Brother-in-law, remnants of the Tianluo Kingdom infiltrated the An Residence tonight. Were you hurt at all?”

“Don’t worry, Beixue. I’m fine.”

Seeing the worry in An Beixue’s eyes, Ning Chen felt a rare warmth in his heart.

After all, he was only An Nanjing’s husband in name. Many within the An Residence didn’t take him seriously. But An Beixue was different.

She truly saw him as family. If not, she wouldn’t have been the first to come check on his safety.

Of course, Ning Chen couldn’t expose the existence of the Shadow Ghost.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust An Beixue, but revealing such a thing would only invite unnecessary trouble—and having more people know would interfere with his plan to lie flat and live in peace.

So, Ning Chen responded with a prepared excuse, “I did encounter an assassin just now, but at the critical moment, a shadowy figure whose face I couldn’t see appeared and saved me.”

“Oh?”

An Beixue raised her brow, and sure enough, she saw a corpse lying in the courtyard.

But after taking a closer look, doubt crept into her heart. “Strange… all the Tianluo assassins I passed had their necks twisted, but this one seems to have died from a crushed chest?”

Still, since Ning Chen was unharmed, she didn’t press the issue further.

She let out a light breath. “Brother-in-law, you were startled tonight, but the intruders have all been dealt with. You can rest easy now.”

With that, she turned and left to help with the aftermath of the night’s events.

“This sister-in-law… really not bad at all. Much better than that cold Martial God wife.”

Watching An Beixue walk away, Ning Chen couldn’t help but smile.

At the end, he glanced at the shadow beneath his feet and praised without reservation, “Shadow Ghost, you did well tonight.”

“Thank you, Master. It’s what I should do.”

The shadow under the lanternlight twisted slightly, clearly enjoying the compliment.

Soon, the dark night passed, and daylight gradually broke.

By dawn, news of the An Residence’s attack had already spread throughout the capital. Many had gathered outside the estate, whispering in excitement.

Neigh—!

As the sky brightened, the sound of rapid hooves pierced the air. A black steed charged from outside the city and halted at the An Residence’s gates.

Under countless stunned gazes, a valiant woman clad in golden armor and wielding a silver spear leapt from the horse and strode into the estate!

“Young Miss!”

“The Patriarch has returned!”

Amidst the respectful calls of guards and servants, An Nanjing—who had rushed back from the military camp overnight—headed straight for An Beixue!

At the time, An Beixue was in the main hall discussing matters with An Fu.

“Sister! You’re back?” The moment she saw her sister, An Beixue lit up with joy and stood to welcome her. An Fu and the others immediately knelt down.

“Beixue, are you alright? Were you hurt at all?”

“Damn those Tianluo scum! If I’d known, I would have razed their borders to the ground back then!”

As An Nanjing spoke, terrifying killing intent surged from her, and a scene of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood seemed to rise behind her.

The aura of the Empire-Defending Valkyrie filled the hall, suffocating in its power.

“Sister, don’t be angry. I’m fine. And as for the Tianluo remnants, they’ve already been eliminated by the mysterious expert you secretly arranged to protect us.”

“We won’t need to worry about them anymore.”

An Beixue gently shook her head. Though she shared the same face as An Nanjing, where her sister was cold and domineering, she was soft and kind—like a rose beside a thorn.

“Beixue, what did you say? I never arranged for anyone to protect the residence!”

“I always thought it was one of the royal Martial Saints who stepped in to save us.”

An Nanjing frowned in surprise, but An Beixue quickly shook her head. “Sister, the An Residence no longer has any royal Martial Saints guarding it. After your wedding, Emperor Chu Yuan withdrew them all one after another.”

“At midnight last night, if not for a mysterious person intervening, the entire An Residence would’ve been slaughtered!”

Swish!

An Nanjing’s beautiful face turned cold. “What did you say? That old bastard withdrew all the experts protecting our family?”

“How dare he? I’ve risked my life serving him for years, made countless enemies for him—and he doesn’t even protect the An Residence?!”

Fury surged!

An Nanjing was clearly overwhelmed with rage.

Beside her, An Beixue wasn’t focused on blaming Emperor Chu Yuan. Instead, she remained puzzled about the mysterious person from the night before.

It wasn’t the royal experts, and it wasn’t someone her sister had sent.

So just who was it that had saved the An Residence?

“That old dog Chu Yuan… I’ve tolerated how he’s treated me, but how dare he put the An Residence in harm’s way!”

“I’m going to the palace right now to demand an explanation!”

An Nanjing, burning with anger, turned to storm out toward the Great Chu Imperial Palace.

But An Beixue quickly stopped her. “Sister!”

“Calm down a bit! You returned straight to the barracks right after your wedding. Now that you’re finally home, you should go see Brother-in-law first!”

“Brother-in-law?”

An Nanjing froze slightly. If An Beixue hadn’t reminded her, she would’ve forgotten entirely.

She was already married. She had a husband in name—even if their relationship didn’t exist.

“What Brother-in-law? Don’t call him that.”

“That Ning Chen is nothing but a pawn Chu Yuan used to suppress me…”

An Nanjing shook her head. Her tone toward Ning Chen was utterly indifferent.

An Beixue’s expression darkened slightly with displeasure. “Sister, what kind of thing is that to say? Pawn or not, Ning Chen is still your husband—the man you married with proper ceremony and nine bows!”

“As your sister, I will naturally call him Brother-in-law.”

Looking at An Beixue’s serious and solemn face, An Nanjing replied coldly, “Beixue, you don’t understand. Ning Chen and I are from two different worlds. If not for Chu Yuan, how could a martial cripple with no cultivation have entered the An Residence?”

“The best I can offer him is a lifetime of wealth and glory. That alone is already the greatest favor I can grant him. Anything more—what right does he have to touch?”

“Sister…”

Hearing those words, a trace of suppressed anger rose in An Beixue’s expression.

But before she could say more, An Nanjing waved her off. “Still, you reminded me. Since Ning Chen was Chu Yuan’s move against me, I’ll take him with me to see His Majesty!”

“I’d like to see what tricks that old man still has up his sleeve!”

Swish!

With that, An Nanjing turned and headed straight for Ning Chen’s courtyard!

She pushed the door open—only to see Ning Chen reclining on a wicker chair in the courtyard, shaded beneath a parasol, holding a fishing rod and casting it lazily into the pond.

He even hummed an unknown tune, looking completely relaxed and carefree.

“Hey, Beixue, you’re here! Come, come, come—sit down and rest a bit!”

“Today, I’ll definitely catch a few blood carps and make soup for you!”

Ning Chen spoke instinctively, pointing to the wicker chair beside him.

But the next second, when he saw the outfit that clearly didn’t belong to An Beixue, and that beautiful face with a trace of icy chill rising—

He instantly froze, and blurted out,

“Crap! You’re not Sister-in-law—you’re that… my cheap wife?!”