Love from the Male Protagonist’s Harem

The woman behind Xia Ge suddenly pulled her down, rolling them both under the table. Immediately there was the sharp sound of multiple projectiles hitting the chair. The chair where Xia Ge had just been lounging comfortably was now filled with five gleaming green pentagonal darts!

The unseen woman added in a lowered voice: “Or else I’ll kill you.”

Xia Ge pondered her own personal safety. With the dagger against her neck and her mouth covered, Xia Ge decided her best option was to well-behavedly submit for the time being.

And Xia Ge didn’t know if she was imagining it or not, but she thought she heard a flute playing.

Nevermind. Who cared about whoever was carefree and leisurely enough to be out playing flutes in the middle of the night? Xia Ge needed to figure out how to disentangle herself from whatever this situation was that she found herself in.

Then, from under the table, Xia Ge saw what appeared to be a strange female puppet dressed in gray, its eyes lifeless. It climbed through the open window, into Siguo Pavilion. Above her head, Xia Ge immediately heard the dull thuds of it treading on the table.
Forget formulating a plan, in a split second Xia Ge’s mind went blank…

…oh fuck, she’d spent the whole day finishing one copy of the Danxun!!

This dumb asshole wouldn’t stamp all over it, right?!

Probably perceiving the unsettlement of the person in her arms, the unknown woman again whispered menacingly: “Don’t move, runt.”

Xia Ge had been acting very sensible and trustworthy, disregarding the unpleasant sensation of the dagger’s thin blade against her neck. But she couldn’t help her reaction to the woman’s words, the corners of her mouth twitching.

…runt?

Runt?!

Perhaps eased by Xia Ge’s obedience, the woman breathed a sigh of relief. That moment the gray-clad puppet jumped off the table, moving nimbly. Although, trapped under the table, Xia Ge could only see its feet.

The faint flute music seemed to become hurried.

While the threatening woman behind Xia Ge apparently didn’t hear the flute, focused only on the gray puppet’s actions.

Holding an important collection of Danfeng’s books, Siguo Pavilion was built inside the mountainside. The exterior loft was where repenting disciples did their copying, with the valuable texts hidden inside a hollowed out part of the mountain. That part could only be entered by inner Danfeng disciples via their identifying pendant.

Seeing the gray puppet wearing gray boots, Xia Ge was surprised to find it vaguely familiar. Though she couldn’t place where she’d seen it before. The gray boots first circled around the chair turned hedgehog with darts, like making sure no one was there. The puppet’s actions were now slow and mechanical, and it did not discover the two people hiding under the table. After making certain ‘no one’ was there, the puppet, at an exasperatingly slow pace, headed in one direction.

Watching from under the table, Xia Ge saw the gray puppet’s boots make slow but sure progress to the inner door. Realizing the puppet was about to go through that door, Xia Ge also sensed the quickened breathing of the woman behind her and the dagger at Xia Ge’s neck slightly trembled.

Now was the moment!

Xia Ge quickly slammed her head back, away from the dagger. Only Xia Ge’s motion was too big, and the back of her head hit an unspeakable softness.

The hand of the woman holding Xia Ge froze for a second. Not caring what unmentionable area she’d just bounced into, Xia Ge lifted a hand and flung aside the woman’s wrist holding the dagger. Then, with an energetic rollover, Xia Ge had the mystery woman pinned beneath her, wrist pulled against the back, almost lightning-fast with her counterstrike!

Unashamed of the strength she’d built up as a beggar, fighting for every grain of rice, Xia Ge tenaciously kept the woman’s hand behind her back and took the dagger, complacently shaking it in the air like a typical bratty teenager: “Oh, Sister’s tits are really soft.”

Yet now that she’d indeed suppressed the stranger, Xia Ge belatedly realized that her foe was only a bit taller than herself, and judging by her frame, was just a girl about 15 or 16 years old.

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“Rotten little bastard!”

Being pushed down the awful runt who’d previously been in her arms, Chu Yao tried to recover from the shock of having her bosom attacked. She never touched that area, not even when she bathed herself. But a moment ago……she’d actually been taken advantage of?!

By a runt!!

And what had this shortie said?!

She must, at once, slaughter him!!!

Unfortunately, the gray puppet had clearly detected their movements, practically back in an instant to stand before the table!

Therefore, Xia Ge’s immense pride of herself didn’t last long. Suddenly feeling something amiss, she raised her own eyes to meet two white rolling eyes, terrifying in their emptiness.

“Fuck!”

Frightened by the horrible eyes, Xia Ge loosened her grip. Chu Yao snorted, cursing inaudibly from the bottom of her heart. With a quick backhand, she forced Xia Ge against the ground, while also kicking the white-eyed face with all her might. Perhaps due to Chu Yao’s great wrath, the vigorous kick knocked the gray puppet away in a flash!

“Thump—-”

Thrown roughly to the ground, Xia Ge felt like the bones in her back were breaking, and her chest was suffocating. What was even more alarming than that was watching the gray puppet fly away like a kite with bent wings due to the killer kick by the murderous girl.

Smack, smack, smack. The gray puppet knocked against many pearwood desks before finally hitting the wall with one last ‘bang.’ The impact was so forceful that when the puppet slid to the floor, a faint body impression was left on the wall.

Xia Ge: “……”

Kicking something so hard that it had to dig itself out of a wall…while a creative concept, Xia Ge felt she’d seen enough of it for one day.

Girl, you shouldn’t be wearing dark clothes, prowling about like a killer. You should be in the boxing ring, perfecting your punches!

If not that, professional karate was well-received too!

But being a killer doesn’t suit you! Really!

Especially killing a plebeian fish like myself!

Was it still an illusion? When the murderous black-clad girl kicked the gray puppet against the wall, hadn’t the sound of the flute dropped?

Weak, faint, a wisp of nothingness.

But compared to the baffling flute music, there was a more immediate safety concern.

Xia Ge pulled a face, going through great effort to form a ‘kindhearted’ smile: “…Sister’s kick was really cool.”

So, handsome Sister, could you stop pressing down on my chest?

It’s already flat enough. If you keep pressing, it’ll truly disappear!

Perhaps sensing the plaintive cries of Xia Ge’s heart, Chu Yao stopping pushing down on the ‘flat chest.’ Instead she seized Xia Ge by the front of her clothes, dragging her out from under the table.

Although, missing the overwhelming sorrow that was Xia Ge’s bust, Chu Yao’s grip instead landed on Xia Ge’s collar.

In some respect, Xia Ge felt that the murderous girl was insulting herself.

Definitely!

Did Xia Ge not have her pride? A person could be killed, but not humiliated!

“Hey, runt.”

The girl’s tone was ice-cold and obviously anxious. By means of the moonlight shining on them both, Xia Ge could also clearly detect the murderous fury filling the girl’s eyes. Although a black scarf was across her face, Chu Yao’s two large, beautiful almond eyes were exposed as she grasped Xia Ge’s collar, raising the shorter girl to the same height as herself.

“Bad news…what do you think, how should I kill you?”

—Light brown almond eyes gazed at Xia Ge, oozing lethal intent and irascibility.

Convinced she was facing her final struggle, Xia Ge exclaimed: “Older Sister is very good-looking, and your heart and your temperament must be even better…so I’m certain you won’t kill me.”

“Ha.” Chu Yao sneered. “I’m truly sorry, but while I am good at many things, I’m afraid my temper falls short!”

“Aiya Sister, why are you so angry? If you get too angry all the time, you’re liable to get wrinkles. Look at me, I’m not angry,” Xia Ge thoughtfully reasoned, “A young girl ought to be a bit more generous. I just bumped into them, that’s all. Why be so petty? Besides, it’s not like I used my hands.”

Blue veins rose on Chu Yao’s hand that grasped Xia Ge’s collar.

Did this little joker now want to use his hands?!

“You—actually—still—have—the—nerve—to—speak?!”

When had she ever met such a shameless person?!

Eying the runt, Chu Yao hesitated. The brazen shortie then spoke with difficulty: “This really won’t do. Tell you what, I’ll let you touch me and we can call it even.”

Xia Ge closed her eyes, the noble and suffering expression of being a living sacrifice etched on her face: “But let’s agree on it first, you can’t touch me for nothing. Once you’ve gotten your payback, you’re not allowed to kill me.”

Finding the runt’s words enraging yet laughable, Chu Yao smiled sarcastically: “I think I’ll just send you straight to hell—No fooling around—”

“But you’ve already felt me up, how could you still kill me?!” Xia Ge popped her eyes back open wide. “How can you be so untrustworthy?!!”

Chu Yao would’ve felt less angry if the awful runt had tried to murder her, as opposed to taking advantage and tainting Chu Yao’s innocence!

“Who touched it?!! I didn’t touch you!!”

“You touched it! You’re still touching me now! Put me down! My chest has been assaulted, ah-ah-ah-ah——-”

Bawling at the top of her voice, Xia Ge carried on: “My purity has been defiled——-”

Chu Yao glanced down, registering that she had lifted up the other party by the labels.

She threw the wailing runt away from her, her face flushing red under her black scarf: “Who defiled your purity?! I’d rather touch a feral dog by the side of the road than a dwarf like you! Who told you to be so short—-wait, hold on……”

Nearly bursting with rage, Chu Yao shouted: “You’re a stinking boy, you can’t have your purity sullied!!”

Xia Ge, having regained her freedom, was like a fish back in water. Beaming, she fiddled with the stolen dagger in her hand: “Of course a nice-looking Sister can corrupt this young man’s innocence.”

“Smelly bastard!” Chu Yao declared in a sinister tone.

“Aiya, if good-looking Little Sister just goes around all day killing and fighting, she won’t ever be able to get married.” Xia Ge gave what she considered a winsome smile, turned her eyes away for a second, and was hit with a sudden thought: “By the way, does Lingxi Peak have such teachings?”

“Like, for example, if someone saves your life, you in turn give your heart to them?”

“Promise to marry?” Chu Yao scoffed. “Too troublesome. How about I use five horses to dismember your corpse instead?”

The previously weak flute music abruptly soared high in Xia Ge’s ears.

Her eyes immediately got sharp.

But her face kept grinning: “Five horses? Too bloody. Like they say, in order to marry well, girls should be kind and gentle.”

Chu Yao had not yet replied when the runt sitting on the table, whose feet couldn’t touch the floor, suddenly threw the dagger in Chu Yao’s direction!

As expected, this little son of a bitch was no good!

Also very puerile. Did he really think that Chu Yao would be caught by a straight dagger throw—-

Leaning to one side, Chu Yao easily avoided the dagger, but before she could make a ridiculing taunt, the runt was clapping his hands and looking past her.

“Ah, Little Sister, since I’ve saved your life, won’t you repay my kindness with your devotion?”

Riiip—-

The sound of cloth being torn by the dagger was particularly unexpected to Chu Yao’s ears. Turning her head, Chu Yao’s pupils shrunk.

Who knew when, but at some point the gray puppet had soundlessly come up behind Chu Yao. A cleaver raised in one hand, eyes white, the puppet’s face was ferociously twisted.

—-And Chu Yao hadn’t even sensed it!

The dagger the runt had snatched was now embedded in the floor behind the gray puppet. Thankfully the cleaver in the puppet’s lifted hand stayed motionless. Chu Yao noticed the cut along the puppet’s shoulder, along with the complete lack of blood.

……Charmed clothing.

The sound of the flute had faded away.

Cupping her chin, Xia Ge smiled at Chu Yao.

“Little Sister, let it be like this. You don’t need to give me your body as thanks. But your eyes are so beautiful…won’t you at least give me your name?”

= =

Thousands of miles away.

The moon and the stars shone no light in the depths of an endless dark forest.

A young lady dressed in red held a bone flute in her delicate white hand, a blood red knot at the end of flute dancing in the wind.

“Failure.”

She murmured to herself, voice melodious and mellow, comparable to pearls and jade dropping into a dish, the last syllable lingering like the aftertaste of a fine wine. Quietly, she disappeared into the forest.

‘you devote your life to them’
以身相许 [yǐ shēn xiāng xǔ]
pledge to marry sb; have sexual relation with the beloved willingly
or — to give one’s heart to / to devote one’s life to