The bedroom was decorated with red phoenix-and-dragon sheets, a large Xi 喜 character, red candles and even peanuts and red dates scattered on the sheets.

Xia Lei grinned. “Look at how much Dad loves you. He knows you like peanuts and dates so he scattered so much on the bed.

[TL Note: Xi represents joy and is a common symbol at weddings; peanuts and red dates symbolise fertility]

Liang Siyao shook his hand off her body. “You’re bullying me too? Well, then I don’t want to talk to you.” She sat on the edge of the bed, her head turned away.

Xia Lei looked at her and couldn’t help but think of the first time he went to her house. At the time, he thought he was the happiest man in the world. Right now, he had the same feeling. They both had gone through so many hardships and in the end, they were finally husband and wife.

“What are you doing, standing there?” Liang Siyao said she didn’t want to talk but spoke up after barely two minutes. “You’re supposed to lift my veil.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. The second last step of our wedding” said Xia Lei with a smile and walked over.

Liang Siyao said, “The veil should be the last step, no? What’s the last step?”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Xia Lei lifted her veil and kissed her forehead. With a smile, he said, “Making a child.”

Liang Siyao blushed timidly, biting her lip. “You’re the worst, that’s not part of the wedding. Don’t even think about it.”

Xia Lei reached out to touch her small bump and said gently, “It’s fine if you don’t want to, we can just talk and then go to sleep.”

“You’re so well-behaved today. Help me out of these clothes so we can sleep,” said Liang Siyao demurely.

“Alright, I’ll help you out of them.” Xia Lei helped peel off her layers.

Xia Lei was slightly stunned with what he saw.

“Have you looked enough yet? You pervert.” Liang Siyao was slightly embarrassed. She was still delighted although she called him a pervert. She was happy to find that her man was so mesmerised with her body.

“I could never get enough of this,” said Xia Lei.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another set of fireworks exploded in the skies.

Fireworks were a joy to both adults and the kids.

Pretty lights lit up the night sky. Although every explosion only lasted a moment, one moment was enough to leave a deep, unforgettable impression. Just as everyone was mesmerised by the fireworks, a stout figure appeared in the forest behind Peace Mansion. His body was completely covered in black clothing with only his eyes exposed. Even his eyes were like darkness, cold and deep. He had a sword on his back, an ancient one that was at least a hundred years old.

Behind the old man were more than ten people standing quietly in the dark, clad in the same black clothing. They seemed to be part of the forest, unmoving.

The stout figure was the protector of the Hattori family, Hattori Hyakusai. Behind him were the most elite fighters of their Hattori family. They were all trained by him, all ninjas well-versed in the art of assassination. They were completely loyal and capable fighters.

The martial artists of the Hattori family had appeared in the forest when the sky darkened, waiting for an opportunity to slip into the Peace Mansion to assassinate Xia Lei.

Peace Mansion was right in front of them. While the very tall walls surrounding the mansion weren’t a problem for these ninjas, they had to wait for orders.

There was Xia Lei’s Zodiac Team, then the four knights and their passionate follower’s military powers. Forgetting all that, even the soldiers stationed by the country on the outskirts of Thunder Horse was more than they could handle. These soldiers were the best in the country, even their weapons were top-notch. This small team of barely twenty had an almost zero possibility of killing Xia Lei here.

Hattori Hyakusai held up night-vision binoculars and saw a patrol team around the walls with guns and grenades. These soldiers were equipped with the Thunder Horse Group’s Gust assault rifles and wearing bulletproof vests. The most dramatic part was that they were wearing helmets used for battle. The ninjas’ stealth abilities were greatly threatened by this team. If anyone was seen, more than ten Gust assault rifles would bring a storm of bullets down on them. These rifles were the most powerful in the world!

And this was just one patrol team around the walls surrounding the mansion. There was a camp set up by elite soldiers near the Thunder Horse Group. There were more than a hundred elite task force soldiers at that camp. Although they were setting off fireworks, they were still armed to the teeth. There was even a missile launcher next to the campsite, ready to fire up into the sky. Within inconspicuous corners, there were even snipers. The Peace Mansion was an impenetrable fortress. Would these ninjas be able to take it down?

Hattori Hyakusai furrowed his brows. Initially, he had already received news about all the soldiers that were going to be around Thunder Horse. However, he still brought his people here because he felt like the eve of Spring Festival was a day they would let their guard down. He thought he might get an opportunity tonight but upon arrival, he realised he was too naive.

“Master, are we going to attack?” One of the fighters couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.

Hattori Hyakusai suddenly turned to look in the direction behind him. In that one moment, all the Hattori warriors unsheathed their swords and entered a battle stance.

A tall woman appeared from within the darkness, holding a modified assault rifle. She did not cover her face. She had tan skin and Mexican features.

This woman was Sirita from the FA.

“Tell your people to show themselves, “said Hattori Hyakusai coldly. His voice was low and raspy, it sent chills down to the bone. It felt like a sharp blade.

One slight sound was enough to alert Hattori Hyakusai that someone was approaching them, and there were more hidden nearby. He was a master after all.

Sirita lifted one hand and in a few seconds, almost twenty armed FA soldiers appeared from the darkness and approached quickly.

“Mr Hattori, when do you plan to act?” said Sirita.

After a moment of silence, Hattori Hyakusai said, “It’s very difficult. We can be sure that we won’t be seen by the patrol team but not you. If you’ve been seen and someone fires, the battle will end in barely five minutes. And you all will be just a pile of corpses.”

A contemptuous smirk appeared at the corner of Sirita’s mouth. “My people aren’t afraid of death.” She pointed at one of her people.

The armed soldier stepped forward and unzipped his jacket. Underneath was a bomb vest, equipped with high-intensity explosives that could create huge explosions. They were manufactured for the American military.

Sirita said, “Just one vest on this man is enough to destroy half the Peace Mansion.”

Hattori Hyakusai had a slight change in expression. “Very good, you are all true warriors. Great, then we can clear a path first. Then, we will enter from the back door and kill Xia Lei.”

Sirita looked at her wristwatch. “Mr Hattori, we only have five minutes. We must kill Xia Lei and retreat within five minutes. My warriors will detonate their bomb vests. We must retreat as soon as possible.”

Hattori Hyakusai nodded. “Now!”

More than ten Hattori fighters exited the forest with cat-like movements, using the darkness and weeds as cover as they moved towards the Peace Mansions’s back door. At this moment, the patrol team had already turned the corner, the space behind them was now a blind spot.