Chapter 20: Taking Advantage

Cloud Come Inn.

Pei Yuanshao was dejected for a moment, but when he raised his head again, the complex emotions in his eyes were completely concealed.

His gaze turned cold as he channeled his inner energy and called out towards the eaves: “Hong Lian.”

A black shadow immediately flew in through the window in response.

The black-clad guard quickly stepped forward, lowered her head, and knelt on the ground, pleading for punishment: “This subordinate failed to protect the master. I beg for the master’s punishment.”

Inside the gauze curtain, the red-clad man had a deathly pale complexion and a weary expression. He leaned askew against the bedpost, the corners of his lips pressed into a slight frown.

Thinking of His Highness’s assassination attempt today, although it was pre-planned, they hadn’t expected a ghost to suddenly appear at the alley entrance, causing His Highness to suffer such an ordeal in vain.

Hong Lian’s eyes filled with even more guilt as she recalled the fat wife and thin husband, saying hatefully: “It’s all because of that Liu couple. This subordinate is willing to personally eliminate them…”

Pei Yuanshao turned his head, his dark and deep eyes fixed on the black-clad guard as he asked coldly: “How many years have you been by my side?”

The sudden cold aura emanating from him was palpable. Hong Lian’s expression tightened slightly as she abruptly raised her head, pupils constricted, and carefully replied: “This subordinate has followed Your Highness for over fifteen years. Back then, this subordinate was still young, wandering homeless in Jinling City. It was thanks to Your Highness giving me a bowl of white rice and taking Hong Lian in…”

Pei Yuanshao fiddled with his slender fingers and said with a curl of his lips: “So it has been that long. Do you still remember the first thing I said to you all when I took you in?”

Hong Lian’s expression jolted, her eyes filled with shock as she replied tremblingly: “Your Highness said, ‘Blades and swords have no eyes, but you cannot be mere tools for killing.'”

His Highness didn’t usually talk much. When he first took them in, that was the phrase he repeated most often to them. He said that martial arts should not be controlled by killing. Although hidden assassins lurked in the shadows, they were still upright people.

Yet she had almost forgotten His Highness’s initial admonition and lost sight of their original purpose.

Pei Yuanshao lowered his head and glanced at the trembling black-clad guard, seeing clarity return to her eyes.

He sighed, withdrawing all the coldness from his demeanor: “Alright, get up. Regarding the Liu couple, the farmer… wife-master has already punished them. Their crime doesn’t warrant execution. You’re an old hand by my side. Don’t say such things again in the future.”

Hong Lian’s lips quivered as she repeatedly agreed, cold sweat breaking out on her back.

Recently, assassinations from the capital had become more frequent. Blades and swords were indiscriminate, and killing had become commonplace. The killing intent in her heart had grown stronger, almost affecting her mind.

Fortunately, His Highness had reminded her in time. Otherwise, with His Highness’s personality, he would never keep an attendant full of bloodlust.

Hong Lian lowered her head, large drops of sweat falling from her forehead onto the ground.

She bowed deeply and admitted her mistake: “This slave knows her error. Please punish me, Your Highness.”

Pei Yuanshao waved his hand: “Enough. As long as you understand. Get up. Has there been any news from Dark Three? By my calculations, Jing Huan’s troops should have entered Langhuan County by now.”

Hong Lian stood up, keeping her head lowered as she stood to the side and reported: “Master’s plans are deep and far-reaching. The Southern Pacification King’s troops entered Langhuan territory at the Chen hour today. Currently, a large force is stationed outside the city. However…”

She hesitated for a moment, her expression turning strange as she continued: “The Lord Jing took her personal guards and bypassed the northern road to Mobi, entering Songhua Town today.”

Pei Yuanshao’s fingers paused in their fiddling, a flash of confusion passing through his dark eyes: “She’s in Songhua Town?”

Hong Lian nodded, the strange expression on her face intensifying: “This slave just happened to encounter Dark Three. Not only is the Southern Pacification King in Huashi Town, but she’s staying at the same inn as Your Highness.”

Pei Yuanshao’s gaze darkened slightly. His fingers unconsciously tapped against the bedpost as he narrowed his eyes, remaining silent for a moment before saying: “Investigate! Jing Huan is a clever person. If it’s not for something urgent, she wouldn’t take such a detour to go north. Have someone look into it!”

Seeing Hong Lian nod, he leaned back against the wooden post, his expression weary.

His abdomen was already injured, and he hadn’t had a drop of water all day. Just now, his emotions had been stirred up by that farmer woman’s merciless departure.

Now, after listening to Hong Lian’s report, he had no more energy left. He waved his hand, dismissing her.

But as his gaze swept towards the leftover food on the Eight Immortals table not far away, he pressed his lips together and called her back, asking casually: “The wife-master… that farmer woman, did she storm off back to the village?”

Hong Lian turned slowly, keeping her head down, surprise filling her eyes.

Having followed His Highness for so many years, this was the first time he had shown concern for such an ordinary woman.

Although she found it strange, she didn’t dare to ask. She bowed, her expression peculiar as she replied: “It seems she didn’t. About half an hour ago, Lady Liu left Cloud Come Inn and went to the neighboring Fugui Tower. This subordinate was guarding Your Highness, so I didn’t follow her in.”

“She didn’t leave?” Pei Yuanshao suddenly looked over, his dark eyes showing a hint of joy he himself hadn’t noticed. Although he quickly concealed it, Hong Lian, who had just raised her head, caught it clearly.

Hong Lian’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to look closer, she was driven back by a piercing glare from His Highness.

Pei Yuanshao snorted and ordered: “Withdraw.”

Hong Lian bowed and left through the window, full of questions. However, her usual agility was gone as she leapt out, her robe nearly catching on the window’s carved decorations, leaving her in a disheveled state.

Pei Yuanshao stared at where the guard had disappeared and let out a heavy snort.

The guest room fell silent once more.

The red-clad man lifted the bed curtain and glanced at the clean clothes placed on the chair beside the bed. The corners of his lips curled up slightly as he reached out to take the folded clothes into the curtained area. He removed his blood-stained garments and changed into the coarse linen clothes she had bought.

The linen was rough and not as comfortable as silk brocade against his skin. He endured the itchy sensation as he put them on.

After all, she had personally bought them. If he didn’t wear them, who knew how she would look at him.

Thinking of her disdainful gaze made his chest feel tight.

Well… it was still bearable.

Most importantly, she… hadn’t abandoned him just now. He was willing to give her a little… dignity as a wife-master.

Pei Yuanshao’s lips curled into a smile, his dark eyes shining brightly.

――

When Liu Changning returned to the second-floor guest room with the packaged white porridge, her cheap husband was staring blankly at the bed curtains.

The leftovers on the Eight Immortals table and the dirty water in the bathtub behind the screen had all been cleared away, presumably by the servants he had called.

She looked at the man inside the bed curtains with satisfaction, a smile spreading across her face as she said softly: “Are you hungry?”

Pei Yuanshao couldn’t stand the gentleness in her eyes, always feeling that such casual concern was very dangerous for him.

He uncomfortably turned away, pretending to be angry as he snorted: “What are you doing, always putting on that shameless fake smile? Didn’t you storm off earlier? Why did you come back?”

His resentment was quite strong. Liu Changning casually closed the door and placed the hot porridge on the Eight Immortals table.

She walked to the bedside, pulled open the curtains with one hand, and leaned down to meet his dark eyes that had turned to face her. She said calmly: “Fine, fine, fine. If you say it’s a fake smile, then it’s a fake smile. I came back this time to bring you porridge to drink, didn’t I? Otherwise, if you starve to death, poor me would have to bear the reputation of being a husband-killer.”

The sudden closeness of an unfamiliar presence made Pei Yuanshao’s dark eyes widen abruptly. He quickly turned his head, and her warm breath blew directly onto his face.

A pleasant scent of fresh grass filled his nostrils, causing an inexplicable tremor in his heart.

He irritably reached out and scratched hard at the slightly itchy skin on the side of his neck. However, before his nails could barely graze his skin, his wrist was tightly grasped by the woman in front of him.

He pressed his lips together, his pale lips tinged with a layer of crimson, and said awkwardly: “Let go!”

“Don’t scratch!”

Liu Changning ignored him, her tone unconsciously becoming three times heavier.

She lowered her head and looked closely along his fingertips.

He had changed into a coarse linen garment, and perhaps due to its roughness, fine red rashes had appeared on the exposed skin of his neck.

The marks left by his scratching were shockingly visible on his fair neck.

Liu Changning held onto his frantically struggling wrist, a glimmer passing through her tea-colored eyes.

It was evident that her cheap husband wasn’t as delicate as he appeared on the surface. It was just unfortunate that his skin, accustomed to silk and satin, was allergic to the coarse linen.

She narrowed her eyes, inwardly sighing: Troublesome…

Yet she didn’t dislike it. He was sensible and able to endure what others couldn’t.

Large patches of red rashes had visibly spread to his jaw, yet he sat up straight, seemingly unbothered.

Liu Changning’s heart softened inexplicably, and she opened her mouth, intending to persuade him to change out of his current attire.

However, he suddenly exerted force, trying to break free from her grip. With one pull and one tug, he used too much strength.

Liu Changning, who was originally leaning forward, was pulled down by the excessive force.

Pei Yuanshao’s eyes widened as the pale lips in front of him came closer inch by inch, finally crashing against the corner of his mouth, fitting perfectly against his soft lips.

The strong scent of fresh grass that filled his nostrils seemed to act like an anesthetic, rendering Pei Yuanshao completely immobile.

He stared blankly at the tea-colored eyes so close to his own, watching as her crow-feather eyelashes fluttered open and closed.

His heart fluttered along with those delicate eyelashes, rising and falling.

He awkwardly pressed his hand against his chest. If he didn’t suppress it, it… might burst out of his ribcage.

His dark eyes held a hint of confusion as he inwardly pondered whether he might have contracted an incurable disease.

The pounding in his chest was even more intense than when he was on the brink of death in his previous life…

He… in this reborn life, could it be that instead of being trapped in the deadly scheme set by the Empress Mother, he would ultimately meet his end due to this unknown severe illness?

Pei Yuanshao’s face remained expressionless, but his eyes were lifeless.

When the sudden change occurred and the warmth touched her lips, Liu Changning was equally stunned. She quickly came to her senses, supporting herself with her hands and abruptly standing up.

She reached into her bosom to take out the handkerchief she had just bought, about to wipe her mouth.

However, from the corner of her eye, she happened to catch sight of the man on the wooden bed wearing an expression as if he were at death’s door.

She paused, inwardly cursing.

Damn!

Could this person think that her saliva was poisonous, and that a mere touch of the lips would lead to death by poison?

Liu Changning furrowed her brows, forcibly changing the trajectory of her hand suspended in mid-air. She stuffed the handkerchief into the hand of the man inside the bed curtain. Pointing at his lips, she said in a conciliatory tone: “Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous… If you’re concerned… just wipe it… wiping will do!”

Having lived three lifetimes, it was at this moment that her speech became clumsy and she stuttered.

Liu Changning narrowed her eyes, resisting the urge to curse out loud.

Getting someone else’s saliva on her was already extremely disgusting, and now she had to hand over the clean handkerchief to the man who had taken advantage of her.

Because she was a woman, she had to endure!