Chapter 172: Returning to the Capital on a Rainy Night
Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
When the sun was about to rise in the east, a black horse pulled a small carriage and quietly drove away from the nameless town.
Ye Jingtang was wearing a black robe and a bamboo hat on his head, and the Hornless Dragon Saber was hanging behind his waist. He was riding his horse slowly on the official road and scanning the endless gray wilderness.
The carriage was small and didn’t have much furniture inside. A thin blanket had been spread out on the floor.
Luo Ning was leaning against the carriage wall with a blanket on her back. After resting for a night, most of her limbs had recovered, and she could move freely. But she didn’t sleep well last night. At this moment, she leaned on Third Lady’s shoulder and closed her eyes to take a nap.
The bird, who had been on sentry duty all night, was lying in the carriage with its claws facing the sky, rolling back and forth as the carriage rocked, but it showed no signs of waking up.
Meanwhile, Pei Xiangjun, who was leaning against the corner of the carriage, had not felt sleepy since last night.
Pei Xiangjun had put on her clothes, and her beautiful face had returned to its normal fairness with a faint blush. Leaning her head against the wood carriage wall, she was looking outside through the gap of the swaying window curtain.
Although she could only see Jingtang’s back, the sense of security that emanated from his bones made her unable to feel anxious and worried at any moment. In this comfortable situation, it was inevitable that countless distracting thoughts would appear in her heart.
The assassination outside the Baoyuan School might have been arranged by the Zhou family, Jun Mountain Terrace, or the Spear Chief. These were all risks that the Pei family and the Red Flower Pavilion had brought to Jingtang.
Regardless of whether it was the vengeance of her eldest brother and second brother or the foundation of the Red Flower Pavilion, she should have been the one to bear it. But now, it had all fallen on the shoulders in front of her, which inevitably made her sigh in her heart and feel that there was no way to repay him.
Last night, Jingtang had treated her injury because it was a matter of urgency. His eyes and expression had been very focused, just like a calm doctor, without the slightest hint of offense. So she had tried her best to treat it as a matter of urgency and not think about relationships between men and women.
But in the end, when Jingtang massaged her, his fingers slid into the waistband of her pants, and his movements were no longer so calm. Although there was nothing unusual, the subtle changes in the strength of his fingers didn’t deceive her tense heart.
She knew that there were ripples in Jingtang’s heart. After all, he was a man. In that situation, how could he really be as calm as a saint…
But if his heart wasn’t as still as water, wouldn’t it become secretly taking advantage of her…
Pei Xiangjun’s mind was racing without countless thoughts. She didn’t know what she was thinking. She just secretly looked at the back outside the carriage window in a daze. As she was daydreaming, she suddenly found that someone was hugging her arm.
Pei Xiangjun came back to her senses and looked to the side, only to see the cold and charming cult mistress leaning on her shoulder. Her eyelashes moved slightly, as if she was dreaming. She raised her arms and wrapped them around her arm, her face slightly red.
?!
What kind of wet dream are you having, you vixen? Do you think I’m Jingtang?
Perhaps because Pei Xiangjun was bored, she thought for a moment and raised her right hand slightly to touch the side of the cult mistress’s leg.
“Hmm-” Luo Ning, who was sleeping, let out a faint murmur.
Pei Xiangjun had a strange look in her eyes. She didn’t wake Luo Ning up and continued to look outside the carriage.
Clomp, clomp…
The wheels rolled over the yellow dirt official road as they embarked on the journey back to the capital.
Ye Jingtang rode on his fierce horse and moved forward under the gray sky. When he passed near the Iron Buddha Ridge, he turned around and looked into the distance.
Yesterday, they had discussed and felt that the white bead might be some kind of divine medicine that Cheng Shilu had stolen from Northern Liang.
However, this still didn’t resolve the issue. He and Cheng Shilu had used medicine together. Cheng Shilu had a mental breakdown, but he had become stronger.
It was a little far-fetched to explain it with physique and luck. He thought about it carefully for a night and felt that that medicine very likely had some sort of connection to him.
In order to resolve his doubts, Ye Jingtang quietly ran to the Iron Buddha Ridge, wanting to go to the stone room to check if there were any other clues.
Unfortunately, the Cheng family didn’t preserve the crime scene. Hiding armor was a serious crime. When the officials came to investigate, the Cheng family wouldn’t be able to explain it clearly. The stone room had already been cleaned up, leaving only traces of the fight that day. Only the dead Cheng Shilu knew the whole story.
Since he couldn’t figure out the whole story for the time being, Ye Jingtang kept this matter in mind and rushed back to the capital with the two women.
From Broad Crossing to the capital, it was a day and a half’s journey. From dawn to midnight, Ye Jingtang didn’t encounter any suitable villages and towns, so he didn’t stop.
They traveled day and night. When they returned to the vicinity of Yun’an, it was already about three in the morning the next day.
After they left for five days, it was already early June. A light rain came unexpectedly in the middle of the night.
Ye Jingtang took out a raincoat and put it on, then turned around and looked at the carriage.
There were no lights in the carriage. The medicine in Heroine Luo’s body had already dissipated. She was sitting cross-legged in the carriage and practicing internal martial arts with her hands clasped in her lap.
Third Lady had encountered many things on this journey, and she felt a little stuffy. She was using Heroine Luo’s legs as a pillow and asleep on the thin blanket.
The bird was used to sleeping in the latter half of the night. At this moment, it was sleeping under their raincoats.
Ye Jingtang didn’t disturb the two women and brought the carriage to the foot of Yun’an’s towering city wall.
At night, the city gate was already closed. According to the rules, people had to wait at the gate until the city bell rang before they could enter the city.
Ye Jingtang didn’t want to be drenched in the rain outside the city for a few hours, so he found the guards on duty outside the city gate and took out the waist token that Dumdum had given him.
The chief constables of the Black Office arrested powerful Jianghu bandits. It was common for them to enter and leave at night. The city gate guards didn’t stop him. After checking his waist token and reporting to the official in charge, they opened the city gate and let the carriage and horses enter Yun’an.
In the latter half of the night, people could still hear music and singing in some streets in the capital, but they basically didn’t meet anyone on the streets.
Ye Jingtang passed through East Center Street. He could see that the cloth shop that he had destroyed was under construction, but the street had already been repaired.
When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the alley of Heavenly Water Bridge, Ye Jingtang slowed down his horse, went to the carriage, raised his hand, and knocked.
Knock, knock..
Luo Ning had woken up when she entered the city. When she heard the sound, she opened her eyes and looked at the plump female boss lying on her lap.
The medicine in Pei Xiangjun’s body had already dissipated, but the Wind Pool Reverse Blood was a move that squeezed her body to the limit and risked her life. It was very difficult for the governor meridian to recover for a day, and she was still a little weak.
When Phi Xiangjun heard the sound, her eyelashes fluttered. She looked at the familiar building outside the window and slowly sat up. “Finally home.”
Luo Ning stared at the delicate and charming female boss in front of her with mixed feelings. Several days ago, they weren’t familiar with each other and had even quarreled. But this time, Third Lady had seen her applying watermelon cream and watched the little thief sucking on the big dumplings. This relationship was obviously a little weird. Umm… did they have the friendship of feeding the thief together?
But this female boss didn’t know what was good for her and didn’t want to call her ‘Elder Sister Ning’er’.
As the legitimate wife, Luo Ning couldn’t take the initiative to warm up to the cold moon. After thinking about it, she didn’t say anything and just looked outside. “Little thief, send her back. 1’11 wait for you at the door.”
Pei Xiangjun bent down, got out of the carriage, held Ye Jingtang’s hand, and jumped down. Because she had been lying down for two days, she was a little light-headed and even swayed slightly. She raised her hand to tidy her hair. “Why don’t you rest here and go back at dawn?”
Ye Jingtang felt that Heroine Luo probably wouldn’t stay in the Pei residence. He supported Third Lady and said, “If we stay in the Pei residence, we will inevitably wake Aunt and the others up. It’s better for us to go back quietly.”
Luo Ning jumped off the carriage. “We still have something to do when we get back. Miss Pei, rest early. If there’s anything, just come to our house to inform us.”
Our house… Pei Xiangjun knew that this vixen was yearning for love and eager to go back and be shy with Jingtang, so she didn’t insist and walked toward the Pei residence’s door. “The door is closed, and 1 can’t circulate my qi. Jingtang, please send me in.”
Hearing this, Ye Jingtang didn’t say anything. He hugged Third Lady’s legs, flew over the high wall to the Pei residence, and walked along the corridor toward the main courtyard.
While walking, Ye Jingtang looked down and found that Third Lady was leaning on his shoulder obediently. She looked up at him and realized that he had lowered his head, so she looked away.
The two of them walked through the corridor and arrived at the main courtyard. The courtyard was very quiet, with only the faint sound of the light rain. There was a breathing sound in the room, which should be Xiuhe, who had already fallen asleep.
Ye Jingtang put the Third Lady down and opened the door. “Third Lady, rest well. I’ll go back first.”
Pei Xiangjun stood at the door of her boudoir and rubbed her sore shoulders. She wanted to go in, but after a moment of hesitation, she turned around and looked up at the tall and handsome young master in front of her.
Ye Jingtang blinked and looked at the mature and beautiful face in front of him. Her almond-shaped eyes were clearly different from the ‘pretending to be resentful’ earlier. There was a certain emotion in them. Her red lips moved slightly, and she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Sensing that the atmosphere wasn’t right, Ye Jingtang smiled. “Third Lady, is there anything else?”
“Umm…” Pei Xiangjun raised her hands and tidied the raincoat on Ye Jingtang’s chest. She seemed to be preparing her words, but after thinking for a long time, she said, “Jingtang, am I a little fat?”
?
Ye Jingtang felt that this question was simply unreasonable. Even with his rock-solid willpower, his thoughts were wandering. If he thought because her plump hips were wider than her shoulders that she was fat, then there was probably a problem with him.
“Third Lady, don’t think too much. You don’t even have to ask me. Just ask any old lady, and they will praise you for having many children and a blessed figure.”
Pei Xiangjun nodded thoughtfully, straightened his clothes, and smoothed his chest. “Alright, I’m just asking casually. Go accompany your Miss Ning’er. Remember to tell me the next time you go out to do something. Other than being jealous, she can’t do anything. If I keep you here any longer, she will kill her way in to snatch you.”
Ye Jingtang sighed secretly. After watching Third Lady enter her boudoir, he helped close the door. Before leaving, he went to the window of the side room and knocked.
Knock, knock..
“Hmm- Who is it?”
“Xiuhe, it’s me.”
ii
Huh?! Young Master Ye… you…”
“Don’t think blindly. Third Lady is back and is a little injured. Go take care of her.”
“Oh… I thought you came here in the middle of the night to bully the maidservant- 1 was happy for nothing…”
?
Ye Jingtang didn’t know what to say. Without stopping, he jumped onto the corridor and landed in the alley. He picked up the bird, who was sleeping like a pig in the carriage, and got on the horse. “Let’s go.”
Without the third wheel in front of her, Luo Ning’s expression became much more natural. She walked out from under the eaves and tapped her toes, wanting to get on the horse.
But while Luo Ning was still in the air, she saw the little thief on the horse raise his arms to grab her, who was about to sit behind, and move her to the front to sit her in his arms.
Thump-
Luo Ning hurriedly sat up straight and frowned. “It’s starting again, isn’t it? You’re a gentleman in front of others, but you can’t control your nature in front of me? Am 1 easy to bully?”
“Giddyup.” Ye Jingtang held Luo Ning in his arms and rode his horse toward Dye Workshop Street. On the way, he pulled up his raincoat and covered Luo Ning. “It’s drizzling, and there’s no umbrella. You won’t get completely drenched if you sit back.”
Luo Ning felt that there was nothing wrong with this explanation, but the place where she was sitting was obviously not flat. Her eyes were slightly cold. “Do you believe that I’ll break it?”
Ye Jingtang was stunned. He looked at her cold face and frowned slightly. “Why are you so fierce after we went for a while… Who are you? Return my pure and cold Heroine Luo.”
Luo Ning had been away for a few days and had experienced many ups and downs. She had indeed let loose a little.
Seeing that the little thief dared to tease her, she took a deep breath, stuffed her hand between the two of them, touched the hilt of the sword, and used some strength…
Ye Jingtang was instantly terrified. He hurriedly pressed Heroine Luo’s arm down. “I was wrong. I’m really shielding you from the wind and rain. Look, I didn’t even move. You promised to let me hug you every day and that you wouldn’t be angry. Heroine Luo, you can’t go back on your word.”
“Hmph!” Only then was Luo Ning satisfied. She put away her cold expression and leaned into Ye Jingtang’s arms. “I know you feel uncomfortable holding it in. Your performance this time wasn’t bad. Third Lady Pei seduced you so much, but you were unmoved. I’ll treat your body today and give you medicine tomorrow. Don’t do it again.”
“Hehe…”
