Chapter 61 What About Him? (Edited)

"Who touched this place?"

Xie Yun asked again, his tone still somewhat flat, and his expression normal as if he was saying that the carriage was going too slowly today.

But Zhang Jingxian was suddenly startled and involuntarily covered her wrists with her long sleeves, as if as long as she covered them, she would not have to answer his questions.

The attempt to cover up the truth instantly angered the man who was pretending to be calm. He suddenly stretched out an arm and grabbed the woman into his arms before she could react.

"My dear! You... " Zhang Jingxian was a little frightened. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, half of her face was covered by his big hand.

The man's hard knuckles dug into her cheek, and the only soft part of his hand pressed tightly against her lips.

All of Zhang Jingxian's voices were silenced by his grasp, completely controlled by him. The only breath she could smell was his scent, the rich aroma of agarwood mixed with hints of paper, ink, and the sweet aroma of wine, forcefully invading her mind.

She tried to open her eyes wide and look at him.

"Since Ah Xian doesn't want to say it, then just don't say anything." Xie Yun's dark eyes slowly met hers, the dark color inside was so thick that it could not be dissolved.

Zhang Jingxian was stunned, and suddenly thought of the cold night in the mountains in winter. There were no stars or moon in the night sky, it was pitch black, and the coldness surged and seeped into people's bones.

Experienced villagers told her that a snowstorm was coming.

She shuddered instinctively, even though the golden wheels of the carriage were hanging high outside and the sunlight shining on the ground was hot.

"Don't be afraid, Ah Xian, I won't eat you."

Sensing her fear, Xie Yun's eyes turned sinister and he said something coldly.

But at the same time, he grabbed her wrist with one hand and lifted it high, half bent down, and brought his tall nose close to her.

Xie Yun sniffed her sleeve expressionlessly. A strong orchid fragrance rushed into his nostrils provocatively, as if it entered an empty space, roaring wantonly in his flesh and blood.

She is not his yet. He can touch her, and so can others.

When a fresh and sweet fruit is placed in front of a person, no one can resist it. Even just touching it will make the soul feel dizzy!

"It was a terrible smell. It was a man who touched Ah Xian's wrist. And it was not for a short time." Xie Yun's eyes were bloodshot. A strong impulse forced him to find the man.

Then, he lifted up his sleeves, revealing a few faint fingerprints that seemed to be mocking him mercilessly.

Look, out of your sight, she had skin contact with another wild man.

And you didn't realize it until now. And when you found out, she could have chosen not to tell you.

Jealousy and anger intertwined, like a raging fire, burning Xie Yun's mind. He grabbed the woman's wrist uncontrollably, using even greater force to erase the traces of another person.

Zhang Jingxian bit her lips in pain.

But it wasn't enough for him, not enough at all! The smell, the stench of another person, was still there!

Xie Yun bit her fingertips, and large beads of blood came out. He carefully smeared them drop by drop on her wrist which was covered with scars.

On the night they caught the wild boar in Xishan Village, he told her that he liked the smell of blood because the smell of blood was always accompanied by an absolute victory.

Obviously, the orchid incense used by the man was no match for the smell of blood. After a while, it was suppressed until only a faint aftertaste remained.

Xie Yun was finally satisfied with this.

Without caring about the stiffness of the person in his arms, his thin lips covered the smeared blood, biting her inch by inch. She was fresh and sweet, and she was not herself without the smell of blood.

Zhang Jingxian watched helplessly as his thin lips were stained with blood. There was a crazy light in his eyes as he stared at his wrist, and she shuddered.

But she was quiet and didn't struggle.

Perhaps once the blood disappeared, he would release her and return to normal. Holding this faint thought, she waited patiently.

The wet and burning feeling lasted for a long time. She drooped her eyelids and a small gasp escaped from her throat.

It is both difficult and unbearable to endure.

After this gasp, Xie Yun loosened his hand and his thin lips left her wrist.

Without any restraints, Zhang Jingxian breathed heavily, and perhaps because she was too anxious, her cheeks turned slightly red.

Xie Yun's face was hidden in the darkness, and his true emotions could not be discerned. Only his thin lips were bright red, and he looked ghostly and frightening.

He looked quietly at the woman in his arms, as if waiting for something.

After a long time, Zhang Jingxian's breathing returned to normal. She raised her head slightly and was about to speak when his hand came forward again, holding her cheek and pressing down with his thin lips.

"My dear, you can't do this. It was obviously you who arranged everything!" Afraid of losing her breath because her lips were blocked again, Zhang Jingxian's heart beat rapidly and she finished her sentence as quickly as possible.

You can't blame her. She was just fulfilling her responsibilities as a guest and doing things for the master she served.

"Ah Xian, are you saying that I asked you to meet a strange man who you don't know?"

His tone was smooth and without any ups and downs, but it sounded even more terrifying than the questioning just now.

"...Yes!" Zhang Jingxian nodded recklessly, desperately trying to find a solution, and mentioned his trusted confidant, "Xie also knows. Yu and Wei all know."

"Speak clearly." He paused, and his thin lips moved away a little, but the distance between them did not widen.

Zhang Jingxian raised her head, her expression calming down a bit as she revealed the identity of the wild man he mentioned. "Lord Cai is the man you asked me to test. I met with him privately to carry out your plan."

She knew that the task Xie Yun gave her seemed simple, but if she was not careful, she might fall into a desperate situation.

If she hadn't recognized his intentions, if she had been deceived by Xiao Chan and Cai Xiang at the beginning, if she had been foolish enough not to take the initiative to trick others, the mission would have failed.

How could she have the nerve to be the guest of the envoy when she hadn't completed a small task?

He wouldn't let her leave, and she wasn't qualified to be a guest. So what would become of her if she took a step back and was forced to stay by his side? She might be in an even more embarrassing situation than in her previous life, becoming what Gong Chengyue called a "little lady."

Even if she tried to avoid suspicion, it was useless to hide from him.

Therefore, she had to complete this mission. Therefore, she had agreed in advance to ask Xie, Yu, and Wei for help.

On the way to meet Cai Xiang, she was not alone. If Cai Xiang attacked her, in addition to the bows and arrows protecting her, there were also soldiers in the dark to cover her.

"I have accomplished the mission you entrusted to me. Cai Xiang will undoubtedly take action upon hearing what you said. You can ask Xie now to confirm that I have said everything."

After saying this, Zhang Jingxian opened her eyes and looked straight at him, her eyes slightly moist.

Why did he have to force her to this point? What sin had she committed to be entangled with him for two lifetimes!

For a long while, there was no sound in the carriage except for the breathing of the two people.

The expression on Xie Yun's face seemed to freeze. After a while, his thin lips finally fell, gently and tenderly landing on the corners of the woman's eyes.

After sucking away the slightest bit of moisture, he calmly asked her if she had any other contact with Cai Xiang besides this private meeting.

"He first gave me a pearl hairpin, and later sent me many of Wuling City's famous dishes. If I hadn't noticed something suspicious about his behavior, I might have thought of him as a truly generous and warm-hearted man."

Zhang Jingxian stepped back and seriously recounted her interactions with Cai Xiang, including her impression of Cai Xiang.

Just giving her a pearl hairpin and some dishes was considered generous and warm.

What about him? He accompanied her through her lonely time, taught her to read and write, took her away from the small and ignorant mountain village, and built a bright future for her.

Compared to her, he is cold-hearted by nature, cruel in his methods, draws a clear line between them, and always thinks of escaping.

A nameless anger was burning in Xie Yun's throat, causing him to feel constant pain, but he couldn't say it out loud.

Because letting her take the test, putting her in danger, and setting a trap for her were indeed decisions he had made long ago.

Xie Yun didn't need a female guest, he just wanted Zhang Jingxian, the original her.

The tip of his tongue tasted her sweetness and suddenly felt a little bitter, but he raised his lips and asked her with a smile, "Ah Xian, do you hate me?"

"No."

Zhang Jingxian answered quickly. She didn't hate him. Hating someone made her tired, and she just wanted to live a more relaxed and happy life.

Then face the price you may pay for rebirth.

How could someone be given a second chance to live their life for no reason? She was just an ordinary commoner, she had never saved the world's people, she had never left any great achievements, so she felt uneasy when she said that she was blessed by heaven.

"Oh, I don't hate her." Not hating her might mean liking her, but at this moment, Xie Yun would not ask her whether she liked him or not.

He thought coldly that there was no need to ask.

After all, it doesn't matter whether she likes it or not. After all, he won't let her leave until he is satisfied.

"Cai Xiang will not live long. You are not allowed to have any contact with him from now on." Envoy Xie closed his eyes and gave his guest an order that could not be refused.

"Yes." Realizing the change in his tone, Zhang Jingxian knew that she had passed a crucial hurdle. She took out the short bow hidden on her body and stroked it slowly.

She is useful. Even if she is forced to stay, she can still gain a foothold by Xie Yun's side with another identity.

The female guest will have money and food to receive and new clothes to wear, and she will live a comfortable life before meeting Xie Yun's uncle, Prime Minister Xie.

My uncle and aunt can rest assured now.

"My dear, can I take a walk around Wuling City? If I find someone going to Wuyang County, I can write a letter and ask them to bring it back."

"Give it to me when you've finished writing it."

"……I see."

-

Two days after the gathering, Zhang Jingxian's life was uneventful.

I had breakfast with my followers, gave acupuncture to Envoy Xie's injured leg, accompanied Huang Ying to catch insects, and read two pages of Prime Minister Xie's collected works. In that time, a day had passed.

It seemed that the word "no" on the carriage had worked, and Xie Yun became his normal self, no longer making her feel weird and incomprehensible.

Sometimes he is a venomous snake, sometimes he is a gentleman, sometimes he is gloomy, sometimes he is gentle.

Zhang Jingxian felt reassured by this. She subconsciously believed that Xie Yun's true form was the best. She couldn't bear the thought of him turning into the gentle and polite person he was in his previous life, or the more sinister and ghostly one.

The former will make her feel a dull pain in her heart, and the latter will make her feel scared and terrified.

Over the course of two days, the fingerprints on her wrist gradually faded, and neither Xiao Chan nor the popular Da Langjun she'd mentioned were anywhere to be seen. Zhang Jingxian guessed that after their mutual testing, she had lost her usefulness to them.

She felt somewhat helpless about this. A wise person would see things through to the end. They ignored her directly, fearing she wouldn't notice their trick?

Another day, while giving acupuncture to Xie Yun, Zhang Jingxian met Xie outside the door and couldn't help asking about Cai Xiang's news.

"Madam Zhang, you will know soon." Xie's reaction was a little uncomfortable. After the elegant gathering that day, he was punished by the envoy to write ten essays.

For an illiterate soldier, this was no less than torture. Therefore, he had mixed feelings when he encountered Zhang Jingxian, the source of the trouble.

Of course I can't blame her.

She worked for the envoy, helped them find the whereabouts of the eldest prince's men, and did not arouse Cai Xiang's suspicion. She could be said to be a qualified guest.

Xie began to be confused as to why the envoy punished him.

But Xie was sure that Madam Zhang and Mr. Gongcheng must know.

"How long is 'soon'?" The woman, unaware of his inner conflict, asked again.

Zhang Jingxian was a little anxious. After all, this was her first task as a guest, and she had to see results, otherwise how could she reward her according to her merits.

Xie's eyes flickered slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, he only repeated two words, "Soon!"

Could it be tonight? She mused. Only today did the oriole peck at the window irritably but did not fly away.

Animals are spiritual. Every time there is a big fire in Yangshan, they are the first to know about it before the slow-witted humans.

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The author has something to say: Muah, I'll finish Wuling County City soon. I feel something is wrong, so I added a few hundred words~