Chapter 28 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Around midnight, there were signs that it was going to rain.
The damp mountain mist, as thin as smoke, obscured the moonlight and plunged the journey home into darkness.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and wild grass grew rampant. The man spurred his horse and swiftly traversed the desolate mountains and wilderness.
The night breeze caressed Pei Zan's face, causing his wide-sleeved black robe to flutter like a butterfly. The warhorse he rode beneath him, Mo Yu, galloped with its mane flying, as swift as a hurricane.
When Pei Zan arrived at the camp, the bag of venison hanging on the saddle was still warm.
Pei Zan dismounted and glanced at the soldiers lying drunk on the ground. He was about to reprimand them for their lax discipline when he remembered that he had hosted the banquet tonight…
He loved wine and indulged in wine and women.
This is simply human nature.
Pei Zan frowned, but ultimately said nothing.
Pei Zan took two more steps forward and saw in the distance the military tent where Lin Rong slept.
The tent was pitch black, with no lamp lit... Judging by the time, Lin Rong had probably already gone to sleep.
Pei Zan lifted the curtain and entered the tent. By the dim moonlight, he looked around and saw that it was still just as he had left it.
Rosewood chests were stacked at the corners of the tent, and the documents on the table were also categorized and neatly arranged. All the utensils in the tent were clean and tidy, with nothing scattered on the floor.
The same few thin brocade quilts still lay on the couch... They had been washed several times, and the quilt covers still retained the fresh scent of soap beans.
Even though Lin Rong lived alone, she didn't dare to overstep the rules and rummage through Pei Zan's clothes and bedding.
Pei Zan's brows relaxed until he saw the pot of smokeless silver charcoal.
There was only some white ash left in the charcoal brazier, and no embers... Lin Rong was afraid of the cold, and whenever he ordered someone to place a charcoal brazier, she would secretly move closer to it and warm herself by the fire.
Summer hadn't arrived yet, and the foothills were chilly. There was no lamp or charcoal in the tent; where had Lin Rong gone?
Pei Zan's fingers tightened slightly, his gaze turned cold, he threw down the bag of venison, turned and strode out of the tent.
-
When Zheng Huiyin returned from the banquet, she came to the military tent with a bag of salted meat pastries, wanting to share them with Lin Rong.
When she saw Pei Zan in black on horseback in the distance, her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously took half a step back.
Pei Zan, however, kept a cold expression, his phoenix eyes glaring at her with a menacing gaze, and asked in a gloomy tone, "Where is Lin Rong?"
Zheng Huiyin was afraid of Pei Zan, and she frowned: "Isn't Rong'er in the tent?"
Pei Zan smirked, a surge of anger erupting from his heart. He spurred his horse closer to Zheng Huiyin, gripping the whip tightly, and looked down at her, demanding an explanation.
"I'll ask you one more time, where is Lin Rong?"
Pei Zan was a military general who had fought for many years. When he asked questions with a cold face, he had an imposing and oppressive aura that made people's legs go weak.
No matter how skilled Zheng Huiyin was in martial arts, she was still just a little girl raised in a tent.
Fearing Pei Zan's unpredictable moods, she quickly said, "I really don't know..."
Pei Zan had already stepped forward with his whip, glaring at her fiercely as if she were already dead: "If you're not afraid I'll skin you alive, then keep lying."
Zheng Huiyin was startled. In a flash, she shouted, "Sesame... Rong'er and Sesame are gone!"
Pei Zan frowned: "What is sesame?"
"A horse! It's...it's that mixed-breed horse that Mo Yu had when he mated with a wild horse!"
Pei Zan understood most of it. His face turned ashen, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and he laughed in extreme anger.
"Get out!" Pei Zan twisted his wrist and cracked his whip, delivering a fierce lash that sent Zheng Huiyin flying into the mud on the side.
Caught off guard, Zheng Huiyin was struck hard on the calf by the fierce whip and fell into the haystack. A swollen welt suddenly appeared on her leg, and Zheng Huiyin grimaced in pain, her dignity completely ruined.
Ignoring the mud on her clothes, Zheng Huiyin quickly rolled away to avoid him. Watching Pei Zan's tall figure ride off, she gritted her teeth and cursed, "Pei Zan, you madman! You have a fit as soon as you get back to camp!!"
-
As darkness fell, a thin mist settled over the sky.
Lin Rong had been trekking through mountains and plains for a long time, with only moonlight and stars illuminating her path.
A moment later, dark clouds obscured the frosty moon, the stars appeared and disappeared intermittently, and the surroundings were plunged into pitch-black darkness, with only the rustling sound of horses' hooves shoving through the grass.
Lin Rong dared not stop; she knew Pei Zan's cunning and dared not let her guard down.
Lin Rong had to do her best to travel as far as possible, even though her eyes were dry from the wind, her legs were chafed raw by the saddle, and her whole body ached and felt weak.
As Lin Rong crossed a barren stretch of riverbank, she suddenly heard another rapid sound of hooves approaching from afar.
Lin Rong was startled.
Her shoulders and back were stiff, her eyes were sluggish, and she was trying to distinguish the strange noises... Perhaps it was just a wild animal moving through the forest, perhaps it was just an echo in the woods, or perhaps she was just hallucinating from exhaustion.
Lin Rong's mind raced with a mix of numbness and fear as she made her guesses. She tried to comfort herself, but even so, she lowered her body just in case, gently spurred the horse's flanks, and helplessly begged Sesame to run faster.
"Run! Run fast! Don't stop!"
She didn't dare turn around!
Until a black-feathered arrow, with chilling killing intent, tore through the night and whistled towards Lin Rong!
The sharp iron arrow struck the girl unexpectedly, grazing her face like a cold blade, slicing off several strands of her flowing black hair...
Upon seeing that menacing long arrow, Lin Rong's joy and sense of relief vanished completely.
She knew the pursuers were coming!
Lin Rong turned around abruptly and saw a shocking scene, which terrified her.
Lin Rong's head felt numb, as if her skull was being split open and her vision was going black from the pain.
On a moonlit night shrouded in clouds, a magnificent and powerful steed gallops from afar.
A haughty man sat on horseback, his long hair swaying slightly, his black clothes fluttering, like a bloodthirsty and murderous Yama from hell.
The man discarded the reins, controlling the horse with ease. He gripped a powerful ox-horn bow in one hand, nocked an arrow and drew the string with the other, the arrow aimed at Lin Rong's brow.
It was Pei Zan!
Pei Zan's phoenix eyes were cold and deep, like a raging storm, almost devouring one whole. He slightly raised his chin, and several bluish veins bulged with anger, shockingly lying across his neck.
"Lin Rong!" Pei Zan suppressed his raging anger, his voice icy cold as he issued an ultimatum to Lin Rong.
"Take one more step and I'll kill you!"
Lin Rong hurriedly turned her head, subconsciously touching her cheek, feeling the pain from the arrow that had just grazed her face.
She knew Pei Zan was ruthless and cruel; he wasn't joking... Her escape attempt failed, and she was captured by Pei Zan. She was bound to suffer his blame and humiliation.
A dog that betrays its owner.
A concubine who ran away.
A trivial thing...
Any one of her words was enough to seal her fate.
Lin Rong has no way out!
Her almond-shaped eyes widened, her breath quickened, and a chill rose from the hollow of her waist, spreading to the back of her neck, making her hair stand on end and her scalp tingle.
Lin Rong refused to stop, and she slapped the horse's rump hard: "Run!"
She gave Sesame her order: this was her last chance to survive!
Sesame and Lin Rong were of one mind, and Sesame naturally knew that danger lurked behind them. With the horse's hooves pounding, the two of them quickened their pace of escape.
Pei Zan pursued relentlessly from behind, forcing Lin Rong into a lakeside beach covered with dense aquatic plants.
Lin Rong knew that the unfathomable heart of the lake lay in the distance, but she had nowhere to retreat, dared not stop, and could not stop.
Once she falls from her horse, she will be captured by Pei Zan, and what awaits her is shackles, a butcher's knife, boundless darkness, and suffering beyond her control... She will suffer a fate worse than death, and she must fight for herself!
-
Pei Zan's murderous intent was fully revealed; he had no intention of letting Lin Rong go.
How ridiculous! For the sake of a mere maid, he offended his allies in public, earning himself the absurd and infamous reputation of "favoring his concubine over his wife."
He admitted that he had shown some favoritism towards Lin Rong and treated her well, but she was hypocritical and dared to harbor rebellious thoughts.
Pei Zan thought of the falcons he had trapped in his tent... His methods of training the falcons were ruthless; he was even willing to break their wings and bones, rather than cut off their water and food, just to tame them.
Can't tame them? They just haven't been hurt enough.
Pei Zan closed his eyes slightly, raised his arm again, straightened his back, and drew back the powerful bow.
The black-feathered arrow shot out with lightning speed, heading straight for the scraggly horse Lin Rong was riding.
A mournful, piercing neighing of a horse rang out, sending chills down one's spine and deafeningly loud!
In an instant, the horse's rump was torn open, and blood gushed out, overflowing the lake.
Lin Rong was thrown off her horse by the injured Sesame and unexpectedly fell into the lake.
She was soaked to the bone, her hands and feet touching the ground, and she gasped in pain.
Ignoring her own safety, Lin Rong looked up to examine Sesame's injury. The arrow had pierced the horse's rump, penetrating the skin and flesh... The long arrow hung precariously in the flesh.
Sesame's four hooves were not injured. It seemed to know that Lin Rong was still in the lake, and it even wanted to bear the pain to carry her!
Lin Rong felt a pang of sadness. She knew Pei Zan's plan... If she still dared to ride a horse, he would definitely shoot her dead with an arrow!
Pei Zan is a ruthless killer; he will never show mercy!
Lin Rong didn't want to kill Sesame. She bit her lower lip and gave the order: "Run! Don't come any closer! Sesame, run!"
Lin Rong suddenly lashed out with her whip, striking Sesame on the neck and sending it flying.
She then quickly got up and, using both her hands and feet, crawled into the depths of the lake.
Lin Rong has already been dismissed, but she is determined to escape and still dares to run away!
Pei Zan watched her abandon her horse and flee, his forehead veins throbbing slightly, and he laughed in anger.
Pei Zan's patience ran out, and he became malicious, threatening her: "If you dare to take a single step into the water, I will kill you."
Pei Zan was true to his word; he had nowhere to vent his burning anger and wished he could grind people to dust.
If Lin Rong is obedient and crawls back from the lake, he can still give her a complete corpse; if she is fierce and insists on going against him, then let him see what it means to have bones broken and neck snapped, and to beg for death but be unable to die.
Lin Rong was not unaware of Pei Zan's coercion.
She was simply at her wit's end, and simply didn't want to!
She used to be a slave in the Pei household and never dared to disobey her master's orders. Her escape today is already a bold and reckless act.
But she had climbed out, she had seen the full moon and admired the lake, she had gained freedom, so how could she want to return to that cramped and terrifying cage and be tortured by Pei Zan?
Lin Rong was afraid of water, so she ran away exhausted.
She had no way out, and her heart was filled with endless despair.
A rain of arrows, like locusts falling from the sky, shot rapidly into the lake's tidal bore.
Pei Zan's archery skills were superb; he was merely toying with Lin Rong.
Each black-feathered arrow avoided her vital organs, limbs, and neck, precisely circumventing her critical points, forcing Lin Rong to retreat one step at a time.
But Lin Rong didn't appreciate it at all; she didn't have time to play games with Pei Zan.
Ignoring everything else and unafraid of getting hurt, she swam towards the fast-flowing center of the lake and then plunged into the water.
Lin Rong can't swim, she's afraid of water, and she's very tired.
The moment the lake water rushed into her mouth and nose, Lin Rong was horrified to recall her childhood.
She saw her hypocritical father, her family members who called her a "worthless piece of trash," and she saw them pressing their hands down on her head, pushing her down into a bottomless lake.
Go to hell!
Go to hell!
Lin Rong choked on the water, and her chest ached terribly, as if it were about to burst.
She was determined to die, but when she thought of the fiery plum blossoms she used to see when she looked up after a tiring day of sweeping snow, when she left the Pei mansion and saw the bustling world, when she rode Sesame across the fields... she didn't actually want to die at all!
Lin Rong floated in the dark, surging lake, sometimes struggling, sometimes falling.
Lin Rong was afraid of lakes; after she fell into the water, her hands and feet became stiff and immobile.
She was powerless to save herself, letting her hair fall loose, spreading out like clumps of water plants. A red silk ribbon slipped out of her hair and was swept onto the lake surface by the undercurrent.
Lin Rong continued to sink, her eyes open in the lake water, exhaling a few tiny bubbles from her remaining lungs.
She seemed to be in pain, feeling stifled, and resigned to her fate. She watched as the bright red hair ribbon, as vibrant as blood, stretched upwards, its tenacious vitality resembling a beautiful water snake.
The red string that belonged exclusively to Lin Rong was suddenly wrapped around an ebony Buddhist bead.
Immediately, a fair and jade-like hand tightened the red thread and wrapped Lin Rong's hair ribbon between its fingers.
The man's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Rong without any room for argument, pulling her back.
Lin Rong was trapped in a cage; she was being held tightly and pulled upwards with all her might.
The moment she burst out of the water, Lin Rong vomited a mouthful of dirty water.
Her thick eyelashes were wet with water, forming strands. Her fluffy black hair, after being soaked in water, lay flat and spread over her already disheveled robe, just covering the beautiful plum blossom birthmark.
Lin Rong remained in the middle of the lake.
She shivered from the cold, her hands, soft and boneless, resting on the man's strong, muscular arms...
It was only then that Lin Rong realized that she had used Pei Zan as a lifeline, and that she had clung to him to survive.
Looking at Pei Zan's gloomy face, Lin Rong couldn't help but tremble, biting her already frozen lower lip.
Pei Zan's eyes still held murderous intent; his gaze was cold, but a sharp smile played on his lips, as if he were laughing in extreme anger. "Lin Rong."
Lin Rong was startled.
Then, Pei Zan pinched the girl's slender neck with his long, cold fingers, slightly loosening his grip to restrain her.
Pei Zan asked meaningfully, "Are you afraid of water?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Rong's pupils trembled, her blood seemed to lose its temperature, and she felt as if she were frozen, her limbs stiff and unable to move.
More than drowning, she feared exposing her weaknesses and having Pei Zan discover her vulnerabilities... Would he use this to torment her? Would he make her wish she were dead?
Lin Rong dared not answer; she remained silent, as if she were dead.
Pei Zan, however, found it amusing. His slightly calloused fingertips moved ambiguously from Lin Rong's smooth chin to the back of her neck.
The skin and flesh in that area are soft and delicate, and the bone beads roll around, making it easy to handle.
Not content with that, Pei Zan gently inserted his long fingers into Lin Rong's hair, his large, cool palms pressed against the back of her head, controlling her in a cunning and cruel way.
This action seemed to be supporting Lin Rong's head, or perhaps it was a vicious attempt to control her.
Only Lin Rong knew... this was a very torturous action.
He could hold her head down and force her into the water to drown.
Because he knew she feared water, and because he harbored a strong murderous intent!
Lin Rong didn't even dare to sob or beg for mercy, fearing that her struggles and resistance would only entertain Pei Zan!
After all, he's a madman who laughs at the sight of blood!
Lin Rong remained silent, not daring to utter a sound. A thick, metallic scent of blood lingered around her neck and shoulders, mingling with the dampness rising from the lake, making her want to vomit.
"You were willing to fall into the water rather than mount the horse just now, was it to save that beast? Were you afraid I would shoot it?"
After Pei Zan finished speaking indifferently, Lin Rong was so shocked that she looked up and sensed the murderous intent hidden in Pei Zan's voice.
She couldn't just stand by and watch Sesame die!
After all, in Pei Zan's eyes, it was nothing more than a horse that could be slaughtered at will; he could not possibly pity a useless animal.
If killing Sesame would be a small punishment for Lin Rong, he would be happy to do so.
Lin Rong couldn't keep being stubborn.
"Young Master..."
Tears welled in Lin Rong's eyes, her face turned pale instantly, and her soft lips lost their red color from the cold. Helpless, she looked at Pei Zan and pleaded softly.
She had nowhere left to retreat, so she tried to show weakness.
She finally spoke to him: "Young Master, I'm so cold..."
"How pitiful." Pei Zan remained unmoved. He pulled Lin Rong into his arms, supporting the back of her head with one hand and gripping her slender waist tightly with the other.
He simply held her in the lake, refusing to take her ashore.
Pei Zan's jade hairpin fell into the pond, causing ripples on the blue water. Dressed in black with black hair, her face was lush and beautiful, like a water ghost haunted by deep resentment.
Lin Rong was held tightly in Pei Zan's arms. She knew that Pei Zan was still furious.
If she wanted to survive, she had to beg for mercy, or... please Pei Zan. She would have to break her own bones and clip her wings in order to save her life.
She refused to admit defeat, but she accepted her fate.
She needs to live in order to have a chance to escape.
So Lin Rong swallowed her blood and tears, enduring the chill between her teeth, and pleaded softly, "Young Master... take me away from here, I will never run away again."
Lin Rong did not answer the questions about "fear of water" and "sesame seeds." She did not admit that these were her weaknesses. She spoke softly and gently, only hoping that Pei Zan would calm down and let her off the hook.
"I really, really won't run away again..."
Lin Rong lowered her voice and lost all dignity, letting him do whatever he wanted; she was unbelievably obedient.
"Are you begging me?" Pei Zan seemed to have heard a joke. There was no warmth in his eyes. The string of Buddhist beads was still attached to her cool skin, as if it wanted to drain her blood and bones and devour her body.
"I'm begging you..."
Lin Rong nodded obediently, admitting that she had lost.
Pei Zan raised her lips: "Lin Rong, is this how you beg for help?"
Lin Rong didn't understand. Her face was pale as she looked at Pei Zan, who was also immersed in the lake, at the red ribbon wrapped around Pei Zan's jade wrist, and at Pei Zan's deep and fierce eyebrows... A strange, sudden, and bewildered thought arose in her mind.
Lin Rong wanted to give it a try.
Her snow-white eyelashes trembled slightly as she silently drew closer.
Lin Rong stared at Pei Zan's thin, aloof lips, then inexplicably lowered her head and carefully licked them.
"Young Master, is that alright?"
Was she asking him if he could take her away from the lake? Or was she asking him if they could continue kissing?
Pei Zan remained silent, and Lin Rong dared not dodge.
Lin Rong's soft lips touched the corner of his mouth, stopping there and not going any further.
She waited for a long time, wondering if this would please Pei Zan.
Fortunately... Pei Zan didn't push her away.
Author's Note: Mwah! This is Sunday's update. Monday's update might still be at 10 PM, so don't stay up late to wait!
Love you all!!
You'll usually get 100 red gems per day.
(Just between you and me, I really will write it my way, and I won't accept any suggestions to revise it...t I'm so sorry, because I don't want to stop updating. I will finish writing the book properly, love you all, at least my commitment to keeping the story going will be guaranteed~ But most of the paragraphs are really cute, don't worry! I laughed while reading them~)
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