Chapter 40
The touch through the gauze was light as nothing, yet it was as real as a thunderclap from a clear sky. Pei Du covered his chin and suddenly tilted his head back. The blush behind his ears quickly spread to the sides of his face, as if stained with cinnabar, and the whole area from his ears to his chin was a blood-red color.
Xie Qinghong was caught off guard by his reaction, as if she had been disrespectful to him, and immediately blushed. However, seeing his expression, the anger that had been building up inside her dissipated.
She felt that she had found a way to get along with her fiancé, the prince. She had previously thought that he liked to hear compliments, so she just praised him like she praised her brother. But now she realized that he only liked to hear her compliments and that he was quite easy to please.
Always relying on intuition to understand people's hearts, Xie Qinghong's intuition told him: He seems to like me a lot.
There's no particular reason; it's just a unique kind of liking.
She stood there wearing a veil, while Pei Du was still covering his chin, his expression changing repeatedly. After a long while, he whispered as if complaining, "Why didn't you say anything before kissing me? That's not right."
Xie Qinghong immediately became angry and embarrassed: "I didn't kiss you! I just rubbed against you, and there was still a gauze between us."
Pei Du turned his head away from her and said sullenly, "It's not up to you. You kissed me."
Xie Qinghong said gruffly, "So what if we kissed? Why can't people kiss? You're my fiancé, I can kiss you whenever I want." That's just how assertive Xie Qinghong is!
Pei Du slowly turned his head, his face still flushed. At this moment, his emotions were like a mountain stream, and the resentment that had been suppressed in his heart for so long, before being cleansed by the Buddhist scriptures, disappeared completely in the girl's soft touch.
He cleared his throat: "So, can I kiss whenever I want?"
The heartless fiancée, her voice as sweet as a nightingale's song but her heart as cold as iron, said, "No, I'll be shy." Then, blushing, she turned and tried to crawl back into the carriage.
Pei Du quickly grabbed her wrist, his eyes and brows brimming with undisguised amusement: "How about we raid the bandit's den? Have you heard all those ridiculous rumors about me? I'll tell you them all, okay?"
Xie Qinghong hesitated: "But it looks like it's going to rain heavily."
“It will only last a little while; summer afternoons in the south are like this.” Pei Du was in a very good mood. “You’ll see later.”
He dismounted and sat back down in front of the carriage. Xie Qinghong then sat beside him, their shoulders lightly touching. No one said one should sit inside a carriage, and besides, she wanted to hear rumors, so she sat there with a clear conscience. Pei Du slowly started the carriage.
The dirt road was bumpy, and she was jolted so much that she fell towards Pei Du's side, and then her head was pulled up and rested on his arm, her veil hanging askew to one side.
“When I was ten years old, two low-ranking guards from the royal palace tried to kidnap me and demand money from my mother while my father was out leading troops. My mother was soft-hearted and was so frightened that she didn’t know what to do and almost cried. The two guards thought she was easy to bully and added more demands. So I killed them with my sword.”
He spoke casually, but Xie Qinghong glimpsed the youth's breathtaking emotions in those few words. She listened quietly without saying a word.
"Then, when I was fourteen, my father told me that there was an extremely remote mountain village in the south, a place that was extremely isolated and backward, even more backward than the southern lands known as the Southern Barbarian Lands. There, they practiced human sacrifice and ghost marriages. The human sacrifices were usually young girls, but the number of girls in that village was decreasing, so they left the mountain village and abducted girls of suitable age from remote towns and villages..."
Hearing this, Xie Qinghong nervously grabbed his sleeve: "Are there still such backward places in the South? Human sacrifice has been extinct for thousands of years."
Pei Du: "Yes, but there are always some ignorant people who try to get the protection of evil spirits. So I found that mountain stronghold. The stronghold was full of ordinary people, without any vicious bandits, so the fight wasn't too difficult. The difficult part was that those girls also thought they were sacrifices to the gods, believing that as long as they were sacrificed, they could get a next life."
He paused for a moment: "Then, after I destroyed the mountain stronghold, a girl I had rescued committed suicide and swore to the gods that she would curse me with her own flesh and blood."
Xie Qinghong felt a chill run down his spine. Mountain bandits were not scary, but people's hearts were.
"I'm telling you everything today, so stop believing the story about me beheading seventy or eighty people in one night." Pei Du's tone shifted abruptly, and he suddenly laughed. "In your rumors, am I only cruel and cold-blooded?"
Xie Qinghong shook his head and said honestly, "You are also unpredictable and moody. I heard that you draw your sword and kill people at the slightest disagreement. Your sword is rarely drawn, but when it is, it draws blood."
Pei Du: "..." This seems somewhat apt; I don't know how to refute it. How can I convince my fiancée that I'm a reasonable gentleman?
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Xie Qinghong smiled and said, "But some people say that you are as upright and honest as a gentle breeze and a bright moon, and I think so too."
Pei Du smiled slightly, flicked the reins, and the carriage sped up. He said, "However, some people have told me that Xie's youngest daughter has been pampered since childhood, is proud and adorable, and cannot bear the slightest grievance. I think so too."
"proud?!"
"I didn't listen carefully, I just remember that it was cute."
The carriage wheels rumbled along the road, and the girl's crimson hair ribbon swayed in the wind, gently landing on the young man's shoulder, like a kite falling in spring, landing alone on a single branch.
Then, as they traveled to the crossroads between the two mountains, Xie Qinghong, feeling drowsy from not having rested for lunch, heard someone shout from the roadside: "Stop right there! This is Feiyun Village's territory. If you want to pass through, you'll have to pay!"
Xie Qinghong's spirits lifted, and he straightened his back to look over. To be robbed by bandits in broad daylight, it seemed that this band of bandits outside Huaizhou was indeed very arrogant. No wonder Pei Du had to come all the way from Yuecheng to wipe them out; it was truly no wonder.
Pei Du stopped at the right time, but unlike the usual merchants, they were not in a panic. They were just two people traveling light, and the bandit actually came forward on his own. When he saw that they were two young boys and girls, he couldn't help but curse inwardly. These young girls had little money and a lot of trouble. However, he still had to follow the procedure: "Hurry up and hand over the silver! I won't say it a second time!"
Xie Qinghong, protected behind Pei Du, peeked out from behind the voice and asked, "How much money do we need to get through here?"
"At least five taels of silver, but for the two of you, ten taels is the final price." The bandit had a full beard and sounded like a young man. Although he looked fierce, he wasn't particularly aggressive.
This is also why Pei Du didn't make a move, and let Xie Qinghong bargain with him: "It's too expensive. We're not married yet. How about five taels of silver for the two of us? We didn't bring much money with us when we traveled."
The bandit's eyes widened, and he drew his broadsword, brandishing it with a whooshing sound: "Ignorant brat, do you think I'm here to sell melons? Hurry up and pay up, or this knife of mine isn't just for show!"
Xie Qinghong couldn't help but want to see more clearly, so he leaned forward halfway, revealing his whole face. He was quite taken aback by the imposing manner with which the man wielded the broadsword, and it was far inferior to Pei Du's killing move.
When the bandit saw her face clearly, he suddenly stopped and waved his hand dismissively, "Go away, go away. I don't want your few taels of silver. We haven't made a single sale today. What bad luck!"
Pei Du's eyes darkened, and he abruptly drew his sword. The blade reflected the sunlight, and with a slight flash, it was pressed against the bandit's throat. The bandit belatedly realized that he had found a tough opponent today, but he had seen many such young men; they were all just all show and no substance.
He silently put down his machete and said, "Young hero, you misunderstand."
Pei Du coldly asked, "Where are your eyes looking?"
The bandit immediately understood and silently glanced to the side: "Watch the mountain."
Xie Qinghong smiled and asked, "The toll for the road is five taels of silver, how much is the toll for the mountain?"
Then the bandit, being very pragmatic, knew that they must be up to no good, and immediately led the way: "Please come this way, you two. Feiyun Village is up there. You two are righteous and chivalrous, so please come to Feiyun Village as guests today. Our chief will certainly give you a warm welcome."
As soon as the two heroes entered the stronghold, the bandit who had led the way immediately stepped aside. Xie Qinghong had not yet seen the layout of the bandit stronghold, nor had he seen how Pei Du had made his move. When he came to his senses, he saw wounded people all over the ground. The bandit who had led the way was full of flattery: "Young hero, you truly have the demeanor of a master!"
What's this called again? A sword's frost chills forty men!
Xie Qinghong was filled with amazement and exclaimed sincerely, "You are really amazing!"
"You flatter me." The composed Prince Pei sheathed his sword with clean and swift movements. His eyes were cold and his posture was like a pine tree, a unique and sharp sword in the world.
After descending the mountain, the still calm Prince Pei said seriously, "From now on, this mountain is yours."
Xie Qinghong was looking down, pulling at her skirt to see where she was going. Before she could reply, he took two steps forward, half-squatted in front of her, and whispered, "Get on, I'll carry you."
Without hesitation, she climbed onto his shoulder and felt his shoulders and back taut, as if he were a young man with a heart full of joy. Her mood brightened as well: "Then I want to plant tea trees on this mountain and build a tea garden!"
"Okay, you can plant whatever you want." Pei Du carried her slowly down the mountain, leaving the sunset and night behind.
Xie Qinghong didn't ask him to carry her when she went up the mountain, but she realized how comfortable it was to be carried when she came down. She leaned her head on his shoulder and slowly fell asleep. When night fell, she woke up groggily for a moment and saw fireflies twinkling in the forest, like stars falling to earth.
She was still not fully awake and asked in a daze, "Pei Du, what if you find out that everything in this world is fake? Like we are just passersby in a book, whose names are rarely mentioned, just like fireflies, which can only be seen in the dark."
“Then I’ll write a book myself, a book that only tells our story.”
She asked casually, but Pei Du answered seriously: "Fireflies are like the sun and moon; even if they are just passing through, they all have their own things to do."
Xie Qinghong was drifting off to sleep again: "What you said is so true." She groggily raised her hand and touched the top of his head, a gesture like purring a cat.
Pei Du paused, looking at the vast night sky. He thought that after tonight, his future mother-in-law would probably add him to her list of people she would refuse to associate with, and he would certainly not be able to maintain such close proximity to her for a while.
In that instant, he thought of Danbiansheng and softly called out, "Ayao."
Xie Qinghong hummed in response, but when he didn't hear him continue, he forced himself to sit up, yawned, and asked, "Why did you call me?"
Pei Du used a clever trick to place the person on a large rock by the roadside, and then called out softly, "Ayao."
"Hmm?" Xie Qinghong tilted his head in confusion.
Then his hand covered her eyes. Losing her sight made her more sensitive. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, brushing against his palm, making his heart flutter with a ticklish sensation.
"Ayao, I love you." Pei Du leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips, a kiss both restrained and gentle. "Love me too, okay?"
Xie Qinghong's eyes widened under the cover of his palm. The gentle touch on his lips was much clearer than the touch through the gauze. The young man's thoughts were expressed directly and subtly through this kiss.
All I could hear was my own heartbeat, and all I could think about were: Eighth, Pei Du stole a kiss from me! Ninth, Pei Du actually dared to kiss me! Tenth, Pei Du said he loved me!
It was all a mess, and I didn't know if my reply was good or bad. I only remembered that when we parted, Pei Du had an undisguised smile on his lips and his eyes seemed to be full of spring.
——
When Pei Du returned to the Southern Prince's Mansion, he happened to arrive just as the Southern Prince was on his way to the Buddhist temple to fetch his princess. There was no one in the Southern Prince's Mansion, so he went straight to the secret room. The Hu assassin from a few days ago had been locked up there and tortured by the secret guards for two days. They should have found out something from him.
He didn't understand the Hu language, but now he felt he should still learn it. After all, Ayao was so smart and quick to learn anything. He couldn't possibly follow his father to become a warrior, lest he end up like his father, unable to get along with his mother.
He has always been good at learning from the experience of his predecessors and constantly improving upon it.
The secret room was set up underground. When he came down, the guards who were guarding him hurriedly stepped forward to report: "It is confirmed that they are Hu people, and their goal is to kidnap Miss Xie. It is said that it is a secret order from the Hu king's tent. There is no cause and effect. They only gave a few names and said that these people must be taken to the Hu land."
Who else has that name?
"Qin Heng of the Duke of Qin's Mansion, Zheng Yingluo of the Duke of Zheng's Mansion, and Song Lingxi, the daughter of the Imperial Censor." The guard presented the recorded confession. "After comparison, these are the people we can confirm. Among them, Song Lingxi was imprisoned in a Buddhist pagoda a few days ago due to rumors of evil spirits, and her whereabouts are unknown. It is suspected that she was taken away by the Hu people."
Pei Du pondered, "Do these people have something in common?" If they were from a prestigious family, Song Lingxi was a step behind; if they were quick-witted, Zheng Yingluo was unremarkable; and if they were good-looking... well, compared to A Yao, the other three were far inferior.
There must be some hidden connection that he hadn't noticed. Putting Song Lingxi aside for the moment, he knew that Qin and Zheng had caused Ayao to fall into the water and become seriously ill at the beginning of the year, which caused some discord among the three families.
Could it be a conflict between opposing families? No, that's not right. The relationships between powerful families are complex, and temporary disagreements are insignificant. Besides, if it were a family matter, then the one to be kidnapped should be the family heir.
The guard said, "Song Lingxi seemed to have become a different person after falling into the water at the beginning of the year, which attracted the attention of Emperor Xingde. He specially ordered people to keep an eye on her and report back from time to time. Later, she wrote the poem 'Looking at the Tide of the Sea,' which aroused Emperor Xingde's suspicion and led him to say that she was possessed by an evil spirit."
"They seemed like completely different people after falling into the water and becoming seriously ill?" Pei Du's eyes brightened slightly. So that's how it is. That's what they have in common. He then asked, "How did they enter the country? They even made it to Huaizhou."
"These Hu people entered the territory during last year's peace talks, disguised themselves as merchants from neighboring small countries, and traded goods in various places. Because the document was personally approved by Emperor Xingde last year, nothing has been found out."
Last year, Emperor Xingde had just ascended the throne. In order to demonstrate the majesty of a great nation and create a grand spectacle of all nations paying tribute, he issued many travel permits to the surrounding small countries, ostensibly to protect the smooth flow of trade routes. However, he did not know that this move allowed the Hu people to take advantage of many loopholes.
Pei Du chuckled lightly: "Incompetent."
The guard gave him a look, and Pei Du understood: "Find out if they have any accomplices. If you can't find out, kill them. This kind of spy is useless."
Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly shouted from the depths of the dark room: "Prince of the Southern King, my name is Unada, and I am the brother of Wushilantuo. I have a secret to tell you! I will only tell you!"
Pei Du approached, looked at this man who was supposedly Wu Shilan Tuo's brother, and sneered: "Your Sheng Kingdom Mandarin is better than your brother's."
Unada had been imprisoned for several days and tortured several times. He was already on the verge of a mental breakdown, but his will to survive kept him going. When he heard that the Prince of the South really did not leave any survivors as rumored, he dared not hold back any longer. He had only come along to get some credit, how could he have imagined that he would run into the Prince of the South?
This guy is a living Yama!
He quickly smiled obsequiously, "I think what you're saying sounds nice. I really do know the secret; my brother told me. He's the king's confidant and knows many secrets!"
"Go on," Pei Du said calmly.
“Our High Priest observed the celestial phenomena last night and discovered that the star Celestial Maiden had descended. Therefore, the King ordered us to find the Celestial Maiden, as he wishes to marry her as his queen. It is not intended to offend your country. Our two countries have a ten-year alliance agreement.” Unada didn’t think there was anything wrong with this. Just like some emperor in the past who dreamed of a fairy, it was a romantic affair that would be known to everyone in Sheng Kingdom.
Pei Du stared coldly at him, gestured behind him, and turned to leave without a second thought.
Just as he was about to change his clothes back in his room, a guard came to invite him: "Having heard that the young master has returned, His Highness requests that you come to the study to discuss matters."
As soon as he entered the study, a book as thick as a brick was thrown at him. He caught it without changing his expression and casually put it aside, saying, "Father."
The Southern King was furious: "Do you still consider me your father? I told you to go to the Buddhist temple to calm your mind, and you secretly ran away again?! And you even took... your fiancée to raid a bandit's den? I'm going to tell Xie Wen, and he can beat you to death another day, so that you won't become my in-laws and then come and scold me for failing to raise my son properly!"
Pei Du couldn't resist showing off: "Ayao is fond of me, so naturally she's willing to stay with me."
Nan Wang: "???" What nonsense are you talking about? You're even using my nickname? Either you have a problem or I do.
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