Chapter 7 Tightening the Belt This falcon is handsome; I want to catch it and keep it as a pet…
Looking at the ground just two inches away from her beautiful face, Yu Nie patted her chest with lingering fear: "That was close, that was close, I almost ruined my second path in life."
The person behind her glanced at her and suddenly asked, "How are you feeling, little Taoist priest?"
With her back to him, she couldn't see his wicked expression: "Very good, very good, uh... Captain, could you take me back?"
Zi Jing looked disdainful, lowered her eyes and coldly glanced at the hand that was tightly gripping hers, and had no choice but to lend a hand and pull her straight.
Having practiced martial arts for many years, he possessed immense strength. He grabbed the back of her outer garment by the collar and, with a slight exertion of two fingers, easily straightened her up.
Yes, Yu Nie, who didn't think she had the female lead's script, didn't fall to the ground, nor was she pulled into someone's arms by a pair of long hands. She was indeed saved, but the other person only grabbed the back of her collar.
Before she could thank him or let go of his hand, Xie Cheng, who had heard her scream from next door, jumped out of bed, clutching his wound, and rushed over.
Ahui and Langxi also rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
The three people stood around the doorway, all dumbfounded.
Inside the room, two people stood facing each other. The girl with red lips and white teeth held the black and gold leather belt of the boy who was a head taller than her with her delicate hands. Anyone who saw this would blush and have their heart pound like a deer caught in a hunter's trap.
The scene was too difficult to explain, so Yu Nie quickly withdrew her hand to explain the most embarrassing moment of her life: "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. I was so frightened by something that I don't know if it was a white cat or some other species that I almost fell over. In my panic, I grabbed the captain's belt randomly." Her expression was as if she wanted to relive the scene to prove that what she said was true.
Xie Cheng raised his hand and coughed lightly twice, his gaze secretly glancing at Lang Xi and A Hui. He seemed to be considering whether to leave.
“The young Taoist priest is telling the truth,” Zi Jing said, trying to smooth things over. “Please don’t misunderstand.”
Both of them felt a sense of not wanting their reputations to be ruined. Yu Nie was unaware of what those around her were thinking, only believing that he meant well, preventing her from becoming the first female Taoist priest to harass a respectable man.
Lang Xi smiled gently: "What you say is true, Captain. My junior sister is lovely and will certainly not do anything out of line." She turned her gaze to Yu Nie: "Junior sister, let's go out first. You can tidy up the bedroom for the master."
The three people rushed over in a hurry, and then left in a hurry as well.
Seeing the other figures disappear one after another outside the door, leaving the room suddenly empty, Yu Nie felt a little embarrassed.
After the little incident, she looked extremely uncomfortable. She scratched behind her ear, smiled at Zijing, and then pretended to be calm as she continued with what she hadn't finished.
The delicate fragrance of tea wafted through the room with the tea she poured, refreshing and invigorating.
The water in the teapot had been brewed in advance and was still warm enough not to burn your mouth. After re-fastening his belt, Zijing stopped behind her and watched as she handed him the tea she had poured.
"Please have some tea, Captain." Her words were full of politeness, and her bright, dark eyes looked at him. In no time at all, her earlier embarrassment seemed to have vanished.
He had never seen someone change their expression so quickly before.
Zijing gave a short, shallow laugh, glanced down at the teacup she offered with both hands, then looked up again: "Put it on the table, I need to go see Brother Xie."
She couldn't stop someone from leaving and force them to drink the tea before they left.
Why didn't this person say so sooner? By the time they got back, the tea would be cold, and it would be such a waste to throw it away. She thought to herself, but she could only swallow her words and dared not say them aloud.
She was about to turn around and put the teacup on the table when, unexpectedly, the boy took a step forward and put his hands behind his back.
He suddenly closed the distance between them, and Yu Nie was startled and took a step back, her waist barely touching the edge of the table. The tea in her hand spilled out and splashed onto his black leather boots.
Zi Jing lowered his head slightly and leaned forward, his tone light and cheerful: "Little Taoist priest, you haven't thanked me yet."
The word "thank you..." had barely left her lips when she suddenly realized what he was referring to, as if she had just remembered. She had been so embarrassed that she had forgotten to say thank you.
"This captain is being far too petty," she thought to herself. However, considering that she was in the wrong, she went along with it and said, "I am very grateful for your help earlier, Captain. Thank you."
Upon hearing her words, Zi Jing smiled calmly, straightened up leisurely, and said casually, "In that case, I should thank the young Taoist priest."
Yu Nie was taken aback, his face showing confusion.
But then she saw him slightly raise his chin, his gaze sweeping over the teacup in her hand.
She understood what he meant; he was thanking her for pouring him tea.
Before she could react, he turned and walked towards the door, his cheerful voice following: "Don't bother with anything else, young Taoist priest. Someone will come to clean up later. You should get some rest, young Taoist priest."
She stepped out to chase after him, curious to ask who it was, but as soon as the curtain at the door was lifted, a dark, thin, long face appeared in her sight.
*
The candlelight flickered dimly. Zi Jing rested his arm on the edge of the table on the couch, propped his head up with one hand, and toyed with the black iron and silver-inlaid waist token. The heavy token twirled back and forth between his long fingers.
Xie Cheng knelt at his feet and carefully recounted to him the incident involving the Huaiyuan County Magistrate and the Rouran people, as well as how he was exposed and how he escaped capture to reach this small temple.
Xie Cheng said, "He Renzhi has been secretly dealing with the Rouran for half a year in order to amass wealth. The commander's prediction was correct. Last winter, there was a blizzard and a drought in the summer. Countless livestock raised by the Rouran starved to death, but they still had no worries about food and drink. It is clear that this is due to the transfer of benefits in private."
Zi Jing said, "He Renzhi is incredibly audacious to collude with foreign tribes and sell grain, supplies, and military equipment."
The night the transfer order came down, he and his close attendants Lu and Xie rode swiftly from Lingnan to the Northwest. Unlike other officials, he did not go directly to the Dingbei military headquarters, but instead used the excuse of illness to prevent him from taking office immediately, and sent someone to deliver the order to the deputy commander to temporarily take charge.
Privately, he and his entourage secretly investigated the situation on the frontier, discovering that the magistrate of Huaiyuan County was secretly colluding with the Rouran people. Because the border patrol mission was not completed, he sent Xie Cheng to infiltrate the Rouran tribe to investigate the specific situation, which led to what happened next.
Xie Cheng stole the secret letters between the Rouran and He Renzhi in an attempt to use them as evidence, but the Rouran discovered the theft and sent men to hunt him down.
Before falling into a coma from his severe injuries, he managed to send a message via falcon to Zijing, who was far away in Xiazhou. Only then did the latter order his men to bring cavalry from his elite army to Huaiyuan at full speed.
"Now that it has been confirmed that He Renzhi has committed treason, when does the commander-in-chief plan to take action?" Xie Cheng asked.
Zijing held the waist token over the candle flame on the table, warming it: "Let's wait and see. I'm not the one who's restless right now. I came here under the pretext of praying for blessings, so he can't come to me and find out the information he wants. Right now, he should be more anxious than I am."
"Besides, neither of us has any physical evidence. Your personal testimony alone is not enough to convict He Renzhi."
"Then when will we have to wait?"
"Of course, we have to wait for the big fish behind him to come out. Otherwise, why would I hide my identity?" Zi Jing stared at the plaque in his hand, the corners of which were red from the fire. "He contacted the Rouran people, trying to play a double act to clear himself of suspicion of colluding with foreign tribes. He was too eager to put on this siege drama, which made him lose his composure and gave me the opportunity to take up residence in Huaiyuan."
"Of course I will not let He Renzhi down and will seize this opportunity."
"How did the commander know that it was a feint attack?" Xie Cheng was greatly puzzled.
Zi Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze never wavering: "Such a major undertaking as attacking a city always begins with a thorough plan. Once we advance, we will be extremely cautious in our preparations, rather than rashly making a big show of force a few miles away from the city. Such an action would only alert the enemy and would have no other benefit."
"The Rouran's charging formation is loose, the soldiers move slowly, and their voices and movements are inconsistent." He glanced at Xie Cheng: "Even before the troops move, the supplies must be sent first. My secret informant reported a few days ago that the Tuli army did not bring any supplies with them on this expedition. Do you think this is the proper course of battle, Guard Xie?"
Xie Cheng nodded, indicating that he understood. Then, thinking of the "big fish" he mentioned, he asked again, "The commander said that we should wait for the big fish behind He Renzhi. Does that mean that he has someone backing him up?"
Through the crack in the slightly ajar window, glimpsed by the candlelight, Zi Jing caught sight of a slender figure carrying things back and forth in the courtyard: "With only a small county magistrate like He Renzhi, who has no military power, how did he manage to bypass the city's garrison and transport those weapons out? The answer lies right there in the riddle itself."
Who holds military power in Huaiyuan? Who is the most suspicious? Xie Cheng hesitated, thinking of the name that fit the description: "The Prefect of Dingzhou is the son of a prince. If it really is that person, can we bring him to justice?"
Upon hearing this, Zi Jing lifted his eyelids and glanced at Xie Cheng again, grinning: "In this world, I will kill anyone who opposes my godfather."
The jubilant firelight reflected in the boy's dark pupils, making him appear sharp, cold-blooded, and ruthless. He was no longer the elegant young man he once was; he seemed more like a demon who had escaped from hell and devoured human flesh.
Even though he had been a veteran of many campaigns, Xie Cheng couldn't help but feel an endless chill from the expression of this man who was much younger than him.
The waist badge, scorched by fire, emitted wisps of pungent smoke, and the paint on its surface had turned black and peeled off.
Zi Jing gripped the crimson waist token, flipped his wrist, and listlessly tossed the token onto the table. His eyes flashed with sharp frost as he scoffed, "Those parasites from the Imperial Household Department dare to cut corners on military supplies. When I get to the capital, I'll make sure they know that True Black Iron can be forged in fire."
The boy glanced at the black ash on his fingers with disgust, and said in a light tone, "As for people, well, I don't know."
Diagonally opposite the entrance of the pharmacy, Yu Nie squatted on the ground, counting the materials he had collected.
The ash was scooped from under the stove, and the alum came from the residue left over from refining saltpeter. These were all essential ingredients for making peacock blue.
As for where to get animal blood, she had no idea.
She pondered and looked around, and then suddenly noticed a bird with a hooked upper beak, exuding a menacing aura, perched on the floor of the main hall.
She stared straight ahead for a moment, then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she stood up as if the wind were blowing through her Taoist robe.
As Zi Jing stepped out of Xie Cheng's room, he inadvertently noticed that the person opposite him was stroking his chin and staring intently at his falcon.
He walked to the eaves and suddenly spoke up: "Young Taoist priest, are you interested in that bird?"
Yu Nie glanced at him, nodded vigorously, and said with a smile, "This falcon is handsome. I want to catch it and keep it as a pet."
"Keep her? And then?" He raised an eyebrow, looking like he wanted to see what she was up to.
The young Taoist priest smiled shyly, looking bashfully at the tip of her shoe: "Um, that... kill, kill it."
A note from the author:
----------------------
Both of these stories focus on the plot, with less interaction between the male and female leads. Building up their careers is essential, and their romance is about to begin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
