chance encounter
As dusk settled, in the woods near the Pingjiang River ferry crossing.
Pei Jue stood under an old pine tree, his hands behind his back.
The torches illuminated the surroundings, and Pei Jue calmly wiped the bloodstains from his hands with a silk handkerchief.
"Master, when we arrived, the man was dead, and only this sneaky person was hiding behind the rocks, spying." The servant Han Zhou held a long blade in his hand, the blade sharp enough to draw blood, and it was currently held to the neck of a man kneeling on the ground.
His expression was unfriendly: "This man said he was just passing by, so I brought him back with me, sir?"
"Please, my lord, hear what I have to say!" The man kneeling on the ground dared not move, only daring to try with trembling lips.
After examining the ledger closely for a few moments, Pei Jue closed it and gave him a casual glance: "Granted."
Han Zhou then put down the cold, long blade. This man had no martial arts skills, so he wasn't afraid of him running away.
Mei Sheng's limbs were ice cold. Her journey had been smooth, but she had unexpectedly encountered a dead man and was taken away before she could even hide. She felt wronged and hurriedly said, "My lords, I have absolutely no connection with this man. I am weak and powerless. How could I possibly fight this eight-foot-tall man?"
"Furthermore, this man was more than ten meters away from me. When I arrived, he was already lying unconscious on the ground. I hope you gentlemen can see the truth."
Mei Sheng raised her hand in a gesture of respect, her face showing great anxiety.
Seeing her like this, Pei Jue didn't know whether he believed her or not. His face was hidden in darkness as he asked, "What is your purpose in coming to this mountain under the cover of night?"
Mei Sheng chuckled inwardly. If the road hadn't been so difficult, why would she have arrived at night? Not only had she been caught by these people for no reason, but they had also accused her of something. She honestly explained, "I went to Wanfo Temple to offer incense today, but I was told that a distinguished guest was coming. So I had to go down the back mountain, but I hadn't taken this road for a while and got lost."
Lost? Pei Jue scoffed: "You're lying."
Mei Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat poured down her back as she heard a voice from above say, "Since you said you went to Wanfo Temple, why is there not a trace of the temple's sandalwood scent on you?"
Mei Sheng clenched her fists, trying to remain calm: "My lord, I did not lie. The distinguished guest arrived in a hurry, and before I even entered the temple, the sandalwood fragrance had probably already dissipated."
That makes sense and there's nothing wrong with it, but Pei Jue just sneered this time, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "The distinguished guest from Wanfo Temple encountered an accident on the way, but he didn't go to Wanfo Temple at all."
"You're so certain, but have you really met the distinguished guest you spoke of?"
These words stunned Mei Sheng. Could it be that the Crown Princess and her entourage hadn't gone? Yes, even if they went every year, this sudden assassination attempt might have changed their plans.
It was this hesitation that made Pei Jue scoff lightly, thinking to himself that he was indeed lying. Even if he had nothing to do with the matter, his mouth was full of lies and he could not be trusted.
Mei Sheng realized he was bluffing her.
She felt a surge of resentment, but when she saw the person opposite her raise their wrist, she panicked. Was he going to kill her to silence her?
Pei Jue held the torch closer. In the candlelight, the short, thin man trembled slightly. A flash of jade white appeared, and he stared at it, his eyes narrowing.
"woman?"
These words plunged Mei Sheng into despair. In the dead of night, in the woods, a frail orphan girl, fear surged through Mei Sheng's mind.
"You might as well tell the truth!" Pei Jue said in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hidden threat.
Mei Sheng opened her mouth, but found that her throat was stiff and she couldn't make a sound. She was secretly annoyed that her carefully planned scheme had failed.
Now they'll probably just lie dead in the wilderness!
"Bring water," Pei Jue ordered calmly. He wanted to see what kind of woman could be so audacious.
The already loose yellow mud mostly flowed onto the ground when it encountered water, instantly revealing the original skin color of the face, which was dazzlingly white in the darkness.
The woman lowered her head, stubbornly refusing to look up.
Pei Jue leaned down, pinched the woman's chin through the handkerchief, and lifted it up heavily. Upon seeing the woman's face, he was somewhat stunned.
The woman had a beautiful face with delicate eyebrows, red lips and white teeth. In the dim light, her skin was as smooth as jade, with the radiance of the moon and the glow of the sunset, as radiant as plum blossoms. Even more striking were her eyes, which were like autumn waters, exuding a hundred charms.
She opened her watery eyes, the corners of which were red, and looked pitiful as she looked at him with a wronged expression: "I beg you to have mercy, my lord, I really have my reasons."
Mei Sheng cursed inwardly, but also looked up at the man opposite her, wanting to remember this bastard forever.
This man wore an ordinary indigo robe, but a valuable piece of white jade hung at his waist; his coarse clothes could not conceal his refined demeanor.
He was eight feet tall, with eyebrows as black as ink, and his face was covered with a veil, so his entire face could not be seen, but one could still tell that he was a man of refined appearance and elegant bearing, with the bearing of a jade tree in a forest.
What good is good looks? Mei Sheng just wanted to curse this bastard a hundred times in her mind.
However, the masked man had a fierce aura, and for some reason, Mei Sheng felt that he was somewhat similar to the guards of the Pei residence she had seen at noon. Perhaps he was one of Pei Jue's subordinates, secretly investigating some case.
And to make matters worse, she saw it. She must be having a really bad day, running into people from the Pei family one after another!
Fortunately, the Southern Ling Army, commanded by Pei Jue, was generally well-regarded by the people and was unlikely to indiscriminately kill innocent people, so she could only give it a try.
The woman looked up at him pitifully, her expression gentle and innocent.
Pei Jue's eyes flickered, a hint of seduction in them: "If you tell the truth, I will spare your life."
Mei Sheng's thoughts raced: "I was originally the daughter of a bookseller in Danyang County, Jiangnan. Because my family has passed away, I came to Yanjing to find my relatives as my father wished. But this morning I witnessed an assassination attempt. I was so frightened that I hid in the woods. In my panic, I lost my way and didn't even know where my luggage was. Waaah..."
Speaking of assassins, her face turned deathly pale, her whole body trembled, and she gripped the man's arm and the hem of his clothes tightly.
After sobbing for a while, she slowly said, "Then I accidentally came here, and I don't know how I came to see that person lying far away by the river. I was too timid to go forward to check. Soon after, all of you adults came and mistakenly thought I was the murderer."
“The journey is arduous. Since I went north, I have been cheated and deceived countless times. I am afraid of this, so I disguised myself as a man to find my family.”
"I was just scared because you gentlemen didn't recognize you, so I was talking nonsense..."
After a long pause, Pei Jue replied gently, "So that's how it is."
Mei Sheng was surprised and somewhat uneasy. How could he believe her so easily?
Moved to tears, she continued her fabrication: "Thank you for your consideration, sir. Looking at you now, you are all very kind and approachable, just like the Nanling Army who defend our country—loyal and brave warriors. I must have misled you on your important mission this time. I will keep my eyes open; I haven't seen anyone tonight..."
"You highly regard the Southern Feather Army?" Pei Jue raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips, but a flash of coldness quickly crossed his eyes.
Mei Sheng felt that she had guessed correctly; Pei Jue's carriage had been encountered at noon, and this person must be one of Pei Jue's subordinates.
"Although I do not understand military affairs, I do know about the Nanling Army. If it weren't for their dedication to guarding the borders and risking their lives for the country, this land would have been torn apart long ago, and we common people would not have a peaceful life."
"And Commander Pei is a brilliant strategist, his military leadership is exemplary. I was fortunate enough to see his carriage from afar at noon. In truth, besides Commander Pei, I also admire every soldier in the army..."
Although the people around her were usually involved in killing and bloodshed, they were not cold-hearted. Some of them were moved, but no one dared to step forward and say a word in her defense.
Even Han Zhou was stunned.
Pei Jue understood perfectly well that her fervent praise of the Nanling Army was for a very obvious purpose.
Pei Jue's eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked at her from afar and replied calmly, "Since you said your luggage is lost, it's clear you have nowhere to go. It's getting late, so why don't you come back with me first? I'll help you find your relatives in the future."
Mei Sheng gritted her teeth. After saying all that, were they still not going to let her go?
She stole a few glances at him and, seeing no signs of anger on him, replied softly, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but my family in Yanjing is still looking for me, and I do not wish to trouble you gentlemen."
Pei Jue sensed the rejection and said nothing more. He had intended to kindly take her away since it was late at night, but she simply didn't appreciate it.
As for her so-called family members, would they even be able to come out and look for her when the city gates are closed?
Clearly, it was just a polite excuse to refuse him.
"Fine," he said, lowering his eyes in thought. After a moment, he stood up and said, "Now that things have been made clear, you may leave."
Mei Sheng was overjoyed; could he leave now?
She quickly expressed her gratitude and got up, but then she slipped and was about to fall to the man's side.
Mei Sheng used her waist to reach up and climb a tree trunk, but unexpectedly fell to the ground. Her buttocks immediately went numb, and she grimaced in pain.
The hand that was about to support her in mid-air withdrew upon seeing this.
Another cold laugh reached Mei Sheng's ears: "Miss, it's a dark and windy night, you'd better be careful."
Mei Sheng thought to herself, apart from you, she didn't find the forest scary at all. Back then, she had climbed high mountains at night without any fear.
"Thank you for the reminder, sir."
After saying that, Mei Sheng struggled to get up, supporting her back. The sudden physical pain actually brought tears to her eyes.
Her steps were uneven as she walked towards the ferry.
"etc."
In the stillness of the night, this sentence, as sharp as a guillotine, made her heart pound again.
Why did you stop her? Did you change your mind? Did you want to kill her?
Her mind was racing when a sharp pain in her wrist snapped her back to reality.
Pei Jue took out the best wound medicine from the army from his pocket, held the woman's wrist through her clothes, and carefully sprinkled the medicine on the wound.
It turned out that Mei Sheng had misused her injured right hand earlier, and the wound, which had not yet fully healed, had started bleeding again.
Pei Jue pressed down on the woman's hand, which she was trying to pull away, and after a moment's hesitation, explained, "Medicine for treating injuries."
Mei Sheng naturally dared not move again. What she had just done was an instinctive action. Now, even if it was poison, she was powerless to resist.
The moonlight was intense, rolling through the clouds like flowing water, casting streaks of dark red in the interplay of light and shadow.
After struggling, Mei Sheng's sleeves were slightly disheveled, and warm fingers accidentally touched her wrist. The heat surged up and gathered in the plum blossom jade pendant on her chest.
Pei Jue released Mei Sheng's hand, his expression indifferent: "That's enough."
Mei Sheng suddenly seemed a little dazed. She uttered a blank "oh" and turned to leave. Her injured hand unconsciously touched the jade pendant, which her maternal grandfather had given her and which she had never parted with since childhood.
Even when she moved to another world, the jade pendant followed her here.
As she walked, Mei Sheng felt dizzy for some reason. She shook her head, bit her lip until the pain brought her back to her senses.
Seeing the woman in such a disheveled state leave resolutely, Pei Jue's face turned cold. The warmth of his hands still reminded him that he had actually applied medicine to a woman he had just met.
Han Zhou stepped forward, hesitantly asking, "Sir, are you really letting her go? Her identity is unknown. Why not wait until you've investigated her thoroughly before letting her go?"
Pei Jue glanced at him, then turned away with a flick of his sleeve: "Who said we were going to let her go?"
"Then, sir..."
"Order men to keep an eye on her. If she really found some relatives, bring them back. If it's fake..."
Before the word "kill" could be uttered, a heavy thud was heard as the woman left the area.
Pei Jue stopped abruptly.
Seeing this, Pei Jue smiled gently: "No need."
Han Zhou agreed and waited for the master's instructions. But the master didn't speak, instead lifting his robe and taking a step back to pick up the stubborn woman who had left. Then he glanced at Han Zhou and said, "Clean it up."
Han Zhou waved, signaling someone to take the male corpse back, where Doctor Zhao would examine it.
In the dim light, Han Zhou seemed to see the man touching the woman's waist.
He quickly fell a few steps behind, not daring to look any further.
Pei Jue pinched the thick cotton cloth around her waist and realized that her waist was not actually thick, but just a simple illusion.
Pei Jue couldn't help but chuckle softly, wondering how she had come up with such a clever idea. "What a clever little devil."
That night, Mei Sheng didn't sleep well and had a bizarre dream.
In her dream, she seemed to see familiar people and things again...
On the bed, the plum blossom jade pendant was emitting a faint red glow in the darkness.
Pei Jue, too, was unable to sleep that night.
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