Chapter 48 (Painstaking Efforts)
Bai Hua's head buzzed, and in an instant, she felt her blood boiling.
The lips hurt, but compared to the pain, the tingling, itchy sensation, like countless ants crawling, took over the brain first.
She instinctively reached out to push him away, but her palms were weak and her waist was even more limp, making it impossible for her to break free.
In a moment of desperation, she mustered her courage, opened her lips and bit back.
Ning Jue hissed, not letting her go. Instead, he took advantage of the moment her lips parted slightly, pressing forward and penetrating her deeper, sweeping her away and swallowing all her breath.
Bai Huasheng was in a hurry, and her cheeks and neck flushed red. Her skin was already fair, so even the slightest blush was eye-catching. Being forcibly kissed in the street was too much of a shock. Her ear tips were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, and her whole body looked like a shrimp that was about to be steamed.
Ning Jue saw her reaction clearly, his eyes darkening with a hint of unease. He knew her actions were rash, yet he was still reluctant to part with her.
Bai Hua was being bullied by him. The two strings of candied hawthorns she was holding were teetering on the edge of their seats. She was afraid that her fingertips would tremble again and she would accidentally drop the candied hawthorns to the ground.
She gripped the bamboo skewer tightly, trembling. She had never been treated like this before, and she felt both angry and wanting to cry.
Ning Jue glanced at her and saw that her cheeks were rosy, even more tempting than a hawthorn fruit coated with sugar.
He loves hawthorn berries, and he loves her too.
The kiss ultimately ended after Ning Jue had enjoyed himself.
Ning Jue, having finished his meal, reluctantly released her, his eyes still warm as he stared at Bai Hua, his gaze undisguisedly filled with frivolous satisfaction.
Bai Hua felt a lingering fear when faced with such a predatory gaze.
Even as the victim, they didn't dare to stand up straight and meet the other person's gaze, let alone question or hold them accountable.
The two stood on the side of the street, not in a place where people were passing by, but even so, their intimate moments in broad daylight inevitably attracted the attention of passersby.
No one had passed by just now, but Bai Hua still resented his rudeness and lack of manners. Her eyes were wide open, and the corners of her eyes were red. She felt wronged and angry. They looked at each other face to face. She deliberately took a step back as if on guard, not allowing Ning Jue to get closer.
"Young master, are you drunk even without wine, that you would do such a ridiculous thing..."
She dared not speak out loud, but mumbled incoherently, feeling both ashamed and angry.
Ning Jue raised his hand and touched the tip of his nose, his expression momentarily uneasy. He had acted impulsively without thinking and was genuinely unsure how to face her now.
Do you regret doing it?
Of course not. That was something he couldn't help but want to do at the time, and he wished it could last longer so that they would both become numb to each other.
He never restrained himself with conventional etiquette, but Bai Hua came from a high-ranking family and relied on the proper etiquette of a lady from a respectable family. He forced her to do something, so he deserved to be resented and punished.
Ning Jue faced her and said, "I know you wanted to comfort me, that's why you bought me candied hawthorns. I just wanted to say that a kiss from you is much more effective than food."
Bai Hua stared in astonishment, puzzled as to why he could say such things so calmly.
Her shame intensified, and her eyes reddened with grievance.
Ning Jue's intention was to appease her, but he didn't expect that his words would displease her instead.
He thought for a moment, then, with a hint of ingratiation, reached out his hand to her, gesturing for her to take the two strings of candied hawthorns: "I'll take them."
Bai Hua wouldn't let go, turned her head away, and deliberately contradicted him, saying, "I'll eat one of these two skewers, and give the other to Chen Fu. There's none for you."
Ning Jue reached out and caught nothing, then awkwardly withdrew his hand, asking her helplessly, "There's no share for me? May I ask whose purse you used to buy it?"
Bai Hua replied, "I'll use my allowance to pay."
Ning Jue laughed and said, "It's already been offset until next year or the year after, why continue to offset it? Why don't you just sign a long-term contract and sell it to me to offset the debt?"
This statement was ambiguous, and Bai Hua, feeling ashamed and indignant, wanted to hit him.
Taking advantage of the situation, Ning Jue snatched a string of candied hawthorns from her hand, and bit into one, finding it sweet and sour.
"sweet."
He chewed twice, stared at Bai Hua's lips which were rubbed red, and spoke meaningfully.
Bai Hua's ears turned bright red; the lingering effects of the previous encounter had not yet completely dissipated, and now they were covered with another layer of red.
She simply couldn't handle a young master like that.
Seeing her take a step back, avoiding close face-to-face contact and communication with him, Ning Jue stepped closer and promised, "I'm sorry, I promise I won't do it again next time. I'll definitely ask for your permission before kissing you, okay?"
Another kiss?
Seeing that his eyes held no hint of amusement and that he was truly sincere in saying those words, Bai Hua panicked even more, and felt a tickling sensation on her lips.
She reminded herself to stay awake, and tried to rouse him as well: "I am your maid, and our relationship is purely that of master and servant. We have always maintained this relationship since we left Xianyang Mountain. I don't want you to have a bad reputation."
"Who wants to be innocent with you?" Ning Jue's tone was nonchalant, his voice clear and pleasant, but what he said gave Bai Hua a headache. "Tell me, when have I ever treated you like a maid? You're so heartless to say that."
She meant well and offered advice, but he ended up questioning her instead.
Bai Hua sighed and said earnestly, "I know that you treat me well, but I am destined to leave... I can't stay on Xianyang Mountain forever. I also have my own family to reunite with. Besides, you have heavy responsibilities and unfinished missions, and you will certainly not be held back by your personal feelings."
Her seemingly insightful analysis clearly drew a line between the two.
Upon hearing this, Ning Jue remained silent for a long time.
He misunderstood her words about wanting to reunite with her family as her wish to return to Rong Linyan's side.
How could he possibly find that pleasing to the ear?
Seeing that he remained silent, Bai Hua, not wanting the stalemate to continue, called out to him, "Young Master?"
Ning Jue lowered his gaze, staring at her as he asked, "If you leave me, where will you go?"
Bai Hua quickly explained, "That, that was just a hypothesis."
Realizing she couldn't let herself be tricked any further, Bai Hua stopped herself in time and downplayed the issue.
Ning Jue stopped pressuring her, sighed, and gently said to her, "There are many beautiful sights along the way. You can go wherever you want to see them, and even a short stop is fine. I only care about where your final destination is. So right now, whether you take a detour or temporarily go against my lead, I can accept it, because I believe that your final destination will be by my side, and you will only belong to me."
These words greatly shocked Bai Hua.
She stared blankly at Ning Jue.
My first impression of him was that he was so unfamiliar and unapproachable, a mysterious swordsman, cold and aloof, dressed in white without a speck of dust, like an untouchable flower on a high mountain.
Back then, how could she have imagined, let alone dared to imagine, that one day she would be able to glimpse a rare trace of tenderness in the eyes of this cold swordsman?
Startled, Bai Hua belatedly realized that the young master's teasing of her was not just a passing fancy.
But how could she accept it...?
If the young master were to learn the whole truth and discover that she had deliberately approached him, he would surely be angry with her, disgusted with her, and abandon her.
The two are destined to go their separate ways and will never meet again at the same destination.
...
Back at the ferry dock, Chen Fu stood on the pier and saw the two people in the distance. He quickly walked over to them.
He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The boatman said he would set sail earlier than planned. I was worried you wouldn't make it back in time."
Ning Jue glanced back twice and saw the pedestrians hurrying by, then asked, "Why are you here earlier than planned?"
Chen Fu turned around and gestured for them to look at the merchant ship that had just moored on the shore. He explained, "You don't know yet, this merchant ship was fully loaded with jewels. After sailing to the Shenxia Sea, it was robbed by pirates. Some crew members were injured or killed, most of the cargo was stolen, and the passengers were terrified. Hearing that there were pirates causing trouble, the ship's captain wanted to get through that dangerous sea area as soon as possible before dawn to ensure the safety of all the people and cargo on board."
Ning Juesi replied, "Pirates have been causing trouble in the Shenxia Sea area for a long time. The government has tried to suppress them many times, but they just can't be eradicated."
Chen Fu: "We had previously dealt with this group of pirates when we were trading tea cakes with the Southern Region, and we were almost ambushed that time."
After speaking, Chen Fu looked at Bai Hua, worried that she would panic upon hearing this.
However, Bai Hua's gaze was unfocused, her thoughts wandering, clearly lost in thought and not listening to their conversation.
Ning Jue also looked over.
Noticing two pairs of eyes fixed on her, Bai Hua snapped out of her daze and lowered her eyes sheepishly.
Ning Jue said, "Don't worry. Although the pirates are rampant, they wouldn't rob twice in one day. Besides, even if they dare to cause trouble, with me here, who has the ability to hurt you?"
Bai Hua nodded and agreed.
Chen Fu and the young master both thought she was worried and distressed about the pirate robbery, but that was not the case. At this moment, her thoughts were completely occupied by the kiss on the street.
Their lips and teeth rubbed together, their breaths hot and lingering...
Just thinking about it makes my breathing quicken.
Even just now, when the young master leaned over to comfort her, she mistakenly thought he would kiss her again.
In a split second, her instinctive reaction was not to retreat, but to close her eyes.
That's insane.
...
The three boarded the boat one after the other.
Bai Hua was preoccupied with her thoughts. After boarding the ship, she went back to her cabin first, needing some time alone to calm herself down and control her racing heart.
Ning Jue and Chen Fu remained on the deck, avoiding other passersby, and talked in front of an empty railing on the side of the ship.
"How much later will the next merchant ship to Guocheng in the Southern Region arrive?" Ning Jue asked.
Chen Fu was very familiar with the sea route from Yecheng to Guocheng. He had traveled this route no less than fifty times when he was doing tea transport business with his master.
Without even thinking, he immediately replied, "There will be a trip in two days, or five days later if it's any later."
As soon as the words were spoken, the ship started, the white sails were raised, and they moved further and further away from the dock.
Looking down, one can see many people standing below, bidding farewell, their hands raised high, tears welling in their eyes, reluctant to part with their loved ones.
Ning Jue lowered his gaze and said in a low voice, "I hope you haven't misjudged her. If Jiu Qiu isn't a spy sent by the Fang family, arranging for her to infiltrate the merchant ships behind us as our undercover agent would save us a lot of worries. This is a good idea."
Chen Fu dared not take credit. After thinking for a moment, he suggested, "I see that Miss A Peng is particularly concerned about this matter and is dissatisfied and annoyed by your inflexible approach. Miss A Peng is unaware that you have thought things through and have other plans, which is why you have such a misunderstanding. Why don't you tell us our plan truthfully? That way, you won't offend Miss A Peng."
Ning Jue stated, "It's best not to let her know about these troublesome matters. Along the way, she can simply relax and enjoy the scenery with us. As for other complicated matters, you and I can figure them out."
Chen Fu, knowing the young master's good intentions, replied, "Yes, I understand."
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