hairpin
The bustling streets were filled with cars and people.
The streets were lined with stalls of all sizes, and many shops were open for business, so the flow of people was quite substantial. Today happened to be a good day for market, and she walked alone in the dense crowd, her face somber.
What should we do next? Every step we've taken seems pretty much the same, so why is something unexpected happening again?
She was distressed, and the noise around her only made her more frustrated.
She looked around irritably.
The most urgent task is to find someone on our side to send a message.
She wandered around, her almond-shaped eyes searching through the crowd. Unbeknownst to her, a young man in a dark blue robe, with a serious expression and stubble, was following closely behind her. He had noticed her odd behavior and understood that she was looking for someone.
She walked to a stall selling rouge, while Luo Pu stood directly behind her at a stall selling wooden hairpins, glancing back every now and then.
After buying some rouge, she turned and went to the wooden hairpin stall, where she and Luo Pu selected hairpins side by side. Luo Pu lowered his head and moved to the right, keeping a distance of one person from her.
"Sir, are you looking to buy a hairpin for your wife?" the vendor asked Li Xingxiao.
"Hmm." She stroked her chin, picking at the various patterns of wooden hairpins displayed in front of her.
"What would you like to buy, sir?" the vendor asked Luo Pu with a bright smile.
"Ahem... I'm watching." He lowered his voice.
Suddenly, a wooden hairpin carved with peach blossoms appeared in front of him. He was startled and immediately looked in the direction of the hand holding the hairpin.
It's her.
He frowned, his expression somewhat unspeakable.
She was somewhat intimidated by his expression, because he really looked fierce, as if he wanted to devour her alive. She swallowed hard, and asked him with a smile, "Brother Luo Pu, what do you think of this as a gift for my wife?"
"What does this have to do with me?" He crossed his arms and looked down at her with an indifferent expression.
She withdrew her hand: "It's not related. That older brother was following me the whole time. Wasn't he shopping with me?"
"..." His face darkened.
He snatched the hairpin from her hand and put it back. Then, grabbing her by the back of her collar, he led her to a corner alley, pinning Li Xingxiao against a dimly lit spot. He drew a dagger from his waist, its blade gleaming with a deadly cold light, and her almond-shaped eyes widened in shock.
Then the dagger was pressed against her neck. She raised her hands to her chest and looked down. A sense of danger filled the air, and she quickly looked at Luo Pu and begged for mercy.
"Brother! Let's talk this out, why do it like this?"
The man's gaze was fierce, and his deep voice carried a threat: "Speak! When did you discover me?"
"You're the only one loitering behind me, and unlike the other pedestrians, it's hard not to notice you," she said with an awkward laugh.
"..."
He frowned, his eyes sharp: "How did you recognize me?" The dagger drew even closer.
The cold blade touched her neck, and her body tensed up.
"Hey hey hey! Big brother, knife knife knife!" she hurriedly reminded him, looking at him in a panic.
Luo Pu's eyes were dark and his whole demeanor was hostile.
She became even more frightened and quickly replied, "My feeling! My feeling!"
"Oh?" He was somewhat skeptical.
“Brother, even though you’re wearing a black veil inside, your aura and physique are undeniable.”
He scoffed, "Heh, then why are you so sure it's not someone else, so certain it's me?"
She hesitated, glancing timidly at his robust physique, and stammered, "Because... I think it's because you..."
"Why?" His heavy face drew closer.
She closed her eyes in fear and answered directly, "Because I borrowed those twenty taels of silver from you!"
"?" He moved his face away from her a few degrees, frowning in confusion.
"What's wrong with twenty taels of silver?"
Her lips twitched slightly, and she awkwardly voiced her thoughts: "Ha...ha, I don't have a stable income yet. When I first noticed you, I thought you were following me because you were afraid I would squander your money. But don't worry, brother! I will definitely work hard to earn money to pay you back."
He was amused by her words and scoffed, "A mere twenty taels of silver, why would I need to follow you?"
She pinched the knife blade between her index finger and thumb, moving it slightly outwards, not wanting her life to end so soon.
"Then why are you following me, brother? I haven't been spending money recklessly, nor have I done anything immoral." She looked at him innocently.
He sensed that the man posed little danger, so he sheathed his dagger, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Uh... can't I come out for a stroll?"
Seeing that the dagger had returned to a safe place, Li Xingxiao breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her tense shoulders, feeling exhausted.
"Just strolling around? That doesn't mean you have to follow me the whole way."
"What do you know, kid?"
Helpless, she dared not disobey this person, and said, "Fine, fine, I don't understand."
"Hey, brother, are you married?" she asked.
He glanced at her. "Why are you asking this?"
"Hmm..." She blushed and touched her head shyly, then happily said, "Oh, brother, thanks to the general! I have a wife now. I don't know what women like. You've been married for a while now, so I'd like to ask you about it."
His expression softened considerably. "...You're quite considerate, kid..."
The two walked out of the alley around the corner, did some shopping, and returned to the courtyard. Inside the large room, Peng Feizhe looked absentmindedly at the folded documents on the bed. Although his hands were somewhat immobile, there were servants who could help him turn the pages.
Listening to Luo Pu's report, he remained largely unmoved by what had happened between him and Li Xingxiao.
"If we keep following them closely for a few days, their true colors will eventually show."
"Yes. Then, General... should the attack on the stronghold be postponed?"
"...How did the people inside respond?" His deep eyes lowered, and his long eyelashes fluttered a few times.
"The people inside have replied, having ascertained the inner route, and await your instructions to respond at any time."
"Okay, I understand. You can go now."
Several days passed quickly, and Luo Pu had secretly followed her for a few days without finding anything amiss. He didn't pay much attention to her frequent visits to the teahouse to chat with the proprietress.
Two days later, the sound of a woman laughing suddenly came from the previously uninhabited next door.
Luo Pu also honestly reported to Peng Feizhe that Peng Feizhe's injuries had almost healed in a few days, and he was sitting at his desk handling official business.
The candlelight blazed brightly inside, illuminating the boy's cool, aloof features. His languidly flowing hair, parted in a 3/7 style, was slightly curled. He wore loose-fitting pajamas, his face clean yet exuding an air of arrogance, like a cold and haughty beauty before one's eyes.
"Okay, go to the military camp now and reorganize the troops." He stared intently at the folded document in his hand.
"Yes, sir." He then respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and bowed before leaving.
Not long after Luo Pu left, there was a loud knocking on the door.
"Enter."
Li Xingxiao pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a lunchbox in her hand.
"Good evening, General."
He glanced at her, then continued with his official duties.
"What is it?"
"Miss Qin from next door sent you some food. I thought the dishes looked good, so I quickly brought them over." She grinned, showing her two big white teeth, and offered the late-night snack in a flattering manner.
She carefully arranged the food in the box, sensing that he seemed difficult to talk to today.
"Please enjoy your meal, General. I'll be leaving now."
"Um."
She then disappeared quickly, even closing the door very quietly. But Peng Feizhe was focused on his own business and didn't notice anything unusual about her today.
Once outside, Li Xingxiao couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
She turned to look at a girl dressed in light blue and white. The girl was very beautiful, with her hair flowing down her back, delicate features, and eyes full of affection, her lips like honey. She had fair skin, and a few strands of hair fell loosely by her ears.
She looked at Li Xingxiao very obediently, waiting for her to give some kind of instruction.
She was seen eavesdropping at the doorway, and when she heard the sound of chopsticks being used, she grinned wickedly. Her purpose was unclear, but it was definitely not good news.
After waiting for about four or five minutes, she quickly called the woman over, opened the door, and pushed her inside. She immediately closed the door, roughly estimated the time it would take for the drug to take effect, and upon hearing the commotion inside, she gave a crooked smile.
"General, your humble servant has come..."
"Who...are you?" From these words, it was clear that he was beginning to feel uncomfortable from the torment of desire.
She listened to the sounds inside, smiling but remaining silent.
How could she not know that Luo Pu was following her? Let him follow her; she'll have plenty of opportunities to write back to Jingxin Academy and rearrange her plans.
Just as she was about to clap her hands and sit on a bench in the yard to listen to the sounds of a couple making love, suddenly "Bang!" The door seemed to be kicked open. She stood there stunned.
She seemed to have forgotten that he possessed both brute strength and intelligence; he was not someone who could be so easily controlled by aphrodisiacs.
"Li! Xing! Xiao!" He sounded furious.
"Huh?" She didn't want to face the person behind her, so she pretended to be clueless and not to look for her.
Peng Feizhe rushed forward, grabbed her collar, his forehead covered in sweat, his cheeks flushed, and glared at her fiercely.
"Where's the antidote!" He suppressed the burning desire within him.
She was grabbed by the collar and forced to face this face that was both angry and longing to be loved. She pointed to the woman who had followed her out of the house.
"Then...isn't that it?"
He looked in the direction she was pointing. "I want medicine! Not a person... Ha... Ha..." He seemed to feel even worse, biting his lower lip to control himself.
She gave a wry smile: "...General...I really don't have any, so...you'll just have to make do."
He hadn't expected the drug to be so potent, making Li Xingxiao... somewhat appealing in his eyes. He loosened his grip on her collar and awkwardly raised his hand to cover his temples.
Li Xingxiao continued to fan the flames: "General, why should you wrong yourself? Miss Pang certainly wouldn't want you to suffer like this, and this girl is quite beautiful. Miss Pang might even agree to you taking her as a concubine..."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Xingxiao saw him facing her, and it seemed that his desire was about to become uncontrollable. His eyes were filled with a hint of lust when he looked at her.
Now it was her turn to panic. She kept backing away towards her hut. If he were to force himself on her, she wouldn't recommend shoving his head into the water tank to calm him down first.
She retreated step by step, while he advanced step by step.
She panicked even more, her pupils dilating in shock as she stared at him, anxiously shouting, "General, calm down! Calm down! I'm a man! A man!"
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