Chapter 81 Don't hide at the border, you'll have to get used to me eventually.
Feng Tan rested her head on Xiao Yinshi's right arm, her hand slowly cupping his chest. Feeling the strong, steady heartbeat beneath her palm, she said, "Why do you have no conscience?"
Xiao Yinshi raised an eyebrow. She wasn't asking how someone lacked conscience, but rather why they lacked conscience.
Her eyes held only innocent confusion. Her fingers gently moved down to lift his wrist, revealing nine scars on his wrist bone. She asked again, "You've suffered the hardships of life, even attempting suicide nine times. You must know the feeling of being tormented and wishing for death. I ask myself, although I offended you when we first met, I haven't done anything to hinder you since. We have no grudges. You were lustful at first sight, but now that you want to take me away and reclaim sovereignty from Huachao, you first need to take me across the border of Dahuang. The border is heavily guarded by troops, and there are numerous portraits of me circulating. Crossing back to Huachao is as difficult as ascending to heaven. The risks are so great that leaving me here is your best option."
After repeating herself at length, Feng Tan essentially said that Xiao Yinshi's correct choice after weighing the pros and cons was to let her leave.
“Lust has clouded your judgment, Feng Tan,” Xiao Yinshi said, looking at the beautiful face of the person in his arms. He then lightly said to Feng Tan, “You are an unparalleled young minister. Compared to having sex once, having sex once is naturally more worthwhile. As for the pursuit and interception we will have to go through, it will only make me feel more excited.”
The wounded crane cried out in anguish, but the wicked sea remained unmoved.
As expected, the stories in the novels that preach to villains and make them cry and realize that they have turned back to the right path are all lies. After this speech, Feng Tan felt like he had played a long tune for a cow.
“Good advice is hard to persuade a damned devil, and great compassion cannot save someone who has committed suicide.” Feng Tan stared at Xiao Yinshi’s dark eyes for two breaths. She had learned to hide the raging fire in her eyes. Her fingertips traced his nine scars and she said, “I’m waiting to add another one here.”
He survived nine deep cuts to the artery in his wrist? He's really hard to kill.
Xiao Yinshi silently held the wounded crane in his arms, inhaling the captivating scent from her neck, and said ruthlessly, "Unfortunately, I'm afraid there won't be any new wounds in this life."
He spoke mysteriously, his warm breath brushing against Feng Tan's neck. She strained uncomfortably to pull back, but a large hand on her back held her still. A murmur came from beside her neck, "Don't hide, you'll have to get used to me eventually."
Feng Tan looked up at Xiao Yinshi's completely gloomy and cold face. An indescribable sense of danger made her feel a little flustered. The moonlight slanted into the room, and among the dirty clothes that had been changed out of, willow branches and magnolia flowers quietly sprouted and bloomed, as if they were saying, "Don't be afraid."
Don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid, Feng Tan.
Having weathered many storms and trials in the officialdom, you must possess an extremely strong will, fighting spirit, and determination. You are the rising star following the ten generations of time travelers, the only hope that will make the Ziwei stars shine brightly.
Please believe that there are countless women in this world who will fight alongside you in the near future, and you will reclaim the justice and fairness that belongs to girls.
Therefore, no matter how he threatens you, do not be afraid of him.
The petty people are becoming increasingly powerful; the virtuous should refrain from such behavior, but rather remain steadfast and wait for the opportune moment to act.
Feng Tan, rainbows always appear after the storm; you must get through this rainy season.
You must find an opportunity to escape his shackles, and then soar to great heights, reaching for the stars and chasing the sun.
As the cool, woody scent permeated the air, Feng Tan found a soothing voice and slowly closed her eyes once more.
After a long while, her breathing gradually calmed down. Xiao Yinshi looked at her sleeping face. Her thick eyelashes cast layered shadows in the dim light, and there was an unyielding stubbornness between her brows.
Seventeen years old is still too young. Even though she tries to conceal her sharpness and brilliance, it still overflows little by little. With such resilience, I wonder if she can recover just as quickly if she is broken.
He reached out and touched Feng Tan's forehead. It wasn't as hot as it had been during the day. On the contrary, her stubborn and indomitable spirit was burning so intensely it seemed about to burst out of her body.
The possibility of not being able to imprison the white crane rolled through Xiao Yinshi's mind. He looked at Feng Tan's sleeping face and narrowed his eyes dangerously.
......
Feng Tan slept very quietly, barely turning over in Xiao Yinshi's arms all night. She had been curled up in the prison cart and dozing off all day recently, so much so that she was woken up by Xiao Yinshi pinching her cheek when she woke up the next day.
Upon suddenly meeting Xiao Yinshi's dark eyes, which held a hint of mockery, Feng Tan slapped away his fingers that were pinching her face, sat up while hugging the thin blanket, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "What time is it?"
“It’s still early,” Xiao Yinshi said, holding a green porcelain bottle in his hand. He took out a white pill from it, placed it in his palm, dissolved it in water, and then placed his long fingers on Feng Tan’s cheek. “However, it will take some time to change your face today.”
Emperor Chongming set up numerous checkpoints on the frontier in order to find Princess Yongle. Xiao Yinshi wouldn't be foolish enough to lead Feng Tan into the line of fire, so he chose to disguise Feng Tan, giving her a completely unfamiliar face.
Feng Tan didn't struggle or dodge, because there was no way to avoid it anyway. She might as well be more composed. The man's long fingers moved across her face with the powder, rubbing the pale white powder all over her face. Suddenly, Xiao Yinshi's eyes darkened, and his fingertips stopped below the corner of Feng Tan's eye.
The facial cleansing powder in my hand was the first step in the disguise process, used to wash away anything on my face that might antagonize the human skin mask. Unexpectedly, it washed out the iconic beauty mark of Princess Yongle that Menghe Nabuer had covered with a special potion back then.
The beauty mark under her eye was a pale red color, a small one hanging below the corner of her eye, making Feng Tan's cold face seem to have been adorned with the vibrant color of a lotus flower. As if possessed, he looked at Feng Tan's slightly disheveled hair, reached out and pulled out the bamboo-shaped wooden hairpin that held her black hair in place, and her long black hair cascaded down, as if a goddess had descended to earth.
It's not that the officials of the Dahuang court were blind, but rather that all the qualities Feng Tan unintentionally exuded were biased towards their fixed concept of male characteristics, so they never had any doubts from beginning to end.
Her cool, calloused fingers gently touched the beauty mark at the corner of Feng Tan's eye. She grabbed Xiao Yinshi's wrist, raised an eyebrow, and said with a half-smile, "You disturbed my peaceful sleep just to fulfill your wicked intentions?"
Xiao Yinshi suppressed the look in his eyes that seemed to want to nail her to the bed. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately didn't respond to Feng Tan's sarcasm. Instead, he said in a deep voice to the outside, "Zhu Qi."
Zhu Qi responded and brought in a large stack of special human skin masks. Xiao Yinshi picked and chose from them, finally selecting a handsome scholar-like face and placing it on Feng Tan's face.
Beneath her radiant face, revealing an ordinary, scholarly countenance, Feng Tan pursed her lips indifferently, raised her hands to indicate to Xiao Yinshi the chains binding her wrists, and said, "You really want me to wear this through the city gate? Isn't this just like protesting too much?"
Xiao Yinshi hooked her chain, forcing her to stand up and tilt her head back. His dark eyes reflected Feng Tan's plain face as he glared at her and said, "You don't need to worry about this. Just behave yourself later, okay?"
Feng Tan watched as he gradually reverted to his aloof and true self, and said with a half-smile, "Whether I can behave depends on Lord Xiao's abilities."
Xiao Yinshi said, "I don't really want to mistreat you, but if you insist on trying, I'd be more than happy to."
Feng Tan: "......"
How hypocritical! But by keeping her imprisoned by his side, it was essentially a form of abuse.
Before leaving the thatched hut, Feng Tan didn't forget to pick up the scattered willow branches and magnolia blossoms on the ground. She carefully put them into her bosom, which made Xiao Yinshi's eyes grow even colder.
The Raksha army was so powerful that it was impossible for them to openly appear on the border where Dahuang had a large force. Feng Tan didn't know where Xiao Yinshi had arranged for them. They were like a black fog, coming and going mysteriously.
Outside the thatched hut, an ordinary sedan chair was waiting. After Feng Tan and Xiao Yinshi got into the sedan chair, Zhu Qi led the group out of the deep valley. Feng Tan lifted the sedan chair curtain to look at the caravan. They were dressed as merchants traveling between the two countries. Behind the caravan were several cargo wagons, and it was unknown what was inside the boxes.
The carriage had barely rested along the way and arrived at Menshou Prefecture on the evening of the second day. Beyond Menshou Prefecture lay the border town of Jinliao Prefecture, the last piece of territory of the Great Khan.
The guards of Shouzhou received an urgent order from the capital early in the morning, instructing them to strictly check every passerby. As a result, a long line of people had formed in front of the city gate, and the soldiers in front of the city gate checked them one by one, comparing them with the portraits of the princess that hung on the walls.
Xiao Yinshi's convoy lined up at the back, and despite the tense atmosphere outside, his handsome face remained completely expressionless.
Feng Tan gently stroked the magnolia branch hidden in her clothes. The guards at the city gate had already begun inspecting Xiao Yinshi's convoy. Her heart was beating a little fast. She had been acting according to circumstances along the way, leaving three marks. She wondered if Yu Ruxi had noticed them.
The sound of another troop of horses galloping rapidly approached, and Feng Tan's heart raced. She heard Yu Ruxi's clear voice outside shout, "Who's in the sedan chair? Why don't you get out for inspection?!"
After listening to Zhu Qi's explanation, the guard had no choice but to repeat what he had said: "Reporting to Miss Yu, the person inside the carriage is the master of this caravan. He has contracted the plague and left a servant inside to take care of him. We brothers can't easily contact him, but we have checked and he is not Princess Yongle! However... they are desperate and have taken the wrong medicine. Some of them are... cough... delirious."
Inside the sedan chair, Feng Tan was tightly embraced by Xiao Yinshi, who covered her mouth so she couldn't speak. Her legs straddled his waist and abdomen. If looks could kill, the sharp arrows in her eyes would have pierced Xiao Yinshi hundreds of times.
After hearing the guard's words, Yu Ruxi, who was holding the reins, drew her sword and pointed it at the caravan's carriage, saying, "Lift it up, I want to see."
Author's note: My darlings, I might be changing the title of this story soon, so feel free to search for my pen name if you can't find it!
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