Chapter 9: “Between men and women, bullying usually has two meanings…”

Chapter 9: "Between men and women, bullying usually has two..."

The journey from Southern Zhou to Northern Zhou was planned to go through Luzhou, cross the Huainan West Road, and enter Northern Zhou's territory. After that, it would connect to the Bianjing Road of Northern Zhou, leading directly to the capital city of Northern Zhou, Bianjing.

Even though the young lord of Southern Zhou was frail, he could make it to Northern Zhou in two to three months at the fastest pace.

Of course, this was the most ideal scenario. In reality, it probably wouldn't be so easy.

For example, now, just two days into the journey, the escort convoy had already taken seven breaks. After all, the young lord would sometimes feel thirsty, sometimes dizzy, and sometimes complain of chest pain.

Xue Li was constantly pestered by the people of "Qin Yueye," who kept complaining—

"Chun Jun, please do something about the young lord. We are only responsible for escorting him to Bianjing. Chun Jun never said that if he wants to eat game, we have to hunt for him, or if he wants to drink Yangzhi dew, we have to queue up in town to buy it for him. This isn't a lord; this is a royal pain."

"Chun Jun, the young lord is sore from sitting in the carriage and asks us what to do."

"Chun Jun, he says that nothing is too trivial, and he wants to stop to admire the flowers."

To this, Xue Li, riding on her horse, replied one by one: "Cut him some slack."

"Look after him."

"Be patient with him."

The subordinates were speechless.

After replying, Xue Li adjusted the thin veil of her bamboo hat and continued on her way.

She couldn't care less about these things.

Whether it was the young lord, Qin Yueye's subordinates, or Liang Chen, who kept pestering her—they were all the same to her.

They were all just noise and nonsense. But Song Wanfeng had taught her that not everything meaningless had to go away. If she didn't care, that was on her, not them. So she ignored them and moved on.

For Xue Li, the real headache was that after leaving Jianye, she'd planned to ditch the convoy, leaving behind the subordinates and the young lord's entourage. But they kept stirring up trouble and dragging her into it, leaving her no time for herself.

She couldn't find a way to lose them.

At this moment, subordinates A, B, and C rode behind Xue Li, whining in her ear.

Xue Li tuned them out, thinking: Do I really have to kill them all to get away?

Through the veil, Xue Li glanced at the assassins, then turned to the old carriage trailing behind.

Xue Li did the math and gave up: Over twenty people. Killing them one by one would be exhausting.

She needed a simpler plan.

Xue Li zeroed in on the convoy's lone carriage.

An idea dawned on her: The trio and Qin Yueye's people didn't mix well. The young lord was a walking disaster, driving the assassins up the wall.

Lin Ye was her chance.

--

"She's glanced back five times now."

Liang Chen muttered, riding by the carriage.

When the girl in the bamboo hat turned again, Liang Chen said, "She's definitely eyeing the young lord."

From the carriage came the tired yet amused voice of the young lord: "Well, duh! I'm the only eye candy worth checking out on this trip."

Ah Zeng, riding alongside, let out a noncommittal snort.

Inside the carriage, Lin Ye continued to boast as if he hadn't heard: "I'm good-looking, kind-hearted, and even-tempered. Plus, I'm wealthy and of high status... Ah, I can't help but take a second look at myself. Is there a lake up ahead? I need to check out my reflection by the water."

Ah Zeng warned: "Little Peacock, checking yourself out by the lake will get you all windblown. Be careful."

Liang Chen, however, agreed with Lin Ye: "The young lord is definitely worth it. But my lord, I still think Dong Jun is shady and seems familiar. Having her along is a real risk."

Inside the carriage, Lin Ye let out a couple of weak coughs and stayed silent.

Ah Zeng and Liang Chen, riding alongside, had no way of seeing that Lin Ye's face was ghostly pale, his sweat icy cold.

It was March, with spring warmth in the air, but the young man in the carriage was bundled up in thick quilts, like a snowman ready to melt in the sun.

He knew the medicinal bath was to blame.

The miracle doctor had to keep the blood-sealing needle in his heart's meridian, which meant he needed regular medicinal baths. But with the heart's blood flow restricted, his limbs weren't getting enough circulation. He couldn't even use his martial arts or inner energy to keep the blood-sealing needle in place... If that happened, he'd lose the three life-saving heart blood doses, and he'd blow his cover with the Northern Zhou emperor about being able to counter the 'HeartEater' poison.

Ever since taking on Emperor Guangyi's plan, Lin Ye had been living with chronic blood deficiency. The blood loss left him constantly chilled and running a low-grade fever, and his constant griping about heart pain wasn't just to mess with people.

But Lin Ye kept up his usual mischievous, playful act, so even Liang Chen and Ah Zeng couldn't tell if he was really hurting or just putting on a show.

Right then, Lin Ye was toughing out the pain inside the carriage, while the two guards outside were deep in a heated debate.

Liang Chen made up his mind: "My lord, on our way to Northern Zhou, our escort should at least be our own people. Otherwise, if we encounter enemies and 'Qin Yueye' colludes with outsiders, we are only three people and surely can't defeat them.

"This Dong Jun is really familiar. I need to test her, preferably convince her to be our ally, to ensure our safety on this journey. What do you think, my lord?"

Lin Ye's flippant reply gave no hint of his pain to those outside: "Sure, go ahead and try. I'll cheer you on."

Liang Chen then rode off.

Liang Chen, with his youthful nature, was careless and casual. Ah Zeng, being older, was a bit more perceptive than Liang Chen. Ah Zeng turned his head to gaze at the carriage: "Little Peacock, are you alright?"

Lin Ye replied confidently: "No. I'm dying, aren't you coming in to attend to me?"

Seeing him so lively and starting to cause trouble again, Ah Zeng felt relieved and just said: "This journey... I still rely on you. Don't forget what you promised me, you can't afford to have an accident."

After a long while, Ah Zeng heard the young man's soft and gentle voice from the carriage: "Don't worry. I won't die before reaching Bianjing."

--

Liang Chen went to "ambush" Xue Li.

He always felt that Dong Jun, who refused to remove her bamboo hat, resembled the female bandit they had encountered when entering Jianye City.

Otherwise, why would Dong Jun hide her face? And why did the female bandit happen to kidnap their lord?

Perhaps Dong Jun had already been replaced, not the real Dong Jun, but that female bandit. And the female bandit didn't want their marriage alliance to succeed!

They were carrying the important task of a marriage alliance. If the lord "married" well, there was a possibility of unifying Northern and Southern Zhou. There were many in the world who didn't want to see the two countries unified. He needed to uncover Dong Jun's true identity and guard against the dangers on this journey.

On the way to Bianjing, without him, Liang Chen, it wouldn't do.

Liang Chen soon returned dejectedly to Lin Ye's side.

Simply because he couldn't defeat Xue Li.

Xue Li's martial arts were too formidable.

No matter how he tried to sneak attack her, he couldn't avoid Xue Li's alertness. Although Xue Li stayed silent every time, Liang Chen endured the disdainful gazes of Qin Yueye's group, feeling like Dong Jun behind the bamboo hat might be judging him too.

Liang Chen glanced at Xue Li and slipped away in shame.

Through the veil, Xue Li saw Liang Chen's gaze. That glance was complex, and Liang Chen ran too fast. With her limited understanding of people, she didn't understand the meaning behind that look.

She thought: Everyone's actions should have a reason, a beginning, a middle, and an end. Liang Chen fought with her repeatedly, losing each time yet coming back again and again, which didn't make sense. Did he want her to let him win once, but she didn't get it?

Hmm, that must be the case.

Liang Chen looked only fifteen or sixteen years old. Song Wanfeng said that people this age, though young, are full of pride. She had repeatedly crushed Liang Chen's ego, so naturally, he was angry.

So that look from Liang Chen was... him rolling his eyes at her, upset she didn't get his point?

Xue Li understood.

Then she'd let him win next time since she didn't care either way. Plus, she needed Lin Ye's help to escape, so shouldn't she give the master and his two servants a little something, 'bribe' them a bit?

--

Liang Chen climbed into the carriage and met Lin Ye's dark yet bright eyes.

He looked a mess, like he'd just crawled out of the dirt. Lin Ye was thrilled, laughing so hard on the couch that his hairpiece slipped.

Liang Chen was embarrassed, blushing as he complained to the young master: "You might not know this, but I used to read a lot. I didn't practice martial arts every day. Actually, my martial arts are pretty good, it's just, well..."

Lin Ye said with a straight face: "I get it."

Liang Chen: "I can't win, and you're happy about it?"

Lin Ye forgot his own pain when he saw others suffer. He smiled: "This marriage alliance trip is boring, but every little thing that happens each day makes me happy. What's wrong with me enjoying it?"

Liang Chen retorted: "With that attitude, you're perfect for this marriage alliance."

Lin Ye selectively heard the words in his sentence: "I also think I'm good."

Liang Chen: "..."

He was at a loss for words at Lin Ye's smugness when he suddenly heard a horse approaching outside. Liang Chen turned to look outside, while Ah Zeng outside dutifully said: "Young master, Dong Jun is here."

Lin Ye and Liang Chen exchanged surprised glances inside the carriage.

Lin Ye thought to himself: Had their master and servants been too troublesome these past two days, and Dong Jun finally couldn't tolerate it anymore?

Fine.

He also wanted to meet Dong Jun.

Liang Chen's concerns were actually his concerns as well. On this journey, even if they couldn't become friends, the escorts shouldn't hinder him. Moreover, compared to Liang Chen, Lin Ye was more suspicious that Dong Jun was that silent girl with ulterior motives...

Lin Ye's thoughts had just drifted when he heard Xue Li's voice outside: "Young master."

She disguised her real voice, sounding a bit hoarse and rough from not speaking for a long time, mixed with a youthful tone.

Liang Chen was so excited that he tightly grabbed Lin Ye's hand.

Lin Ye said slowly: "Oh, you can speak. Sorry, I thought you were the second version of a blind, deaf, and wandering young lady."

Silence fell outside. Lin Ye thought for a moment, then adjusted his weak state. He snatched his hand back from the careless Liang Chen, lifted the carriage curtain, and revealed a pair of bright, smiling eyes.

As the curtain flew open, the half-raised face of the young man was clean and almost beautiful. His lips were red, his teeth white, his eyelashes thick, long, and delicate. When he smiled, his eyes curved, sparkling and captivating.

Unfortunately, all of this was like a thick fog to Xue Li, and she couldn't perceive it.

It was just that his relaxed demeanor among the crowd was quite striking, making Xue Li slightly dazed for a moment.

She had no clue how to subtly suggest that the young master be left alone so she could grab the chance to escape on her own.

Xue Li simply said, "Can you have dinner with me?"

She added, "Just you and me. Everyone else, leave."

A gust of wind swept by, rustling the leaves, and the surroundings fell into silence. Everyone pricked up their ears, including those from Qin Yueye's side, who couldn't help but speculate about the relationship between Dong Jun and the young master.

If Lin Ye didn't know better, he would have thought the same.

Lin Ye had nearly forgotten his own pain: "Why?"

Xue Li briefly stated her purpose: "For happiness."

Lin Ye: "..."

Lin Ye reminded her: "A man and a woman alone together, it's not quite right to talk about happiness, is it?"

Xue Li: "Why not? Tell me, and I'll fix it."

"I'm afraid," Lin Ye joked, "you might take advantage of me."

Xue Li was about to say, "I won't," but perhaps because she had been thinking about Song Wanfeng recently, she remembered some wisdom he had imparted to her.

Xue Li then spoke methodically: "Between a man and a woman, bullying can mean two things, so your concern is understandable. Even if I promise I won't bully you, you probably wouldn't trust me. So, all I can say is: no matter what kind of bullying it is, I'm not scared of you getting back at me."

Lin Ye: "..."

Xue Li patiently asked: "Is that okay?"

It became even more unclear.

It was unclear whether she was asking if "having dinner together" was okay or if "getting back at me" was okay. Lin Ye, rarely at a loss, half confused and half testing, replied: "Okay... okay?"

Xue Li, pleased, rode off.

--

As soon as Xue Li left, Ah Zeng also got into the carriage and, along with the excited Liang Chen, scrutinized their handsome and young master.

Liang Chen concluded: "She has taken a liking to you."

Ah Zeng questioned: "But you're set to be married off. What do we do?"

Lin Ye blinked: "..."