Chapter 10: “Suffer less, reach paradise sooner.”…

Chapter 10: "Endure less suffering, reach paradise sooner..."

Three cobblers with their wits combined can outsmart Zhuge Liang.

After Lin Ye and his two servants discussed it, they decided that Lin Ye should temporarily agree to Xue Li's request to see what Dong Jun was up to.

Liang Chen said eagerly, "If the young master can convince Dong Jun to work with us, and since Dong Jun has some unspoken feelings for the young master, the chances of success are high. If Dong Jun brings 'Qin Yueye' along, ensuring that we are all on the same page for this journey, and we secretly arrange our own people among them... then we won't have to worry about Northern Zhou's various schemes."

Lin Ye replied, "I'm here for a marriage alliance; how can I have any other relationship with Dong Jun?"

Liang Chen retorted, "But among the three of us, you're probably the only one who can win over Dong Jun, right?"

Lin Ye paused.

Maybe because of all the medicinal baths lately, he always felt off, too lazy to get any energy. At this moment, lying on a small table inside the carriage, Lin Ye looked up at the two people beside him:

Ah Zeng was too old; Liang Chen was too young.

He wasn't like them.

Lin Ye immediately began to boast, "That's true. Back when I was in Shu, I was the belle of Sichuan. People flocked to my grandfather to ask for my hand in marriage. I walked without looking around, not knowing how many young ladies' handkerchiefs I'd soaked with tears..."

Ah Zeng and Liang Chen both twitched their mouths.

Since they followed Lin Ye, they knew he wasn't the real young master. They each had their own reasons for following Lin Ye, watching him change, sometimes feeling bad. But—

Why does someone who endures humiliation and heavy burdens not seem pitiful, but rather annoying?

Ah Zeng: "I really want to punch him."

Liang Chen: "Don't hit his face. The belle of Sichuan needs his face to scam food and drinks."

At this point, Lin Ye had boasted enough and sighed as he finished speaking.

He sat draped in a loose scholar's robe, his slightly pale face framed by curls of hair, looking both frivolous and beautiful. He tilted his chin and looked over the two guards, pretending to be in pain, "It seems that the task of winning over Dong Jun still falls on me to turn the tide."

Liang Chen's pride was provoked by Lin Ye, "Actually, given time, Dong Jun would surely like me too."

Lin Ye arrogantly said, "You're not good-looking enough."

Liang Chen: "..."

When he was in Jianye, he was also a dignified and handsome young master from a noble family. But compared to Lin Ye... to be fair, Lin Ye was young and radiant, with the grace of an orchid and the stature of a jade tree, now adding a touch of fragility due to his illness. This made him even more attractive to young ladies.

Liang Chen secretly suspected that Lin Ye might be more of a "young master" than the real young master.

Otherwise, Emperor Guangyi wouldn't have sent him for the marriage alliance, and Northern Zhou wouldn't believe it.

Thus, the two guards began to tidy up their young master. Actually, they didn't need to do much, as Lin Ye was already a very vain person—

The young master had glossy black hair, snow-white skin, thick long eyelashes, and lips like flower petals. They dug out a robe from the bottom of the chest that accentuated his ethereal demeanor. Then they let Lin Ye go out to wreak havoc on others.

Liang Chen said with satisfaction, "No one can resist such a young master."

Ah Zeng: "There's just one problem."

Liang Chen: "What?"

Ah Zeng slowly said, "Have you considered the possibility that Dong Jun might not be fond of beauty? She might have other motives for meeting the young master."

Liang Chen: "..."

--

At the same time, the people from "Qin Yueye" were also concerned about the relationship between their Dong Jun and the young master Lin Ye.

If it wasn't something to be kept secret, then it was definitely something to be kept secret.

And Xue Li, who had received Lin Ye's permission, reverted to being the quiet and reticent Dong Jun. No matter how they speculated, the girl under the bamboo hat remained indifferent, oblivious to their conjectures.

As the sun was about to set behind the mountains, the third day was drawing to a close.

The subordinate sent to inquire was truly anxious: "Dong Jun, you are our leader, and according to the rules of our organization, we should not interfere with your affairs. But since we are escorting the young master for the marriage alliance together and sharing the responsibility, some matters inevitably compel us to overstep and remind you."

Xue Li remained unperturbed.

She was planning how to handle the young master's private meeting, escape during it, and distance herself from this group.

Seeing her obstinacy, the subordinate decided to be direct: "The Northern Zhou has arranged for a princess to marry the young master. If Dong Jun interferes between the young master and the real princess before the marriage, what kind of reasoning is that?"

He continued to prattle on.

Xue Li surmised that if she remained silent, this subordinate would never cease.

Xue Li didn't care if he never ceased, but it would be bad if it delayed her escape time.

So Xue Li spoke up: "I'll test him for her first."

Subordinate: "What?"

Xue Li calmly said: "If the young master is not up to par, the Northern Zhou princess doesn't need to waste her youth."

The subordinate was stunned.

With the surroundings now quiet, Xue Li rode away on her horse.

--

Regardless of what both sides thought, it was ultimately just Dong Jun inviting Lin Ye to a private dinner. Perhaps the two had some matters they preferred to discuss in private, and there was no need for them to overthink.

When the moon hung over the willow branches, at least the "Qin Yueye" side consoled themselves in this manner.

They rested that night near an abandoned village at the foot of a mountain, using the abandoned village's pots to cook. By night, scattered bonfires under the lush forest added a touch of human presence.

By a stream at the village entrance, Xue Li waited for the tardy Lin Ye.

The surroundings were quiet, and Xue Li's acute hearing allowed her to easily detect the movements of the martial artists monitoring them. However, superficially, Xue Li and Lin Ye were at least seven zhang away from the nearest "Qin Yueye" spy.

This was enough for Xue Li to create distance.

Seeing Dong Jun standing there silently, dumbfounded, Lin Ye rolled up his sleeves and sat down by the stream. He sat before the prepared dinner on the small table, smiling as he said, "Dong Jun, please?"

He was feeling unwell and unable to stand, so he had to sit down to steady himself.

After calculating the distance and time she needed to escape, Xue Li had no intention of engaging in small talk with Lin Ye. She turned to leave, but suddenly, a sharp sword blade lunged at her from the treetops.

Through the rustling leaves, Xue Li glimpsed Liang Chen's bright eyes.

She didn't know what Liang Chen was up to, but she remembered the "white eyes" he had given her before. One should repay kindness, and since Xue Li had decided to seize tonight's opportunity to escape, she ought to humor Lin Ye once.

Lin Ye, seated at the small table sipping tea, stiffened.

He leaned forward and hissed in a low voice, "Liang Chen!"

He got up, ready to act, but as his hand touched the small table, Lin Ye paused slightly. This pause let him catch a strange scene: Dong Jun stayed still, letting the assassination attempt from the tree come her way. Her stillness surprised even Liang Chen, making his movements slow.

Maybe Xue Li thought it was dragging.

Or maybe she just didn’t feel like getting hurt.

So, as Liang Chen’s sword nearly hit her, she lazily sidestepped. To a martial artist, Liang Chen’s attack looked like a joke, and Xue Li’s dodge even funnier. She easily stepped aside, then turned to meet Liang Chen’s shocked stare.

Lin Ye: “…”

Liang Chen: “…”

Xue Li: “…”

Xue Li lazily lifted her hand. Liang Chen thought she’d finally strike back and raised his sword defensively. But the girl in the bamboo hat just clapped twice and said flatly, “Wow, your martial arts are amazing. I’m totally outclassed.”

The silence was awkward as hell.

Only Lin Ye kept his cool. “What’s going on?”

Liang Chen: “I... uh, I don’t know.”

Xue Li guessed: “A bribe.”

The air turned icy.

After a moment, Lin Ye turned away, half-covering his face, and chuckled softly.

Liang Chen was clueless, but Lin Ye seemed to get it after a second.

His laugh was soft and warm, like a gentle breeze or a pebble dropping into water. Xue Li had never heard anything like it. She felt nothing, but her ears perked up, and she glanced at Lin Ye by the table.

A faint smile lingered in his eyes, his cheeks tinged pink like peach blossoms.

His face red from laughing, he fake-scolded, “Dong Jun, don’t baby him—he was trying to mess with you, hoping I’d swoop in as the hero. Right, Liang Chen?”

Lin Ye tried to look serious, slamming the table in mock anger. But it hurt, so he rubbed his hand instead.

Xue Li thought: He’s so good at laughing.

Why did he stop?

Why does he still look like he’s smiling even when he’s not?

She couldn’t understand.

She kept watching.

Noticing Xue Li’s gaze on him, Lin Ye smiled with curved eyes: “Do I need such a lowly trick? Hurry up and apologize to Dong Jun.”

Xue Li didn’t know why.

--

She should have left by now.

But for some reason, she watched as Liang Chen apologized to her, then sat down in front of Lin Ye and drank a cup of tea.

Lin Ye was speaking.

Xue Li repeated to herself for the third time: I should leave. Why can't I go?

Because Lin Ye is so eloquent, so good at making people laugh, and his eyes sparkle when he smiles.

Xue Li stayed silent, puzzled, deep in thought.

After Liang Chen's rough performance ended, he climbed a tree and ran off. Looking back, he saw the young master under the tree wink at him. Liang Chen sighed helplessly, gazing at the sky, thinking: The young master's schemes are too cunning.

This was Lin Ye's strategy, a method to quickly bring him and Dong Jun closer.

Seeing the aloof Dong Jun and the young master finally sitting together for dinner, the method must have worked.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye quietly poured himself a cup of wine.

His cheeks were flushed; had the guards been present, they would have noticed his discomfort. But before him sat Xue Li, who seemed to see nothing.

Lin Ye persuaded Xue Li to have a cup of tea. As the young master leaned in, he whispered as if sharing a secret: "Even if you don't take off your hat, you can't hide from me."

Xue Li stayed indifferent, almost icy.

Lin Ye swirled his wine cup, his beautiful glassy eyes glinting with a coaxing light: "But I am kind, I accepted your bribe. I think you are so hardworking, at least when we talk privately, you don't have to disguise your voice."

To seduce someone, one must first break their defenses in private. Young Master Lin Ye was a master at this.

Just then, the sound of arrows slicing through the cold night air reached them, and Xue Li looked up.

Through the veil, Xue Li gazed at Lin Ye: "Are you at it again?"

Lin Ye, lost in the aroma of wine, was baffled: "What?"

Xue Li: "First, you had Liang Chen attempt an assassination, and now a second time? What are you after?"

Lin Ye froze. His fingers clenched around the wine cup as he finally caught the unusual sound.

In the group's resting spot beneath the mountain, the sparse lights in the darkness were shattered by the sound of arrows. The warriors were feasting by the bonfire, the bushes rustled, and the cries of beasts echoed from the forest. Several wild geese suddenly took flight, and cold light flickered among the trees.

Lin Ye's face darkened.

He sprang to his feet, his laughter cut short, and he shouted to alert everyone: "Get up! We're under attack—"

In an instant, countless black-clad assassins surged from the shadows, attacking the convoy.

Lin Ye frowned, pondering which faction the assassins belonged to, when he heard Xue Li's soft voice beside him: "Why are you working so hard?"

While chaos reigned on the young master's side, Xue Li remained motionless, just finishing her words: "You have a weak spleen and spirit, abnormal bones and muscles, and poor blood circulation. You won't live long anyway. Why are you working so hard?"

In the dark night, Xue Li was genuinely puzzled.

She was also genuinely advising death: "Suffer less, ascend to paradise sooner. It's good for you."

Lin Ye: "..."

Through the dim firelight and the veil of the hat, amidst the chaos, Lin Ye felt a brief, strange impulse, wanting to see what kind of monster the girl behind the hat was.

At such a close distance, she had no intention of protecting him. Fortunately, Liang Chen was nearby, moving like a shadow to the young master's side, deflecting the arrows aimed at them.

Lin Ye whispered to Liang Chen: "...Is she cursing me?"