Chapter 24: The Kiss

Chapter 24: The Kiss

Liu Yun's heart pounded uncontrollably, and her breathing grew tight, making it hard to catch her breath.

The scariest thing she had ever experienced in her life was being chased and bitten by a farm goose during an outing—and that was it.

Bandits and ruffians existed only in hearsay, never touching her world at all.

Now that it had hit her so suddenly, Liu Yun wondered if she was dreaming.

Her body was bound tight, unable to move. Her eyes fluttered slightly open as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

It looked somewhat familiar, like the layout of the Grand Buddha Hall, but it had changed drastically.

Gone was the solemnity; the floor was littered with bound noblewomen, all in rough shape.

County Princess Rong'an, Lady Wei the Fourth, Lady Qin the Second, and even Duke Wen's family were all here...

All of them familiar faces.

If the Buddha had any divine awareness, surely he would find this absurd.

The rough hemp rope chafed Liu Yun's wrists, causing sharp pain with the slightest movement.

As time passed, the ladies and young girls gradually woke up one by one, all startled by the scene before them, and the atmosphere became tense and panicked.

Many of the hot-tempered ones immediately started raising a ruckus, drawing the attention of the bandits.

"What the hell are you squawking about, you bunch of damn women? Keep it up and I'll show you no mercy!"

The temple door was kicked open, and a burly man with a dark, rough face strode in, cursing in a gruff voice.

He was powerfully built, and the blade at his waist still had blood dripping from it. Liu Yun was timid, so she glanced at him once and quickly looked away.

The hall fell silent for a few moments, but soon a courageous lady spoke up.

"You bold bandit! Do you know who you've laid hands on? My father is General of the Cloud Mane Army! If anything happens to my mother and me, he'll skin you alive!"

"Release us at once if you know what's good for you!"

Liu Yun recognized this formidable young woman—Chang Fangran, the general's eldest daughter. As a warrior's daughter, her temper was among the fiercest and most unyielding in all of Yanjing.

Liu Yun deeply admired her as one of the few ladies daring enough to clash with County Princess Rong'an.

But this was hardly the place for such defiance. Liu Yun watched from the corner, feeling that trouble was coming.

Sure enough, the bandit, after being yelled at so boldly, laughed instead of growing angry. He strode over to Chang Fangran and raised a hand as large as a paddle.

Smack!

A sharp crack rang out. Chang Fangran was knocked to the ground, her cheek swelling instantly, blood trickling from the corner of her lips. Her hair bun came undone, leaving her utterly disheveled.

"I think you little bitch is tired of living. Want me to slice your head off right now? Think your general daddy can save you then?"

As he spoke, the bandit wore a vicious grin, looking utterly reckless and fearless.

A young lady raised in the sheltered confines of her boudoir had never heard such bloody, cruel words. Chang Fangran's face went pale with terror, her lips trembling, and she dared not make another sound.

And County Princess Rong'an, who had been about to flare up as well, shrank back, terrified of suffering the same fate.

Liu Yun didn't need to be told twice—timid as she was, after witnessing Chang Fangran's misery, she burrowed even deeper into her mother's arms.

The only comfort for Liu Yun was that the bandits had left her with her mother, giving her some sense of safety.

After that brutal slap, the Grand Buddha Hall fell into dead silence; no one dared to make a sound.

But the matter wasn't over.

The bandit lowered his gaze, his eyes suddenly locking onto Chang Fangran's chest, which heaved violently with fear, and a naked lust crept across his face.

"These noble ladies of Yanjing sure are something—look at that soft, tender skin, far prettier than the women back at the stronghold."

With that, the bandit reached out with his rough, calloused hand, intending to pull Chang Fangran up.

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

Sensing the bandit's disgusting intent, Chang Fangran shrieked, tears streaming down her face.

No matter how fierce she usually was, she was still a young lady raised in the sheltered inner chambers, never having faced such things. Chang Fangran was on the verge of collapse.

Many of the noblewomen present looked on with pity and reluctance, and a few matrons who couldn't bear it wanted to speak out in anger, but the moment they thought of the possible consequences, they chose to remain silent.

Liu Yun took it all in, her heart aching for Chang Fangran.

Even though she too wished no tragedy would happen to her, she was merely someone who couldn't even protect herself—what could she do?

She was no hero; she was ordinary and cowardly.

Ashamed, Liu Yun lowered her head, unable to watch any longer.

Chang Fangran's screams and her mother's sobs continued. Just as everyone thought Chang Fangran was doomed, another group of bandits rushed in from outside the hall.

"Six! You want to die?!"

The leading bandit barked fiercely, startling the one called Six into releasing Chang Fangran.

"Second Chief! Second Chief!"

Six turned around, saw it was the Second Chief, and immediately slunk over, head bowed submissively.

The Second Chief shot him a displeased glare and scolded, "Now's not the time for your dirty thoughts! We're here to rescue the Big Chief—don't you dare mess this up."

To the Second Chief, this was a risky gambit, and he couldn't afford a single slip-up.

"Yes, yes, the Second Chief is right. I was just scaring these little girls a bit."

The Second Chief didn't fully believe him, snorting coldly, "Go spread the word: tell the authorities to trade the Big Chief for these people, or these noblewomen will lose their heads right now!"

He had brought his remaining men precisely to rescue their Big Chief, who was locked up in the imperial prison. With so many noblewomen's lives in his hands, he was certain they could force a swap.

Otherwise, those officials wouldn't let this go.

Six received his orders and immediately headed down the mountain.

Meanwhile, the Second Chief said to the rest, "Light the incense. Conscious captives only cause trouble—keep them quiet."

Smoke curled through the air. Liu Yun held her breath, hoping to inhale as little as possible, but ultimately failed when she couldn't hold her breath any longer, and like the others, she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Someone would come to save them, right?

As she was about to fall asleep, Liu Yun's thoughts weighed heavily on her.

...

At dusk, at the foot of Jiuyang Mountain, torchlight cast eerie, claw-like shadows among the trees.

Several tall figures stood before the imperial guards, and leading them wasn't Grand Commander He Zheng, but a tall, striking silhouette.

On his deep purple robes were embroidered five golden dragons, each with five claws.

Under Great Yan law, the emperor's robes featured twelve dragons, the Crown Prince's five, and princes and imperial sons three.

Standing here was none other than Crown Prince Xiao Hang, who had rushed over after finishing his arrangements.

In the dim, shifting night, however, the bandits were already gone.

Figuring the timing, the bandits should have left the inner city and headed straight for the city gates.

"Your Highness, when do we make our move?"

He Zheng, commander of the imperial guards, asked grimly, his tone calm.

Xiao Hang hid the cold glint in his eyes and said unhurriedly, "Not yet. Let them run for a while. Strike when they think they've escaped—that's when it's most interesting."

Grand Commander He Zheng, noticing the smile on the Crown Prince's lips, felt a chill creep down his spine.

Sure enough, the Crown Prince was just as mischievous as he'd been as a kid.

"This time, drawing out the rest of the bandits was all thanks to Your Highness's strategy. The bandits who have been plaguing the southern lands for years can finally be wiped out."

Yet despite He Zheng's flattery, Xiao Hang did not smile; in fact, his expression turned cold.

"Death would be too easy for them. How dare they set their sights on the noblewomen of Yanjing? They have no idea what they've gotten themselves into."

Seeing the Crown Prince seemed angry, He Zheng merely nodded in agreement.

But Xiao Hang had run out of patience. His dark eyes fixed on Fahua Temple halfway up the mountain, he said sternly, "Send word to the households to come get their people."

He Zheng clasped his fists in salute and sent a squad to deliver messages to the officials' homes.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hang mounted his horse and, along with his Eastern Palace guards, hurried toward the mountainside.

"What does Your Highness plan to do?"

After giving his orders, He Zheng turned to see the Crown Prince riding off and shouted after him.

But the Crown Prince ignored him and soon vanished from sight.

As the only one present who knew what His Highness was up to, Su Lin hung back to explain to Grand Commander He Zheng.

"Commander need not worry. His Highness, out of the kindness of his heart, wishes to personally check on the safety of the officials' families on behalf of the ministers."

He Zheng, not entirely convinced, said approvingly, "His Highness is virtuous."

In truth, he felt the Crown Prince didn't seem like the type to have that much free time, but he had no proof.

The black horse, nearly invisible in the dark, carried its master into the night.

Within fifteen minutes, Xiao Hang and his party arrived before the Grand Hall.

Inside, it was silent—all the noblewomen lay unconscious, sprawled all over the floor.

The moment he stepped in, he spotted Liu Yun slumped in a corner.

His heart gave a tug, and he walked toward her.

But to Liu Yun's ears, these sounds were like torture.

Perhaps thanks to her initial breath-holding, she woke earlier than the others, but she didn't dare move a muscle.

Just as she was about to stretch her legs that had gone stiff, Liu Yun heard movement outside.

Thinking the bandits had returned, she pretended to be asleep, terrified of being found out.

But her fears came true—Liu Yun heard the footsteps drawing closer and closer, finally stopping right in front of her.

Liu Yun struggled to maintain her act of sleeping, but inwardly she was going mad.

I'm dead! I'm dead!

As Liu Yun silently prayed, the newcomer quietly cut the ropes binding her.

Along with the sound of the ropes snapping came a strangely familiar fragrance.

It was crisp and sweet, utterly unique.

Liu Yun was good at making rose water and especially sensitive to scents—she could remember any smell after smelling it once.

So of course she recognized this distinctive scent.

Her mind raced, finally settling on the glass greenhouse of Princess Changyang's estate.

That fluttering sleeve seemed to brush her face again, and her memory came flooding back.

Liu Yun's breath tightened, and the answer slowly dawned on her.

Knowing the newcomer was not a bandit, Liu Yun felt a surge of joy and was about to rouse from her feigned sleep when things took a sudden turn.

In the deep night, Xiao Hang's eyes rested directly on the girl's fair, flawless cheeks, his heart stirred.

His noble status as Crown Prince didn't hold him back for long; he leaned down naturally.

And planted a light kiss on the rosy cheek he had long coveted.

The touch was gentle, yet inexplicably made her body tremble.

A very subtle reaction, but unmistakable to Xiao Hang, who was way too close.

He pulled back and studied Liu Yun's face, where her lashes were fluttering like crazy, and suddenly got it.

After a brief moment of embarrassment, Xiao Hang got over it. Watching Liu Yun's stubborn pretense of sleep, a mischievous smile curled on his lips.

He leaned in again, but held back from kissing her, letting his hot breath spill over her increasingly flushed cheek. Watching her lashes tremble endlessly, Xiao Hang was thoroughly enjoying it.

Liu Yun was in agony, using every ounce of strength to barely keep her composure.

She didn't have time to wonder what the Crown Prince was up to; she just knew that if she opened her eyes now, it would be even harder to deal with.

Should she accuse the Crown Prince of getting fresh with her?

Just thinking about it was embarrassing as hell.

Might as well play dead and dodge a whole bunch of problems.

So Liu Yun gritted her teeth and bore it, letting that burning breath wash over her cheeks and neck.

Right as Liu Yun figured the Crown Prince was about to kiss her again, hooves thundered outside—the imperial guards had come.

The warmth on her face faded, and that cool, sweet, calming scent drifted away too. Moonlight from outside spilled in and landed on her.

The footsteps faded, and from outside the hall came the Crown Prince's aloof, regal voice, calmly handling business about the officials' families.

So proper, like everything that just happened was all in Liu Yun's head—those teasing, flirty moments were just a dream.

But Liu Yun knew damn well it wasn't a dream.

Her cheek still tingled, burning hot, like a spark had caught fire, making her whole body tremble.

She opened her eyes, staring blankly into the moonlight.

Author's note:

A quick plug for the next book I haven't picked yet~

"The Spring Chamber": A sweet older sister, widowed, gets tangled up with the Crown Prince.

"The Noble Son-in-Law": A spineless husband becomes the Crown Prince!

Fantasy: "Transmigrated as the First Wife of a Male Lead" But she reads fanfiction.

"Became the Big Villain's Little Chick": This coo is the cutest in the world!

Derivative: "A Career-Oriented Female Cultivator Transmigrates into Battle Through the Heavens" A Battle Through the Heavens fanfiction.

If any of these catch your eye, feel free to give them some love.