The Slender Waist-Chapter 141 - 106: Blushing with Embarrassment

"My pestle—" Feng Yun cried out, hoping subconsciously to alleviate the situation.

But she had overestimated her own nerve.

Lying through one’s teeth without a prick of conscience was not easy, and when both men turned their gazes upon her, she immediately blushed with embarrassment for her attempt to cover up the truth, wishing a thunderbolt would just strike her dead.

She was full of regret.

If she had known earlier, she should have destroyed it when Luo Yue brought it from the Central Capital...

To pick it up would be wrong, but not to pick it up was also wrong.

It was wrong to say anything, but silence was no better...

Fortunately, Pei Jue quickly relieved her of the awkwardness.

He threw down the Biyong Sword and punched Chunyu Yan in the face.

Chunyu Yan, who had been staring spellbound at the rolling jade, had not anticipated Pei Jue’s sudden attack.

"Pei Wangzhi, you are going too far!"

Chunyu Yan, with his hair all disarrayed and his makeup somewhat smeared, still looked beautiful. His dazzling figure, gritting his teeth, casually wiped his face, his fists creaking in fierce anger.

"Seeing me cozying up with Feng Twelve in the same blanket, are you boiling with rage? I love seeing you unhappy... When you go to the battlefield, I’ll be here, pestering her day and night..."

His mouth seemed greased with oil, his words coming fast and vicious, enough to infuriate anyone.

Pei Jue didn’t argue, acting with his fists rather than his mouth.

Feng Yun watched the two men go back and forth, pretending to be calm as she walked over and picked up the two little things, then casually stuffed them under the vanity and quietly sat back on the couch.

The two men, as if by unspoken agreement, didn’t glance at her sneaky actions and didn’t ask or mention them, as if they were both engrossed in a fight to the death with each other.

"Pei Wangzhi, don’t flatter yourself!" Chunyu Yan shouted, "Unless you marry her, don’t stop others from competing for her. For a gentle and fair maiden, a nobleman is a proper suitor, the capable one prevails over the rest..."

He had a sharp tongue.

But he took more hits than Pei Jue.

It was a close fight in that way.

Those words, however, grew increasingly unpleasant to hear. It seemed as if he wanted to repay Pei Jue for all the frustration he felt while forced to eavesdrop from under the bed earlier.

Feng Yun could no longer stand it, her ears buzzing.

"Gentlemen, may I have a word?"

"Stop fighting!"

She sighed and stared at Pei Jue, whose face was a mask of icy coldness.

"General, didn’t you have only one hour left? How long has it been now?"

Pei Jue was silent, as if he hadn’t heard her, and continued to beat his opponent with a cold face.

Feng Yun turned to Chunyu Yan, "If the Princely Heir doesn’t shut up, there’ll be no one to collect your body when you’re dead."

Chunyu Yan: "I can’t restrain myself. Don’t worry, if Pei Wangzhi dies of rage, I’ll collect his body for him."

Seeing that neither man was reasonable, Feng Yun took a deep breath and finally exploded in anger.

"Both of you stop it! Are you fighting in my room to put on a show for someone else? Are you afraid others don’t know that two men have started brawling in my room? Or do you think my reputation is too good and needs to be tarnished?"

Her voice echoed with force, the result of gathering all her strength.

The servants and retainers outside all shuddered upon hearing her.

The two men, locked in their difficult fight, exchanged a glance and simultaneously stopped.

Chunyu Yan, out of breath and glaring at Pei Jue, curved his lips into a smug smile.

"Twelve cares for me, so I’ll listen to Twelve."

Feng Yun wanted to hammer him to death.

What did he mean by ’listening to her’?

Clearly, he was just admitting defeat because he couldn’t beat Pei Jue but didn’t want to lose face.

Yet, he had a way with words. In doing so, he seemed to align himself with Feng Yun, gaining a verbal upper hand.

Pei Jue, probably tired from the fight, his armor soaked with sweat like rain, exhausted significantly more energy than Chunyu Yan, who was fighting more lightly clad. Add to that the fatigue of rushing back from Xinzhou, and his bloodshot eyes still held visible violence despite his restrained emotions.

If they fought any longer, someone would truly die.

Pei Jue took a sip of cold tea and walked to the window.

Upon opening the window, the rain streamed in, cooling his voice, "Get lost!"

Chunyu Yan sat down on the bed.

"Feng Twelve hasn’t asked me to leave, who do you think you are..."

Feng Yun, feeling overwhelmed by the noise, stepped forward to push him out.

"Hurry up, just go."

Chunyu Yan was still in his inner garment, with his long hair loose and cheeks rouged, after the fight he was flushed and sweat-slick, looking every bit the picture of a violated beauty...

He shamelessly said, "It’s raining outside, and as someone not long for this world and so attractive, it’s far too dangerous for me to go out!"

Feng Yun was nearly enraged to death.

"Where are your guards? Where are Xiang Zhong, Sang Jiao, and Yin You?"

Chunyu Yan: "I don’t know. They’re probably dead."

Feng Yun laughed coldly twice, pulled out his mask and outer garment from under the bed, and handed them to him.

Chunyu Yan tilted his head back, smiling beautifully.

"Just like how you took them off, that’s how you should put them back on me..."

Pei Jue looked over coldly, his gaze chilling.

Feng Yun, upon seeing this, grabbed the long whip hanging next to the couch, "Are you leaving or not..."

Chunyu Yan: "I am. I’ll listen to Twelve."

His demeanor, dripping with affection, was obviously intended to torment her.

After putting on his clothes and mask, he moved toward the window and then turned back.

"Twelve, it’s raining outside."

Feng Yun went out the door and called Xiaoman to bring an oil-paper umbrella for him.

Only then did Chunyu Yan raise the corners of his lips, his smile carrying a trace of inscrutability.

"You just know how to make me worry about you,"

That voice was like a bewitching little hook that made Feng Yun... wish she could whip him with a scourge.

Yet he was oblivious, turning his head to look at Pei Jue, cracking a smile as he bowed respectfully, "I shall take my leave first, brother. Please take good care of our Twelve."

The words were infuriating.

Fortunately, he knew what was good for him and with the sound barely faded, he leaped out of the window and disappeared.

The room, once noisy, was suddenly deathly silent.

The rain wasn’t heavy, but the sound of it infiltrating the room stirred the entire space. Pei Jue stood there in silence, his armor cold and indifferent in the half-light.

Feng Yun’s dark eyes fixed on him as she approached.

"Would the general like to rest a while before leaving?"

The harshness in Pei Jue’s eyes softened slightly, "Mhm."

Feng Yun smiled faintly and called Daman and Xiaoman to come in to brew fresh tea. She beckoned to Pei Jue to sit down on the wooden couch by the window, waiting for them to tidy up the mess in the room.

The two sat opposite each other, wordless.

The autumn breeze brought the sound of the Wind Chime to their ears, crisp and delightful, which accompanied by the sound of the rain made the atmosphere especially pensive.

Feng Yun subconsciously looked up at Pei Jue.

He was looking at her too.

His dark eyes were deep, as if he wanted to say something.

"Tired?"

Feng Yun was surprised.

She sensed he had something to say, but it wasn’t that.

"I am a bit weary." Normally at this time, she would have long been dreaming about the Duke of Zhou, but today, keeping up until now, although she wasn’t sleepy at the moment, her eyes were already dry.

"Go to sleep," said Pei Jue, glancing at the freshly made bed, "I’ll leave once the rain stops."

Feng Yun lifted the teapot from the small stove and added water for him.

"How could I not stay when the general has come from so far?"

Pei Jue: "Don’t mind me."

The words seemed to carry a tinge of grievance, but when Feng Yun looked up, she saw only a pair of indifferent eyes.

Pei Jue sat in front of the wooden table, more isolated than an iceberg.

Feng Yun laughed lightly, making idle conversation with a soft voice.

"Is my elder brother well?"

"He is."

"Has he recovered?"

"Not fully yet."

"Thank you, General, for taking care of him these past days."

Pei Jue didn’t reply.

Only the sound of rain, ticking and tocking.

Feng Yun looked at his cold countenance and felt a chill down her spine.

"The general hasn’t been sleeping well these days, has he?"

She could tell from his eyes, from his face, that he was short of sleep.

Feng Yun didn’t like what she saw, "Otherwise, why doesn’t the general take a nap? I’ve just ordered the kitchen to make something for the general to eat. When the meal is ready, I’ll wake you up to fill your stomach before you leave."

Pei Jue looked at her, "Will you stay with me?"

His voice was very pleasant.

The fervent light in his eyes and the slender hands holding the cup had an undercurrent flowing through them, like a bow stretched taut, unable to fire its sharp arrow, restless.

Feng Yun’s cheeks turned a little red.

"It’s all up to the general."

Pei Jue’s eyes reddened and he stood up, scooping her into his arms and gently placing her down on the bed. Bowing his head to gaze at her for a moment, as she felt a tingling in her waist and her heart began to surge, he lightly pulled up the quilt to tuck her in.

"Sleep."

He stopped looking at Feng Yun and lay down beside the bed, his eyes closed as if feigning slumber, without removing his armor.

He was very proper.

Not as reckless as when they first met.

Feng Yun turned on her side and watched him rest with his eyes closed.

His whole presence was stiff; his armor was, and so was he. It had been some days since they last saw each other, and he looked darker, his originally handsome face more sharp and haggard. Upon closer inspection, there was a faint scar from under his ear to his neck, seemingly a shallow wound that had almost healed and could barely be seen.

The battlefield must be treacherous...

As Feng Yun watched and pondered, she fell asleep without realizing...

When she woke up again, the day was bright, the storm had passed, and the sky outside the window was clear, the world refreshed as if washed clean.

It was as if nothing from last night had happened.

Feng Yun yawned and called Xiaoman in.

"When did the general leave?"

Xiaoman said, "He left before dawn."

Feng Yun hummed softly, "Did he eat anything?"

Xiaoman shook her head but seeing Feng Yun lower her gaze, she then said cheerfully, "But don’t worry, lady, I stuffed the Left Guard’s bag with twenty boiled eggs and a dozen or so big flatbreads, along with a basket of large white steamed buns. They won’t go hungry."

Feng Yun looked at her with a smile, "You’re the one who’s clever."

Xiaoman blushed shyly with a smile, her ears turning red.

Feng Yun had things to do today and quickly cleared her mind from its haze, regaining calmness. Unexpectedly, while she was dressing, she found that the small box she hastily stowed away last night was gone.

"Lady, what are you looking for?" Xiaoman asked.

A foreboding feeling arose in Feng Yun’s heart.

"Where are the things I put under the dressing table?"