The Slender Waist-Chapter 49 - 41 Two Men in Conflict

The carriage stopped at the bend of the narrow path, Feng Yun shakily stepped down, noticing the sky growing dark as the afterglow was already being absorbed into the clouds.

Beyond the official road lay a wild land overgrown with lush grass and trees, its distance from Huaxi Village unknown.

Chunyu Yan had two maidservants follow her, "Don’t go far."

Feng Yun turned back, looking at the mysterious Mountain Eagle Mask inside the carriage curtain, "Crown Prince, no peeking."

Chunyu Yan hummed and dropped the curtain.

Feng Yun bowed to the two maidservants, "Thank you."

The maidservants did not respond, their eyelids not even flickering, as moody as their master.

Feng Yun did not mind.

With the support of the maidservants, she walked toward the depths of the brush, her body so weak it seemed like she would collapse at any moment...

Finding a secluded spot surrounded by thick thorns and trees, she said to the maidservants, "I’ll manage by myself."

The maidservants let go of their grip, "Be quick."

Feng Yun nodded "Mhm," and walked further in.

The ribbons of her dress tangled with the wild grass, rustling through the brush.

She was not very dexterous, and her movements looked clumsy. One of the maidservants, unable to stand by, approached to help her...

Feng Yun’s body trembled, unsteady on her feet, and suddenly she collapsed to the ground.

The maidservant bent down to help her, Feng Yun’s hand, meanwhile, clutched the woman’s neck, "Don’t move!"

It was a thin piece of slate she had found in the grass, which seemed quite sharp. The slightest movement from the maidservant could lead to her neck being sliced open...

Feng Yun looked towards the other maidservant.

"Don’t underestimate it. It can easily kill."

Doubt immediately flashed in that maidservant’s eyes.

Feng Yun said, "I know you sisters are close. If you don’t want her to die, then keep quiet."

Her eyes were ablaze with ferocity, and as the stone pressed against the tender neck, beads of blood began to emerge. The woman, who had just seemed so frail, now possessed a strength that was impossible to break free from...

The two maidservants glanced at each other, remaining still.

Feng Yun kept her grip on one maidservant and slowly backed away, then with a sudden shove, she pushed her towards the dirt slope on the right.

The maidservant tumbled downward, the other, shocked and dismayed, lunged forward to rescue her.

Feng Yun seized the opportunity to flee towards the other end of the woodland...

The desire to survive can overcome anything.

She felt a surge of blood, her mind went blank, but she still ran breathlessly on instinct far away...

All around was silence, which suddenly filled her with unease.

How come no one was chasing after her?

Feng Yun stopped in her tracks, only to see a tall figure standing ahead, playing with the Suiyu Sword in the glow of the setting sun, smiling enigmatically at her...

Feng Yun’s face changed color, and that person let out a laugh.

"Qingqing is indeed naughty."

—

Feng Yun was dragged back to the carriage by Chunyu Yan; she offered no resistance, her rosy, sweaty face and hair damp and clinging to her forehead, she was gasping for breath as if she were about to expire.

Even so, she still kept her lips tightly sealed, not making a sound.

Chunyu Yan watched her tremble without a trace of pity; with a thud, he threw her back into the carriage.

Feng Yun choked with pain, "Crown Prince Chunyu..."

"Shhh!" Whether tired or no longer in the mood for toying, Chunyu Yan’s eyelids drooped, he took a sip from his water flask and brought it to her lips.

The Mountain Eagle Mask obscured his face.

But beneath the long eyelashes, the dark pupils were deep and menacing, instilling fear.

Feng Yun drank with difficulty, water trickling down her chin.

Chunyu Yan used a white handkerchief to carefully wipe her clean like one might do for a small animal, then playfully pressed his thumb against her crimson lips, his gaze sparkling, lost in thought...

Such a look, Feng Yun saw for the first time in Chunyu Yan’s eyes.

Restrained, enduring, mad desire lay bottomless in his dark eyes...

"Don’t make a sound. I’m going to rest a while."

Chunyu Yan suddenly chuckled, turned his face away in disdain, lounging lazily against the carriage wall with the Suiyu Sword in his arms, his wide-robed legs stretched out, as if truly falling asleep.

The carriage swayed, accelerating its pace.

The curtains fluttered, allowing the light to fade from presence to absence, as the sky turned completely dark.

The most unbearable things are despair and the unknown.

The aromatic incense that filled the carriage carried a seductive scent, driving the effects of the drug. Feng Yun’s eyes were bloodshot, every inch of her skin feeling as though it were scorched by fire, clamoring, pulling her into the abyss of desire...

Time passed extremely slowly.

Chunyu Yan’s world was still.

Feng Yun curled up in a corner, her blood boiling under the onslaught of surging desires, like a landslide or a tsunami gradually becoming overwhelming, even giving rise to a frivolous thought...

Crown Prince Chunyu was beautiful...

She might as well eat him up completely...

This terrifying thought had barely formed in his mind when suddenly the sound of galloping hooves, tapping urgently, reached his ears.

Chunyu Yan’s eyes snapped open.

The sound of hooves flew past, and with a command, the carriage was abruptly blocked by several fast-riding horses and came to a sudden stop...

Feng Yun lurched forward, catching hold of the cushion to steady herself.

Amidst the neighing of horses, Chunyu Yan leisurely slid the carriage door open a crack.

"Brother Wangzhi? Stopping me in the dead of night, do you need something from me?"

Pei Jue sat high on his horse, reining it in to a stand, "Princely Heir, I am here to take someone."

Chunyu Yan, noticing the ferocity in the eyebrows of the man under the moonlight, felt a fine chill in his eyes.

"Fine, fine." He glanced at his attendant with a gentle smile, "Whichever one you fancy, just take your pick."

Pei Jue said, "The person in the carriage. My person."

Chunyu Yan was startled, then burst into laughter.

"Your words are amiss, brother. Today, I am bringing my household back to Yunchuan, how could there be someone you seek in my carriage?"

Having said that, he suddenly reached out an arm to pull Feng Yun into his embrace, pressing her small face against his chest, letting her long hair fall over his arm while his fingers, with what seemed to be a smile, slid from Feng Yun’s cheek down to her snow-white nape in a motion that seemed like an attempt to strangle, yet also like a silent caress...

"Could it be that brother seeks my concubine?"

Feng Yun tensed uncontrollably, biting down hard on her lower lip to keep any shameful sounds from escaping, panting urgently. She tried to struggle free several times but was firmly held down by Chunyu Yan...

To his reaction, Chunyu Yan was quite pleased.

"This concubine of mine has quite the wild temperament, I’m afraid brother might not be able to tame her..."

"Princely Heir," Pei Jue’s gaze was dark, his posture on the horse wild and intimidating, and his tone was an indisputable coldness, "leave the person behind, Yunchuan and Dajin are friendly nations."

He didn’t specify the consequence of refusal, but the vague threat was more intimidating than any words could be.

Chunyu Yan raised an eyebrow.

Pei Jue’s anger was evident, but he found it amusing.

This was Pei Jue after all.

Charging up to his door over a concubine?

He wouldn’t have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes.

Chunyu Yan’s eyes crinkled with mirth, "To be frank, she is the one I fell for at first sight, whom I plan to take back to Yunchuan to be the Crown Princess..."

"I’m counting to three," Pei Jue said coldly, out of patience, "One!"

Chunyu Yan’s mouth twitched slightly.

In truth, he knew the moment Pei Jue appeared, there was no need for explanations, no avoidance possible, the two men understood each other well, all it would take was a fight.

"Good. I’ve been itching for a fight. If brother can defeat me, gifting the concubine to you is no big deal..."

Chunyu Yan pushed Feng Yun back into the carriage, straightened his robe, and disembarked without hurry.

A few guards drew their swords and followed, but he raised his hand to stop them, "No need."

Pei Jue said nothing, dismounted, handed the Biyong Sword to Zuo Zhong, and with a cold face walked towards Chunyu Yan.

Neither man allowed their guard to intervene, and neither carried weapons.

Chunyu Yan clasped his hands in salute, a smile in his eyes, "General Pei, please enlighten me..."

Bang! A muffled sound of a solid fist hitting flesh.

A right hook landed firmly on Chunyu Yan’s cheek...

The force was great, nearly knocking off his mask.

Chunyu Yan’s head was in a daze for a moment, he wiped the corner of his mouth, grinding his teeth fiercely.

"Pei Jue! You have no martial honor!"

In a fight, you do not strike the face.

Pei Jue had no regard for dignity, aiming specifically for the face.

Chunyu Yan was furious to the extreme. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Another punch shadow flickered before his eyes.

"Very well then, I shall accompany you all the way to the end!"

The two men exchanged blows, their figures rapidly shifting, their robes billowing, a sight most splendid.

Yet Feng Yun inside the carriage was in agony.

What Chunyu Yan and Pei Jue said, Feng Yun couldn’t hear clearly, her ears were ringing, she felt as if all her pores were opening, her entire body drenched in sweat, burning with desire, desperate for that aggravating drug to be appeased...

The half-drawn curtains fluttered in the wind.

She looked out.

Below the night canopy, there lay a river sparkling with waves.

Water...

She needed water.

Water could dissipate the intense heat enveloping her, could soothe the deeply piercing toxicity from the drug...

Feng Yun gasped for breath, suddenly leaped from the carriage, ran with all her might, and plunged headlong into the Changhe River...

The crowd on the royal road watched in horror as those swaying skirts sank into the water and they cried out loudly,

"The lady has thrown herself into the river!"