“Pei Shu’s arena matchmaking!”

Jing Hengbo stumbled at the threshold in shock, turning back in alarm: “What?”

Seven fools swept past her like wind: “Matchmaking, matchmaking!”

Jing Hengbo was dumbfounded and quickly chased after them: “Wait for me, wait for me!”

For a moment her heart bloomed with joy—had Pei Shu finally come to his senses?

Then came some worry—how to handle this guy being so ostentatious? She wasn’t here for tourism, she was here to steal things. Was it really okay to become a celebrity before even stealing anything?

Looking outside, wow, they really had set up an arena in the street with fighting going clang clang bang bang.

The banner had changed again: “Beauty unrivaled under heaven, skills shocking all seats, seeking only a virtuous lady to share mandarin duck alliance.”

Even more people were watching than yesterday—they’d only heard of women holding arena matchmaking and throwing embroidered balls. Never heard of men competing for marriage partners. This was a rare thing that had to be seen.

Jing Hengbo felt Pei Shu was much better at showing off than the Seven Kills who only knew how to sell themselves.

Because this arrogant-to-heaven guy hadn’t personally entered the arena. He had his subordinates go first. Wearing wide-sleeved robes, sitting to one side drinking tea, with half his face covered by a mask—but just this look was enough to mobilize all the women in the city.

Jing Hengbo scrutinized Pei Shu—this guy actually understood how to display his advantages!

Having lived five years of hardship in swamp mud, his body was rather lean, so he didn’t wear tight clothing. But his waist had been trained extremely flexible and beautifully slender through swimming around, so he cinched it tight, contrasted with flowing clothes and wide sleeves, making him appear even more like he had ape arms and a wasp waist with an ethereal bearing.

Though he wore a mask, he exposed his most beautiful eyes, nose and mouth. His nose was so high and straight that flies could fall to their death on it, while his lips were full and red with sexy lines, glistening with crystalline droplets that sparkled in the sunlight. A group of hiding women’s eyes were also sparkling.

Jing Hengbo sighed—just sitting there like that, he’d definitely have countless women waiting for his embroidered ball.

Sure enough, dragons and tigers fought on stage. Though it was men entering the arena, most would first declare they were testing the arena master’s martial skills on behalf of their young ladies and mistresses. Like when the Seven Kills sold themselves, these women who couldn’t resist acting from behind the scenes were mostly young ladies from noble families or lonely noble wives. As for those common-born women who couldn’t do martial arts themselves, they could only drool and feast their eyes from the side.

Ordinary guards naturally weren’t matches for Pei Shu’s subordinates. Pei Shu leisurely drank tea, acting nonchalant. Seeing Jing Hengbo come out, he triumphantly raised his teacup to her. Jing Hengbo, seeing he was no longer pestering her, was in great spirits, smiling and waving back, wondering if she should find some ugly woman to go on stage and help her cheat to beat Pei Shu.

Just thinking about Pei Shu having to marry an ugly wife made her die of laughter, haha.

The arena had been going for half the day with most challengers knocked down without needing Pei Shu to act personally. Finally, around lunchtime, a woman appeared.

The crowd roared in excitement—finally a woman dared to take the stage!

After watching so many matches, fewer and fewer people were going up and it was almost over. For someone to dare take the stage as a woman at this point, she naturally had confidence!

That girl said nothing, striding onto the stage with arrow-like steps, scanning with her eyes before pointing at Pei Shu.

Jing Hengbo’s jaw nearly dropped—this arrogance was exactly like another Pei Shu.

The moment Pei Shu saw that girl, he frowned and sat up straight, nearly dropping his prop teacup. Then he snorted coldly, not even glancing at her, leaning back in his chair and picking up his tea again.

Jing Hengbo’s curiosity was strongly aroused—Pei Shu and this girl seemed to know each other!

He’d only been out a few days and had been with her the whole time—how could he know women from outside?

She quickly squeezed forward, but the crowd became even more packed because a woman had taken the stage. She shouted loudly: “Make way! Make way! I’m delivering a poison whip to my young lady!”

Whoosh—the crowd parted in a straight, clean path directly to the arena.

Jing Hengbo grinned and strolled through the crowd. As she approached the arena, her eyes inadvertently swept the crowd and she suddenly felt a shadow seemed somewhat familiar. She was startled and quickly turned her head, but at this moment all she saw was a vast crowd of excited, unfamiliar faces—where was any familiarity?

Perhaps she hadn’t slept well last night. She smiled and squeezed to the front of the stage, looking up.

Oh my.

Her appearance was… well, in Jing Hengbo’s words, very much a tough woman, very suitable for Pei Shu! She could suppress him!

Indeed she could suppress him.

Pei Shu waved his hand, indicating his subordinate should go up. That girl didn’t insist he take the stage himself, glancing at him before turning to crook her finger at Pei Shu’s subordinate.

This finger-crooking made the spectators break out in cold sweats. Jing Hengbo was delighted while Pei Shu sneered endlessly.

But who would dare go up Mount Liang without some skills? Sure enough, within a few moves, with a thunderous crash, a figure flew through the air and landed at Jing Hengbo’s feet. Jing Hengbo sighed and helped up the unlucky Gray Clothes No. 1, saying: “Don’t help him fight in arenas anymore.”

“If we lose, the Young Marshal says we have to strip naked and run three laps around the inn…” that guy complained to her tearfully.

“No problem, no problem,” Jing Hengbo comforted, “when he loses himself, he won’t say such things.”

“Bang.” Another crash as Gray Clothes No. 2 fell down.

Before long, another crash as Gray Clothes No. 3 fell down.

The crowd began stirring. The Seven Kills shouted in unison: “Beauty, beauty, you’re so wicked, quickly pick the delicate flower!”

Jing Hengbo heard people around her quietly discussing, saying this girl was a disciple of the mysterious nearby Emerald Stream Manor, a little monster under an old monster, and so on.

Today Pei Shu had changed his temperament completely, remaining unmoved throughout and not acting personally, having his subordinates take turns on stage. That girl seemed to also have a stubborn temperament, remaining silent throughout, fighting whoever came up. Though her martial arts were quite good, she was still a woman with limited stamina, and gradually sweat beads appeared on her forehead.

Some people below couldn’t stand it and began booing. Yi Qi shouted loudly: “Little Shu Shu, you have no shame! Wheel battles are shameless!”

He’d been finding Pei Shu particularly displeasing lately and cursed with crisp clarity.

Pei Shu chuckled coldly, set down his teacup, swept off his outer robe, and stood up.

The crowd below roared with excitement, desperately pushing forward. Yi Qi squeezed over and circled Jing Hengbo in his arms, sticking his butt outward to use his buttocks to help Jing Hengbo block the crowd’s assault.

The woman on stage looked up, staring blankly at Pei Shu as he walked lightly from the shadows like a prowling fox. But more vicious than a fox—the next moment he’d bare his snow-white fangs.

Light flashed in her eyes, slightly expectant yet slightly uneasy.

Pei Shu stopped three feet in front of her, raised his chin, and said something that made excited blood rush to her face.

“You came,” he said. “I was waiting for you.”

Seeing her barely suppressed joy, he smiled maliciously. His next words made the blood drain from her face.

“Without a woman, how can I prove my sincerity to her?”

His voice was low—people below the stage couldn’t hear. That girl had her back to the crowd, so they couldn’t see her expression either. They only saw the two looking at each other and thought there was a story, cheering and making noise loudly.

But Jing Hengbo felt something was wrong. She noticed that girl’s back was trembling slightly.

“I’ll give you three moves. Make you roll away convinced of your defeat.” Pei Shu smiled contemptuously, even putting one hand behind his back.

Previously Jing Hengbo thought it looked so cool when heroes in martial arts movies fought enemies with one hand behind their backs. Now seeing it in person, she wanted to beat that detestable smile on Pei Shu’s face into the dust.

Unfortunately heaven didn’t fulfill people’s wishes. In this arena match, that girl—whether from exhaustion or something else—clearly performed abnormally. After just a few moves, she was knocked to the ground by Pei Shu with a slap.

He held his palm like a blade at her neck while she looked up in a daze, not thinking of struggling.

Knowing a nightmare would follow, knowing she could avoid harm by turning and leaving, she still wouldn’t give up, just for this moment of closeness and shared breath.

The smile on Pei Shu’s face was almost cruel.

“You came to win me?” He raised his voice.

She nodded silently.

“An ugly woman like you dares to covet me?” His voice grew louder with thick mockery. Laughter came from below. A bunch of frivolous young men deeply agreed, laughing loudly.

“Such looks only suit country farmers—how dare she think of such an elegant man!”

“Women who practice martial arts must be crude and stupid!”

Among the mocking voices were women’s voices too. Compared to men, these women who lacked courage yet hated others’ courage were more willing to kick someone when they were down.

“Today I set up this arena precisely to wait for you self-overestimating women!” Pei Shu laughed loudly. “You or anyone else—no one can defeat my arena! I didn’t set up this arena today to chatter with you women, much less to marry you. It’s just to tell all the women of Zhanyu Tribe that no matter how outstanding you are, no matter how hard you try, no matter how you charge forward one after another on this arena, you don’t deserve me. In this world, the one who can win my heart and my regard is only one woman, and that is…”

He raised his pointing finger.

The crowd held its breath.

Jing Hengbo silently groaned.

She immediately waved her hand, and a stone weight by the arena flew up, smashing hard at Pei Shu’s finger.

Let you point—point at your sister!

Pei Shu’s face showed a cunning smile, as if he’d long anticipated this move. He swung his arm and the stone shattered. His arm emerged from the stone fragments, still firmly pointing in Jing Hengbo’s direction.

Jing Hengbo whooshed and disappeared. Behind her, Yi Qi immediately cooperated by pursing his lips and sticking out his chest to meet the gesture.

As Jing Hengbo flash-stepped, a trace of regret flashed through her mind—no time to grab an ugly woman to take her previous position…

She had just flashed behind the arena when she heard exclamations from below. She couldn’t help but curiously peek out to look. Somehow Yi Qi was no longer in her position, and below the stage, where Pei Shu was pointing, truly stood an ugly woman!

Really ugly!

Her face was so big that Feifei could roll around on it three times. Her skin was so black that if she came out at midnight, no one would notice. The black skin was covered with bumps, each one bright red and huge, topped with yellow pus, giving a strong toad impression.

If not for her chest also being big enough for Feifei to roll on three times, swaying proudly above the crowd, no one would think this was a woman—probably some monster that ran out of a swamp.

Several delicate young ladies shrieked and fainted.

Everyone exclaimed in shock—not just at this woman’s ugliness, but also… being so ugly she’d definitely be eye-catching, so how hadn’t they noticed her before? How did she appear?

Pei Shu’s hand was still held straight up. He seemed so shocked he forgot to lower it.

That woman picked her nose, looking at him “foolishly,” then smiled and said sweetly: “I… I knew you’d say that… but couldn’t we discuss this privately… I… I would be shy…”

She was fine when she didn’t speak, but once she opened her mouth, powder fell from her face, revealing the mottled skin underneath.

Someone was vomiting.

“Since you publicly expressed your love… I’m also very happy…” The ugly woman picked her nose and walked toward the stage. Pei Shu suddenly waved his sleeve: “Where did this troublemaker come from? Get lost!”

His sleeve created a powerful wind that sent things on the stage clattering around, but that woman remained unmoved. Perhaps her build was too robust—compared to her, the woman Pei Shu had knocked down earlier suddenly appeared delicate and graceful.

“Husband, are you going to abandon me after seducing me!” the ugly woman wailed, her voice shaking the roof tiles.

“Want to cause trouble? Don’t you see who I am!” Pei Shu roared angrily, stepping forward to grab her.

A hand suddenly emerged from the dust and blocked his hand.

Pei Shu paused. The excited anger on his face subsided as he looked down at his own hand and slowly narrowed his eyes.

That block just now looked effortless to laypeople, but how could his thrust be blocked so easily?

When the dust settled, his gaze slowly moved up from the gray-clothed arm to see a face without expression or distinguishing features.

“Who are you?”

“How can my young lady let you seduce and abandon her?” that gray-clothed man said woodenly. “Today I fight for her on this arena. If you lose, prepare for the bridal chamber.”

“Who are you!”

“Are you a man?”

“Of course!”

“A man of his word?”

“Absolutely!”

“You set up this arena seeking heroic beauties, and winners can form mandarin duck pairs—is this correct?”

“…Yes! But you can’t beat me…”

“We’ll talk after fighting.”

Before he finished speaking—

“Bang.”

Pei Shu fell straight backward.

Exclamations connected into one piece. No one had seen clearly how this move came about—Pei Shu suddenly just fell.

Pei Shu reacted quickly. When his back was about to hit the ground, he touched down with his toe, made a beautiful kite turn, and leaped up to land on the stage.

Though the movement was beautiful, he’d still lost a move. After landing, his eyes flickered, clearly surprised.

“Who are you!”

The gray-clothed man only said: “I’ll give you three moves. Make you roll away convinced of your defeat.”

Exactly the same words Pei Shu had used earlier, but with even more contemptuous tone. Jing Hengbo saw even Pei Shu’s jaw tighten.

“What madman!” he roared and threw a punch.

The gray-clothed man’s figure flashed and suddenly appeared behind him, reaching out to push lightly.

Pei Shu had quickly flashed when he moved. His speed could be said to be second to none in the world except for Jing Hengbo. So when he spun around, there was no one in front—he was just feeling pleased when he suddenly felt the air around him contract violently.

Like invisible palms suddenly gripping the air tight, so his fish-like form had to stop.

In just that stop, a figure flashed and that expressionless, zombie-like gray-clothed man appeared before him again, raising his hand to slap hard across his face.

The slap was crisp and clear. Pei Shu’s mask was beaten flat on one side, and half his snow-white face immediately showed purple-red marks.

The saying goes don’t hit the face when hitting someone. This slap was callously cruel and extremely vicious. Jing Hengbo watched the purple on Pei Shu’s face instantly spread to his neck.

The dragon was furious beyond reason. He yanked off his mask and slammed it to the ground. Using too much force, the deformed mask cut his chin. He wiped the blood and sneered as he pounced forward.

What a battle between dragon and tiger.

But no one could see clearly.

On stage were only two gray shadows spinning around, whipping up gusts of wind. Things on the arena flew from ground to sky then from sky to ground, shattering silently before landing. Curtains were torn to shreds by the wind, falling like broken snow on people’s heads below the stage. Someone sharp-eyed pointed at the arena floor and exclaimed, and more people saw the arena’s wooden boards silently losing color and raising dust. Looking closely, that wasn’t dust but tufts of wood shavings scraped up by the wind. Cracking sounds continuously came from the floor—each crack opened a palm-wide fissure. Finally the arena floor split radially in all directions like a drought-cracked pond.

Jing Hengbo propped her chin, thinking Dahuang truly had hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Which divine being was this? Could it be that guy people called the old monster, coming to avenge his bullied female disciple? But looking at that female disciple’s expression, it didn’t seem quite right.

She asked the Seven Kills, who were watching with great interest, all grinning: “A master, though far inferior to us. But Little Pei is going to suffer.”

“It’s not that Little Pei isn’t good—he’s completely being countered. Plus he hasn’t fully recovered yet. The opponent’s martial arts and mental techniques are different from ordinary people—the type that can counter many martial arts.”

“Oh?” Jing Hengbo’s heart stirred. “Give examples?”

“Many. The top mental techniques of worldly hermit sects can mostly do this. Like our Seven Peaks Mountain’s Bright Moon mental technique is naturally second to none in the world. Nine Heavens Gate should also have such techniques, and also…” Shan Wu suddenly smacked his lips and stopped talking.

Jing Hengbo felt her heart itch. She held back but couldn’t resist: “Does Prajna Snow count?”

“Ah? That one? Don’t know. No idea!” The Seven Kills answered in unison.

Jing Hengbo was frustrated.

Hanging around with the Seven Kills would definitely shorten her life by ten years!

She stared at the gray-clothed man on stage, really unable to recognize him. This person was too featureless, even his build was square—broad shoulders, broad waist, but his legs looked short. Such a figure was truly shabby.

“Bang.” A sound, wind whirled wildly. People near the arena felt their breath catch and couldn’t help closing their eyes. When they opened them again, they saw Pei Shu flying backward from behind the arena, his long hair standing on end, his boot heels scraping the floor all the way, creating a long deep groove with flying wood chips, looking like a deep red fuse being lit.

That gray-clothed man’s figure leaped and followed him out, suddenly reaching to grab Pei Shu’s chest clothing. Pei Shu was retreating with great force—rip—his upper garments shredded to pieces, revealing gray-colored skin that hadn’t yet faded.

Everyone exclaimed and stared wide-eyed, not expecting Pei Shu, whose facial skin was like snow, to have such ugly body skin.

“Hahahaha husband!” that ugly woman shouted while picking her nose. “If you’re ugly, don’t pretend to be a handsome man! Though you’re known as ‘Flying and Burrowing Gray-Furred Rat,’ this slave doesn’t mind you!”

“Oh…” the crowd made knowing jeering sounds—so he was an ugly fellow wearing a beauty mask!

“Husband, you lost,” the ugly woman’s voice was high and shrill, making one suspect the whole city could hear. “We’re like turtle and mung bean—a natural pair. Stop dawdling here. Let’s have our wedding night tonight, hahaha.”

“Get lost!”

In the angry roar, fist sounds exploded. With a thunderous crash, the arena collapsed.

Everyone scattered in all directions. When they had fled several zhang away and looked back, Pei Shu was gone, the ugly woman was gone, and that gray-clothed arena fighter was also gone. Only the woman who had gone on stage alone to fight remained in the ruins, wandering about forlornly.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound overhead. Everyone looked up to see that red silk banner with golden glitter also slowly falling down.

…

“Hahahahaha.”

That evening at the inn, such strange laughter came in waves—some from the Seven Kills, some from Jing Hengbo.

Jing Hengbo laughed especially loudly. She felt so refreshed.

This kid Pei Shu was already arrogant by nature. After suffering injustice and living through several years of inhuman conditions in the valley, his temperament had become somewhat inhuman too—he simply didn’t treat people as people. He deserved to suffer some grinding down. If that gray-clothed man hadn’t acted, she would have acted herself.

Of course Pei Shu wasn’t there now—surrounded by unscrupulous bad friends, no one would give him face. To avoid being humiliated again, he had taken his subordinates out hunting. Jing Hengbo worried that all the wild beasts in the area would surely suffer tonight.

Perhaps he was also searching the whole city for that ugly woman and gray-clothed man. She hoped he’d find them and get beaten up again.

At this moment, Pei Shu hadn’t found that gray-clothed man, but someone had found him, cornering him in an alley.

Light from a distant tall building projected over, forming a triangular shadow at the alley entrance. Pei Shu stood in that shadow, arms crossed against the wall, glaring with an ugly expression at a small sedan chair ahead.

“You dare block my path? Get lost.”

No movement from inside the sedan chair. After a long while, the curtain lifted, revealing a pair of hands.

Hands like jade, slender fingers, holding a plum blossom between two fingers—yellow pistils, red petals, making the skin seem to flow with light.

On one finger was a ring in the shape of flying feathers, with a blue-green luster.

Pei Shu’s gaze focused as he straightened his body.

“It’s you.”

“Once a guest beneath the plum blossoms, now a song in dreams.” The voice from the sedan chair was slightly cold, like jade pearls falling into a clear spring, carrying no trace of worldly smoke. “Many years without meeting, I thought we were already separated by heaven and earth. I never expected to hear news of you again in this lifetime. Young Marshal, it has been so long—how are you now?”

…

“I’ve been kidnapped, save me!”

When Jing Hengbo unfolded this note, she was dumbfounded, almost thinking her eyes were playing tricks.

She looked up at the scene before her. The little beggar who had just delivered the message had already melted into the crowd.

She’d been eating dinner peacefully when someone came saying they wanted to see her. Going outside, she saw no one, only a little beggar who seemed to have tripped and was moaning at her feet. She helped him up with slight wariness, but the little beggar took the opportunity to stuff this letter into her hands.

The delivery method wasn’t strange, but the content was too shocking. Who had been kidnapped?

The Seven Kills had already turned around stupidly to count. Er Lu counted for a long time before exclaiming: “One, two, three, four, five, six—oh no! We’re really missing one! Which of our brothers was kidnapped?”

“You’re missing yourself!” Jing Hengbo irritably shook the letter. “Nonsense. Currently only Pei Shu isn’t here. Could he be kidnapped? It’d be more likely for him to kidnap others! Besides, if he were kidnapped, would he call for help like this? He’d definitely prefer to die himself…”

“…Miss! Miss!” Before she finished speaking, a large group of gray figures had already run over in panic. “Save him! Save him! Our Young Marshal has been kidnapped!”

…

Half a quarter-hour later, a room was packed with people staring at that group of gray figures.

“De Xin,” Jing Hengbo said incredulously, “you’re saying your Young Marshal was in a bad mood, took you all out for some air, encountered people blocking the road, your master went to beat them up, but ended up being captured instead?”

The front of the story was logical, but the ending was a mess, right?

“Yes, yes.” Nodding like pounding garlic.

“Then why didn’t you go save your master? You all came running back?”

“Master told us to come back for help. We can’t beat them.” De Xin looked hopefully at this group of “master’s good friends.”

“Bah.” The Seven Kills walked away.

“Nonsense.” Yong Xue walked away.

“Master, you should wash up.” Zirui brought over water.

“So sleepy, wasting my time.” Tian Qi yawned and went to sleep.

“Sleep, sleep, goodbye kisses.” Jing Hengbo changed into slippers.

“Still don’t know who he’s trying to trick into going out so he can beat them up to vent his anger.” The Seven Kills and Tian Qi laughed loudly without looking back as they went to their rooms to sleep.

Jing Hengbo also loudly shooed away that group of dejected gray figures: “Go on, go on, sleep, sleep.” After everyone had gone into their rooms, she grabbed the last De Xin who was being pushed out the door.

“Speak up, where did he really go?”

De Xin narrowed his eyes and smiled, as cunning as a gray mouse.

“Young Marshal says he has a way to get the treasure boat blueprints, but needs your help.”

“Then why stage this kidnapping?”

“Because only you can go help. Without making this fuss, the Seven Kills would suspect Young Marshal’s whereabouts and naturally wouldn’t sleep, keeping a close eye on you so you couldn’t slip away alone.”

“Why do I need to go alone?” Jing Hengbo stared at De Xin suspiciously. She didn’t trust Pei Shu that much.

“If you don’t trust Young Marshal, we’ll immediately stake our lives on you.” De Xin drew his blade without another word.

Playing for real?

“Stop, stop, stop!” Jing Hengbo knocked away his blade. “I’ll go!”

…

Jing Hengbo walked through the night, with De Xin and several other subordinates of Pei Shu leading the way. Jing Hengbo noticed the direction they were walking was clearly toward the Zhanyu tribal chief’s palace.

It seemed Pei Shu had encountered his old flame?

Right, Pei Shu had made such a big commotion these past few days. Though it seemed like he was pursuing her, it also meant notifying his lover. Even if that woman had a noble status and lived deep in the palace, she might still hear about such fresh news.

In a corner of the palace square sat a small sedan chair with someone waiting silently before it, while a side gate of the palace behind them was slightly open.

De Xin pointed at that sedan chair, indicating she should go over. Jing Hengbo looked at that sedan chair—an ordinary felt sedan chair in the moonlight. She didn’t know why, but this sedan chair gave her a strange feeling, as if once she entered, something would happen.

But that feeling wasn’t dangerous either—just a strange feeling she couldn’t explain, without reason.

She circulated her qi and felt completely energetic with no possibility of sudden poison attacks. She was confident in herself—as long as the poison didn’t flare up, with her current instant movement speed, no place or person could trap her.

After that tumble with Pei Shu on the cliff at Tianhui Valley, she had improved in controlling her body position during instant movement. Now she could even instant-move while bent over.

Without entering the tiger’s den, how could she get the treasure boat? She still needed to conquer Blackwater Marsh and conquer Dahuang. It was just a sedan chair. What was there to fear?

She went over. The two people by the sedan chair bowed slightly and lifted the curtain for her. She saw at a glance that there was only one seat inside the sedan chair with nothing else and no possible hidden mechanisms. Relieved, she stepped into the sedan chair.

The curtain was lowered, cutting off the darkness.

She was a bit drowsy and had just thought to close her eyes and rest when she suddenly opened them.

Her first glance went to the ceiling.

The sedan chair roof suddenly opened, and a figure silently slipped in.

Really slipped—it was hard to imagine a person could have such posture and flexibility, like a wisp of light smoke or flowing water, sliding down along the sedan chair roof’s edge and suddenly sitting beside her.

The two sedan chair bearers had no reaction, not even feeling the weight change.

Jing Hengbo’s pupils contracted violently as she turned to flash away!

The moment she was about to flash, she smelled a familiar scent at her nose.

Then she heard the other person chuckle softly, raising something in his hand and softly saying “shh,” “Your Majesty, I’m Ying Bai.”

Jing Hengbo was startled. Her first reaction was still to run, her second reaction was oh, wasn’t Ying Bai expelled from Imperial Song? Her third reaction was ah, that smell was alcohol, no wonder it felt familiar, her fourth reaction was ah, I should still run!

Before her thoughts finished turning, Ying Bai smiled again: “Don’t. Your Majesty, I’m not interested in you. I’m here to find Pei Shu.”

Jing Hengbo paused. She indeed didn’t sense any malicious intent from Ying Bai. Previously in Xiang Kingdom, though their positions were opposed during that encounter, both had good impressions of each other.

“Jade White Gold Shu—like Shen and Shang stars that never meet—this is truly regrettable,” Ying Bai took a sip of wine and smiled. “Please fulfill my wish first, Your Majesty. You can beat me up afterward.”

Jing Hengbo thought that Jade White and Gold Shu had been famous together for years but had never met. Now that Ying Bai heard news of Pei Shu, it was natural he’d come looking for him.

As for why Ying Bai would know of Pei Shu’s return, the Yuzhao Dragon Cavalry had quite a few hidden agents too.

She couldn’t see his face clearly in the darkness, only that his features were handsome and carved, his eyes sparkled, tinged with slight intoxication. The sedan chair was increasingly filled with alcohol scent mixed with the man’s refreshing fragrance—combined, it was quite an attractive and charming smell.

Jing Hengbo had always felt Ying Bai was a very appealing man. Though when meeting Ying Bai in Xiang Kingdom, he was first in the bushes, then fighting with Yelu Qi, and she never got a clear look at his face, she still felt his natural ease and grace were innate. Unlike Ji Yifan and others who, though they also frequented brothels and indulged in wine with their fallen romantic elegance, were actually emotionally bound and irresolute inside—far from this man’s true understanding, whose eyes wrote of worldly affairs and whose wine pot carried the martial world.

Ying Bai’s alcohol scent was too heavy. Wherever he went, people would be intoxicated by that accumulated wine fragrance, their minds only remembering his often-narrowed, curved, smiling eyes, but not really remembering what he actually looked like.

Some people’s temperament was so strong it would overshadow their appearance.

“You’re not planning to kill Pei Shu, are you?” Jing Hengbo asked quietly. She remembered these two were mortal enemies.

“I’m no longer the Yuzhao Commander,” Ying Bai took a sip of wine, completely unconcerned. “Of course, if he wants to kill me, I don’t mind fighting him either.”

Jing Hengbo’s heart stirred as she laughed: “In that case, for covering for you, help me beat him up.”

“Exactly what I wished for.” Ying Bai weighed his wine pot casually.

Somehow, Jing Hengbo felt he was in a very satisfied mood.

The small sedan chair swayed forward, seemingly taking small paths. Though the bearers were skilled with steady steps, it still rocked from time to time. The sedan chair was very small, so their knees would occasionally bump together. Each could feel the warmth from the other’s knee, then each would uncomfortably shift outward, but where could they shift to? Before long they’d bump together again. The muffled sound of these collisions made Jing Hengbo somewhat embarrassed, and her mind became somewhat dazed. She didn’t know why, but suddenly remembered when he came to pick her up at Zhao Shizhi’s residence—when she crawled into his warm sedan chair, in that spacious sedan chair he first inexplicably went wild, holding her in a spinning flip…

She suddenly raised her hand and pinched her face hard—why think about this! Why think about this!

Across from her, Ying Bai’s hand drinking wine paused, but he didn’t ask why she was acting strange, only shifted his leg further away and drank faster.

She was getting a bit dizzy from the fumes and lifted the curtain to look outside. Everything was dark with scattered palace buildings that didn’t look very prosperous.

“Someone!” A hand suddenly reached from behind, pressing the curtain edge. At the same time she saw a black shadow sweep across the palace rooftops above, hawk-like eyes glancing back at the sedan chair.

She hadn’t expected that in the middle of the night, deep in the palace, there would still be people patrolling in this manner. Feeling she’d been a bit rash, she couldn’t help sticking out her tongue. Who knew he was just pulling back his hand at that moment—her tongue curled and licked his hand back.

Both were stunned.

She felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it was unsanitary, but also felt this scene was startlingly familiar. Lightning flashed through her mind, revealing a dark room, a mirror, a body leaning behind her, a hand pressing the mirror’s edge, her angrily lowering her head to lick that finger…

She trembled, then felt the body behind her was also in a pressing posture, also leaning very close, half his chest pressed against her back. Heat pressed forward, and she felt unfamiliar breath, shifting slightly.

When she shifted, he seemed to awaken, immediately moving away and withdrawing his hand. He also seemed a bit embarrassed, silently taking another gulp of wine.

Jing Hengbo turned her head as if nothing had happened. Actually this wasn’t much—if she’d licked any of the Seven Kills’ hands, everyone would definitely joke together happily. If she’d licked Tian Qi’s hand, Tian Qi would definitely give her a big eye roll like a close girlfriend. But now, having licked the still-strange Ying Bai’s hand, she felt uncomfortable for no reason, not even having the heart to joke around to resolve the awkwardness.

Perhaps sedan chairs were just too narrow and close, adding an ambiguous atmosphere that prevented natural behavior.

She turned aside, leaning against one side of the sedan chair while he leaned far to the other side, looking like a pair of still-strange men and women trying to maintain clear boundaries.

Starlight and moonlight slipped through curtain gaps, illuminating her profile as she propped her cheek—curled eyelashes, calm and composed eyes, full lips like a newly bloomed pomegranate flower.

His gaze slipped away from her lips, falling on his own hand back. That trace was naturally gone, but somehow that patch of skin seemed particularly bright.

Fine breathing dispersed in the darkness—intersecting, wandering, avoiding, entangling.

The sedan chair suddenly jolted and landed. Jing Hengbo almost let out a long breath of relief.

Looking up, she saw a simple courtyard before her—gray tiles, white walls, a circle of low walls. Such a courtyard appearing in the palace was very surprising. She was startled, then remembered what about Ying Bai in the sedan chair? Looking back, Ying Bai had actually come out of the sedan chair, his bearing composed.

The two sedan chair bearers stared at him dumbfounded, never expecting how another person had suddenly appeared.

Ying Bai had originally looked straight ahead, not putting those two in his eyes at all. He seemed to suddenly remember something, turning to smile at them: “Thank you both for carrying all this way. You’ve worked hard.”

Jing Hengbo felt that when he exited the sedan chair his bearing was proud and noble, but now he’d returned to his unrestrained and elegant temperament.

Those two people’s expressions changed as they stepped forward, about to act, when someone coldly said: “Two stupid dogs—with your abilities, you dare act against him? Breaking into pieces all over would just obstruct my walking. Get lost!”

Jing Hengbo raised her eyebrows—this arrogant tone could only be Pei Shu.

The door opened, and indeed Pei Shu walked out, not looking at anyone, his first glance fixed on Ying Bai.

Beside him was a white-clothed woman who waved at those two subordinates. They looked resentful but didn’t dare act up, lowering their heads and retreating.

Jing Hengbo looked over and couldn’t help being startled.

Indeed a beauty.

The legendary stepmother of Zhanyu tribal chief Zhan Xin was younger than imaginable—looking no more than twenty-something. Her skin was white to near transparency, her eye color slightly pale, like colored glass in moonlight. Her long black hair reached her ankles, not pinned up but hanging straight behind her like a fallen black Milky Way, from tip to root all equally black, bright and smooth.

She was the type who looked extremely clean at first glance—so clean it made one feel the air was too polluted and might dirty her. Jing Hengbo felt this was what “carved from jade and molded from snow, ice-pure and jade-clean” meant.

Such an appearance… actually being the great king’s stepmother was really full of contradictions.

“Who is he?” Pei Shu always needed first presence, not bothering with pleasantries, pointing straight at Ying Bai and asking Jing Hengbo.

His eyes flickered, full of the fervor of meeting a worthy opponent.

“Someone here to beat you up.”

“Then let’s fight.” Pei Shu immediately rolled up his sleeves.

Just as Jing Hengbo was about to give him a Pegasus Meteor Fist to wake him up and see clearly where they were, the white-clothed woman beside Pei Shu had already said lightly: “Young Master Pei, you promised me something.”

Strangely, the fierce wildfire fox-like Pei Shu actually stopped rolling up his sleeves upon hearing this light remark.

Jing Hengbo had never seen him so obedient, indicating he and this woman definitely had some secret relationship.

“Why did you call me here?” she asked Pei Shu. “Won’t you introduce this lady?”

She smiled politely at that woman, but the woman didn’t smile back. Her deep double-lidded eyes gazed profoundly at Jing Hengbo, making her feel like she was facing a well—only seeing cold, deep water and her lonely self.

“Yin Wuxin,” Pei Shu said briefly. “Born as a court shrine maiden of Zhanyu, later married the previous tribal chief. She and I had some dealings in the past—she’s my lifesaver. I called you here…” he said without reservation, “Zhan Xin wants to marry Wuxin, but Wuxin doesn’t want to marry her stepson. She asked me to be a shield, so I said you’re my fiancée. Out of respect, this matter should be discussed with you face to face. That’s it—what do you think?” After speaking, he seemed casual but actually watched her with burning eyes.