“Why do you keep staring at Danzhu? What’s there to envy?” Shen Che asked.
Ji Cheng inwardly grumbled, wondering what was wrong with Shen Che and why he couldn’t let this go. She turned to face him and asked, “Why do you think I would envy Danzhu?”
“Answering my question with another question shows you’re feeling guilty,” Shen Che replied.
Refusing to back down, Ji Cheng sat up impatiently, glaring at Shen Che. “How am I guilty? You’re just twisting my words.”
Shen Che grunted twice, staring at Ji Cheng without speaking.
Ji Cheng felt unnerved by Shen Che’s gaze. Though she knew she was in the right, his stare made her inexplicably nervous. She did have something to hide in this regard. “To be honest with you, even if our Great Qin allowed one wife to have multiple husbands, I wouldn’t follow Danzhu’s example. One is troublesome enough; having more would drive me crazy.” She muttered the latter part quietly.
“How is one person troubling you?” Shen Che immediately took the bait, wrapping his arms around Ji Cheng’s waist, pretending to tickle her.
Ji Cheng feared this the most. Being in someone else’s home, she didn’t dare make a commotion. She could only complain in a low voice, “Even one of you is more than I can handle.”
Shen Che had been feeling frustrated and gloomy, and it just so happened that they were staying at a house where four brothers shared one wife, which struck a chord with him. Hearing Ji Cheng’s words now, he took it as a compliment, feeling somewhat better.
“Indeed, you can’t handle it,” Shen Che whispered in Ji Cheng’s ear. “I’ve always been holding back, considering your enjoyment.”
Ji Cheng knew she shouldn’t have started this topic; Shen Che was being shameless again.
“It’s a pity we’re in someone else’s home, and the soundproofing isn’t good. Otherwise, I’d show you my true skills,” Shen Che said, nibbling on Ji Cheng’s earlobe. Although he couldn’t do what he wanted, some touching and rubbing were inevitable. After all, he had to put his hands somewhere, right?
Ji Cheng was helpless against Shen Che; she couldn’t outargue or overpower him.
Shortly after they settled down, there was a disturbance outside. Shen Che kissed Ji Cheng’s cheek and said, “I’ll go check.”
The person who came didn’t bring good news. Shen Yu’s refusal to cooperate with Li Simo had been discovered by his brothers in Xueyantuo, causing internal strife. Li Simo was caught off guard and placed under house arrest, his life hanging by a thread.
Inside the room, Ji Cheng only heard hurried footsteps coming and going. Then Shen Che pushed open the door and entered. “There’s unrest in Xueyantuo. I need to go rescue Li Simo. Nan Gui and Lian Zi’er have arrived. I’m leaving ten guards behind to protect you.”
Ji Cheng nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation. “Go ahead, don’t worry. We’ll be careful.”
However, sometimes even the utmost caution isn’t enough when facing a pack of wolves.
Shen Che rushed to Xueyantuo overnight, rescued Li Simo, helped him deal with his treacherous brothers, and regained control of Xueyantuo. But when he hurried back, he received news that Ji Cheng had been kidnapped by Huo De.
Nan Gui could barely look at Shen Che’s face, prostrating herself on the ground with trembling shoulders. “This slave deserves death, this slave deserves death.”
Shen Che took several deep breaths to calm his anger before asking, “How many people came?”
“Only one person,” Nan Gui replied. It was precisely because only one person came that they hadn’t been alerted. But this one person had killed all ten guards Shen Che had left behind, and Lian Zi’er was dead too. Only Nan Gui had escaped.
“It’s not your fault,” Shen Che said, already knowing the person who came must have been Huo De. Even Zhe Li couldn’t have single-handedly wiped out his elite guards now. “Get up. Order that all those who sacrificed themselves in this incident be generously rewarded and given grand funerals.” Shen Che paused before daring to ask, “Is there any news of Acheng?”
Nan Gui coughed several times before standing up. She had also suffered severe internal injuries. When she took the healing medicine from Shen Che’s hand, tears involuntarily flowed from her eyes. She had thought she wouldn’t escape this disaster, but Shen Che didn’t blame her at all.
This was probably why so many people were willing to risk their lives for the Jing Lord.
“We’ve received news that he headed southwest. Someone saw the Young Mistress near Lake Elan,” Nan Gui reported.
Shen Che closed his eyes briefly, thinking for a moment before saying, “Have people focus all efforts on finding Zai Na’s whereabouts.”
Nan Gui didn’t understand why they were looking for Zai Na instead of the Young Mistress at this time, but she was used to obeying Shen Che’s decisions. “Yes, sir.”
Finding Ji Cheng might not be easy, but finding Zai Na was much simpler.
Shen Che looked expressionlessly at the “invited” Zai Na and said, “Tell me my wife’s whereabouts.”
Zai Na feigned ignorance, “How would I know your wife’s whereabouts?”
Shen Che walked to Zai Na’s side, lifting her chin to force her to look up at him. “If you don’t know her whereabouts, then you should know your fate.”
“We’re partners. I’ve told you everything I know and given you all the forces I can mobilize. Yet you still don’t trust me? How could I possibly harm your wife?” Zai Na stubbornly denied it.
Shen Che called out, “Nan Gui,” “We lost many people. Make a few cuts on her face.”
Nan Gui had no sympathy for Zai Na. She walked over and used her dagger to cut a bloody wound from Zai Na’s eyebrow to her chin.
“Shen Che!” Zai Na was truly frightened now. Her face was what she cherished most.
Shen Che remained silent, and Nan Gui made another cut on Zai Na’s face.
Zai Na looked at Shen Che with hatred and tears. “I was sincere to you, and this is how you treat me?”
“I only want my wife’s whereabouts,” Shen Che nodded to Nan Gui, who was about to step forward again.
Zai Na cried, “You only care about her! If I didn’t get rid of her, you would never truly be with me. You forced me to do this, it’s all your fault!”
Nobody in this world is a fool. Shen Che had been planning to placate Zai Na, while Zai Na had been secretly plotting to eliminate Ji Cheng. “With me by your side, what more could you want? Am I not better than her? I can give you much more than she can,” Zai Na shouted.
“If she dies, I’ll cut off your hands and feet, destroy your face, and have you crawl from West Turkic to East Turkic. I’ll let all your lovers see what Zai Na looks like then,” Shen Che said.
“By the Yilan River. I only know that Huo De took her towards the Yilan River,” Zai Na said.
Shen Che turned and walked out. Behind him, Zai Na cried out, “Shen Che, you’ll regret this! You’ll regret this!”
Shen Che was already regretting it now. No one in this world can plan for everything. He had calculated many things, but he couldn’t have anticipated that Zai Na would be foolish enough to oppose him at this time. For the sake of that bit of jealousy between men and women, Zai Na had become recklessly insane to an unimaginable degree.
This was something that the usually rational and calm Shen Che couldn’t understand, and naturally, he couldn’t have thought of it.
According to Shen Che’s calculations, even if Huo De knew of Ji Cheng’s existence, he couldn’t possibly know how important she was to him. She was just a woman, after all, and didn’t Shen Che have plenty of women?
Women were nothing more than a pastime for noble young men to alleviate boredom during their grassland travels. Moreover, he had been so intimate with Zai Na. What man who treasured his wife would do such a thing right under her nose?
If Zai Na hadn’t turned against him, Huo De would never have personally come to capture Ji Cheng. The men Shen Che had left behind to protect Ji Cheng were more than enough. Apart from Huo De, no one else could have possibly kidnapped Ji Cheng.
But no matter how much one calculates, there’s always room for miscalculation.
Shen Che only hoped that everything would be in time. He shouldn’t have been so anxious. Huo De had kidnapped Ji Cheng, but her life wouldn’t be in immediate danger. She was just being used to threaten him. But Shen Che was still frantic with worry, fearing that Ji Cheng might lose even a single hair.
Of course, Ji Cheng had lost more than just a single hair.
When Shen Che appeared outside the small cabin, Huo De had already wisely fled. He was old now, and his martial arts were no longer a match for Shen Che.
Zhe Li looked at his teacher in confusion, “Master, why did you let his wife go so easily?”
Huo De said, “Do you believe Shen Che would let us have our way just for the sake of a woman?”
“But Zai Na said…” Zhe Li began.
Huo De was very disappointed in his disciple. He had to admit that in this life, he had lost to his senior fellow apprentice. He wasn’t as good as him, and even the disciple he had chosen wasn’t as good as his.
“Can’t you see through that woman Zai Na’s thoughts? She wanted to use our hands to eliminate her rival, so she portrayed Shen Che as a rare infatuated lover rarely seen throughout history,” Huo De explained.
“If Master knew Zai Na’s words were untrue, why did you still take the risk?” Zhe Li didn’t understand. Huo De had also been injured quite severely in this kidnapping of Ji Cheng.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Huo De said. “Anyway, we’re at a disadvantage now, so it was worth a try. I administered the Half-Day Scatter to that woman before leaving.”
The Half-Day Scatter, as its name suggests, was a poison that could take one’s life within half a day. However, this wasn’t the most terrifying aspect of the Half-Day Scatter. What was most frightening was that those who were poisoned by it would continuously cough up blood, their internal organs rotting, dying an extremely painful death.
“Master, if you wanted to kill her, why go to such trouble?” Zhe Li really couldn’t understand Huo De’s intentions. Such a potent poison was itself very precious and difficult to concoct. Huo De could have easily ended Ji Cheng’s life with a single palm strike, yet he took such a roundabout approach.
Huo De smiled cunningly and said, “In such a short time, Shen Che won’t be able to prepare an antidote for the Half-Day Scatter. He can choose not to save his wife, and we lose nothing. But if he can’t bear to watch his wife suffer before his eyes, he’ll have to transfer the Half-Day Scatter into his own body, which will halve his martial power.”
Zhe Li’s eyes lit up. If Shen Che’s power was reduced by half, eliminating him would no longer be an impossible task. Zhe Li now realized how fortunate he was; after all, old ginger is indeed spicier.
Huo De’s prediction was not wrong. Shen Che would never stand by and watch Ji Cheng die in agony.
Every time Ji Cheng coughed up blood, it was like carving a piece of flesh from his chest. So, without any hesitation, Shen Che drew the poison from Ji Cheng’s body into his own.
Although Ji Cheng was in a daze from the pain, she guessed what Shen Che was doing. His face was becoming increasingly pale, covered with an ashen hue. She struggled to speak, “Don’t fall for his trap.”
Shen Che smiled, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead and nose. The sweat had completely soaked Ji Cheng’s hair. He knew she had been holding back, not even crying out in pain, just to avoid worrying him. But Shen Che was too familiar with the effects of the Half-Day Scatter, which made him even more heartbroken.
“Don’t be afraid, it’ll be over soon,” Shen Che caressed Ji Cheng’s bloodless, pale lips.
When Ji Cheng woke up, the pain in her body had disappeared, and Shen Che was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is he?” Ji Cheng anxiously asked Nan Gui.
“The Young Master had urgent business and has already left. He instructed me to tell you when you woke up that we should escort you back to the capital,” Nan Gui replied.