Mei Gongqing

Amid his laughter, Wang Hong turned to shoot a glance at him. Yu Zhi at once stopped, but from time to time a strange sound escaped his throat like a laughter that could not be suppressed.

“Miss?” Nurse Ping was heard calling outside.

Hearing her, Chen Rong turned around to curtsy to Wang Hong. “My nurse is calling for me. I’ll be getting off.”

She was smiling in a bowing position, but even after a while she did not hear Wang Hong answer.

When she looked up, she saw him holding a cup of wine and smiling comfortably at her. Did he not hear her request?

Surprised, Chen Rong glanced over at Yu Zhi to see him contorting his face to contain his laughter. She smiled and then quietly sat back at her seat, no longer mentioning the matter of departure.

And like that, Wang Hong quietly drank his wine, Chen Rong looked out to the scenery through the curtain, and Yu Zhi looked back and forth, his throat constantly making suppressed noises.

Outside, Nurse Ping called twice and when she did not receive Chen Rong’s answer, retracted her head.

The travelers continued to move forward.

A long time later, when Yu Zhi had already left, a blast of dust rolled near.

This was a Wang scout. He came to the carriage and relayed in a whisper: “My lord, General Ran is heading this way.”

Ran Min?

Chen Rong looked up.

Wang Hong slowly placed his wine down, murmuring: “I suppose stealing a man’s bride isn’t a kind thing to do, even if there had been no betrothal.” Thus mumbled to himself, he called out, “Remove our emblem from the carriage. Pick another route for me to go.”

“Aye.”

The riders left with their order.

At this time Wang Hong turned his gaze to Chen Rong.

He was obviously in the wrong, but his eyes were bright and he couldn’t look more nonchalant. She couldn’t see the slightest sense of shame from him.

Chen Rong cast him a glance and then withdrew her gaze.

Wang Hong’s order was passed down, but they had not seen a fork through the day’s journey. By the time the sun sank to the west, they hadn’t found an opportunity to leave.

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It was supper time.

The guards jumped off the carriages and began to set camp for dinner. Wang Hong had also left.

Chen Rong got off the carriage and turned to find Nurse Ping and the others.

Nurse Ping was also looking for her. When he saw Chen Rong looking around, Old Shang drove the carriage near and cried: “Miss, miss.”

Chen Rong turned around and beamed to see them.

She strode to the carriage, lifted the curtain and went in.

Seeing her tired appearance, Nurse Ping hurriedly asked, “The water’s ready, would you like to take a bath?”

Chen Rong glanced down at her white robe and nodded.

She sank her face underwater and only surfaced when she ran out of breath. Nurse Ping was washing her long hair. She was pleased to see Chen Rong’s creamy skin in the water foams, and her smile that had an invisible chill. “The more I look at you these days, the prettier you look,” she happily remarked.

Chen Rong simply smiled to see Nurse Ping so happy.

She glanced across the clothes on the table and suddenly said, “Don’t prepare white clothes for me anymore.”

“Why, miss?”

“Why?” Chen Rong thought of Yu Zhi’s words when she slowly smiled and said, “Because all insistence are obsessions.”

The nurse didn’t understand these words. She grinned and laughed, “It’s fine if you don’t like white clothes. We left in such a hurry that I hadn’t had time to get white robes made for you.”

Chen Rong interrupted her at this time: “When did you get on the carriage?”

“For some reason we fell asleep in the middle of chattering last night. When we woke up, Qilang’s people had come over and said you had started off and wanted us to hurry along. Hah, luckily we had made preparations and could go at first notice. Else we would’ve made the Wang House unhappy.”

After babbling for a while, Nurse Ping said, “All done, miss.”

Chen Rong put her clothes on with her help, wore wooden clogs and stepped down from the carriage.

As soon as she got off, a dozen pairs of eyes were watching her. Gradually, more and more people looked her way... Even Wang Hong’s playing hand halted on his zither as he tilted his head to look at her.

Chen Rong at this time had changed into a set of light yellow outfit with purple patterns and flying birds.

Her skin was more radiant in this outfit, her damp air was shiny, and her white feet slowly clopped on wooden clogs.

The light yellow robe drifted in the wind. Its wide sleeves and belted waist highlighted her wasp waistline.

Yu Zhi stared at her, slapped his thigh and sighed, “She’s indeed quite the stunner. Lucky you, Qilang.”

Here, he quickly clutched his mouth and vaguely muttered, “I forgot, that’s not settled yet is it? She isn’t yours yet haha.” He couldn’t help himself from laughing out loud.

Amid his ruckus, Wang Hong raised his wine for a sip, eyes still staring at Chen Rong.

At this time, a series of hoof beats closed in on them.

It rumbled with flying dust that did not dissipate for a long time.

In the twinkling of an eye, it arrived on the road behind Chen Rong.

When the hoof beats halted, they were replaced by heavy and chilling footsteps.

As she was walking, Chen Rong instinctively felt something amiss so she turned back to look.

She came to face a pair of cold eyes that belonged to a murderous man who was striding towards her.

Ran Min.

No wonder surrounding people weren’t alarmed. Ran Min only brought ten guards with him and a blade tied at his waist. He did not bring his personal weapon.

He calmly strode to Chen Rong.

He stopped to stare at her. His brow slowly knitted while he looked her up and down. “Come with me!” He grabbed Chen Rong’s arm and pulled her to Wang Hong.

She had no choice but to keep pace with him.

Before long, they had come before Wang Hong.

When Ran Min got closer, footsteps sounded around them. They were from the Wang guards who were quietly surrounding this place.

Wang Hong slowly pushed himself to stand up.

He looked at Ran Min, bowed deeply to him, and softly said, “I do feel ashamed.” His clear, lofty eyes quietly watched Ran Min when he continued. “However, you and Ah Rong are not betrothed...”

He was telling Ran Min that his and Chen Rong’s promise were only made between themselves. There had been no matchmaker, no formality, and certainly no blessing from the elders. Thus even if he had stolen Chen Rong, it couldn’t be said that he had stolen Ran Min’s bride.

Ran Min harrumphed.

He went to stand in front of Wang Hong.

Almost suddenly, just as he stepped forward, he drew his long blade and brandished it on Wang Hong’s neck.

Even though the Wang guards were only five paces from Wang Hong, Ran Min had moved so suddenly that they couldn’t react in time.

The cold blade on Wang Hong’s neck reflected the sunset and shone a frighteningly deadly light.

The guards’ voices were gone. They watched Ran Min and his blade, many starting to perspire on their foreheads and backs.

Ran Min stared at Wang Hong while his blade slowly moved.

With this movement, low shouts broke out around them.

Wang Hong smiled. He quietly looked at Ran Min and said, “General, this doesn’t look too good.”

Ran Min throated a gruff and murderous chuckle.

He stared at Wang Hong to icily say: “I can’t believe there would be a day when I am thus insulted by a useless scholar like you!”

Wang Hong smiled hearing this. He also ignored the blade at his neck to lower his head and take a slow sip of wine... When he did so, Ran Min’s blade naturally did not back away. For that reason, the sharp tip drew a faint trace of blood from his white skin. The wound was shallow, but blood nevertheless gushed forth. The flow was so heavy that his white robe was dyed red before one could blink.

Watching the blood flow out, Chen Rong dropped her gaze and softly called, “General Ran.”

She stood behind Ran Min, looking at his once very familiar but now gradually alien tall and stalwart figure. “General Ran, did you come here to take me back?” She provocatively smiled and said, “Are you saying that you don’t find my defilement abhorrent, that you still want to marry me? But even then, I wouldn’t want to. Of course if you kill Chen Wei, I might reconsider.”

Not only was her voice provocative, there was also an indifference in her ridicule. This was an indifference that thoroughly disregarded him.

Immediately, Ran Min turned around.