Chapter Fourteen
Across the open ground before the city walls, one looked up while the other gazed down. In the electric instant their eyes met, an indescribable bitterness rose from the depths of Yixiao's heart, surging to her throat. She felt as if all her blood had been drained away, clinging desperately to the stone wall to keep from collapsing.
All she could see were those eyes—deep as soul-devouring demon springs, blazing like erupting volcanic fire.
A sudden tightness around her waist signaled Feng Suige pressing close again. With a roguish smile aimed at Xia Jingshi, he forcefully suppressed her trembling resistance, burying his branded lips against the pulse of her neck for a teasing bite before locking challenging eyes with Xia Jingshi once more.
So what if she's your woman, his eyes taunted.
Ignoring the sharp sting of nails digging into his palm, Xia Jingshi smiled mildly. "What an enormous surprise. Had I not come to escort the princess, this humble prince would never have known the missing Captain from our army would appear in Vermilion Sand Country."
Feng Xiyang wore an awkward expression, biting her lip as she looked at Feng Suige before stamping her foot. "Royal Brother! What... what are you doing?!"
Xueying was already being dragged toward the rear of the procession by Ning Fei, struggling and cursing all the while. "Get your pig snout off Yixiao, you plague-ridden swine who won't have teeth left to eat porridge tomorrow morning—ah!" Her shriek cut off as Ning Fei finally lost patience and hoisted her over his shoulder, sprinting away.
Feng Suige burst into laughter. "Her insults are far more creative than yours."
Yixiao had long stopped struggling. Meeting Xia Jingshi's gaze, she murmured softly to Feng Suige, "Give it up. You'll never match him—not in wisdom, nor in bearing." Feng Suige snorted dismissively but tightened his grip.
By now, all the nobility on the city walls had sensed the unusual tension, murmuring among themselves.
Amid the buzzing whispers, Feng Qishan rose with a frown. All private conversations ceased instantly as countless eyes focused on him. "This oversight is mine. I'd only heard my son brought back a Brocade woman, unaware she was a Military General under the King Who Pacifies the South."
Xia Jingshi smiled gently. "The Lord of the Nation is too gracious. The Imperial Son merely wished to surprise me." Nodding at Feng Suige, he added, "This prince shall remember the Imperial Son's... thoughtful gesture."
Feng Suige arched an eyebrow, about to retort when Feng Qishan barked at the protocol officer, "Why haven't you escorted our honored guest into the city to rest?!"
The stunned officer jolted to attention, hastily announcing, "Receive—the King Who Pacifies the South into the city!"
On Vermilion Sand's bustling streets, a foreign-dressed couple's heated argument drew frequent glances from passersby.
"Ling Xueying! Are you completely unreasonable?!" Ning Fei roared for the second time. "No!" Xueying shot back for the second time, planting hands on hips as she squared off against him. "I came to Vermilion Sand to bring Yixiao back, not to sit around drinking tea and making small talk with a bunch of schemers!" Whirling around, she vented her frustration on a gawking bystander. "What are you staring at? Never seen people argue before?!" The man sheepishly rubbed his nose and scurried away.
In less than a month with this brute, she'd discarded every ounce of decorum and refinement painstakingly instilled since childhood. Father was right—proximity to ink turns one black. Xueying gnashed her teeth inwardly. At least they were in a foreign land; no matter how disgraceful she acted, word would never reach Father's ears.Ning Fei spread his arms, intending to hoist Xueying over his shoulder as he had done when entering the city. Seeing his stance, Xueying hastily retreated several steps and threatened, “Doesn’t it hurt anymore?!”
She had spent the entire journey imagining countless graceful postures to make every woman in Vermilion Sand Country weep in envy for not being born a refined lady of the Brocade Dynasty. Yet upon arrival, she had been unceremoniously slung over his shoulder and carried into the city—utterly devoid of elegance. Aside from the dizziness, blurred vision, and overwhelming nausea, her sharp ears had caught the whispers of women in the crowd: “Look at that Brocade General… how enviable…”
Enviable?! Xueying still wanted to scream at the memory.
Furious and humiliated, she had yanked out a hairpin and stabbed it repeatedly into his backside like pounding garlic, eliciting a collective gasp from the onlookers…
Ning Fei’s wary gaze now lingered on her hair. Fortunately, Xueying was wearing an ebony hairpin today—otherwise, his backside would undoubtedly be riddled with bleeding holes.
“His Highness has just arrived. Protocol demands we observe formalities and not let the Vermilion Sand people mock us,” Ning Fei conceded, partly out of deference to the hairpin.
Xueying scoffed and pointed at his nose. “Tell me, are you the King Who Pacifies the South?” Ning Fei was baffled. “Of course not.” She then pointed at herself. “Then am I the King Who Pacifies the South?” “Of course not.” Ning Fei frowned in concern. “Are you suffering from heatstroke?”
Rolling her eyes, Xueying ignored his last remark. “Neither of us is the King Who Pacifies the South. Even if we act improperly, no one will blame the Brocade Dynasty. So, Ning Fei, you either come with me to the palace or go back and sit there like a fool drinking tea!”
Ning Fei blocked her again. “Yixiao was taken by the Vermilion Sand Prince. Even the Lord of the Nation is unaware, so she definitely won’t be in the palace…”
“Who said I’m looking for Yixiao? I’m going to confront him—this so-called ruler—and ask how he allows his son to abduct innocent women!” Xueying lifted her chin. “Just answer: are you coming or not?”
“Ling Xueying! Have you no reason?!” “None!” The two began their third standoff.
Suddenly, Xueying shifted uneasily and whispered, “Ning Fei… his expression doesn’t seem very friendly…” Ning Fei’s face also darkened with uncertainty. “Come here.”
For the first time, Xueying obediently nestled into Ning Fei’s arms. He patted her shoulder reassuringly before raising his head to glare sharply at Feng Suige, who sat astride his horse.
Unnoticed, the bustling street had been divided into three sections by Vermilion Sand soldiers. The crowds still thronged at either end, but the middle stretch—where they stood—was now encircled by Feng Suige and his troops.
“Pretend I’m not here,” Feng Suige said with a lazy smile. “By all means, continue.”
Ning Fei sneered. “Does the Phoenix Prince plan to abduct someone in broad daylight again?” Feng Suige feigned surprise. “General Ning, what do you mean?”
“So it’s you,” Xueying peeked out from Ning Fei’s embrace and gestured at the surrounding Vermilion Sand soldiers. “Are you blind, or am I hallucinating? Are you trying to claim these are just scarecrows?”Feng Suige explained with a smile, "I received a report that someone in the marketplace was shouting about 'Your Highness' and 'Imperial Son,' seemingly involving the Lord of the Nation, so I came to investigate. To my surprise, it turned out to be the two of you. Clearing the streets was merely to prevent any ignorant commoners from causing further disturbances—I meant no offense, so please don’t misunderstand."
Xueying pretended to shiver and nestled back into Ning Fei’s arms. "Ning Fei, today I realized that someone like you is much better..." Putting on an act in public was hardly effective with just one person.
Ning Fei shuddered and warned in a low voice, "Ling Xueying, is this really the time for teasing me?"
What a fool, completely incapable of playing along. Xueying rolled her eyes at him. "Did you know there’s a creature in this world that, though clearly a beast, insists on wearing human skin and mimicking human speech..."
Ning Fei frowned. "A beast? How could it wear human skin?" Xueying gritted her teeth, deciding not to ask further. "Haven’t you heard of 'a beast in human form'?"
Ning Fei suddenly understood, but before he could speak, Xueying continued, "Actually, no one knows what he really is. Maybe he isn’t even a thing at all. But what exactly is he? Only he himself knows." She then smiled sweetly at Feng Suige. "I’ve long heard of Su Sha’s Imperial Son’s extraordinary insight. Could you enlighten me, Xueying?"
Feng Suige smiled faintly. "This truly stumps me. It seems I need to read more—or perhaps we should ask General Ning. With his years in the military, he must have seen and heard much."
Xueying was furious. Before Ning Fei could speak, she grabbed his hand to silence him. "We’ve discussed this question many times on the road but couldn’t reach a conclusion, which is why we thought to seek your guidance, Imperial Son. Unfortunately, even you don’t know, let alone clarify it for us." She emphasized the word "us" before flashing an innocent smile. "Let’s set this aside for now. When you figure it out, you can tell us then."
Feng Suige raised an eyebrow. "Actually, why don’t you two ask the King Who Pacifies the South? Yixiao holds his wisdom in high regard." With that, he flicked his horsewhip and galloped away, followed swiftly by the Su Sha soldiers.
Xueying stamped her foot in sudden realization. "Yixiao... Damn it! I forgot to demand he hand her over!"
Ning Fei stood dumbfounded for a moment before mumbling, "Uh, my hand..." Xueying looked down and immediately flung it away, wiping her own hand in disgust. "Ugh, who knows if you even washed your hands after using the latrine today."
Ning Fei suddenly asked, "What did you say earlier about me being better?"
A mischievous smile curled Xueying’s lips as she stealthily backed away. "He’s a beast in human form, while you’re a human with a beast’s face. Isn’t that much better?"
"Beast—" Ning Fei exploded in rage. "Ling Xueying, don’t you dare run!"
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