Hongying, seizing the opportunity, said, "Let this servant fetch it. I can run quickly."
Without waiting for Ren Yaoqi to refuse, Hongying darted into the grass and vanished in the blink of an eye. Hongying had sensed that her young master seemed to be in a rather poor mood today. As the Commandery Princess’s foremost maid, while she might not excel in other areas, her ability to read expressions had truly been passed down from the princess.
Pingguo remained silent, following closely behind Ren Yaoqi. Wherever her young mistress went, she went; whatever her young mistress said, she obeyed.
As for being tactful... what was that? Could it be chewed like a steamed bun? Pingguo had always been a practical girl.
Ren Yaoqi had no choice but to pause for the moment.
Tongde, who had been walking ahead to clear the path, was also nowhere to be seen, leaving only Ren Yaoqi, Xiao Jingxi, and Pingguo on the narrow trail.
The two stood there for a while, neither speaking. Ren Yaoqi remained silent because she didn’t know what to say. This was merely a narrow mountain path, not wide at all, and they stood very close to each other. The faint, refreshing scent of medicinal herbs that always seemed to cling to Xiao Jingxi carried a calming power that could soothe one’s heart.
At such close proximity, Ren Yaoqi recalled the sensation of Xiao Jingxi’s touch on her cheek and palm earlier. She had already decided to pretend it didn’t matter, as Xiao Jingxi had only been concerned about whether she was injured and hadn’t meant anything by it. Yet, for some reason, the warmth she had felt at that moment still lingered. Unable to help herself, she raised her hand and brushed the back of it against her chin, trying to dispel the inexplicable heat on her face.
But as soon as she moved, Xiao Jingxi, who had been lost in thought with his eyes lowered, suddenly looked up and frowned. "What’s wrong? Does it hurt?"
Ren Yaoqi quickly shook her head, thought for a moment, and then lowered her head, murmuring softly, "It’s a bit itchy."
"Let me see." Xiao Jingxi suddenly leaned closer, carefully examining the scratch on her face.
Ren Yaoqi felt extremely awkward, standing rigidly with her eyes downcast, not daring to move a muscle.
Later, she would think her behavior at that moment was rather strange. She could have simply pushed him away. If any other man had been this close to her, she would have lost her temper long ago. Was it because she knew Second Young Master Xiao was frail and feared pushing him might cause him to fall and get hurt? Or was it because Xiao Jingxi’s presence was too imposing, making her afraid to act rashly?
But at that moment, Ren Yaoqi didn’t think about any of this. She simply held her breath and stood there, doing nothing. Fortunately, Xiao Jingxi had no intention of staring at her face as if trying to find a flower. Noticing her discomfort, he shifted slightly to the side. "There’s no redness or swelling. It should be fine. I have medicine in the carriage. I’ll find it for you later."
"Oh," Ren Yaoqi replied softly, lowering her head.
Xiao Jingxi glanced at her sideways and suddenly recited softly and gently, "From now on, with dark hair, I shall gaze upon the grass; with red sleeves, I shall add fragrance to the incense. Our union seems celestial; our writings glorify the nation."
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback, blinking in confusion, unsure how to respond.
Xiao Jingxi smiled faintly and sighed softly. "You do know." At this moment, he was actually nervous inside, but his tone deliberately remained light.
Ren Yaoqi parted her lips slightly, still uncertain how to react.
After a pause, Xiao Jingxi said, "I didn’t know there would be danger if you rode in my carriage." That was why he had apologized when he saw her.When Xiao Jingxi heard from his subordinates that something had happened to Ren Yaoqi, he couldn’t even describe the feeling in his heart.
He thought, indeed, not everything in this world could be calculated.
From then on, Xiao Jingxi also understood a principle: he could scheme and play mind games with anyone in this world, but never with the person he liked, because the outcome would be unpredictable. Even though this time, he had only wanted to subtly express his feelings.
Hearing Xiao Jingxi’s words, Ren Yaoqi also understood—that book had indeed been deliberately placed there by him. Strangely, Ren Yaoqi didn’t feel angry; she even found it somewhat amusing. It was hard to imagine someone like Xiao Jingxi doing something so childish.
But Ren Yaoqi couldn’t laugh either, because the target of Xiao Jingxi’s childishness was her.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know how to react. She wondered if it would be better to remain silent and pretend she hadn’t heard anything. But when she accidentally glanced at Xiao Jingxi and saw a hint of dejection in his expression, she couldn’t help but speak softly, “It’s alright, it’s not your fault.”
Xiao Jingxi turned to look at her, his gaze serious and focused.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at him, lightly pursed her lips, and then shifted her gaze away.
At that moment, Hongying returned, carefully draping a cloak over Ren Yaoqi. The cloak was somewhat long, covering her head and face as well.
Only after the cloak was on and a familiar scent drifted into her nostrils did Ren Yaoqi belatedly realize that this cloak belonged to Xiao Jingxi. It made sense—the carriage was his, and he couldn’t possibly keep women’s items on hand at all times.
Since the cloak was already on, taking it off would seem overly fussy, so Ren Yaoqi said nothing.
Thanks to the cloak, Ren Yaoqi wasn’t cut by the grass as they walked through the thicket.
Xiao Jingxi’s carriage was parked on the wider road outside. Ren Yaoqi glanced at it and thought it didn’t seem to be the same one she had ridden in earlier. Once she boarded, she confirmed it wasn’t. Ren Yaoqi breathed a sigh of relief—if that book had still been there, she would have felt awkward.
This carriage wasn’t as refined as Xiao Jingxi’s, but the cushions were soft and comfortable.
As soon as Ren Yaoqi sat down, Xiao Jingxi also entered.
In fact, Xiao Jingxi had ridden a horse to get here earlier. The carriage had been driven by Tong He after he left, and there was only this one.
Xiao Jingxi sat opposite Ren Yaoqi. “Tong Xi and the others have already left ahead. I’ll take you to White Crane Town. Don’t worry, I won’t show myself.”
Xiao Jingxi didn’t dare let Ren Yaoqi ride back alone in the Xiao Family’s carriage again. Although the assassins were likely targeting him, if they were truly after him, they probably wouldn’t have been able to get close to the carriage. The hidden guards around Xiao Jingxi were not to be trifled with.
If he didn’t show himself, no one would know Ren Yaoqi was being escorted back by a man. The carriages of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion all looked similar from the outside, and the Ren Family would assume it was Xiao Jinglin’s carriage sending her back.
Ren Yaoqi said nothing. She couldn’t very well kick Xiao Jingxi out. Not only was this his carriage, but Ren Yaoqi also discreetly sized up Xiao Jingxi’s physique—what if she made him ride a horse and he fell, got injured, or fell ill? The Yanbei Prince’s Mansion would likely not let her off the hook.Xiao Jingxi was unaware that he had been secretly looked down upon by the one he held dear. He had just retrieved a spare ointment from the drawer to hand to Ren Yaoqi when he looked up and caught her gaze. Puzzled, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Ren Yaoqi shook her head and smiled faintly. "Nothing. Are you cold?"
Xiao Jingxi: "..."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Jingxi watched as Pingguo finished applying the medicine to Ren Yaoqi's wound and retreated to a corner. Suddenly, he said, "I'm only poisoned, not ill."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at him, unsure why he had brought this up now. She had already formed some suspicions when he injured his hand catching a spider for her last time, but hearing Xiao Jingxi say it himself now made everything clear.
Xiao Jingxi coughed lightly, his eyes drifting elsewhere as he murmured, "So, I'm not as frail as you might think." As he finished speaking, the tips of his ears gradually flushed red.
Ren Yaoqi blinked, staring at him blankly, then, as if struck by a thought, her own face flushed as well.
"I... I wasn't thinking anything," Ren Yaoqi retorted, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, and couldn't help but glare at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi glanced at her again, but Ren Yaoqi continued to glare.
As he watched her, Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile. Ren Yaoqi, still glaring, suddenly let out a soft laugh.
The atmosphere in the carriage inexplicably lightened once more.
Outside, the sky had darkened. Fortunately, the place where Ren Yaoqi was attacked wasn't far from White Crane Town. Despite Xiao Jingxi ordering Tong He, who was driving the carriage, to slow down, they soon arrived at the town.
The two sat in the carriage without speaking much, yet neither felt awkward. It seemed as though simply sitting quietly, thinking of nothing and saying nothing, even with their eyes closed to rest, made time pass quickly.
The carriage finally came to a stop in front of the Ren Family's main gate. A gatekeeper from the Ren Family had already run over to ask if the Fifth Young Miss had returned. Pingguo, who had been dozing by the carriage door, immediately straightened up.
Ren Yaoqi turned to Xiao Jingxi. "I'll get off now."
Xiao Jingxi nodded and reminded her, "Don't let the wound touch water. Apply the ointment every two hours—it won't leave a scar."
Ren Yaoqi agreed and, holding Pingguo's hand, stepped down from the carriage.
Only after Ren Yaoqi had entered the gates of the Ren Family residence did Xiao Jingxi order the carriage to turn back.
By the time Xiao Jingxi returned to White Cloud Temple, it was already late. Tongde, who had disappeared earlier, came forward to report, "Young Master, all of today's assassins have been captured. The matter of Fifth Young Miss Ren being in the carriage will not be leaked."
At this moment, Xiao Jingxi was a completely different person from the one who had sat with Ren Yaoqi in the carriage. He paused and said calmly, "Are there any survivors?"
Tongde lowered his head and replied, "Two were captured alive, but they bit their tongues and died shortly after."
Xiao Jingxi wasn't surprised. "People like them usually have their families' lives held in someone else's hands. But even if we didn't get any answers, it's not hard to guess who was behind this."
Xiao Jingxi chuckled lightly. "There have never been few who want me dead, but those who dare to act in Yan Prefecture and hire those lowly desperadoes are only those few who think too highly of their own lives."
Sorry, I had some trivial matters to attend to today and only had time to write one chapter.I'm truly sorry for everyone's votes and rewards.
The author has decided to make three updates tomorrow as an apology^^~.
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