Тhе facе hеld bеtwееn his fingers broke intо а smile, eуes still clоsеd, thе соrnеrs of her mоuth curling wide. "Perhaps wе mеt in a рast lifе, fоr уоu to rеmеmbеr mе sо fondlу. Why not redееm me аnd take me hоme to сherish prореrlу? Тhеn уour memоrу wouldn't bе in vаin."
Wоmen in brоthels nаturаlly all hорed tо be redeеmed and live а lifе оf cоmfort. So if theу hаd trulу met bеfоrе, shе wоuldn't рretеnd nоt to knоw him.
Letting gо, Yin Gezhi ignorеd her wоrds, turning tо gеt out оf bеd аnd сalling for a mаid to help him dress.
Feng Yuе sat up, pulling thе quilt over hеrself аs shе leаned against the headboard watching him, her long hair cascading to the floor, her gaze lazy and affectionate.
Acting as if he saw nothing, Yin Gezhi changed into a fresh white robe, the sleeves fluttering as he moved, looking every bit the frail, refined scholar. Turning back, his face remained impassive:
"How long have you been in this profession?"
Surprised by the question, Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, and chuckled softly, "Over two years."
"Have you always been registered here?"
"You flatter me, young master." Covering her lips with her sleeve, Feng Yue giggled. "Dream Return Pavilion isn't a place just anyone can enter. When I first started, I had to carry my pillow and visit men's doors in the dead of night—where would I have a place to register? It was only after gaining enough experience that Mama Jin accepted me. You're actually my first guest here at Dream Return Pavilion."
Her first guest at Dream Return Pavilion, but not her first guest overall, and certainly not her first man.
He had noticed last night—this woman was not a virgin. If she wasn't a virgin, taking her back would be even more inappropriate.
Lowering his gaze slightly, Yin Gezhi flicked his sleeve and was about to leave, but paused at the door. After a moment's thought, he spoke in a low voice, "Tell Mama Jin to keep your name on the register for a few days. I'll return tomorrow."
Oh? A returning customer already? Feng Yue was touched, thinking to herself that men being a bit beastly was actually good. Things like depth or talent were all superficial—in the end, they still preferred little temptresses like her!
Wrapping herself in her clothes, she scrambled out of bed and dashed to Yin Gezhi's side, tugging at his lapel to pull him down and planting a loud kiss on his cheek. Swaying her slender waist, she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Thank you, young master!"
Wiping his cheek with distaste, Yin Gezhi opened the door to leave, only to nearly collide with someone rushing toward him from outside.
"Young master!" His attendant, Guan Zhi, lowered his voice. "Something's happened on One Grain Street. Miss Yi is there."
Frowning, Yin Gezhi followed him out without another word.
There were few people with the surname Yi in Wu Kingdom, and even fewer who could provoke a reaction from Yin Gezhi.
Watching him leave, Feng Yue immediately dressed and sat before the dressing table, addressing the maid behind her. "Lingshu, put my hair up! Make it quick, and make it stylish!"
Hearing this, Lingshu stepped forward and tied a red ribbon in her hair—simple and incredibly fast.
With no time for fuss, Feng Yue rushed out the door, heading straight for the backyard dog hole. Taking a shortcut, she caught up with Yin Gezhi, who was galloping away on horseback.
Startled by a flash of bright red rushing toward him, Yin Gezhi reined in his horse, its hooves rising high, partially blocking the sunlight.
"What are you doing!" Recognizing the person ahead, Yin Gezhi's face darkened. "What are you doing out here?"
"I'm not a rat—can't I come out of my hole?" Pouting pitifully, Feng Yue ran to the side of his horse and extended a delicate, slender hand. "After such intimacy, you just abandon me? I can't bear to part with you, young master! Whatever the matter is, take me with you!"A look of intense disgust flashed in his eyes. Yin Gezhi stared at her, his voice dropping eight degrees colder: "I hate it most when women get in the way. Get lost!"
If it were anyone else, they would likely have been reduced to tears by his roar. But Feng Yue had thick skin and was completely unafraid of him. Glancing at the stirrup, she stepped right onto it! Her red robes flared, tracing a graceful arc through the air before she landed on the horse's back.
White robes fluttered, entwined with red gauze, creating a beautifully intimate scene.
But Yin Gezhi's expression was far from pleasant, dark as the sky before a thunderstorm, his gaze sharp as lightning. He swung his whip backward, intending to knock her off.
Reacting swiftly, Feng Yue ducked and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, locking her hands together, and shouted, "If you waste any more time on me, young master, you'll miss your business!"
He had never encountered such a troublesome woman! Yin Gezhi gritted his teeth but didn't want to delay any longer. He spurred the horse forward again.
The horse galloped and jolted, and since it wasn't a double saddle, Yin Gezhi thought she might fall off after a few bumps. Yet, all the way to their destination, the person behind him sat as steady as Mount Tai.
"Ah—"
Just as he reined in the horse, a scream came from ahead. Yin Gezhi had no time to deal with the person behind him. He dismounted and barked, "Guan Zhi, lend a hand!"
The agile guard immediately sprang from the side and rushed into the crowd.
Feng Yue looked up and saw a porridge station set up in the clearing ahead, seemingly providing relief to refugees. However, it appeared they had encountered rioters. A dozen or so ragged, fierce-looking individuals surrounded the station, some beating people, others stealing rice. Children were crying, women were screaming—the scene was a spectacular mess.
Amid the chaos, Guan Zhi rescued a young woman dressed in fine silks and satins. Her crescent-shaped face was streaked with tears as she gazed pitifully at the rioters.
"Don't hurt them!" Yi Zhangzhu sobbed. "They're innocent, they're all common people!"
Feng Yue raised an eyebrow.
Yin Gezhi flicked his sleeve and walked over calmly, looking at her. "They're beating, smashing, and robbing. How can you call them innocent?"
Turning and seeing him, Yi Zhangzhu pouted, clenched her fists, and said, "What fault is theirs? They were driven to this. If they had food to eat, who would want to stay in such a place and steal? The rice and grain were prepared for them anyway. Let them take it."
Shaking his head helplessly, Yin Gezhi was about to speak when he sensed a sharp, whistling force from behind. He turned his head just as a dagger sliced through the air in front of him, aiming straight for Yi Zhangzhu's head!
Reacting instantly, Yin Gezhi reached out and caught the tip of the dagger. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a shock through the attacker's hand, forcing them to drop the weapon.
Yi Zhangzhu was startled and stumbled backward. Meanwhile, Guan Zhi was confronted by two people, and Yin Gezhi now faced three. Several of the refugees who had been lying on the ground moments earlier somehow stood up again, silver glinting in their sleeves as they lunged forward.
This was clearly a trap. Yet, Yi Zhangzhu, the compassionate young lady at the center of it all, did nothing but shout, "Don't kill anyone! Just hold them off!"
Feng Yue rolled her eyes.
Holding off attackers without killing them, while outnumbered, clearly put Yin Gezhi's side at a disadvantage. Yet, he actually listened to her. Without drawing his sword, he wielded the scabbard, striking at the attackers' heads, aiming to give them a concussion or something of the sort.Guan Zhi also sheathed his blade, struggling to deal with the surrounding rioters.
Miss Yi hadn’t brought enough servants, so before long, refugees broke through the guards and swung a large wooden club straight at her!
Her pupils contracted in fear. Yi Zhangzhu was terrified, instinctively pulling a nearby servant to shield herself. Yet the club whistled through the air with such speed that there was simply no way to dodge.
At the critical moment, a hero emerged. Feng Yue, who had gone unnoticed until then, rushed forward, placing herself in front of Yi Zhangzhu. She raised both hands high, like a radiant deity from myth, fearlessly bracing for the heavy blow.
The surrounding servants were stunned, the maids screamed, and even Yin Gezhi, who was still fighting, spared a moment to glance back.
"Thud—" The club came down with such force that it seemed one could hear something shatter. Feng Yue’s expression remained unchanged, a faint, expert’s smirk still playing at the corner of her lips.
The man holding the club was dumbfounded. He stared at her, then stammered, "You…"
"Get lost!" Before he could finish, Guan Zhi flew over with a kick, sending the man tumbling far away. The club fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Frowning, Yin Gezhi grew tired of toying with them. His strikes suddenly turned ruthless, and within ten moves, all the rioters lay motionless on the street.
"Are you alright?" Returning to Yi Zhangzhu’s side, he asked.
"...I’m fine," Yi Zhangzhu replied, trembling as she stared at Feng Yue in shock. "This young lady… is truly a master!"
Glancing at her, Yin Gezhi asked, "Do you know martial arts?"
Feng Yue answered in an extremely soft voice, "No."
"No?" Walking up to her, Yin Gezhi examined her hands. "If you don’t, how could you block that club without flinching?"
"I didn’t flinch because I have bones." Taking a deep breath, Feng Yue slowly turned her gaze to him. Within moments, tears began to gush out like a spring. "But damn it, bones aren’t as hard as wood! My hand bones are shattered! Aah, help!"
Yin Gezhi: "..."
He reached out to lower her still-raised hands, but before he could even touch her, she let out a wail: "Don’t move! Don’t move! My bones really are shattered, I’m not joking! Get a doctor to handle this!"
Yi Zhangzhu grew anxious, tugging at Yin Gezhi’s sleeve. "Quick, take this young lady to the pharmacy! There’s one right over there, just a few steps away!"
Glancing at the nearby pharmacy, Yin Gezhi said to Feng Yue, "Walk there yourself. If anyone else moves you, it’ll hurt."
Feng Yue’s tears flowed like a waterfall. She gave him a resentful look, then, with her hands still held high, began shuffling toward the pharmacy, sobbing as she went.
Watching this, Guan Zhi very much wanted to suggest to his master that he could carry her there. But when he turned his head, he caught what seemed to be a smile on his master’s face.
A smile?! Guan Zhi was stunned, rubbing his eyes hard and looking again. Yet Yin Gezhi’s face remained expressionless, his profile elegant and cold. He only glanced at Feng Yue twice before turning back to speak with Yi Zhangzhu.
It must have been a trick of the light, or perhaps the sunlight was just too bright today, Guan Zhi thought, shaking his head.Sacrifices are necessary to get things done, Feng Yue knew that, but she never imagined the sacrifice would be so devastating. If only she had known earlier, she would have found another way to save Miss Yi.
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and the harder she cried. Her heart-wrenching sobs echoed throughout One Grain Street, startling a galloping horse in the distance, causing it to stumble.
"Your Highness, be careful!" a guard shouted from behind.
Ye Yuqing quickly reined in his horse, his green robes fluttering as he narrowly avoided danger. When he looked ahead, he saw a young woman in red crying uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down her face, her hands raised high above her head as she shuffled sideways step by step. The sight was as comical as it could be.
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