FID – Chapter 1042

Chapter 1042 — Like Tasting a Mouthful of Bitter Herbs

“Leave now.” With the old eunuch’s command, Liu Yusheng felt as if she had been granted a great pardon and immediately stepped out of the bamboo building.

After she left, someone entered the room. Looking out the window at her figure gradually blending into the night, he said, “Gonggong, are you just letting her go like that? Compared to the other saintesses, she is in no way inferior. Her presence even surpasses them in grace by a few points—”

“Don’t rush. You can’t rush tofu while it’s still hot,” the old eunuch said, slowly finishing the wine in his cup. A gleam flickered continuously in his eyes, sending a chill down the spine.

Hearing this, the subordinate immediately smiled flatteringly. “Yes, Gonggong is right. Being noticed by you is her fortune. Once she realizes it, she will come to you on her own.”

The old eunuch snorted, the dark expression that had been hidden on his face softening somewhat.

That little village woman had dared to invoke the elder to pressure him. She was clever and unruly. He had expected a little white rabbit who would come at the slightest beckon, but instead, it was a little wildcat showing its claws.

It made him even more intrigued.

A maid accompanying the saintesses?

All the better. He was in no rush. If he wanted to taste this ‘tender tofu,’ he had plenty of time on the road.

Even the saintesses who were eventually sent to the cold palace ended up crawling beneath him; how much more so a mere little maid?

Outside the bamboo building, Liu Yusheng’s footsteps radiated intense anger.

An old eunuch, and yet he is still so audacious!

If he were a normal man, she could have immediately rendered him impotent to see if he dared harbor any ill intentions.

Squinting at the dark horizon, Liu Yusheng struggled to suppress the anger rising in her chest. She curled her lips into a cold smile. No rush—there was plenty of time along the way. On this journey, she would make that old geezer’s life thoroughly miserable.

Looking around, there were quite a few bamboo courtyards, with light spilling out in patches from each one. Occasionally, a few voices could be heard from inside—but which direction was this?

Xue Honglian and Feng Qingbai still hadn’t shown up. Where had those two run off to?

Had they forgotten there was a fragile young woman waiting for them to make arrangements?

At least find her a place to sleep!

Closing her eyes, Liu Yusheng lowered her voice. “Brother Axiu, Xue Honglian, if you don’t come out soon, I’ll have to sleep on the roadside. Come get me first!”

Talking to herself on a quiet, deserted street late at night, she wasn’t just speaking aimlessly. She knew how sharp those two’s ears were, and there was no way they’d leave her alone out here.

If she said it a few more times, they might just hear her.

“Brother Axiu, Xue Honglian, you—”

Before she could finish calling out, someone covered her mouth from behind, and her body was lifted into a familiar embrace.

Feeling the unique, familiar scent of the man, Liu Yusheng relaxed, letting him carry her through the night. In just a few bounds, they slipped into a bamboo house and jumped up to the second-floor room.

The room was brightly lit, an oil lamp casting a warm glow. Though the furnishings were simple, there was a bed, a table, and chairs—a proper bedroom meant for rest.

“We’re sleeping here tonight?”

“Mm.” Feng Qingbai placed her on the bed and immediately pressed close, pulling her firmly into his arms.

Through his rigid arms, she felt his anger.

Her eyes flicked, and she understood instantly. The anger in her chest dissipated, replaced by a smile. “You saw everything at the old eunuch’s place just now, right?”

“I also listened.”

Liu Yusheng’s smile grew even brighter. She had known he would never leave her unattended. No matter where she was, he would always keep her within his sight.

“That old eunuch is insolent. I’ll deal with him properly later. Don’t be upset. I haven’t suffered a loss, and he won’t have much peace either.” She turned back, comforting the man despite being the one who had been wronged.

Feng Qingbai curved his lips, a cold gleam in his eyes. “From now on, he won’t have any peace.”

But just making him uneasy was far too mild.

“What have you done?” Liu Yusheng immediately asked. “If something happens to him here, it could affect the Saintess Tribe.”

“He won’t have any accidents here. Xue Honglian knows exactly how far to go. Sleep now.”

“….” Watching the man regain his calm composure, Liu Yusheng didn’t know what to say.

She realized that the one who knew how to act with perfect restraint was precisely Honglian.

Feng Qingbai loosened his rigid arms slightly so as not to hurt her. Just now, in his anger, he hadn’t fully controlled himself in front of her, which had allowed her to notice.

“We leave first thing tomorrow. Once we leave the village, you don’t need to worry about the old eunuch. Now, sleep.”

In short, he was holding her close so she wouldn’t overthink things. Liu Yusheng pressed her lips together, smiling faintly, and closed her eyes.

She had expected that being suddenly moved to this unfamiliar place would make it hard to sleep. Yet in just a short while, she fell into a deep slumber.

No matter how the environment changed, as long as the man was by her side, she could adapt anywhere almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Xue Honglian returned a little later to Qian Yi’s small courtyard.

When he entered his room and saw the woman waiting there, he wasn’t surprised at all.

“Why are you back so late? Where did you run off to? I almost went out looking for you.” As soon as she saw him, the woman hurried over, chattering away. “The imperial envoy is still in the village, so don’t go wandering off. Otherwise, you might draw his attention.”

Xiliang did not allow foreigners to enter its territory. Although the Saintess Tribe had certain privileges, those only applied as long as the envoy didn’t make a fuss. If the envoy got strict about it, Xue Honglian might not be able to stay in the village afterward.

Being expelled from the country would be one thing, but what she feared was that the envoy might have him arrested and thrown into prison, then interrogated endlessly under the accusation of being a foreign spy.

If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to save him.

“It doesn’t matter. I was planning to leave anyway,” the man said calmly as he walked past her.

“You’re leaving?” Qian Yi froze. For some reason, hearing him say this made her chest ache. “You… you’ve only been here for half a month. Why leave so suddenly? Didn’t you say you’d stay for about a month?”

She remembered clearly that when she had asked him for help, he had said one month.

Now he was leaving—breaking his word.

“You said up to a month, not that I must stay a month. Besides, I stayed to help you avoid the envoy’s selection. That’s over now, the envoy is about to leave, and you’re safe. Why shouldn’t I go?” The man sat at the table, asking calmly.

Qian Yi was left speechless.

Indeed, his mission was complete, and her goal had been achieved. Everything had gone well for both of them. After the envoy left tomorrow, she would catch him and leave Xiliang through the village’s secret path, fulfilling their agreement. So why did she feel unhappy?

It was as if she had finally found a family member to rely on, had begun to adapt to having someone by her side, only for them to leave, and now she was alone again.

Having briefly soared among the clouds, she was now falling back into the valley.

The bitterness of it was like swallowing a mouthful of bitter herbs—agonizingly intense.