Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 121 Delusions (Extra)

Chapter 121: Chapter 121 Delusions (Extra)

Xie Xun’s breathing was slightly erratic, his throat dry and his tongue parched. Scooping up a mouthful of porridge, he stuffed it into his own mouth.

Fengyu: "?"

Xie Xun had never felt this embarrassed in his life. Stumbling to explain, he said, "I was hungry too."

He drank all of the remaining porridge in one go.

Fengyu murmured to herself, "...I didn’t eat enough."

It was half a bowl of porridge I left over—how could you steal my food?

Her gaze was so blatantly accusatory that Xie Xun braced himself and calmly ordered outside, "The Third Miss hasn’t had enough to eat. Bring another bowl of porridge."

Fengyu wanted to take back the praise she’d casually given him earlier.

The maids heard the order and promptly brought another bowl of porridge, placing it on the table. They only found the demeanor of the Little Marquis and the young lady odd—one stared at the quilt, almost as if contemplating how the dazzling patterns had been sewn, while the other gazed out the window, which was shut tight and revealed nothing, yet seemed transfixed by it.

Though silence hung in the air, the maids felt their cheeks flush red, as if their presence was somehow inappropriate.

Through the corner of her eye, Fengyu noticed that the Little Marquis was still staring at the window. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she wondered aloud—what was so interesting about the window? His ears were embarrassingly red, and Fengyu cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Little Marquis, why did you chase after the Beiman here?"

Xie Xun wasn’t in the mood for insincere replies. "When I was with the Kyoto Capital Guard, I learned that the Forbidden Army was mobilized. I worried their target might be you, so I went to Xiangguo Temple to find you. Unexpectedly, I ran into the Beiman. Their target was likely Feng Shu, but they ended up abducting you."

"Why would they take my sister?" Fengyu asked, her thoughts wandering—why did you come looking for me? Were you worried about me?

"The Beiman have a custom: if someone dies an unnatural death, they believe the soul can only rest in peace if the Heavenly God receives a living sacrifice—the killer. If the killer cannot be seized, they settle for the person closest to them." Xie Xun’s expression showed his disdain, as if the word "barbarians" was written on his face. "The Beiman King was shot dead by my eldest brother’s arrow. They couldn’t capture my brother, nor does my brother have heirs, so they set their sights on Feng Shu."

"A living sacrifice... what ridiculous customs." Fengyu was grateful. "Thank goodness, my sister escaped unharmed."

Xie Xun’s tone carried a trace of anger. "And you? Pretending to be Feng Shu—did you ever think about the consequences? With your frail body, could you even withstand the jostling on the way to Ningzhou?"

Fengyu responded calmly, "It was a twist of fate, Xie Xun. If it were for your brothers, you would have done the same, so don’t blame me. And don’t tell my sister—she’ll scold me."

Xie Xun sneered, "Feng Shu hasn’t scolded you enough, that’s why you never learn your lesson."

The Little Marquis was visibly annoyed, and Fengyu refrained from provoking him further. Instead, she genuinely praised Xie Xun, "Little Marquis, you’re truly the War God of Yanyang, brave and skilled in battle, resolute and swift. You crushed them completely—it’s more thrilling than the generals in storybooks. And once again, you saved my life."

Xie Xun felt an inexplicable itch in his heart. He retorted playfully, "In storybooks, when a hero saves a beauty, the beauty repays him with herself."

Fengyu: "?"

Their four eyes met, and Fengyu seemed incredulous that Xie Xun would say something so daring. His ears visibly burned again, and within his heart, he chastised himself: Xie Xun, you truly are a genius.

What nonsense are you spouting!

Xie Xun abruptly stood, striding out quickly with uncommon agitation. The open door let in an icy gust of wind, and Fengyu could only feel the chill as she tightened her quilt around her.

"Has he gone mad?"

Outside, the cold wind howled, but no reply came to her question. Xie Xun leaned against the towering walls around the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion, letting the cold wind lash at his face as he questioned himself.

Have you gone mad?

You dare tease anyone—what’s gotten into you!

She’s your eldest brother’s sister-in-law.

The faint pain in his left leg still served as a reminder: once, he had hated her that much. Even knowing that the soul-swapping was beyond anyone’s control, he still hated her. If it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have been stuck in the Capital City.

He despised her habit of wearing gold and silver, her extravagance and wastefulness, her selfishness and hypocrisy. And he loathed being bound by the Soul Suppressing Pearl, tangled in an unavoidable fate.

When had it begun, that he would smile just by seeing her?

On the Lantern Festival, he’d invited her on a whim to admire the lights.

When she was in danger, it was the first and only time that he’d hoped she’d remove the Soul Suppressing Pearl and he’d bear the consequences in her place.

When Zhang Lingzheng said her lifespan was running out, he hoped she’d be safe year after year, living a long life.

Xie Xun leaned against the wall, gazing up at the sky, and let out a self-mocking laugh. "Xie Xun, stop indulging in wishful thinking."

Yet a faint voice emerged in his heart, asking, If my eldest brother can marry Feng Shu.

Why can’t I?

The maid serving Fengyu, Xiao Ying, had a lively personality much like Qiuxiang. "Miss, the Little Marquis must really like you. When you were unconscious, the Little Marquis didn’t eat or drink anything and stayed up all night watching over you. When your fever wouldn’t go down and you refused medicine, it was the Little Marquis who fed you the medicine. When Sister Xiao Hua and I wiped your sweat and hurt your injured leg, the Little Marquis felt so distressed. He told us to be gentle since you were in pain, and we could see how much he cared—he really made us jealous."

"Didn’t eat or drink, stayed up all night, fed me medicine?" Fengyu thought silently. Were they talking about the Little Marquis? How could Xie Xun possibly do such things? "Maybe... it’s because I’m his God of Wealth."

Since that flirtatious teasing, Xie Xun had noticeably avoided her. Fengyu hadn’t seen him once; it was always the maids tending to her. They seemed to understand her thoughts. "Miss, the Little Marquis is discussing matters with the Master."

Fengyu mused, Could the Little Marquis be planning to secretly return to the Capital City and leave me behind?

To her credit, Fengyu really did know Xie Xun well—he was indeed pondering a return to the Capital City.

The appearance of Beiman in Kyoto was a dire matter. He didn’t know whether Feiying or Nuanyang had left any survivors, and if any had, they wouldn’t divulge anything. All involved were his personal guards or people from the Feng Family, and with Feng Shu present, there wouldn’t be any leaks.

In Kyoto, Zhang Boxin, Lin Xiao, Zhou Liyu, and Zhang Boxi were perfectly capable of holding their own. Nonetheless, he had already been away from the Capital for five days and needed to return as soon as possible.

Fengyu’s injuries were severe, and she couldn’t endure a long journey. It was best for her to remain in Shun City and recover. He had already written to Feng Shu, and the Feng Family would send someone to care for her. Having avoided her for one night, he finally went to see her—to tell her about his decision to head back to the Capital.

"Can I go with you?"

Fengyu was unfamiliar with Shun City—it wasn’t her territory. What if the Beiman returned? Apart from the Little Marquis, she trusted no one. Yet her injuries were serious, including a minor fracture in her left leg. She couldn’t walk, and traveling with her would certainly slow Xie Xun down.

If he rode alone through the night, Xie Xun could reach the Capital in a day. With Fengyu accompanying him, it might take three days. Reason told Xie Xun that she should stay in Shun City to recover. But faced with the Third Miss’s pleading gaze, Xie Xun couldn’t harden his heart.

He found himself reminiscing about the iron-hearted version of himself back at Furong Inn.

"Brother Zhixu, I’m scared to stay in Shun City alone." Fengyu’s tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and the pitiful look she gave him was heart-wrenching.

Knowing full well it was an act, the Little Marquis still surrendered, "You win!"

Fengyu wiped away her tears with satisfaction. She had thought if this trick failed, she’d resort to her tried-and-true tactic of using silver. Unexpectedly, her first ploy made the Little Marquis crumble—he had likely lost a lot of money.