Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 123 Brothers

Chapter 123: Chapter 123 Brothers

"Young Marquis, are you pretending just to avoid repaying your debt?" Fengyu’s voice scattered in the wind, ethereal and elusive, as if seeking an excuse for someone.

"Take a guess."

"A man’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; if one keeps guessing, they’ll only find misfortune." Fengyu suppressed the budding emotions deep within her. "I prefer things that are visible and tangible."

Heavily injured and already weary, Fengyu fell into a strange sleep holding a soft pillow as soon as the curtains were lifted and the warm sunlight streamed in. Xie Xun slowed down the carriage’s pace again. Due to the pain from her many injuries, Fengyu hugged the pillow in an odd posture. Xie Xun attempted to pull the pillow away so she could rest more comfortably, but finding that she held it tightly, he gave up.

Though the Young Marquis carried no silver coin, his resourcefulness was unmatched. Anticipating that their injuries might delay them from reaching lodging, Prefectural Magistrate Wang had meticulously prepared charcoal, dry rations, water, a small stove, and other essentials for them.

Fengyu slept until dusk and woke to the sound of running water. The carriage was parked in a wind-sheltered area, not far from a creek. The twilight was heavy, the sinking sun like molten gold, and the scenery around them was stunning.

A medicinal brew simmered on the small stove. Xie Xun sat to the side, playing a mournful and lingering unknown tune on a jade flute, his entire figure bathed in a golden glow. The melody stirred Fengyu, causing her eyes to unknowingly grow moist.

When the tune ended, Xie Xun turned to see her awake and smiled faintly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Where are we now?"

"If we travel through the night, we should reach Lian City by dawn." If he didn’t push through the night, it would take three days to return to the Capital City. Xie Xun was unwilling to delay, so despite Third Miss slowing the carriage’s pace earlier, he drove through the night without rest; he could endure it.

Fengyu understood Xie Xun’s intention to travel through the night. Her gaze fell on his injured arm, the wound so deep the bone was visible—could he truly hold up? Xie Xun rose and helped her alight from the carriage, handing her a cane.

"I set traps in the forest earlier. I’ll go see if we’ve caught anything. Wait here for a bit."

"Alright!" After watching him enter the woods, Fengyu used the cane to hobble behind a large rock to relieve herself. Traveling alongside a man, she’d avoided drinking water along the journey out of fear of awkward situations.

Intentional or not, Xie Xun really was very considerate.

After washing her hands, Fengyu initially intended to wash her face but refrained, worried that her illness hadn’t fully passed and she might catch a chill. Obediently, she sat by the stove for warmth. Xie Xun quickly returned, carrying a pheasant.

"You treated me to noodles, so I’ll treat you to pheasant." Xie Xun even managed to joke, "I guess that means I’m not freeloading anymore."

Fengyu glanced at the blood-stained bandage on his arm. "Your arm is still wounded; stop overexerting yourself. Let’s just eat some dry rations, take the medicine, and get back on the road."

"Third Miss was raised in luxury and refinement. If I made you eat dry rations, wouldn’t that make me lose face?"

Fengyu thought to herself, still trying to flirt, huh? He really has a knack for smooth talk.

Afraid Fengyu would be frightened, Xie Xun took the pheasant to the river to clean it. Once Fengyu’s medicine had fully brewed, she drank it while Xie Xun used dry wood to start a fire to roast the pheasant.

After finishing the medicine, with the pheasant still not ready, Fengyu idled, picking up Xie Xun’s jade flute and twirling it in her fingers. "Young Marquis, shall I play a tune for you?"

"I heard you’re not very musically inclined."

"I know a little bit."

"Go ahead, then." Xie Xun replied nonchalantly, "Rumors can sometimes be absurd."

Rumors claimed Third Miss was dim-witted and crude, but Xie Xun had rarely encountered a woman more astute than Fengyu. Her intellect and tactics exceeded those of most men.

Fengyu began playing a tune she’d been practicing recently. Xie Xun’s hand twitched as he almost dropped the pheasant into the flames. He turned in disbelief to watch Fengyu, who was playing with her eyes closed in pure delight. The setting sun cast a faint sheen across her elegant features, her fair complexion radiating an almost otherworldly aura.

Xie Xun, "..."

He had been wrong; there was a shred of truth to those rumors after all.

Oh, to have ears untainted by Third Miss’s playing! Raising his hand, he rubbed his ears—this was utterly unbearable!!!!

"So, what do you think?" Fengyu asked eagerly after finishing the tune based on her memory. "I’ve practiced for a long time."

"You practiced quite well. But this song’s style doesn’t suit you; don’t practice it again in the future."

"What style does suit me, then?" Fengyu humbly sought his advice.

Xie Xun hesitated, wondering why no one in her circle had ever informed her to stop disturbing people’s peace with her playing. Clearly, this wasn’t a matter of style—it was a matter of skill.

"The pheasant is done. Do you want the drumstick or the wing?" Xie Xun asked earnestly, holding out the mouthwatering roasted pheasant.

At the Vice Minister Lin Mansion, in the Capital City.

The late winter and early spring brought incessant misty rain and a bone-chilling cold that seeped into one’s very marrow. Lin Xiao returned home at midnight, his horse cutting through the silent streets. The Kyoto Capital Guard had grown accustomed to rotating duties and drills; even with Xie Xun absent from the city, Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhang Boxi kept the guard running smoothly, albeit with some minor disturbances.

Handing his horse to the stablehands, Lin Xiao instructed them to take good care of it, providing fine feed and trimming its hooves. Wrapped in the frigid night air, he stepped into the main hall, where Lin Cheng called out to him.

Having galloped back, the icy wind had left Lin Xiao’s face stiff. He wiped his face, loosened his numb muscles, and walked toward Lin Cheng with a grin.

"Big Brother, why are you still awake so late?"

The room was warm. Lin Cheng, who had sustained serious injuries when leading the Forbidden Army into the city at dawn some days prior, was bedridden for three days, unable to move due to the severity of his wounds. His blood-soaked condition had terrified both Vice Minister Lin and Mrs. Lin. Temporarily, the Forbidden Army’s command was handed to Deputy Commander Zhang Bolan, who was Zhang Boxin’s elder half-brother.

Lin Xiao didn’t know what mistake Lin Cheng might have made. In just ten days, Lin Cheng was to wed Princess Huaying, and while the palace had shown no leniency, Lin Xiao refrained from prying into matters concerning the Forbidden Army. The family should have been busy preparing for the grand occasion—with lanterns and festive decorations—but the house carried no trace of celebration.

"What keeps the Kyoto Capital Guard so busy that you return home so late every day?" Lin Cheng asked, his voice still slightly weakened from his illness.

"The guard is divided into four teams, taking turns patrolling the city. Whenever the people need assistance, the guard answers promptly. There’s plenty of trivial work to handle, especially with spring planting around the corner. In the northern part of the city, where there are few male laborers among the military households, the Young Marquis instructed the guard to provide one-on-one assistance with the spring planting," Lin Xiao replied. This was the top priority for the farmers in Yanyang and couldn’t be neglected.

Lin Cheng frowned in distaste. That the Kyoto Capital Guard was involved in such minor tasks puzzled him—what was Xie Xun thinking? "Where has Xie Xun gone recently? Why is he out of the city? What is he busy with?"