Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 125: The Corrupt Merchant

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: The Corrupt Merchant

He looked like he was going to explode, stretched to the brink. He grabbed his cloak and draped it over his waist and abdomen, keeping his gaze steady, taking deep breaths to suppress the wildfire-like desire raging within.

It hurt!

But not the pain from his wound.

"Stop blowing air. Apply the medicine!" Xie Xun’s tone was fierce. "I’m cold."

Fengyu was taken aback by the outburst. She sprinkled medicine powder onto his wound, wrapped it with clean cloth strips, her movements practiced and skillful. Xie Xun closed his eyes, enduring the wave of unspeakable sensations. Fengyu reached for his cloak, but Xie Xun opened his eyes and pressed down on her hand. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he asked warily, "What are you doing?"

"The medicine has been applied. Aren’t you cold?" Fengyu thought the young lord was truly unpredictable. If he felt cold, then why not put his clothes on? Why was he still holding them?

The young lord’s body seemed caught between ice and fire. He smiled faintly, the kind of smile one might see from a flirt among the blossoms. "You’re staring at a man’s body like this. Aren’t you embarrassed?"

Fengyu’s gaze landed on his half-naked upper body, sweat glistening across his wheat-toned skin, shimmering lightly in the firelight—an unabashed display of temptation, brimming with sensuality.

Her face flushed crimson. Fengyu turned to stare at the fire. "Who... who wants to look at you!"

Xie Xun felt like he needed this cold to extinguish the heat within him.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fengyu saw him sitting motionlessly, impervious to the cold, and instinctively tightened her fox-fur cloak around herself. But was the young lord truly cold? Why was he sweating so much?

Was he cold or hot?

Sweat trickled down his chest, disappearing into his abdomen. His body showed no excess fat, lean and alluring. He must be hot, right? Fengyu wondered if he was so delirious from the pain that he couldn’t tell.

After about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the young lord pulled on a shirt and donned his cloak, returning to his usual elegant self. The strange surge of emotions ebbed like the tide, leaving Xie Xun awkward and both ashamed and irritated. He hadn’t realized how weak his self-control had become—surely it was the injury’s fault.

Fengyu envied his robust constitution. If it had been her, she’d probably burn with fever for ten days.

"Next time, don’t apply medicine to men," Xie Xun groused, his voice rough.

Fengyu, utterly baffled, replied, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Xie Xun clenched his teeth, putting on an air of righteous indignation. "We’re all beasts."

Fengyu looked at him as if he were a fool who made no sense. Third Miss decided not to argue with idiots. After they ate their fill and drank their tea, under the moonlight like water, it was time to continue their journey.

Xie Xun helped Fengyu onto the carriage, gathered their belongings, and resumed their travels. Fengyu had taken the last of the Soul-Stealing Powder—it was the very last bit she had left. She relied on the powder to keep her injuries and broken bones from causing crippling pain, allowing her to eat, drink, and sleep on the journey. Without it, she’d be too agonized to utter a word. After taking the medicine, Fengyu stared uncertainly at the empty porcelain bottle. "There’s no Soul-Stealing Powder left?"

She distinctly remembered there being half a bottle. Why was there only a little left?

"Mhm." Xie Xun pulled the blanket to cover her, the desire gone from his eyes. "Sleep."

Fengyu felt perplexed but couldn’t resist the sleepiness. The pain-relieving effects of the Soul-Stealing Powder also brought deep drowsiness. Under the moonlight, Xie Xun watched her pale face and frowned slightly. He had poured out some of the powder earlier—he didn’t want Fengyu to continue relying on it.

This girl couldn’t endure even the slightest discomfort when she was in comfort.

When the Beiman had taken her, her injuries had been severe, yet she hadn’t complained. She could withstand hardship when compelled, but in peace, she became delicate. Soul-Stealing Powder wasn’t something good; the sooner she stopped using it, the better.

Around midnight, they passed over a mountain ridge. The world was silent. Xie Xun kept his eyes sharp and his ears attuned, full of vigilance. In truth, the official road between Shun City and the Capital City was quite safe. Even if there were mountain bandits, they wouldn’t dare spill blood on the official road. When the Beiman had taken Fengyu away, they had traveled through back roads. But Xie Xun’s return route was on the official road, chosen for peace and ease of travel.

Fengyu slept peacefully. The mountain forest was dim, devoid of moonlight. Xie Xun kept one hand on his sword and the other on the reins. Thankfully, they passed through the woods without incident. On the official road, the moonlight was gentle. Turning back to check on Fengyu, he saw her clutching a soft pillow, tossing in her sleep, muttering dreamily, sometimes startling awake before drifting back into slumber, as if plagued by nightmares.

Her sleeping posture was truly poor—rolling about the entire carriage. If not for the Soul-Stealing Powder dulling her nerves, the pain would’ve knocked her unconscious. Fengyu remained oblivious as dawn broke upon Lian City. The guards at the city gate let them through after seeing Xie Xun’s token.

As morning light crept across the sky, Fengyu woke. The city was quieter than expected. Their horse, having traveled tirelessly through the night and day, needed fodder. Fengyu handed Xie Xun one of her gold hairpins. He took it and traded it for silver and copper coins. Fengyu’s hairpin held considerable worth, yet the pawnshop treated it as mere gold for exchange, setting her fuming.

Back in the Capital City, that hairpin could fetch three hundred taels of silver. In Lian City, she’d been offered only thirty taels. She was so enraged her chest hurt. "Blind fools!"

Xie Xun didn’t quite understand the source of her anger but stroked his chin thoughtfully. "A cost of thirty taels, sold for three hundred taels—Third Miss is indeed a shrewd merchant, pricing without limits."

"Design has costs, creation has costs, time is a cost, labor is a cost. Thirty taels is just the cost of materials. If I sold it for thirty taels, I’d have gone bankrupt long ago," Fengyu said with a forced smile. "And you’d have no chance to ask me for fifty thousand taels of silver."

"What price would ensure profit?" Xie Xun’s question came from an unusual angle.

Fengyu replied without hesitation and with a hint of cheekiness, "Eighty taels. Yes, I’m a shrewd merchant."

Xie Xun couldn’t hold back his laughter. Now that they had silver, the young Lord grew exceptionally generous, renting the best room in the inn. He hadn’t rested for over a day and night and needed an hour or so of sleep. Renting two suites for them both would be excessive and wasteful, and he couldn’t be at ease with Fengyu out of his sight.

Xie Xun fell asleep almost as soon as he touched the bed. Fengyu brought her medicine to the innkeeper, paying a few copper coins to request they brew it. The inn was happy to assist and delivered her medicine promptly. Third Miss also ordered a few snacks and sat by the window to eat.

Xie Xun had instructed her before sleep not to leave the room, and if anything happened, to wake him. Fengyu wasn’t the type of girl fueled by curiosity; she didn’t wish to stir up trouble and knew full well that any trouble would rebound onto herself.

She simply sat by the window, eating snacks and sipping hot soup. The snacks were crude in taste—Fengyu took a bite of each and quickly lost interest. In fact, Fengyu had a business located in Lian City. By visiting her business, she could have easily obtained money without pawning the hairpin. However, Xie Xun didn’t want to alert anyone; Fengyu shared the same sentiment. After the incident at Xiangguo Temple, her sister would surely be informed, sealing off news to outsiders who would assume she was still at Xiangguo Temple.

Having ties to the Beiman was never a good thing; the quieter and more inconspicuous they stayed, the better.

An hour passed. Fengyu gazed at the sleeping Xie Xun, reluctant to wake him. He was heavily injured, had lost too much blood, and genuinely needed rest. Traveling day and night without pause had drained him to his limits. She couldn’t let him sleep until nightfall, though—the young lord had to arrive in the Capital City by dawn tomorrow.

Let him sleep another hour.

Fengyu tallied her silver coins, saving enough for lodging and lunch, with twenty taels left. She called for the shopkeeper. "Do you have imperial swallow’s nests here?"