Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 126: Big Brother

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Big Brother

Imperial swallow’s nest is a tribute item, reserved only for royalty and nobility. It is exceedingly rare for commoners to even see it. With limited supply, Wangjiang Restaurant’s sale of imperial swallow’s nest is fixed, and the price is exorbitant, circulating only among the noble class. Lian City is already affluent, and Fengyu merely wanted to try her luck. The inn naturally didn’t have any swallow’s nest, as there was only one shop in the entire Lian City that carried it.

Fengyu handed the shopkeeper twenty taels of silver, instructing him to purchase some imperial swallow’s nest, prepare it, and deliver it to her. Fengyu, even with limited options, never shortchanged herself. Her internal injuries were severe; though she had managed to dull the pain, her appetite was lacking. Not being fond of meat to begin with, her empty stomach longed for something nourishing to aid her recovery.

The shopkeeper returned with the imperial swallow’s nest, prepared two bowls, and delivered them just as Xie Xun awoke. Fengyu called him over to eat. Xie Xun devoured it thoughtlessly in one gulp, as if chewing on a peony flower in vain.

Fengyu, "..."

What a waste of a delicacy!

Fengyu sipped her bowl of swallow’s nest carefully. Although it could hardly compare to what she usually had, it was still the most enjoyable meal she’d had in days. One bowl was enough to satisfy Fengyu, but not Xie Xun. Fengyu handed him one tael of silver to handle his brunch. Since Zhuifeng was still in Lian City, Xie Xun had to go out for an errand. With her broken bone, Fengyu found it inconvenient to walk and said, "Go look for Zhuifeng. If there’s trouble, the Soul Suppressing Pearl will signal you."

Xie Xun figured nothing would happen to her staying alone at the inn. A round trip would only take him two moments of time.

"Alright, wait for me to return."

After finishing her swallow’s nest, Fengyu waited a moment before going downstairs on crutches. The innkeeper’s wife came over to assist her as soon as she saw her condition. Fengyu knew Xie Xun had not eaten enough, so she ordered him a bowl of noodles and two pounds of beef.

She seated herself at the most conspicuous spot in the inn, so Xie Xun would see her upon his return. Once she sat down, she noticed a table of customers staring at her. Five burly men, tall and muscular, wore short coats, sporting thick hair and long knives strapped to their waists. One of them, with a ferocious-looking face, bore a scar trailing from the corner of his eye.

Having been captured by the Beiman previously, Fengyu’s heart involuntarily quailed at the sight of men with such rugged appearances. The men didn’t expect that Fengyu would dare to look them directly in the eye.

Clad in a light blue winter gown and wrapped in silver-white fox fur, Fengyu wore no makeup or ornaments. Rarely stripped of embellishments, her simplicity did nothing to diminish her stunning beauty. She resembled a pampered, delicate bloom of nobility; her frailty, likely due to illness, only added a touch of mournful elegance. Faced with such uncouth stares, her proud and nonchalant demeanor was utterly unexpected from someone seemingly sheltered in luxury, ignorant of hardship.

The five burly men exchanged glances, then approached her. The scar-faced man sat down opposite her with a swagger, laying his long blade across the table—a gesture that was part threat, part flirtation. "Where is this beauty from? Why are you dining alone?"

The burly man carried the unmistakable Ningzhou accent. Fengyu’s lips curled slightly. "What do you want?"

Unhurriedly, she poured herself a cup of tea. After taking issue with its coarse leaves, she blew away the floating scum with a faintly exaggerated air.

"We’re headed to the Capital City," the man said, his gaze drifting insolently to her splinted leg. "The road’s lonely. We’d like to invite the beauty to join us. Your legs seem inconvenient—we brothers will surely take very good care of you."

The five exchanged what appeared to be a secretive signal before bursting into shameless laughter. Their coarse mirth reeked of vulgar intent. They tried to intimidate Fengyu with their collective presence, yet she showed no trace of panic, lowering her teacup leisurely.

Fengyu scoffed, her gaze turning icy. Beauty was a double-edged sword; without the ability to wield it, it would make one tread on thin ice—fragile and short-lived. Such was the tragedy of women.

Like now—seated innocuously in the inn, merely waiting for someone—she became the object of men’s covetousness, exposed to lust and mockery. They perceived her as weak and vulnerable, a plaything easily manipulated.

"My brother has a bad temper. I advise you to know your place and not play with fire." Fengyu glanced out the window. Broad daylight, and yet these men were utterly shameless.

The innkeeper also noticed the harassment, but felt hesitant to intervene. The burly men all carried blades and had menacing demeanors—not easy customers to deal with in the business world.

"Oh, we’re so scared!" the scar-faced man taunted, pushing his blade forward. "Where’s this ’good brother’ of yours? Hiding in fright, is he?"

"Hahaha..." The other four guffawed openly. "Beauty, spending twenty taels for a bowl of imperial swallow’s nest, eh? Such wealth—and so good-looking too! Yet you’re all alone? Strange."

"I’ve got it! Eloped with your lover, haven’t you?"

Greedy eyes locked onto Fengyu’s snow-white face. Spending twenty taels on swallow’s nest was unheard of among ordinary folk. Even the innkeeper had chatted idly with his staff about it when he came downstairs earlier. A man and a woman, no servants in tow, both strikingly attractive but slightly disheveled, spending extravagantly—they resembled a rich young lady and her lover on the run. Though the innkeeper may have said it carelessly, the five men had latched onto the idea. Initially drawn by thoughts of stealing money, they now craved both treasure and beauty.

"Could your lover serve you better than we brothers?" The scar-faced man reached out, attempting to touch Fengyu’s face.

Her expression turned icy as she dodged his hand, her tone sharp and imperious. "Not just any stray cat or dog is worthy of serving me. You lot don’t qualify."

The scar-faced man slammed the table in anger. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit—"

"Brother, I’m so scared!" Fengyu’s voice softened into a melodious coo, feigning distress. "They’re scaring me!"

A gust of sword wind came from behind. The scar-faced man sensed danger and swung his blade in reflex, only for it to clash with a longsword, producing a jarring metallic screech. The force behind the sword’s strike made him painfully aware of his impotence. His proud strength was reduced to dust in the face of such overwhelming power. The longsword disarmed him, drawing blood from his neck as it hovered a hair’s breadth from severing his throat.

The scar-faced man turned deathly pale. The other four, who had drawn their blades in preparation, froze in tension, not daring to move. Xie Xun’s blade pressed against the scar-faced man’s neck with an unrelenting killing aura, forcing the man to tilt his head in terror.

"Who were you planning to make drink a forfeit?" Xie Xun’s voice, low and menacing, oozed with deadly intent.

The scar-faced man, driven by greed and lust, was ultimately a coward who swayed with the wind. "Mercy, good sir! It was my fault. I was blind and disturbed the lady. I beg you, spare my life—I’ll leave this instant!"

Had it been an ordinary man in Xie Xun’s place, the scar-faced man would never have begged. With their numbers and strength, victory seemed assured. But Xie Xun’s singular show of power shattered their assumptions.

This young man was not someone the five could contend with. Even ganging up on him would only end in humiliation or worse.

"I warned you earlier—my brother has a bad temper." Fengyu sighed with mock regret, resting her chin on her hand. "You refused to listen. Now you’re paying for it."

Xie Xun arched an eyebrow slightly, watching her languid and carefree demeanor shift into cold amusement. "Brother, this hand of his is far too ugly—cut it off," she said with eerie calm.

The onlookers fell into stunned silence.

They had taken Fengyu as weak and delicate, a breathtaking beauty who carried vast riches. Yet she turned out to be a venomous rose, capable of ordering the severing of a hand as effortlessly as commenting on the weather.

Although Xie Xun had no intention of actually severing limbs, he withdrew his sword and delivered a swift kick to the scar-faced man, sending him flying over a meter. "Get lost!"

The scar-faced man scrambled out of the inn in a mix of terror and desperation, his four companions close on his heels, not daring to look back.

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