Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 220: Missed Appointment

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Missed Appointment

"Your hand!" Xie Jue pulled his hand away, but Fang Chuning ignored him and reached inside his collar with his palm, feeling a patch of dampness. This man was in so much pain he was covered in sweat, yet his face betrayed nothing.

Fang Chuning was furious yet heartbroken. If it hurts, why not say so? Why endure it?

"I’ll go call Zhang Lingzheng!" Fang Chuning made a move to leave the carriage, but Xie Jue hurriedly grabbed at him, just as the carriage descended a rough path. The wheels rolled over stones, causing a slight jolt.

Xie Jue missed his grab and dropped to one knee inside the carriage. A sharp pain shot through his knee as his body lurched toward Fang Chuning.

Fang Chuning, who had just lifted the curtain, heard the commotion and turned back instinctively, opening his arms to catch him. Xie Jue, weakened from pain, fell into his embrace, surrounded by a faint mixture of sandalwood and medicinal scent. Fang Chuning indulged in his breath, as if addicted, hiding it deep within his heart.

Xie Jue let out a muffled groan as some nerve was pulled, his breath brushing against Fang Chuning’s ear.

Fang Chuning felt an itch.

The sensation started at his ear, spreading to his heart, inch by inch occupying his senses, yet remaining uncatchable. Frustration, heartache, and irritation clashed violently in his chest.

The intense emotions made him momentarily forget the pain of his own wounds.

Fang Chuning leaned back in the carriage, tearing his back wound in the process. He gritted his teeth, silently holding Xie Jue in his arms, protecting Xie Jue’s head with one hand to keep him from hitting the carriage wall.

The sudden movement startled a Shadow Guard driving the carriage.

"Master?"

Fang Chuning’s heart raced uncontrollably. "Drive carefully, don’t jolt us again."

"Yes!"

The Shadow Guard, although loyal to Xie Jue, dared not defy Fang Chuning.

Xie Jue furrowed his brow slightly. In the long darkness, he began to feel the irritation of being blind. His voice was low and annoyed, "Help me up!"

"Just hold on!" Fang Chuning reveled in a strange, unfamiliar sense of control. He wrapped his arms around Xie Jue’s waist, gently stroking his back. "It doesn’t hurt."

Xie Jue, suffocated by shame in the darkness, curled his toes. Though he was a few months older than Fang Chuning, this man had always liked to coax him like a younger brother. This misplaced dynamic, from childhood to adulthood, was something Fang Chuning particularly enjoyed.

"Get up!"

Fang Chuning dared not provoke him further. He held him upright, but blood had already seeped through the clothes, staining the carpet. Fang Chuning, however, continued to soothe Xie Jue by stroking his back. "Where does it hurt exactly? You’re silent as if hoping I’d comfort you like this."

"Get lost!" Xie Jue cursed, shoving Fang Chuning with his elbow. But remembering Fang Chuning’s injuries, he softened his strength just as he touched his chest.

Xie Jue’s eyes stung unbearably. Zhang Lingzheng had fed him medicine and changed the formula for the eye ointment; all he could do was endure. Xie Jue didn’t want others to see through his endurance, but Fang Chuning knew him too well.

"Your eyes hurt," Xie Jue said flatly. "Zhang Lingzheng changed the medicine, it’s detoxifying."

"How long will the pain last?"

"Two or three days."

Fang Chuning looked at the sweat-soaked neck, asking, "What can I do to ease your pain?"

"Be quiet!"

Xie Jue groped his way back to his seat, distancing himself from Fang Chuning. Yet Fang Chuning refused to stay quiet. "Will your eyes recover after the detox?"

"I don’t know."

Fang Chuning felt a pang of sorrow. He wanted to accompany Xie Jue in search of the best doctors to cure his blindness. The memory of their conversation in the mountain forest, perched on treetops, resurfaced like walking too close to the cliff’s edge, teetering precariously.

"In the mountains, you planned to get hurt intentionally, didn’t you?"

Xie Jue’s face remained impassive, as cold and silent as the finest jade carving could achieve. Fang Chuning felt both heartache and anger. "Did you go too far, do you regret it?"

Xie Jue kept his silence, refusing to respond.

Fang Chuning cared little for Xie Jue’s coldness, sneering, "You had long suspected Dugu Jing would lure you into Xiyanshan, setting up this trap, and you willingly became the bait. You brought me into Xiyanshan but didn’t disclose your plan. Ting Feng, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

"You do!" Fang Chuning sneered coldly. "You expect me to follow your lead, delude myself, pretending I don’t know what you’re doing while you’re actively cutting ties with me."

For the first time since childhood, Fang Chuning felt Ting Feng’s aloofness.

"Before entering Xiyanshan, did you write a farewell letter?" Fang Chuning suddenly asked, regretting that the silk cloth covering Xie Jue’s eyes left him unable to see his expression.

"I didn’t!"

"Did you leave one for me?" Fang Chuning persisted stubbornly.

Anger surged in Xie Jue’s chest. "I did not write any farewell letters."

Fang Chuning caught his chin, leaving red marks on his fair skin, his tone fierce. "Planning everything to the last detail—you calculated even losing your sight, didn’t you?"

"Fang Chuning, don’t go crazy!"

"Am I crazy?" Fang Chuning raised his chin, his lip trembling with suppressed desire to bite him. "What madness have I shown? Tell me!"

Xie Jue didn’t want to argue with him. He tried to break free from Fang Chuning’s grip but found himself immobilized, the military general’s strength controlling his body, almost dislocating his jaw.

The fingerprint on his face became increasingly distinct.

Like marks of brutality!

The Shadow Guard outside, hearing the master’s rebuke, was panicked. He served Xie Jue and was supposed to ensure his safety at all times. But in the carriage, there were only Xie Jue and Fang Chuning, leaving him unsure whether to intervene.

"Xie Tingfeng, your eyes may never see the light again, do you know that?" Fang Chuning’s emotions raged uncontrollably. "Years ago, you ventured recklessly into Beiman and barely returned alive. Now you challenge Dugu Jing alone, becoming bait again. You may not care, but I care. Beiman agreed to supply the Red Silk Armor—waiting a few more years wouldn’t hurt. Why gamble? In my heart, ten thousand sets of Red Silk Armor are worth less than your eyesight."

"Then why did you send me out of the forest with Treading Snow Wu Zhu and risk your life to hunt the plum blossom deer?"

"Because you wanted it!" Fang Chuning’s fingers brushed against his chin as he leaned close enough for Xie Jue to feel warm breath. "If I had known your sight would be the price, I wouldn’t have let you enter the forest for anything."

"If I hadn’t entered Xiyanshan, this game couldn’t be broken."

Fang Chuning’s heart sank, his suspicions about Xie Jue’s motives growing, yet still incomplete. Xie Jue disdained lying, and Fang Chuning stared at his face, suddenly overcome with sadness.

"Anning..." Xie Jue murmured faintly, "My eyes hurt."

Fang Chuning’s courtesy name, Tunan, was derived from Zhuangzi’s *Free and Easy Wandering*.

*Only once you carry the sky on your back without it overwhelming you can you aim for the south.* This was Fang Chuning’s taboo, rarely used by others. He preferred Xie Jue calling him "Anning."

Only Xie Jue would call him "Anning," a title filled with an intimate secrecy.

Fang Chuning’s rage dissipated gradually under the faint intimacy of the address. He loosened his grip on Xie Jue’s face, unwilling to leave further marks, and sank dejectedly to sit beside him.

He lost again!

"Is it my turn now?" Fang Chuning’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as the words he’d swallowed remained unspoken, his hand pressing against his furrowed brow in futility.

Xie Jue kept his hands hidden within his sleeves, gripping tightly yet showing nothing outwardly.

"Once Dugu Jing returns to Beiman, I’ll go to Jiangnan. You can do whatever you wish; no one will question you anymore." Fang Chuning sounded as though he had given up entirely.

The carriage fell into silence.

After a long while, Xie Jue’s voice broke the stillness, cold and indifferent: "Fine."

In Fang Chuning’s eyes, a storm brewed, yet it calmed under his forced restraint. Their promise to guard Jiangnan together had ultimately vanished.

The peace talks were proceeding smoothly, the hunt nearing its end. Dugu Jing was soon set to depart for Beiman.

Several banquets remained to be held in the Capital City, along with preparation for Princess Huazhen’s bridal gifts. While Beiman and Yanyang still had details to negotiate, Fengyu estimated the Beiman delegation would leave the Capital City by late April.

After Princess Huazhen’s return to the Capital City, she hosted a flower-viewing banquet at the Princess Mansion and invited the ladies of the Feng Family. Both Feng Shu and Fengyu declined under various pretexts. Feng Ling, however, wanted to attend but was kept home by Old Mrs. Feng and the matriarch, who didn’t want trouble before Princess Huazhen left the Capital City. Fengyu, upon returning to the Capital City, devoted herself to accompanying Old Mrs. Feng during her prayers and recovering her health. The lingering snake venom left her prone to fatigue and headaches. At night, Xie Xun still swapped bodies with her secretly to help her train.

Their unique form of communication delighted Fengyu.

With Su Yuejiao and Feng Shu busy preparing their marriage dowries, they left Fengyu free to rest.

The marriage between Xie Xun and Fengyu deeply troubled Old Mrs. Feng. Sisters marrying brothers was rare among the Yanyang Family and risked stirring up many complications. Furthermore, daughters of prominent families were considered precious, with cross-family alliances preferred over shared unions within a single household.