Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 85: Stirrings of Affection

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Stirrings of Affection

Xie Xun stared at her incredulously, but when she awkwardly masked her lapse, he could tell something was amiss. The sorrowful cries of the woman pierced the air; Fengyu clutched her cloak in agony, like a drowning person spiraling in helpless despair, her eyes reddened, indistinguishable between fear and hatred.

Xie Xun realized something and raised his hand to cover her ears. Fengyu thrashed like a trapped beast, but he forcefully pulled her into his arms, shielding her from the woman’s screams with both hands. "Fengyu, don’t be afraid!"

His hands were burning hot, broad and steady, unyielding as they blocked the chaos and anguish for her.

Gradually, Fengyu quieted down in his embrace. Xie Xun pondered—had Fengyu ever witnessed a woman giving birth? Even if she had, it shouldn’t evoke such terror.

For the first time, Xie Xun saw genuine fear and vulnerability in Fengyu’s eyes.

Her emotions slowly calmed. She grasped Xie Xun’s wrist and pulled his hand away. He looked at her pale face and stubbornly kept his hand over her ears. "If you’re scared, don’t listen."

"What I fear isn’t the childbirth." Fengyu resolutely pushed his hand away. "Covering my ears is just a foolish self-deception."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Xie Xun trapped her between the wall and his chest—a posture of absolute protection. "Speak your fears; it might help dispel them."

"I don’t want to!" Fengyu, hearing the shrill cries, rejected Xie Xun’s attempt to get closer.

"Alright!" She didn’t want to, so he didn’t press further. He stepped back a safe distance, allowing Fengyu to refocus her distracted gaze and regain her composure completely. She started to laugh, "Am I very pathetic right now?"

"Even in your most pathetic state, I’ve seen it all."

Fengyu wiped the rain and tears from her face and sighed helplessly, "Little Marquis, you’re truly insufferable."

In the dimly lit woodshed, Xie Xun’s charming peach blossom eyes carried a trace of teasing humor. "Third Miss, you are truly heartless."

Fengyu closed her eyes, tears dripping onto the back of her hand. When she raised her head and looked at Xie Xun, she was simultaneously sobbing and laughing, vulnerable and frantic. "You’re right—I have no heart."

The raging storm battered the earth, roaring as though it would shred the dilapidated window at any moment. Xie Xun’s gaze grew dark and icy—was it pain, or anger?

"Miss, Miss..." Qiuxiang’s voice grew nearer. Xie Xun opened the woodshed door, and when Qiuxiang arrived, she saw Fengyu soaking wet and turned pale with fright. She almost tripped over herself as she ran forward, grabbing Fengyu’s hand. "Miss, how did you end up in the rain? Oh no, your hands are freezing—why are you crying? Did you get frostbite?"

Qiuxiang’s entire focus was on Fengyu, as if Xie Xun wasn’t even standing there. She swiftly unclasped Fengyu’s cloak and wrapped her in the one from her own shoulders, stomping her feet against the cold while blowing warm air onto Fengyu’s hands to heat them. When her peripheral vision caught sight of Xie Xun, she looked puzzled. "Huh, Little Marquis, why are you here too?"

Xie Xun, "..."

Fengyu, "..."

Their expressions were both subtly awkward. Qiuxiang clapped her forehead, exasperated. "Miss, Sister Liu’s condition doesn’t seem good. Aunt Yang sent me to ask for your decision."

The baby’s position was wrong; the pregnant woman was struggling terribly. Lady Liu’s husband had passed away half a year ago, falling off a cliff while hunting in the mountains. With no relatives left at home and her family in Gaoping County, Aunt Yang and a few other experienced women understood the peril and could only turn to Fengyu to make the judgment call.

Fengyu listened to Lady Liu’s agonized cries. Rainwater dripped from her temples as she stood there like fragile glass, her lips trembling but unable to utter a single word. Xie Xun’s calm and detached voice came from behind her. "Save the mother."

Aunt Yang hesitated, looking to Fengyu. Among the women, Fengyu’s words held more weight than the Little Marquis’. Fengyu took a deep breath and softly said, "Follow the Little Marquis’ advice—save the mother."

"Understood!" Aunt Yang hurried inside, while Fengyu, dizzy and light-headed, felt her head splitting with pain, half wishing she could cover her ears. But there were too many things needing her attention in the courtyard; she couldn’t afford to let her thoughts wander. Lin Xiao stood by the second doorway, watching her through the beaded curtain, his gaze inscrutable.

Lady Liu’s plight and her child’s fate gripped everyone’s nerves. Qiuxiang brought a brazier close to warm Fengyu, removed her hairpins, and dried her soaking hair. Xinxin carried Fengyu’s medicine over. "Miss, it’s time to drink your medicine."

Fengyu downed it in one gulp. After Qiuxiang finished drying her hair, she warmed her hands to check Fengyu’s temperature and found her burning hot. "Miss, you’re running a fever."

"It’s fine; I can handle it." Fengyu had just weathered a rainstorm, so catching a fever was inevitable. Knowing Fengyu wouldn’t be going home tonight, Qiuxiang had preemptively prepared fever medicine, turning away to start brewing it.

As the rain tapered off, Xie Xun stepped out to instruct the Kyoto Capital Guard to continue making repairs. The west zone was mostly fixed now, guided by a map Fengyu had given him, marking priority areas for restoration. Night fell, and the Kyoto Capital Guard had mostly eaten bowls of hot porridge to warm their stomachs. Some of the young elite soldiers, unused to such harsh conditions, began murmuring about wanting to leave. Though they knew Xie Xun had killed four men today, they still didn’t want to endure this grueling work—they were used to avoiding such suffering.

Lin Xiao said, "The Little Marquis has already dismissed over eight hundred Kyoto Capital Guards today. One more makes no difference."

Kyoto Capital Guard, "..."

Over eight hundred dismissed?

The murmuring guards were stunned into silence. Learning that Xie Xun had killed four people hadn’t shocked them as much. They weren’t robbing or plundering; they simply couldn’t bear the wretched weather.

Lin Xiao climbed onto the rooftop first to resume repairs, while those below were stricken with fear and unease. No one dared leave. If dismissed from the Kyoto Capital Guard, where else could they go?

Wind and snow whipped against Zhang Boxin’s face, leaving him frozen red as he wiped it off haphazardly. He called out, "The Little Marquis is both courageous and resourceful. We’re nearly abandoned by our own families; putting up a fight might just carve us a bloody path forward."

He followed Lin Xiao’s lead, directing his men to help with the repairs, his voice carrying loudly and clearly. "Brothers, we are the Kyoto Capital Guard! Protecting the people’s safety and homes is our duty. By dawn, we must leave them with shelters against the wind and rain. Can we do it?"

"We can!" The voices of the Kyoto Capital Guard pierced through the storm, clear and forceful for all to hear.

Even within the courtyard, Xie Xun heard it distinctly.

Zhang Boxin’s speech struck a chord with the elite soldiers. Who among them wanted to spend their lives in mediocrity? It was simply that they’d lost hope. Now, with Xie Xun leading the charge, the ruthless and decisive Little Marquis, who could say their futures were already sealed?

Despite freezing winds and their empty stomachs, the Kyoto Capital Guard worked tirelessly. Xie Xun suffered alongside them. They had warm tea and porridge to sustain them, and under his command, the northern district operated seamlessly. Just one change in leadership, and the Kyoto Capital Guard took on a whole new face. Would they rather be feared and hated by the people, or admired and respected, as they were tonight?

Once they understood the choice, the Kyoto Capital Guard threw themselves into their work, braving the harsh cold and relentless storm to push forward.