Sheng Jiangli's lips curled up slightly. As the word "three" fell,
Qingqing was still doubting whether he was really that cold - blooded, wild, and overbearing.
Sheng Jiangli's hands moved as fast as lightning. Before she knew it, his hands had reached for her collar!
"Rip!"
The green - lotus and blue - wave dress on the little girl was roughly stripped off by the man like the husk of a corn cob, landing in his hands!
Only her pink bellyband and snow - white skin were left exposed to the air.
Qingqing let out a series of shrill screams. She didn't know where to cover with her hands.
Shame and anger made her whole body tremble slightly with excitement!
Sheng Jiangli was quite calm. He was highly skilled in martial arts. Although he had said that he wouldn't be responsible if he accidentally touched something, in fact, he didn't touch her at all.
The dress, which had already been weakened by being cut by a scimitar, was now so roughly torn by Sheng Jiangli that it simply fell apart.
Sheng Jiangli shook out several pieces of rags without looking sideways and scanned them.
Sure enough, no embroidery needles fell out, nor were there any other hidden weapons.
He lifted his eyes. His dark, deep eyes met the startled and timid eyes of the young girl. His gaze just right didn't shift downward, and his voice was filled with a bit of arrogance:
"I had told you in advance that I would take action. It's your fault for not believing me."
Qingqing was so angry that she almost fainted.
Who would issue an ultimatum just by counting to three?
Didn't he even give her a chance to bargain?
She had never felt so aggrieved in her heart. But at this moment, with almost no clothes on, she couldn't fight back. Encountering such a heartless man, tears finally welled up in her eyes, and her anger immediately exploded:
"Get out! Get out! Get out!"
"I also said that my needle was lost! Why don't you believe me?"
"Have you found any hidden weapons now?"
"Have you?"
Sheng Jiangli's ears were suddenly filled with the girl's shrill cries. His head was buzzing as if it had been bombed.
He felt that the effect of the water bandits using gunpowder to blow up the city wall last night was nothing compared to this.
However, neither the girl's tears nor her anger could arouse the man's slightest pity.
He flicked his earlobe. His tongue slowly licked the inside of his mouth, and he replied lazily:
"Didn't find any..."
Just as Qingqing was about to get even angrier, she saw him pointing at her bellyband and saying:
"This piece of clothing hasn't been taken off yet, has it?"
Take it off again!
It's too much!
The anger pent - up in Qingqing's heart flared up. She gritted her teeth, and two clusters of blazing flames danced in her eyes.
Suddenly.
She lowered the hand covering her chest.
Her rather flat chest jutted forward slightly.
Qingqing's face was flushed red. Desperate and hysterical, she roared:
"Look! Look!"
"If you have the guts, take it off for real!"
"If you dare to take it off, I'll tell Sister Caiyu that her man molested me!"
She really...
Before Sheng Jiangli's eyes, the snow - capped peak flashed. He quickly and subtly averted his eyes. His dark eyes flickered for a moment, and then he took off his outer robe and threw it over.
The pitch - black long robe instantly covered Qingqing's petite body completely, leaving only a small face full of extreme anger sticking out from the robe.
Sheng Jiangli let out a soft laugh. "There's no need to take it off... Since it's an embroidery needle, you surely won't stuff it in your bellyband and prick your own flesh."
"I was reckless. I'm sorry... I'll take you out first."
"No need!"
After this incident, Qingqing's original good impression of Sheng Jiangli had completely vanished. "I'll find my own way out. I don't need you, this hooligan!"
Sheng Jiangli raised his eyebrows. "Just you? Be careful not to fall into a wolf's den again."
"I'd rather be eaten by a wolf than be taken advantage of by you, this lecher!"
"Vulgar! Despicable! Shameless!"
"I..."
Before Qingqing could finish scolding, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and was simply knocked unconscious.
Sheng Jiangli caught the soft and wobbly little girl in his arms. Frowning, he murmured to himself:
"She's such a cute little girl. Why is her tongue so sharp?"
He weighed the little girl, who was almost weightless in his arms, and sighed.
He was the one who had caused this mess.
He had to take the girl out safely and hand her over to Sister Shu'er.
At least, this was a good excuse for him to see Sister Shu'er again!
Caiyu woke up at dusk the next day.
The setting sun was sinking in the west. The sky was filled with colorful evening clouds. The brilliant afterglow gilded everything on the earth.
"Awake?" A deep voice came from above her head. It was Song Yinghuai.
Only then did Caiyu realize that she was half - sitting, nestled in his arms, lying on a rosewood carved canopy bed.
She looked up and saw that there was still bloodstained on the collar of Song Yinghuai's brocade robe. For a moment, she was a bit dazed. Staring blankly for a while, when she spoke, her voice was hoarse:
"My lord, you should be in the imperial city of Shangjing to meet the emperor at this moment. Why are you in this servant girl's bed?"
Hearing her words, Song Yinghuai couldn't help but be angry and amused. "So heartless! I went through so much trouble to come back and save you, and helped you avenge yourself. Yet you ask me such a question."
Caiyu's mind was still in a daze, but the people and things before she lost consciousness gradually came back to her mind.
Ruan Wu...
Her face gradually turned pale, and the warmth of her body was also fading.
Noticing that Caiyu's body was getting cold again, Song Yinghuai wrapped his warm big hands around her small hands and sighed:
"Those guards had already made up their minds to sacrifice their lives at any time when they joined my troops. Moreover, you've already killed a dozen enemies with your own hands. You've done your best to avenge yourself. Don't keep it in your heart anymore."
After thinking for a moment, Song Yinghuai continued. "This is a manor I bought on the outskirts of Shangjing. But there are very few guards here. It's not safe enough. I'm going to enter Shangjing in advance. You can rest here for another night. Han Fen and the others will escort you into the city tomorrow morning."
Song Yinghuai's hands were very warm, which made Caiyu feel the heat in her body. She felt a bit better in her heart.
She wasn't a stubborn person. It was just that Ruan Wu's death in front of her eyes was too shocking. She couldn't get over it for a while.
Song Yinghuai had also seen Ruan Wu's body. The death was extremely tragic.
Imagining that such a young girl like Caiyu had witnessed someone dying in front of her eyes like this, and that person died to protect her, it was normal for her to be unable to get out of the shadow for a while. He felt even more pity for her, and just gently rubbed her hands to make them warm.
It was really an extremely considerate and proactive act for him.
Caiyu blinked her dry eyes. After digesting for a while, she asked, "Besides Ruan Wu, how are the other guards?"
At this moment, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her expression was listless. Song Yinghuai patiently comforted her:
"Three others were seriously injured, and the rest were more or less wounded. But we brought enough medicine when we set off. The three seriously - injured ones can stay here to recuperate. As for the others, their wounds have been bandaged."
Three seriously injured!
Caiyu's heart was filled with panic. She sniffed, and her voice trembled:
"Although they were ready to sacrifice their lives when they joined the guard camp, they should have been loyal to my lord and used their lives to protect my lord, not me, a low - status servant girl... They risked their lives to protect me because of my lord's order. I really can't accept it in my heart."
"My lord, this servant girl wants to take out all the profits from the two shops that my lord has bestowed on me so far."
She choked for a moment and continued. "I have no way to repay their life - saving grace. Since I can't exchange my life for theirs, I can only use these worldly things like silver as a token of gratitude. At least... I'll feel better in my heart."
Song Yinghuai was stunned for a moment. Only then did he re - examine the meaning behind Caiyu's words.
Besides the guilt for others' sacrifice, Caiyu also minded her servant status very much, right?
She felt that she was insignificant and couldn't bear so many lives on her shoulders.
Song Yinghuai fell silent.
At first, he really just wanted to find a way to lift the Buddhist - practice ban after entering the capital and then arrange for her to be a concubine. But after a series of things happened, he actually had a feeling in his heart.
This girl had high aspirations. A mere concubine position couldn't keep her heart at all.
Song Yinghuai nodded heavily, which was a sign of his consent. Then he smiled warmly and said:
"You just think about thanking them. But what about me? I borrowed troops and came back to Lingbi for you. I've been running around so hard. If there was a slight mistake and I couldn't enter Shangjing in time, I would have committed a great crime of contempt for the imperial will. With such sacrifices I've made, don't you have anything to thank me for?"