The Slender Waist-Chapter 640 - 461: Contemptuous Strike

Pei Jue, unnoticed until now, stood outside the halo of torchlight under an elm, the dazzling starlight seeming to fall entirely into his eyes.

In the cold winter night, a black steed leisurely swished its tail, its master’s face cool and distant, his gaze piercing.

"Why did you come out? If there’s something you need, just send someone to call me."

Feng Yun frowned at him.

"I came to bring food for the king. Seeing that the king had not returned for a long time, I worried about his safety and came out to search..."

Pei Jue’s brow unintentionally furrowed.

Concern arrived unexpectedly.

Clearly, Lady Yun’s thoughts were not that simple.

He responded indifferently with a sound of acknowledgment and took the items from Feng Yun’s hand.

"It’s cold outside, be careful not to freeze."

"I’m not cold." Feng Yun wore a light smoke-grey jacket dress with a fox fur-lined cloak draped over it. This fox fur had been personally hunted by Pei Jue on Jieqiu Mountain, then tailored stitch by stitch by Ying Rong; it framed her fair cheeks and gave her an extraordinary charm.

"I am no longer cold upon seeing the king."

These soft, affectionate words unexpectedly made Pei Jue’s tall figure tense abruptly.

He glanced briefly at those few in the halo of torchlight, holding Ta Xue’s reins in one hand and Feng Yun’s hand in the other.

"Let’s go."

Feng Yun made a sound of acknowledgment, her eyebrows slightly drooping.

"I almost fell just now, my foot hurts."

Pei Jue glanced at her, stroked Ta Xue’s head, then bent down to lift Feng Yun onto the horse’s back.

Ye Chuang, seeing this, quickly lit a torch and came forward to illuminate them.

Pei Jue remained silent.

Feng Yun, seated on the horse’s back, suddenly turned her head and cast a seemingly amused glance at Zuo Zhong, Jiu You, and the sisters Jin Shuang and Pin Shuang—

The atmosphere suddenly tensed.

Pin Shuang lowered her head.

Jiu You’s face turned pale.

Zuo Zhong also felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

All thought she was about to say something, but Feng Yun simply gave a casual order.

"Xiaoman, let’s go."

Feng Yun said nothing...

Her disdain so complete, not even a superfluous word was spared.

The long wind howled past, ruffling their Wind-Gowns, which fluttered under the night sky.

The firmament was serene as they accompanied each other, moving slowly, growing more distant in the light of the fire...

As if a moment had passed, yet as if a lengthy time had been used, Jiu You finally reacted, glaring at Zuo Zhong.

"What happened?"

He pointed at Jin Shuang, whom Zuo Zhong had laid on the ground.

"What did you do to her?"

Pin Shuang, half embracing Jin Shuang’s body, also looked up anxiously and asked, "Yes, Big Brother Zuo, what happened to my sister?"

Zuo Zhong glanced at her expressionlessly.

"As you can see, she fainted."

Pin Shuang was startled.

"How could she just faint out of nowhere?"

Zuo Zhong shook his head, "I’m not sure. When I found her, she was already collapsed in the bushes..."

Pin Shuang’s expression shifted slightly.

Zuo Zhong pointed at Jin Shuang, wrapped in his cloak.

"First, straighten your sister’s clothes."

He said, stealing a glance at Jiu You.

"We will wait outside."

His voice was heavy, his complexion not looking too good.

Considering what he said about "straightening clothes," Jiu You’s heart began to race.

One after the other, they stepped out, distancing themselves from Jin Shuang and Pin Shuang. Only then did Jiu You turn around, grabbing Zuo Zhong’s clothes and pulling them tight.

"What really happened? Don’t play dumb."

Zuo Zhong furrowed his brows.

"I’ve already told you. If you want the truth, ask her."

Jiu You saw that Zuo Zhong spoke with severe calm, devoid of any hint of concealment, and the anger on his face gradually began to fade.

But then he heard Zuo Zhong continue, "When I saw her, her clothes were disheveled... I intended to help, but it was difficult, so I removed my cape to cover her."

After speaking, he looked coldly at Jiu You.

"Believe it or not, that’s up to you."

Of course, Jiu You believed.

They had been in each other’s company day and night; Jiu You knew precisely what kind of person Zuo Zhong was.

The little suspicion he had, stirred up by the image of the two in an embrace, had vanished.

"Why were her clothes disheveled?"

What could happen to a young lady alone in the woods taking care of her needs?

Zuo Zhong did not answer.

His face remained impassive in silence.

Jiu You’s question was soon answered.

After a while, Pin Shuang and Jin Shuang came out together.

Pin Shuang had straightened Jin Shuang’s clothes and was supporting her lopsided, struggling motions with effort.

Jiu You glanced at Zuo Zhong, then stepped forward to assist.

"Thank you, Brother Jiu." Jin Shuang looked at Jiu You, then raised her eyes to Zuo Zhong standing in the moonlight, and slowly gave a bow.

"Thank you, Left Guard, for saving my life..."

Zuo Zhong asked, "Now tell me, what really happened?"

Jin Shuang bit her lower lip, seeming to find it hard to speak, her cheeks flushing with a subtle rosy tint, "Just now, I was... I was relieving myself when suddenly, a wild animal burst out from the woods..."

Jiu You asked in shock, "What kind of animal?"

Jin Shuang shook her head, "I didn’t have a lantern; could not see clearly, just a black shadow lunging suddenly..."

As she spoke, she lifted her skirt slightly to show them.

"The beast rammed into me hard, knocking me to the ground. It grabbed the hem of my skirt, tearing at it, and I... I was so scared that I... I fainted."

Zuo Zhong and Jiu You exchanged a look.

With so many people camping here tonight, the fire could be seen from afar; the wild animals aren’t foolhardy enough to come close to human settlements easily.

So...

Both of them thought of the young auroch at the same time.

But the young auroch bore no grudge against Jin Shuang, so why attack her?

Neither of them made a sound.

"Had Big Brother Zuo not arrived in time and frightened it away, I’m afraid I would be... in great peril by now."

Jin Shuang knelt down for a bow, hanging her head low, clearly ashamed.

Zuo Zhong furrowed his brows, "It was nothing, no need for formalities."

He extended his hand towards Pin Shuang.

Pin Shuang was taken aback for a moment.

Zuo Zhong didn’t speak; he simply took his cloak from Pin Shuang’s hand and draped it over his arm.

"Next time you leave camp, don’t wander off too far."

He said this and then turned to leave.

Jin Shuang: "Left Guard—"

Zuo Zhong stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Jin Shuang called out to him, but then didn’t know what to say. She bit her lower lip, her eyes seemingly veiled with mist, feeble, gentle, and with a touch of helpless sorrow.

"I... Please, Left Guard... keep tonight’s incident... a secret for me."

Zuo Zhong waved his hand and walked away.

Only then did Jiu You begin to grasp what had happened...

Something felt odd, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was strange...

Perhaps it was the image of Jin Shuang being carried by Zuo Zhong that had left a strong impression on him. On the way back, he walked with his head down, lost in thought and distracted.

Zuo Zhong walked briskly and was soon out of sight.

Fearing they might encounter further mishaps, Jiu You was reluctant to leave the sisters alone and accompanied them to the outskirts of the camp before stopping.

"You two can go in by yourselves."

Jin Shuang and Pin Shuang knew he was distancing himself to avoid suspicion; they both took a respectful bow to express their gratitude.

"Both you and the Left Guard are good people."

"I’m not a good person," Jiu You looked away, not directly meeting Jin Shuang’s soft, pitiful gaze, and said indifferently:

"Get some rest earlier. In the future, try to stay away from the Princess..."

He didn’t mention the young auroch. After a brief pause, he warned again, "And the king too. You should keep your distance from him. Otherwise, no one can ensure your safety."

The two women looked terrified.

"Don’t worry, Big Brother Jiu. We wouldn’t dare..."

Jiu You nodded, said nothing more, and left by another path.

Jin Shuang and Pin Shuang exchanged a glance and lowered their eyelids.

-

In the camp, tents had already been set up.

When Feng Yun and Pei Jue returned, Qian Sanniu came over to take the horses.

"Your Majesty, the Princess has returned. The kitchen just brought over the meals; I’ve placed them on top of the stove to keep warm..."

Feng Yun: "I’ll go wash my hands."

The caravan had drinking water, but due to the limited supplies, water was used sparingly. Therefore, all Feng Yun could do was wash her hands thoroughly.

Pei Jue waited for her inside the tent, sitting upright, his face stern.

The meal laid out before them was so basic it was almost bland.

One small pickled vegetable, two meat-stuffed buns, and a bowl of clear congee.

Feng Yun sat down with an indifferent expression, pushed her own bun to Pei Jue, and just ate the pickled vegetable with the watery congee. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Pei Jue stared at her.

After a moment of contemplation, he let out a soft sigh.

"Lady Yun, in what way have I offended you?"

Feng Yun thought for a moment, "Not at all."

She pointed to the bun, "I had a flatbread at noon, and I don’t feel like having a bun tonight. Your Majesty has a hearty appetite; even eating two wouldn’t be enough for you."

Such an ordinary statement was made to sound so suggestive...

Pei Jue’s brows knitted together upon hearing it.

"Speak plainly."

Feng Yun took a slow sip from her bowl of congee, shook her head, and did not explain further. Her downcast gaze made her inscrutable.

In her past life, she had often seen this expression on Pei Jue. Little did she expect it to be so effective. Before she even finished her bowl of clear congee, the man could no longer endure it.

Pei Jue set down his chopsticks.

"We are husband and wife. Is there anything we can’t discuss directly?"

Feng Yun looked at him peculiarly.

"What could possibly be troubling you?"

Glancing at the subtle ripples in his dark eyes, Feng Yun curled her lips, her gaze holding an almost imperceptible smile.

"Oh, is it about secretly meeting the young lady?"

Pei Jue’s breathing tightened.

A wave of muddy breath stuck in his throat, nearly choking him.

"When did I secretly meet a young lady?"

Feng Yun’s face broke into a smile, "So you’re saying, you didn’t meet secretly? Then was it... Zuo Zhong who did?"

It seemed only then Pei Jue realized what she was getting at. He snorted lightly, a trace of an inexplicable smile in his tone.

"So that’s how it is."

After murmuring that, he locked his bright eyes onto Feng Yun.

"Listen well. When I went to feed the horses, I saw no one. As for Zuo Zhong’s affairs, you go ask Zuo Zhong."

Feng Yun nodded, seemingly enlightened.

In fact, she hadn’t really thought that Pei Jue had anything to do with Jin Shuang...

It was simply because she had suspicions about what happened tonight, so she was prepared to "interrogate one by one" to clarify the truth...

"Your Majesty, Princess,"

Xiaoman stood at the entrance of the tent, her gaze lowered.

"The Left Guard and Guard Jiu have returned."

This was what Feng Yun had instructed her to do.

When Zuo Zhong and Jiu You returned, she was to ask them to come over.

To uncover the truth, just listening to one side of the story was certainly not enough.

Feng Yun smiled and nodded her head, "Let them in."