Chapter 132

After a few moments, Xie Zheng straightened up.

The jade-like face that always seemed carved from cold stone no longer revealed a trace of emotion. It was almost as if the vulnerability Fan Changyu had sensed a moment ago had truly been nothing more than her imagination.

He lifted a hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“Go change your clothes.”

No matter how many questions Fan Changyu had, she could only suppress them for now.

The Official Couriers’ Residence was full of prying eyes. If she asked him to wait outside and someone happened to see a guard leaving her room, rumors would inevitably spread.

To avoid unnecessary complications, it was best not to let him leave the room at all.

She picked up the guard’s uniform that had fallen to the floor. After a moment of hesitation, she headed behind the screen.

As she began removing her armor, Fan Changyu couldn’t help poking her head out and glancing toward the man standing with his back to her.

Aside from the night before he left for the capital, even when they had shared a bed before, they had always slept fully clothed.

She had never changed clothes in front of him during broad daylight.

The situation made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.

Without turning around, Xie Zheng said as though he had eyes on the back of his head,

“Don’t worry. I won’t look.”

Fan Changyu immediately felt embarrassed for having doubted his character and withdrew her head, continuing to change clothes amid the rustling of fabric.

Then his calm voice added from outside the screen,

“Besides, haven’t I already seen everything I should and shouldn’t have seen?”

Fan Changyu froze halfway through untying her sash.

A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.

One hand gripped the wooden screen so tightly that it cracked with a sharp crunch.

“Xie Zheng!”

A low chuckle drifted from outside.

“I was joking. Hurry and change.”

After putting on the guard’s uniform, Fan Changyu glanced beyond the screen again and unconsciously frowned.

Xie Zheng was doing it on purpose.

He seemed unwilling to let her ask questions and was deliberately changing the subject.

When she emerged, fully dressed, she fastened the wrist guards on her sleeves and asked,

“Who are you taking me to meet?”

The guard’s uniform was dark blue.

Her long hair had been tied completely up into a small topknot, exposing her slender white neck.

Her features were already sharp and resolute, and dressed this way she carried a distinctly heroic air.

The only flaw was that her waist was too slim. Even cinched with a belt, she did not quite resemble a man.

Leaning against the carved moon-shaped doorway separating the inner and outer rooms, Xie Zheng quietly watched her.

His eyes were deep and dark, like an ancient well untouched by sunlight.

“You’ll know when we get there.”

As Fan Changyu approached, he suddenly lifted a hand and reached for the collar she had just fastened.

Startled, she turned sideways to avoid him.

The delicate skin of her neck brushed against his cool fingertips, instantly sending a numb tingling sensation through half her body.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes to look at her.

The doors and windows were tightly shut, leaving the room dimly lit and making his handsome features seem even more striking.

“Your waist is too slim. You’ll be recognized. Add a couple of padded armor pieces.”

His tone remained calm.

His fingers moved slightly to the side. With a light tug, he effortlessly undid the collar she had just secured.

Given his perfectly reasonable explanation, Fan Changyu could hardly scold him.

Still, he was standing far too close.

His scent surrounded her—the cold fragrance of northern snow mixed with soapberry.

Combined with the occasional brush of his fingertips, it made her nose grow warm enough that a fine sheen of sweat formed.

When he reached for the belt at her waist, Fan Changyu quickly stepped back and undid it herself.

“I’ll do it.”

Without the belt holding it in place, the outer robe immediately loosened.

Beneath it, her white inner garment hung loosely, secured only by ties at the front.

The graceful line of her collarbones was already visible.

The bite mark on her left collarbone had faded considerably, leaving only two tiny marks no larger than grains of rice.

As she lowered her head to tie the padded armor around her waist, a loose strand of hair slipped free and fell across her neck.

Xie Zheng reached out and tucked it aside.

The sensation of her hair sliding across her skin before being lifted away sent an indescribably ticklish feeling through her.

Fan Changyu immediately shrank her neck.

When she looked up at him with a slight frown, the roughened pads of his fingers had already settled over the faint bite marks on her collarbone.

Her shoulders tensed again.

His fingers were cold.

Xie Zheng made no further inappropriate moves.

But when his gaze passed over the noticeably flattened curve of her chest, he asked,

“Binding your chest again?”

Though only two fingers rested lightly against her collarbone, Fan Changyu felt as though a blade were pressed against her throat.

All her strength seemed to drain away beneath his touch.

Forcing herself to remain calm, she answered,

“It’s more convenient when wearing armor.”

Xie Zheng merely hummed in acknowledgment.

His fingertips continued idly brushing over the faded bite marks.

Then, without warning, his arm tightened around her waist.

In one smooth motion, he lifted her and set her atop the round table.

Caught off guard, Fan Changyu leaned backward and barely managed to steady herself with her hands against the tabletop.

Before she could react, Xie Zheng had already seized her chin and kissed her.

The position left her no room to resist.

It also made it easy for him to deepen the kiss.

While kissing her, he somehow still found time to tighten the padded armor that was slipping loose around her waist.

Once he had secured the belt and straightened her robe, he glanced down at her.

Then he lowered his head.

His teeth caught the collar of her robe and tugged it down slightly.

At the spot where only the faint remnants of the old bite mark remained, he left a fresh red mark before carefully pulling the collar back into place.

Fan Changyu’s breathing was completely uneven.

Though her clothes looked perfectly neat after he finished adjusting them, her cheeks were flushed crimson.

The fingers gripping the edge of the table had turned white from exertion.

Xie Zheng lifted his head.

Then he pressed two brief kisses to her swollen, reddened lips.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t be leaving today.”

His voice was lower than usual.

It carried a husky richness, as though he had been drinking.

Gradually, clarity returned to Fan Changyu’s eyes.

Still seated on the table, she suddenly grabbed his collar and yanked him down toward her.

Then she opened her mouth and bit hard into the side of his neck.

Xie Zheng hissed softly.

Before he could react, she had already released him and jumped down from the table.

Only after putting several steps between them did she turn back.

There was a wild, untamed look in her eyes, like a leopard refusing to be subdued.

“Let’s go.”

Xie Zheng pulled his collar up to hide the bite mark on his neck.

His fingertips brushed lightly across it.

Only then did he calmly follow behind her.


—

Since Xie Zheng had said someone would inform Xie Seven where she had gone, Fan Changyu did not bother seeking him out personally.

Using the excuse of shopping for supplies, the two left the Official Couriers’ Residence.

After entering a shop that sold brushes, ink, paintings, and calligraphy, they were led upstairs.

A servant brought fresh clothes for them to change into.

Standing by the private room’s window, Fan Changyu opened it a crack.

She watched as two Bloodclad Cavalry soldiers departed wearing the guard uniforms she and Xie Zheng had worn earlier.

Several plainclothes men on the street immediately followed them discreetly.

Startled, she turned to Xie Zheng.

“You knew from the beginning that someone was following us?”

Seated at the table, Xie Zheng held a cup of tea in his scarred fingers.

He raised his eyes slightly.

“Whenever guards or servants leave the Official Couriers’ Residence, someone follows them.”

Fan Changyu instantly understood.

Those people were the emperor’s eyes.

Even when servants or guards were merely running errands, the palace kept them under surveillance.

Returning to the round table covered in embroidered silk, she sat down and asked,

“Where are we going next?”

Before he could answer, the sound of horses neighing drifted up from below as a carriage came to a stop outside.

Xie Zheng set down his teacup.

“Our ride has arrived.”

Seeing him rise, Fan Changyu picked up the veiled hat the servant had provided and followed.

The hat was the type worn by noble ladies and young women in the capital when traveling outside.

With it covering her face, she no longer needed the cosmetic disguise she had been using.

As they exited the room, they passed a married couple being led upstairs by one of the shop’s attendants.

Fan Changyu immediately noticed that the couple wore clothes identical to the ones she and Xie Zheng had just removed.

When the attendant subtly nodded toward Xie Zheng and led the pair into the room they had previously occupied, Fan Changyu guessed they were also Xie Zheng’s people.

Since this was not the right moment for conversation, she remained silent.

After following Xie Zheng downstairs, she watched him purchase two paintings before they boarded the waiting carriage.

The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage rolled away through the bustling streets.

Once they had traveled a considerable distance, Fan Changyu lifted a corner of the curtain and carefully checked behind them.

After confirming they were no longer being followed, she lowered the curtain and asked,

“Are the people in that shop yours?”

Leaning against the carriage wall, Xie Zheng sat quietly.

The shifting light filtering through the curtains illuminated his disguised face on and off, but could not conceal the elegance of his bone structure.

“That shop belongs to the Zhao family.”

Fan Changyu remembered the Zhao Family Bookstore in Qingping County.

She simply had not expected the Zhao family to own businesses in the capital as well.

When Xie Zheng closed his eyes to rest, Fan Changyu lifted the curtain slightly and watched the scenery passing outside.

The capital truly was more prosperous than anywhere she had ever visited.

No wonder Changning had returned from her outing so delighted.

After watching for a while, she turned and began staring at Xie Zheng instead.

He was troubled by something.

He simply refused to tell her what it was.

Fan Changyu pressed her lips together slightly.

She did not like the feeling of disappointment that rose within her because of it.

As she stared at him absentmindedly, the man who appeared asleep suddenly opened his eyes.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Caught red-handed, Fan Changyu instantly straightened up.

Half embarrassed and half guilty, she coughed lightly.

“I was wondering what material your mask is made from.”

Creating a lifelike face mask was no simple task.

When leaving the Official Couriers’ Residence, Xie Zheng had worn a mask perfectly fitted to his features, while Fan Changyu had relied on cosmetic disguise.

At the bookstore, her makeup had already been washed away.

Upon hearing her question, Xie Zheng casually peeled the scarred face mask from his own face and handed it over.

Fan Changyu accepted it and examined it carefully.

After feeling it for a while, she frowned.

“I can’t tell.”

“I thought you’d guess it was human skin.”

Fan Changyu’s expression changed instantly.

Her eyes widened in alarm, pupils shrinking like those of a startled cat.

Seeing her reaction, Xie Zheng lowered his gaze to hide the amusement in his eyes.

The heavy gloom that had weighed on his chest seemed to ease somewhat.

Fan Changyu looked thoroughly conflicted.

Holding the mask only by the tips of two fingers, she quickly returned it.

“When people die, their debts should die with them. If someone peels off a dead person’s skin to make masks, that’s terribly immoral. You should stop using it in the future.”

Resting one hand against his forehead, Xie Zheng gazed at her and deliberately continued,

“But there really is no better material than human skin. It’s exceptionally durable and fits perfectly…”

As he spoke, he extended the mask toward her again.

“If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.”

Fan Changyu’s face nearly turned green.

Staring at the mask as though it were some terrifying monster, she stiffened her neck and declared,

“I’m not trying it!”

She looked very much like an irritated wildcat on the verge of exploding.

A muffled laugh escaped Xie Zheng.

“You actually believed me?”

Realizing she had been tricked, Fan Changyu simply glared at him.

Unable to suppress his amusement, Xie Zheng explained,

“It’s made from donkey-hide glue by alchemists.”

Outside the carriage, the scenery had gradually changed into countryside.

The curtain occasionally lifted in the wind.

Still clutching the mask in one hand, Fan Changyu slowly clenched the other into a fist.

The moment the carriage came to a stop, she tossed the mask back at him and immediately followed it with several heavy punches.


—

When Xie Zhong heard the horses arrive and stepped out from the estate, loud banging noises were already coming from inside the carriage parked at the entrance.

A moment later, a young woman in a lotus-pink dress jumped down first.

She had bright eyes, white teeth, and striking beauty.

Though she looked somewhat fierce, her eyes were clear and honest, giving the impression of someone easy to deceive despite her spirited temperament.

Xie Zhong did not recognize Fan Changyu.

However, since she had arrived in a carriage driven by the Bloodclad Cavalry, she could hardly be an outsider.

Shortly afterward, Xie Zheng emerged from the carriage.

For some reason, he had put the scarred mask back on.

Upon seeing him, Xie Zhong immediately clasped his fists.

“Marquis.”

Xie Zheng nodded faintly.

“How is General Zhu recovering?”

“Everything else is fine,” Xie Zhong replied. “But his legs can no longer be healed.”

The physicians had already warned them of that outcome long ago.

Xie Zheng turned his head toward Fan Changyu, who was still not entirely over her irritation.

“The person I brought you to meet is inside.”

His voice was calm.

“The one you’re here to see is waiting within.”