Chapter 257: Chapter 165: Illusory Dream
Last night, Xiaotao had said that since he was completely non-threatening, he could move freely about the village.
Sure enough, when the bandits in the village saw Zheng Xiu, they just gave him wicked grins and didn’t try to stop him.
In the distance, the eyes of Xiao Buping and Chu Chengfeng were bloodshot. They were rattling the bars of their cage, CLANG CLANG, as if trying to get Zheng Xiu’s attention.
There’s no comparing people. Zheng Xiu had a serving girl to warm his bed, while they had spent the night freezing in an iron cage, nearly dying from the cold. Naturally, they weren’t in the best of moods.
"Hey! Gongsun, catch!"
With a shout, a shirtless and sweaty Xie Yunliu was gnawing on a steamed bun nearby. Seeing Zheng Xiu approach, he picked up a bun from a plate and tossed it over.
Zheng Xiu caught it with a flick of his wrist. Xie Yunliu was surprised. "Yo, Scholar, not bad moves!"
"Just lucky."
Zheng Xiu smiled and took a bite of the bun. It was already cold, but in a bandit encampment, he couldn’t ask for more. It was just something to fill his stomach.
"Why is the village so empty today?"
Xie Yunliu, still eating his bun, lifted a water bucket and started gulping it down. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.
Beside him lay an iron rod, laden with heavy stones on both ends. The rod itself was coated in sweat, giving it a faint sheen.
Xie Yunliu effortlessly lifted the heavy weight. He walked closer as he did so, eyeing Zheng Xiu’s dark circles and exhausted expression. Instead of answering the question, he just snickered. "Scholar, you really wore yourself out last night, huh!"
’Wore myself out my ass! Go screw your sister!’
’Ah, no, Feng Bei, that’s not what I meant.’
Zheng Xiu cursed inwardly. The moment the curse formed in his mind, he remembered that the Monk’s current sister was none other than Feng Bei, and he quickly reined in his thoughts.
’I’m not into little girls.’
Despite his inner thoughts, Zheng Xiu cupped his hands and said with a faint smile, "Xiaotao is still a virgin. I... did not overstep in the slightest."
"What!" Xie Yunliu’s expression changed the moment he heard this, and his face flushed with anger. "You damn poor Scholar! I’m trying to be nice, and you spit in my face! Are you fucking looking down on the Madam our little sister personally picked for you?"
With a loud CRASH, Xie Yunliu slammed the weight onto the ground, instantly cracking the earth. His muscles were as hard as stone. In his fury, a wave of heat rolled off him, so intense that his sweat evaporated into a fine mist. Even though Zheng Xiu knew nothing of Martial Arts, he could see the terrifying, boiling killing intent in Xie Yunliu’s heart.
Zheng Xiu’s expression remained placid. "Brother Xie, you’ve misunderstood. I... prefer more mature women."
He was cryptically stating his preference.
Or, perhaps, his principles.
The implication was that Xiaotao was too green. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with her; the problem was his.
"So that’s it! You’re just like that Xiao Buping! You like married women!" Xie Yunliu’s eyes widened in realization. The killing intent faded, replaced by stunned disbelief. He muttered to himself, "Crap! In these desolate mountains, where am I supposed to go and find you some older women? No, no, I have to send someone to handle this right away. They might be hard to find, but as long as you’re willing, Scholar, our Yunhe Village isn’t just for show. If we have to, we’ll make an exception this one time and go down the mountain to grab a few for you!"
Hearing this, Zheng Xiu’s scalp went numb with horror at Xie Yunliu’s audacious and wild idea. ’Even though this is Gongsun Mo’s storyline, the body is mine!’ He’d even confirmed it when he went to the latrine to piss earlier—Xiaozheng was his size, too. If he really let Xie Yunliu go down the mountain, grab a few older women, and force them on him, Zheng Xiu would be left with some serious psychological trauma. He’d be completely messed up.
At that thought, Zheng Xiu waved his hands frantically. "Brother Xie! Don’t! Absolutely not, I beg you! I know you mean well, Brother Xie, but marriage requires mutual affection and the blessing of one’s parents. It can’t be treated so lightly!"
"But..."
Xie Yunliu once again lifted the impossibly heavy barbell, hoisting it up and down, over and over, right in front of Zheng Xiu. His powerful biceps bulged, a clear threat in the gesture.
"But this makes things difficult!"
Xie Yunliu tossed the heavy weight aside, scratched furiously at his thick hair, and glared at Zheng Xiu. He looked menacing, clearly conflicted and frustrated.
Zheng Xiu took two cautious steps back and asked tentatively, "When you say this makes things difficult, Brother Xie, what do you mean...?"
"These were my little sister’s orders!"
’I get it now. Xie Yunliu is one of those guys who’s completely obsessed with his little sister.’
"In that case, how about I explain things to your sister myself?"
Zheng Xiu threw out the suggestion. In truth, he’d been looking for a chance to get closer to Xie Luohe. He wanted to confirm the connection between her and Feng Bei.
"Huh!" Xie Yunliu’s eyes lit up. "What a coincidence! My little sister said you were to go see her as soon as you woke up! You should hurry on up there!"
Xie Yunliu pointed upward, then beckoned to someone behind Zheng Xiu. "Hey, Xiaotao, take the Young Master up to see the Big Leader."
Back in the room, Xiaotao had hastily combed her hair back into a girlish style. Her eyelids drooped. The late morning sun cast a few rays down, creating a mottled shadow beneath her long, trembling eyelashes. Looking utterly drained, Xiaotao replied in a small voice, "I understand."
With that, she curtsied before Zheng Xiu. "Young Master, this way, please."
She was carrying Zheng Xiu’s bamboo basket, which held his complete, treasured set of Art Supplies. As she spoke, she handed the basket to him. Zheng Xiu didn’t think much of it and habitually slung it over his back.
"Alright." Zheng Xiu nodded and, with the basket on his back, followed Xiaotao.
At first, Xie Yunliu had been skeptical of Zheng Xiu’s excuse. But after watching the way Xiaotao walked, he finally believed him. Stroking his chin, he muttered to himself that you really couldn’t judge a book by its cover. To think this Scholar wasn’t into young girls and actually preferred older, married women. As he thought about it, Xie Yunliu slapped himself on the forehead and couldn’t help but break into a wide grin. He’d been wondering all night why his little sister’s attitude toward this Scholar was so bizarre, and it had left him feeling uneasy.
Comments