Chapter 140 A heart breaker was far away
Meng Xuan frowned and thought that during the trip to Yangzhou City, he imperceptibly picked up two women, a benefactor and an old friend. Why did he always feel that something was missing? Was it because he failed to kill Geng Bingxiu? Geng Bingxiu was hit by his Changfeng Formula, so he would not run far. Why even his secret investigation couldn’t get Geng Bingxiu’s news in these days? He hid in the roof of imperial guard’s stronghold in Yangzhou City and eavesdropped for a long time. But he did not hear where Geng Bingxiu had gone.
Anyway, he had thought that as a child, he would not defeat the traitor probably. Therefore, before the engagement, he specially chose a piece of land that was most advantageous to him and came out in a sneak attack, just like a head start in the Go game. He did not expect that Geng Bingxiu’s martial arts was not as high as his previous life that he heard from others. Had Geng Bingxiu’s martial arts not reach the peak? Or that day he was underestimating and did not take out the real means. Damn it. It was such a good opportunity to kill Geng Bingxiu, but he failed. If Geng Bingxiu was on the alert from now on, he would go out with Lu Jiangbei and others every time. It was difficult to assassinate him again.
He had better tell his father that he wanted to stay in Chengxu Academy for a few months to study before he returned to the army, because he yearned for the lessons that taught by Bai Yangbai. On one hand, there was no war now, so it was nothing important in the army except calling the roll in the morning and practicing martial arts. On the other hand, he did not like reading as a child. After all, in previous life, he used to read the Liu Tao and the Guiguzi. In this life, he really did not want to recite the Three-Character Classic and the Book of Family Names. If his father heard that he was initiative to read those, his father would readily agree.
All right, let’s did it! Meng Xuan believed that Geng Bingxiu was still in Yangzhou City now, and he was still hiding in somewhere to heal and practice. This was a good chance to kill him. If he missed this chance, he couldn’t battle with the imperial guards by himself, even his kung fu was recovering just like his previous life.
“Ahem...” The light cough of the woman on the bed interrupted his thoughts and made him realize that he was not meditating in his own South Yard’s room, plotting to eliminate evil. He was a guest in the bedroom of an unfriendly little lady, and because – He looked at the well-wrapped lady on the bed and asked, “Hello, Miss He, why doesn’t it work that I push the anesthetic out? Where did you get this anesthetic? Do I have to wait for three days to restore normal?”
“…”
“Hey, are you asleep, girl?”
“…”
“Are you not feeling well? What can I do for you? Do you want to see a doctor? Shall I call your maid and your family?”
“Don’t call anyone. Just get out.”
“...I also know it is impolite to come into your room in the midnight. However, first, you caused that I got the anesthetic, and now you should take responsible for me. Second, I can’t go back, because I’ve heard there is a wall between East and West yards (of Luo’s Mansion), and it is locked at 23:15. Now, it is 23:45. The guest room you have arranged for me is on the other side of the wall. Now I am unable to move. Even I don’t want to linger, I can’t go back.” Meng Xuan shook his head with a sigh.
He Danggui gnashed her teeth and said, “There are rooms all over the Tao Yao Yard. You can sleep in whatever room you want. If I hear you again, I’ll smack you to death and feed you to the wild cats and boars.” Then, there was no answer near the table. He Danggui gratified secretly. To deal with those naughty children, it was no use to beat and scold them. The most effective one was intimidation.
Feeling the room became quiet, she could not sleep when she should have had a good rest. She had never been afraid of the night in her life, and it was the first time that she trembled in the night. She shivered and shrunk into the quilt just like a piece of autumn leaves. She must grit teeth and tough it out. No matter how many times she was reborn, as long as she had a choice, she would not choose to drink that bowl of Meng Po soup. That was because it was her own choice to be awake and painful living in this world where all the people “lost their memory”, and it was also her own journey… Danggui, as long as gnashing teeth, you could survive…
“Then I’ll choose this one.” A voice sounded in the back of He Danggui’s head, and the warm air brushed her ear. “Hey, give me half of the quilt, thanks.”
She shook her head abruptly and stared at the man incredulously who had taken half of her pillow with a smile. Though she wanted to kick him off, she was too exhausted to do anything. She didn’t expect that Earl Baoding Meng Shan, a descendant of Mencius, could teach such a playboy. He even crawled into a woman’s boudoir at the age of 11 and climbed on a woman’s embroidered bed.
He Danggui was extremely anger but laughed at him. “Childe Xuan, I’ll tell you the truth. I’m ten years old this year. I’m ugly and as thin as a lath. If you want to look for a beauty, you should go to find my Second Sister. My whole family will welcome you.”
“Why is there only one pillow and one quilt on your bed? There are four pillows and two quilts on my bed at home.” Meng Xuan said and tugged at the head of the quilt with his fingers. He was trying to peel off the cocoon-like quilt for a share and telling the little girl, “You should put more quilts on the bed, and then you will feel warm and lively when you sleep, so you won’t shiver lonely.” Tugging for a long time, Meng Xuan felt helpless because when he opened a split, the girl would tighten it up, “I came to see you because you were caught by the evil man, and you are so scared that you are shaking at night. At least, throw back the covers and let me see you. What’s wrong with you? I can cure you.”
The top of the quilt wriggled, and a muffled voice came from inside, “I’m not shaking. I’m fine. Go away.” She really hoped there would be a layer of thorns on the quilt to dress herself up as a hedgehog. Then it could strike out all those evil-minded and snobbish men, and indifferent strangers at once.
Meng Xuan was silent for a moment and went on to pull the quilt. “Did that wicked man hurt you? Where did he hit you? Show me! I’ll leave after seeing it, or I’ll be here all the time making noise, and you can’t sleep quietly. Can you show me, girl?”
She said coldly, “Now there are Peng Shi, Peng Jian, Feng Yan, Feng Yu and my two maids in the yard. I will count to three, and if you don’t escape through the window, I will call for help.”
Meng Xuan said casually, “I heard them earlier. Just six children! Tell you the truth. I’m a good a fighter, and every time I went out to molest women, if anyone encountered me, I’d kill them and then clean it up, as if I never killed anyone before. If you want yell, just do it. And in tomorrow morning, people in Luo’s Mansion will find six people are missing.”
“Knock, knock, knock.” There was a knock on the door, and then the voice of Chan Yi sounded, “Are you sleep, Miss?” A cheerful voice let the two people on the bed suddenly became rigid.
He Danggui came out from the quilt and said to the shadow on the door, “I slept.” Her voice was trembling.
“Slept?” The tone of Chan Yi turned a corner just like sang a song, “But I hear your voice is not sleepy at all? Miss, open the door. I want to tell you something, and I also made a chrysanthemum tea for you. You drink it before you sleep.”
He Danggui turned her head in panic and weakness. When seeing the grim and menacing face beside her pillow, she snapped at the door. “No, go away. If you don’t leave, I will set my dog to catch you.”
Chan Yi did not believe. “Miss, you do not have a dog.”
He Danggui suddenly flashed an idea in her drowsy mind. “There’s a mouse on my door,” she said, “Do you see it? It’s squeaky and annoying. Get rid of it.”
“...” The figure on the door was gone immediately, and the sound of Chan Yi was also far away. “Oh! Oh! Oh –”
Meng Xuan sniggered. While the quilt next to him opened a slit, he quickly pulled it and opened a corner to get in. With a surprised expression, he complained, “Oh, you are as cold as ice. You are colder than me who has no quilt, and I wanted you to warm me up!” Seeing the ice on his side shook violently, he sighed and took the ice in his arms. “I’m not really hot. Come on, let’s keep each other warm.”
He Danggui felt that her back was covered with a warm support. Although it did not add much warmth, the arms stuck out from behind effectively stopped her shivering. As if she had been falling down in an endless abyss, but all of a sudden, this arm caught her.
“Look, isn’t it great? We’re not cold anymore.” Meng Xuan said, sounding like an adult, with gentleness and intellect, “I said just now that I was only trying to help you, but you wouldn’t open your quilt. Now you are clinging to me. You must feel that I won’t hurt you, right? People usually are liars, as if you were shivering when you said you weren’t; as if you were dying of loneliness when you said I should go away. But the body is the most honest. Your body says that you need a hug, and my body says that I just want to give you a hug.”
“...” She did not want to think more, whether she warmed herself from such a warm embrace. And she did not want to think why this embrace let her feel at ease, as if a lost tired bird flied into the nest of the same kind. Although it was very strange, but between the same species, people always had a reason to help each other, with the same smell, the same eyes, and the same temperature.
“In fact, I used to be impervious to heat and cold, but since I was drugged by you, my legs are cold, numb, and unconscious. Girl, your anesthetic is very powerful. Where did you get it?” Since he could not get the answer from the woman in his arms, Meng Xuan tightened his arms and hugged the ice beauty more tightly. He rubbed his chin against her head and suddenly wondered, “You smell so good. I’ve smelled it before. What kind of face powder do you use? Can I buy it in any rouge shop?” He smelt from her hair to ear, neck, chest and stomach, and then he held her into his arms again. He whispered, “Yes, that’s the smells... Eh, that’s weird. Do Taoist nuns use face powder?”
She was like an inanimate doll, letting him fiddle with, but she didn’t feel any discomfort or offence. Why? Although she had saved his life once, he was still a stranger to her. Could it because of his age? She had lived for twenty-eight years, so it was all right to be hugged by a little brother of ten? But if Peng Jian hugged her, would she feel the same way?
“Hey!”
“Girl!” They said at the same time.
“You go first.” He Danggui was depressed.
Meng Xuan picked up a strand of her black hair and shook it. “What face powder did you use?” He asked, “I like the smell. I also want to buy one. Where can I buy it?”
“It is the scent of love flower. It is the seed of the love flower in the box locked by Changsheng Lock, but it has been used up for many years.”
“Love flower?” Meng Xuan blinked his long eyelash and became a curious baby. He asked, “It’s an artistic name, and it smells like orchid and musk. Isn’t it a beautiful flower?”
“Well, you can buy it at an herbal medicine shop if you want. You can’t find it in a rouge store.”
“An herbal medicine shop? It also can heal people. Great...” Meng Xuan clamped the hair between his upper lips and nose. “A flower that is fragrant, kind and healing, just like Freshwater Sponge.”
“It’s poisonous.”
“Poisonous?” The hair clipped on Meng Xuan’s nose was fell, and his eyebrows was high on one side and low on the other.
“Yes, the love flower is also known as white thorn apple. It is said it was a flower in the sky and fell to earth by mistake. The whole plant of this flower is slightly poisonous. The seeds are the most poisonous and have the narcotic effect. It can be made into a knockout drop together with the monkshood and wild aconite. The anesthetic you were drugged was steamed by love flowers.” He Danggui said a lot. She suddenly felt that somewhere in the chest was comfortable, so she took a deep breath, allowing more energy to flow through her body.
Meng Xuan felt a sweet fragrance on the nose, which made the tip of his nose itch slightly. He couldn’t help but lower his head and rub He Danggui’s forehead. Then his lips happened to brush her eyebrows. He knew he was crossing the line when he saw her eyebrows raised slightly. But on second thought, he explained, “I’m older than you, much older.” He only regarded her as a little sister, and that was all.
He Danggui laughed in her heart. He was just a child, who most liked to compare the age with others. Who was older, or who was higher? Well, forgot it. He was just a kid.
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