Jiangnan Gaiden

Kapitel 12

My God, is this ancient Chinese lightness skill?! Watching the trees whiz past me, I suddenly felt an urge to scream. Someone could actually run like they were flying through the clouds! And I, held in Shang Shaochang's arms, felt as if I had suddenly sprouted wings, as if I were about to take flight with him!

After a few leaps and bounds, Shang Shaochang suddenly let out a long, resonant whistle, the sound carrying for miles. A short while later, a loud neighing of a horse could be faintly heard in the distance—

A jet-black horse galloped joyfully toward Young Master Shang, its body neighing loudly. The black horse was exceptionally tall and magnificent, moving through the wind like a dark cloud. In the blink of an eye, it had caught up with me. Young Master Shang leaped up, grabbed me, and jumped onto its back. He squeezed his legs together and shouted, "Run—" The black horse neighed joyfully and took off running faster and faster.

This is the thrill of chasing the wind!

The black horse's long mane danced in the wind, and my own black hair swirled around me in the same breeze. As the scenery rushed past, I could feel the black horse's muscles contracting powerfully, and white breath constantly billowing from its nostrils.

Just as I was enjoying the exhilaration of riding, Shang Shaozhang's teasing voice rang in my ear: "Why don't you shout?"

He held me with one arm and gently patted the horse's neck with the other. The black horse neighed softly and slowed its pace. I looked up and saw his dark, deep eyes, which were smiling at me.

I looked up at his face and said slowly, "You've been running through sparsely populated areas on horseback. How many people will chase after me after I shout? And who can catch up with your horse?" I smiled gently and said leisurely, "Then I might as well save my energy and enjoy the scenery around me."

"Hahaha!" Young Master Shang burst into laughter, "Don't you want to know who sent me to hunt you down?"

I was both annoyed and amused. Are all assassins these days so long-winded?

I said impatiently, "What's so difficult about that? Anyone with a brain knows. We're currently doing a big deal with the Meng family of Yizhou. The Meng family used to do business with the Huo family, the biggest silk merchant in Jiangzhou, but now they've switched to us. The Huo family must be holding a grudge. I heard that the head of the Huo family has connections in all walks of life, both legitimate and illegitimate, and he's even made a move to make things difficult for Guiyun Manor. If it wasn't you sent by the head of the Huo family, then who else could it be?"

Shang Shaozhang slowly stopped laughing, fixed his gaze on my face, and said in a deep voice, "Good! It seems the rumors that you are the White-Robed Prime Minister, with an unparalleled eye for judging people, are indeed true!"

"Even the world's best divine eyes would have to admit defeat when facing the world's best assassin, wouldn't they?" I smiled faintly. "You asked me two questions, so I'll ask you one too?"

Seeing that Shang Shaochang nodded slightly, I thought for a moment and said, "Why did you go to such lengths to capture me, but didn't kill me?"

“Because…” A playful smile appeared on Shang Shaochang’s thin lips as he slowly leaned down on his horse, looking into my wide eyes:

"Your eyes have a faint sky blue hue, they're beautiful, I love them!" He actually leaned close to my face, his dark eyes almost touching mine, so close that his warm breath brushed against my skin. Suddenly, Shang Shaochang kissed my eye.

"Your eyebrows are curved and beautiful, I like them!" He kissed my eyebrows again. "Your skin is so white and smooth, I like it..." Shang Shaochang said with a grin, then kissed me. He said seven or eight sentences in a row, and kissed me on the face repeatedly.

My eyes almost shot out flames as I stared in disbelief at the incredibly smiling assassin, whom everyone described as extremely formidable.

My God, is this a killer or a pervert?

Shang Shao's long, slender fingers traced my eyebrows, my eyes, my lips, and finally he took my hand and laughed, "I really don't understand how anyone could mistake you for a man. Your eyebrows are so long and thin, and your eyes are so big. Even if those are covered by a black veil, your hands..." He gently squeezed my hand and laughed, "How do they resemble a man?"

I practically gritted my teeth as I said, "Have you touched me enough?"

Shang Shao licked his lips, then pinched my cheek again, still not satisfied, and said with a lewd smile, "You can't take advantage of someone else's good fortune too often. Save it for next time."

“You…” Suddenly, I looked at Shang Shaochang’s blue robe, my gaze slowly shifting to his neck, and I gradually began to feel incredulous…

My eyes flickered, a seductive smile playing on my lips, and I said softly, "You've taken advantage of me, so I'll take advantage of you too..."

Shang Shao raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Alright, how do you want to claim it?"

My smile softened further as I said, "I can't do anything unless you release my pressure points."

"That's easy." Young Master Shang tapped his finger lightly, and I felt a surge of heat in my upper body. My hand instantly regained its movement. I slowly moved my arm a few times, then reached out and gently stroked Young Master Shang's face, my smile deepening.

“Your face… how… how…” Suddenly, with a “whoosh,” a mask as thin as a cicada’s wing appeared in my hand. As the mask was torn off, my voice turned cold:

"Having something stuck to your face must be uncomfortable." I stared coldly at his face beneath the mask, watching as a smile appeared on his lips—

"Ah—" I stared in disbelief at Shang Shaozhang as he removed his mask, barely able to speak, only pointing at his face:

"You...you...that night...the flute you played!"

It was a rather handsome face, with soft yet resolute lines. But what was most memorable were his eyes, dark and deep like the ancient night sky! It was as if looking into them would plunge one into endless darkness.

He was no longer as young as one might imagine; there seemed to be faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. But his eyes were like a spring pond, forever containing a youthful and timeless vitality!

It was those eyes that left a deep impression on me that night, and I still remember them vividly even when I was drunk!

Shang Shaochang was the man in the blue robe who played the flute after I got drunk on the night of the Double Ninth Festival.

A faint smile slowly crept into Shang Shaochang's eyes: "You're the first person to see my true face." He suddenly raised his hand, snatched the mask back up, and put it back on his face, casually sealing the pressure points on my upper body:

"Little girl, then I'm even less likely to let you go."

Shang Shaozhang led me at varying paces, the clatter of black hooves echoing as we passed through several towns. In less than two hours, we reached the border between Jiangzhou and Yuzhou. The streets gradually filled with people, buying and selling in the market, creating a lively scene. Suddenly, the sight of such a tall and magnificent black horse passing by, with a young man carrying a girl in black, drew pointing and gesturing. They chattered excitedly, "Hey, whose daughter is this, riding such a tall horse…?" "Uncle Zhang, you're really confused. This can't be a daughter, she must be a lady, being taken out by her husband to enjoy the scenery…" "I don't think they're from a respectable family. Such public displays of affection are unbecoming…"

I heard snippets of voices from the crowd, and as I looked at Shang Shaochang, my eyes practically shot out knives.

In my more than twenty years of living in white, I've never been "talked about" like this before. That bastard, and that third-rank Shang Shaozhang!

Then look at this culprit, sitting leisurely on his horse, carrying me through the streets, looking utterly carefree. Seeing this only fueled my rage! If I weren't completely immobilized, I would have chopped this greatest assassin and bastard in the world into eight pieces!

Shang Shao looked at me with a grin and whispered in my ear, "Little Yi Yi, it seems your eyes are more like an assassin's than mine."

"You..." I was speechless with anger at his grinning face. It was the first time in my life that I had been so angry that I couldn't speak.

Before long, the black horse arrived at a manor and slowly came to a stop. Several servants came out to greet us, calling us "Young Master Shang." Young Master Shang picked me up and jumped off the horse, patted the black horse's neck, and laughed, "Big Black, go and eat some hay by yourself. I'll go in first."

I almost choked on my own saliva. Such a beautiful and heroic horse, yet it has such a "mediocre" name.

But this "Big Black" was very happy. It raised its head and made a few "hissing" noises. The horse's head rubbed against Shang Shaozhang's body affectionately a few times, and then "smoothly" licked my hand before trotting away and disappearing from sight.

A mysterious smile appeared on Shang Shaochang's face. He casually brushed my back, and I immediately felt a surge of warmth. My limbs were back to normal, and I couldn't help but shake my arms a few times. A look of joy appeared on my face, and I was about to take a step when I felt Shang Shaochang grab my hand and pull me towards the manor gate. His deep voice rang in my ear: "Don't even think about running away, Little Yiyi. No one has ever escaped from my grasp."

When I heard this, I turned around and saw his incredibly bright smile.

I couldn't laugh at all, simply because I knew he was telling the truth.

Who can escape the pursuit of the world's number one assassin?