"Go out? Go where?"
"Whatever, I'll go wherever I end up."
"Just you and me?"
"Just you and me." Ning Xian glanced at him every now and then, pondering uncertainly. She wondered...did he deliberately take her out to "clear her head"? Was this a sign of Feng's thoughtfulness? Wait, this is Feng...the cold, arrogant, and aloof Lord Feng can be considerate??
Feng, annoyed by her gaze, frowned slightly. "If you're not going, we'll go back to the Netherworld!"
"I'm going away! Hey, don't go!" It's rare for you to be so considerate, can't you be a little more patient?
Feng stopped, glanced back at her, and looked away, saying, "Since you're going, don't think about anything else, don't think about any of those messy things, understand?"
"...I understand a little bit." — What a mess? You want to talk about something sad? How many people can understand what you're saying? Ning Xian smiled helplessly. Well, never mind, this is probably the limit of Lord Feng's way of expressing herself. Lord Feng has already been unusual enough today. If she were any more unusual, she might be scared.
She turned back and glanced at the gate of the Du residence—she would probably never forget Ci Sheng, never forget that there had ever been such a person, as light and fleeting as a feather, gently clinging to her life, yet always remaining detached, never truly integrated. Finally, she drifted away.
She turned and followed Feng, forcing a cheerful smile. Looking at his seemingly distrustful face, she raised her chin and asked, "What, do I look like someone who gives up so easily?"
That smiling face clearly carried three parts bitterness and three parts pain, yet it pretended to be nonchalant. Feng turned her head away, looking straight ahead and avoiding eye contact.
He didn't like her smile, not at all.
………………
Feng's "casual stroll" finally gave Ning Xian a glimpse into her life. A casual stroll truly meant just walking. There were no horses, no carriages, and no destination. Ning Xian's only consolation was that she hadn't ventured into the desolate mountains and forests, where she would have to endure the elements.
Here, Ning Xian couldn't help but explain the topography of Zhanzhou. Centered on Zhancheng, where the Bai family is located, it is only half a day's journey by horse to Longcheng, where Youmingtian is located. And their current location, Jiangcheng, is frustratingly less than a day's journey from Youmingtian, and even closer to the Bai family, only half a day away.
Since he wanted to take her out to relax, he should at least find a place that's farther away and more unfamiliar. There's no need to just wander around the small towns around Jiangcheng, is there?
Which way do you want to go?
Standing at a fork in the road, Feng stopped and asked for her opinion.
Ning Xian couldn't remember how many times she had forced an awkward smile. "Whatever."
So Feng found a tree branch as usual, tossed it up, let it fall, and pointed in the direction the branch was pointing, "Go that way."
—Very good. This is a very promising relaxation trip.
Upon entering the town, Ning Xian, somewhat disoriented by Feng's tree-branching method of choosing a path, and unsure which small town near Jiangcheng they were in, looked at the sky and gazed at Feng with a mournful expression. "Shouldn't we find a place to rest?"
Feng looked around the town. Although it was late and the streets were somewhat deserted, the buildings in the town were enough to show that it was bustling. So she nodded and went to find an inn.
Ning Xian chuckled and slipped into the nearest inn, saying, "Waiter, bring me two superior rooms."
“One room,” Feng said behind her, expressionless and without tone of voice, but with certainty.
Ning Xian was taken aback, and the waiter was bewildered. All four eyes turned to look at Feng, so Feng, showing a little patience, repeated, "One superior room."
Ning Xian stared at him in astonishment for a long while, trying to ignore his words, and attempted to correct the waiter: "Two rooms..."
“One room.” It seems that Feng is very generous with her patience in this matter.
Ning Xian looked back at Feng with an even more miserable expression, still unwilling to give up: "Two..."
"One room."
No room for compromise, no mercy shown.
—No way… This will remind her of that beastly night she spent with him… She’s trying so hard to forget, and even if she can’t, she can at least try to beautify the memory of it.
The waiter looked at the two men with suspicion and, with a high degree of professional ethics, asked, "May I ask what your relationship is...?"
"A lover." Ning Xian was very honest.
With a loud "smack," Feng slammed a silver ingot onto the counter, almost leaving a dent, and her cold, concise voice drowned out Ning Xian's: "Husband and wife—one room!"
“They haven’t even officially recognized him yet…” Ning Xian muttered, frowning, immediately drawing a cold gaze.
The waiter heard and saw everything clearly. He quickly put away his doubts, smiled ingratiatingly, and put away the money, trying to ignore the dent on the counter. In his heart, he sighed at the decline of morality, saying that even adultery was now so brazen.
—The upper room, one room.
Chapter Sixty: A Superior Room
Upper room, emphasis: one room.
This means that a lone man and a lone woman getting intimate... No way...
Ning Xian reluctantly followed into the room, pondering whether she should use a whip to bind Phoenix or herself tonight. Actually, judging from the chances of her "bestiality flaring up," it seemed that she was more likely to...
Feng asked the waiter to bring the food inside. She quickly finished her meal, washed up, and prepared to rest.
Ning Xian, who was stuffing food into his mouth, choked, quickly swallowed, and asked, "What are you doing?"
He glanced at her and said, "Rest." Didn't you understand?
"So early?"
"I advise you to get some rest as well, you'll have to get up early tomorrow morning."
What does that mean? Where are we going tomorrow morning? Anyway, the alert is off, time to eat.
After washing up, Feng ripped open her outer and inner robes and tossed them onto a chair in one go, leaving only a loose inner shirt that revealed her smooth, taut skin like brocade. However, several large, scabbed teeth marks were clearly visible on the shirt, spoiling the view. Ning Xian's rice suddenly sprayed out of his mouth, almost choking on the grains.
"Cough cough cough...you you—"