The Charm of a Powerful Woman Spreads Across the World - Chapter 204
Mu Wenchen's face turned red. He looked at Rufeng and said, "I'm leaving now!" Then he disappeared in an instant.
Ru Feng wasn't in a hurry, since they had already been whispering sweet nothings all night, right under Grandpa's nose.
After saying goodbye to the group of people who seemed to have swallowed flies, Ru Feng and Yu Xuan set off leisurely.
Chapter 155 Life and Death
The group of over a dozen people were all on horseback. There were only three women in the group: Rufeng, Zuizhu, and Zuiyue. They were all uninhibited women, so their pace was relatively fast. However, even at their fastest speed, it would take thirteen or fourteen days to travel from the capital to the northern frontier, but Rufeng and the others were not in a hurry.
Ru Feng rode her BMW. At first, she missed Wen Chen and was a little downcast. She wanted to change back into men's clothing, but Yu Xuan and her junior brothers strongly protested, so she had to continue wearing women's clothes, only wearing a veil when there were many people around. Ru Feng also thought of Ru Xue. These past few days, Ru Xue had been indifferent to her, behaving gently but treating her like a stranger, which made Ru Feng very frustrated.
Two days later, Ru Feng discovered that Wen Chen could keep sending messages to her via carrier pigeon, and she felt at ease. At this moment, she felt like a bird that had been released, and she was all smiles the whole way.
Yu Xuan, however, remained unhappy, his initial excitement gone. He kept glancing at Ru Feng, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to. Ru Feng, on the other hand, ignored him, pretending not to see him, and continued talking to others, occasionally learning from Zui Yue how to identify herbs.
One day, everyone was unlucky and failed to reach a small town by nightfall, so they had to spend the night in the countryside.
After finding a place to spend the night, everyone started setting up tents and other things, and some even started preparing dinner. Everyone was busy, but some people were quite relaxed.
"Ru Feng!" Yu Xuan roared, glaring angrily at the woman who ignored him. His voice attracted many people, but after he glared at them one by one, no one dared to look. After all, she was the Third Prince, and their lives were in her hands.
"What?" Ru Feng asked casually, but in his hand he was carefully examining a herb. According to Zui Yue, this unassuming herb could quickly stop bleeding. Although it was painful, the effect was excellent, making it the best hemostatic medicine for injuries in the wild.
"Hmph, move that blade of grass away. I have something to say to you." Yu Xuan coughed, his voice lowering.
Ru Feng glanced at him and said, "Just say what you have to say, why are you sneaking around like this?" He acted like a thief.
Yu Xuan stared straight at Ru Feng, his tall figure standing in front of her, so intense that Ru Feng couldn't ignore him even if she wanted to.
"You're blocking my light." Ru Feng looked at the sky; it was almost dark, and he was still blocking his way. Did he want a beating?
Yu Xuan ignored Ru Feng's words, but instead took her hand and led her to a secluded spot, whispering, "Ru Feng, I have something to tell you."
Ru Feng pulled her hand away and said loudly, "Just say what you want to say. Stop touching me like that. I'm a woman now, so be mindful of your behavior. Besides, I'll be your aunt in the future, so show me some respect." Ru Feng said rudely, touching her own hand.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xuan became anxious. He frowned and said, "You're a young lady, don't keep saying you're my aunt. You're not married yet. Humph, who knows what will happen in the future?" Seeing Ru Feng's nonchalant attitude, he was furious but helpless. In fact, ever since he fell in love with this tormenting vixen, he had been unable to do anything about her.
Ru Feng pouted and said, "If I say so, then so be it." Anyway, she really wanted to be Wen Chen's wife right now, and the thought of Mu Wen Chen filled her with sweetness. Sigh, when could she see him? When would he return from Jiangnan? That hateful emperor, knowing full well that Wen Chen and she were in love, still forced them apart. This feudal society has no human rights, no humanity!
Yu Xuan sighed and said, "Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Now I'm asking you, was what you said outside the capital that day true?"
Ru Feng asked, puzzled, "Of all the things I said that day, which one are you referring to?"
Yu Xuan frowned. This guy knew the answer already, and he was being so difficult even though he was a woman. But he still honestly said, "It's about why you like the Imperial Uncle!"
Ru Feng said "Oh," and then added, "Yes, I like Wen Chen, and it's true that he's a virgin." She then glanced at Yu Xuan and said, "I know you two definitely aren't. Humph, I just like Wen Chen's innocence in matters of the heart. Because I'm a virgin too, why can't Wen Chen be a virgin?"
Yu Xuan's face immediately turned awkward. He muttered, "If all men in this world are still virgins, then there must be something wrong with them." His words were loaded with meaning. He then added, "I think it's better to be more experienced, so that women won't suffer."
Ru Feng rolled her eyes at him. How dare he say that Mu Wenchen's body had a problem?
"Wen Chen's behavior shows that he is virtuous and clean-living, unlike you, who always goes to brothels. Who knows, you might get sick from it one day."
Yu Xuan wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, recalling that he had indeed frequented brothels back in the academy, but he hadn't known Ru Feng was a woman then. If he had known, he certainly wouldn't have eaten him. Thinking of this, Yu Xuan looked at Ru Feng with a bitter face, trying to explain himself: "A man can play around before marriage, but if he encounters a woman he imagines, he will definitely treat her wholeheartedly, and he won't be easily tempted." Yu Xuan quickly explained.
Ru Feng puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, saying, "That sounds nice, but even so, I think if you can be chaste before marriage, you can be chaste after marriage. If Wen Chen dares to cheat on me in the future..." Ru Feng clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes fiercely.
"What will happen?" Yu Xuan asked expectantly, his eyes shining. Ideally, he'd get rid of his uncle—oh no, that idea was too bloody. After all, he was his uncle, even if he was a rival in love. A gentler approach seemed preferable.
Ru Feng smiled slightly, quickly calming down, and said, "What's it to you? This is a matter between my husband and me, not something to be discussed with outsiders." Ru Feng said coldly, also wanting to take this opportunity to make Yu Xuan give up. This was why she had been so indifferent to him the whole way—wasn't it to make him stop having any illusions about her as soon as possible? She was so understanding, but this man in front of her didn't appreciate her good intentions. Thinking of this, Ru Feng rolled her eyes at him again.
Upon hearing Ru Feng's words, Yu Xuan's face fell, and he said weakly, "Ru Feng, why don't you understand? You don't really like the Imperial Uncle, you just like his purity. So why don't you open your eyes and look around? I'm sure there's someone you like, like me." As he spoke, he puffed out his chest and looked at Ru Feng expectantly. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on him, making him quite handsome.
However, this approach wouldn't impress Ru Feng. In fact, Ru Feng's and Mu Wenchen's looks are already rare in the world, so Yu Xuan's current tactic is outdated.
Ru Feng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Give up. To be honest, Mu Wenchen's naivety in matters of love is one reason I like him, and his appearance is another, but I like him more as a person." Don't they understand? What he said that day was just an excuse, or rather, just an incomplete reason.
Yu Xuan's face immediately fell, and he looked sadly at Ru Feng, saying, "Is there really no chance at all?" Wouldn't all the hard work he had put into securing this opportunity to travel together have been for nothing?
Looking at his expression, Ru Feng realized that they had been friends since childhood and had even lived together for a year. It would be a lie to say that there were no feelings between them, but it wasn't romantic love. So Ru Feng nodded firmly and said, "I only like Wen Chen."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xuan fell silent. Was he really going to give up?
A sharp "snap" rang out in the quiet grove, startling many birds into flight.
He strode out like a gust of wind, the herbs he was holding already reduced to dust.
Everyone's eyes were on what was behind her. Soon, Yu Xuan also came out, his face dark, and there seemed to be a handprint on his face.
"Senior brother, what's wrong?" Zui Zhu was the first to ask, and the others also looked over, some openly and some secretly, even Yu Xuan's personal guards.
Ru Feng raised an eyebrow and said irritably, "Nothing." What could it be? Was she supposed to tell everyone that she had been harassed by someone? And then, in a fit of anger, slap him? She didn't want to say that. First, she was afraid that Wen Chen would receive the news and misunderstand. Second, Yu Xuan was, after all, a prince, and she wanted to save him some face so that she wouldn't be unable to face anyone in the future.
Zui Zhu originally wanted to ask Yu Xuan, but seeing that his expression was not good, she didn't dare to ask.
The night passed peacefully. For the next few days, Yu Xuan only dared to talk to Ru Feng, but never dared to sneak up on Ru Feng like he had that evening. After traveling for a few more days, they gradually headed north. It was now autumn, and the weather was starting to get cooler, but wearing only a single layer of clothing was still possible. Apart from Zui Yue, who had no martial arts skills, the others present could defend themselves to some extent, and they did not encounter anyone on the road.
It was so peaceful! Ru Feng remained calm, occasionally glancing around. A sip of refreshing grass dangled from her mouth as she led her precious horse along the mountain path. They had now entered the hilly area, and the mountains were becoming increasingly numerous. Because they wanted to take a shortcut, they hadn't followed the main road, saving time but making things more difficult. Over the past two days, they had encountered fewer and fewer towns, often having to camp in the mountains. They hadn't encountered any danger along the way, not even a single bandit—they were incredibly lucky.
Moreover, they could only eat simple food; without towns, even getting soup was difficult, as carrying a pot around wasn't something the elites would do. So, sometimes they ate wild game from the mountains for lunch and dinner. Fortunately, Ru Feng and his junior brothers and sisters were very good at wilderness survival, and the others were also quite capable, so as long as they had salt, everything else was fine. To avoid everyone getting tired of the food, Ru Feng, wanting to test his rusty skills, would catch small birds, rabbits, snakes, fish, and even considered catching wolves to eat. After traveling for about ten days, they entered Xunzhou City, the northernmost city of the Zi Luo Kingdom. At this moment, Yu Xuan's expression became serious, and he instructed them, "Although we've traveled safely so far, we can't let our guard down. Although we're almost at Xunzhou City and not far from the Northern Frontier army's garrison, the people coming and going here are diverse, and the mountains are treacherous. There might be bandits and brigands, so everyone must be extra careful."
He then gave some instructions, and the group began to change formation, firmly surrounding Ru Feng and Yu Xuan in the middle. Having been on edge all day without seeing a single person, everyone gradually relaxed. By nightfall, they still hadn't encountered any danger. After stopping at the foot of a mountain, they lit a campfire, ate dinner, and went to sleep, leaving only Yu Xuan's four men to take turns keeping watch.