El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 9

Who exactly is this dangerous man before her? How dare he abduct her—the noble princess of the Eastern Dynasty—in broad daylight, in front of the emperor and princes!

Chu Xuyao approached step by step, watching Rongyue retreat like a cat toying with a mouse, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of seeing prey. Only when Rongyue's back pressed against the cold wall did Chu Xuyao stop in his tracks, bracing himself on either side of her with his strong arms, successfully blocking her escape.

"Run, keep running! You've offended me, Chu Xuyao, and you still dare to dream of escaping? I don't know whether to call you bold or naive!" Chu Xuyao deliberately moved his face closer and closer to Rongyue, his warm, damp breath brushing against her face as he spoke. Rongyue held her breath in disgust, turning her face away, trying her best not to inhale Chu Xuyao's slightly alcoholic scent.

Sensing Rongyue's intention, Chu Xuyao was slightly annoyed. He suddenly turned Rongyue's face towards him and deliberately breathed on her nostrils, making it impossible for her to be enveloped in his breath.

Chu Xuyao's actions thoroughly enraged Rong Yue. Rong Yue swiftly attacked Chu Xuyao's vitals, but Chu Xuyao seemed to have anticipated this, pinning her erratic hands above her head, while his legs tightly clamped Rong Yue's lower body, presumably to prevent her from launching another sneak attack.

Chu Xuyao's touch made Rongyue's face turn cold in an instant. She stared at Chu Xuyao, her eyes icy: "Let go!"

The murderous aura surrounding Rong Yue startled Chu Xuyao. She wanted to kill him? Why? Shouldn't he be the one angry and wanting to kill? Chu Xuyao was extremely displeased, peering into the depths of her cold eyes, trying to find some clues. But to his dismay, besides seeing her indifferent and aloof coldness, he seemed unable to glean anything about her inner thoughts.

Seeing that Chu Xuyao had no intention of letting her go, Rongyue's face grew even colder, and her eyes held a terrifying chill as she looked at Chu Xuyao: "You audacious madman, do you know who you have kidnapped! If you know what's good for you, quickly send me back!"

As if he had heard a funny joke, Chu Xuyao threw his head back and laughed, looking at Rong Yue's cold face with sarcasm: "Who are you? You're nothing but a lowly princess! At worst, I'll send ten or a hundred beauties, a hundred times better than you, to the prince as compensation! To paraphrase your words, 'An ant trying to shake a tree, laughable and overestimating yourself,' you think you can use your status as a princess to intimidate me? You're really overestimating yourself! Childishly ridiculous! Woman, do you even know who I am?"

"Chu Xuyao".

She knew him?! She knew him from the very beginning?! Then... was their initial encounter a coincidence or... a conspiracy?! His cold, sharp eyes locked onto her, trying to find any trace of concealment in every detail of her face, but there was nothing! She remained as cold and expressionless as before!

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Rongyue unusually explained, "You mentioned it before."

So that's how it is! Chu Xuyao felt relieved, but then he coldly mocked, "You really are arrogant! You didn't even react to the name Chu Xuyao. You're probably the first person in the world to do that! Woman, do you really think that Chu Xuyao's name is just something outsiders call out for fun?! Or do you think that I, Chu Xuyao, wouldn't dare to touch you?! Don't think that just because you're a lowly princess, even if you were the current empress of the Eastern Dynasty, if you angered me, Chu Xuyao, I still wouldn't let you off the hook!!"

His cold, arrogant, and ruthless expression sent a chill down Rongyue's spine.

It seems she's really messed up big time! She's offended the wrong person! Chu Xuyao even called her arrogant. In her opinion, compared to him, she's far inferior! Listen to his arrogant tone; he doesn't even put the Empress in his eyes. Tell me, who in this world can be more arrogant than him?

If she could turn back time to that first encounter, she would have let him fend for himself, refusing to interfere or speak ill of him as if possessed, thus angering this tiger fallen into the plains. But it's too late, far too late. There are all sorts of medicines for sale in this world, but none for regret!

"What, are you scared now?" Noticing the look of regret on Rong Yue's face, Chu Xuyao felt a surge of joy. So this woman wasn't as fearless as she seemed; she had some regrets after all!

"That day... I'm so sorry... I was in a bad mood that day and took it out on you, I'm truly sorry..." This kind of arrogant person, with an extremely strong sense of superiority, values face above all else. She had humiliated him that day, damaging his dignity; kidnapping her today was simply a way to regain the face he had suffered! Since that's the case, she would lower herself and return the favor! A wise woman doesn't suffer losses in the present; she didn't need to put herself in danger for the sake of a ridiculous pride.

Rongyue's humble demeanor surprised Chu Xuyao. Although he already knew she was remorseful, her rapid admission of wrongdoing still surprised him! Was this woman playing some kind of trick? He glanced at her sideways, trying to find some other emotion in her remorseful expression, but Chu Xuyao was somewhat disappointed to find that this woman seemed to genuinely repent.

He thought it would take a lot of effort to break this woman's arrogance and pride! Before he, Chu Xuyao, could even use the slightest trick, this haughty woman had already raised the white flag and surrendered! How boring! But did she really think that he would be merciful and forgive her just because she admitted her mistake? She was sorely mistaken! If he were willing to let go of those who had offended him so easily, he wouldn't be Chu Xuyao!

"You don't actually think that admitting your mistake and apologizing will make everything alright, do you? Do you really think I'll let you off so easily?" Chu Xuyao glanced at Rongyue arrogantly, his disdainful tone seemingly mocking Rongyue's arrogance.

"Young Master Chu is quite the joker! Who in the world doesn't know that Young Master Chu is tolerant, kind, humble, broad-minded, and has a magnanimity that is beyond the reach of ordinary people? How could such a Young Master Chu possibly argue with a mere young lady?" Although he didn't know who Chu Xuyao was, everyone would like to hear flattery, right?

"Hahaha—tolerant and kind? Broad-minded? This is probably the best joke I, Chu Xuyao, have ever heard in my life! Woman, your flattery is too far-fetched! You might as well go out and find out what kind of person I, Chu Xuyao, am, and then you can flatter me!"

Even he himself admitted that he was not a kind person, so it seems that she has really messed with someone this time! Judging from the current situation, he does not intend to let her go, but it is unknown how he will treat her.

"What do you want to do to me?" Calming her somewhat uneasy heart, Rongyue took a deep breath, raised her head, and stared at his equally cold eyes without any fear.

Rongyue's complex and deep, vortex-like eyes made Chu Xuyao momentarily dazed, but that momentary daze vanished without a trace.

What to do to her? He didn't seem to have thought about this question carefully. Before catching her, he only wanted to dig this hateful woman out of the ground, then torture and ravage her, making her wish she were dead to vent his hatred! Now that he had finally caught her, he had no idea how to torture and ravage her. Actually, it wasn't that he had no idea; Chu Xuyao had at least a hundred, if not a thousand, ways to torture people, and any one of them would be enough to make this woman suffer. But the problem was, he seemed to have some reluctance towards this woman, some inability to bring himself to do it…

Chu Xuyao's enigmatic expression made Rongyue even more uneasy. It's true what they say, you only realize how little you know when you need it! If she hadn't relaxed her self-discipline and become lazy after marrying Dongfang Yao, would she be in this predicament, controlled by others, like a fish on a chopping board? She can't blame heaven or earth; she has to reap the bitter fruit of her own actions!

Clinging to the last glimmer of hope, she tried to persuade him: "But I did save your life after all..."

"Save my life?!" These words only fueled Chu Xuyao's hidden anger: "If I'm not mistaken, you probably mistook me for someone else that day! Otherwise, even if I died, you wouldn't have given me a second glance, let alone offered to save me! Hmph, woman, you think you can use this to beg for my forgiveness? You've miscalculated! I wasn't planning on doing anything to you, but judging from what just happened, you still haven't sincerely repented! In that case, I won't show you any mercy!"

What do you want?

"How about it?" Chu Xuyao sneered, his face contorted with malice. "Aren't you arrogant and domineering because you have some martial arts skills? I'll cripple your hands and send you to a brothel, where you'll be forced to sell your smiles every day, ridden by thousands and straddled by thousands. A thousand men will pillow your jade arms, and ten thousand men will taste your red lips. How about that?"

She had provoked a wolf, a bloodthirsty, brutal, ferocious, and savage wolf! This was the only thought in her mind at that moment. She had no doubt about the truthfulness of his words, because from the way his hands were tightening and exerting force, it was clear he wasn't threatening her; he genuinely wanted to cripple her hands. Medical equipment in ancient times was rudimentary; once crippled, recovery was difficult, and she might become a cripple forever, spending the rest of her life subservient to men…

Volume One, Pear Blossom Courtyard, Melting Moon, Chapter Fourteen: Escape from Danger

Chu Xuyao's expression grew increasingly sinister, and the pressure he applied to her wrists increased accordingly. Rongyue felt as if her wrists were about to be crushed by that powerful force. In no time, her once jade-like hands turned dark purple due to the lack of blood circulation, and they gradually cooled down, becoming as cold as a dead person's hands.

Was Rongyue truly destined to be ruined by this man today? She smiled bitterly, laughing at her previous arrogance, her overestimation of her abilities, her self-righteousness, and even more so at her naiveté… This world was different from the one she knew. For her, a rash intruder, this world held too many unknowns. Newly arrived, not yet adapted to this unfamiliar environment, she had acted impulsively and recklessly, ultimately inviting trouble and plunging herself into this perilous situation, ending up in this state of subservience! How laughable that she, who prided herself on her mastery of survival skills, lacked even this basic understanding—truly laughable, pathetic, and lamentable! So be it, let it be a lesson learned through blood and tears!

Just when she had given up all hope for her hands, the faint noise coming from outside the door made Rongyue's eyes light up and rekindled the flame of hope!

"...Wife, wife, where are you..."

"Brother, which room is my wife in?"

"Wife, I'm here to save you..."

"Brother Yao! Brother Yao has come to save her!" It was always like this, and it will always be this way. Whenever she's in trouble, the first person to find her is always her Brother Yao! Rongyue's eyes welled up with tears, waves of warmth washing over her chest, washing away her fear and melting her coldness. Sniffling, her nose stinging, Rongyue seized the opportunity while Chu Xuyao was distracted, struggling to break free from his grip, and excitedly ran towards the door: "Brother Yao, I'm here, I'm here—"

"Wife! My wife's voice! Wife, wife—" Dongfang Yao followed the sound and ran frantically toward the source of the sound. When he saw Rongyue with tears streaming down her face, he rushed toward Rongyue without any regard for anything else.

"Brother Yao!"

The moment she touched Dongfang Yao, Rongyue suddenly burst into tears, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood. She tightly wrapped her arms around Dongfang Yao, nestled in his warm embrace, greedily inhaling his unique masculine scent. The long-lost sense of security and fulfillment made her grievances vanish in an instant.

Looking at Rongyue's pale, tear-streaked face with heartache, Dongfang Yao inwardly blamed himself for not coming to rescue his wife sooner. Like cherishing a rare treasure, Dongfang Yao gently patted Rongyue's still trembling back, as if afraid of frightening the girl in his arms, speaking softly and gently, soothingly: "My dear wife, don't be afraid—don't be afraid, don't be afraid—fear will fly away, fly away, and never come back..."

The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the embracing couple, casting beautiful, intertwined shadows on the ground. At this moment, everyone present was touched by this heartwarming scene. No one mocked Dongfang Yao's foolishness or his naive words; on the contrary, they were moved and envious of them. "It's easy to find a thousand pieces of gold, but hard to find a true lover." In the ruthless imperial court, kinship and love were insignificant; only status, interests, power, and glory mattered… Dongfang Yao was foolish, but it was precisely because of his foolishness that his feelings were genuine and profound, untainted by any pretense or impurity. True love is so rare and precious in a palace where love is almost nonexistent…

"Ahem!" The first to break the warm silence was a dignified and imposing old woman. She was none other than the Empress Dowager of the Eastern Dynasty.

Her sharp, piercing gaze swept over the uneasy crowd. She slammed her dragon-headed cane against the stone slab several times, producing a series of muffled thuds that made everyone's hearts skip a beat.

"Someone tell me what exactly happened!" The Empress Dowager's authoritative voice held an imperceptible chill and anger. The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, all turning to look at the culprit—Chu Xuyao—who stood nonchalantly by the doorway.

Why did their embrace feel so jarring, so inexplicably unsettling? This woman was truly a variable in his life, making many of his past impossibilities possible. For instance, his usually icy demeanor cracked because of her mere words; his emotions, which he could always control, were unleashed by her occasional provocations, erupting like a landslide, completely uncontrollable; and his unprecedented, terrifying obsession with women made him vaguely aware that his search for her wasn't solely driven by revenge… He wasn't unaware of what these variables meant, but he didn't want to, didn't dare to, and couldn't bring himself to understand. He, Chu Xuyao, was free-spirited and solitary, never stopping for anyone, never lingering for anyone. Having attachments meant having weaknesses, and the intelligent Chu Xuyao wouldn't make such a mistake! Not in the past, not now, and not in the future!