Unaware of Shen Lixue's thoughts, Dongfang Heng glanced at her coldly, his voice as icy as the dead of winter: "You're actually protecting him?"
Shen Lixue gritted her teeth, enunciating each word clearly: "I'm not protecting him, he's my savior, and you are mine..."
"He used the life-saving grace to blackmail you and take advantage of you?" Dongfang Heng interrupted Shen Lixue, his voice icy, his obsidian-like eyes unfathomable. He knew Shen Lixue's character perfectly well; she would never take the initiative to approach a man, so it could only be Lu Jiangfeng taking the opportunity to get close to her.
"No...it's not what you think..." A faint chill emanated from Shen Lixue, her mind a jumble of emotions, "Let me explain, it's a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding? I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be a misunderstanding?" Dongfang Heng's voice was icy, his handsome face turning ashen, and his sharp eyes flashing with coldness. "I risked jumping down the slope, I was frantic looking for you, but what about you? You're safe and sound with that man..."
He looked at Shen Lixue, his cold words stuck in his throat, anger churning in his chest. After a long pause, he finally said, "You didn't even have time to send me a signal that you were safe?"
“Heng, after I woke up, I was going to send you the signal first, but when I rolled down the slope, I don’t know where the signal went…” Shen Lixue raised her head, her beautiful eyes sparkling: “The Third Young Master and I are really just ordinary friends!”
"Ordinary friends?" Dongfang Heng's icy voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "Ordinary boyfriends and girlfriends can actually touch each other intimately? Am I too rigid, or are you too open-minded? Don't you know the ancestral precept that men and women should not touch each other?"
“The Third Young Master is blind, he… I…” Shen Lixue was extremely anxious, wanting to tell him the truth and clear up the misunderstanding. But after thinking about it carefully, she realized that Dongfang Heng always believed Lu Jiangfeng was taking advantage of her. If she told the truth, things would only get worse, and the conflict between them would become deeper and more intense: “It really was a misunderstanding just now, please let me explain…”
"I saw it with my own eyes, what explanation do you have?" Dongfang Heng's voice suddenly calmed down, a calmness that was chilling.
“Heng!” Shen Lixue looked up at him, her eyes as black as night.
Dongfang Heng looked into Shen Lixue's cold eyes, her dark pupils reflecting a few drops of mist, hazy and pitiful. A certain string in his heart was suddenly touched, his gaze sharpened, and he turned around, striding forward without a trace of hesitation: "You don't want me to kill him, so I will do as you wish!"
The smooth white silk sleeve slipped from her hand. Shen Lixue was startled and hurriedly tried to grasp it, but only managed to grab air. Feeling dejected, she watched as the white sleeve fluttered away quickly. She looked at her empty hand, and there seemed to be a faint scent of pine resin still lingering in her palm.
"Heng, let me explain..." Shen Lixue turned around and quickly chased after Dongfang Heng. She accidentally stepped on the hem of his clothes, and her slender body fell straight to the ground.
"Princess Consort, be careful!" Zi Mo reacted quickly and reached out to support Shen Lixue.
Dongfang Heng, who was striding forward, suddenly stopped, but did not turn around. His jade-like hand quietly clenched into a fist, and the icy aura around him became even stronger, causing the surrounding air to drop rapidly.
"Heng, it's a misunderstanding!" Shen Lixue lowered her voice again, wanting to calmly explain what had just happened to Dongfang Heng.
Dongfang Heng's slender body suddenly trembled, and a cold glint flashed in his sharp eyes. A misunderstanding? She still said it was a misunderstanding! With a flick of his sleeve, he strode forward without looking back.
"Heng, Heng..." Shen Lixue called out anxiously as she hurried after him.
Dongfang Heng acted as if he hadn't heard anything and strode forward without turning his head.
"Princess Consort, the Prince is in a fit of anger. He won't listen to anything you say. Let's go back to the villa first, and then I'll explain slowly!" Zi Mo followed Shen Lixue quickly forward, then turned to look at Lu Jiangfeng under the pine tree, whose expression was calm and composed. Zi Mo frowned deeply.
The conflict between the Prince and his wife arose because of him, yet he remained silent and watched the spectacle like an outsider.
Just then, Lu Jiangfeng's figure flashed, and he instantly appeared next to Shen Lixue, walking alongside her: "Li'er, I'm sorry, I didn't explain for you!"
"Your explanation will only make things worse!" Shen Lixue sighed, her expression somber, but her hurried steps did not falter in the slightest.
Seeing the two of them together, Dongfang Heng's anger surged. If they tried to explain themselves together, he would think they were of one mind and united against a common enemy. Not only would the conflict escalate, but he would also be driven mad with rage, and things would spiral out of control.
Lu Jiangfeng remained silent. Dongfang Heng's anger was directed solely at Shen Lixue, thus simplifying the conflict between the three into a conflict between the two. They were husband and wife with a deep affection for each other, and even the deepest conflicts could be resolved.
Lu Jiangfeng was blind and couldn't see Shen Lixue's expression, but he could hear her hurried footsteps and rapid breathing. She cared a lot about the man and hurriedly explained to him, "Xiao Li, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."
"Stop talking about this. Your disappearance must be very worrying for the old lady and the madam. You should go back to the manor quickly!" What's done is done, there's no going back. There's no point in saying more. Shen Lixue agreed to the matter herself, so she can't blame Lu Jiangfeng.
"Take care!" Lu Jiangfeng's expression darkened, and with a light touch of his feet, his slender figure gracefully soared into the air and drifted away.
Shen Lixue kept walking and headed in another direction, chasing after Dongfang Heng. Dongfang Heng was very fast, and although she used her lightness skill to catch up quickly, she still couldn't catch up with him.
As she walked through the thorny ground and over the thickets of plants, after more than an hour, she emerged from the pine forest, her body covered in mist. Dongfang Heng was standing in the sunlight, gazing calmly in the direction of the pine forest, as if waiting for someone.
"Heng!" Shen Lixue was overjoyed. Ignoring her exhaustion, she hurried over. Was he waiting for her to come out?
Dongfang Heng glanced at her indifferently, his deep gaze calm and unwavering. With a push of his toes, he leaped onto his horse, his movements swift and graceful, his white robes fluttering in the wind, making him appear as handsome as an immortal. With a sharp tug on the reins, the horse galloped forward like an arrow released from a bow, the billowing smoke it kicked up causing Shen Lixue to cough repeatedly.
The Prince always doted on his Princess Consort. Wherever he went or whatever he did, he wanted her by his side, giving her the best of everything and not wanting her to suffer the slightest grievance. This time, however, he actually abandoned his Princess Consort and rode away on horseback. He was truly angry.
Zi Mo glanced at Shen Lixue with sympathy, then led a fast horse to her and said, "Your Highness, we came in a hurry and didn't prepare a carriage. Please ride back to your villa!"
“Alright!” Shen Lixue nodded, took the reins, mounted the fast horse, and looked up to see that Dongfang Heng had already run to the horizon. His white robes fluttered against the blue sky, white clouds, green grass, and earth, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting.
But she wasn't in his paintings!
Shen Lixue raised the reins and hurried after Dongfang Heng. However, she was not a good horseman and was already a bit late. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch up with Dongfang Heng even when the horse galloped to the villa.
Entering the villa, she hurried to the small courtyard where the two of them lived. Dongfang Heng had already finished bathing, washing away the dew and chill. He was sitting at the table, handling matters, dressed in a light robe and loose belt. However, his gaze was deep and his whole body was icy cold. The small table that was originally placed in front of the window in the inner room had been moved to the outer room.
He's angry, very angry, very angry!
Shen Lixue walked slowly towards Dongfang Heng, her voice barely audible: "Heng, it's not what you think, Lu Jiangfeng, he..."
"What's that smell?" Dongfang Heng suddenly frowned, his sharp gaze lingering on the letter, his voice as cold as ice.
The smell? What smell? Shen Lixue was suddenly startled. She sniffed carefully and smelled an almost imperceptible gunpowder scent mixed with a faint earthy smell and a hint of chill in the air. Her eyes flickered unnaturally: "It's...it's the smell on me!"
When the arrow exploded, Shen Lixue was unable to dodge and was injured in the arm. She was covered in the smell of gunpowder and rolled down the slope. She sat on the ground all night, covered in the smell of mud. The cold dew of the night also fell on her, and the strong smell naturally formed.
"I dislike strange smells!" Dongfang Heng said coldly, his gaze still fixed on the letter.
"I'll take a bath right away." Shen Lixue quickly loosened the belt around her waist, took off her outer garment, and hurried to the cabinet, taking out a set of clean clothes.
She was so busy explaining things to Dongfang Heng that she didn't notice that her outer garment was damp from the scent of the forest. Only when Dongfang Heng mentioned it did she realize that the intense chill had seeped into her body through her inner garment. Even though she had internal energy protecting her, she was still very cold and desperately needed to soak in hot water to get rid of the chill.
If she stands there for half a day in damp clothes, she will definitely catch a cold.
"Heng, don't leave the courtyard, I'll explain to you soon!" Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng's slender figure, and something suddenly flashed through her mind. She stopped abruptly. Could it be that Dongfang Heng was afraid she would catch a cold, so he deliberately said she smelled bad and told her to take a bath?
A layer of mist clouded his clear eyes. Was he concerned about her?