Путешествие безумки по династии Сун

Глава 75

"Qing'er, you carry Miss Ye on your back. Let's go back first and talk about it later."

Xuanyuan placed the repacked wooden box into Leng Jie's arms. Then, he picked up Leng Jie, who was sitting on the ground, and said to Qing'er.

Qing'er obediently picked up Ye Ling'er from the ground and followed Xuan Yuan out of the Lianxiang Tower through the back door. Because Qing'er's skill was limited, she couldn't use her lightness skill while carrying someone, and Xuan Yuan didn't use his lightness skill either, to accommodate her. The four of them hurried along the street.

Although it was late at night, the dramatic scene inside Lianxiang Tower seemed to have no effect on this bustling red-light district. Groups of young men and drunken slumbering men could be seen everywhere.

Suddenly, a richly dressed middle-aged drunkard rushed out and blocked Xuanyuan and his companions' path. Staggering, he said to Xuanyuan:

"Little brat. What right do you have to have three women? You, you have to give one to me." With that, he lunged at Qing'er, who was carrying Ye Ling'er on her back.

Xuanyuan frowned and lifted Leng Jie, whom he was holding, to his chest. Leng Jie naturally wrapped her arms around Xuanyuan's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, allowing him to exert force with his legs. Xuanyuan leaped in front of Qing'er and kicked the drunkard hard in the lower abdomen. The kick sent the drunkard flying three zhang away, landing flat on his back.

"Good kick!" Leng Jie clapped her hands and exclaimed, "This kind of man is not at home with his wife and children in the middle of the night, but runs out to hunt for food. He should be kicked to death to save food."

Xuanyuan's brows furrowed even more. He lowered his gaze to Leng Jie in his arms and asked with displeasure:

"Xiao Jie, you still haven't told me what's going on with Duanmu Xingchen?"

"Uh! Didn't we say we'd talk about it when we got back?" Leng Jie asked with her eyes.

“You seem to be in good spirits, so it doesn’t matter if we talk about it now,” Xuanyuan replied earnestly.

Leng Jie rolled her eyes at Xuan Yuan and replied helplessly:

"It's very simple. I happened to run into Brother Duanmu before I entered the palace, and I asked him to keep an eye on the movements of the Crown Prince of Xiping and his entourage. He was outside when the Crown Prince of Xiping appeared in Qing'er's room just now. Later, when the Crown Prince of Xiping went back to fetch troops, he naturally followed. So, he knew we would be in danger!"

What is said without malice may be taken to heart by the listener. Leng Jie's words were extremely simple. But to Xuan Yuan, they became incredibly complex.

"Brother Duanmu? You call him so affectionately!" Xuanyuan said sourly, "Did you really just bump into each other by chance? Judging from your chemistry, it seems like you've been together for the past few years, haven't you?"

Leng Jie looked at Xuan Yuanjun's handsome face, his brows furrowed in jealousy, and found it utterly ridiculous. She couldn't help herself.

"Pfft!" she chuckled. "Hehe, Qing'er, don't you guys feel like someone's been swallowed by jealousy?"

Qing'er craned her neck and said seriously, "Miss, we just escaped a life-or-death ordeal! How can you still be in the mood for jokes?"

"Hehe! Life is short, and death is predestined. When there is joy, of course we should enjoy it to the fullest. Otherwise, what is the meaning of living?"

Leng Jie lay comfortably in Xuan Yuan's arms, happily discussing life's philosophies. Just as Qing'er had said, they were all chatting and laughing, showing no signs of having just crawled out of a pile of corpses! Of course, this was without considering the wounds and bloodstains on their bodies.

What else could Xuanyuan say? He was more than content to hold Xiaojie in his arms and cherish her. As for Duanmu Xingchen, the inexplicable pang of sorrow in his heart subsided and disappeared.

When the group returned to Qingfeng Residence, they startled Eunuch Fu and Ziying, who were already waiting there. However, seeing that the Emperor was able to bring people back, they were relieved. Before they could ask any questions, Xuanyuan had already sternly ordered:

"Eunuch Fu, please prepare a few buckets of hot water. Ying, please carry Miss Ye on Qing'er's back to the guest room."

After saying that, he carried Leng Jie, who was covered in blood, straight to her room.

Zi Ying tried to catch Ye Ling'er from Qing'er's back, but Ling'er clung to Qing'er and wouldn't get down. Qing'er could only shake her head apologetically at Zi Ying and say:

"I'm sorry! My sister doesn't allow strangers to touch her."

"It's alright, as long as you can carry it. Come with me." After saying that, Ying led the way to Qing'er and the others to the guest room of Qingfeng Residence, which was next to Leng Jie's room.

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Xuanyuan carried Leng Jie into her room. He intended to put her on the bed, but Leng Jie stopped him. Finally, he placed her on a chair as she requested. As soon as she sat down, Leng Jie immediately began to remove her blood-stained outer clothes. While doing so, she said to Xuanyuan:

"You're covered in blood, take it off quickly. It's an eyesore to look at."

She took off her clothes right in front of him without any hesitation. And she even asked him to take them off too. Had he misheard? Xuan Yuan stared blankly at Leng Jie, his hand involuntarily touching his ear.

At this moment, Leng Jie had already taken off her outer garment, and wearing only a thin, pure white silk undergarment, she looked even more charming and alluring.

His gaze involuntarily fell upon Leng Jie's two high, trembling breasts, and his heart pounded wildly. Xuan Yuan felt his face flush and his ears burn, and he involuntarily swallowed hard before quickly shifting his gaze to the bright red wound on her right side. Only then did he manage to temporarily suppress his infatuated state.

After Leng Jie took off her clothes, she saw Xuan Yuan still standing there, staring at her with a flushed face. She couldn't help but smile and ask directly:

"Why are you blushing? Is Chen shy? I really don't understand, why are you blushing when I'm taking off my clothes? Besides, I'm not wearing anything underneath."

Leng Jie herself was unaware that her smile was utterly captivating and alluring, its power to charm and seduce.

"Pfft!" Blood gushed from Xuanyuan's nose. He immediately turned around awkwardly, tilting his head back and trying hard to control his emotions, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

He gets nosebleeds sometimes? Thinking back to that time at the foot of the cliff when he almost made her nosebleed too, Leng Jie suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction, like she'd gotten away with something. She suppressed a laugh, took a handkerchief from the shelf beside her, handed it to him, and said in a very serious tone:

"Heavens! Xuanyuan, your internal heat is too strong! You got a nosebleed just from seeing someone take off an outer garment! It seems I need to prescribe some herbal medicine to clear your heat and calm your mind."

"No need. Just wipe it off."

Xuanyuan awkwardly took the handkerchief and wiped away the blood from his nose. He replied angrily. The blood stopped flowing, but his face was flushed crimson. The thought of doing something so shameful in front of Xiaojie made Xuanyuan so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.

Seeing that he didn't dare to turn around and face her, Leng Jie said understandingly:

"Actually, you don't need to feel embarrassed. I understand you."

"You understand me?" Xuanyuan asked, puzzled. Did she understand his love for her? Or did she understand his uncontrollable emotions when he was with her?

“Yes! I understand that as a normal man, it’s normal to have physiological needs. And when your needs aren’t met, you’ll naturally feel sexually aroused. But don’t worry, the nosebleed is nothing to worry about,” Leng Jie explained earnestly, as if giving a child a sex education lesson. Of course, she didn’t mention that normal women also have physiological needs, for fear of scaring him.

As it turned out, that alone had terrified him.

"A normal man has physiological needs?" Is this something a young woman like her would say? Xuan Yuan's expression suddenly changed; he stared blankly at Leng Jie for a minute before exclaiming in shock:

"Xiao Jie! Do you know what you're saying?"

Leng Jie replied, "I am a doctor, so I know exactly what I'm saying."

"Because you're a doctor, have you said this to others as well?" Xuanyuan suddenly asked in a dangerous tone.

"Not yet, because you are the first case I've seen of someone getting a nosebleed due to unfulfilled desires," Leng Jie replied seriously.

Xuanyuan's face instantly changed from red to purple, then from purple to green. And in a firm, unquestionable tone, he gave the order:

"Xiaojie, listen carefully, you're not allowed to say these things to anyone else!" Of course, he wouldn't allow any other man besides himself to have a nosebleed in front of her. Although it was indeed embarrassing, he was willing to lose face alone.

"Knock, knock, knock," came the sound of Eunuch Fu reporting from the doorway.

"Your Majesty has brought hot water. This old servant is coming in!"

Xuanyuan glanced at Leng Jie, who was only wearing her undergarments, and shouted back towards the door, "Place the water at the door, then go to Qingfeng Room and prepare hot water for me." As he answered, he leaped to the door, opened it, and personally carried in the two large buckets of water that were placed there. He poured them into the large bathtub behind the screen. After adjusting the water temperature, he placed a wooden stool inside the tub before carrying Leng Jie to the stool inside the tub.

"Why did you put a stool in the bathtub?" Leng Jie asked, puzzled.

“Your wound is on your waist. If you sit on the stool and are careful when you wash, the wound won’t get wet. That way it will heal faster. Have you forgotten that I was injured last time? I washed like this every day back then.” As Xuanyuan answered, he went to the wardrobe and took out Leng Jie’s clothes and a first-aid kit.

"I'll put your clothes on the shelf outside the tub so you can reach them after you're done washing." Then he opened the medicine box, took out the medicine, and said to Leng Jie, "Let me apply the medicine for you first."

Leng Jie immediately refused:

"No need, I've already applied the medicine. I'll take care of myself after I wash off the smell of blood. If you're not going to stay and help me bathe, you can leave now."

“Then I’ll wash it for you,” Xuanyuan blurted out.

Leng Jie immediately opened her eyes wide and looked at him in surprise, asking:

"Aren't you afraid of getting another nosebleed?"

Xuanyuan then realized what he had just said and blushed deeply with embarrassment. He quickly corrected himself, saying:

"How about I go find Qing'er to help you?"

Leng Jie was taken aback and quickly called out to him:

"No need. It's already quite an achievement that they didn't faint from today's scene and managed to pull through. Let them wash off the filth themselves first. Get some rest! This injury is nothing to me; I can handle it myself."

Xuanyuan felt an indescribable joy upon hearing Leng Jie's words. He himself didn't realize that he no longer wanted anyone other than himself to have close contact with his Xiao Jie.

"Then be careful. Call me when you're done washing so I can carry you out," Xuanyuan said, putting the medicine back into the medicine box.

Leng Jie looked at him and deliberately pinched her nose, urging him, "You should go wash up too, the smell of blood on you is really unbearable."

Xuanyuan Chong smiled coldly and said, "Fine, I'll leave! You don't have to be so eager to kick me out, do you?" He then walked out with a smile.

After hearing the door close, Leng Jie reached into the medicine box and took out scissors. She cut open the fabric stuck to the wound with blood, then took out some medicine and carefully cleaned away the dried blood clots. The wound hadn't damaged any bones, flesh, or internal organs. Such an injury was nothing to Leng Jie. She treated it quickly.

However, she didn't refuse Xuanyuan and Qing'er's help not because the wound was easy to treat. The wound was on her waist. No matter how skilled she was, it would be easier to bandage it with help. Especially when bathing, it would be so much better to have someone help her scrub her back. But the person helping her absolutely couldn't be Xuanyuan or Qing'er. It was because three years ago, when Qingfeng treated her sword wound, he had told her that there was a soaring golden phoenix on her back.

Back in the Eastern Palace, Qing'er had always bathed her, so she absolutely couldn't let Qing'er bathe her now. As for Xuanyuan, he might not know if the foolish empress had a phoenix on her back. However, it wouldn't be a good thing for this dragon to see a phoenix on her, and she wasn't unaware of Xuanyuan's feelings for her. It was just that she felt completely immune to men. Therefore, she wanted to protect this hard-won peace she had now.

It took Leng Jie almost an hour to get ready. After getting dressed, she released the acupressure points on her waist herself. Because the wound was bandaged tightly, aside from a little pain, she didn't feel anything serious. She got up and went to the window to let in some fresh air. Two white doves circling in the sky flew towards her at the same time. She immediately reached out and caught one in each hand. Then she took them to the table in the room, took out the letters from their legs, and gave them some broken rice that she had prepared especially for them. While they ate, Leng Jie read the letters.

The first line I read was a progress report from Duanmu Xingchen. The letter stated that, as Leng Jie had requested, enough provisions for a 100,000-strong army to last a month had been prepared and stockpiled in various forms at the Xiping border. The letter also mentioned that she and Yang Tian were on their way to the capital.

Leng Jie kept the preparation of provisions a secret from Xuanyuan, purely as a precaution. Jinghe's army had its own dedicated supply system, but since it was currently unknown how much influence the crown prince had among the common people, Leng Jie felt it was safer to be prepared.

When Leng Jie opened the second letter, she was visibly taken aback for a moment. The letter was from her master, and it contained only one sentence:

"Go to the Beifeng Palace immediately to save my senior brother!"

Is Qingfeng in trouble? But his master hasn't given him a single hint about what happened.

Leng Jie stared at that sentence, lost in thought for a long time. The situation in Jinghe was becoming increasingly complicated. Judging from tonight's events, it was clear that the former crown prince wanted to exploit the accidental meeting between the Xiping crown prince and Xuanyuan at the brothel to make a big fuss. Fortunately, Duanmu rescued the Xiping crown prince; otherwise, Xuanyuan, that debauched and incompetent ruler who started a war for a woman, would have been doomed. The fox, who had been waiting for three years without showing any signs of life, finally revealed a hint of its tail. She had finally gained a little insight, but then Duanmu went to Xiping. She was now truly both worried and unwilling to leave.

But her master's order for her to go to Beifeng to rescue her senior brother meant that Qingfeng must be in serious trouble. Saving lives is urgent, and there's no time to lose. In the end, Leng Jie decided to go to Beifeng first.

She wrote a reply to Duanmu Xingyue, informing them that she would be leaving again for some time. She asked Yang Tian to handle all matters concerning the Dark Division, and instructed them to directly relay any new information obtained by the Dark Division to Longmen. She also instructed the Dark Division to do everything in their power to assist the Emperor should the court make any unusual moves.

Leng Jie had just released the pigeons when Xuan Yuan called from outside the door.

"Xiaojie, are you ready? I'm coming in!"

Leng Jie immediately put away Xingyue's sealed letter and deliberately placed her master's letter on the table. Only then did she reply:

"Alright! Come in!"

Xuanyuan pushed open the door and entered, seeing Leng Jie sitting at the table. He was taken aback at first, then asked with concern:

"Is your wound alright from walking around like this?"

Leng Jie replied calmly, "It's nothing! It only took about ten stitches. It will heal in three to five days." After saying that, she handed the note in her hand to Xuan Yuan.

"What is this?" Xuanyuan asked as he took it.

"This is an urgent message that my master sent to me via pigeon," Leng Jie replied.

Xuanyuan opened it and glanced at it, his expression suddenly changing. He asked urgently:

"What happened to Qingfeng?"

“My master didn’t say, and I don’t know either. But if he says he’s in trouble, then he must be in trouble. So, I’ve decided to set off for Beifeng tomorrow.”

Without a second thought, Xuanyuan flatly refused:

"No! You're injured, how can you travel far? Besides, what use would you be if you went alone?" After a pause, Xuanyuan continued:

"Qingfeng is the eldest prince of Beifeng, so the trouble he's in must be significant. What can a young woman like you do when you go to a place where you know no one? Let Ying go to Beifeng first and find out what kind of trouble Qingfeng is in. Then we can discuss this further. Qingfeng is not only your senior brother, but also my brother. I won't stand idly by if he's in trouble."