The wedding of the young Tang Clan head was bound to be an extraordinary affair, with a long and lively procession. Unexpectedly, Tang Li only brought along a few guards and a single red carriage to the Ten Thousand Commerce Hall. The “procession” behind him was even less to speak of beyond the term “unsightly.”
Even Long Feiye couldn’t ignore the obvious slight. “Your idea?” he asked Han Yunxi.
“Tang Li’s idea,” she replied. Han Yunxi would never be so wicked. The wedding day was worth the memories of a lifetime and very important! Although she’d given Tang Li and Lady Tang plenty of suggestions, it was still Tang Li calling most of the shots by the end.
“Why?” Long Feiye didn’t understand.
“You wouldn’t understand things like chasing girls,” Han Yunxi laughed.
Long Feiye seemed to feel awkward at that and avoided her gaze without bringing up the topic again. Chasing girls… His own world had never had such things, it was true.
A few days later, Tang Li’s group reached the edge of the canyon. Once again, the same guide as before led them down, while Long Feiye and Han Yunxi stopped following. One hour later, Long Feiye said, “Tang Li should have reached Ten Thousand Commerce Hall by now. Let’s move.”
It wasn’t a simple task to pick up a bride. Tang Li would get to drink a cup of tea and a bowl of sweet chicken eggs before going through the traditional custom of getting picked on by the bride’s family–in this case, the Cloud Realm Trade Consortium staff. Plenty of others would be on hand to witness the fun. Long Feiye had told Tang Li in advance to waste as much time as possible. If he could attract a bigger crowd, then even better. This way the rescue operation on the side could proceed more smoothly.
Han Yunxi took out a small china vase and undid the stopper to reveal a sweet and cloying scent like honey. Long Feiye instantly covered his nose, disliking such smells.
“My favorite dessert. Come, try a taste,” Han Yunxi joked.
Long Feiye actually took the vase for a drink, scaring her. She quickly snatched the bottle back. “I was joking. This is Rainbow Queen Bee poison, it’s fatal!”
“Your lordship was joking as well. You couldn’t tell? Why so nervous?” Long Feiye said seriously.
“I, I….was playing along with you, of course,” Han Yunxi replied.
Long Feiye simply grabbed her bottle again and tossed its contents into his mouth. Because he moved so quickly, Han Yunxi could neither stop him or see clearly what he’d done. Despite this, she was frightened. “Long Feiye, are you crazy?”
She quickly withdrew a big pouch of liquid from her detox system, meant to induce vomiting. “Hurry and drink this down so you can spit up the poison!”
There was no antidote to Rainbow Queen Bee poison beyond expelling the toxins before they took effect. She was almost losing her mind, but Long Feiye only asked with amusement, “Are you still playing along with your lordship’s joke?”
Han Yunxi froze before looking at the bottle in his hands. Somehow, somewhere, he’d already put the stopper back on the opening. He was fooling her all along!
She exhaled and said coldly, “Was it very funny?” The number of times she’d gotten mad at him could be counted on her fingers, but she was much fiercer this time. Long Feiye looked at her before his gaze turned awkward. He remained silent because he didn’t know what to say. He’d known this woman for so long, but this was the first time he’d been in such a situation. She’d lost her temper at him in the past, but this time the fault was all his…the joke had gone too far and scared her.
Han Yunxi glared at Long Feiye. She assumed that he’d apologize, but he was just looking at her expressionlessly. It seemed like they were in a face-off! In the end, she dropped the issue and recovered her poison. After adding another toxin to the bottle, the sweet scent of honey grew even more pronounced in the air. Soon enough, a huge poison wasp approached the bottle and flew around it in circles as if enjoying the scent. Han Yunxi capped the bottle, and the wasp went flying back down the canyon again.
“Follow that wasp, hurry!” she said coldly.
Long Feiye picked her up without a word to give chase. Her voice was still icy as she spoke. “Put me down, I can just wait for you outside! You go follow that wasp.”
Instead of replying, Long Feiye only held her tighter.
“Put me down. I can’t help you any inside, I’ll only be a burden!” she said reasonably.
“Impossible. I’ll worry if I leave you behind,” Long Feiye said lightly. With his stubbornness before her, she dropped her gaze and let him carry her into the valley. Once inside, they realized exactly how complicated it was. Aside from the dense forest, there were multiple paths that all led to different directions. Unless they had a guide, it’d be impossible to know where to go next.
Long Feiye held Han Yunxi tight as he weaved between the trees, ducking from any guards along the way as he chased after the wasp. It flew very quickly as it darted through the leaves, forcing one to keep a sharp eye on its trajectory. But Long Feiye was still dividing his attention between it and the woman in his arms. He knew that Han Yunxi’s gold ingot was used to guide the way, but was blank as to the specifics.
“How is this wasp guiding the way?” he asked as if nothing had happened between them.
Han Yunxi’s voice was still frigid. “This poison is part of the yin-yang class. One half is yin while the other is yang. Both halves attract each other. The one left in the gold is also Rainbow Queen Bee poison, but of the yin nature. That’s why it has no scent. The one in my bottle is of the yang nature and very pungent. A poison wasp that’s been exposed to yang-natured Rainbow Queen Bee poison will naturally seek out its yin counterpart.”
Han Yunxi paused to look at Long Feiye, but he had no reaction. Thus, she added, “As long as that gold’s been on the guide for at least an hour, its poison properties will stay in his body for a month. Once the poison wasp finds him, it’ll simply suck out the yin nature poison from his body. Then the victim will die from the bee venom within half a month. Ning Jing won’t suspect a thing from us then.”
“Oh,” Long Feiye remarked.
Han Yunxi didn’t ramble and neither did Long Feiye ask any more questions. The two of them were supposed to be preoccupied with chasing down the wasp, but the silent atmosphere between them was still odd. Meanwhile, the mountain path grew more and more complicated. It wasn’t guaranteed that the wasp would trace the same road as their human guide, but by the end of it they’d end up at Ten Thousand Commerce Hall. At this moment, the wasp darted into a thick patch of thorny undergrowth. Long Feiye held Han Yunxi tight and turned around to enter the brambles backwards, thus shielding her from the thistles. By the time they came out of the other side, his entire back was covered in scratches while Han Yunxi remained untouched.
He could’ve broken through the thorns easily, but that might have attracted the guards. This was the fastest, quietest way. Soon enough, Long Feiye caught a whiff of something sweet. The wasp abruptly backtracked to their side to fly around them in circles.
“What’s going on?” Long Feiye asked.
“Put me down,” Han Yunxi said coldly.
Long Feiye did as he was told after finding a flat piece of concealed ground.
“Sit down,” Han Yunxi said frostily.
Long Feiye sat, and then Han Yunxi demanded, “Take off your clothes!”
She was probably the only woman in the world who dared to boss him around, but also the only one who ever got the chance. This was her second time giving him those orders. It was a completely different feeling from the first time he heard those words. As before, he did as he was told.
Han Yunxi’s expression was stiff, but she lost her cool as soon as she saw his back covered in bloody scratches. “Does it hurt?” she asked anxiously.
“Are you not mad anymore?” he was about to turn when she snapped at him.
“Don’t move!”
He stopped moving, and she immediately took out some medicine to apply to his back. Minor injuries like this was nothing to him. Even if someone poured salt onto his wounds, he wouldn’t flinch. Still, he couldn’t help but straighten up when her nails brushed against his skin.
“Relax! Why are you holding yourself back? The injuries will split open!” Han Yunxi reminded him anxiously.
A little helpless, he could only force himself to relax and have her touch him where she willed. His exposed upper body was muscular and fit. His pecs were strong and he had a six pack, but his solid back muscles and shoulders were also filled with strength and sex appeal.
Han Yunxi was in a rush to treat him, but couldn’t help getting distracted all the same.
“Are you still angry?” Long Feiye asked again.
Han Yunxi didn’t answer, but Long Feiye stubbornly persisted. “You’re still angry, aren’t you?”
Han Yunxi really wanted to rub into his wounds to vent off some steam. You know I’m mad but you’re still asking me. Can’t you say something else?
Suddenly, Long Feiye’s voice softened. “Yunxi, stop being angry, alright?”
Han Yunxi’s hand stiffened on his back and stopped moving.
Yunxi…it sounds like the whisper of a lover. He rarely called her by such a name, but the two words sounded so familiar and intimate to her ears. It felt like they’d grown closer once again.
He didn’t understand how to apologize, so he kept on stubbornly, “Don’t be angry anymore, alright?”
She didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Slowly, she drew closer and rubbed his shoulders gently with her small hands. Then she kissed them with her lips, her teeth lingering against the skin as she laughed. “I’ll forgive you this once on behalf of your beautiful back.”
Long Feiye couldn’t help raising his head, but the motion was followed by a sharp intake of breath before he grit his teeth. He seemed to be suffering greatly.
“Did I hurt your wounds?” Han Yunxi panicked and withdrew to check his injuries. Now Long Feiye was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry!
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. Where does it hurt? Here? Or is it here?” Han YUnxi touched each of the scratches as she questioned him.
Long Feiye simply put his robes back on. “It’s fine. Let’s hurry, we’re short on time.”
“But your injuries will…”
“It’s nothing serious. They’ll be good with the medicine now. Let’s save our people first.” Long Feiye briskly cut her off. Han Yunxi could only re-cap her bottle of poison and have the wasp continue to lead the way while Long Feiye carried her. The two of them were still quiet, but the mood was much better than before.
A long time later, Long Feiye spoke up again. “Han Yunxi.”
“Hm?”
“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong. It was just…a moment of foolishness,” he grinned.
“What does that mean?” Han Yunxi was clueless.
Long Feiye simply smiled in silence. She’s so dense, she didn’t know she was sparking a fire just then. I’ll allow it if it’s that kind of foolishness.
“I’ll tell you another time,” he said with excellent spirits.
Were they flirting? If so, who was flirting with whom?
As they headed for Ten Thousand Commerce Hall, Tang Li had just attracted a huge crowd by taking liberties with one of Ning Jing’s servant girls…