Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play

Chapter 784 - 762: Unspeakable_2

"Does it have something to do with me? What did the General say?" Xie Jue thought to himself. He guessed wrong; the absence of flogging did not mean the absence of hurt.

The cold words and misunderstandings from the one he cared about most added another wound to his heart.

The reason Xie Jue tolerated Fang Chuning, no matter how much Fang Chuning provoked him, was that after his initial impulse to sever everything and say hurtful things back in the Capital City, he then restrained himself and refrained from verbal retaliation.

Because he knew how many cold and cutting words Fang Chuning had endured since childhood.

"You don’t need to know those unpleasant things." Fang Chuning spread his hands. "It’s meaningless."

"You’ve said this much, intentionally making me feel distressed, but then refuse to share the rest?" Xie Jue wanted to scold him but couldn’t bring himself to.

Fang Chuning raised his head, his deep and weary gaze carrying a trace of grievance as he asked, "If you feel distressed for me, why don’t you hug me?"

Xie Jue thought to himself, "In a hot spring, barely dressed, why don’t I hug you? Do you have no sense of propriety?" But Fang Chuning just gazed at him, those aggrieved, sorrowful eyes perfectly playing into Xie Jue’s weak spot. Xie Jue was usually unyielding, stubborn, charging ahead with no regard for others’ opinions.

Except when it came to Fang Chuning.

With him, Xie Jue softened rather than hardened. Fang Chuning’s acts of feigned grievance always worked on him.

The rippling water in the hot spring stirred as Xie Jue took a few steps forward and embraced him. Fang Chuning rested his chin on Xie Jue’s shoulder. "Actually, if you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t even have felt aggrieved."

"I know." Xie Jue patted his back, which bore a raised scar running across it—a scar from the year in Beiman Mountain when he shielded Xie Jue and sustained a through-and-through wound. That time, blood flowed incessantly, flesh and skin torn apart. Xie Jue had nearly thought Fang Chuning would bleed out and die. So, even though Xie Jue often thought about severing ties completely, every time he recalled what they had been through, doubt clouded his mind. They had survived life-and-death situations together multiple times. No one in the world understood him as profoundly or as closely as Fang Chuning.

It was almost an instinct. His emotions, so detached and pale, would always come alive in matters involving Fang Chuning. He transformed into a normal person who could feel joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.

"Ting Feng, please don’t abandon me, will you?" Fang Chuning softly asked. "If even you abandon me, what should I do?"

"I’m holding you to comfort you for the grievances you suffered with the General. Don’t push your luck." Xie Jue coldly reminded him. Pushing one’s luck was a trait Fang Chuning and Xie Xun shared most prominently.

Once you agreed to one condition, they would propose even more excessive terms.

One step at a time, they would erode your boundaries.

"Oh..." Fang Chuning actually seemed a little disappointed. Despite looking so pitiful, Ting Feng still remained so ruthless at heart. Xie Jue regretted not sending Ying Liu to eavesdrop on what the General and Fang Chuning had spoken about.

Truth be told, his curiosity wasn’t ordinarily this strong. But depending on the person, it varied. For the one in his arms, his possessiveness surged. Every word he said, everything he did, anyone who wronged him—Xie Jue wanted to know it all.

He was fully aware that the matter between Fang Chuning and the General, as father and son, was not something outsiders could meddle in. The knot had to be untied by the one who tied it. Yet he still felt an overwhelming urge to confront the General on Fang Chuning’s behalf.

He knew this was wrong.

Reason fought to maintain control, while emotions threatened to spiral out of hand.

At the foot of the hill, Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin carried their change of clothes, cheerfully heading toward the hot spring. As they walked, Zhang Boxin chatted with Lin Xiao about the perks of the hot spring.

But halfway up the hill, they were abruptly stopped. Ying Liu, like a shadow, abruptly appeared before them. Zhang Boxin was startled, instinctively hiding behind Lin Xiao.

Ying Liu was so fast, he was like a fleeting blur.

"Gentlemen, please stop."

Lin Xiao steadied a still-frightened Zhang Boxin, gave him a sharp look, then respectfully saluted Ying Liu. "We wanted to wash up at the hot spring. Why are you stopping us?"

Ying Liu said, "The Prince is there. Come back later."

"But the spring is huge! It wouldn’t be an issue even with the Prince there. We won’t disturb him." Zhang Boxin said, thinking to himself how rules remained so stringent even out in the wilderness.

"Exactly! We won’t interrupt him. Why don’t you go ask? Maybe the Prince will allow it."

Soldiers in the field always cleaned up like this.

Ying Liu stood firm before them, motionless like a wooden post, and said nothing about relaying their request. It was out of the question.

Not a chance!

"Alright then. However long the Prince needs, we’ll wait. But surely an hour would be enough. We’ll just wait here." Zhang Boxin said.

Ying Liu replied, "You’ll need to come back at the third period of night."

"What? The third period?" Zhang Boxin was utterly speechless. The sun had just set! Was the Prince planning to soak for that long? Zhang Boxin muttered, "A half-hour in the hot spring leaves one utterly exhausted. Why would the Prince stay for so long?"

Lin Xiao was equally puzzled. Initially, he and Zhang Boxin had planned to wait nearby because, well, a soak in the hot spring wasn’t supposed to take forever.

"Please leave!" Ying Liu’s face remained impassive, though internally he was frantic. If the Prince and Mr. Fang suddenly came downhill and ran into these two, what would happen? Were they completely oblivious? Why hadn’t they left yet?

"I’ll just wait here! You, Shadow Guard, are awfully arrogant. The hot spring is clearly large enough—I’ve seen it! It could easily fit a few more people. And you don’t even ask for permission before driving us away. That’s incredibly rude! The Prince wouldn’t behave this tyrannically. We’ll wait here for an explanation!" Zhang Boxin burst out, exasperated. Why should they yield?

Ying Liu: "..."