Days passed, and Shan Xiaoya’s wounds significantly improved. Though still bedridden, her complexion was no longer pale but more rosy. What made Shan Xiaoya happy was that she hadn’t seen the barbaric man who had done this to her these past days. Not seeing him was the greatest blessing for her.
Ever since Hu Yannan learned that Dan Xiaoye had awakened, he never went to see her again. However, listening to the maidservant’s daily report about her activities became a necessary task. Although she lay in bed all day, everything she did was beyond Hu Yannan’s expectations and made him curious about her. Every woman encountering such a situation would typically cry and complain, but she was different – positive and optimistic, with an extremely strong life force that made Hu Yannan doubt whether she was truly the one who was injured…
On this day, Dan Xiaoye lay on the bed, allowing the maidservant to change the medicine on her wounded back. When the bandage was removed, the pain from the wound made her unconsciously furrow her brow. When she saw a pair of unfamiliar shoes, her frown deepened…
Hu Yannan came out of his study and unconsciously approached his former bedroom, peering through the door to see the maidservant changing her medicine. Wanting to know the extent of her injuries, he walked in…
Shan Xiaoya walked towards the gate with a pleasant mood. Her body was now fully recovered, and she needed to find a way back. She couldn’t stay in this era. Her typically agile self had become vulnerable. As she was thinking, she arrived at the gate. The guard blocked her path with his weapon.
“Stop! No one is allowed to leave the mansion without the general’s order.”
Shan Xiaoya glanced at the guard and said expressionlessly, “Does the general’s wife also need permission to go out?”
The guard looked at Shan Xiaoya in confusion. She was clearly a stranger, and her unapproachable expression was not something an ordinary person could fake.
Shan Xiaoya noticed their thoughts and coldly nodded. The guards looked at each other, and no one spoke. They had not received any orders about whether the new wife needed the general’s permission to leave.
Shan Xiaoya was pleased to see their awkwardness and gave a cold smile. “Fine, since you don’t object, I’ll be going out.” She walked past the hesitant guards towards the street.
Walking into this ancient street again, her mood was vastly different from before. She walked deeper into the street, her coldness forming a sharp contrast with the bustling street. In the crowd, she stood out, clearly not belonging.
On the second floor of a teahouse, by the window, sat a man dressed extraordinarily; he was Prince Jing, the current emperor’s brother. He had a strange character, easily shifting between right and wrong, doing things solely on a whim. To him, women were like clothes – if he took a fancy to someone, he would even take the emperor’s concubines.
Glancing down inadvertently, he caught sight of the cold Shan Xiaoya, and his desire to possess her was stirred once again.
Shan Xiaoya was accustomed to others’ strange looks, so she paid no mind to them and continued on her way. Suddenly, she heard the neigh of a horse ahead, along with people shouting. A magnificent horse was charging directly towards her, the rider completely disregarding the danger to pedestrians. He was raising his whip to strike the horse’s hindquarters, continuously shouting, “Giddy up!” The pain-stricken horse ran wildly, causing many pedestrians to be knocked down and groan on the ground.
Shan Xiaoya had never seen such an arrogant, unprincipled person. Encountering Hu Yan Nan was already unfortunate enough, and now, right after leaving the general’s mansion, she encountered another such person.
She felt restless today. Looking around, she suddenly noticed an idle rope across the street. In a fast movement, she ran across, grabbed one end of the rope tied to a pillar, and quickly wrapped it around the horse-tying post on the opposite side. Then she waited for the approaching horse.
The nearly out-of-control horse, upon reaching the rope, suddenly knelt down due to the obstruction, with a bone-breaking sound. Due to momentum, the horse’s head fell to the ground, releasing a painful neigh. The rider was unexpectedly thrown from the horse, rolling several times before stopping.
All the pedestrians were stunned by the scene. A child was the first to react, clapping and cheering. His voice brought the crowd back to their senses, and they began to applaud. “Bravo!” “Serves him right!” “Karma!”
The man who fell from the horse awkwardly got up, dusting himself off. Walking to the horse and seeing it was injured and unable to rise, he slapped his thigh in regret. But when he saw the rope that caused the incident, his anger was clear. He glared at the crowd, causing the people to stop cheering, not daring to meet his eyes, quietly leaving. Everyone showed a timid expression. Even the injured people didn’t dare to seek justice.
The fleshy-faced man shouted wildly: “Who did this? Who?” When his gaze fell on Shan Xiaoya, he was stunned by her cold and proud eyes. His momentum immediately weakened. The flesh on his face trembled, and he looked away from Shan Xiaoya, turning to others. “Who did this? Step forward! I think they’re tired of living. Step forward!”
Prince Jing sat upstairs, watching everything clearly. He was surprised by her agile movements and captivated by her spirited demeanor. This only strengthened his determination to possess her. Among his women, he was lacking such a proud and unique beauty.
Shan Xiaoya, never one to cause trouble, seeing the man punished, gave him a cold glance and turned to walk away, leaving behind a wild man shouting in the street.
Chapter 026
Huoyan Nan was sitting on the second floor of the Hundred Flowers Tower when the commotion downstairs caught his attention. He happened to see Shan Xiaoya skillfully using a rope to stop a horse. He had originally thought she would take the initiative to admit her actions, but unexpectedly, she left the scene silently, walking deep into the street. Prince Jing turned to his guard and whispered a few words.
The guard looked in the direction the prince indicated, glanced at Shan Xiaoya, nodded, and quickly disappeared in the direction she had left…
Huoyan Nan snapped back to reality and squeezed her voluptuous body firmly. “Ping’er, I’ll find you later. I have some matters to attend to now,” he said, preparing to stand up. Ping’er clung to his arm reluctantly, “General, can’t you wait until Ping’er has served you?”
Huoyan Nan’s face darkened, unmoved. Just as he was about to speak, Ping’er quickly changed her approach, releasing his arm and smiling, “Go quickly! Don’t forget Ping’er is always waiting for you here.”
Huoyan Nan patted Ping’er’s face. “That’s more like it!” Then he leaped out of the half-open window, quickly chasing into the depths of the street…
Shan Xiaoya inquired along the way, left the bustling market, and arrived at the foot of Tian’en Temple in An City. Looking up, she saw layered mountains, misty clouds, ancient trees reaching to the sky, lush and verdant, with birdsong and fragrant flowers.
A winding stone path extended up the mountain. The distant temple bell seemed audible, creating a peaceful paradise that relaxed Shan Xiaoya’s heart, filled with reverence. She stepped onto the path and walked up the mountain.
Huoyan Nan followed Shan Xiaoya from a distance to the foot of Tian’en Temple, puzzled by her back. What was she doing here? If he hadn’t resolved the situation, how could she still be so carefree? The person’s martial arts had been extraordinary. An ordinary person couldn’t have avoided the hidden weapons three consecutive times. The paralytic drug on the weapon would make even a skilled martial artist sleep for a day.
