Chapter 122
Chapter 122
Contrary to what Shengsheng Zhou had imagined, Dazhang City contained neither rivers of blood nor a million corpses.
Instead, the common people here possessed a simplicity and charm entirely unlike those in the capital.
The city was thriving, and contentment filled every face, as though the news of the barbarians declaring war had been false.
Fusheng Duan frowned faintly, as though he had encountered a difficult problem.
“Big sister, would you like to buy a flower? You can give it to the big brother beside you.” A little girl approached with a basket full of blossoms over her arm.
No matter how inconspicuously the pair dressed, Fusheng’s face had drawn countless gazes ever since they entered the city.
Looking at the sweetly smiling girl, Shengsheng took a flower from her and paid.
Fusheng had looked utterly uninterested, but her movement brought a hint of intrigue into his eyes.
Was she truly buying him a flower?
Shengsheng turned and looked up at him while tucking the flower into her own hair. “…Young Master, look. Is it pretty?”
The hand Fusheng had extended from his sleeve silently withdrew. His tone was inscrutable. “Average.”
Shengsheng pouted.
*In scenes like this, don’t they usually ask the man whether he’d like to buy a flower for the pretty lady beside him? How did it get reversed when it came to me?*
A-Pang flew above her head, wanting to touch the delicate pink petals. Afraid of damaging them, he ultimately kept his paws to himself. *So you bought one for yourself?*
*Of course. What would a grown man like Fusheng need a flower for? Besides, I paid for it.*
“Let’s find an inn first,” Fusheng suddenly said.
Shengsheng obediently answered, “All right.”
She had already changed out of her blood-soaked dress. The driver and horses were dead, so the two of them had returned, packed up briefly, and abandoned the carriage.
Fortunately, there was a town at the foot of the mountain. Fusheng bought a horse, and the two traveled day and night until they reached Dazhang City.
With directions from helpful townspeople, they arrived at the best inn in the entire city.
The waiter was ordinary-looking and short. He greeted them with great enthusiasm and eagerly asked what they needed. Shengsheng told him to help fill the bathing tub with hot water.
She guessed Fusheng must be teetering on the brink by now. He had not bathed for days, nearly reaching his limit.
The fact that he had shown no reaction when she asked for two rooms earlier suggested he really was on the verge of exploding.
But what Shengsheng had not expected was–
The first thing he did was not bathe, but follow her into her room.
Shengsheng turned helplessly. “Young Master, your room is next door.”
Fusheng ignored her, stepped into the room first, and closed the door.
The surrounding clamor was instantly shut away.
“Take off your pants.” He pulled her toward the bed.
Shengsheng: “!” Holy shit?
*What the hell? Our relationship hasn’t progressed this far yet, has it???*
Seeing her eyes widen involuntarily, Fusheng bent a finger and tapped her head. His tone was helpless. “Don’t your legs hurt?”
Realization dawned on Shengsheng. But how had he noticed? She had clearly hidden it so well.
Riding double on horseback meant enduring bumps and jolts all the way. Unaccustomed to it, the insides of her thighs had been rubbed raw and burned with pain.
The location of her injury was too embarrassing to mention. Shengsheng had planned to quietly apply some medicine herself once they arrived. She had not expected him to notice anything unusual.
Suppressing the strange emotion in her chest, Shengsheng turned her head aside and said in embarrassment, “I can do it myself. There’s no need to trou–”
Before she could finish, Fusheng pulled open her sash. He moved so quickly that Shengsheng had already been half undressed before she could react.
Shengsheng: “…” You really are one sneaky bastard.
The process of applying medicine was extremely embarrassing. Since Ms. Shengsheng Zhou refused to let me show this part, we can only listen to their conversation.
“Your Highness… who exactly are you?”
*An ordinary imperial concubine can’t simply leave the palace whenever he pleases.*
Nor would one possess such formidable martial arts.
There were far too many suspicious things about Fusheng Duan–so many that Shengsheng was no longer even curious.
Yet at this inappropriate moment, she asked anyway, despite knowing he might not answer.
To put it plainly, the last few lines were all nonsense. She only wanted to distract herself.
“Who do you think I am?” He tossed the question back to her.
“Mm… It hurts. Be gentler… I don’t think you’re an ordinary person.”
In all fairness, Fusheng truly was not suited to serving others. Although he was trying his best to move gently, Shengsheng still found his touch too forceful, and the injured skin burned painfully.
Hearing her cry of pain, Fusheng lightened his touch further. “I’ll tell you when the opportunity comes, but not now. The less you know, the safer you are. Understand?”
Shengsheng moved her head and nodded.
*Then I know far too much.*
His fingers caressed the creamy softness beneath them, and his lips curved faintly. He thought that was different.
—I Watched the Whole Thing for You. Recite “Divider” Before Bed Tonight and You Can Watch It Too—
When Shengsheng woke the next day, she searched everywhere but could not find the flower she had bought yesterday.
Fusheng had vanished somewhere. When she went to his room to look for him, the only thing on the table was a note in his handwriting: “Do not go out. Stay in the room and wait for me.”
*A-Yue, did you see my flower?*
A-Pang yawned, then rolled his eyes in disdain at her for getting his name wrong. *When you were kissing Fusheng last night, he casually plucked it off.*
Shengsheng nodded. “Oh… Hm? Wait. Didn’t you say you never peek?! How do you know?!” With a cold laugh, she caught the little panda that was trying to fly away unnoticed.
A-Pang guiltily looked aside and wriggled in her palm. “I saw it by accident.”
He had already braced himself for a drawn-out battle with Shengsheng. Unexpectedly, she released him and walked toward the door.
A-Pang followed in confusion. *Where are you going? The villain told you not to leave.*
Shengsheng shook her head, her eyes somewhat vacant. “I… need to go somewhere important.”
A-Pang sensed that something was wrong. She had only just arrived and knew no one here. What important place could she possibly have?!
*Shengsheng? What’s wrong with you? You can’t go out! I don’t think you’re acting right!*
A-Pang flew in front of her and tried to block her path. Unfortunately, his body was simply too small. Shengsheng swatted him aside like a fly and said impatiently, “I don’t care what you think. I care what I think.”
A-Pang, who had been smacked away: “…”
A certain still-living Mr. Huang had suddenly started attacking me…
A-Pang had no choice. He could not simply abandon her, so he followed.
Shengsheng went straight downstairs, left the inn, and merged into the crowd. Whenever she accidentally bumped into someone, she politely and apologetically said she was sorry, and the other person magnanimously told her it was fine.
The harmonious, perfectly ordinary scene sent goose bumps all over A-Pang.
Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.
He had not felt it earlier, but Shengsheng’s seemingly normal yet profoundly abnormal behavior made A-Pang realize that something was wrong with the common people as well.
They were too content. Even the beggar on the street wore a blissful smile.
Yet his leg was clearly missing, and blood was still streaming from the wound…