Wenge suddenly opened his eyes and instinctively raised his wrist. The bell rang with a crisp sound. He followed the chain upward—and saw Feng Lezhen fast asleep on the bed.
Only after confirming she hadn’t escaped did he begin to observe his surroundings.
They were now in a small bedroom. Aside from the bed, the room only had a modest wardrobe. Feng Lezhen lay on the bed, while he sat on the floor beside it. Judging by the blanket covering him, he had likely slept there last night.
So… where was this?
“This is the guest room at that little girl’s house from last night,” Feng Lezhen answered lazily, not sure when she had woken. “You fainted yesterday, and she and her father brought us in.”
Wenge turned his head to look at her, brows furrowed.
“What’s wrong? One night and you’ve gone mute?” Feng Lezhen raised an eyebrow.
Only then did Wenge finally respond: “Why didn’t you take the opportunity to kill me?”
On the road, she hadn’t had any tools, but now that they were in a village, she could’ve easily used the chance while he was unconscious to grab a knife and chop off the wrist bound by the bell chain. But instead, she had…
Not only hadn’t she harmed him—it looked like she had even helped rebandage his wounds.
Feng Lezhen chuckled and suddenly tilted up his chin. “Such a handsome young man—how could I bear to?”
Wenge paused, then frowned and leaned back to avoid her playful hand.
Feng Lezhen lifted her brow. “So fierce?”
Wenge knew he wouldn’t get any real answers, so he didn’t bother replying.
Feng Lezhen smiled, just about to speak again, when a knock suddenly came at the door.
“Sister, are you awake?”
It was the little girl from the night before. Feng Lezhen shot a warning glance at the man whose expression now brimmed with murderous intent, and then responded sweetly, “Yes, we’re awake. Is something the matter?”
“My dad made breakfast. If you’re up, come eat something.” the girl said.
Feng Lezhen agreed, and after the girl left, she looked back at Wenge. “I don’t know where you come from or what kind of training you’ve had, but the people taking us in are innocent civilians. Since they’re innocent, you mustn’t harm them.”
“Seems Your Highness has forgotten—I’m not one of your subordinates,” Wenge said coldly, eyes sharp and unyielding.
Feng Lezhen’s lips curved. “Wenge, your mission is to kill me. But not only have you failed to do so, you’ve gone to great lengths to take me with you—all so you can rescue your comrades without error. Clearly, they matter more to you than your mission. You’re free to ignore me—but I can make sure they suffer horribly…”
Before she could finish, his hand had already clamped around her throat.
Feng Lezhen’s breath caught. She met his gaze without flinching. Though her voice was strained, her words were crystal clear: “You know well enough what tortures are used in the palace. Normal people go mad or die after only one or two. But your comrades won’t, because I have the best doctors. Even if they’re turned into human swine, they’ll survive to keep suffering.”
Wenge’s grip gradually tightened. Feng Lezhen’s face flushed red, but her eyes remained locked on his.
At last, he let go.
Feng Lezhen collapsed onto the bed, coughing violently. Wenge stood over her expressionless, saying nothing.
After a long while, Feng Lezhen slowly calmed down and reached for her neck where he had scratched her earlier. “That’s twice now.”
“This is the second time you’ve laid hands on me. If there’s a third, maybe your comrades won’t die, but you definitely won’t live,” she said as she got out of bed. The bells between them jingled clearly. “The bargaining chip in your hand is my life. Mine is your comrades. If you push me too far, I can disregard what’s in your hand—but can you say the same about what’s in mine?”
She gave Wenge a glance and smiled faintly. “Come on, let’s eat. I haven’t eaten in two or three days.”
With that, she didn’t wait for his response and simply walked out, the fine chain in her hand swaying like a leash, tugging along a man too stubborn for his own good.
The little girl and her father had been waiting for a while. Seeing them arrive, the father quickly told the girl to serve the porridge. Feng Lezhen accepted it with a smile. When the girl brought a second bowl to Wenge, he didn’t move.
The atmosphere grew a bit awkward. Feng Lezhen’s smile didn’t falter. “Still not taking it?”
Wenge remained expressionless, but in the end, he took the porridge.
The bell chimed lightly. The little girl finally couldn’t help asking, “Is that bell really impossible to take off?”
“Don’t speak nonsense!” her father scolded her, then quickly turned to Feng Lezhen with an apologetic smile. “Kids talk without thinking. Please, don’t take offense.”
“No harm done,” Feng Lezhen smiled.
Seeing she was easygoing, the father hesitated a moment before continuing, “I heard you were trying to enter the city last night, but the gates were closed, so you stayed here. Now that it’s morning, the city gates should be open again. So, you…”
Feng Lezhen could tell this was a kind and honest family. Though they’d found them suspicious last night, they hadn’t had the heart to let them freeze to death and had taken them in. But that didn’t mean they had no worries. Deep down, they were eager for them to leave soon.
Feng Lezhen didn’t want to make things hard for a humble family either, so she nodded. “We’ll head out after breakfast. Thank you again for last night. When we have the chance, we’ll repay your kindness properly.”
“No need, no need,” the father waved his hands quickly. “It was just a small thing, no need to talk about thanks. Please, eat up. There are some buns in the pot—I’ll go bring them for you.”
As he spoke, he ran out. Feng Lezhen lowered her head and took a sip of porridge, instantly feeling warmth spread through her limbs and bones. Looking over at Wenge, she saw him still sitting upright — though the bowl by his hand… was already empty.
Sensing her gaze, Wenge said coolly, “What are you looking at?”
“You,” Feng Lezhen smiled faintly. “Was the porridge good?”
Wenge paused for a moment, then turned to the young girl. “Is there any more?”
“Th-there is!” the girl quickly lifted the pot lid and served him another full bowl.
When eating the second bowl, Wenge’s pace slowed noticeably. The young girl watched him with curiosity for a while, then suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Feng Lezhen, “Sister, this morning I borrowed a sharper axe from the neighbor auntie — do you want to try again?”
Wenge paused, sharply turning his gaze to Feng Lezhen.
Feng Lezhen didn’t hide anything: “After you passed out last night, I… borrowed an axe and a knife from their house to try and break these damn chains — but I didn’t succeed.”
Wenge narrowed his eyes. “So you were trying to escape.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? You passed out — of course I’d try to escape,” Feng Lezhen retorted.
Wenge hesitated, unsure how to respond.
As the two spoke, the young girl’s father entered with a tray of buns. He was just about to speak cheerfully when Wenge’s eyes turned cold — and suddenly, he snapped his chopsticks and held the sharp ends against the young girl, taking her hostage.
The move was completely unexpected. The other three froze. In the next instant, there was loud banging at the door.
The broken ends of the chopsticks were sharp, pressed right against the girl’s neck. Wenge coldly spat, “If you don’t want her dead, don’t say a word.”
Just as he finished, the door was violently kicked open. He immediately dragged the girl into the inner room, and Feng Lezhen, pulled by the chain, had no choice but to follow.
When Ah Ye stormed in, the young girl’s father was still dazed. Seeing seven or eight people rush inside, he stood frozen. “W-who are you people?”
“Why didn’t you open the door?” Ah Ye asked coldly.
The man swallowed hard. “I-I thought bandits were breaking in… What do you want? My silver is all stored at the bank, there’s nothing valuable at home…”
Ah Ye didn’t bother with his nonsense. She waved her hand for the others to search the place, then looked at the food on the table—
“Four bowls, yet you say you’re here alone?” she questioned.
The man replied awkwardly, “Someone just stepped out…”
“Where to?” Ah Ye asked suspiciously.
The man’s lips trembled, about to speak, when the next-door neighbor walked in, nodding and grinning at Ah Ye. “Miss, I just came to grab a bite…”
As he spoke, he grabbed two buns off the table. The girl’s father caught on quickly and shoved him, saying, “You-you stop eating so much. I didn’t make many today.”
“Whatever, I’m eating anyway. You cheapskate — said you’d treat us to breakfast, but gave us nothing but porridge. Now that we’re gone, you bring out the buns. If I hadn’t come back for another bowl of porridge, I wouldn’t even know you were hiding good stuff,” the neighbor muttered, taking another bun.
The young girl’s father smiled awkwardly and turned to Ah Ye. “Well… it’s just me and my daughter living here. These are our neighbors. The couple had breakfast at our place today.”
Ah Ye still felt something was off, but relaxed her expression a bit. “Have you seen two people — one is a woman, very beautiful. The man’s about this tall.”
She gestured slightly with her hand.
The father shook his head stiffly. “…No.”
“Miss, if I may ask,” the neighbor interjected curiously, “just who are you looking for?”
Ah Ye didn’t respond right away. Instead, she signaled for her people to search the inner room. At first, the young girl’s father kept his composure — but when he heard the sound of shattered porcelain from inside, his knees buckled.
“What was that noise?” Ah Ye frowned.
A voice quickly came from the inner room, apologetic: “Sorry, I accidentally broke the teapot.”
Ah Ye was annoyed. “Be careful. Don’t—why does your face look so pale?”
She suddenly turned toward the girl’s father.
The man swallowed hard. “I… I’ve never seen a house search like this before.”
Ah Ye’s expression softened slightly. “Don’t worry. We’re only looking for someone. We won’t do anything to you.”
As she spoke, the people from the inner room returned, all shaking their heads with serious expressions.
Ah Ye took a deep breath and pulled out a piece of silver, placing it on the table. “For your broken teapot.”
“N-no need…”
“If you find any clues, go to the Evening Sky Inn in Yue City. Our people are always there. If you help us find them, the reward is ten thousand taels.” With that, Ah Ye left with her people.
As soon as they were gone, the neighbor ran to the door and shut it. When he turned around, he saw the young girl’s father slumped to the ground.
“W-what on earth just happened?” he stared blankly.
The neighbor sighed. “I don’t know either. Just now someone suddenly barged into my house, saying they were looking for someone. Then my wife remembered that when Yingzi borrowed the axe, she mentioned two people stayed the night. So I rushed over… Hey, who on earth did you let stay the night? These people don’t look easy to mess with. You better hand them over quick!”
“You think I don’t want to…” The girl’s father was on the verge of tears.
Then the neighbor realized something was wrong. “…Where’s Yingzi? I haven’t seen her this whole time.”
“She… she’s been tied up,” the man choked.
The neighbor sucked in a sharp breath.
Ah Ye’s group had come and gone quickly. Once all signs of them had vanished, the young girl’s father scrambled into the inner room in a panic.
The inner room was located behind the main hall. It was normally unoccupied and used only to store miscellaneous items. Now, after being searched, it was quite a mess.
The young girl’s father didn’t spot anyone at first glance and immediately shouted in panic, “Yingzi! Yingzi!”
“Ah, you fool—did you forget this room used to be a grain store? They’re probably hiding in the cellar…”
Before the neighbor could finish speaking, a wooden plank in the corner was suddenly pushed up. The little girl poked her head out cheerfully, “Papa!”
“Yingzi!” Upon seeing that she was unharmed, her father dropped to the ground in relief.
“Papa!” The girl crawled out happily, followed closely by Feng Lezhen and Wenge.
The moment the father saw the two of them, he pulled his daughter behind him protectively and looked at them with full suspicion. The neighbor, meanwhile, grabbed a broom and pointed it straight at them. “Who are you people? They took you in out of kindness, and you repay them like this?!”
“This is a misunderstanding — all of it is a misunderstanding,” Feng Lezhen said as gently as she could. “The people who came earlier… they’re gone?”
Wenge cast her a faint glance.
“They’re all gone. You two should go too,” the neighbor said with hostility.
Hearing that Ah Ye’s group had left, Feng Lezhen wasn’t too disappointed. After all, she was still chained together with Wenge — even if Ah Ye had found them, she wouldn’t have been able to escape.
What mattered most now was dealing with the people in front of them.
Feng Lezhen glanced at the group, seemingly in thought.
Meeting her gaze, the neighbor inexplicably shivered and was just about to urge her to leave, when the young girl peeked out from behind her father and said, “Papa, don’t be so mean to big sister — she’s a good person.”
“Don’t talk! Hide!” Her father immediately pulled her back behind him.
But the little girl persisted, poking her head out again. “She really is a good person! She tied me up earlier because she was afraid you’d tell on them — she didn’t want to hurt me.”
“How would you know?!” her father, still shaken, finally snapped when he heard her speaking up for the “bad guys.”
The little girl pouted. “Because she told me! Big sister’s so pretty, she wouldn’t lie to me! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken them to hide in the cellar!”
Feng Lezhen gave a soft cough to draw everyone’s attention. “It’s true, I didn’t lie to her. I only tied her up because I had no other choice.”
With that, she let out a quiet sigh.
Perhaps it was the natural grace she carried — not at all like some low-born fugitive — that even made the girl’s father begin to doubt himself. “Then… what exactly is going on? Why were they after you?”
“It’s a long story,” Feng Lezhen sighed again. “But to put it simply… he and I eloped.”
Wenge’s eyelid twitched.
“Eloped?!” the neighbor’s eyes widened, and he slowly lowered the broom. The girl’s father instantly clamped his hands over his daughter’s ears, afraid she would hear the word.
Feng Lezhen gave a slight nod. “I’m the daughter of a wealthy family in Yingguan City. My parents arranged a marriage for me long ago. But I… fell for my… bodyguard?”
Looking at Wenge, who didn’t quite have the look of a servant, Feng Lezhen had to compromise and assign him a slightly more suitable role.
“I developed feelings for my bodyguard. When my father found out, he thought I had shamed the family and wanted to drown both of us. This chain — it was put on us by my father. He said even in death, those guilty must not be free. We couldn’t accept dying like that, so we escaped into the night.” Feng Lezhen was used to tailoring stories to her audience. This kind of tale came easily to her.
“Outrageous!” the girl’s father immediately exclaimed in anger. “It may have been improper to get involved with someone else while engaged, but your father — wasn’t that too cruel?!”
“Please forgive him, big brother,” Feng Lezhen said slowly, casting Wenge a glance that looked full of affection to outsiders — but to Wenge, it clearly carried mockery. “Though he may be handsome, he’s not the brightest. He only acted out earlier to protect me. I’ve already scolded him, and he knows he was wrong.”
Then she added calmly, “Aren’t you going to apologize to Yingzi?”
Wenge hesitated and turned his head — only to meet her warning gaze. Though reluctant, he still muttered coldly, “Sorry.”
“Sorry, Yingzi,” Feng Lezhen followed up quickly.
“It’s okay, I’m not mad at sister,” the girl said cheerfully, and added, “I’m not mad at big brother either.”
With that, the matter was more or less settled. The group came out of the back room. The girl’s father had just opened his mouth to ask when they planned to leave when Wenge suddenly said, “Could we stay for two more days?”
Feng Lezhen paused and looked at him, thoughtful.
“Wh-why?” the girl’s father asked.
“They’ve just searched this place, so they won’t be back again for a while. I’m injured, and this would be a good place to rest for a couple of days,” Wenge explained, removing a jade piece from his belt and handing it over. “This is for food and lodging.”
“N-no, I can’t take this…” the man waved his hands quickly.
“It’s something he should give. Just take it,” Feng Lezhen said with a smile.
“She’s right, take it. That jade looks valuable,” the neighbor chimed in.
The girl’s father did sympathize with their situation, but after the chaos earlier, all he really wanted was for these mysterious guests to leave. Yet now, the way they spoke in sync muddled his thoughts even further. By the time he came back to his senses, he’d already accepted the jade without thinking.
“Forget it… the people who came earlier didn’t seem all that vicious either. Even if your presence gets exposed, I doubt they’d harm us. You can stay for two more days. If they come back, just hide in the cellar again,” he sighed, ultimately agreeing.
About half an hour later, they returned to the guest room where they had stayed the previous night. As soon as Feng Lezhen stepped inside, she heard Wenge ask:
“Why did you cover for me?”
Feng Lezhen gracefully walked over and sat down by the bed. Wenge, still chained, had no choice but to follow along. In the end, she was seated and he was standing—no one could quite tell who the real hostage was.
“If I hadn’t explained things, they definitely would’ve reported us to the authorities,” she said slowly and calmly. “You’re injured, and dragging me along—if they turned you in, you wouldn’t have escaped.”
Wenge stared straight into her eyes. “Then isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
“Isn’t it what you wanted?” Feng Lezhen shot back.
The two locked eyes for a long time. Then Feng Lezhen chuckled. “Seems neither of us wants to involve the officials in Yue City.”
“I don’t because the Prefect of Yue City is related to the emperor by marriage. If he learns I disobeyed imperial orders to rescue my comrades, he’ll definitely report it to the throne and I’ll be in serious trouble. And you? Why don’t you want to alert them?” Wenge asked.
Feng Lezhen replied, “For the same reason — the Prefect is connected to the emperor’s maternal family.”
Following Wenge was at least relatively safe. But if she were caught by the authorities, it would be another matter altogether. This was also why Ah Ye hadn’t revealed her identity to outsiders.
Wenge paused for a moment, then suddenly understood: “You’re afraid your identity will be exposed, and your life will be in danger.”
“I don’t think he dares,” Feng Lezhen said frankly, “but people’s hearts are unpredictable. Even my own younger brother sent someone to kill me — who else in this world can I trust?”
Wenge’s expression shifted ever so slightly.
Feng Lezhen stared at him for a moment, then suddenly gave his calf a kick.
“What are you doing?” Wenge frowned.
“Why are you acting so cold?” Feng Lezhen raised an eyebrow. “Did I do something to offend you?”
Wenge said nothing, just kept staring at her.
Seeing his aloof attitude, Feng Lezhen suddenly found herself missing the him from the previous life. Back then, he had been responsible for delivering her meals. He would always wait by the palace gate after dropping off the food, and sometimes when she looked up, she’d catch him secretly watching her.
Compared to this cold and distant version, the seventeen-year-old him had been far more interesting.
“Your people killed mine,” Wenge said suddenly, breaking the long silence in the room. “With a grudge that deep, shouldn’t I treat you coldly?”
Feng Lezhen paused — she finally remembered that on the day they tried to assassinate her, he had blurted out “Brother Li.”
She suddenly laughed. “Little Bell, be reasonable. You were the one who brought people to kill me first. Your people even injured mine. I only fought back in self-defense. If you hadn’t come to kill me, would I have gone out of my way to hunt someone down for no reason?”
“Who are you calling Little Bell?” Wenge frowned.
“You, of course. Aren’t you?” Feng Lezhen didn’t expect him to focus on that part. She glanced at the thing on his wrist.
Wenge frowned again. He suddenly recalled how, back in the Princess Manor, she had known an uncanny amount of detail about him—so much so that he almost suspected someone from his own circle had betrayed him. But afterward, judging by her subordinates’ behavior and how his own people reacted upon seeing him, it was clear that no one had betrayed him… If no one had, then how did she know so much about him?
Suspicious, Wenge asked directly.
“Obviously, I investigated you,” Feng Lezhen answered calmly.
“Impossible,” Wenge rejected the idea without thinking.
Feng Lezhen gave a half-smile. “Why impossible? Do you think you’re so well hidden that no matter how hard I try, I wouldn’t be able to dig up a single clue about you?”
Realizing she was trying to get information out of him, Wenge went silent.
But it was too late. Feng Lezhen studied him for a while and said with a smile, “Only someone with no parents, no relatives or neighbors, hidden since childhood and living a life far from normal could be this confident. Could it be… you’re one of them? Given your age and your obedience to Feng Ji… don’t tell me you’re one of the late emperor’s shadow guards?”
Wenge hadn’t expected a single “impossible” to spark such a string of deductions. His expression immediately turned tense.
Feng Lezhen could tell — though he was sharp and capable when it came to assassination and combat, he was still young. Most of the time, he wasn’t very scheming — maybe even a little stubborn.
To keep him from becoming overly guarded, she changed the topic at the right moment. “I already said — your side made the first move, so your man’s death wasn’t undeserved. If that’s all that’s bothering you, I really don’t think you need to cling to it. If you stay well-hidden, we’re probably going to be stuck together for another twenty or so days. I hope you don’t keep that long face the whole time. It’d make things a lot easier between us. What do you think?”
As the saying goes, one doesn’t strike a smiling face. Her tone was warm and her reasoning clear. Wenge really didn’t have a reason to refuse — yet he still felt that if he agreed, he might fall right into one of her traps.
Caught in the dilemma, he remained silent for a long time.
Feng Lezhen didn’t mind. She simply waited patiently for him to think it through.
Finally, after a while, he spoke slowly: “Fine.”
“Good.” Feng Lezhen nodded. “Then, for now, go help me to the toilet.”
Wenge: “…”
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