Not only did she not flee, but she rushed forwards to beat Shangguan LingRan. “You big lecher! Dandy, pervert! Rogue!”
At this time, Shangguan Lingkan was still confused and dazed. He was still immersed in the feeling of when Zi You grabbed onto him earlier. That wonderful sensation hammered him hard, like Zi You’s beating of her fists.
Actually, Zi You was so angry right now that she forgot to use her internal strength and spiritual power. Her punches caused no damage to Shangguan LingRan. They were pretty much tickling him.
And Shangguan Lingkan was beaten silly by her. He didn’t defend himself and only retreated. He didn’t see a small chair behind him and tripped over it. Thus, he fell down.
Zi You was focused on attacking, kicking, and punching, so she didn’t expect him to suddenly fall down. Shangguan Lingkan fell and she too fell due to inertia. And coincidentally, she fell on top of Shangguan LingRan. In an unguarded moment, the two people’s lips pressed together.
What! Zi You was also rendered silly. Her mind too went blank.
And the culprit below her body was rendered dazed by this unexpected good fortune. He didn’t know where he was.
He just felt that the small body on top of him was fragrant, soft, and supple. The taste of those petallike lips was indescribably pleasant. They were soft and sweet, something he had never tasted or experienced before.
Shangguan LingRan was sixteen and a half years old. Even in modern times, he was considered an adult, not to mention in ancient times. [TL Note: The age of consent in China is fourteen.]
Therefore, this rascal, while Zi You was spacing out, sneakily wrapped his arm around Zi You’s waist and stuck his tongue out to lick her lips.
When his tongue touched the little yatou’s lips, she finally reacted. She suddenly jumped up from his arms and started scolding him with a red face. “Vulgar pervert! Scoundrel! Dandy!……”
Shangguan Lingkan was actually a bit shy at this time. Although he disguised himself as a dandy, he was really a virgin.
That brothel he frequented and couldn’t bear to leave was the prime minister’s and Xuanyuan Sect’s base. It was equivalent to his intelligence station.
Most of the prostitutes there were trained spies. Their martial arts weren’t weak. Shangguan LingRan was their young master.
The real Shangguan Lingkan was demonic and ruthless. He didn’t trust people and rarely formed good impressions of people. He treated human lives as grass. His name in Jianghu was “Heartless Gongzi.”
His weapon was a curved blade that was as thin as cicada wings: Silver Moon Hook. When he killed people, he had one move: waist-cutting. He chopped a person in half at the waist.
He also had an exceptional skill: Fire Cloud Palm. One palm strike and you would feel as you were burned alive from the inside.
That day in the mountain, he was afraid that Zi You would be afraid of his cruel methods and of his identity being exposed, so he didn’t use that move.
He had never reacted to any female spies who tried to seduce him. So it was strange. He reacted to a little yatou like Zi You? Wasn’t this strange?
Since he had feelings for her, then he wouldn’t easily give her up. Although he couldn’t marry early, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t get engaged early. He too wanted to marry a sweet little wife and have seven or eight children.
Of course, he wouldn’t be like his father and marry so many concubines and make his wife sad. He wouldn’t want his wife to be like his mother and spend her days in tears.
Shangguan LingRan belonged to the active category. He would absolutely take the initiative once he found his target. Also, he had a double personality. He was ruthless to others, but extremely gentle when it came to people he liked. He would also take the initiative to confess.
He wouldn’t originally, but he spent all day with those other three dandies and inevitably learned picked up some tricks.
He quickly walked over seeing Zi You ferociously wiping her lips. He took out his bamboo-scented handkerchief and wiped Zi You’s rosy and plump, petal-like lips. “You’er, don’t rub so hard. I’ll be distressed if you start bleeding. Rest assured. My lips are very clean. Other than you, I haven’t touched anyone else.”
Zi You might have been deceived by Zhao HongXiang in her previous life and no longer believed in men. However, she didn’t know why, but a trace of indescribable warmth still rushed up in her heart when she looked into his crystal-clear and glistening phoenix eyes that reflected her image like a clear spring.
Thus, she stomped her feet and said resentfully, “Sweet-talking lecher. I don’t know how many women you have said those words to. Now you’re deceiving me with them?”
Shangguan LingRan heard her doubting him and reacted differently than Zhao HongXiang, who swore a vicious oath in her previous life. He retrieved his gentle smile and said sharply and fiercely, “It doesn’t matter if you suspect me of lying to you, but can you not insult me? I, Heartless Gongzi, wouldn’t say such nauseating words to a woman. If I don’t like you, would I pay attention to that cheap wench Shangguan Lingluo? If I don’t like you, would I risk my life to save you? If I don’t like you, would I let you scold and beat me without responding? Go ask around Jianghu [wuxia/ martial arts milieu) if there is a left person alive under Heartless Gongzi’s hands. I said that you are stupid, but you won’t admit it. Mu Zi You, you’re the world’s biggest idiot!”
“You’re Heartless Gongzi?” Zi You was shocked. She shook her head in disbelief. “How is that possible? Heartless Gongzi’s move is waist cutting. Why didn’t I see you chop people in half that day?”
Shangguan LingRan got angry and glared fiercely at Zi You. He hated that he couldn’t pick her up and spank her little butt. He endured for a long time and finally said lowly, “I finally know how stupid you are today. If I wasn’t afraid of scaring you, would I get injured? If I wasn’t afraid that the Emperor would find out that your family was colluding with Jianghu members, wouldn’t I use my move? Instead, I had to waste time with those crazy killers. I did so much for you, but you can’t see any of it. What are you using your big eyes for?”?
He roared his last words and stepped forwards. Zi You lowered her head and guilty took a step back. When she couldn’t retreat anymore, she asked in a low voice, “Who made you the capital’s famous dandy? Your bad name is infamous. How can I trust you?”
Shangguan Lingkan smiled a cold, demonic smile capable of confusing all living beings. “I didn’t hide it from you that I knew martial arts by the second time we met. You know exactly what kind of person I am. Why are you pretending to be innocent now?”
Shangguan LingRan without his disguise had a demonic and evil charm. His aura pressured you, but you couldn’t help but be charmed by him.
Zi You felt that Shangguan LingRan was like a poppy flower. She knew it was poisonous, but there was a mysterious force tempting her to not fear death.
Zi You clearly knew that she couldn’t get close to him, but she didn’t know why she wanted to vent out all her grievances to Shangguan LingRan.
Crystal-like beads of tears fell down her porcelainwhite face. Her choked voice contained countless sorrow and grievances. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. When the people closest to you plot to murder you and use you, you tell me who I can trust? Even when you didn’t do anything, someone still wants to kill you. Tell me if I should trust a dandy who makes fun of me as soon as he sees me? You saw what happened at Duke Yongang fu, Duke Yingguo fu, and Duke Anguo fu. My grandfather holds military power in his hand, but can’t even guarantee my safety. Do you think I’m willing to walk carefully on thin ice? Wuu……”
Although Shangguan Lingkan was causing trouble and mischief all day, that was just an act. He had never used his real emotions. When it came to relationships, he was a blank piece of paper.
He had never experienced this heavy and gloomy feeling in his heart before. He started walked towards Zi You.
He took out a delicately embroidered handkerchief and clumsily helped Zi You wipe her tears. He didn’t know how to control his strength and rubbed Zi You’s fine skin red.
Zi You thought that since he spent all day in brothels, even if he was disguising as a dandy, he would certainly be skilled at coaxing women.
But seeing him so clumsy, she couldn’t help but snatch the handkerchief and mock him. “And you’re disguising as a dandy. You don’t even know how to wipe tears for a female. You’re not afraid that you will be exposed?”
Shangguan Lingkan snorted disdainfully. “Are they worthy of having this Shizi Ye wipe their tears? You underestimate Ye. The only person who Ye will personally wait on is you.”
The previous life’s Zi You was deceived by Zhao HongXiang’s sweet words. So, she not only couldn’t stand this sort of words, but was even disgusted by them.
Thus, she immediately threw the handkerchief back at him and denounced, “Don’t say such disgusting words. Hurry and put makeup on so you can scram out of our General’s Manor.”
Shangguan LingRan was confused by her sudden about-face. He felt that he took a step forwards to close their distance, but he look a big step back in the blink of an eye.
Now he finally understood his friends’ words. A woman’s heart was like a needle in the ocean. That was so true. He had no idea what to make of it.
Shangguan LingRan was anxious. It was hard for him to like someone. Actually, it could be said that it was very difficult. If he didn’t hurry and capture this little yatou’s heart and she was stolen by other gongzis, wouldn’t he be single his whole life?
Shangguan LingRan shook his head. He sat down in front of Zi You and said, “I can promise you to disguise… disguise as a woman and sneak out of the General’s Manor. But you have to promise me something.”
Zi You originally did not want to promise anything. However, once she thought about this plague staying at the General’s Manor, not only was he not safe, but the General’s Manor would be under watch. There were strangers wandering around the General’s Manor these past two days.
It was more important to send him out of here first. Thus, Zi You coldly asked, “What is it?”
Shangguan Lingkan gritted his teeth and steeled his heart. “I want you to promise me that you won’t marry another person. You can only marry this Ye.”
“Bah!” Zi You scolded, “Lecher! Scoundrel! Who wants to marry you? Go die!”
Then she picked up the makeup brush and doodled messily on his face. She laughed like flowers blooming. “Haha…… You dare to speak nonsense? I’ll have you become a rat that everyone beats up.”
He stared foolishly at her smile that was more delicate than flowers. He didn’t care whether he would turn into a rat or not.
Only until Zi You handed a mirror for him to take a look did he grabbed the brush and started drawing on Zi You’s face.
Zi You quickly stopped him. “Don’t fool around. Go wash your face. You don’t want to leave the General’s Manor now?”
Shangguan Lingkan stretched out his muscular arms and suddenly wrapped them around Zi You.
Zi You’s eyes were anxious and she started to struggle desperately again.
Shangguan Lingkan caught her hands and said, full of reluctance to part, “Don’t move. Let me hug you a bit. Just a bit. I really don’t want to leave here. Because after I leave, you will once again be far away from me. After I leave, it will be difficult to see you again. You’er, I beg you. Before I can convince imperial grandmother to marry you to me, don’t get engaged to anyone else, okay?”
“What nonsense are you speaking again?” Zi You was bashful and irritated. She fiercely pushed him. “You’re a lecher and a scoundrel! Who wants to marry you?”
“We……… we’ve kissed.” Shangguan LingRan looked at Zi You’s face turning red and as fierce as if she wanted to eat him. He was scared into lowering his voice. As he slowly retreated, he muttered, “Men and women should maintain distance. We’ve already had intimate relations. You can’t renege.”
As he was moving backwards, he almost tripped over a chair again. Perhaps due to him being shy, he didn’t use martial arts and stumbled around before stabilizing himself.
Zi You looked at his sorry figure and thought about his “Heartless Gongzi” moniker and his arrogance in the capital. Her heart couldn’t help but soften.
But once she thought about her previous life’s miserable and humiliating death, she said with a straight face, “Are you leaving or not? I’m telling you, if you don’t leave soon, you’ll die. It has nothing to do with me.”
She turned away to leave, but was pulled by Shangguan LingRan.
He was obviously a bit scared of her and said, anxiously and in panic, “I’m leaving, I’m leaving. I’m leaving now, okay?”
Zi You sat him down, opened her makeup box, and started putting rouge on him.
Shangguan Lingkan felt Zi You’s hand touch him periodically. His heartbeats were like drums and his mouth went dry. He stared at her deep and beautiful eyes and hated that he couldn’t pause time at this moment.
Zi You didn’t know what he was fantasizing about, because, under her magical hand putting makeup on Shangguan LingRan’s face, a beautiful woman appeared before her.
Shangguan LingRan had bright eyes and white teeth. He was as delicate as a flower and refined as jade, with vermilion lips. Many beautiful women could not compare to him.
Zi You thought: ‘Evildoer!’ She couldn’t believe that this fellow disguised as a woman could be capable of causing the downfall of a country.
Shangguan LingRan looked at Zi You staring at him amazed and couldn’t help but reveal a devilishly charming smile. “Love-struck fool!”
Zi You looked him smiling like he could confuse all living beings and couldn’t help wanting to tease him. She pinched his white and tender face and smiled enchantingly and charmingly, “Beauty, come this Ye’s fu. Let this Ye dote on you.”
