Chapter 146: Look, He Is Here!

Guo Feng wanted to laugh, but he managed to hold it in. He glanced at the two younger sisters beside him—who had just arrived yesterday and were now reluctantly dragged along by him back to Chang’an—and saw their faces filled with disdain. Instead of feeling embarrassed or annoyed, he chuckled softly twice.

“Brother, I think what you did this time was really unfair,” said Guo Xixi, her baby face puffed up in displeasure. Perhaps out of anger, she looked at Guo Feng and said, “You were once quite the charming fellow. How could you resort to such forceful methods now? It’s downright shameful! Dongdong, don’t you think so too?”

Guo Xixi turned to Guo Dongdong, who nodded decisively. Dongdong also shot Guo Feng a look that said everything without words.

The two had hurried back from Chang’an upon hearing that Guo Feng, two days ago, had used the family’s influence and threats to demand from the officials of Qiansang City’s pleasure house a woman said to be a peerless beauty. That alone wouldn’t have been so troubling, but the problem was that the woman was unwilling to leave with Guo Feng. In the end, unable to persuade her, Guo Feng forcibly abducted her back!

That was going a bit too far, Guo Xixi thought.

What’s more, after finally bringing her home, the woman still refused to even glance at Guo Feng.

Whether it was because Guo Feng had an unusually gentle temperament or had truly fallen for her, he wasn’t angry at her coldness. Instead, he hastily returned to Chang’an and pressed her into a carriage to take her along.

Throughout the journey, the woman neither cried nor caused a fuss, nor did she resist. She was very quiet but ignored everyone and never gave anyone a proper look. Whenever Guo Feng came near, she would reveal a hidden dagger from her sleeve and gesture toward her own throat. Each time Guo Feng saw the dagger, he wisely stepped back, forcing a smile to keep her calm.

Thinking of this, Guo Xixi couldn’t help but sigh. She thought Guo Dongdong was already quite strong-willed, but clearly, this woman had even more character.

Guo Feng ignored the two sisters’ disapproval and turned back to glance at the carriage in the middle of the caravan, his smile unable to hide the amusement on his face.

“Brother, this is a place of tender embraces and a hero’s grave. Can’t you have some pride? If she won’t acknowledge you, why force her to come to Chang’an?” Guo Xixi spoke as if ready to draw a sword against injustice, disappointed with Guo Feng’s lack of backbone.

“You kids don’t understand anything!” Guo Feng was in a good mood and waved her off. Suddenly recalling something, he looked up at the sky and then turned to Xiao Xuanwu, who was following behind. “Brother Xiao, it’s getting late. How about we find a place here to rest for the night?”

Xiao Xuanwu stepped his horse forward politely. “About five miles ahead is a small village. There’s a modest courtyard there that I purchased before because of the beautiful surroundings. It’s small, but better than camping outside. If Brother Guo agrees, we can stay there tonight.”

“That sounds excellent!” Guo Feng replied happily.

With Guo Feng’s approval, Xiao Xuanwu eagerly went to make arrangements. Ever since he noticed Guo Feng’s interest in the red-clad woman they had encountered on Qiansang Street, he had spent a fortune greasing the wheels and, leveraging the Guo family’s reputation along with Guo Feng, managed to secure her. While this pleased Guo Feng greatly, it also meant Xiao Xuanwu could accompany him to Chang’an to expand their business, a prospect that delighted him so much he practically revered Guo Feng like a living Buddha.

There were two carriages in the caravan; besides the one mentioned earlier, there was another. After arranging for the caravan to settle at the lodging spot, Xiao Xuanwu approached the other carriage and spoke softly, “Cousin, we’ll be staying at your place tonight. Prepare yourself.”

Xiao Linglong poked her head out of the carriage, frowning slightly. “Since last year, after my parents and I moved to the county town, the courtyard you built for us was sold cheaply to my uncle. It’s now occupied by his family. With so many of us coming tonight, wouldn’t that be inconvenient?”

“Then they can move out tonight and stay with neighbors for a night. It’s better than upsetting Brother Guo because of rural folks’ ignorance,” Xiao Xuanwu said, calling several servants to handle the matter without so much as asking Xiao Linglong’s consent.

Once everything was arranged, Xiao Xuanwu glanced at the leading carriage and then said to Xiao Linglong, “The journey to Chang’an is long and will take some time. Along the way, you should get close to Miss Bai. If you can convince her to accept Brother Guo, it will greatly benefit our business in Chang’an.”

Xiao Linglong furrowed her brows and looked ahead, initially about to refuse, but then seemed to recall something and replied, “I’ll do my best to try.”

Xiao Xuanwu nodded approvingly and spurred his horse to follow behind Guo Feng.

Xiao Linglong stared after Xiao Xuanwu’s retreating figure, lost in thought for a moment before expressionlessly returning to the carriage.

When the group arrived at the small courtyard marked “Xiao Residence,” the gate was open. Several servants that Xiao Xuanwu had just dispatched stood at attention beside the gate, awaiting his orders.

As for the original occupants of the courtyard, whether willing or not, they would not be allowed near the property that night.

“The place is modest; I hope Brother Guo can bear with it,” Xiao Xuanwu said with a flattering smile as he welcomed Guo Feng inside.

Guo Feng strode into the courtyard, surveying it left and right. After a brief inspection, he muttered, “Not bad,” then instructed the Guo sisters to settle the woman he had forcibly taken into the house. Only after that did he tell Xiao Xuanwu, “Let the women stay inside the house. You and I will sleep in the main hall. As for the others, arrange for them to sleep inside or outside the courtyard as appropriate for the night.”

“Whatever Brother Guo commands,” Xiao Xuanwu replied with a smile.

After resting briefly both inside and outside the courtyard, they began their meal. Naturally, the treatment differed—the inner courtyard residents were served hot dishes, while those outside had to make do with dry, plain rations.

“Xixi, come here,” Guo Feng called, holding a wooden tray bearing several steaming side dishes, a bowl of rice, and a pair of clean chopsticks.

Guo Xixi reluctantly approached, stuffing a mouthful of food as she asked, “What now?”

Guo Feng handed her the tray with a flattering smile. “Go feed Miss Bai some food. Try to persuade her to eat something. She hasn’t had a drop to drink these past few days, and I’m really worried!”

Guo Xixi stepped back and looked at Guo Feng. “Why don’t you go yourself? Aren’t you always trying to curry favor with her?”

Guo Feng gave an awkward chuckle, his face drawn. “She refuses to eat when I bring it. That’s why I’m sending you.”

Guo Xixi shot him an exasperated glare but begrudgingly accepted the tray. “Fine, I’ll try.”

“Good girl, go quickly. Don’t let her starve,” Guo Feng said, smiling guilelessly as he watched Guo Xixi head inside. He then settled by a small fire in the courtyard to eat with Xiao Xuanwu and the others.

Guo Xixi reached the door of a room, knocked gently, but there was no response. After waiting a moment, still no reply. She raised her voice, “Miss Bai, may I come in?”

Silence.

It was as if no one heard her.

After a while, Guo Xixi’s face paled. Fear gripped her—could it be that the woman had despaired and ended her own life inside? With that thought, she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Inside, a woman in red sat upright by the window, her head slightly raised as she quietly gazed at the night outside, her expression coldly serene.

Seeing that the woman was unharmed, Guo Xixi exhaled deeply and placed the tray on the desk. “Miss Bai, it’s time to eat.”

No response.

It was as if no one heard her.

Guo Xixi stood, brow furrowed, then relaxed. She approached the woman gently. “Miss, I know Guo Feng is a scoundrel and you dislike him—not just you, but I despise his actions this time too. But if you don’t eat, you’ll starve to death. When someone starves, there’s no hope left. Your stubbornness will be meaningless.”

After she finished, the woman in red turned to look at her and suddenly smiled.

Guo Xixi was stunned. The woman’s beauty was overwhelming; her smile so captivating that even Guo Xixi found herself drawn in.

As Guo Xixi stood there dazed, the woman spoke softly, “I will not starve to death.”

Guo Xixi snapped back to reality, thinking the woman must be delirious from hunger—so pitiful. She tried again, “Miss, people die if they don’t eat. You must understand, with your current state, you won’t last ten days, maybe half a month!”

She expected her words to bring the woman back to reason. Instead, the woman’s next words left Guo Xixi sighing deeply—there was no saving her.

“Not that long. Someone will come to take me away.”

Guo Xixi sighed for a long moment, then a curious thought struck her. So this woman had someone in her heart!

Realizing this, Guo Xixi felt she was right all along. That was why the woman ignored Guo Feng—she still believed her lover would come to rescue her. Little did she know, setting aside whether her lover could find her, with so many swordsmen and assassins around, would Guo Feng ever allow anyone to come and take her away?

At that thought, Guo Xixi almost wept—not for herself, but because the woman before her was so pure and pitiful.

For some reason, Guo Xixi was reminded of someone else, as if the woman’s feelings had moved her deeply. She asked a question she never thought she would: “Are you really that confident he will come? That he can take you away?”

The woman in red smiled again, her voice barely above a whisper, yet filled with unwavering certainty. “I have faith in my man.”

At that moment, something tender and vulnerable inside Guo Xixi was deeply touched. She suddenly felt a protective affection for this stunning woman, not for any other reason but because of the genuine, unspoken love she carried.

Guo Xixi sighed softly, looking at the woman, wanting to say something but fearing her words would wound. So she chose silence. She thought, since this woman still held onto her dream—even if it would eventually be shattered—she could not bear to destroy it herself.

As Guo Xixi was lost in these thoughts, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard—a few screams pierced the night, followed by frantic voices shouting, “Stop him...!”

But before the sentence finished, all fell silent.

Guo Xixi’s face turned pale again. As a swordswoman, she instinctively knew what had happened and could roughly gauge the strength of the other party.

Just as she was about to rush outside to investigate, the woman in red’s voice rang out softly.

“Look, he has come.”

Guo Xixi turned in surprise and saw the woman gazing out the window. From the side, she could make out the smile on her lips.

That smile was so blissful.

In that instant, Guo Xixi felt as if she had seen the most beautiful portrait of a woman in the world.

Because the beauty in that picture was so happy, and that happiness made her smile radiant and exquisite.

Startled, Guo Xixi murmured, “He really has come?”

Her voice betrayed disbelief.

Or perhaps, something else entirely.