Chapter 160: All Men Are Beasts It came so abruptly that Ji Yunshu’s brain went blank. Her brain only had the time to register being tightly hugged and her chin being lifted by Jing Rong when they began to kiss. After a moment, she found her back painfully rapping against the uneven rocky wall. It was painful, yet, her body, from head to toe, was almost drowning in the numbness of the kiss.
However, a moment later, her brain finally caught up to what was happening. She put all her strength on her palms and forcefully pushed Jing Rong away. “Bastard!” She exploded with foul language.
The next moment, she raised her hand to slap Jing Rong. Unfortunately, Jing Rong timely caught her wrist and took the opportunity to pin it above her head. Once again, she was imprisoned in his brutal embrace.
“Let me go,” bellowed Ji Yunshu, as tears began to pool in her eyes.
“Do you dislike me so much?”
“Yes!” She answered without hesitation.
Jing Rong did not get angry. On the contrary, a smile appeared on his face as if he was admiring a rare sight. He slyly declared, “Right now, we are deep in the mountain and there’s also the possibility that they thought we are dead. And, on such a short notice, Lang Po might not be able to find us.” While he spoke, he shamelessly stuck closer to Ji Yunshu.
Ji Yunshu distanced her head from him and struggled to free herself, but it was useless. She could only give him a roll of the eyes, revealing her grievance with teary eyes. ‘All men are like this. They are all beasts after taking off their clothes. And Jing Rong is no exception!’ Not to mention that the situation right now was indeed disadvantageous for her. They were deep in the mountain, so even if she screamed until her throat was hoarse, no one would help her.
Jing Rong smiled while wrinkling his nose as he smelt her neck. “Despite the smell of dirt and mud, your body smells incredibly sweet. It’s really… alluring.”
‘Damn beast!’
“Jing Rong, let me go!”
“What did you just call me?”
“Let go.”
“No way!” He put emphasis on his words as the playfulness in his eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a penetrating and reprobating gaze. Then, his sight stopped lingering on her as he solemnly stated, “You are the one who decided to go to Liang mountain and left me behind without a word. In order to protect you, I even got injured. It’s legitimate that I seek some comfort from you. If there is a next time, I will strip you, throw you on the nuptial bed and do whatever I want.”
‘Oi! This guy hid such twisted thoughts in his heart and let them brew in him for such a long time!’ This kind of method of consolation is quite despicable. If she knew earlier, she would not have gone out to search for medicinal herbs for him. She should have let his wound rot! ‘No, no, no! If something happened to Jing Rong, my conscience will never be in peace.’
She inclined her head and said, “Since there’s nothing more to say, shouldn’t your Highness let me go?”
“Does your back and wrist hurt?”
“Yeah…” She nodded. There was no point in lying since it really hurt.
Jing Rong carefully examined her. After a bit of pondering, he decided to release her.
Suddenly, more than a dozen people holding torches rushed inside the cave. In an instant, all the torches flooded the dim cave with light, blinding both Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong.
“Your Highness!” Following the crowd’s arrival, Lang Po’s anxious shout was heard.
Under the torchlight, Lang Po saw with 100% clarity a scene that made him blush. At this moment, he wished he could drill a hole in the ground and bury himself in it, like a rat escaping into a tunnel. Why? Because the prince he gave his allegiance to was half-naked and pressing a lithe “young man” against the wall, and the distance between them was paper-thin. Although he knew that Ji Yunshu was a woman, she was currently disguised as a man. Not to mention the way she was held by Jing Rong’s muscular arms… Their positions left too much for imagination!
The atmosphere turned extremely awkward when everyone realized what was going on. Excluding Lang Po, the imperial guards present only had one thought in their minds: ‘Shit! Could it be that his Highness is a cut-sleeve1?’ All the imperial guards immediately shut their eyes in fear that they saw too much and would have their eyes dug out.
As for Ji Yunshu, she simply wanted to knock her head on the wall until she died. The postures of Jing Rong and herself were too ambiguous. It was the first time in her life that she felt so embarrassed that her whole body was boiling like a cooked shrimp.
However, Jing Rong remained as usual. He released Ji Yunshu and stooped down to pick up his clothes. Slowly, he dressed himself, unperturbed and unhurried. Yet, within that calmness, he was exuding a displeased aura. He felt like they were disturbing his sensual dream in the middle of the night.
Lang Po bowed his head in apology. “Please forgive me, your Highness. This subordinate was late in rescuing you.”
Jing Rong waved his hand, showing that he did not mind.
Lang Po raised his eyes and observed his lord. Then, he saw the injuries Jing Rong had. The grip he had on his sword suddenly tightened. “Your Highness, are you injured?”
“It’s just a small injury.” As soon as he replied, Jing Rong immediately added, “How did you find me?”
“Young Master Li had informed me. However, the topography of this valley is quite complex, so this subordinate…”
“Young Master Li?” Jing Rong was puzzled.
“Yes, he’s the same Young Master Li who followed us to the capital from Yuzhou.”
Jing Rong recalled the situation from earlier. Due to the lack of light in the forest, he only knew there was someone else fighting the assassins, but he could not ascertain their identity. Who could have guessed that the other person was that tag-along from Yuzhou.
Jing Rong’s face turned grave as he looked a Ji Yunshu. He questioned her, “Why did he follow you to Liang mountain?”
‘Big bro, can’t we go back to the main point? Isn’t it more important to hurry up and leave this place?’ Ji Yunshu leaned back and spoke carelessly, “A simple coincidence.”
“A coincidence?” Jing Rong obviously did not believe her words. His tone took a dangerous turn.
Ji Yunshu refused to answer this time. She turned to Lang Po instead. “How is Young Master Li? Is he alright?”
Lang Po answered perfunctorily, “He received a serious injury, so I ordered people to send him back to his residence. His life should be in no danger right now.”
She nodded.
However, she did not notice that Jing Rong was looking at her with defeated eyes. He immediately ordered Lang Po after he finished dressing himself. “Let’s return to the estate. Extinguish the fire and make sure to properly protect Teacher Ji from the beasts roaming inside the forest. Don’t let him get bitten.”
“Yes, your Highness!”
Jing Rong inquired, “Can you walk?”
Ji Yunshu nodded.
He threw his outer clothing on her. “It’s humid at night.” Immediately after, he walked out of the cave, but after two steps, he halted. With a heavy frown, he looked at Lang Po.
Lang Po understood his meaning in an instant. He stepped forward and supported Jing Rong and helped him walk away. In the end, Jing Rong was like a dying duck acting strong. He clearly could not walk due to the injury he received, yet he did not want to let people know.
Ji Yunshu draped herself in Jing Rong’s clothing. She took a deep breath before following after the crowd.
On their way, several guards protected her from the rear and one on each flank as they feared she might fall or bump into something. If an accident happened to her, his Highness might slaughter them to appease his “boyfriend”.
‘So, we have to be careful! Very careful! We absolutely must be careful!’
1.Cut-sleeve/broken sleeve is another term for homosexuality. This is related to the story of a king in ancient times who have a male lover and one day, his male lover fell asleep on him, but it was time for him to leave for court. Thus in order to not wake up his lover, he cut off his sleeve and left for court.