Chapter 372: Then let’s use my feet
Who was the one seized by sudden impulse?
And who was the one who drove them to that impulse?
As the noisy crowds faded into the distance in the quiet night, only a hazy, ambiguous air was left in their wake. Beneath the faint moonlight, thoughts and feelings grew disordered and confused.
The scattered kisses trailed unceasingly against her skin, while the oppressive aura of the large figure behind her grew stronger and stronger. Han Yunxi couldn’t help but lift her head, a little overwhelmed as she peered up at the luminous moon in the night sky.1
“Long Feiye, don’t…” she unconsciously called out, but a single ‘don’t’ was enough to break Long Feiye’s continuous tempo. In a flash, he let her go and backed away a step! The difference between Heaven and Hell was usually as small as a single step. Han Yunxi’s head cleared up instantly. Heart pounding, she stood there without daring to look behind her.
Heavens, what was he doing just then? This is a public street! Though she wasn’t the conservative type, she wasn’t dissolute, either. If they hadn’t stopped just then, where would his kisses had ended up? Thinking up to here, Han Yunxi’s neck and ears both flared scarlet as if they’d caught on fire. The indulgent look in Long Feiye’s eyes had substantially cooled, only leaving behind a slight trace of irritability. He had always thought his self-control was extraordinary, but just then it’d nearly fell apart. He greatly disliked himself whenever he acted like that.
He would never cheat himself when it came to his woman.
The two of them stood in the street, bathed in silence, one in front of the other. A little while later, Long Feiye said coldly, “Let’s go.”
He can still be so cool headed after that bout of bullying! Han Yunxi should’ve sighed in relief, but she only felt somewhat empty. How unsatisfying. Still, she couldn’t work up the nerve to turn around and see his expression. Since Long Feiye said they should go, she started walking docilely instead. Fortunately, the trip was long enough for Han Yunxi to adjust her feelings. By the time they reached the Lin Clan’s grain store, her red face had more or less returned to normal. It looked like nothing had happened between them, but there remained an ambiguous air between the pair. They were the only ones who could sense it, to outsiders they were just a master and servant pair.
Long Feiye was quite competent at playing the part of her bodyguard. Once they reached the Lin Clan’s grain store, he stopped following Han Yunxi so closely and waited for her to enter before he followed suit. His manner and mien were modest and courteous, every inch the model attendant. This shop acted at the imperial uncle’s eyes in the black market. Its denizens wouldn’t be ordinary people either, so they had to play their parts to the fullest. Before they came, Wu Shu had already outlined the situation at the Lin Clan’s grain store. Han Yunxi expected to meet with the old Master Lin and a few professional middlemen as soon as she stepped into the shop. But all she saw was a man in his 20s napping inside. Aside from a few page boys, there was no one else.
“Is anyone here?” Han Yunxi shouted.
The sleeping man drowsily roused himself and glanced at her, before going back to sleep.
What’s going on? Han Yunxi was about to ask when the man lifted his head again. He rubbed his eyes before his gaze turned lustful. Han Yunxi could clearly sense his malicious intentions, but she hadn’t done a thing before a cold aura rose from behind her from a certain somebody. The sensation put her at ease, so she simply asked frostily, “Where’s your boss?”
Han Yunxi had no idea how mesmerizing she looked while being coldly elegant. Moreover, her icy expression and chilly tone made her even more extraordinarily beautiful. There were men out there who had a special liking for provoking such ice beauties.
“Tsk, tsk….tsk, tsk.” The man didn’t speak, but clicked his tongue while wearing a pout as he approached her, dressed in the silk clothes of the frivolous rich. Han Yunxi was planning to teach him a lesson with poisons, but considering the fact that they had a goal to accomplish, she couldn’t startle the snake in the grass. Instead, she endured as the man came closer. Even when he was right in front of Han Yunxi, he had no intentions of stopping. She backed away a step, only to have him follow a step in turn.
He gave her a boorish grin and said, “Beauty, do you want to buy grain?”
“Call out your boss!” Han Yunxi said coldly as she retreated another step.
“If there’s anything you need, just say it. This young master can make the decision.”
This young silk pants was none other than the nephew of Master Lin on his sister’s side, Third Young Master Chen. While Master Lin was discussing serious matters with other merchants in the back yard and waiting for news from the imperial uncle, the shop had been temporarily left in Third Young Master Chen’s care.
“I’m buying quite a bit, so you can’t make the final decisions. Stop with the nonsense and quickly call out Master Lin,” Han Yunxi’s patience had limits.
But Third Young Master Chen only tried once again to get closer to Han Yunxi. This time, Han Yunxi violently shoved him aside. Coldly she said, “Keep your distance!”
Not expecting the push, Third Young Master Chen fell against the table and knocked down a table full of tea snacks. He crawled to his feet and licked his lips, before smiling pervertedly. “So you weren’t an icy beauty at all, but a spicy girl! Heheh, that’s to my tastes exactly!” Immediately, he gave orders, “Someone come, shut the doors for this young master!”
One of the page boys had long gone to the back to seek out Master Lin. The ones who were still present didn’t dare to disobey their orders, and immediately shut all the doors and windows. Han Yunxi wasn’t afraid, because she had her own mountain of support standing right behind her.
As soon as the doors shut, Third Young Master Chen pounced. “Spicy girl, hurry and let me have a taste!”
The sharp-eyed, deft-handed Han Yunxi simply slapped him across the face! Third Young Master Chen looked stunned as a handprint bloomed across his cheek. All of the surrounding page boys were left gobsmacked by the sight. The Lin Clan’s grain shop had a very high standing in the black market. Because Master Lin had no male heirs, he spoiled this grandson of his rotten. Everyone knew how Third Young Master Chen took advantage of the grain store’s power to commit all sorts of crimes. Outside, he’d take liberties with women in public view. Master Lin had no problems getting him out of trouble there, much less in here! But today, a woman had actually hit him.
Third Young Master Chen’s mood plummeted after that slap! He cradled his face and glared at her hatefully. “Someone come, capture her! If I don’t whip her to death, then my surname isn’t Chen!”
At his words, there was a sudden lash of a whip. Before anyone could react, Third Young Master Chen had been whipped across the face, peeling off a layer of skin that exposed the flesh beneath. It was a shocking sight. Long Feiye’s right hand waved his whip lightly before withdrawing the weapon once more. The world only knew that he was skilled in swords when his true skills laid in the whip. He didn’t even need to use any strength for that blow.
Finally, Third Young Master Chen and the page boys realized that there was a guard in a face mask here as well! They couldn’t be faulted for their negligence, since black-robed, face mask wearing guards were everywhere in the black market. Long Feiye had been so quiet when he entered the shop that no one expected him to brook no nonsense.
“AhhhHHHH!” Third Young Master Chen shouted in pain, completely at a loss.
Han Yunxi turned back unhappily. She was about to say ‘Your Highness’ when she caught herself and stopped. Then she scolded him, “I already said, you can’t use your hands!”
The doctor told him not to!
She wouldn’t fuss if he needed them for daily tasks, but it was better not to ‘raise arms’ against others like this if he could help it.
“Then how about using my feet?” Long Feiye countered. Before Han Yunxi could react, Long Feiye suddenly struck out with his foot against the wailing Third Young Master Chen, sending him flying backwards with a kick.
Han Yunxi couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Yes, you can do that!”
Long Feiye didn’t laugh. If anything, he looked unhappy. Third Young Master Chen fell with a whump to the ground, completely void of his previous arrogance and bluster. He, as a full-grown man, actually began to sob. “Someone come, someone come! Go find my uncle! Hurry, find my uncle!”
Soon enough, Master Lin heard the racket and entered the shop. At the sight of the scene before him, he immediately lost his temper. “Who are you? You dare to act so wantonly in my Lin Clan’s grain store?”
“Grain buyers!” Han Yunxi answered coldly. They might have to hide their identities and remain low-key, but that didn’t mean they could be bullied.
“Not selling!” Third Young Master Chen yelled back. “Uncle, that woman hit me. That man even whipped me! You have to slaughter them for my sake!”
But the angry Master Lin had suddenly fallen silent. After all, he was currently fretting over the fact that no one would buy their grain. His gaze swept past Long Feiye to examine Han Yunxi, before he asked carefully, “How much…do you want to buy?”
He was very clear that anyone coming to buy grain at this critical juncture couldn’t be someone simple.
“Uncle…” Third Young Master Chen grew discontent. He only bothered with eating, drinking, and fooling around. How could he be aware of their dire straits? Master Lin shot him a glare before he resentfully lowered his head. Technically speaking, he should find a doctor right away, but he wasn’t willing!
“Miss, how much grain do you want to buy?” Master Lin asked again.
“I heard you have 50,000 dan for sale?” Han Yunxi asked by way of an answer. At these words, Master Lin knew she must be from same line of business as him. Everyone knew there were 50,000 dan of grain on sale, but only those in the know knew to find him to buy it.
Although Master Lin was impatient to sell off the grain, he was still very cautious. Instead of answering, he asked next, “How much do you want?”
“How much do you have?” Han Yunxi countered.
Master Lin seemed to get a better grasp of the situation and softened significantly. With a smile, he said, “Miss, why don’t we talk about this inside?”
But Han Yunxi only smiled coldly. “First, make a formal apology. If not, then please open your doors. Although this Miss needs grain urgently, I don’t need your shop to buy it!” Han Yunxi’s words sounded like she was targeting Third Young Master Chen, but she’d intentionally chose to disclose two pieces of information to Master Lin.
Number one, she was in urgent need of grain; number two, she hadn’t come specifically to the Lin Clan’s shop to buy it. If Han Yunxi had said all of that outright, Master Lin might not have believed her, but by using the infraction with Third Young Master Chen, her words became more credible. Master Lin was all too aware of Third Young Master Chen’s natural disposition. He could easily guess that the latter’s lustful tendencies had flared up again.
But in the end, Master Lin wasn’t so easy to deal with. He gazed at Third Young Master Chen’s state before saying seriously, “Miss, you’ve already beaten my nephew to this state. Doesn’t that count as a formal apology already?”
1. luminous moon…night sky – while the text describes the Sky Domain Night Market as being “underground,” it’s possible the author means beneath sea level. Scenes like this seem to indicate it’s closer to being hidden within a mountain valley or similar.