The young lady’s reserved, subtle gaze conveyed everything without a word; that kind of bashful, indirect charm was the most tempting, precisely because it carried the weight of a moral taboo.
Li Zhi’s eyes no longer concealed his intent as he studied her, filled purely with a man’s interest in a woman.
“Get up.”
Wang Yuzheng stood up timidly, but he caught her waist with one hand and pulled her down to sit on his thigh.
She let out a startled “Ah!” and lost her balance, bumping right into his chest.
His arms were packed with robust strength, his chest was solid, and his taut muscles radiated a man’s wild, fierce masculinity at every turn.
Fearing he might try something untoward, Wang Yuzheng kept her body tense, not daring to move rashly.
Li Zhi lightly caught the scent of her cosmetics, leaning in like a vicious wolf sniffing a porcelain-white neck—if he so pleased, he could snap her throat at any moment.
Holding the beauty in his arms, she felt soft, almost boneless, her body supple to the touch.
Li Zhi had never held a woman before. Like a child with a new toy, he curiously took her hand, examining it in his own.
The young lady’s fingers were long and fair, looking dainty nestled in his palm.
By contrast, his hand was rough, calloused, and scarred across the fingers—the result of years of hard labor and wielding weapons.
“Lady Wang’s hands are well-cared for. You must never have done a day of heavy labor in your maiden home.”
Unsure of his underlying meaning, Wang Yuzheng answered cautiously, “While my parents were still alive, they indeed never let me suffer the slightest hardship.”
Li Zhi rubbed her hand with his coarse thumb. As his rough skin slid over the tender back of her hand, a tingling sensation crept over her.
“Hands as lovely as these truly ought to be pampered. It’s a real shame that your husband intends to sell you into a brothel to learn how to serve men.”
Wang Yuzheng did not reply; she did not dare to.
Li Zhi continued, “The ransom the Liu family sent falls short by three hundred guan. Tell me, how should I handle the two of you, hmm?”
Wang Yuzheng remained timidly silent.
Li Zhi tilted her chin up, deliberately saying, “How about we do as your husband suggests—keep you here on Yanjun Mountain, and let him go back to fetch the rest of the money to redeem you?”
Wang Yuzheng cursed the scoundrel in her heart. She forced her eyes to turn red with tears, plucked up her courage, and said, “But… but I… want to go back.”
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow. “You mean leave him here, while you go back to fetch the money?”
Not daring to look at him, Wang Yuzheng showed clear self-awareness as she said, “You would certainly never allow that.”
Li Zhi unceremoniously tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her flush against his chest so that their posture grew even more intimate.
“How could a woman who enters a bandit’s den be let go so easily? How about Lady Wang becomes my chief’s wife?”
Looking at that wolfish face, Wang Yuzheng desperately wanted to curse. Instead, she put on a pitiful, delicate look and said, “Lord Li is naturally exceptional, but…”
“But what?”
“I am a married woman.”
“Doesn’t matter. I can kill the hostage and turn you into a widow.”
Wang Yuzheng fell silent.
Seeing that she had remained quiet for a long while, Li Zhi asked with great interest, “What, reluctant to part with your husband?”
Wang Yuzheng slowly shook her head, her face clouded with sorrow. “Meeting such an overbearing husband and in-laws is my misfortune as a daughter of the Wang family.
“However, when I left home, my mother-in-law said that if I couldn’t bring my husband home safe and sound, Nanny Xu, who accompanied me as part of my dowry, would suffer an accident.
“Nanny Xu is a loyal servant whom my mother brought into the Wang family. She watched me grow up, and my feelings for her run deep. If I fail to return, not only will her life be in danger, but the dowry I brought into the Liu family will also be handed over to them for nothing. I truly cannot reconcile myself to that.”
This time, it was Li Zhi’s turn to remain silent.
Wang Yuzheng glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, deliberately adding, “Back then, to preserve our family wealth, my father included a full thousand guan of silver into my dowry when I married into the Liu family.
“Now that dowry is still with my husband’s family. If I cannot go back, it will surely be appropriated for their private use, and Nanny Xu will die too. Whenever I think about it, a fire burns inside me.”
Hearing that she had a thousand guan in her dowry, Li Zhi was surprised. Half-believing, he asked, “Is your Wang family really that rich?”
Wang Yuzheng subtly jabbed back at him, “It pales in comparison to Lord Li. After all, that was the wealth accumulated over a lifetime by the Wang family, and as I am the only daughter, bringing it into the Liu family was done out of sheer necessity.
“Lord Li is different—you can make eight hundred guan in a single transaction. The Wang family wouldn’t dare compare itself to you.”
Li Zhi caught her subtle sarcasm, but he didn’t take offense. He merely chuckled, “Lady Wang flatter me. We brothers work a trade where we lick blood from the edge of a blade—naturally, we can’t compare to respectable families like yours.
“Still, meeting is fate. Since Lady Wang has come to Yanjun Mountain, and you’ve seen what kind of man your husband is, if you continue living with those in-laws, I’m afraid you’ll suffer no small amount of torment.
“I find you quite to my liking. If you are willing to be my chief’s wife, I certainly won’t treat you ill.”
Wang Yuzheng looked at him without speaking, her gaze lingering with resentment and helplessness. Only after a long while did she take a step back to advance.
“My mother said that all crows under heaven are equally black. Will Lord Li not bully me the way Liu Ming did?”
Li Zhi didn’t try to coax her with sweet talk, simply saying, “I am a bandit, and a bandit’s sweet words to a woman cannot be trusted. But you may make demands. So long as they aren’t too out of line, I will grant them.”
Hearing these words, Wang Yuzheng suppressed her inner joy.
She felt that although this bandit was crude and uneducated, his mind was sharp enough, and he was quite adept at winning over people’s hearts—not quite like other common outlaws.
“Does Lord Li truly mean what he says?”
“Truly. Since I want to take Lady Wang as my chief’s wife, I will naturally show some sincerity.”
Wang Yuzheng’s face still bore a look of sorrow. She snuggled obediently into Li Zhi’s arms like a kitten and said softly, “Liu Ming has thoroughly chilled my heart. He would like nothing more than for me to be detained here so he can swallow my family’s estate whole.”
Li Zhi coaxed her, “Since the ransom falls short, I can kill the hostage.”
Wang Yuzheng shook her head. “But if he dies, Nanny Xu won’t survive either, and I won’t be able to get my dowry back.”
With that, she leaned against him delicately. “Nanny Xu protects me just like a mother would. I don’t want her to die.”
Holding the warm, soft beauty in his arms, Li Zhi gently rubbed her arm and probed, “Then what do you want to do?”
Wang Yuzheng hesitated for a long time before saying, “I am actually unwilling to accept this. Back then, the Liu family fawned over the Wang family so much, yet who could have known that as soon as I entered their door, a pregnant mistress would pop up.
“It might sound laughable to Lord Li, but I was beaten severely by Liu Ming right after I married in, all because I tried to reason with him.
“Later, my mother-in-law took it upon herself to bring the mistress into the household to care for her, effectively taking her as a concubine. I had a belly full of grievances and bitterness with no one to vent to.
“And then came bringing the ransom to Yanjun Mountain. If I had anyone back in my maiden family to support me, how could I have fallen to such a state today?”
She slowly recounted her tragic experiences after marrying into the Liu family, putting on a helpless and solitary front.
Following her lead, Li Zhi said, “From the looks of it, Lady Wang hates her husband’s family.”
Wang Yuzheng didn’t answer directly, asking instead, “If I said I didn’t hate them, would Lord Li believe me?”
Li Zhi replied, “No.”
Wang Yuzheng deliberately rested her head on his shoulder, as if treating him as someone she could rely on.
“The Liu family goes too far, constantly calculating how to seize my dowry. I must go back and rescue Nanny Xu.”
Li Zhi enjoyed having the beauty lean on him. Being in a good mood, he spoke generously, “I can lend you a hand.”
Wang Yuzheng showed a shy, timid expression. “But I am insatiably greedy and refuse to take the slightest loss. Since they want to swallow my estate, I also covet the Liu family’s wealth.”
Hearing this, Li Zhi was somewhat surprised.
Knowing that her current words contradicted the image she had built earlier, Wang Yuzheng sat up straight, tilted her head, and asked, “Does Lord Li think I am wicked?”
Li Zhi scrutinized her seriously, finding this woman rather interesting. “They are far more wicked than you. You simply don’t want to come out empty-handed.”
Wang Yuzheng pursed her lips and broke into a smile.
This was the first time she had smiled since entering the bandit’s den. Her eyes curved into crescents, and small dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, cloyingly sweet.
Seeing her smile put Li Zhi in an even better mood.
She bashfully poked his chest and said with a huff, “But Lord Li won’t let me go back.”
Dazzled by her charming appearance, Li Zhi said, “Since I’ve taken a liking to you, I naturally won’t let you leave.”
Wang Yuzheng wasn’t in a rush at all. After thinking for a moment, she said, “A person under another’s roof has no choice but to bow their head. If Lord Li wants my body, I, a woman of the Wang family, have no say in the matter.”
Li Zhi had never humored anyone before, but this time he acted like a gentleman, replying, “I said earlier that since I want to take you as my chief’s wife, I will show sincerity. I won’t force you to submit to me.”
Seeing that he had taken the bait, Wang Yuzheng pushed her luck. “But I am a married woman; I still need to save face.”
“No matter. You will become a widow sooner or later.”
“I don’t want Liu Ming to die here, either.”
“What, do you want to play both sides?”
“Lord Li said earlier that you would grant my request. If Liu Ming dies here, I won’t be able to save Nanny Xu, nor can I retrieve my dowry.”
“Then what do you propose?”
Wang Yuzheng thought seriously for a long time before saying, “As a woman, I still care about my reputation. Lord Li won’t get any official status from me, but being paramours is acceptable.”
Li Zhi: “…”
Damn it, this woman was something else!
Knowing he would be angry, Wang Yuzheng took the initiative to coil her arms around his neck, coaxing him, “Lord Li is a straightforward person. Once I give my body to you, why would I care about official status?”
Li Zhi was amused to the point of laughter. He looked at her sideways and said, “Paramours?”
Seeing his displeasure, Wang Yuzheng reined it in slightly, saying aggrievedly, “I just want to save Nanny Xu.”
Li Zhi let out a snort.
Wang Yuzheng sneaked a glance at him, testing his bottom line once more. “Lord Li said earlier that you were willing to lend me a hand.”
Li Zhi said unhappily, “So this is how you repay me?”
Out of nowhere, Wang Yuzheng said, “Liu Ming cannot die on Yanjun Mountain, but he can die at home.” Pausing for a moment, she added, “He was beaten and then endured the grueling journey home; it wouldn’t be impossible for his body to give out and for him to die as soon as he reaches home.”
These words were truly venomous.
Li Zhi seemed surprised, yet not entirely so—after all, she had indeed suffered a great deal at the hands of the Liu family.
Still, hearing such words spoken in a timid, delicate manner by the woman before him was astonishing.
Earlier, he had thought her foolish; looking at her now, she was not only far from foolish, but remarkably shrewd.
Li Zhi could not help but re-examine her. His sharp gaze made Wang Yuzheng feel a bit uneasy, and she silently lowered her head, remaining quiet.
“You really are an interesting woman.”
Wang Yuzheng adopted a weak stance again. “Lord Li must surely despise a wicked woman like me.”
Li Zhi remained silent. Only after a long while did he ask, “If I let you go back, how will I collect my reward?”
Seeing signs of him relenting, Wang Yuzheng gathered her spirits and laid out the bait. “I will naturally present those three hundred guan.”
“And what else?”
“As long as Lord Li is willing to lend me a hand, I will serve you whole-heartedly.”
Li Zhi was no fool either and didn’t believe her talk for a second. “Once you return to Fancheng, you’ll be like a fish returning to the sea. Where would I find you then?
“Besides, what if you report this to the authorities as soon as you get back? Wouldn’t I lose both the person and the money?”
Wang Yuzheng waved her hands repeatedly. “Lord Li overstates things. Aside from the Liu family, I have nowhere else to go. Furthermore, I would never dare report this to the authorities—after all, I still need my reputation. If others were to find out about my improper involvement with bandits, I would no longer have a place to stand.”
That was indeed the truth.
To lure him in, Wang Yuzheng tempted him further with the Liu family’s assets and her dowry, teasingly tracing circles in his palm.
In an instant, it became impossible to tell who was the hunter and who was the prey.