First kiss?!
Ning Yan was astounded, then immediately raised her eyes to look at Xiao Changling.
The woman in front of her was exceedingly beautiful. Even though she was merely dressed in a simple undergarment and underpants, with her long hair devoid of any adornment, it was impossible to ignore her beauty.
Ning Yan assumed that an appearance like this could hardly be cultivated anywhere outside of a wealthy and noble family.
Looking at the woman in front of her, she estimated her to be just in her early twenties, an ideal age for marriage. Yet judging by her appearance, although the skin on her cheeks was slightly reddened from the cold, she did not look at all like a woman who had already married someone else and needed to labor daily.
Ning Yan immediately shifted her gaze downward.
Her current situation was far from good. Though the woman in front of her possessed beautiful looks, no one could tell whether she harbored a snake-and-scorpion heart inside.
From her knees down, a continuous, burning pain shot through both of her legs. With even the slightest movement, it felt as though a carriage wheel had crushed all her bones to pieces,
She was completely the fish on the chopping block, at the total mercy of others, left to be slaughtered as they pleased!
Ning Yan’s lips trembled a few times; under the present circumstances, she could not afford to offend the other party.
With great timidity, Ning Yan spoke softly: “My apologies. Whether you choose to beat me or scold me, I am entirely at your disposal. Since you saved me, you are my savior. I am currently penniless, but if you can trust me, young lady, I will surely repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten thousandfold in the future.”
Ning Yan spoke with utmost sincerity, a drop of cold sweat trickling down from her temple.
She kept her head lowered in a posture of complete submissiveness and deference, making it impossible to see the slightest trace of aggression in her.
It was as if the person who had pressed Xiao Changling’s golden dagger against her neck yesterday was not her at all.
Xiao Changling had spent the whole night huddled inside her only fur cloak.
She hadn’t slept well in the first place, and having been abruptly kissed awake by Ning Yan, even though she felt a bit of anger, seeing Ning Yan’s low, humble, and gentle expression now caused most of her irritation to dissipate.
“If you want to live here, you must obey me. If you do not wish to live, get out right now.”
The woman’s voice carried a hint of raspiness from having just woken up. Though she told her to get out, she clearly had no intention of making her leave, her tone carrying a trace of annoyance instead.
Ning Yan had no idea what Xiao Changling was annoyed about.
She pursed her dry, cracked lips. The surge of dry heat from the aphrodisiac poison coursing through her body had been largely dispelled by that kiss just now, forced back down.
In a dry, hoarse voice, she said: “My surname is Lin, given name Yan. May I know my savior’s honorable name?”
Ning Yan traced the character “Lin”, composed of two trees, with her finger on the bedding.
Xiao Changling’s eyebrows arched slightly, and she silently mouthed the two words “Lin Yan.”
Immediately after, she found it somewhat amusing.
Indeed, the renowned Jade-Faced Asura, the Flying Cavalry General, being stranded in the hands of an unknown person like her, would certainly not reveal her real name.
However, changing only a single character seemed a bit too haphazard.
It appeared that Ning Yan’s mind was indeed quite feverish and unclear right now.
Because the former princess’s real name was unknown to outsiders, Xiao Changling had no intention of hiding it. Omitting her surname, she merely spoke her given name, then turned around and stepped off the bed.
Without shying away, right in front of Ning Yan, she neatly tidied her disheveled inner clothes and trousers, put on her outer garments, and draped a warm cloak over herself.
The charcoal fire in the room had already gone out.
Xiao Changling fetched charcoal stored in the corner and, using fire tongs, clamped it one by one into the charcoal brazier.
The general, pretending to be meek and submissive, leaned against the bed with her eyes half-closed.
Her mind remained in a state of confusion; the aphrodisiac poison in her body had not fully dissipated, leaving a sickly flush blooming across her cheeks.
The corners of her eyes, due to the recent kiss, shimmered with a subtle sheen of watery light. Just looking at her gave off a gentle, frail impression of a delicate beauty.
She truly did not look like someone who fought and killed on the battlefield.
Yet the faint calluses on the web of her hand and the small, fine scars resulting from long-term archery undoubtedly proved that she was extremely fierce.
Xiao Changling’s gaze drifted over Ning Yan’s slightly curled fingers.
She believed that the moment she made any suspicious move, the person on the bed would immediately spring up to counterattack. Even if both of her legs were currently immobile, she was by no means an easy target to cross.
“What do you want to eat this morning? I don’t have any delicacies from land and sea here.”
Xiao Changling poked at the charcoal with her fire tongs.
The temperature inside the room, which had dropped earlier, rose by a few degrees, bringing a comforting warmth.
Ning Yan’s knuckles turned pale as she gripped the bedding beneath her tightly, light, fine gasps escaping her throat.
After suppressing the tormenting pain that continuously welled up from her bones, she unclenched her teeth and looked up, gazing at Xiao Changling with watery, shimmering eyes.
After staring intensely for a while, she suddenly displayed a very fragile smile and said:
“Just give me some leftover scraps of food. Now that I am a useless person, how could I have the face to eat your food, young lady?”
For Ning Yan to escape alive after being betrayed by her trusted confidant was already great luck; she had brought none of her money or valuables with her.
Xiao Changling nodded slightly. She looked at Ning Yan’s deliberately sweet, fragile, and submissive posture a few more times, gave a light nod, and said: “Rest well.”
Closing the wooden door behind her, the freezing wind outside, mixed with sleet, pelted Xiao Changling’s face, turning her cheeks red instantly.
Xiao Changling rubbed her fingers together, feeling a strange mix of annoyance and helplessness in her heart that she herself could hardly describe.
How was it that even though she herself had fallen into such a wretched state, even someone as formidable as Ning Yan was also in this half-dead condition?
Xiao Changling had always hated the imperial palace, hated the endless, scheming intrigue.
In the past, she had entertained the thought of riding freely on horseback across the frontier and carving out a great career like that general.
However, her health was far inferior to the other woman’s, nor did she possess that kind of courage and heroic spirit.
Seeing the person she had once looked up to now bedridden, with it remaining unknown whether she could ever stand and walk again, how could Xiao Changling not feel aggrieved in her heart?
Naturally, she wasn’t annoyed at Ning Yan, but rather angered by herself.
Shifting her thoughts, Xiao Changling pulled her cloak tighter around herself and walked briskly toward the small kitchen nearby.
This residence was bought by her when she first arrived at Changlin County.
There were too many eyes and ears in the Princess Estate.
Furthermore, those servants did not take her, their master, seriously at all. Rather than wasting her energy there, it was far better to come out and live here.
It was just hard on her personal maid, who had to disguise herself as the princess inside the estate every day.
To outsiders, they claimed that having just arrived at this place, she was feeling unwell, unaccustomed to the climate, and unable to see guests.
Xiao Changling was not someone whose hands had never touched chores.
Having been enfeoffed to this place without the luxury of rich food and fine clothing, she had to do things herself.
The kitchen was extremely humble, nothing more than a cramped small room, though pots, bowls, pans, and basins were available in sufficient quantity.
Xiao Changling cut off a small piece of preserved pork, frozen hard as a brick, from the ceiling beam, washed the surface layer of dirt clean with hot water, and fetched a small bag of short-grain rice from the side.
Though it could not compare to the delicacy of the palace, for an ordinary household, it was already a rare and precious grain.
With fresh vegetables scarce in winter, she could only cook it together with some pickled sour vegetables prepared earlier.
Inside the room, suppressed gasps echoed from Ning Yan’s throat continuously. Her gaze was firmly fixed on the wooden door that had just been closed.
The door was covered with a thick curtain, completely blocking out the wind, snow, and cold outside, while simultaneously obstructing Ning Yan’s view.
Ning Yan shifted several times on the bed; currently, even getting out of bed was difficult for her.
Naturally, she did not know whether the young lady had gone outside to report her location or if she had really gone to fetch something for her to eat.
A satirical smile was pulled across the corner of Ning Yan’s lips.
She leaned her body down, and just as her fingers were about to touch the pile of armor fragments, another agonizing, heart-wrenching pain shot through both of her legs.
Her face, which had been flushed with that wave of aphrodisiac passion just a moment ago, turned deathly pale from the pain.
She didn’t even have the strength to hold a sword.
Placed together with the armor were the shattered pieces of her removed gear. If someone attentive looked closely, they would definitely discover that her armor was fundamentally different from that of ordinary soldiers or officers.
It needed to be destroyed as soon as possible; at the very least, she could not let that woman named Changling examine it closely.
At present, she was essentially imprisoned here. No matter what the woman did to her, she had no power to resist.
Right now, the woman could apply some unknown medicine over her wounds; next time, she might extract and shatter all the bones in her legs.
A trace of extreme fierceness flashed deep within Ning Yan’s eyes.
With a creaking sound, the outer door was pushed open.
Xiao Changling walked in holding a bowl of hot porridge, inside of which was finely shredded preserved pork and a handful of pickled vegetables that smelled highly appetizing and sour.
The porridge had been cooked until it was extremely soft and smooth, allowing one to swallow it directly without needing to chew.
Carrying a hint of lingering chill on her body, paired with her gentle-looking eyebrows and eyes, it was truly difficult for anyone to guard against her.
Ning Yan’s gaze remained glued to the porridge. Her throat bobbed once, then again, and she subconsciously tried to lean closer toward Xiao Changling’s body.
Just as she drew near, the overwhelming desire brought on by the damned aphrodisiac poison surged like crashing waves once more,
It made Ning Yan’s cheeks burn even hotter, her breathing growing increasingly rapid.
Like a big dog, Xiao Changling thought to herself.
Right now, Ning Yan looked just like a big dog, groveling on the bed, using the tip of her nose to nuzzle against her fingers.
Her hot breath felt just like a big dog’s, too.
Ning Yan seemed to covet the faint fragrance lingering on Xiao Changling’s body.
She maintained this head-bowed posture for a long time, remaining motionless.
“I… I can eat by myself.”
Ning Yan spoke hoarsely, her tone containing a suppressed, pleasing softness.
She didn’t dare to make eye contact with Xiao Changling.
If this bowl of porridge contains poison, Ning Yan thought in desperation, she probably had no choice anyway, other than trying to eat a bit less.
Ordinary poisons possessed a distinct bitterness and astringency; if she ate carefully, she would be able to distinguish it.
Xiao Changling set the porridge bowl aside on the small table, and Ning Yan’s eyes followed the bowl over to the table.
A cup of already cooled tea was brought to Ning Yan’s lips.
Xiao Changling said indifferently: “Rinse your mouth and moisten your throat first.”
This young lady was a very particular person.
If she was so particular, and if she had personally cooked a bowl of hot porridge for her, did that mean that even if she harbored some bad intentions, she wouldn’t take her life immediately?
Enduring the desperate longing to press her face against Xiao Changling’s palm to stroke it gently for relief, Ning Yan leaned forward and took in the cup of cold tea handed over by Xiao Changling to rinse her mouth.
Do not offend the other party.
Ning Yan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Taking the willow branch and fine salt handed over by Xiao Changling, she meticulously cleaned her mouth.
Whether it was because her well-behaved appearance looked endearing, or because Xiao Changling had already seen through the deep craving inside Ning Yan’s heart…
A cool finger brushed across Ning Yan’s burning cheek, touching it gently.
It sent a shuddering shiver through Ning Yan’s entire body…
It felt somewhat like a reward, Ning Yan thought with a sense of humiliation deep inside her heart.