Seeing that Gu Fei and Zhang Biao clearly didn’t believe her, the expression on Xiao Lingshuang’s face finally turned cold.
“What exactly do I need to do for you to believe me?”
Zhang Biao grinned and shamelessly said, “Unless you give our Lord a kiss, then I’ll believe it!”
“You!”
Xiao Lingshuang’s sharp, fierce eyes brimmed with murderous intent—she was about to explode from anger.
“This damned Zhang Biao… was he sent by the heavens just to toy with me?!”
At that moment, the squad of soldiers at the gate below seemed to have run out of patience. They began to loudly threaten the gatekeepers, clearly indicating that if they weren’t allowed in, they would force their way through.
But the gatekeepers had worse tempers than they did. Damn it, just twenty people and they dared to act tough in Shangyuan County? Did they not open their eyes and see whose territory this was?
This was a proper, off-the-record fake county town. And you think we’re scared of you so-called official troops?
Up above, Gu Fei chuckled. “Miss Leng, take a good look. They’re about to break through. If they get inside, you might be taken away…”
Gu Fei really wanted to see if this woman would take the initiative to kiss him. To be honest… he kind of liked her. She was cultured, elegant, dignified… beautiful… fiery. Especially when she stared at people with those phoenix eyes, she had quite an intimidating aura.
Xiao Lingshuang heard him and looked at Gu Fei. She thought, even if this place was called Shangyuan City and looked like a formal township, at the end of the day, wasn’t it just a group of mountain bandits playing king of the hill?
But seeing both sides below were on the brink of a fight, her heart suddenly tensed up.
Taking advantage of the moment while Zhang Biao was leaning over the battlements to watch below, she suddenly grabbed Gu Fei’s face and kissed him square on the lips.
She went all in. In her heart, she thought, it wasn’t the first time she’d kissed this scoundrel, so what did it matter?
Gu Fei was stunned by the sudden kiss. By the time he reacted, it was already over.
“I’ve done what I had to do. Now fulfill your promise.”
Gu Fei pressed his feet together and saluted her, “At your command, my bandit wife!”
“Zhang Biao, take your men and kill those damn officers.”
Zhang Biao froze. “Did she really kiss you, my Lord? I didn’t see it!”
“I’ll kiss your sister! Hurry up and take them out before our gate guards get injured—we’d have to pay for treatment!”
“My Lord… If you kiss my sister Zhang Yao, I guarantee she’ll be willing.”
“Scram… You just want me to be your brother-in-law!”
Xiao Lingshuang soon saw Zhang Biao leading a squad, long saber in hand, directly confronting the soldiers.
“Where the hell are you from?! Who gave you the guts to cause trouble in Shangyuan County?!”
The soldiers sneered. One of them drew his saber and shouted arrogantly, “We are acting under orders from General Situ to arrest a traitor! You lowly county folk dare meddle in our affairs?”
“Step aside, or if anything goes wrong, you’ll all die!”
The guards weren’t fazed. Instead, one laughed out loud, “Brother Biao, imagine that—someone dares to threaten you aside from our Lord!”
Zhang Biao spat. “You lot should know what happens to those who threaten me—especially corrupt officials who bully the people.”
One of the squad captains grinned, “Of course. We slaughtered every last one of them!”
The officer leading the soldiers was a centurion under Situ Xin. Seeing these nobodies daring to talk back, he was furious. But he also knew they were outnumbered, and he didn’t know what forces lay inside the city. He wasn’t eager for direct conflict.
Though they were used to being arrogant, today, they had run into people who didn’t buy into that.
His tone softened a bit—not so arrogant now—but he still said with pride to Zhang Biao, “I won’t argue with you. Call your county magistrate or constable. He’ll definitely let us in to conduct a search.”
Zhang Biao laughed. “Our Lord is right up there watching you. Don’t believe me? Look.”
The soldiers looked up at the tower and immediately saw the Empress standing next to Gu Fei.
Their hearts jolted.
A strong sense of unease gripped them.
If the Empress could stand on the city tower with the county magistrate, hands behind her back, clearly Gu Fei already knew her true identity…
Then wouldn’t that make them the traitors?
Realizing this, the centurion instinctively wanted to flee.
But Zhang Biao had already given the order. “What are you standing around for? Kill them!”
He was the first to raise his blade and swing it at the centurion.
The centurion, still dazed, was cut down by a single slash.
From above, Xiao Lingshuang watched in stunned silence as Zhang Biao and his guards transformed into savage beasts, slaughtering the soldiers like they were nothing. The squad didn’t even have a chance to fight back.
In just a moment, the entire squad was wiped out.
This left the Empress with a very deep impression of Shangyuan County’s combat power. It really was a big bandit den. They killed without hesitation—swiftly and efficiently, not a word of nonsense.
But she also felt fortunate. If this had been an ordinary county, she might’ve ended up in the hands of those soldiers again.
Nowhere else in Beiheng would a county magistrate dare defy Du Gu Xin’s orders and refuse to hand someone over. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
She noticed that Gu Fei watched the whole thing as if it were nothing, not even worried his side would lose.
He didn’t even frown once. He just kept that charming smile on his face.
Gu Fei knew that this woman surnamed Leng was secretly watching him.
He turned his head and smiled lazily. “Wife, your husband’s done what you asked. When should we start planning our wedding? I’m ready for the bridal chamber.”
“I… I…” Xiao Lingshuang hadn’t expected this guy to demand she honor her promise so quickly.
Suddenly, she remembered something—marriage required matchmakers and parental consent.
“Wife, you said it. You can’t go back on your word,” Gu Fei grinned shamelessly.
“No, no! Marriage is a serious matter, not something to joke about. It requires a matchmaker and my parents’ consent. If you really want to marry me, you have to come to the capital and propose properly. Then we can pick an auspicious date to wed,” Xiao Lingshuang said, feigning calm.
She glanced at him and cursed inwardly, “This shameless bandit… this brute… how dare he act so brazenly!”
Gu Fei looked at her with a half-smile. “Oh? That’s reasonable. But don’t forget—you owe me two lives. Shouldn’t there be some explanation for that? Otherwise, how can I answer to Zhang Biao?”
Just then, Zhang Biao popped up again from who knows where and chimed in, “That’s right, Madam. I’ve been waiting to drink the wedding wine for a while now!”
This damned Biao really was everywhere.
Xiao Lingshuang was both angry and flustered, but she suppressed her rage and said coldly, “I’ve already told your Lord—he must accompany me to the capital and propose properly if he wants to marry me.” Then she deliberately turned away, showing she didn’t want to talk further.
Behind her, Zhang Biao muttered, “My Lord, maybe you should just marry my little sister instead… She doesn’t want anything. As long as I agree, it’s a done deal!”
Gu Fei kicked him again. “Get lost.”
“And go arrange for those bodies to be burned!”
Zhang Biao muttered gloomily, “My Lord… I already gave the order. Not even ash will be left behind!”
Xiao Lingshuang heard their exchange and thought, These bandits even clean up corpses so efficiently… They must’ve done this countless times.
Once I get back to the capital, I’ll slowly settle accounts with you both.
Ah… ah… AH-CHOO—!
Gu Fei suddenly sneezed.
Xiao Lingshuang immediately found a reason to speak, pretending to care, “You should go home and drink some ginger tea, and maybe a little wine to sweat it out. Always showing off…”