Chapter 975.2: Jealousy
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The border carriages, despite their formidable exterior, were far from luxurious inside.
There wasn’t even a charcoal brazier for warmth. Cold wind seeped in through the loosely fitted windows, and Princess Xinyang’s hands and feet turned icy. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
Xiao Ji extended his warm handwarmer toward her.
“I don’t want it.” She said curtly.
He simply took it back without any change in expression, as though her coldness and rejection were nothing out of the ordinary for him.
The carriage grew quiet.
Still fuming, Princess Xinyang remained silent for a long time before suddenly realizing she hadn’t even asked where they were headed. She finally spoke. “Where are we going?”
“To the military camp.” Xiao Ji replied.
“I’m going back to the capital.” Princess Xinyang said flatly.
Leaning back against the carriage window, Xiao Ji looked at her with a faintly amused smile and drawled, “What’s this? Feeling wronged now? You looked quite fierce when you were bullying someone just now.”
Princess Xinyang glared at him coldly.
Xiao Ji narrowed his eyes slightly. “Qin Fengwen, may I take your behavior right now to mean… you’re jealous?”
Without even thinking, Princess Xinyang retorted sharply, “I am not! Who would be jealous over you? Whoever you marry or flirt with outside has nothing to do with me!”
Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Princess Xinyang turned her head away with an icy expression.
After that, neither of them said another word. The only sound left in the carriage was the howling of the cold wind.
Xiao Ji had grown thinner than he had been in the capital, and even the color of his lips was somewhat pale.
The memorandums that had been sent back to the capital did not mention how difficult this battle had been, but since it had reached the stage of peace negotiations, Princess Xinyang understood that the soldiers stationed at the border must have already endured horrifying exhaustion and endless warfare.
Xiao Ji… must have been injured.
When they were halfway to their destination, snow began to fall from the sky. Princess Xinyang grew worried about Yu Jin and lifted the carriage curtain to look behind her. What she saw was not only Yu Jin’s carriage but also the one belonging to the Dongyi princess.
The words on the tip of her tongue, “Are you hurt?”, were swallowed back down.
The heavy snowfall slowed their progress, turning what should have been an hour’s journey into a trek that lasted until nightfall.
The convoy finally came to a stop outside the military camp.
Chang Jing leapt down from the carriage. “We’ve arrived!”
Xiao Ji turned to look at Princess Xinyang, as though waiting for her to be the first to get down.
Princess Xinyang didn’t move. “You go first.”
Xiao Ji glanced at her, then removed his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
“I don’t——”
Before she could finish, Xiao Ji suddenly leaned forward, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her off the seat in one swift motion.
Her whole body went rigid.
Xiao Ji called out, “Chang Jing, go fetch some hot water.”
“Yes.” Chang Jing replied promptly and hurried off.
Xiao Ji pulled the cloak tightly around her, covering her so completely that even her feet could not be seen.
But in that brief moment when he rose with her in his arms, her sharp eyes caught sight of the large hole in the carriage window.
Had he been leaning against that side earlier, blocking the hole with his back to keep the wind from blowing in?
As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, a gust of cold wind swept past. Xiao Ji lowered his chin, pressing down the edge of the cloak so the cold wouldn’t get in, enclosing her face within its warmth.
She could feel the steady firmness of his chest beneath her cheek, her heart pounding in disarray. His clothes were cool to the touch, but his breath was warm, seeping through layers of fabric and spreading across her face.
When the soldiers at the border camp saw Marquis Xuanping carrying someone in his arms, every one of them was stunned.
“Who is Lord Marquis carrying? The Dongyi princess?” One soldier asked.
“Probably.” Another said. “Lately, she’s been the only woman allowed near Lord Marquis.”
A chill pierced Princess Xinyang’s heart. She raised her numb, frozen hand and pushed weakly against him. “Put me down!”
Xiao Ji didn’t comply. Instead, he carried her straight into his own tent.
Life at the border was harsh, and the tents here were far simpler than those in the capital. Xiao Ji never lit charcoal fires, saving every bit for his wounded soldiers.
Chang Jing soon returned with the hot water.
“Out.” Xiao Ji ordered.
“Understood.” Chang Jing said, resigning himself and stepping out.
Xiao Ji set Princess Xinyang down on his bed, then knelt on one knee and lifted the hem of her skirt.
Her expression changed instantly. “Xiao Ji, what are you doing!”
Without answering, Xiao Ji swiftly removed her shoes and stockings. His strength was great, while she had been frozen to the point of numbness, powerless to resist.
A flash of fear toward him rose uncontrollably within her, draining the color from her face.
Xiao Ji brought the wooden bucket closer, rolled her trousers up high, tested the temperature of the water with his hand, and then placed her icy, lifeless feet into it.
After finishing, he looked up at her face, which was slowly regaining color, and said with a subtle expression, “Qin Fengwen, what did you think I was going to do to you?”
Princess Xinyang lowered her gaze. “Nothing.”
Marquis Xuanping let out a short laugh. “Thinking about it won’t help. I’m not a man so easily taken.”
Princess Xinyang was speechless.
A moment later, she regained her composure and sneered faintly. “Of course. Your heart already belongs to your Dongyi princess.”
Marquis Xuanping stood, picked up a towel, and sat down beside her. “Tsk. You really are jealous.”
Princess Xinyang was about to retort, but before she could, he bent forward, took her wet lower legs out of the now-cooling water, placed them on a clean towel, and then on his lap.
“You…”
Princess Xinyang’s eyes trembled slightly as she hurried to pull her legs back.
“Don’t move.” He held her delicate feet still. As an imperial princess, she had never been forced to bind her feet like the poor girls among the common folk, and her feet, naturally shaped and graceful, were exquisite. In his rough, scarred hands, they formed a striking contrast, a cruel yet beautiful sight.
“You’ve got frostbite.” He said. “The medicine is under your pillow.”
Princess Xinyang reached for the ointment. “I can do it myself.”
“The peace negotiation is real.” Xiao Ji said suddenly. “It was my idea. But Zhen’er and I are not what you think.”
Princess Xinyang quickly realized that Zhen’er must be the Dongyi princess’s name. Her expression turned cold as she snatched the towel from his hand.
Xiao Ji continued, “Zhen’er is my younger brother’s daughter, my niece.”
Princess Xinyang froze. “But isn’t she… the Dongyi king’s princess?”
Xiao Ji looked at her and replied, “Her mother was indeed from the Dongyi tribe, but her father was not the Dongyi king. He was Xiao Ming. The Dongyi king happened to discover her true parentage and temporarily adopted her as his foster daughter, sending her here to negotiate peace with our army.”
At this, his lips curved slightly. “Qin Fengwen, are you still jealous now?”
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…