LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 16
Tan Chuyan already appeared very thin, but he felt even slimmer when held in his arms, as if he were a bundle of bones.
Feng Chilie frowned, saying, “You’re hurting me.”
“You’re more awake now,” Tan Chuyan patted his thigh. “Run quickly; you’ll be in trouble if you’re too late.”
The location of this hand’s slap was quite unsettling. He sensitive to it, Feng Chilie touched his top teeth with the tip of his tongue, advising, “Just use your mouth; don’t use your hands or feet.”
Without giving Tan Chuyan a chance to respond, he pinched Shuang’s belly firmly, and the horse sped up.
As Tan Chuyan opened his mouth, the wind rushed in.
As expected, a madman rode a spirited horse and didn’t seem to care much about this poor little guy.
The strong wind kicked up the falling snow, causing Tan Chuyan’s face to sting. He reached out to take off Feng Chilie’s cloak and pulled it around himself. Finally, he began to feel like he was back in the world.
Seeing that he found a way to keep warm, Feng Chilie rode even faster, as if he were about to take flight.
Shuang was indeed an excellent horse, and they arrived outside the royal city before dawn.
At that moment, the city gate remained closed, so Feng Chilie guided Tan Chuyan to a spot with minimal guard presence and low city walls.
He tightly held Tan Chuyan’s waist, which was more delicate than a woman’s, lifted him, and stepped on Shuang’s back. He then used his strength to leap over.
Tan Chuyan turned to look at Shuang, who stood in the same spot and spun around twice before disappearing. “Master Yan, your horse has run away.”
“What?” Feng Chilie’s speed was so high that everything in his ears was overwhelmed by the whistling wind. Tan Chuyan’s voice was so low that he could barely hear. “Could you speak louder?”
Tan Chuyan shouted close to his ear, “I said…”
“Ouch!” Feng Chilie dodged for a moment, almost falling off the roof but still didn’t slow down. “You’re too close; please control your volume, or you’ll deafen my ears.”
In his heart, Tan Chuyan mercilessly slandered, ‘This man is full of bullshit.” But he said with a gentle voice, “I say, Master Yan, your horse has run away.”
“Let him run away.” Feng Chilie wasn’t worried at all, “when the city gate opened again, it will run home by itself to the Purity Sect to eat grass.”
Tan Chuyan held on his lapel tightly, “The horse is quite smart.”
‘If I had known it, I wouldn’t give it to you, you bastard.’
That was right, Shuang was the birthday gift Young Master Yan had given to Yan Lie a year ago. He thought at that time, Yan Lie, a fierce person, should be worthy of a fierce horse.
So, he wrote to Yan Changfeng and asked him to find a way to get the fierce horse from Taheri Dynasty and gave it to Yan Lie as a gift. It costed him a lot of money, okay!
Although Tan Chuyan didn’t witness Yan Lie’s reaction when he received the horse, but Yan Changfeng wrote a letter detailing that Yan Lie was very happy with the horse and he laughed so hard that everyone thought he was going crazy.
Now, it appeared that Yan Lie and Shuang got along splendidly, and Yan Lie even claimed that Shuang was a spiritual horse.
He had said, “This horse must be spiritual, after all, the person who gave me the horse is also very spirited.”
“…”
Okay, he dared to compare him with a horse, he would write this down well.
Tan Chuyan couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at him.
Feng Chilie raised an eyebrow, remarking, “Is your eye twitching? Do you need to blow on something?”
“…”
Tan Chuyan reached out and covered Feng Chilie’s mouth, saying, “Master Yan, please stop talking; it’s too much.”
Feng Chilie complied with a simple “Okay.”
Why did this man manage to make noise even with his whole face covered?
Right, Tan Chuyan had forgotten that the mask concealed his entire face, not just his lips.
If he couldn’t cure him, could he at least save his own sanity?
Tan Chuyan covered his ears, and the world fell silent.
.
.
Feng Chilie escorted Tan Chuyan to Ling-han Pavilion and departed.
Although Tuoba Rou’s death had some connection to both of his identities, it was more closely tied to Feng Chilie’s role, as he had the childhood marriage with her.
Regardless of how Feng Chilie tried to downplay this matter, the king would certainly summon him, so he needed to return to the general’s mansion promptly to await that summons.
Tan Chuyan stood at the door for a moment, then turned and entered Ling-han Pavilion.
Yan Changfeng approached him, wearing a concerned expression. “Young Master, why do your eyes look so tired?”
Could they be anything other than tired? He hadn’t slept for a whole day and night.
“Uncle Yan, where is the maid I brought back from the Xibo tribe? Bring her here; I want to see her.” Tan Chuyan, despite his fatigue, inquired.
Yan Changfeng brought the girl in as per Tan Chuyan’s request.
The maid had been rescued by Yan Changfeng during a business trip to the Xibo tribe the previous year.
Upon her rescue, it was revealed that this girl was Tuoba Rou’s personal maid, chosen by Tuoba Zheng for her exceptional beauty. However, before she could do anything, Madam Yu had discovered the situation. She gave the maid the name “Xia Shi (confusion)” subjected her to harsh punishment, and then sold her to a brothel.
By some stroke of luck, the maid had managed to escape and encountered Yan Changfeng again, who promptly rescued her to Ling-han Pavilion.
Subsequently, the maid returned to Ling-han Pavilion, where she overheard some conversations about Young Master Yan.
Tan Chuyan examined the maid, who appeared to be around eighteen years old. She possessed a beautiful visage and had the demeanor of a timid rabbit.
Kneeling on the ground, she whispered, “Young Master Yan.”
“Please rise,” Tan Chuyan, rubbing his tired eyes, replied gently, “I heard from Uncle Yan that you are originally from the Xibo tribe, is that correct?”
“Yes, I am, and I used to serve under the king…” The maid choked up as she recounted her history.
“Don’t cry, I won’t ask you about that,” Tan Chuyan raised his hand to reassure her. “Could you please tell me your name?” The maid replied, “My name is Ai Xia, which means ‘moon’ in Chinese.”
“Ai Xia,” Tan Chuyan approached her and spoke softly, “I have an important task for you now. Are you willing?”
Ai Xia nodded emphatically, saying, “I am willing.”
“Don’t rush to agree,” Tan Chuyan provided her with an opportunity to choose, “If this matter is exposed, your life may be at risk. Take some time to think it over.”
“I’ve thought it through,” Ai Xia asserted with determination, “My life was saved by Ling-han Pavilion. I’ll do whatever the young master asks of me.”
“Thank you very much,” Tan Chuyan said, his expression becoming more serious. “How much do you know about Tuoba Rou?”
Ai Xia recollected, “I have a good understanding of Princess Changle’s preferences and personality.”
Tan Chuyan inquired thoughtfully, “How closely can you resemble her when you impersonate her?”
“I can resemble her about eighty-nine percent. Tuoba Zheng and Madam Yu won’t be able to recognize the difference,” Ai Xia replied, “Back in Xibo, I often stood in for the princess when she went out to play. However, there is no need for such disguises now.”
“Very good,” Tan Chuyan clasped his hands together. “Don’t worry about it; Uncle Yan will take care of the disguise.”
Yan Changfeng brought the necessary tools and skillfully altered Ai Xia’s appearance based on his recollection. The transformation was so convincing that it appeared as if the deceased Tuoba Rou had returned to life.
After finishing his work, Yan Changfeng gazed at Tan Chuyan with a puzzled expression. “Young Master, I just heard from our informants that Princess Changle died during her journey. Is it true?”
“Yes, I don’t need to emphasize the gravity of the situation; you all should understand,” Tan Chuyan directed his gaze toward Ai Xia. “Are you afraid this time?”
Ai Xia shook her head without hesitation, her eyes resolute. “No, I’ve already faced death once, so I fear neither life nor death. My only wish is to repay the kindness I’ve received and assist in any way I can.”