Chapter 173: Chapter 99: Changes! _2
"What about those two women?"
"Taking them back will be a merit. They’re not particularly useful to us, but it would be different if we handed them to the Spy Bureau or Lord Jingnan."
"The Qian State army participating in the search for us might be larger tomorrow," said Liang Cheng.
With the ongoing developments in Mianzhou city and the repercussions from kidnapping this mother and daughter, it was likely that most of Qian State’s border army would be mobilized.
"I’m more worried there’d be too few," replied Zheng Fan.
"Why?"
"Lord Jingnan isn’t Blind Bei. I simply don’t believe that he would be ignorant of such a large-scale deployment of the Qian State army at the border."
"Is this speculation of yours, my lord?"
"You haven’t personally seen that lord. He’s definitely not easy to deal with."
"Since my lord has his own calculations, I won’t be worried. My lord should rest. I’ll handle the night patrols."
"I appreciate it."
Zheng Fan waved his hand, rolled up his cloak, covered his face, and closed his eyes.
...
When everyone rested, they obviously didn’t have the energy to establish a proper camp. They merely chose this remote and serene spot as a temporary stop. If there was any sign of trouble, it would allow everyone to move quickly.
After Liang Cheng had rechecked the night watchmen and the number of sentries dispatched, he returned to the large tree where he had eaten his meal previously.
"Are you tired?" The girl’s voice floated to him.
Liang Cheng glanced at her but did not answer.
"You all have been on the run for so long, it must be exhausting, right?" The girl moved closer to him on her own, her hands hugging his shoulders, and rested her head on him.
The mother and daughter weren’t tied up. Despite many barbarian soldiers resting around them, Liang Cheng had set up covert sentinels. Even when these barbarian soldiers were snoring, they kept one eye open, observing their surroundings.
There are many wolves in the desert; people who sleep too soundly would have been eaten by them long ago.
"Hey, why are you so cold?" the girl grumbled, discontented.
Liang Cheng remained silent.
"Do you not like women?" asked the girl.
Liang Cheng closed his eyes.
As the girl spoke, her hand started to slide downward.
"HISS..."
Immediately, she retracted her hand with a gasp. Her fingertip was cut and bleeding.
"Why is it so prickly down there?" The girl, aggrieved, put her injured finger in her mouth to suck on it.
The reality was that there was still a piece of a spear tip embedded in Liang Cheng’s abdomen. The girl’s hand had slid down and been cut by it.
But Liang Cheng did not explain and kept his eyes closed.
"Hey, why don’t you keep me company and chat? I saw you today in the carriage. To be honest, I’ve taken a liking to you. My father wants me to marry a bookworm, but I don’t want to. I prefer strong men like you."
A zombie, from a certain perspective, was indeed an iron-hard man. Perhaps even something forged from real iron wouldn’t be as tough as him.
Liang Cheng opened his eyes, looked at the girl, and said, "During the day, your guards died protecting you."
"Yes, so what?"
"Don’t you feel sad?"
"They ate my family’s food, served my family, and sacrificed their lives for us. It’s only natural. Why should I feel sad?"
"Hmm."
"Right? There are so many tragic things in this world; people can’t afford to be sad all the time. So, how about it? Be my husband. You’re probably not a high-ranking official in Yan State, are you? If you were, you wouldn’t be out here risking your life with just these few men. Become my husband, and I’ll speak to my father. I’ll get you an official position in Qian State, guaranteed to be higher than your one in Yan State. I can also bear your children. What do you say?"
Liang Cheng nodded.
"You agree?" The girl seemed a bit surprised.
Liang Cheng suddenly stretched out his hand, catching hold of the girl’s hand.
"What are you doing? There are too many people here. Let’s go to the woods over there?"
Liang Cheng stared into her eyes and asked, "Who are you, really?"
...
Indeed, sleeping in the harsh, freezing wilderness without a blanket, wearing armor, and unable to light a fire—this wasn’t rest; it was an ordeal. But there was no choice. To conserve energy for the next day, he had to force himself to sleep.
Ever since he had awakened in this world and experienced so much, Zheng Fan had changed significantly. He could actually fall asleep under such conditions—something his past self would have found nearly unimaginable.
His sleep was too shallow, however. When a fragrant scent wafted over him, Zheng Fan slowly opened his eyes.
He saw the noblewoman appear before him; she had descended into the semi-pit he was in.
"What are you doing?" Zheng Fan asked.
"I... I’m scared."
"If you’re scared, go find Liang Cheng. He’s a comforting presence."
Zheng Fan closed his eyes after speaking. He wasn’t worried about the mother and daughter escaping; many barbarian soldiers were keeping watch nearby. If the two women made the slightest unusual move, arrows would rain down on them. This was an order Zheng Fan had given to the surrounding barbarian soldiers in their presence, so they naturally knew it.
"I hope you can spare my daughter."
The noblewoman moved closer to Zheng Fan. At the same time, a faintly pink mist began to swirl around her fingertips, slowly wafting towards Zheng Fan’s nose and mouth.
"I’m not a bloodthirsty person. You can rest assured. As long as you cooperate obediently, you and your daughter will be fine. Alright, now..."
"I will cooperate, I will cooperate fully." The noblewoman suddenly hugged Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan froze for a moment. Suddenly, his vision began to turn reddish, and his body grew hot. The sensation was strange, as if he were floating on clouds; everything felt so unreal.
"I’ll do anything you want, really." While hugging Zheng Fan, the noblewoman caressed his chest with one hand.
At this moment, with this scene unfolding, many of the nearby sentries or barbarian soldiers pretending to sleep surely noticed. However, they merely assumed their master was indulging in some sort of "female captive" fantasy and even deliberately averted their gazes. This was out of respect for their master; everyone tactfully minded their own business. God forbid they looked too closely! If they angered the master, they’d better watch out, or he might just knock off their skulls and use them as bowls!
No one noticed that the woman’s other hand was stealthily reaching for the knife placed beside Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan already sensed that something was wrong, but for some reason, his body wouldn’t move.
This woman was trouble!
But no matter how hard Zheng Fan struggled, he couldn’t move or make a sound. He couldn’t even circulate his qi and blood; it was as if he were experiencing sleep paralysis.
"Really, I’ll do anything. I’ll serve you, I’ll accompany you, you can do whatever you want to me, really..."
The woman’s hand had touched Zheng Fan’s knife.
Meanwhile, to avoid arousing suspicion, she kept talking, acting as if she were "flirting" with Zheng Fan.
"As long as you spare my daughter, I will do anything for you."
The woman’s hand gripped the knife. She was about to succeed!
"As long as you spare my daughter, really, I can be your wife, I can be your woman. If you have children, I can be your children’s mother."
"GURGLE, GURGLE..."