CHAPTER 17

Lian Sheng remained silent. Ahhhhh, didn’t he swear he hated Lian women? That even the fairest Lian maiden wasn’t worthy of warming his bed? Isn’t he supposed to be disgusted with me?! And by gripping her wrist, isn’t he risking it turning black and blue?!

In stark contrast to her tumultuous thoughts, Yi Qiancheng found himself looking at her from this close. He felt as if he had returned to that night in the cave, under the light of the full moon, when beauty was breathtaking.

This lying minx is truly lovely. The closer he moved, the more he felt entranced.

Perhaps because she feared him, her eyelashes quivered. Yet determined to maintain her composure, she bravely met his gaze. Her eyes, black and round like grapes, brimmed with tears but refused to yield to sadness easily.

In those eyes... she saw only him.

Nothing existed for her except him, filling every inch of her vision. Yi Qiancheng couldn’t deny that this sensation felt truly special—to him, for a fleeting moment, Lian Sheng really was his alone, her heart beating solely for him.

His heartbeat quickened, as if a drum were pounding in his chest, its rhythm making his head spin with dizzying clarity.

But before this wonderful feeling could fully take root, it was doused by the resistance he saw in Lian Sheng’s eyes. Her gaze was clear and sincere, which also meant she wasn’t good at lying. If you looked closely into her eyes, you could see traces of hidden disgust and hatred.

His heart suddenly tightened, a vague discomfort creeping in. Hmph, he had said it—this liar spoke so sweetly, but deep down, she just wanted to use him.

“Hubby, it hurts, it hurts, please be gentler,” Lin Sheng furrowed her brows. Her hand wasn’t made of wood—why was he acting so mad? Squeezing it so hard all of a sudden hurt like hell!

Yi Qiancheng’s heart skipped a beat. Hearing her call out in pain, he felt his body uncontrollably reacting in an obvious way.

The general, Yi Qiancheng, kept his face neutral and subtly moved his body a little further away from hers, loosening his grip slightly. He really wanted to curse. What the hell...

His palm felt the soft, smooth skin in his grasp, and before he realized it, his thumb had brushed over it a few times. Lin Sheng looked back at him with wide, terrified eyes. He simply decided to scare her further: “During military marches and wars, it’s common for soldiers to go hungry. In such situations, even human flesh might become edible. Do you know what that tastes like?”

“No, I... I don’t want to know.”

He smiled, his gaze telling her that she was the most likely to be devoured. Lin Sheng didn’t believe it. She had heard about people starving to death, but never about killing their own kin. She’d rather believe this was just Yi Qiancheng’s dark humor.

“If you don’t want to know, then forget it. Sleep well, and no crossing boundaries.” He released her wrist, moved further from her, and the smile on his face disappeared.

The tent was small. Lin Sheng, petite in stature, found the space cramped with Yi Qiancheng, whose large build took up more room. At this moment, Lin Sheng couldn’t wait to be as far from him as possible. No, she definitely wasn’t going to cross any boundaries!

She curled into a tiny ball, trying to stay as far away as possible. After the exhausting day of traveling, she had been tense at first, but seeing that Yi Qiancheng closed his eyes and wasn’t intending to bother her, she slowly gave in to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Lin Sheng was woken by strange noises. She had a habit of not being fully conscious when she woke up. In her daze, she thought she heard Yi Qiancheng’s breathing.

But at this moment, too sleepy to open her eyes, she subconsciously called out, “Hubby?”

The strange sound stopped, and she heard a hoarse voice say, “Call me again.”

Lin Sheng wasn’t fully awake and didn’t understand what he had said before drifting back to sleep. She then had a very strange dream, in which a vicious dog was chasing her. Yi Qiancheng was watching with a smile, enjoying her plight. Terrified, she begged Yi Qiancheng for help, but he said, “If you call me ‘hubby,’ I’ll save you.”

She obediently called out, but no matter how many times she called, the vicious dog didn’t stop chasing her. Instead, it seemed to grow fiercer, and Yi Qiancheng, with a strange look, directed the dog: “Bite her.”

The dog leapt up and bit her on the neck. She tried to run, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape. She could only let the dog gnaw on her neck like a piece of meat. Lin Sheng was frightened, suddenly recalling Yi Qiancheng’s earlier words about “choices after hunger”—the dream terrified her into waking up.

It was just before dawn. Lin Sheng rubbed her eyes, her vision blurry. For a while, she turned to look at Yi Qiancheng beside her. He was lying far from her, as if she were some kind of dangerous beast.

Lin Sheng felt furious. Even in her dreams, Yi Qiancheng was bullying her! She could still remember the feeling of grievance. She almost wanted to take the chance that he hadn’t woken up and stomp on his face.

Once awake, she couldn’t fall back asleep. She didn’t dare sneak out of the tent and waited for Yi Qiancheng to wake up. Meanwhile, she thought about what to do next. Yi Qiancheng had brought his army, meaning he would eventually act to save Yingdong.

But when exactly he would act was uncertain. He might wait for the Western Qiang to capture Yingdong, then take advantage of the situation to defeat them. By then, the soldiers from both sides would be exhausted, and it would be easy for him to seize Yingdong.

After all, when two enemies fight, the fisherman benefits. The more Lin Sheng thought about it, the more anxious she became. She simply couldn’t trust Yi Qiancheng. She couldn’t let this situation happen—if the Western Qiang breached the city, countless innocent lives would be lost. Her brother, Lian Qi, would not survive either!

But Yi Qiancheng hated the Lian family, and this was the most advantageous scenario for him.

Lin Sheng bit her lip, feeling agitated. She couldn’t threaten Yi Qiancheng with words like “seizing the city in a time of crisis is a death penalty.” This man wouldn’t be moved by such things. The fact that he led his army to another city without informing the emperor showed that he feared nothing. His ambitions were already clear.

Lin Sheng reflected on the timeline from her dream. After her brother’s great victory, the next major event would be the death of the old emperor, and the princes would fight for the throne. This meant that soon, the whole world would fall into chaos.

In the midst of turmoil, Yi Qiancheng, like a fierce tiger, would soon reveal his sharp claws.

Yi Qiancheng opened his eyes and saw Lin Sheng with a serious expression, deep in thought. His expression stiffened for a second, then his gaze swept over her neck. Seeing no unusual signs, he finally spoke, “Get up, let’s move out.”

…

The Lord of Lian City eagerly awaited news of reinforcements from the Second Prince, but instead, he received the news of the old emperor’s death.

The Second Prince was too busy with his own survival to reply. The Lord of Lian City felt despair, but when he remembered that Lian Qi had driven the Western Qiang forces back, he felt a little calmer.

Lian Sishan sat aside, reading Lian Qi’s letter. Not a single word was about her, the second daughter, or her second brother Lian Xiyue. The letter was filled with subtle hints to her father, warning him that no matter what, Lian Sheng must not be touched! Lian Sishan sneered inwardly: What good is it to care about Lian Sheng? She had already been married off to a rough man!

Now, Lian Sheng had already shared a bridal bed with that infamous man. No matter how capable Lian Qi was, he couldn’t turn things around.

Zhao Hengting smiled: “A proper person?”