The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 130- 132

Chapter 130- Siege, Engagement and Hunt (2)

The place that Zhang Chong had fled to was an upland covered with thorny bush. For some reason, the whole area was full of thick thorns and thistles ridden with barbs extremely prone to hurt people, making it almost impossible to get through.

Driven by an overwhelming desire to survive, Zhang Chong steeled himself and ordered his men to cut through the thorny bush. At the cost of dozens of soldiers’ lives, they made it through the area and fled into woods.

The main road leading to the east was right on the other side of the hill. Once he got over it, it would be rather difficult to catch him. As a result, Dai Cheng was hotly pursuing him sparing no effort, and there had been several occasions when he was within an inch of intercepting Zhang Chong successfully.

“Should we lend Dai Cheng a helping hand, Marshal?” asked one of the men covertly following Dai Cheng.

“There’s no hurry. Dai Cheng could be counted as an experienced commander. We shall stand by unless he really fails to catch Zhang Chong.”

However, Yuwen Tong, who regarded Dai Cheng as an experienced commander, ended up being disappointed. Despite the fact that Dai Cheng was within an inch of catching Zhang Chong for several times, he still failed to stop Zhang Chong from getting out of the woods. What was more embarrassing was that Dai Cheng himself was trapped in the woods by Zhang Chong who managed to advantage himself by making full use of the terrain!

The corners of Yuwen Tong’s mouth twitched. “What a bunch of good-for-nothings.”

His bodyguards didn’t dare to utter a word.

“Let’s move,” ordered Yuwen Tong. He ignored Dai Cheng and his men who were trapped, led his bodyguards out of the woods and successfully intercepted Zhang Chong who had already reached the main road.

At this time, apart from his two surviving deputy commanders, Wang He and Dou Li, Zhang Chong had only a dozen personal guards by his side.

As the interceptors popped out of nowhere and blocked their path, faces of Zhang Chong and his men changed drastically with alarm. “Who are you!”

Since Yuwen Tong was in inconspicuous clothes and also wearing a mask, Zhang Chong and his men didn’t recognize him.

“People who are going to kill you.” Yuwen Tong flicked a glance at a bodyguard beside him, who then answered Zhang Chong’s question.

Right at this moment, Ling Zhang, carried by another bodyguard, also arrived. Seeing the two sides confronting each other in the front, he didn’t precipitously run over. “Wait a moment.”

The bodyguard put him down.

Ling Zhang looked around and noticed the absence of Dai Cheng, which brought him into the realization that Dai Cheng must have been lost by the targets.

“I don’t think there are any feuds between us. Why do you want to kill me?” said Zhang Chong flintily.

“You’re a rebel. Do I need a reason to kill you?” replied the bodyguard standing beside Yuwen Tong, and with that, in a cold voice, he instructed the others, “Finish them!”

Immediately, all bodyguards launched their attack.

Yuwen Tong’s bodyguards were all highly experienced kung fu experts with numerous confirmed kills. And their combat capability was far greater than that of common soldiers. Soon, Zhang Chong and his two deputy commanders were the only ones still alive.

“I surrender. Please spare me.” Unexpectedly, Wang He dropped his weapon and capitulated.

Zhang Chong, went angry. In his disgust for those who betrayed him or surrendered to the enemy, he tried to take Wang He’s life.

Yuwen Tong’s bodyguards stopped him. “Zhang Chong, surrender yourself or die.”

“Just kill me if you can! In no circumstances will I surrender!” Zhang Chong brandished his weapon and charged forward.

Dou Li knitted his eyebrows. Surprisingly, he didn’t capitulate but followed Zhang Chong launching an attack.

“Since they are impenetrably thickheaded, kill them,” instructed Yuwen Tong in a low voice.

‘This voice sounds familiar.’ Zhang Chong became suspicious and, surprisingly, managed to fight his way up to Yuwen Tong with sheer brute strength.

Since Zhang Chong had come at him, Yuwen Tong naturally wouldn’t choose to draw back. The two of them started fighting.

Seeing this, all bodyguards took a few steps backward, making room for them.

Far from a match for Yuwen Tong, Zhang Chong was soon reduced to the losing side, but he still refused to give up. Naturally, Zhang Chong’s efforts couldn’t cause Yuwen Tong any restrictions, and neither did Yuwen Tong show him any mercy.

All of a sudden, with some kind of weird move, Zhang Chong managed to grab Yuwen Tong’s mask and tore it off.

“I knew it’s you! Yuwen Tong!” Zhang Chong yelled in rage.

The look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes went cold and with that he decisively took Zhang Chong’s life with one blow.

The deadly blow was caused by a sword that had gone through Zhang Chong’s chest. In the last few moments of his life, he was still glaring at Yuwen Tong in fury. “It was you… You did all this.”

Yuwen Tong flintily watched him, making no response. Zhang Chong glared fixedly at Yuwen Tong. Eventually, he fell to the ground with a thud and breathed his last.

Seeing this, Ling Zhang standing in the distance abruptly exhaled deeply. He felt that something that had been restraining him suddenly loosened.

Zhang Chong died and he finally got his revenge.

Dou Li also didn’t last long. He was killed by the bodyguards and fell down to the ground.

Wang He, who had surrendered, was the only one left.

“Marshal, please don’t kill me. I surrender. I can testify to all Zhang Chong’s doings!” offered Wang He immediately.

Yuwen Tong briefly knitted his eyebrows. This kind of man disgusted him.

“Take him back,” said Yuwen Tong.

“Yes, Second Master.”

“Marshal, Dai Cheng is coming. Please leave here first.”

A sudden commotion came from afar.

A bodyguard heard the noises and hurriedly informed Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong nodded, took a flying leap and left.

Ling Zhang patted the shoulder of the bodyguard who had carried him to the scene. “Let’s go out there.”

Carrying Ling Zhang, the bodyguard gave a bob of the head, leaped off the slope and landed on the main road.

“Childe Ling?”

“What did you come here for, Childe Ling?”

Ling Zhang flicked a glance at the bodies on the ground and replied, “Two of you may stay. Others should leave lest any suspicions be aroused in Dai Cheng when he sees this.”

“Ur… All right.” The bodyguards nodded. One of them stayed, along with the one who had carried Ling Zhang to this spot.

Instead of checking the bodies of Zhang Chong and Dou Li, Ling Zhang gazed at Wang He, the look in his eyes somewhat weird, which made it hard for others to tell what he was thinking about.

“Childe Ling?” The two bodyguards were rather puzzled.

“Will it cause Yuwen Tong any trouble if this guy tell others he saw Yuwen Tong?”

This question sent one of the bodyguards into a brief trance. He pondered over it for a while and responded, “It’s okay. I think the Marshal can handle it.”

“But he’s still a risk,” Ling Zhang frowned. “Kill him.”

Wang He rounded his eyes. “No. Ling Zhang, you can’t kill me!

I won’t do that. I won’t disclose anything!”

“I don’t believe you,” replied Ling Zhang flintily.

The two bodyguards thought for a while and believed that Ling Zhang had got a point. “Then let’s get this over with. Dai Cheng will soon arrive.”

In the knowledge that they were really going to kill him, Wang He immediately rose to his feet and attempted to flee, but he had only ran two steps away when a sword was run through his heart.

“You…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he breathed his last and fell down to the ground.

Ling Zhang withdrew his sword, tossed it to the side of the body on the ground, then flicked a glance in the direction where sounds of people running were emanating from and said, “Let’s go.”

Both of the two bodyguards were fleetingly taken aback by the decisive action of Ling Zhang. Then they exchanged glances, nodded and left, one of them carrying Ling Zhang on his shoulders.

Almost as soon as they left, Dai Cheng and his men arrived and were greeted by the three corpses on the ground.

“They died?”

“Who killed them?”

With a serious expression on his face, Dai Cheng kept silent for a while before ordering, “Take these bodies back. Remember, it’s us who killed them.”

“Yes, Second Master.”

Chapter 131- Closure in the Wake of Obtained Revenge

Yuwen Tong returned to the residence of Ling family, but Ling Zhang was nowhere to be seen, which sent him confused, since he had assigned a bodyguard to tend Ling Zhang, and both of them should have come back by this time.

“Marshal, Childe Ling also joined the hunt for Zhang Chong. He got there almost as soon as you left,” said a bodyguard who had returned shortly after Yuwen Tong.

“Then where is he? Why am I not seeing him?” Zhang Chong was already dead. Why kept him from coming back?

“Here he is,” replied a bodyguard.

Yuwen Tong turned around and saw a bodyguard, who was carrying Ling Zhang, land in the courtyard.

With a slight frown on his face, Yuwen Tong walked over and helped him get off the back of the bodyguard. “What happened?”

“It’s okay. I just need some time to regain my strength, which was why I had this bro carry me,” responded Ling Zhang.

“Go inside and get some rest. Dai Cheng is in charge of the matter of Tanyang now. Let’s leave it to him.” Yuwen Tong supported Ling Zhang with his hand.

“I killed Wang He.”

Yuwen Tong cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

“He saw your face and is definitely going to tell Dai Cheng about it. If Dai Cheng reports this to the emperor, you will be condemned as defying an imperial edict and the emperor will no doubt use it against you.”

“He may testify about Zhang Chong’s crimes.”

“You think we need a witness to testify that Zhang Chong was a rebel?”

Yuwen Tong raised his brows and, heedless of the presence of bodyguards, scooped up Ling Zhang and strode towards the room.

“Hey, what are you doing? People are watching!” Ling Zhang patted him.

Before Yuwen Tong could say anything, those bodyguards quickly turned around and chorused, “We didn’t see anything.”

A pink flush spread over Ling Zhang’s cheeks and ears with embarrassment. ‘This is ridiculous… They are lying through their teeth.’

“I have to go to my uncle’s place and put in an appearance. He must have been very worried about me.”

“I’ll go and tell him you’ve come back.”

“I–”

“Trust me. I got this. What you need to do now is get some sleep. You’ll be informed of all other things after you wake up.”

‘Then see me back to my own place. Why are you carrying me into your bedroom?!’ Ling Zhang complained in his mind. However, maybe because he was really too exhausted and also had no intention of arguing with Yuwen Tong, he almost drifted into sleep before being put down on to the bed.

Yuwen Tong lowered his head to look at him and, with even greater caution, placed him on the bed very, very gently.

But Ling Zhang still opened his eyes. After seeing where he was, he closed his eyes and mumbled, “Two hours’ sleep is all I need. Wake me up after two hours.”

“Just sleep,” Yuwen Tong coaxed him in a low voice.

This voice was so hypnotic that Ling Zhang fell asleep almost immediately after hearing it.

It was after dark that he woke up from hunger. He opened his eyes and was still a little sleepy and unclear-minded, but the unfamiliar furnishings instantly sent him fully awake. It was already night and there was no lighted lamp in the room. A lantern overhanging the corridor was shining soft light through the window.

His coat had been removed and placed on a teapoy beside the bed. He was covered with Yuwen Tong’s quilt, which was giving off that faint fragrance of Yuwen Tong, making him feel that his whole body was enwrapped in this scent.

Memories of occurrences of this morning instantly came back to him. He recalled being carried into this room by Yuwen Tong, but what had happened next was just a blur, since he had fallen asleep shortly after that due to overwhelming sleepiness.

He wondered what the current situation was like outside.

Hastily, he got out of bed and dressed. The clean clothes with a refreshing smell brought him into another fleeting pause. ‘Yuwen Tong prepared these clean clothes for me.’

Since these clothes had been in this room for some time, they also had that faint fragrance on them. After putting them on, Ling Zhang felt as if he were still in Yuwen Tong’s bed, which made him very uneasy. He kept having this feeling that something was not right.

“What’s the matter?” As if on cue, Yuwen Tong walked into the room and saw that Ling Zhang was sniffing at his clothes with his head down and a faint flush on his cheeks.

Ling Zhang hurriedly lowered his arm. “It’s nothing.”

‘He thinks this reaction of his suggests nothing?’ Yuwen Tong walked up to Ling Zhang, craned closer to him and took a sniff. “I don’t smell anything weird. I took these clothes here from your bedroom last night. They should be all right.”

Of course the clothes were okay. It was something else that wasn’t. But Ling Zhang felt that it would be a little strange if he specially brought this to Yuwen Tong’s attention.

“Like I said, it’s nothing.”

Yuwen Tong straightened himself. “Are you hungry? Dinner is ready.”

Hunger had happened to be the very reason why he had woken up. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong walked to the dinning room. As expected, there was food on the table. It seemed that the dinner had just been served.

“You haven’t had dinner either?” Ling Zhang could tell with half an eye that the food was more than one serving.

People of Ling family were never wasteful. They always prepared the exact amount of food that could meet their needs.

Yuwen Tong nodded, held his hand and brought him to the table to sit down. “I just came back, so I thought I might as well wait a while and dine with you.”

“How’s everything going out there? Why didn’t you wake me up at noon?” asked Ling Zhang after taking a seat.

“Because I figured you were exhausted and could use some more sleep. Dai Cheng has taken over the Prefecture Encampment. Statistical work on casualties in this battle is ongoing. Those things on the Grand Mang Mountain have been transported outside. After inventorying them, Dai Cheng will report to the emperor and ship them to the capital city, so we can still stay in Tanyang for some more time. It will take at least half a month for his memorial to the throne to reach the capital city and then be delivered back here, which means you have more than enough time to do what you have got to do in Tanyang.”

“What about the bodies of Zhang Chong and his deputy commanders?”

“Dai Cheng had them brought back. I don’t know what his intention is. He only claimed that he was the one who killed them. Nothing more.”

“Will he by any chance guess that you were the one who killed them?”

“I don’t have any motives for killing Zhang Chong. He might conjecture that Zhang Chong was killed by some foes of his, but he won’t be able to find out anything else.”

‘That’s true. There was no known hatred between Yuwen Tong and Zhang Chong. Even if Dai Cheng has some suspicions, there’s no way he can confirm them. Besides, he doesn’t have any evidence.”

“Uncle Ling has told Tao Feng about the matter of Lu family. This afternoon, they went to the residence of Lu family. News of Lu Kui faking his death has spread through the whole Tanyang. He claimed that he faked his death because he offended Zhang Chong and was afraid of his retaliation. It is known to all residents in Tanyang that Zhang Chong was a traitorous rebel, so they all believe that Lu Kui’s faking his death is justifiable, and there has been no disturbance. But it is rumored that people of Lu family are going to hire some Taoist priests to hold a ritual so as to expel bad luck from their house.”

Ling Zhang nodded. “That’s understandable.”

Though Lu Kui was merely faking his death, it was still pretty inauspicious. People of Lu family might have trouble sleeping at night if they didn’t do something to rid their house of ill luck.

“By the way, there is yet another matter,” Yuwen Tong added.

“What is it?”

“Jia Yin almost died in his cell.”

“How did he come to survive?”

Yuwen Tong was not surprised by this reaction of Ling Zhang’s at all. He gave a smile and replied, “Because Tao Feng was afraid that you might get angry if Jia Yin died, so he sent for a physician who stopped Jia Yin from breathing his last. When the day arrives, he’ll be beheaded.”

Ling Zhang curled his lip. He didn’t really care whether Jia Yin would die in the jailhouse or on a chopping block.

“What was it that almost killed him?”

“It is said that he vomited blood from fury.”

“What a shame his fury didn’t take his life.”

While taking about Jia Yin, Ling Zhang thought of Jia Zhong. Given that it had been quite a few days, Yamen runners should be on their way back escorting Jia Zhong had the hunt gone smoothly.

“I wonder if they’ve got Jia Zhong or not.”

“I’ll send someone to make some inquiries,” said Yuwen Tong.

Recently, they both had been too occupied to find the time to follow up the hunt for Jia Zhong.

“Are Guard Yao and Guard Zhang back?”

Yuwen Tong gave a bob of the head. “They both returned.

I’ve already had someone deliver a message to Xie Shi. I think he should receive it tomorrow. Old Master Ling and your aunt will come back in a couple of days.”

Ling Zhang heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

Since Zhang Chong’s attempt to intrude into the city had failed, Ling family was pretty safe, but he had no intention of taking even the slightest risk.

With this burden removed, Ling Zhang felt fully at ease.

The blood debts had finally been repaid in kind. Both of the two forces that had been running roughshod over Ling family had been eliminated, and they had rid themselves of life-threatening danger.

After the bitterness and longing for vengeance that had been building up in him dissolved, not only he himself felt much more relaxed, outsiders also sensed that he had changed considerably. Yuwen Tong, for instance, had always felt that Ling Zhang had been like a tense string, that even when he was smiling, there was always something other than happiness in his smile, as if something had all along been stopping him from being happy. But now, with Zhang Chong dead and the Prefecture Guards brought down, Yuwen Tong could distinctly sense that something joyous and vigorous had come back to Ling Zhang, as if even his eyes had become much brighter and sparkling.

Yuwen Tong found it hard to withdrew his gaze on Ling Zhang.

“What seems to be the problem?” Having noticed that Yuwen Tong had been gazing at him for some time, Ling Zhang lowered his head in confusion and checked his clothes wondering if there was anything strange about him.

“You seem more attractive after having a good sleep.”

It was not until after a short while that Ling Zhang came to realize that Yuwen Tong was taking liberties with him. “I’m a man. What are you talking about?”

“What’s wrong with being a man? In my eyes, you’re far more charming than any other man or woman.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

‘Did he really have to be so explicit?! How am I supposed to reply to this?!’ he thought angrily.

Ling Zhang believed that Yuwen Tong must have taken leave of his senses. Otherwise he would never have deemed him, a man, more good-looking that women.

“You don’t believe me?” asked Yuwen Tong. “Have you ever heard of that saying?”

“What saying?”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

He wished for this conversation to come to an end.

Yuwen Tong watched him with smiling eyes. “So you’re better than anybody.”

“Enough. No more nonsense.” Ling Zhang hurriedly stopped him. He couldn’t bear to hear any more words of this kind. ‘Has Yuwen Tong any idea how to be euphemistic?’

Yuwen Tong gave a chuckle. “Okay, then. Let’s change our topic. With Zhang Chong’s death, necessity of eliminating those forces he had been colluding with as well as those bandits has arisen. There will be some more fights before people of Tanyang could embrace peace. Do you have any plans?”

This serious matter was brought up very abruptly…

Ling Zhang cleared his throat. “The relationships between local forces in Tanyang are quite complicated. Many of them had deep involvement with Zhang Chong’s rebellion and will be uprooted this time — He family, Zhou family, to name but two. And those county officials who colluded with Zhang Chong will also be eliminated. Too many things have to be done. I’ll have to consult with my uncle first.”

If Ling family was to consolidate its position in Tanyang, they had to make full use of this opportunity.

There were so many things they could do!

In front of him was such a golden opportunity that Ling Zhang would never forgive himself if he let it slip away.

Seeing the determined look in Ling Zhang’s eyes, Yuwen Tong asked, “You’ve got an idea?”

Ling Zhang gave a bob of the head. “It’s just an idea.”

After dinner, Ling Zhang couldn’t bear to sit there any longer, since Yuwen Tong kept staring at him with that strange look in his eyes.

He returned to his own place, walked into his study, sat down and finally regained his composure.

Having noticed that Ling Zhang seemed to be trying to avoiding him, Yuwen Tong itched to go after him, but Yao Yi happened to come back, so he had no choice but to meet Yao Yi first.

“In order not to alarm Zhang Chong, the emperor merely made an excuse and placed Concubine Shu and the Sixth Prince under house arrest. Now that Zhang Chong had been brought to justice, they probably won’t be able to regain their previous power. The brother of the wife of the six prince had also been in direct contact with Zhang Chong. All those on the Sixth Prince’s side will be eliminated, which will no doubt bring some influence on the balance of power in the capital city. Marshal, all those in the capital city are aware that it was you who masterminded this operation targeting Zhang Chong. What do you think they will think about you?”

“Currently, what concerns them the most is simply that I might be colluding with some prince, that I’ve chosen my side. I have no intention to deprive them of the fun of guessing.”

“May I ask if there are any particular things you plan to do after returning to the capital city? Are there any necessary arrangements that you’d like me to make beforehand?”

“There’s no hurry. Send a message to Jiang Ke and Jiang Xi first. Tell them I’ll stay in the capital city for a longer time. Instruct them to make sure that everything is all right in the Northwestern Army. This army means the world to us.”

Chapter 132- Marry Me

‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder? What’s got into him…’

The very thought of this remark brought Ling Zhang’s heart fluttering and his cheeks burning, and his composure was lost. He was a little annoyed by the fact that every time Yuwen Tong began to flirt with him, he would flee out of embarrassment, which was fairly shameful. Ling Zhang believed that he needed to bring some credit to himself, but he found it too embarrassing to flirt in the way Yuwen Tong did. ‘I’m better than that hooligan-like marshal.’

“Young Master?” Xia Feng, who had just walked inside to deliver Ling Zhang’s midnight snack, was taken aback when he saw Ling Zhang’s facial expression change from timidity to a smile and then to a frown. He was worried whether there was anything wrong with his young master. ‘Was the battle last night too much for him?’

“Are you okay? Did the battle last night scare you too much? I’ll go and get Physician Lin here to feel your pulse!” asked Xia Feng anxiously while quickly walking over carrying the midnight snack.

On hearing the panic-stricken voice of Xia Feng, Ling Zhang was too embarrassed to keep savoring that remark of Yuwen Tong’s, his heart no longer fluttering, his cheeks no longer burning. He put on a sulky face and replied calmly, “I’m fine. There’s no need to send for Physician Lin.”

‘If Physician Lin comes here at this late hour of the night only to find that he has a wasted trip, he will no doubt burst into anger no matter how good-tempered he is,’ Ling Zhang thought.

Upon seeing that Ling Zhang had returned to normal and his expression was no longer shifting, Xia Feng gave a gasp of relief. He steadily placed a platter of midnight snack in front of Ling Zhang. “I’m glad to hear that you’re okay, Young Master. Please have some midnight snack.”

Watching the elaborately prepared midnight snack, Ling Zhang nodded.

Though he had just had dinner with Yuwen Tong not long ago and was not really very hungry, he still found the sweet-smelling midnight snack irresistible.

“I was out there fighting last night. Was everything all right at home?” asked Ling Zhang, who conveniently picked up a smooth, tender radish ball and put it into his mouth.

“At first everybody was startled when they heard the noises. Some of them intended to go outside and check but were stopped by Captain Wang and others. With the presence of Second Master, servants soon calmed down and closed all doors. They guarded the mansion carrying sabers and staffs on their own account. Some gangsters taking advantage of the occasion when everybody was in panic came here and asked for money. We kicked their asses and chased them away.”

Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised to hear that his servants had had the balls to do such things.

“All of you did a good job. Issue a proclamation tomorrow morning — because of their meritorious service, every servant shall be rewarded with three taels of silver, four for every supervisor, and ten for every security guard. The money will be from my personal savings.”

Xia Feng’s eyes slightly lit up, but he still appeared poised and calm. “Thank you for your generosity, Young Master. I’ll see to it tomorrow morning.

By the way, Steward He asked whether Wu Er’niu should be dismissed or not.”

‘Wu Er’niu? I almost forgot him.’

“Dismiss him. It would be a waste of food keeping him here.”

‘Dismissing him would also spare me the risk of seeing him and getting angry. And I might change my mind when I get angry,’ he thought.

Xia Feng answered, “Yes, Young Master.” After Ling Zhang finished the midnight snack, he took the platter and left.

The moment Xia Feng walked out of the room, Ling Zhang heaved a sigh of relief and the sulkiness on his face dissolved. And the matter that he had been keeping himself from thinking about popped into his mind again. The more unwilling he was to think about something, the harder he found it was to forbear from doing so.

What Yuwen Tong, that hooligan who had dared to take liberties with him, was doing at this moment, for instance…

“Are you missing me?”

As if on cue, Yuwen Tong’s voice was heard, which taken Ling Zhang aback, but when he looked in the direction of the doorway, he found that Yuwen Tong was really standing there. He had no idea when Yuwen Tong had arrived, since he had not heard any sound of it.

“Don’t overthink it. It’s something sensible that I was thinking about,” Ling Zhang replied without a second thought. Of course he wouldn’t tell Yuwen Tong that he was thinking of him, because Yuwen Tong would definitely start talking nonsense if he knew.

A regretful expression appeared on Yuwen Tong’s face. “I miss you every day. You are not even willing to think of me?”

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

‘What’s got into Yuwen Tong today? Why does he keep flirting with me?’

“What is it that you came here for?”

Upon seeing that Ling Zhang ignored his question, Yuwen Tong decided that this time he was not going to let Ling Zhang change the topic easily.

“Without your presence, the Green Bamboo Mansion feels cold and cheerless. I’ve been living in the Green Bamboo Mansion alone all this time and I cannot do it any longer. I think you should move into my place after we arrive in the capital city. Have your security guards live in the house next door.”

‘Is this guy insatiable? At first he asked me to live in the residence of Yuwen family. Now he wants me to move in with him?’ Ling Zhang looked Yuwen Tong deeply in the eyes and commented, “We are not a married couple yet.”

“Then we’ll get married first when we’re in the capital city.”

“Who said I’d marry you?”

“How can we move in together if we don’t get married first?”

“Who said I’d move in with you?”

“We are engaged, which means that sooner or later we’ll get married and move in together, so why not make it happen earlier? Why waste time waiting?”

“I disagree.”

“Why? Are you worried that anybody would try to stop us?”

“I haven’t figured out whether I want to marry you or not.”

“… Are you dumping me after stealing my heart?”

Ling Zhang grabbed the paperweight on the desk and hurled it at Yuwen Tong, who easily caught it.

Ling Zhang’s face slightly flushed from anger and embarrassment, which made him look like a piece of beautiful jadeware in the candlelight. No, even beautiful jadeware wasn’t as charming as he was.

When Ling Zhang glared at him with his sparkling eyes, Yuwen Tong almost failed to catch the paperweight, staring fixedly at Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang had hurled the paperweight at Yuwen Tong to prevent him from talking nonsense, but unexpectedly, it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Yuwen Tong was gazing at him unblinkingly, as if there were a flower on his face.

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

As if the chair had become hot suddenly, he felt that neither sitting there nor standing up was the right thing to do. His heart was fluttering, his face burning worse.

“Have you seen enough?!” Ling Zhang slowly dropped the words one by one in a threatening tone of voice.

After hearing this, Yuwen Tong slightly moved his ardent gaze and walked over, paperweight in hand. He didn’t put it down but gently played with it. “I’d never see enough of you.”

For some reason, watching Yuwen Tong playing with the paperweight, Ling Zhang felt his cheeks burning even worse. He stretched out his hand, snatched the paperweight from Yuwen Tong’s hand and placed it back onto the desk. “Did you come here at such a late hour of the night merely to derive pleasure from embarrassing me with these remarks?”

“Well, if this is what you believe, I feel wronged. And I think you also have a bias against me. I’m not doing this because it pleases me. You know the real reason.”

Ling Zhang didn’t know how to reply.

“I’m going to bed.”

“You think you can sleep after waking up just a few moments ago?”

Ling Zhang felt that it was better to lie in bed awake than to stay here listening to Yuwen Tong’s nonsense. ‘This guy is so not a gentleman!’

“I know you can’t sleep. Come. Let’s go for a walk.”

Ling Zhang looked at him in puzzlement. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere we can feast our eyes on the stars and the moon.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

‘What’s the good of seeing stars and the moon? I have a lot of arrangements to make.’

Though believing so, when he collected his thoughts, he was already lying on a rooftop with Yuwen Tong, stars and the moon right above them in the night sky.

Yuwen Tong also brought a pot of wine. “Have a try. Yao Yi brought this here from the capital city. It’s the latest batch of Pear Blossom Wine made by the Fragrance Winery. It’s a little strong, so don’t drink it in gulps.”

Ling Zhang took the pot and had a sip of it. Mellow taste of the wine pervaded his mouth and the intense fragrance instantly spread through his throat and nasal cavity. He swallowed the wine and exhaled deeply. All that the wine touched was burning, but not in an unpleasant way.

“Well?”

“Not bad.”

“The owner of the Fragrance Winery used to be my grandfather’s subordinate. When I was defending the border, he would have a batch of wine delivered to me every year. A few days ago, after hearing that I was going to return to the capital city, he sent some wine to my residence and said that he would deliver more to our place the day we get married.”

Ling Zhang couldn’t help but take another sip. Maybe because the wine was delicious, he didn’t bother to remind Yuwen Tong once again that he had never agreed to marry him but just languidly responded, “Um.”

Yuwen Tong twisted his face aside to look at him. “Are you really getting sleepy?”

“No. It’s just that these stars and moon turn out to be a pretty enjoyable sight.”

Added to this was the state of utter relaxation he was in.

“Thank you.”

“For what? Why are you thanking me on this occasion?”

“If it weren’t for you, I really don’t know how long it will take me to bring down Zhang Chong. The assistance you provided for me was the sole reason why everything went so smoothly. You once said that you were returning the favor, but I have to say what you repaid us far outweighed what you owed to us.”

“You’re quite the mathematician, aren’t you? Actually I was not merely repaying the favor. You’re also part of the reason why I did all this.”

“Thanks.”

“You really want to thank me?”

Yuwen Tong suddenly turned his upper body aside to look at him.

Ling Zhang twisted his head and looked back. “Certainly.”

“Then close your eyes.”

Ling Zhang stared at Yuwen Tong for a while and then did what he’d just been asked to.

The next moment, he sensed Yuwen Tong getting closer to him and with that his upper lip was gently bitten. And then his both lips were clamped by another two. His upper teeth were parted with the lower ones by a soft but determined tongue which seemed to be inviting his tongue to a dance.

Mouths of both of them were filled with fragrance of wine. The Pear Blossom Wine intoxicated both the drinker and the one who kissed the drinker.

This was the longest and also the most intoxicating kiss the two of them had ever had. Supporting himself on two hands with Ling Zhang below him, Yuwen Tong shielded off the cold night wind, the warm air about him making Ling Zhang feel as if he was wrapped in a comfy quilt.

Of course, what was really heady was the kiss. Gradually, Yuwen Tong’s gentle tongue movement grew intrusive, and Ling Zhang’s cooperative one fell passive, as if by some kind of subconscious, tacit agreement.

It was not until after quite some time that lips of the two of them were slightly parted.

Yuwen Tong watched Ling Zhang, a serious look on his face. “Marry me.”

Ling Zhang quietly gazed at him. Due to the long kiss, there was faint tears in his eyes, accompanied by reflections of starlight and Yuwen Tong. Seeing this, Yuwen Tong succumbed to the temptation and couldn’t help but lower his head and kiss him again.

After a while, Ling Zhang slightly moved his lips away, took a few deep breaths to steady his breathing and then replied, “I’ve been doing some very careful thinking about it. I don’t want to rush into any decisions that I might regret making in the future. Since I’ve already given you my promise to go with you to the capital city, why don’t you give me some more time and let me think it through?”

“All right. I’ll wait for you to figure all this out,” responded Yuwen Tong, looking him deeply in the eyes. He would not take no for an answer and would make sure Ling Zhang replied to him in the affirmative. Hopefully, Ling Zhang wouldn’t keep him waiting for too long.

“Are you ready to do it again?” Ling Zhang gave him a push. He found it very difficult to calm down with Yuwen Tong gazing at him like this.

Yuwen Tong curved the corners of his mouth and lowered his head. “Let’s do it again.”

Then they had another kiss, which was even longer than the one they had just had. It lasted so long that Ling Zhang suspected that Yuwen Tong wouldn’t stop until daybreak. When the kiss finally came to an end, he kept his arms around Yuwen Tong, unwilling to loosen them.

“Just maintain this position, and you may sleep if you want. I’ll carry you back.”

As regards where he would carry him and then sleep with him, that would be up to him.