She bowed her head low.
Pei Jue could only see a stretch of snow-white jade neck.
"Come closer,"
The familiar voice was colder, harder than before.
Feng Yun subconsciously looked up at him, their gazes colliding in mid-air. Her throat tightened, feeling an intense thirst before she quickly looked down again, pretending to be frightened and curtseying gracefully.
"Please forgive me, General. My maid must have been ignorant to have offended you..."
Pei Jue hummed ambiguously, as if it had passed unnoticed.
The tent fell silent, and in the suffocating wait, Pei Jue slowly stood up and walked toward her.
The faint sound of armor rubbing could be heard distinctly in the quiet tent. Feng Yun was counting his approaching steps as if counting her own heartbeat...
Pei Jue was very tall, his gaze looking down upon her from above, a natural advantage and intimidation. Seventeen-year-old Feng Yun wasn't short, but she reached only up to his shoulders. The disparity in their stature made her instinctively take two steps back, sensing danger...
Pei Jue stopped and asked her, "Who do you think I am?"
Those eyes were extremely cold, deep as a dark abyss.
Feng Yun weighed her response, "I see the General as a great hero. The kind who would never bully the weak, the innocent, the women and children... the kind of peerless great hero!"
Pei Jue: ...
The very Killing King of Hell from Jianghuai's five towns, whom people saw as utterly heinous, was unexpectedly praised by her as a peerless hero. Perhaps even Pei Jue did not expect her to be so insincere, leaving him at a loss for words for the moment.
Feng Yun breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Jue did not like to beat around the bush when killing.
With such patience to listen, her life was likely spared.
Besides, her statement was half-true at best.
Pei Jue did have a notorious reputation; he had bullied her in her previous life. But from the very start, their relationship was never on equal terms; Pei Jue had never promised anything, it was just that he didn't love her. Compared to Xiao San, he wasn't a gentleman, but his behavior was forthright. During those three years together, he wasn't bad to her, even bringing her quite a bit of happiness. In some aspects, he was indeed praiseworthy.
At least for now, Feng Yun didn't see the need to turn against him.
"If I didn't admire the General, why would I have volunteered to be a strategist? Knowing how much the General despises the women of Qi, why else would I have offered my beloved maid? It's only because I believe the General is righteous and forthright, a true man of iron and blood, above petty behavior..."
She stacked the flattery high, speaking as though it were all true.
Who could blame Pei Jue for falling for her ruse? Some things never change, and Feng Yun believed that Pei Jue was still the same. He could occasionally be receptive to a few flattering words...
Pei Jue's expression remained unreadable, his gaze on her inscrutable, but he seemed to have enjoyed her compliments. He turned and sat back down at the table, looking at the White Glazed Lotus Seed Jar, "Drink it."
This had been sent over by Daman...
The chicken soup is here, but where is the person?
Feng Yun slowly walked over.
The table was somewhat low, and she had to kneel slightly to lift the White Glazed Lotus Seed Jar.
"Does the General suspect there's poison in the chicken soup, or is he dissatisfied with my maid?"
Pei Jue's cold eyes flickered with a hint of mockery, "If you so wish to please me, why not try it yourself?"
Feng Yun's heartbeat became erratic, as if some emotion was being grasped in Pei Jue's palm.
She forced a difficult smile, "I'm afraid I am not blessed with such fortune..."
Pei Jue's eyelids drooped as if he was impatient listening to her, "Drink!"
It was an authoritative tone, leaving no room for her resistance.
Feng Yun ladled out a bowl of the chicken soup from the jar, held the rim to her lips, and slowly drank.
Coddled as a delicate flower in a noble house, she had skin as tender as a young girl's, appearing wronged and vulnerable. As she swallowed, her graceful neck moved noiselessly, her eyelashes trembled lightly in the firelight, exuding an enchanting charm...
Pei Jue's cold gaze swept over her, and those desires usually repressed within him surged forth, just one thread away from breaking free and toppling all of his composure...
It was time for his medicine, he thought.
"General, I cannot drink any more..." Feng Yun did not know what Pei Jue was thinking, nor did she care much; she continued her pretense, "My intention was to sincerely offer this soup for your enjoyment, earnestly hoping to serve you, yet it has only led to suspicion... Being a strategist is tough indeed."
Pei Jue glanced at the redness in her eyes, "Do not let this happen again."
"As you command." Feng Yun lowered her head to bow, and before her voice had faded, she saw Pei Jue lean over to grab the bowl she had just drank from, pour the remaining chicken soup into it, and then, right in front of her, he tipped his head back and gulped it down.
Pei Jue had a prominent Adam's apple that moved seductively with each swallow. Feng Yun even knew that spot was extremely sensitive; a light kiss there could make him gasp and grow wild...
At the edge of the night, the playful firelight inside the tent fused their shadows together, creating a misaligned intimacy as if the petite lady was snuggled into the General's embrace, their affection silent and lingering...
Feng Yun was distracted by distant memories, so engrossed that she forgot where she was. The moment Pei Jue set down the bowl, he noticed their intertwined shadows on the ground and, as if choked, abruptly stood up, scolding her with a cold face.
"Should you take such liberties again, you will not be forgiven."
Feng Yun, coming back to her senses, felt somewhat embarrassed, "Is the soup not to your liking?"
Pei Jue, without offering a pleasant demeanor, said emotionlessly, "Do you think that by sending a few concubines, you can win my favor?"
This was the most even-toned phrase Pei Jue had ever uttered to her since they had met in this lifetime.
Feng Yun felt like laughing.
So General Pei not only suspected that she had ulterior motives in sending the servants to offer him soup but also believed Lin E and Huan Jiao were part of her arrangement.
No wonder he was furious; no matter how desperate he was, he wouldn't want to be treated like a breeding boar.
Feng Yun hastily apologized, "I wrongfully guessed your preferences, my mistake. But all the ladies have true affection for you, General, why not..."
Pei Jue's expression turned cold, and Feng Yun swiftly changed her tack, "Why not speak honestly about what I must do to become your strategist?"
Pei Jue's gaze swept across her expression.
Serious, but insincere.
He asked coldly, "You said you have sworn an oath, what if you break it by using seduction?"
Feng Yun was stunned for a moment before she realized he was referring to the oath she made in the Central Military Tent. She then smiled coyly.
"If I break this oath, may the men in my life die a wretched death!"
As their gazes intertwined, Feng Yun saw Pei Jue's Adam's apple visibly move, a familiar sense of danger rising abruptly. In that instant, her heartbeat quickened, but then she heard Pei Jue's clear and indifferent command.
"Ao Qi!"