The place for keeping the captive women was at the very northern edge of the camp.
After the heavy rain, the ground was very damp. Feng Yun used an oilcloth as padding on the only straw mat in the tent, sitting calmly on her knees listening to the wind, her demeanor elegant and serene, showing no sign of panic.
She was well aware of what kind of man General Pei was.
No matter how beautiful she was, he would not be moved...
Of course, if she hadn't played these little tricks, bringing her own rice and grain into the camp and alerting him with the thunderstorm, then in General Pei's eyes, she would have been seen just like in her previous life, merely as a vase to satisfy his lust, to be kept like a canary.
Now Pei Jue would be more cautious.
To avoid being strangled by the person beside him in the middle of the night, he wouldn't want her lightly.
Feng Yun was quite satisfied with this cold treatment, but the group of beauties hated it to the extreme.
If it hadn't been for Feng Shi Er Niang causing trouble and angering the General, how could they have ended up in such a plight?
Before, Feng Yun was a lady from the Prefectural Governor's family, a cut above the rest, and the other beauties revered her. Now that they were all captives, they suddenly came to their senses.
In these chaotic times, where war loomed everywhere, the lives of female captives were cheap.
The only thing they could rely on was the favor and pity of the man in the Central Military Tent.
The somber atmosphere didn't last long before someone stared at Feng Yun and spat out sarcastic remarks.
"Wen Hui, aren't you going to stay away from the precious daughter of the Feng Family? Be careful or lightning might strike soon and you'll suffer from this undeserved calamity!"
The twenty beauties were all handpicked by Feng Jingteng.
Fat and thin, each beautiful in their own way, chosen for their looks, not their background.
The speaker, Lin E, was a famous dancing girl from Andu City. She prided herself on her exceptional beauty and talent and had long disdained the reputation of "unsurpassed beauty in all eight districts of Xuzhou" held by Feng Shi Er Niang, and naturally took the opportunity to prick at her.
Wen Hui, the one being called out, was a singer. Her back story was a tragic one, having just been bought out from a wealthy man's house in the city less than a month ago, only to be presented as a gift after that.
Hearing the words, Wen Hui instinctively sighed.
"Ah E, don't stir up trouble."
Lin E glanced sideways at Feng Yun, sneering with a strange tone.
"The noble lady brought her own rice into the camp; is she afraid of causing trouble? Did the noble lady share any of the chicken eggs with you? Oh, now that the noble lady has angered the Great General, and made sisters suffer with her, are you afraid of causing trouble?"
A few beauties, incited by her words, began to stir restlessly.
Seeing Feng Yun sitting as immovable as a mountain, with the proud demeanor of a lady from an aristocratic family, Lin E snorted and walked up to her, hips swaying.
"I heard that when the noble lady was young, she suffered from madness and almost got burned to death as an evil spirit, is that true?"
Feng Yun remained motionless.
"Was it you who caused your mother's death? What did you say killed her? How could you be so lowly? Speak up, let us all hear!"
Feng Yun half-closed her eyelids as if she hadn't heard.
Lin E couldn't hold back her frustration any longer. That kind of noble air, natural to someone from an aristocratic family, was something a dancing girl like her inherently disliked. Her expression changed and she reached out to grab Feng Yun roughly.
"A cheap woman like you doesn't deserve to sit on a straw mat? Get up and shrink back to the side!"
As soon as someone took the lead in laying hands, the atmosphere immediately became excited. A few beauties quickly surrounded Feng Yun, clearly intending to take advantage of their numbers to bully her.
Feng Yun tilted her head slightly and looked at Wen Hui, who was flustered and trying to stop them, "You are actually one of the good ones."
She lowered her head to straighten out her disheveled sleeves, "You may hit now!"
"Right." Two maidens squeezed through the crowd, grabbed Lin E, and greeted her with a heavy slap.
The slaps were delivered firmly.
The other beauties were caught off guard and stunned.
Feng Yun took a look and shook her head, "This dish is too bland. We should add something rich for Lin Ji. Mash the meat until it's tender, to add more color and flavor."
Smack! One after the other, the sound of slaps echoed sharply.
Lin E's fair and smooth cheeks swelled up and turned red as if they had ballooned, and she cried out loud for help, but no one dared to come forward, and the beauties were terrified, stepping back, their beauty fading.
Feng Yun cast a glance around, her gaze calm and gentle.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding..."
"I indeed have a sickness, but it's that kind of unusual illness that does not tolerate bullying."
Even if Feng Jingteng was inadequate, he was still her own father, the Governor, the head of a family that kept personal troops, a legitimate child of an aristocratic family. Among the twenty beauties, how could there not be a couple of hands prepared for her use?
The beaters, Daman and Xiaoman, were daughters of the manager from the Imperial Governor's Office, homebred servants of the Feng Family of Xuzhou. They had practiced martial arts since childhood following their brothers, more than enough to deal with defenseless singing and dancing girls.
"To try and rise above our mistress, do you think you are a hairpin or something?"
Xiaoman kicked Lin E viciously to her knees in front of Feng Yun, her cries particularly miserable.
"...We are all consorts of the General... Why does Shi'er Niang have the right to hit people... The General will not let you off... Save me... General, come save your consort..."
The weaker always like to bully those weaker than themselves, and when they can't, they start to cry, revealing all the pity they can muster.
Feng Yun picked up Lin E's swollen face with a touch of pity.
"Those phoenix eyes of yours are not bad..."
He half-closed his eyes and asked, "I wonder if they taste delicious?"
"What do you want to do?" Lin E was terrified, her voice breaking in alarm.
Feng Yun said indifferently, "Ao Qi loves to eat beautiful eyes the most. If I gouge out your eyes, do you think the guards outside will come to save you?"
Outside the tent, it was deathly quiet.
The guards seemed not to have heard.
The law of the jungle was Pei Jue's favorite rule; with the entire Northern Yong army under his command addicted to bloodlust, watching female captives slaughter each other probably brought them secret pleasure.
Lin E, too scared to cry, trembled uncontrollably. The silence around her was absolute, with no one speaking up. After a long time, only Wen Hui weakly pleaded for her.
"Please spare Lin E, Shi'er Niang, we are all pitiable people."
Feng Yun curled her lips and asked, "Is there any objection to me sitting on this straw mat?"
"None."
"We wouldn't dare."
"The noble woman should rightfully take the chief seat."
The atmosphere inside the tent mysteriously warmed up.
They smiled ingratiatingly, but Feng Yun didn't feel happy. Others took action to compete for the world, yet her first battle after her rebirth was for a ragged straw mat.
"Everyone make the most of the time to rest. Come night, I fear you will have no place to rest..."
Night?
Could it be that the General wanted them to serve him in bed?
The dancing girls were anxious and unsettled.
—
Ao Qi had been taken away by Pei Jue for an hour of sword practice.
He was nearly exhausted when Pei Jue coldly returned to his room, instructing him to fetch a medical officer.
Puyang Jiu, the son of the Imperial Physician, had come south to serve as the army's medical officer this campaign.
He was one of the few who dared to speak his mind in front of Pei Jue and could be considered a half-friend of his. Seeing the desperate look in Ao Qi's eyes, he knew Pei Jue was likely ill again.
The battle of Andu didn't commence, leaving the Great General's bloodlust without an outlet, likely causing him discomfort again.
A body that has long been unsatisfied, except for drugs to control it, resorts to fighting and combat as a good way to vent.
But...
"Why put yourself through this?"
After checking the pulse, Puyang Jiu sighed.
"The yang energy is surging, the blood vessels expanding, the vigor far exceeding that of ordinary people. General Pei was born with exceptional talent; just going with the flow would do, why torture yourself?"
"Shut up!" At a towering height, Pei Jue had just taken a cold bath, his eyebrows and face still wet, his features more fierce, filling the entire tent with a chilling presence.
Years of restraint had become a habit for him, which made Puyang Jiu feel sorry for him.
People say General Pei is cruel and loves killing, but such extreme suppression—could it not lead to a few more enemies killed on the battlefield? Only combat and unrestrained slaughter on the battlefield could quench the cries that penetrate bone and heart...
Puyang Jiu originally thought that his acceptance of twenty beauties of Andu meant he had let go.
Who knew, he locked them all away?
With concern, Puyang Jiu advised, "Suppressing for too long, when backlashed, will bring even greater pain. Wangzhi ah (Pei Jue's courtesy name is Wangzhi), excessive heat harms the body, it is better to relieve than to block..."
Pei Jue remained cold, "Prescribe medicine."
That face of chasteness and desirelessness made Puyang Jiu really want to punch someone.
In fact, Pei Jue's affliction was just an excessive aspect compared to ordinary people, an overly vigorous yang and a powerful yang energy, not really a serious affliction. For a man in a high position, it's nothing serious; he could have as many concubines as he wanted without restraint, and should not be troubled by this...
In other words, it was a blessing others couldn't beg for...
Puyang Jiu tried convincing him again: "They're just women captives from the enemy state, you've taken them already, why not pick a few to your liking and bring them into your tent? Who would dare say anything against a General like you?"
Seeing that he remained silent, Puyang Jiu pressed on.
"That delicate lady from the Feng Family looks good; one look and you can tell she's really soft and pliant..."
Pei Jue turned his face away, his cool eyes icy.
Having known each other for years, Puyang Jiu wasn't as scared of him as others were.
"Don't fancy the Feng Family's woman? Then look for a few other concubines; there's bound to be some who can serve well. Don't stifle yourself, and don't see it as some grave illness. At your age, you should be in your prime..."
"Puyang Jiu!"
Pei Jue's voice turned cold, and Puyang Jiu had an epiphany.
"Could it be, Wangzhi, that you're preserving your chastity for someone..."
Cling! Pei Jue suddenly drew the Biyong Sword.
"Enough is enough." Puyang Jiu looked at the sharp four-foot-long blade, swallowed the words he wanted to say, and regarded him with a mix of sympathy and respect.
"I won't speak of it. I'll prescribe the medicine, prescribe the medicine."