Chapter 0120: Deeply Immersed Xie the Strong, How Sweet It Sounds to Call Her Sister-in-Law
Struggling to suppress his laughter, Xie Chengze cleared his throat a few times as cover and tugged on Second Leader’s sleeve to ask, “What did you mean by the daughter of an official from Jingcheng?”
“That’s the fresh catch we nabbed a few days ago—a woman disguised as a man climbing Qiantai Mountain, spotted by my big bro,” Second Leader finally recalled. “Oh, she claimed to be some assistant minister’s daughter. I don’t buy it! Why would an official’s daughter leave the comforts of Jingcheng to come to Liaozhou? Even if she’s here for business, she should be doing it in Jingcheng.”
Xie Chengze’s eyes flickered.
A woman in male disguise, an assistant minister’s daughter, involved in business—every clue pointed to one person.
“Could her name be Sheng Yiren?” Xie Chengze murmured thoughtfully.
“Yeah, yeah! How’d you know? Sounds like a business name—must be made up!” Second Leader scoffed.
Xie Chengze: … “Is it possible that the Assistant Minister of Rites’ daughter is actually named Sheng Yiren?”
Second Leader: Huh?
“How do you know that?” Second Leader immediately eyed Xie Chengze with suspicion.
“I’ve traveled far and wide with my husband, so I’ve seen a lot,” Xie Chengze said haughtily, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and coughing lightly. “I’d heard the Assistant Minister of Rites’ daughter was Jingcheng’s top beauty. I once caught a glimpse of her—truthfully, she’s nothing special, not even half as lovely as I am.”
“I think so too,” Second Leader whispered in his ear, then raised his voice to shout at First Leader, “Since the lady’s seen her, big bro, why not bring that woman here to verify?”
“Excellent idea!” First Leader immediately waved his hand, his tiger-like roar nearly shaking the rafters. “Someone, fetch that woman here!”
“Yes, sir!”
While waiting, Xie Chengze glanced around the hall’s furnishings and tugged Second Leader’s sleeve again. “Second Leader, my feet hurt.”
“Oh, oh!” Second Leader hurried to fetch a stool from nearby, but when he brought it over, the delicate lady frowned beautifully and complained, “It’s too cold, too hard, and filthy.”
Second Leader scratched his head. “Do you have a cushion in your cargo? I’ll go find you a soft one.”
First Leader watched, feeling exasperated. “Second, I never took you for a pushover! No wonder you’ve never found a wife all these years—afraid your big bro would laugh at you?”
“No, no! Absolutely not!” Second Leader denied immediately. “She’s ill! That Hu fellow said she’d die without ginseng to sustain her! Big bro, don’t you have a ginseng root…”
First Leader sighed, “…So you brought back a money pit? And who’s this Hu fellow?”
“Just some old man,” Second Leader brushed it off. “A craftsman we captured.”
“Go find one in the mountains yourself,” First Leader crossed his burly arms and grumbled. “My ancestral ginseng is reserved for my future wife!”
“Fine.” Second Leader took off his fur coat, laid it on the stool, and said to Xie Chengze, “Make do with this for now. I’ll search your cargo for something better.”
Xie Chengze looked at the fur coat with slight disdain, but his stunning beauty made even his displeasure seem endearing—not pretentious, but rather as if he’d been wronged.
He crossed his arms, his tone filled with dissatisfaction. “Today you dare to make this lady settle for once, tomorrow you’ll make her settle twice, and in the future, you’ll have her settling for a lifetime! If I must spend my days in this mountain stronghold settling for less, I’d rather dash myself against the First Leader’s Tiger-Head Axe and die!”
“Hey! You insolent woman!” Unfortunately, the First Leader was not one to spare beauties. He directly drew that terrifying Tiger-Head Axe, intending to teach this picky little lady a lesson on behalf of the Second Leader. “I don’t believe you! If you truly dare to dash yourself against it, then I swear this stronghold will never make you settle again!”
The blood-black Tiger-Head Axe was half the size of Xie Chengze’s body. Its gleaming, polished blade evoked images of countless severed heads, enough to make even the stronghold’s underlings tremble, let alone a delicate beauty who would likely faint at the mere sight of it.
“Dash it is!” Yet, without a moment’s hesitation, Xie Chengze lowered his head and charged toward the Tiger-Head Axe!
“Madam!” The Second Leader was terrified, rushing to pull him back. “Big Brother! What are you doing? She’s truly daring enough to do it!”
But his hands were too slow. Just as everyone thought the newly seized lady would meet a bloody end, an Azure Sword suddenly intercepted the axe’s blade, deflecting the fiercely charging figure back!
The First Leader instinctively retracted his hand. As a seasoned warrior, he could tell that Xie Chengze’s charge had been genuine, without the slightest hesitation.
“You…” The First Leader stared at Xie Chengze in shock, never expecting such ferocity. “What fierce resolve!”
Others would tremble at the sight of his Tiger-Head Axe, yet this “delicate lady” possessed such courage… Then again, anyone bold enough to follow the Second Leader into the stronghold as his wife was clearly no ordinary person. He had misjudged her.
“Hmph!” Xie Chengze lifted his chin proudly, his face full of arrogance. “You bandits holed up in the mountains, what would you know of this lady’s aspirations? I vow never to settle in this life, nor live as a mediocrity. Better to die a heroic death, leaving a legacy of valor in this world!”
“Well said!” Shen Yuan sheathed his Azure Sword, a smile playing on his lips as he applauded. “‘Better to die a heroic death, leaving a legacy of valor in this world!’ What remarkable spirit, Madam! Your resolve rivals even that of the staunchest men!”
With that, he removed the white fur cloak draped over his shoulders, his slender fingers brushing over its soft, fine hairs. “This humble cloak of mine is quite valuable. I wonder if it is worthy of serving as Madam’s seat cushion?”
Xie Chengze glanced at it and nodded slightly in approval. “It is a fine piece.”
Shen Yuan’s smile deepened. He stepped forward slowly, laid the white fur cloak on the bench, and then bowed with a narrowed-eyed grin. “Please take a seat, Sister-in-law.”
Xie Chengze: …
You’re really getting into the role.
Xie Chengze sat down. Shortly after, an underling escorted a woman inside.
She was tall and slender, dressed in simple, unadorned men’s clothing. Her smooth, dark hair was tied into a neat bun, lending her beauty a martial hero’s boldness rather than the gentleness of a well-bred lady.
The moment she entered and saw Xie Chengze, Sheng Yiren’s pupils trembled violently. She nearly cried out but managed to restrain herself at the last moment.
Why is the Second Prince here?!
Could he be here to rescue her?
Wuwuwu, though she didn’t know how the Second Prince had discovered she was here, the Second Prince was truly a good person! He’d actually braved the mountain stronghold for her!
“Take a look, is she really the daughter of that Assistant Minister?” The burly Da Dangjia lifted Sheng Yiren directly in front of Xie Chengze, handling her like a rabbit.
“Oh, it really is her.” Xie Chengze examined her carefully, then feigned surprise, “This is the very same number one beauty of Jingcheng that I’ve seen!”
“I”? What kind of address is that?
Sheng Yiren looked blankly at Xie Chengze, only then noticing that beneath his outer cloak, the Second Prince was actually wearing a woman’s skirt.
The Second Prince had even dressed as a woman to infiltrate the stronghold to save her?!
Wuwuwu, Your Highness! This humble girl is so moved! This humble girl doesn’t know how she could ever repay you!