Chapter 56 I Wouldn't Care for Anyone Else

Dressed in a black gown and with a sheer veil veiling her face, Qin Yin stood upon the street.

Pedestrians were sparse, making her appear exceptionally striking at once.

The thin veil added an even deeper sense of mysterious beauty to her appearance.

Yet at this moment, though Qin Yin looked calm on the outside, she was actually somewhat anxious within.

Faintly, she could already sense several subtle auras lingering in her surroundings, and she even felt that she had been locked onto.

These must be the people of the Great Xia Dynasty; they seemed to have discovered her identity.

During these recent days, the Heavenly Capital had been extraordinarily bustling, and Qin Yin had taken advantage of the chaos to make numerous deployments.

She had originally thought no one would notice, but she realized she had taken things far too simply after all.

Not far away, a pedestrian appeared to be flirting with a beautiful matron.

Yet with a single glance, Qin Yin could tell that neither of them was ordinary.

A nearby teahouse had no customers, and the proprietor was dozing off.

Suddenly, however, the owner opened his eyes, strolled slowly out from the inner room, and with a lazy demeanor, stepped out as if to bask in the fair sunshine that followed the stopped snow.

Simultaneously, Qin Yin discovered that at least a dozen individuals were approaching her, seemingly at random, but actually in a very methodical pattern.

At that very moment!

Snap!

A crisp sound rang out.

Following that, just as Qin Yin was about to hurl her hidden darts at the person who had struck her, her wrist was instantly seized.

Immediately afterward, she felt her waist gripped by a hand, causing her to lose her center of gravity entirely as her feet lifted straight off the ground.

At that instant, Qin Yin was both exasperated and furious.

How dare this man casually pat her!

Just as Qin Yin's foot was about to lash out fiercely toward the person embracing her from behind, that person's hand had already crept upward, grasping her pride.

In a flash, a strange heat seeped through her clothes and invaded her body.

That tingling sensation filled her with shame; to think she could feel such a way toward an enemy!

It even struck her as an ultimate humiliation!

Yet, infuriatingly, this shameful sensation caused the power she had been gathering to suddenly stall.

Abruptly, a voice murmured softly right beside her ear, very quiet yet exceptionally clear.

"Don't move around, or not even I can save you."

With that, the man burst into a hearty, uninhibited laugh, his tone brimming with provocation: "Little Ying-ying, you must have been waiting so impatiently for your lord. Today, your lord shall reward you early!"

As he spoke, the fellow gave her another pat.

Snap!

Qin Yin closed her eyes, her entire body trembling.

He patted her again!!

It was enough to make Qin Yin want to unleash a fatal strike!

***

Next, Qin Yin was scooped up completely, amidst the astonished gazes of many onlookers.

She was carried away like this, straight into an alleyway.

Following this, at the mouth of the alley, a dozen people gathered, simply watching as Yang Zhan carried the woman into the distance.

Abruptly, all dozen of them turned to look at the teahouse proprietor.

"My lord, that is General Yang!"

"The woman has been carried off. Should we intercept them or not?"

At this, the teahouse proprietor stood up and strode over in a few steps.

With a sudden kick, he sent the man who had just spoken flying out.

"If you've got the ability, why don't you go?"

Having taken the kick, the man lowered his head and muttered somewhat aggrievedly, "He's just a jailer now."

"Bang!"

Another kick followed, sending this fellow flying straight across to the opposite street.

The sudden violence sent many panicked pedestrians scurrying away.

As the Ninth Grade Hall's divine catcher, Feng Zifeng, he had led men this time to capture the spies of the Fenglin Kingdom, yet he never expected Yang Zhan to interfere.

Feng Zifeng watched Yang Zhan retreating into the distance and knitted his brows.

"Follow me back to report to the Marquis; this matter is beyond what we can handle!"

"Understood, my lord!"

Feng Zifeng quickly led his men away.

***

Qin Yin was finally set down.

Her body was still trembling faintly, whether from anger or from shame and indignation, it was hard to tell.

She glared at Yang Zhan with a gaze that seemed ready to devour him alive.

Meeting her stare, Yang Zhan's face remained unreddened and his breathing steady.

"If it weren't for me, you'd have been captured already. Once targeted by the Ninth Grade Hall, you'd be dead for sure, and you're still glaring? I took a massive risk just to save you!"

"How could you do such a thing!"

Qin Yin glared at Yang Zhan, the memory of what had just happened still making her breathe heavily as she clenched her fists.

"Nonsense, if I hadn't done that, could you have dispersed your momentum? Otherwise, the hidden darts in your hand and the blades on your toes would have ended up stuck in me, and once your cover was blown, I wouldn't be able to save you either!"

Qin Yin bit her lip. "Why did you come here?"

"I came to save you, of course."

"You? Have you been tailing me?"

Yang Zhan flashed a smile. "You've been quite busy these days. I advise you to stop moving around; it's precisely because of your widespread deployments that you caught the attention of the Ninth Grade Hall. Did you really think Great Xia's Ninth Grade Hall is just for show?"

Qin Yin seemed to regain her composure, then stared fixedly at Yang Zhan. "Now that we have General Yang's assistance, it seems this humble woman has nothing left to fear."

"Ha!" Yang Zhan exclaimed in mock surprise. "Threatening me?"

Qin Yin lifted her chin. "The people from the Ninth Grade Hall just saw you carry me away. If they verify my identity, your extraordinary relationship with someone from the Fenglin Kingdom's Dark Night Bureau will be impossible to clear up if word gets out. However, since General Yang is willing to help, my Fenglin Kingdom naturally will not treat General Yang poorly."

Saying this, she watched Yang Zhan's astonished expression.

Qin Yin's smile beneath her veil grew even wider.

"If General Yang fancies worldly wealth, there is plenty to be had."

Yang Zhan suddenly looked Qin Yin up and down. "I fancy more than just worldly wealth."

Qin Yin found herself growing somewhat uneasy under Yang Zhan's gaze.

"Very well, our Fenglin Kingdom has no shortage of beauties."

"I hadn't even said it yet, and you already knew what I was thinking?"

Qin Yin took a deep breath. There was no need to say it; his actions just now and his gaze right now made it obvious.

Even a blind man could tell that this renowned grand general was nothing more than a lecher!

Yang Zhan smiled amiably. "Faced with such a beauty, how could I remain indifferent?"

"Yang Zhan, I wasn't talking about myself!"

"I have no interest in anyone else, so what should we do?"

"You—let me tell you, Yang Zhan, since you've already intervened to help me, and the Ninth Grade Hall's men saw it, if they confirm my identity, you will likely be branded with the crime of treason."

"Oh no, I've gone and let you get the upper hand without realizing it. What do you want?"

"Help me. You want money, I'll give you money; you want beauties, I'll give you beauties!"

Yang Zhan frowned, appearing to be deep in thought.

Qin Yin's eyes gradually brightened.

"If you agree, naturally no one will ever know you helped me, and you'll reap both wealth and romance."

"Help you with what, exactly?" Yang Zhan asked doubtfully.

"I heard you are presiding over the peace negotiations with the Fenglin Kingdom, and that you have full authority. Make the call to hand the Princess and the others over to me, and I will immediately send word back for my Divine Wind Army to release the Grand General of the Heavenly Martial Army and three thousand elite cavalry!"

Yang Zhan asked strangely, "Three thousand of our men are trapped, yet we aren't anxious at all. What are you rushing for?"

Qin Yin frowned. "If this drags on, your men will die, and I'm worried the Princess and the others will be in danger!"

Yang Zhan laughed. "I'm in no hurry. They aren't my soldiers, so why should I care? Besides, our Emperor isn't in a rush either. Since you're here, you might as well take things as they come."

"So you're saying you refuse to cooperate with me? You don't want money, you don't want beauties, and you don't even want your own future—you actually want to shoulder the charge of treason and colluding with the enemy?"

Yang Zhan flashed a smile. "If the person you mentioned is yourself, I might still consider it!"

Qin Yin's gaze paused, and she clenched her fists once more.

"Fine! Once this is done, you can come with me to the Fenglin Kingdom. This humble woman can even marry you!"

Yang Zhan suddenly wore a look of disdain.

"You agreed so easily. How boring!"

With that, Yang Zhan suddenly reached out and grabbed Qin Yin's arm.

"What are you doing?"

"This lord is taking you to the Ninth Grade Hall. Capturing one of the Ten Blood Moon Commanders of the Fenglin Kingdom's Dark Night Bureau is a tremendous merit. Let's see who dares to accuse me of treason and colluding with the enemy!"

Qin Yin's eyes widened in horror.

"Wait, wait, wait!"