27 A sequel to the "Chance Encounter of a Lifetime"
Recently, a matter of utmost importance but had been discreetly discussed was brought up during the meeting of the city councils. There were shockingly a series of crimes happening around Springwater City from the past few months - most concerningly was the kidnappings of young maidens from noble houses.
The abductions were done effectively so that the personal bodyguards hired to protect the young ladies were unable to discern any weird interactions leading to it. By the time they had noticed an abnormality, a message was delivered to the noble's residence.
The kidnappers had ordered some ridiculous amount of ransoms. If unfulfilled, the family's daughter would be sold off as slaves to foreign lands. Much worse, as the type that served as bedwarmers...
It was because precisely of what had came out from the meeting that on a fine day like this, the gallant General was boarding a luxurious carriage, when instead he preferred riding.
Still, his back was as straight as ever.
From across him, his most trusted subordinate sat silently. Since she had the bearings of a graceful lady, enough points to get mistaken as a child of a noble birth, the woman who was wearing a half-mask was dragged into the plan by acting as a potential target.
Since the time she boarded the carriage, the air surrounding the General was a bit sticky.
The half-masked woman was not someone to stick her nose into other's affairs, especially the matters of household. But ever since the banquet night, the General clearly had become haggard looking. What kind of matters would make the General so out of commission?
On his face, the expression 'Bother me and I'll kill you!' was plastered all over. Contravening Meng Xun's idea, the General had not actually gotten his first night and snu-ed snu-ed with his wife?
She knew that he was busy investigating the asudden assassination attempt on the butterfly girl at midnight after the banquet...
…..
"How are things with your wife?"
She decided to shoot the question.
The man who was preoccupied in observing the outside movements from the window suddenly stiffened. A subject he dreaded to be asked about had come!
However, he had noticed that his aloof friend was just asking out of concern and not interested in going into the details. The General just shrugged it off and helplessly spoke.
"Just some trivial things happened...", but his solemn eyes expressly said, 'I got myself a troublesome woman.'
Following the time he had spent in the border, when the Emperor bestowed upon him a marriage decree, he had seriously given it much thought. Settling down and building own's household were another kind of challenge to his leadership skills. In few years, or maybe months, little soldiers would come forth and he would be glad to train them up to live up to the military generation's reputation!
But his supposed wife had shattered his dreams into smithereens.
When he entered the bridal chamber, he was greeted with a cold red letter. There was absolutely no wife found in the room!
And when he read it, he found it absurd. Those accusing words were baseless and shameless!
At that point of time, his impression of the supposed wife had reached the negatives. Such female was not worthy of being the mother of his future little soldiers!
Then, catching him off guard, an image of a woman with fluttering eyelashes flashed on his mind. The blooming red flowers on her face veil had moved his heart. Contrasting her pale skin, she looked mystifying...
At the perverse direction of the General's thought, he shook his head to disperse it. Assuring that the time was not right to be distracted, he continued watching the outside movements.
Despite the terrifying cases of kidnappings, people were still merrily living their lives. Most of them would be unconcerned if it happened to other people's daughter. They would be saying, your family matters were yours to handle, mines were mine.
The Springwater City clearly lacked the sense of a community, the people's relationships were not as solid as a building structure.
The General's mind was filled with these thoughts as he was scanning the many faces on the street.
Among the sea of people, his sight captured a jumping female in white. She resembled a bunny hopping around the busy streets. When he thought that she would soon bumped into someone, she really did.
But when he thought he could catch a glimpse of her face due to the veil momentarily slackened, loud shouts from afar attracted his attention.
"Move out of the way!!"
A small carriage was charging through the streets at an alarming speed, creating chaos on the streets and destruction to the stalls by the side and people falling over.
With the driver's careless maneuvering coupled with that dangerous speed, the girl would certainly enter its range of destruction!
His body seemed to move on its own. The General leaped out and bolted towards the girl's direction. The world around him paused to a still, with his heart beating heavily like a war's drum.
He reached out his hands anxiously-...
A soft feeling was being wrapped by his strong arms. Protecting it from external harm. He could feel his back burn with a fiery blaze. Most probably he had dodged the lump of calamity at the nick of time that it grazed him a bit.
Even so, the safety of the person within his arms was his utmost priority.
Somehow, the feelings of emptiness that was haunting him before was filled with the coming of spring.
His arms sent signals - this woman belonged in his embrace.
The General wanted to laugh at his imagination. How would he himself be this instinctively attached to someone he had barely known? But the curly ends of her eyelashes gave away her identity.
Weren't she the mysterious lady who he saved two nights ago?
"It is you?"
Due to the sudden jerking, Zhi was unable to take control of her body. She did not know what had happened when she was enveloped in an electrifying warmth. A manly-structured face came into her view where everything else was spinning.
The two of them then were caught in a gazing contest - one was focused and inquiring, the other was dazed and blurred. The man had recognized her from her eyelashes. Since he hadn't learnt her name, his inquiry of her since their last encounter bore no fruit.
Their last encounter... was so brief that the man felt like it was just a dream. If not for the warmth that lingered when he hugged her and on the bed she was put on, her existence to him would be a temporary illusion.
He couldn't help but thought, 'If I let go of her now, will she disappear again?'
And so, unconsciously his grip tightened up. Almost choking Zhi to the point of breaking her fragile waist.
"Ugh, General Yanchen!"
A teenage boy with sword-like eyebrows approached the man and saluted.
***
A small beep buzzed three times by Yue's ear. A mini notification ensued.
"'Hero Saving the Beauty' has been activated and used. Proceeding to claim 50,000 points from Player's account."
Slender fingers that was elegantly pulling the strings of zither went stiff, breaking the beautiful and mellifluous sounds into a forced halt.
'What the frick?!'
Another purchasable special event was wasted just like that. Who was it that interfered with her plans? The event was placed in advance for the upcoming weekend's annual event since she had no other time to place it. It was her second great investment after the 'Chance Encounter of a Lifetime'!
She was so angered inwardly that the next notification was drowned in the background.
"'Accidental Crash (for Villains)' has been activated and used. Proceeding to-"
