Volume 1: This Heart's Inclination Chapter 21: A Stunning Encounter

  The door of the dilapidated bamboo house slowly opened.

  Behind the door, golden light overflows, pearls and jade shine. The four walls are inlaid with South Sea bright pearls, the smallest one is as big as a pigeon egg; the ground is covered with colorful silk carpets, so thick that when you insert your hand, you can't see your five fingers; above the head hangs deep red palace lanterns, golden threads swaying like willow branches; at the window hangs heavy brocade curtains, tied with hollow fragrance balls made of gold, the fragrance is lingering, making people feel drunk.

  The dilapidated bamboo house looks so shabby outside, but inside it's as luxurious as a royal palace, it's really unbelievable, stunning.

  It's not just this that makes one's eyes pop out.

  In the middle of the house, on a brocade carpet, four beauties knelt, two on each side, facing the door, slightly leaning forward with charming postures... without wearing any clothes.

  As soon as the door opened, they immediately knelt down deeply, their voices chirping.

  "Welcome, Your Excellency. You must be exhausted from your long journey. We have been waiting for you here, please take a rest."

  At night, in a mountain, a dilapidated bamboo house, luxurious decorations, tender and delicate, waiting to offer herself.

  A contradictory yet extraordinary and provocative scene that can make all men's blood boil with excitement, regarded as a divine miracle in their dreams, a heavenly encounter.

  Rong Chu's usual calm and smiling face had changed, not to surprise or joy, but a kind of solemn gloom, a hidden anger.

  He immediately raised his palm.

  Ten guards retreated silently.

  They were responsible for guarding the national security, never leaving his side three steps away. However, at this moment, they walked extremely quickly, as if knowing that Rong Chu would not be in danger and that they should not stay any longer, as if there was a tacit understanding.

  Tai Shi Lan also turned around and followed.

  There's no one else in the house, absolutely no Li Jinyue who she thought was recuperating here. What is she still doing here, waiting for a long needle eye?

  She had just lifted her foot when a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew, and a dark light shot straight at her eyes.

  "Hmm."

  The black light stopped and converged between Snow White's slender fingers.

  Facing Tai Shi's inquiring gaze, Rong Chu threw the black hidden weapon into the grass thicket, his expression cold and stern. "It was my mistake, I shouldn't have followed you."

  Tai Shi remained silent - are all men of Southern Qi so dangerous? Today I met two men, and twice I was attacked.

  "Let her go." Rong Chu said calmly to Zhu Wu, "She is under my protection."

  Someone chuckled, but no one was in sight.

  "This person's voice is very strange, neither male nor female, with a affected tone, 'The Duke's words are wrong, my master has ordered that you and your friends be treated well, we slaves dare not disobey our master's intentions, please forgive us, Your Excellency.'"

  The two words "entertainment" were bitten a bit heavily, and Tai Shiming obviously heard the hostility in them.

  The other party should have no malice towards Rong Chu, otherwise the guards would not be able to retreat, but the other party's tone also carried a strange hostility, especially towards her.

  Suddenly, the three words "possessiveness" flashed into Taishi Lan's mind.

  She shook her head, and she didn't understand where this feeling came from either.

  The twilight cast a shadow on Rong Chu's face, his complexion slightly blurry, and his voice sounded even more low and husky. "Which one of the Western Bureau are you? You've come all the way to Anzhou, don't you know if you'll return or not?"

  That unpleasant voice seemed to pause for a moment, and then continued with a hint of melancholy, "We are slaves, our master gives an order, we can only go and do it, nothing else dare to think."

  "What does she want you to tell me this time?"

  "The Emperor says." The voice became indifferent, with a tone of recitation, "The Duke has worked hard. It's likely that the Duke is really too hardworking, so even this small matter of visiting the southern border to inspect the customs of the people has kept the Duke here for so long. With such hard work, how can you bear the loneliness at night? Specially sent are two beautiful women, both with gentle temperament and good health, non-poisonous, not skilled in martial arts, and unarmed, please feel free to use them, Your Excellency."

  "Was she telling me about her thriftiness?" Chong Chu seemed to be smiling.

  That person seemed unwilling to accept the word "virtuous and wise", only lowering his head and saying, "If the Duke has any doubts, he can ask the master in person."

  "I've seen you, your message has been conveyed, now you can leave." Rong Chu smiled, but his words were not polite.

  "Yes," the man said, "and one more thing."

  Rong Chu suddenly furrowed her brow, as if she didn't have time to say anything, and reached out to pull Tai Shi Lan. Tai Shi Lan subconsciously dodged, waving her hand, just then she heard that unpleasant voice say: "The master says, apart from the one she arranged for you, any other woman by your side, she doesn't like."

  "Hiss!"

  As soon as the words fell, a shrill whistle sounded, and a burst of green light shot out. The four corners of the house suddenly shook, and a small arrow shot out, short and sharp, with an extremely fast trajectory. Looking at the range it covered, it was not only aimed at Tai Shi Lan, but even Rong Chu was included!

  Rong Chu had already leapt into the air before the crossbow arrow was shot, and as he jumped up, he grabbed at Tai Shi Lan but caught nothing. He spun around in mid-air, stretching out his hand to try and grab Tai Shi Lan again, but by then the arrow had arrived, leaving no time for any other action. Rong Chu let out a cold laugh, blocking Tai Shi Lan's body with his own, his sleeve fluttering upwards.

  Snow-white sleeves fluttering in the twilight, like a flowing ice wall, surrounded by four sides and eight sides, wrapping up those sharp flying arrows, emitting a dull thud.

  The sound of the dense and continuous arrows hitting his sleeve covered up all the sounds in the world at this moment. Tai Shi Lan looked at all the arrows, which were actually all received by Rong Chu's sleeve with a light and elegant stroke. He was concentrating on studying his sleeves when suddenly a warning sign emerged in his heart.

  Beast-like sharp intuition reminded her to lift her head!

  Danger comes from above!

  Tai Shi suddenly lifted her head and saw a black rope circle silently appearing above the treetops, already at the top of her head!

  The real killer is here!

  The real killer is still after her!

  The thought flashed by, and before any action could be taken, the noose was already around his neck! Tai Shi's throat tightened, and he was already lifted off the ground!

  Rong Chu suddenly turned around, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and with a flick of his sleeve, the crossbow arrows wrapped in his sleeve shot towards the black rope!

  Clang, the arrows all hit the rope, but the rope was unbroken, pulling and tugging at Tai Shi Lan, who struggled incessantly, being lifted higher and higher.

  Rong Chu's voice was low and urgent, he sprang up into the air, his body in mid-air drawing his sword, a green light like a dragon flying towards the big tree where they were standing.

  He reacted extremely quickly, knowing that the rope was specially made and could not be cut by a knife, so he immediately took action to cut down the tree!

  A dark shadow flashed out from the bamboo house, with a long knife in hand, pointing at Rong Chu's back, trying to stop him.

  "Come and kill me!"

  That person did not think that Rong Chu would actually ignore the knife coming from behind, where he dared to make a move to hurt Rong Chu. In his great shock, his movements slowed down for a moment, and Rong Chu's long sword was already out!

  Like a rainbow born from the azure sky, like a bright moon born from the blue ocean, like all the radiant lights born in the depths of the universe, in an instant, Taishi Lan, who was struggling and suffocating to death, also had his gradually blurring field of vision illuminated by that fleeting extreme brilliance.

  The sky is dark and gray like a vast primordial chaos, amidst the murky colors, a bright light seems to come from the horizon, piercing through the heavens like a white lightning bolt, suddenly traversing millions of miles, then, like a snow-white peony, it bursts into bloom.

  Radiant with light everywhere.

  "Hiss."

  A hundred-year-old tree was cut down with one sword.

  Bang.

  Yi Jian Duan Shu's Rong Chu didn't stop, he flipped his body in mid-air, and with one foot, he heavily kicked the gray shadow who was unable to react in time onto the tree.

  "Bang."

  The force of the sprint, the speed of the footwork and the impact of the collision combined, that person's head flew back and blood spurted out like a flame, while the heavy tree crashed down instantly, smashing the bamboo house to pieces.

  Cries of horror rose up, but Rong Chu didn't stay. The tip of his foot tapped on the fallen tree trunk and he swiftly swept towards Ta Shi Lan who had fallen to the ground.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't faint, and the moment the tree fell, the rope loosened. She immediately grabbed the rope and pulled it into her hand to prevent being strangled again.

  She has always had a beast-like intuition and a beast-like recovery ability.

  The man holding the rope was startled by Rong Chu's sudden movement, and didn't expect Tai Shi Lan to react so quickly, the rope was actually snatched away.

  Tai Shi's rope reached his hand, he raised his head and his eyes were already fixed on a person who was struggling to get up from the fallen tree cluster. Without saying a word, he rushed over.

  At this time, Rong Chu had just arrived to give her some air, but stopped halfway.

  He saw the woman with disheveled hair and a bruise on her neck, her eyes bloodshot, jump up like a wolf, pounce on a man who had just struggled out from under a broken tree, pin him to the ground, one elbow pressed against his throat, one hand pulled out the black rope that had just been tightened around her neck, wrapped it around the man's neck, and with a twist of her hands -

  Chu was taken aback.

  Tai Shi Lan knelt on the man's body, her hands pulling hard on the rope. The man beneath her struggled in agony, letting out intermittent groans and pleas for mercy. Tai Shi Lan listened but didn't hear, raising her head and shouting in a hoarse voice that was almost indistinguishable: "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."

  This time Rong Chu was also stunned, unsure of what she wanted to do - a thrill of killing?

  "Ah!"

  The last count was finished, Tai Shi Lan suddenly let go of his hand, the rope was pulled back into his sleeve, and then he retreated.

  The man was not dead, his face pale and white, curled up on the ground in pain and unexpectedness, covering his throat and coughing uncontrollably.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't even give him another glance.

  At this moment, Rong Chu's heart suddenly beat a little faster.

  Not shocked, nor afraid, but heart-struck by the unique individuality of this first encounter in life.

  Ruthless, sharp and clear distinction between gratitude and resentment.

  She fought back because she was hurt by the other person and wanted to return it immediately.

  She counts, calculating how long she has been hung up and will return it to others for the same amount of time.

  A person who can calculate and bind even hatred and life and death...

  Rong Chu suddenly closed her eyes.

  "You... you dare to harm us..." The gray-clothed man who had previously intervened to stop Rong Chu was now lying on the ground, staring at the ferocious woman in front of him. "You dare! You will die without a complete corpse!"

  Tai Shi Lan looked at his pale and chubby face, his chin without a beard, and suddenly said: "Demon!"

  "You!"

  "Pervert, I'll tell you that freak master." Tai Shi Lan's voice was hoarse and cold. "Whoever wants to kill me will be slaughtered by her!"

  That white and plump beardless man looked at her for a while, then nodded.

  "Alright, you're ruthless, but what's the point of being even more ruthless? One day, you'll regret what you said today."

  Tai Shi Lan expressionless, wrapped the rope around her own hands.

  "But I won't tell you... " The white fat man sneered and slowly closed his eyes, "My mission is already complete..."

  One foot stepped on his chest, and the stout man opened his eyes in surprise, meeting the calm and unruffled gaze of Rong Chugu.

  "Don't die yet," he said, "take a message back for me."

  The stout man suddenly started trembling, his eyes filled with terror, as if being alive was more frightening than death itself.

  "Ask her," Rong Chu said extremely slowly and coldly. "Are you satisfied now? This time, I'm angry."