Chapter 50

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Chapter 50: Title

Gu Hengbo tried to kick Lian Rong a few times, but she didn’t have enough strength and could only accept the tight hold and the forced kiss. Ever since she met her, whether as Longyang or Lian Rong, Gu Hengbo had always felt like she was the one being forced.

After what felt like a long time, Lian Rong finally released her, but her hands remained firm around Gu Hengbo. Gu Hengbo felt extremely frustrated; she could not understand Lian Rong’s strange behavior. What merits did she have?

"Have you kissed enough? Can you let me go now?" Gu Hengbo said expressionlessly.

"No."

"Lian Rong, don’t you think you are very strange?" God knows what it’s like to be tightly held by a woman and endure her much ‘fuller’ body. Should she tell her that she feels envy?

"Ah Heng, we are already married."

Gu Hengbo lowered her eyelashes, "You don’t have to emphasize that; I know. Just say what you want me to do, as long as you let me go when you feel satisfied. I hope you do it quickly; I’m in a hurry."

Lian Rong looked at her intently, "I know you are angry."

Gu Hengbo shook her head; she didn’t even understand why she felt so sad all of a sudden. Before knowing Lian Rong’s identity, she had already worried because Lian Rong was too excellent and perfect. She feared that she might inadvertently fall in love. Fortunately, she had not, even though they had that so-called ‘one-night stand.’ Finally, the heavens favored her; she didn’t have to worry because the other person was a woman, just like her. She couldn’t help but feel surprised and delighted. This way, she could remain single and not think about any emotional issues. But reality was always unexpected. No matter whether Lian Rong liked her or was interested in her, the key thing was that she was Longyang—the Longyang she was familiar with yet strange to her. She was a woman who liked women without a doubt, and no matter the scheming or plotting, she knew that Lian Rong would not let her leave easily.

What made her feel that even Madam Dou was no longer important, only wanting to escape without caring about anything?

"Ah Heng…"

"Oh, don’t call me that; I’m not dead. Just tell me when you will let me see my mother; it’s been so long," Gu Hengbo said irritably as she struggled in Lian Rong’s embrace.

Lian Rong was clearly taken aback by her sudden change. "Once you feel better, I will take you."

"I’m so hot. Can you loosen your grip a bit?"

After a brief moment of surprise, Lian Rong returned to normal. She released her arms, stepped back, and slowly said, "How about this? If you can make me happy during these days, I will consider letting you go. Just like you said, we owe each other nothing. Haven’t you always wanted to elope with your mother?"

Gu Hengbo twitched her mouth. What did ‘want to elope with your mother’ even mean? But, "Is what you’re saying true?"

Lian Rong raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Gu Hengbo concealed her excitement, but her face remained calm. She nodded seriously, "Then it’s settled. Your Highness, please don’t go back on your word."

Lian Rong gently nodded, "I always keep my promises. When the time comes, I will let you go and compensate you for what you’ve ‘lost’ during this time. You want money, right? I’ll give you as much as you want."

Gu Hengbo didn’t speak, just stared at her in a daze.

Lian Rong’s face was calm and composed, showing no signs of weakness, as if they were merely discussing whether to sell the family pig, with the price being trivial.

"Ugh! You’re the pig, your whole eighteen ancestors!" Gu Hengbo thought, feeling angry at herself for comparing her reality to a pig!

After this small revelation, Lian Rong’s attitude toward Gu Hengbo noticeably changed. In Gu Hengbo’s words, that meant she had self-awareness. Of course, there were other reasons, like the time she accidentally let slip, "I don’t like you like that," which led to the current situation. It was clear that Lian Rong realized Gu Hengbo’s disinterest in women.

That’s more like it! If everyone in the world were like this, wouldn’t it be so harmonious?

However, on the third night of Gu Hengbo’s stay at Jiulong Villa, trouble arose. She was sleeping soundly when she suddenly heard a commotion outside. For the past two days, she had been in her bedroom, hardly stepping outside, so she had no idea what Jiulong Villa looked like or what it was for.

The outside was brightly lit, but the noisy sounds were mixed with the harsh clang of swords. Gu Hengbo gripped her blanket and tiptoed to the door. She cautiously opened a tiny crack in the door, took a quick glance, then quickly shut it again. She leaned against the door, barely daring to breathe, and she could still smell the faint scent of blood in the air. Last time in the alley, even though she came later, it was easy to guess what had happened based on the situation. Was someone trying to assassinate Lian Rong? Since arriving here, she hadn’t seen many large gatherings, but there had been several assassination attempts in quick succession.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the window, and Gu Hengbo tensed up. Holding her breath, she watched as a person hidden in the darkness slowly approached her. Instinctively, she wanted to scream for help, but before she could open her mouth, the man restrained her.

"What are you doing here? How did you get into Longyang’s room?" the man asked in a low voice.

Gu Hengbo tried to reply, but with her mouth covered, she could only make muffled noises. The man loosened his grip slightly.

"Help…"

"Do you want to die?"

Just as Gu Hengbo was unsure of what to do, the door in front of them suddenly blew open with a strong wind, revealing a bright light outside, making it seem like daytime. They saw two people standing at the doorway.

Gu Hengbo felt the man behind her shudder. He tightened his grip on her neck and pulled her out.

“Get your master out here to see me.”

Gu Hengbo saw a tall woman in fitted clothes step out from the crowd. Her dark, long hair was tied up neatly, and her features were exquisite. If she had worn different clothes, she could have been a radiant beauty. Yet her outfit made her appear sharp and unapproachable.

The woman in fitted clothes glanced at Gu Hengbo with no expression, "You think you can see our master just because of you?"

The man snorted coldly, his grip tightening, forcing Gu Hengbo’s head back, making it hard for her to breathe. She silently cursed him and all his ancestors in her heart.

"I say… friend, can we change positions? You’re squeezing the same spot, and it’s really uncomfortable. My neck is getting sore." Gu Hengbo complained, unable to hold back any longer.

"Shut up! Hurry and let Longyang see me, or I will kill her."

The woman in fitted clothes still looked at him without emotion, "I’m afraid you will be disappointed. I don’t know her. Feel free to kill her, but you must keep your life today."

"Hmph! I thought the Tang guard was impressive; turns out you’re just an arrogant fool."

The woman in fitted clothes shot him a cold glance, "You better hurry. My patience is limited."

Gu Hengbo scoffed, rolling her eyes. This man was all talk, unable to fight back and resorting to words to buy time. She could feel that his trembling hand on her neck revealed his fear. Just as she intended to taunt him further, unexpectedly, the man suddenly pushed her hard against her back. She widened her eyes, holding her breath, almost feeling like she was about to meet her end.

A wave of discomfort surged within Gu Hengbo, and her brows furrowed together.

"Tonight is quite lively," a voice, almost inaudible, came from behind the crowd.

Lian Rong strolled out, playing with an exquisitely crafted folding fan. The woman in fitted clothes called out, "Master," but Lian Rong seemed not to see her and walked straight past her towards the man.

Gu Hengbo stared at her wide-eyed, not because she was surprised, but because her outfit was truly…

It was one thing to wear a mask, okay, she already knew that, but what about the way she was half-covered, showing a fragrant shoulder? In modern times, it might not matter, but this is ancient times! She wouldn’t dare to dress this way, for goodness’ sake! By the looks of it, she clearly wasn’t even wearing a bellyband, and that loose robe was swaying in the wind. She couldn’t possibly be… not wearing anything underneath, right?

“Longyang!” the man called out, his mood a bit stirred.

“Are you cold?” Lian Rong asked.

Everyone was taken aback, and after a moment, Gu Hengbo realized she was asking about herself. She suppressed the frustration in her chest and shook her head. She wasn’t wearing much either; she had been sleeping. Who knew this would happen?

Lian Rong didn’t even glance at the man and ordered the woman in fitted clothes behind her, “Go fetch an outer robe.”

The woman nodded and turned to leave.

The man looked at Lian Rong with a mix of anger and humiliation. “Liuli Palace has never bothered Jiulong Villa. Your subordinates hurt over sixty people from Liuli Palace. How should we settle this score?”

Lian Rong glanced at Gu Hengbo, whose brows were tightly knitted. She smirked slightly. “Liuli Palace has not offended Jiulong Villa, but in recent years, you haven’t achieved much. Your palace master has been bedridden for some time now. I think the land of Liuli Palace is quite nice. If you graciously give it up, we would all avoid much trouble, wouldn’t we?”

“You’re despicable!” The man was furious with Lian Rong, trembling all over.

Lian Rong smiled slightly. “Too much praise! I can be even more despicable.” Without waiting for the man to respond, her red figure rushed towards him in the blink of an eye.

The man felt his throat tighten, as if a thousand tiny snakes were swirling inside him. He stared in terror at the woman gripping his neck, his feet lifted off the ground, and the unbearable pain inside him felt like it was about to explode.

Lian Rong had a hint of a smile on her lips, looking quite pleased. Only the icy glint in her eyes revealed her true anger.

“You… will face retribution,” the man said, struggling to breathe, his face gradually changing from red to black.

Lian Rong slowly lifted him by his neck. A delicate fan spun on the tips of her fingers, and her beautiful, narrow eyes narrowed. Her tone turned icy. “A bunch of pretty but useless things. If Jiang Changmor weren’t in league with Youmeng Tower, I wouldn’t even cast a glance at him.”

The man’s neck began to darken, and he glared at Lian Rong, his eyes filled with hatred. “Longyang, you will regret what you have done today. Lian Rong… Lian Rong won’t let you go.”

Before he could finish his words, Lian Rong tossed him away like trash.

Lian Rong took the handkerchief from the woman in fitted clothes, just like when Gu Hengbo first saw her after killing someone, carefully wiping every finger. She tossed the handkerchief to the woman and looked at her. “You should be grateful. If anything happens to her tonight, I’ll make sure you go down with her.” With that, she took the outer robe from the woman and draped it on Gu Hengbo, then picked her up and left.

Gu Hengbo looked over Lian Rong’s shoulder. Several people carried the man’s corpse outside. If she wasn’t mistaken, the dark things crawling out from under his skin were probably worms.

Feeling the tension in Lian Rong’s arms, she walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, gently comforting her, “You were scared tonight.”

Gu Hengbo stared blankly at Lian Rong, her hand shaking as she rested it on Lian Rong’s shoulder. “How many people did you kill? The man said you were the one! Doesn’t everyone here know your true identity?” What did she want?

Lian Rong patted her back, smiling warmly, a stark contrast to her earlier merciless demeanor. “You’ll find out in the future.”

In the future? Would there still be a future? “You… you won’t kill me, will you? Like silencing me? Don’t worry, I will definitely not tell anyone about this. I promise, I swear!” Gu Hengbo raised her hand nervously, looking at Lian Rong.

Lian Rong laughed at her actions, pulled her hand down, and gently rubbed her lips against it. “What are you thinking? Why would I kill you?”

Gu Hengbo remained uneasy. Lian Rong had been harsh with her before. She pleaded, “Can I ask you one thing?”

Lian Rong leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Speak.”

“Can you not kill in front of me anymore? No matter the reason, I will always feel the urge to report it.” She suspected Lian Rong was intentionally showing her this to make her back down. “And about the burial thing, you were joking, right?”

The look in Lian Rong’s eyes deepened. “Of course not a joke. If I hadn’t arrived in time, you would have been long gone.”

“…Who was that girl?”

“One of the nine guardians of the villa.”

Gu Hengbo felt conflicted; such bizarre events were really happening to her. What about the other people?

Lian Rong adjusted her collar. “I sent them all to handle matters. That’s why people from Liuli Palace managed to crash in here.”

At this moment, Gu Hengbo was completely immersed in the series of events that had just happened, so much so that she didn’t even notice Lian Rong holding her in such an ambiguous position on her lap.