Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 38

The night fell, the bright moon climbed into the sky, the streetlights came on, and specks of light shone through the windows, scattering onto the Yingchuan River. The river surface shimmered with waves, reflecting the stars and moon above.

Qi Zhenshu propped open the window and turned to look at Lu Sheng.

The two had just walked in, and the oil lamp hadn’t even been lit. Inside the room, there was only a half-beam of moonlight spilling in from outside the window.

“What is it?” Her voice was like the breeze in the night, light and slightly cool.

Qi Zhenshu stood with her back to the window, and Lu Sheng couldn’t see her expression. Lu Sheng took a step forward, standing face-to-face with Qi Zhenshu.

Qi Zhenshu’s black eyes appeared even deeper and more profound. She just quietly looked at Lu Sheng.

“I…”

The courage that had just surged up instantly dissipated by more than half. Lu Sheng pursed her lips, not understanding why she had become so hesitant and cautious.

The moonlight was faint, spilling into the room through the half-open window.

Both of them were half-draped in silver light, yet half-hidden in the gloom.

“I actually…”

“If you haven’t thought it through, then just wait until you want to say it,” Qi Zhenshu interrupted.

She was curious about Lu Sheng’s true identity, but at that moment, she clearly sensed Lu Sheng’s hesitation and reluctance.

Just for a split second, Qi Zhenshu suddenly no longer wanted to listen to her continue.

A peculiar thought blossomed in her heart at this moment and quickly spread.

She wanted there to be a day when Lu Sheng would tell her, without any burden, of her own free will.

And at this moment, she knew clearly that the Lu Sheng in front of her, regardless of who she originally was, would help others and genuinely care for Tangtang.

That was enough.

“You…” Lu Sheng spoke in a stunned voice, then quickly understood and stopped talking, a smile creeping into her eyes.

Qi Zhenshu turned to prop open the other half of the window, changing the subject, and asked, “Is the tinder in your bundle?”

“Let me look.”

Lu Sheng turned and felt around on the table, found the tinder, and lit the lamp in the room.

As the flame first brightened, Lu Sheng uncomfortably narrowed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Qi Zhenshu bathed in a gentle glow in front of the table.

Qi Zhenshu stood tall and elegant. Her slender fingertips picked up the silk ribbon in her hair. In an instant, her ink-black long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, scattering and draping over her shoulders.

Her features were cool and clear, and her simple white dress added a few more hints of ethereal and transcendent elegance to her, making her beauty unlike that of a mortal, captivating the eye.

Lu Sheng was momentarily lost in a daze.

Qi Zhenshu re-tied the loosened hair ribbon, picked up the wooden basin from the nearby stand, and said to her, “I’ll go fetch some water.”

“Oh, alright.” Lu Sheng replied a beat later. Qi Zhenshu had already walked out the door with the wooden basin.

After an unknown amount of time.

‘Sister~’

Two chirps by her ear brought Lu Sheng’s attention back.

Yuling flew down from the window lattice, landing on the lamp stand, shaking its head up and down, and calling out curiously: ‘Sister, something’s not right with you!’

It had flown out alone after they settled into the inn, and only landed on the windowsill when Lu Sheng lit the lamp, just in time to see the scene of her staring blankly at Qi Zhenshu.

Although Yuling had never been intimate with other birds, it had heard countless folktales and operas. It immediately felt that Lu Sheng’s gaze just now was exactly like that of a love-struck, infatuated young lady described in the stories.

‘Sister, you’ve fallen in love with Shushu!’ Yuling turned its round little head and shouted in a high-pitched voice.

Lu Sheng was startled, and quickly grabbed the overly talkative bird that was jumping up and down.

“What are you doing?”

Qi Zhenshu’s clear, cool voice rang out behind her. Lu Sheng’s body instantly stiffened.

“Shushu, Sister, she…” Yuling struggled to squirm out of her hands, tilted its head, and began to speak human words.

Clapping a hand over its beak and placing it behind her, Lu Sheng smiled and made up an excuse for Qi Zhenshu: “She’s been out in the wild for too long and is clamoring for me to find her food.”

“I’ll go ask the innkeeper for some rice.” Lu Sheng left the room, clutching Yuling.

As soon as the door closed, Lu Sheng quickly walked to the corner of the corridor and said to the overly chatty parrot: “Tomorrow I’ll buy you your favorite roasted melon seeds, but you are not allowed to tell Qi Zhenshu what you just said.”

“Sister has fallen in love with Shushu!”

Having been squeezed by her for a long time, Yuling was very unhappy and squawked defiantly.

“If you dare to say it, when we return to Binhe County, I’ll give you back to Lin Shuqing!” Bribes failing, Lu Sheng resorted to threats. “Did you hear me!”

‘I got it!’ Yuling’s bluster instantly vanished.

Lu Sheng released it. Yuling fluttered and pecked at her hair in annoyance.

‘Naughty Sister!’

‘Naughty Sister!’

When Lu Sheng returned to the room after getting the grain for the moody bird, Qi Zhenshu had already finished washing up and was lying on the bed fully clothed.

Under the warm yellow lamplight, the beauty leaned gently against the bedhead, holding a book with focused eyes, as beautiful as a painting.

Lu Sheng’s dissipated bashfulness quickly returned.

Suppressing the nervousness in her heart, she took the wooden basin to wash up, then slowly walked to the bedside.

“Do you want to sleep on the inside or the outside?” Qi Zhenshu glanced sideways and asked.

“Either is fine,” Lu Sheng said, trying to appear calm.

“Then you sleep on the inside.”

Qi Zhenshu was used to sleeping on the outside when she slept with Tangtang.

She bent her leg to make space for Lu Sheng.

“Okay.”

Lu Sheng quietly took off her shoes and crawled over from the foot of the bed. Seeing there was a separate blanket on the inside, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Sleeping in the same bed and having to share one blanket with her, Lu Sheng was truly afraid that her heartbeat would be loud enough for Qi Zhenshu to hear.

Lu Sheng pulled her own blanket over herself, turned onto her side facing the wall, trying to maximize the distance between them.

“Should I blow out the lamp?” Qi Zhenshu put down the book in her hands.

“You should sleep early too,” Lu Sheng pulled up her blanket and said. “This oil lamp isn’t bright enough; it strains your eyes to read.”

“Mm.”

As the voice faded, the room instantly plunged into darkness.

Any slight sound in the darkness was infinitely magnified.

After some rustling sounds, Lu Sheng could even clearly hear Qi Zhenshu’s breathing behind her.

Moonlight flowed, and the night deepened.

It was only when the sound of steady breathing reached her ear that Lu Sheng quietly moved her body, pulling out the arm that had gone numb from being trapped underneath her.

Just like the night before, she only slowly drifted into a hazy sleep after being awake for an unknown duration.

The next day.

As soon as the sky grew faintly light, the caravan was already on its way.

After lunch in the afternoon, Qi Zhenshu couldn’t resist her sleepiness and leaned obliquely against the carriage to rest.

Seeing that she was asleep, Lu Sheng left the carriage and sat with Old Yang.

Miao Fang saw her and slowed down his horse to strike up a conversation, wanting to ask about the secrets of the medical technique she used to save Miss Liang the day before.

Knowing his curiosity, Lu Sheng didn’t hold back and told him about the emergency method of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the related precautions.

“So that’s it; this method is truly wonderful,” Miao Fang praised with a thumbs-up.

“I think you’re using this method as an excuse to legitimately flirt with young ladies, which is why you find this method so wonderful,” Qin Feiyan teased him mercilessly.

“Hey! Senior Sister, why do you distrust your junior brother so much?” Miao Fang retorted, unconvinced. “With my talent and looks, why would I need to use such underhanded methods to approach a young lady?”

“I wonder which person, back in the day, wanted us to play the bad guys so he could be the hero and save the Fang family’s daughter to win her affection?” Qin Feiyan squinted at him.

Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this.

“Hey, hey, hey, no bringing up old embarrassments like that! I was only nine that year, those are the ignorant, shameful deeds of a youth,” Miao Fang scratched his head, sounding quite unembarrassed. “Senior Sister, you’re not allowed to mention it again.”

As the group was chatting and laughing, suddenly, over a dozen masked men in black leaped out from the thickets on both sides, blocking the caravan’s path.

Qin Feiyan immediately reined in her horse and raised her hand, signaling the caravan behind her to stop.

“I am Qin Feiyan of the Qinwu Escort Agency.” Qin Feiyan cupped her fist, smiling as she spoke conciliatorily to them. “May I ask which path you brothers are from?”

Having traveled the roads year-round, Qin Feiyan was well-versed in the rules of the road.

Escort agencies on a journey would fly their escort flags. Generally, mountain bandits would not approach to rob when they saw the flags. However, if they encountered new bandits blocking the way, they would hand over some money for passage after names were exchanged. Then, the next time they met, they would not be intercepted.

The leader of the men in black did not answer Qin Feiyan, but only said in a deep voice, “Leave the carriage behind you, and we will spare your lives.”

Qin Feiyan’s eyebrows subtly lowered, but she still kept a smile on her face. She reached into her bosom and pulled out a cloth pouch she had prepared earlier. “On the road…”

Before she could finish, the leading man in black directly charged forward with his saber raised.

“Miao Fang, protect the people well.”

Seeing this, Qin Feiyan’s face hardened, and she quickly shouted, drawing the saber from her waist to meet the attack.

In an instant, the people from the escort agency and the men in black were entangled in a fight.

The clanging sounds of the fight woke up Qi Zhenshu, who was napping in the carriage.

“What is it?”

Qi Zhenshu lifted the curtain, just about to stick her head out to investigate, when Lu Sheng quickly pushed her back inside the carriage.

“A group of people came outside to rob the road. They don’t look like ordinary bandits,” Lu Sheng said quickly.

Judging by their fighting moves, Lu Sheng felt this group was very well-trained and did not at all resemble casually organized mountain bandits.

Moreover, their target was clear, as they specifically demanded the person inside the carriage. It was obviously a planned attack.

If Lu Sheng wasn’t mistaken, their target was Miss Liang in the other carriage.

“Bandits?” Qi Zhenshu was shocked to hear this.

For this trip, they had specifically sought out an escort agency for safety, yet she hadn’t expected to still encounter bandits.

Realizing this, she immediately reacted, frowning. “They are here for Miss Liang.”

“Yes.”

Lu Sheng quickly went to the rear of the carriage compartment, felt a protruding wooden plug under the carriage seat, and pulled it hard. The lowest panel of the carriage loosened, revealing a half-square-meter gap.

“How did you know this could open?” Qi Zhenshu asked in surprise.

“I saw it the day we boarded the carriage.”

It was Lu Sheng’s habit to look for a second exit immediately upon entering a confined space.

When Lu Sheng saw it, she knew it should be a hidden escape exit specially modified by the escort agency.

“I’ll go down first. Once I confirm it’s safe, you follow.”

The other side had too many people. Lu Sheng couldn’t guarantee that Qin Feiyan would definitely be able to stop them. For safety, it was better to leave the carriage first.

If only this body wasn’t completely without martial arts skills, Lu Sheng would surely have stepped forward to help.

Since arriving, she would intentionally do some muscle training during her free time in the evening. However, the original owner’s foundation was too weak, and after more than a month of practice, it only had a slight effect on fitness and physique.

Slipping quietly out of the carriage, Lu Sheng crouched on the ground and observed the fighting situation outside. Seeing that the fighting was still concentrated at the very front of the team, she quickly signaled for Qi Zhenshu to come down.

Taking advantage of the general distraction, Lu Sheng led Qi Zhenshu along the carriage and into the roadside thickets.

The maid in coarse clothes behind them saw their actions, her eyes immediately lit up. She quickly turned into the carriage and took Miss Liang to hide in the thicket not far away.

Lu Sheng surveyed the surrounding environment. Beyond the thicket was a sloping hillside. If they wanted to run far, they would have to go down the slope.

She quietly moved back a little and turned her head to check the terrain down the slope.

Qi Zhenshu was usually composed, but facing such a life-and-death situation for the first time, she inevitably felt a little panic.

Sensing Lu Sheng’s movement, she instinctively grabbed her, frightened. “Lu, Lu Sheng.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Lu Sheng was also on edge at the moment and didn’t notice that Qi Zhenshu had voluntarily taken her hand. She just reassured her softly, “I’m looking at the terrain down the slope to see if we can find a way out.”

Her clear eyes shone with a gentle, firm light, making people feel incredibly reassured.

Qi Zhenshu instantly calmed down.

Her gaze swept over the appearance of the hillside. Lu Sheng quickly planned her escape route in her mind. If Qin Feiyan and the others couldn’t hold them off later, how could she and Qi Zhenshu slide down the slope quickly and with minimal injury?

Those people came for Miss Liang and probably wouldn’t relentlessly pursue them.

Looking up again at the fighting group in the distance, the escort agency people were outnumbered and gradually falling into a disadvantage.

“We go down from here, follow it until that… and then at that spot, I’ll hold you, and we’ll roll from there to…”

Lu Sheng pulled Qi Zhenshu to the edge of the hillside, telling her the route she had chosen.

“Let me hold you,” Qi Zhenshu frowned in disagreement.

Lu Sheng’s route was indeed feasible, but Qi Zhenshu understood immediately that in the final segment, the person holding the other had a much higher probability of injury than the person being held.

“You don’t have the experience…”

Lu Sheng wanted to come up with an excuse to make her agree to let her hold her, but after seeing Qi Zhenshu’s deep brown pupils, she immediately fell silent.

Qi Zhenshu saw through her lie.

Lu Sheng shook her head and whispered, “No, no, it should be me…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence before she was embraced. A clear, cool voice came from above her head, “I am taller than you, so I should be the one holding you. I can protect you better than you can protect me.”

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

This sudden hug made Lu Sheng’s heart skip two beats instantly, then start pounding furiously again.

The fresh scent of soapberry mixed with a faint ink fragrance lingered at Lu Sheng’s nose, possessing a magical power that was both calming and restless, almost making her forget their current predicament.

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