Chapter 309

Side Story: Joy Record 25

They had shared a bed, kissed intimately, and even seen each other naked... During these days, Shui Yun and Pei Yaoguang had been very close; even a married couple could hardly be closer.

Yet, at this very moment, feeling Pei Yaoguang helping her wash her hair, Shui Yun couldn't help but feel a touch of unprecedented tenderness.

Shui Yun lay quietly on the bed, her black hair draped down into the wooden basin at the edge of the bed. The water was warm and comfortable, and Pei Yaoguang scooped water onto her head bit by bit, then gently rubbed her hair with soap pods...

The room was very quiet. Pei Yaoguang rubbed slowly without speaking. The dim light of the oil lamp reflected on his face, revealing an indescribable peace.

Shui Yun, lying on the bed, kept her eyes downcast. Although she looked calm, her hands were tightly clasped over her abdomen, twisting incessantly...

The room was filled with warmth. After a long while, Pei Yaoguang finally stopped, stood up to pour out the water that had grown somewhat cold, and then brought in another basin of water from the kitchen outside. He then continued as before, washing Shui Yun's hair once more.

Pei Yaoguang worked very earnestly, going back and forth without saying a word. Only after he finally finished washing Shui Yun's hair did he tidy everything up and return to the room.

By this time, Shui Yun had already sat up and was reaching out to grab a dry cloth to wipe her hair, but before she could even lift her arm, Pei Yaoguang spoke first:

"What are you doing? Idle and can't sit still again?"

While speaking, Pei Yaoguang stepped forward, snatched the dry cloth into his hand, and sat sideways on the edge of the bed.

"Did I tell you to move? Do you really think my words are just wind in your ears?!"

Although she knew that nothing good ever came out of Pei Yaoguang's mouth, hearing this still made Shui Yun choke. Her heartbeat, which had just accelerated from being moved, began to beat even more violently—from anger!

Shui Yun felt stifled and glared at Pei Yaoguang. But Pei Yaoguang wasn't even looking at her; as soon as he finished speaking, he began wiping Shui Yun's hair with the dry cloth.

Pei Yaoguang's movements couldn't be called gentle, but every motion was earnest and focused. This made Shui Yun, who had wanted to give him a piece of her mind, pause slightly, and she swallowed the words that had already reached her throat.

The room remained quiet as before. Neither of them spoke. Pei Yaoguang wiped her hair bit by bit, and only when it was dry did he stop. He tossed the cloth aside, let out a breath, and got into bed.

Shui Yun had grown accustomed to sharing a bed these past few days. Seeing Pei Yaoguang lie down beside her, she didn't feel anything, but she still turned her head to look at him.

"What's wrong? Why are you sighing?"

If it were in the past, Shui Yun would never have cared about such things. But now, she had said it as if it were a casual remark. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it, feeling that she had suddenly become a busybody. She quickly shut her mouth, lay back in her spot, and remained silent.

Shui Yun moved her body as far away from Pei Yaoguang as possible, trying to return to her former self as quickly as possible. Hearing Shui Yun's words, Pei Yaoguang just pursed his lips, and after a long while, he said in a low voice:

"I was just thinking, what if we really can't go back this time?"

"... Hmm?"

In Shui Yun's eyes, Pei Yaoguang had always been direct, bold, arrogant, haughty, reckless, and of course, annoying. But regardless, he had never said such discouraging words. So, after Pei Yaoguang finished speaking, Shui Yun, who had intended not to answer, couldn't help but turn over to look at the man beside her, and she frowned slightly.

"What does that mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I was just wondering, what would happen if we were caught by that man surnamed Jiang first..."

As he spoke, Pei Yaoguang also frowned slightly and continued:

"That man surnamed Jiang has been lying low for so many years; now that his tracks have been uncovered, he certainly won't let it go! And what I find even more baffling is that Jiang is a man with brains; he entered officialdom at a young age, yet he was willing to stay here in Huizhou for over a dozen years, even giving up his career... What kind of person could have such influence to make him willing to make such a huge sacrifice? Don't you think there's something strange about this?"

Pei Yaoguang's only wish in this life was to be an upright official, so he never cared about the rank of his position. But even so, Pei Yaoguang knew that while he didn't care about such things, others did—or rather, in the eyes of most people, becoming an official was only the first step, and becoming a high-ranking minister was the ultimate goal.

According to what Pei Yaoguang had heard about Jiang Ping'an, he was not someone who viewed official rank as dirt like he did. So what could be the reason that would make such a person willing to stay here?!

Pei Yaoguang couldn't figure out who the mastermind behind Jiang Ping'an was. After all, looking at Dongling now, the country was prosperous, the people were strong, the political situation was stable, and Yin Fengzhan, as the Emperor, had shown great capability since ascending the throne, keeping the entire Dongling under his control. So who else would dare to...

Wait, could the person behind Jiang Ping'an be Yin Fengzhan himself?! But how could that be possible? Yet if it wasn't him, Pei Yaoguang really couldn't find a second person! Could it be...

In an instant, Pei Yaoguang suddenly didn't dare to think further. At this moment, Shui Yun, who had been paying attention to Pei Yaoguang, saw his expression suddenly turn ugly and couldn't help but reach out and touch his arm.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing..."

He gave Shui Yun a perfunctory reply and then fell back into deep thought. Seeing Pei Yaoguang's expression growing worse and worse, yet he wouldn't speak, Shui Yun narrowed her eyes slightly and suddenly raised her eyebrows with a smile.

"Pei Yaoguang, could it be that you're afraid?"

Shui Yun's voice was filled with obvious teasing and provocation. Upon hearing this, Pei Yaoguang, who had been wondering just how likely it was that the mysterious mastermind was Yin Fengzhan, suddenly widened his eyes and replied without thinking:

"Who are you saying is afraid? Who has this master ever been afraid of?"

After the words fell, Pei Yaoguang glared at Shui Yun. Seeing her actually smiling, he realized he had just fallen into a trap. His face stiffened, and he reached out to blow out the oil lamp. At the same time, his other hand hooked Shui Yun into his arms, and he said fiercely:

"Hmph! Let me tell you, I've never known what fear is in all my life! So shut your mouth and go to sleep!"

Once, Shui Yun had hated Pei Yaoguang's arrogant and reckless nature, especially his constant use of "this master." But now, Shui Yun suddenly found that sometimes, Pei Yaoguang speaking like this was actually quite amusing.

Yes, amusing.

This was the first time Shui Yun had thought of this word. Because for all the years she had lived, there had only been two things in her life: practicing martial arts and serving her master. So "amusing" was an absolutely foreign term to her.

But now, she truly felt it.

Therefore, being held so forcefully and domineeringly by Pei Yaoguang, Shui Yun not only didn't refuse, but even leaned into his arms and stifled a laugh.

The night passed without further words, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

Early in the morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone through the window lattice into the room, Shui Yun woke up.

Last night's good sleep had helped her body recover quite a bit. Although it was still far from her former state, her internal energy had already recovered by two or three tenths.

So, as soon as she opened her eyes, Shui Yun first raised her hand to shield her eyes from the somewhat dazzling light. She then closed her eyes again to meditate for a moment before becoming fully awake. But when she looked up, she saw a handsome profile.

Pei Yaoguang was still asleep.

Seeing this, Shui Yun couldn't help but look at him twice more. She then eased out of his embrace, sat up, and moved her body slightly. Feeling that her body was much lighter than the previous two days and that even the injury on her back didn't hurt as much, Shui Yun got out of bed.

These past few days, Pei Yaoguang had been taking care of her, and now that she could move, she naturally wouldn't let that continue. So after getting out of bed, Shui Yun looked at Pei Yaoguang again, reached out to tuck the quilt in for him, and turned to walk out of the room.

Shui Yun's movements were very light, even somewhat tiptoeing. Once she reached the kitchen, Shui Yun first started to boil water. After the water was hot, she washed up, kept the remaining water warm on the stove, and then started to cook.

Shui Yun's cooking skills weren't great, but at least she knew how to do it. Just as Shui Yun had put the rice in the pot and was looking for some preserved meat and salted vegetables in the kitchen to make a side dish, she suddenly heard a shout from the room:

"Shui Yun!"

The voice was urgent and panicked, making the hand holding the kitchen knife tremble slightly. Shui Yun quickly put down the knife and walked back to the room. At this moment, she saw Pei Yaoguang, who had been sleeping soundly, sitting bolt upright on the bed, his handsome face filled with indescribable shock and tension.

Seeing this, even Shui Yun was stunned. She wiped her hands and walked to the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Shui Yun couldn't figure out why Pei Yaoguang would suddenly be like this. At this moment, looking at Shui Yun before him, Pei Yaoguang first let out a sigh of relief, but then he couldn't help but glare fiercely at her.

"Why would I have a nightmare? It's just... I was just a bit groggy from sleep!"

Pei Yaoguang was clearly lying. As soon as he finished speaking, he frowned again and stared at Shui Yun with great dissatisfaction.

"And you, how many times have I told you to stay put? Where did you run off to again? Hmm? Speak! Without my orders, where did you go?"

Pei Yaoguang was showing his domineering nature out of habit. If this had been before, Shui Yun would surely have been so angry she'd spit blood; even if she didn't actually beat him up, she would definitely have retorted to choke him to death. But at this moment, although Shui Yun's blood was also rising, in the blink of an eye, she just hummed casually and turned to leave.

Shui Yun ignored Pei Yaoguang completely. Seeing Shui Yun not paying attention to him and even walking out without listening to him, Pei Yaoguang widened his eyes, scrambled off the bed, and followed her out in his slippers... When he reached the kitchen, he saw Shui Yun standing at the chopping board, holding a knife, and starting to chop vegetables with a "dang-dang-dang" sound.

Shui Yun's hands were nimble, and her momentum was so imposing that it made Pei Yaoguang, who had rushed out, choke. But after a brief moment of being stunned, Pei Yaoguang recovered immediately.

"What are you doing? Put it down, give the knife to me. Who told you to chop vegetables? Put it down, did you hear me? Hurry up and put it down!"

Pei Yaoguang was somewhat exasperated. Hearing this, Shui Yun, who had already chopped half, paused, glanced at Pei Yaoguang, and then let her gaze fall on his feet.

"Put your shoes on properly and go wash your face!"

As she spoke, Shui Yun raised the kitchen knife in her hand, pointed at Pei Yaoguang's heel, which was half-exposed, and then pointed at the large pot of warm water. But Pei Yaoguang was not a timid person. Being told this by Shui Yun, he was only slightly stunned, looked down at his feet, and then hurriedly put on his slippers properly. At the same time, he pointed at Shui Yun and shouted:

"You stop what you're doing right now! Otherwise, I won't be finished with you later!"

Although Pei Yaoguang shouted loudly, he quickly went to wash up, then hurried back and snatched the knife from Shui Yun's hand without a word.

"Stay to the side, watch how I deal with you later!"

After saying this, Pei Yaoguang lowered his head to continue the work Shui Yun had just started... But as he lowered his head, he realized that Shui Yun had already finished chopping the vegetables.

Suddenly, Pei Yaoguang felt embarrassed. The hand holding the kitchen knife didn't know whether to put it down or keep holding it. He looked up and glared at Shui Yun, only to see her looking at him with a smile in her eyes.

Pei Yaoguang was so angry his teeth itched, but looking at Shui Yun's rarely seen, unrestrained smiling face, he couldn't help but look a few more times... But just then, he saw Shui Yun, who had been smiling, suddenly turn cold.

Shui Yun's expression changed very quickly. Seeing this, Pei Yaoguang understood immediately. He turned around, went back to the room to take out a dagger, and said to Shui Yun in a low voice:

"Go inside. No matter what, don't come out. Then find a chance to escape."

His brows were tightly furrowed, and he spoke without a hint of hesitation. But upon hearing this, Shui Yun frowned.

"Do you think you can hold them off and let me escape?"

"At least there's a glimmer of hope!"

Having said that, Pei Yaoguang carried Shui Yun into the room without further ado. But just as he was closing the door, he was grabbed by the collar by Shui Yun.

"A glimmer of hope?! Hmph, I don't care for it!"

She threw the words coldly at Pei Yaoguang. After the words fell, Shui Yun turned around, pulled out the soft sword hidden under the bed, and returned to Pei Yaoguang.

"If we go, we go together; if we stay, we stay together."

Shui Yun's words were firm and decisive. Hearing this, Pei Yaoguang just looked at her quietly, then suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely!

After a long while, Pei Yaoguang finally let go of Shui Yun.

"Go!"

Jiang Ping'an was not someone to be trifled with. After tracking them for so long, this time, he finally found Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun.

Meeting again, Jiang Ping'an stood before Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun with his usual kind expression, and behind him stood a group of subordinates.

Those people were dressed in ordinary clothes; some were dressed as mountain folk, some as commoners, and others as yamen runners... But with just one glance, Shui Yun could see that those people were disguised, and their true identities were likely the same group as the black-clad men who had tried to assassinate them time and again.

Clearly, this time Jiang Ping'an was determined to get Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun into his hands. Seeing this, Shui Yun's expression turned slightly stern. Holding her soft sword, she silently blocked Pei Yaoguang behind her.

No one spoke. Jiang Ping'an remained gentle, even with a faint smile. Seeing him like this, Pei Yaoguang finally couldn't help but let out a cold snort and proudly raised his well-defined chin.

"Jiang, I really didn't expect you to be such a good actor, even I was fooled by you! But now that things have come to this, there is one thing I still can't understand..."

Pei Yaoguang was not a man who loved to talk nonsense. But at this moment, he was clearly suspected of stalling for time. So upon hearing this, Jiang Ping'an couldn't help but suddenly laugh.

"Hahaha... Official Pei, I was just thinking, now that things have come to this, how would someone as shrewd as Official Pei escape? I didn't expect you to use this stalling tactic; it really has no originality!"

Jiang Ping'an clearly saw through Pei Yaoguang's scheme at a glance. But hearing this, Pei Yaoguang just raised his eyebrows.

"Originality?! Jiang, do you think you are worthy of me using any originality on you?"