Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 897 - 872: Great General

Facial features like a woman, weak and feeble?

Xie Jue pondered silently, is that how the rumors describe Fang Chuning? Saying he looks like a woman could be considered a compliment to his good looks, and that’s not incorrect, but weak and feeble? How could a general who has fought countless battles and dominated the battlefield be described as weak and feeble? Would people mindlessly parrot whatever they hear?

"Yes, he does!" Xie Jue said blandly.

Fang Chuning clenched his fists, wanting to hit someone, but the beauty before him didn’t seem like he could take a beating. "Have you never been beaten from childhood till now?"

That’s unlikely!

"No one dares!"

"Alright!" Fang Chuning clasped his fists in salute, acknowledging that he couldn’t provoke him, but he could avoid him, choosing not to argue with Xie Jue further. "So since you’ve mistaken me for someone else, can we just part ways and stop bothering each other? The way you stare is quite intimidating."

Xie Jue had no intention of parting ways just like that. "Today it was my recklessness that made me kick you into the lake, and I feel unsettled about it. Let me buy you a drink to express my apology."

"No need!" Fang Chuning raised his hand. "I have plenty of money for drinks..."

"Does boating and picking lotuses with a group of beauties make you happier?" Xie Jue sneered. "Did I keep you from it?"

"..." Fang Chuning sensed a subtle guilt but couldn’t help defending himself. "We’ve just met, and you’re this rude, isn’t that improper?"

"Would you drink?" Xie Jue asked.

Fang Chuning thought Xie Jue appeared a bit deranged, the entire person seemed abnormal, until Xie Jue said, "I know a shopkeeper who has a rare stash of ’Nü’er Hong’ wine."

Damn it!

This person knew his preferences; he liked ’Nü’er Hong’!

"Would it be the ’Nü’er Hong’ from Luoying Inn?" Fang Chuning was slightly tempted. This inn only produced ten jars of ’Nü’er Hong’ each year, and whether you were a wealthy merchant or an influential figure, you couldn’t buy the eleventh jar regardless of how much money you had. Each jar was pre-ordered, with reservations stretching three years ahead. Fang Chuning had already put his name on the list, scheduled for three years later. Their ’Nü’er Hong’ was famous worldwide, drawing many admirers, and yet Xie Jue claimed to have a rare stash of it; it was likely his stash.

Xie Jue actually didn’t know!

"Yes!"

Fang Chuning made a decision, "Drink!"

Xie Jue nodded, Ying Yi swiftly departed to make arrangements, inwardly cursing. Master, you sure know how to put people in difficult situations. If they couldn’t procure the ’Nü’er Hong’ before reaching Luoying Inn, it would all be Ying Yi’s fault!

A jar of wine and he was hooked. Xie Jue clearly knew his preferences; the journey back to Yangzhou City from Lu Liu Villa only took an hour. Xie Jue came on horseback, and Fang Chuning would return by carriage. Xie Jue thought for a moment and decided to share the carriage with Fang Chuning.

"Why don’t you ride a horse?" Xie Jue asked. This person loved fierce horses and strong wines; it couldn’t be that he had forgotten the things he loved deep down.

"Not feeling well!" Fang Chuning pressed his lips together, somewhat reluctant to return, but for the sake of the ’Nü’er Hong’, he was willing to give some face.

After hearing this, Xie Jue’s heart ached slightly. During that incident, Fang Chuning had suffered severe injuries. How long it took to recuperate was unknown to him; he only knew about the wound on his waist and abdomen. After leaving, he wasn’t sure if the wound had healed or if lingering issues remained. Despite months of recovery, the discomfort persisted, possibly leaving aftereffects. Fang Chuning indeed looked leaner; perhaps it was from not recovering well. There were too many questions Xie Jue wanted to ask but didn’t know where to start. The stranger look in Fang Chuning’s eyes made Xie Jue uncomfortable yet sorrowful.

But what does that matter?

He’s still alive, both of them are; what more could one hope for?

Fang Chuning crossed his legs, scoffing nonchalantly. "The shopkeeper of Luoying Inn’s ’Nü’er Hong’ is an eccentric person. I’ve begged for months and spent thousands trying to purchase it, yet he’s unmoved. You better not deceive me, or else..."

"I won’t deceive you!" Xie Jue said calmly. "No more deception."

After returning from Beiman, he had promised Fang Chuning he wouldn’t lie to him again. Back then, when cornered in Xiyanshan, he never lied to Fang Chuning, merely choosing not to speak.

"You’re truly peculiar!" Fang Chuning leaned his elbow against the window sill, with a graceful posture, tapping his fingers on the sill, and curiously asked, "Do I look that much like this Fang Chuning?"

"Yes." Xie Jue replied concisely.

"How alike?"

Xie Jue remained silent, "Like a reflection."

"That’s quite scary; I don’t want to have people pointing fingers at my back. Should I wear a covering to hide my pretty face? To avoid people mistaking me and spitting at me."

After all, Fang Chuning and Xie Jue’s reputations weren’t good. The two young men who initially spread the rumors had shown utter disdain for Fang Chuning, spitting multiple times.

This remark was like a small arrow, piercing Xie Jue’s heart.

He asked with difficulty, "Do you mind others’... insults?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, who enjoys being insulted? Don’t you know how harshly he’s been scolded? If his parents heard, they’d likely disown him, leaving him abandoned by all, for ruining the people for a man. If he was in front of me, I’d not only scold but also want to hit him." Fang Chuning sneered coldly, "I detest those who bring harm to the people for personal relationships. Fortunately, this time, Sannan peacefully surrendered. Had there been war, both Jiangnan and Sannan people would have been dragged into it, making him a sinner for eternity."

Xie Jue painfully closed his eyes, "Indeed."

Moments later, Xie Jue slowly opened his eyes again, the emotions subdued once more, "Fang Tunan, ear hears as truth, you believed, didn’t you?"

Fang Chuning shrugged, "I don’t care; it’s irrelevant to me."

Xie Jue remained silent, holding back the pain in his heart, "You should believe in him, even if you never met him, never knew him. You should know he spent ten years on the battlefield, defending against Beiman, rather than being the kind of Great General who plunges the people into war for personal affairs."