Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 931 - 906: Funeral
When Xie Jue woke up, he smelled the aroma of medicine. The faint scent of herbs wafted through, swiftly dispelling his drowsiness. Having grown accustomed to this medicinal fragrance, he found he rather liked it. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he opened his water bag and drank the remaining half before getting up. Fang Chuning was boiling water, with discarded herbs next to him. Xie Jue asked, "Did you take your medicine?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"I did!" Fang Chuning replied, while tending the firewood. Seeing Xie Jue not responding, he couldn’t resist turning to look at him, just in time to see Xie Jue raise his eyebrows slightly, though he hadn’t said a word, his eyes spoke of disbelief. Fang Chuning, in a flippant tone, said, "I really did. If you don’t believe me, come check."
He said this while opening his mouth, waiting for Xie Jue to inspect. How could one check this? It was clearly a tease. Fang Chuning saw Xie Jue stunned, and he himself was also taken aback, quickly closing his mouth and turning away, pretending nothing had happened as he continued tending the fire. The flames danced across his face, burning hotly, and his ears were aflame with redness.
Was he crazy?
Why would he say something so flippant? It was sheer absurdity!
The two of them sat under the tree, silently watching the pot of water. After a long while, Xie Jue asked, "Why are you boiling water?"
"Oh, the water in our bags is running low."
"Just fill up at the riverbank, no need to be so particular."
"Didn’t you fill your bag with boiled water?" Fang Chuning noticed that whenever possible, Xie Jue never drank directly from the river. Whenever they reached an inn or a resting place, he would find ways to get boiled water, only resorting to river water when utterly necessary.
Xie Jue said, "In the wild, there’s no need to be so particular. We need to get moving."
"Alright!"
The two of them went about their tasks. Fang Chuning cleaned up the cooking utensils, while Xie Jue took his water bag to the riverbank to fill it. As they headed north, water sources became increasingly scarce, so all their bags were filled with water to prevent a shortage during their journey. Both Xie Jue and Fang Chuning had extensive experience living in the wild. Though Xie Jue had Shadow Guards attending to everything before, it didn’t mean he was clueless.
Their journey northward went relatively smoothly, but when they stayed the night at Shiling Town, governed by Zhongzhou, they encountered a minor mishap. Shiling Town was a day’s ride north of Zhongzhou and was a necessary stop along the way. Though not large, the town was bustling, as villagers from nearby gathered here for the market, and there were many inns. When Xie Jue and Fang Chuning entered the town, unfortunately, a funeral was taking place at the town center. The homeowner had draped white, and everyone in town shunned the event, with each household closing their doors tightly. Xie Jue wasn’t overly concerned about the funeral, but Fang Chuning, fearing it might offend Xie Jue, pulled him away from the procession carrying the coffin up the hill. The continuous cries, coupled with paper money flying everywhere, made the already dim skies seem even eerier, raising goosebumps on Fang Chuning’s skin.
The two chose an inn at the end of the long street, whose shopkeeper was dark-complexioned and robust. Seeing their attire, he recognized them as people of wealth and eagerly welcomed them into the inn before casually shutting the door.
The inn’s main hall was bustling, with no empty seats. The air was filled with the scent of alcohol and meat. The waiter was busy serving dishes, occasionally followed by the clinking of glasses and loud cheers, creating a lively and smoky atmosphere. When Xie Jue and Fang Chuning entered the inn, everyone turned to look at them, seemingly with interest or curiosity. Fang Chuning noticed a few men with fierce eyes, who were likely men who traveled with convoys and were very superstitious about funerals. Soon, however, they lost interest in the newcomers, Xie Jue and Fang Chuning.
The shopkeeper explained that they were part of a convoy that just reached town and encountered the funeral, so they had to stay inside to eat. With only one upper room left, the shopkeeper hesitantly asked if Xie Jue and Fang Chuning minded.
Fang Chuning thought for a moment, "Just one upper room, and have dinner sent up to the room!"
"Alright, alright, just a moment, gentlemen, it’ll be coming up soon!"
Xie Jue and Fang Chuning went upstairs. After closing the door, Fang Chuning said, "The night may not be peaceful, those convoy men seem quite unfriendly."
"As long as they don’t bring trouble to us."
Fang Chuning nodded in agreement. They were there just for one night and didn’t want trouble. Fang Chuning walked to the window and opened it, just in time for the wind to carry paper money up. Outside the window was the long street, where the funeral procession had just passed.
Fang Chuning watched, captivated, and couldn’t help but ask Xie Jue, "Did you ever attend my funeral?"
