Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 947 - 922: A Gift of Flowers

When the two of them reached the city gate, they lined up with the crowd to leave the city. Xie Jue was dressed as a woman, but his tall figure was truly striking among the crowd. It was rare to see such a tall woman, attracting a hundred percent of people’s attention. Everyone couldn’t help but look at him curiously, and they were amazed by his stunningly beautiful face. With such good looks, he must be a woman. His exceptional appearance overshadowed his height, and others’ attention fell on his face.

People kept whispering, saying that Xie Jue was very good-looking and that such a beautiful appearance should go into the palace for selection.

Xie Jue, "..."

If he went for selection, Xie Xun should also not choose him!

Fang Chuning, however, was delighted but tried hard to suppress his laughter. He played the role of a worried husband in the crowd, looking distressed. When the officers checked them, they were stunned. Anyone who saw Xie Jue’s face would find it breathtaking. Beautiful people indeed have privileges; the officer who was quite fierce while checking others softened his voice when asking Xie Jue, "What is this lady going out of the city for?"

Xie Jue had his hair styled as a married woman. In Beining, the hairstyle for girls who have not yet come of age, those who are of age but not yet married, and married women are distinctly different. Others can tell from the hairstyle whether a woman is unmarried.

Fang Chuning, seeing the officer’s gentle demeanor, squeezed next to Xie Jue, smiling obsequiously, "Officer, my wife caught a cold in her childhood, and since then, she has been unable to hear or speak. Recently, she has suffered from heart ailments and often feels unwell. I have taken her to see every doctor in the city, but none could cure her. I heard there are some skilled doctors in Liuzhou who are experts in treating heart conditions, so I wanted to take her to Liuzhou for treatment."

The inspecting officer looked at Fang Chuning with disdain. He looked so coarse and poor, yet he had such a breathtakingly beautiful wife. It didn’t make sense until he realized the lady could neither speak nor hear. If she were healthy, with such looks, she would indeed have a bright future. How could she end up marrying a farmer?

Fang Chuning also deeply felt the prejudice of a beautiful flower placed on cow dung from the officer’s eyes. He didn’t care about such looks. The officer mumbled something that Fang Chuning didn’t catch, then compared the images of Fang Chuning and Xie Jue with them, noting that Fang Chuning’s disguise looked quite different from the pictures. The officer waved impatiently, letting them out of the city. Fang Chuning thanked him with a smile and did nothing extra, supporting Xie Jue as they walked towards the city gate.

The two of them followed the crowd out of the city and had reached the city gate. Fang Chuning turned back to see many government officials hurrying towards the city gate. It wasn’t good. He quickly dragged Xie Jue forward to cut the line, and amidst the officials shouting to close the city gate and not to let anyone out, they squeezed through the city gate at the last moment before it closed. The gate of Pingnan County was thus closed. Xie Jue and Fang Chuning both breathed a sigh of relief. Once outside, they were safe, with no risk of being surrounded by pursuers. Even if the officials pursued them out of the city, there were numerous places to hide, unlike the restrictive confines of the city.

Once outside, the two had to choose a place to stay. The closest to Pingnan County was Shiling Town. They could return to Shiling Town. Xie Jue and Fang Chuning briefly considered the situation: if the officials couldn’t find them in the city, they would definitely head to Shiling Town. County Magistrate Zhou must have found the whereabouts of the bandits for them to be discovered so quickly, meaning they had been exposed. Going to Shiling Town was like walking into a trap. The Ningzhou Iron Cavalry might take two or three more days to reach Pingnan County, so they couldn’t stray too far.

Xie Jue said, "Let’s head to Lin Village."

That was Beiman territory, and going there was a possible option. They could send someone to monitor the situation in Pingnan County. Once the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry arrived, they could return to Pingnan County with minimal effort.

Fang Chuning shook his head, "People at Gao Liang Village have seen us. If someone spots us on the way, our whereabouts would be exposed, bringing trouble to the Beiman. Over two days, we could camp in the open. These days, the moon and stars are clear, so it shouldn’t rain. How about we camp in the wild?"

The two of them chose a mountain not far outside Pingnan County. From the mountain, they could overlook the entire Pingnan County. If the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry arrived, they could see it clearly from the mountain.

Xie Jue and Fang Chuning hiked up the mountain on foot. This mountain was also visited by people for hunting, mostly for small game. There were no big game animals, and the mountain was not high. At this time of the year, the mountain was abundant with berries. Fang Chuning, finding it interesting, collected many wild fruits along the way, stuffing them in his pocket. Since he was camping in the wild with Xie Jue, he couldn’t possibly let him go hungry.

Xie Jue couldn’t stand the long dress anymore, so he took out a robe from his bag and changed. He untied the hairstyle and tied it up simply. Fang Chuning accompanied Xie Jue up the mountain slowly. The people of Pingnan County occasionally climbed this mountain, so there was a small path to the top that wasn’t difficult to walk.

Fang Chuning walked behind Xie Jue with his hands clasped behind his back, couldn’t help but ask, "Xie Tingfeng, have we climbed mountains together before?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I feel this scene is very familiar, as if we often climbed mountains together."

Xie Jue didn’t turn back. The path wasn’t hard, relatively easy. He said casually, "In Ningzhou, if there was no war, we often raced horses at the foot of the mountain and then climbed up together."

"Did you go often?"

"Yes, very frequently!"

Hiking and playing was his and Fang Chuning’s favorite activity together.

"The frontline camp isn’t far from Ningzhou City, so why not go into the city to drink?" Fang Chuning asked puzzledly. His outgoing nature should prefer the bustle, going into the city to drink would be normal, wouldn’t it?

Xie Jue said, "When we first arrived in Ningzhou, we would go into the city to drink, and you would take me to taste all of Ningzhou’s delicacies. But as time passed, we gradually stopped going, preferring solitude, away from the crowd."

"Why?"

Xie Jue was silent for a long time, and Fang Chuning said nothing more, waiting for his answer.

"Perhaps... having seen so much bloodshed, we no longer liked the noise afterward."

The bustling clamor contrasted starkly with the blood-soaked battlefields and mountains of bones. It weighed heavily on their hearts. They both preferred staying away from crowds and the hustle to seek a moment of peace.

Fang Chuning felt a slight stir in his heart. Although he had no memory, he could understand what Xie Jue was thinking and comprehend what he was saying.

Beside the mountain path were blooming flowers. Fang Chuning picked a bunch, hiding them behind him. The breeze was gentle, the clouds light, and the sun bright. He tilted his head back, bathing in the sunlight, trying to feel the time when he and Xie Jue were together.

Despite having no memory, it felt so familiar and peaceful.

"Xie Jue, turn around!"

In the silence of nature, Fang Chuning’s voice was gentle yet solemn. Xie Jue turned around to look at him, "What’s the matter?"

Fang Chuning presented the bouquet he had picked earlier in front of him, his smile as bright as the sun, "For you!"