Big Boss – Chapter 71

I only care about you

Every sound she made seemed to fall directly on Ye Youqing’s heart, making it itch uncontrollably. Her scent was even more enchanting than usual. Though it was a fragrance of makeup and powder, Ye Youqing had never smelled such an alluring scent on any other woman.

Ye Youqing slowly raised the hand hanging by her side, placing it on Ci Ke’s shoulder. Her left hand caressed Ci Ke’s waist, feeling a shiver from inside out.

Every inch she touched felt like touching clouds, warm and soft. Her waist was so slender that it seemed like two hands could encircle it completely, making her impossible to escape.

Ye Youqing said nothing. The feeling of holding the woman in her arms was wonderful, as if floating in mid-air, letting the wind of April and May blow.

Her hand moved up, touching Ci Ke’s hair hanging behind her head, wrapping it around her neck and rubbing it. She felt the woman’s response, those hands rubbing against her back, her cheeks sticking to her chest, and the hot breath she exhaled.

The suppressed fluttering in her heart seemed to be on the verge of bursting out. Ye Youqing hurriedly took a deep breath, letting go of her hand, fearing she might lose control.

“Ci Ke, listen to me,” Ye Youqing said in a deep voice, pressing Ci Ke’s shoulder to make her sit down again. “Did you hear what was just said?”

Ci Ke shook her head, “No, but I saw that you discussed for a long time after you came back. Are you planning to let them capture you on purpose?”

Ye Youqing was speechless. She had intended to tell Ci Ke the next morning but hadn’t expected the clever woman to ask her such a surprising question.

“Yes,” Ye Youqing could only nod, “The tattoo on that person is identical to the design on the Fenghua Pendant. They must be related to the Iron Cavalry.”

“And aside from finding the Iron Cavalry,” Ye Youqing said seriously, “The ones currently causing harm to the people are them, and the Fenghua Pendant is in my hands. I can’t just sit by and do nothing, otherwise, who knows what will happen…”

“Ye Youqing,” Ci Ke suddenly interrupted. Her eyes reflected the lamplight, showing an orange but cold reflection, “I don’t care about them.”

“I only care about you,” she said.

The reflection in her pupils suddenly blurred, and Ye Youqing realized she had been staring into her eyes as if she had fallen into them.

Ye Youqing abruptly lowered her gaze, her mouth opening and closing slightly, wanting to say something but her heart in disarray.

“Ye Youqing, I know I have no right to say anything to you,” Ci Ke said again, lowering her head and looking at her trembling fingertips, “I just really can’t bear to see you get hurt again.”

“I would go crazy.” This sentence was so low it almost drifted away, barely heard by Ye Youqing.

“No,” Ye Youqing shook her head, “You do have the right.”

Ci Ke’s fingertips paused.

“I don’t know how to say it, but you are very important,” Ye Youqing said, sighing. She touched her cheek and nose with her palm, seemingly trying to stay clear-headed.

“So I won’t let you take risks,” Ye Youqing said, then stood up and pulled Ci Ke up.

“It’s late, go back and rest,” Ye Youqing said, leading her out of the room. She rubbed her head, then quickly closed the door as if she didn’t dare to look at her more.

The candlelight grew narrower and narrower until it became a slit and disappeared in Ci Ke’s eyes. She was bathed in moonlight.

She turned her head to look at the moon, her veil long gone. The moonlight shone on her beautiful face, making her look like an enchanting fairy. Her pink lips were bitten until they were flushed, red and alluring.

“I am very important,” she said softly, then suddenly lowered her head, moving her face into the darkness.

Her breathing became heavier, unsure whether it was joy or sorrow.

A few days later, the sky was somewhat overcast, with thick clouds blocking the light. The wind was still strong, almost blowing the branches of the drought willows into the sky.

However, the people here seemed used to this weather, leading cows and horses and carrying baskets in the strong wind. Apart from the white-haired old man selling vegetables, few men were seen.

So the two tall and slender figures in the middle of the road were somewhat conspicuous.

One wore a black robe, the other a blue and white outfit. Both had their hair styled like men. The one in the black robe didn’t look like someone from the Central Plains, with a high, chiseled nose and more heroic eyebrows, while the one in blue and white had phoenix eyes that were cold, like a handsome white-faced scholar.

They swaggered down the street, occasionally stopping to buy some fruits and vegetables.

While paying, the old man selling vegetables suddenly grabbed Ye Youqing’s hand, advising in a low voice, “Are you two merchants from outside the city? There are bandits causing trouble in Weizhou City, only kidnapping men. You should go back and lock your doors, and don’t show yourselves again!”

Ye Youqing feigned a surprised look, thanked him after a few inquiries, and led Shi Li down another street before turning back to the house.

Once inside, Shi Li put down the fruits and vegetables she was carrying, scratching her head, “Will this really work?”

“Let’s try. If it doesn’t, we’ll try a few more times,” Ye Youqing sat on a stone bench and saw a burly “woman” coming from the back kitchen, carrying a big pot.

In a rough voice, she said, “Young Escort Head…”

“Ahem,” Shi Li coughed, and the person changed his voice, trying to make it as delicate as possible, “Young Escort Head.”

Ye Youqing looked at Ma Da’s clothes which are about to burst. She dared not look up at the face, fearing she might burst out laughing, feeling a bit suffocated in her chest.

“Women shouldn’t be in any danger. You and Ma Xiao protect Miss Ci Ke well, keep an eye on that Lian’er, and don’t let her escape,” Shi Li instructed. Ma Da nodded seriously as he placed the pot down.

“Young Master, Young Escort Head, be careful,” Ma Da said, his neatly trimmed black eyebrows drawn together in worry.

Shi Li nodded. She no longer looked lazy but had bright, clear eyes.

Ye Youqing smiled at her. With her martial arts skills, she had been stifled in a beggar’s body for seven or eight years without any chance to use them. Now, she increasingly resembled the spirited escort head Ci Ke had described.

“I smelled the scent of knockout powder when I entered last night, so I held my breath when I heard noises at night,” Shi Li whispered, then handed a small whistle to Ye Youqing, helping her hide it in her hair and fixing it firmly with a hairpin.

“If there’s danger, blow it. As long as I’m not too far away, I’ll hear it,” Shi Li said.

“Okay,” Ye Youqing replied, “We’re just going to see where they are hiding. If there’s danger, we’ll escape.”

“Hasn’t Ci Ke come out today?” Shi Li asked, looking at the door.

“No,” Ye Youqing sighed.

“You see, she’s so worried about you,” Shi Li said with a smile, receiving a glare from Ye Youqing.

Day turned to night, and soon it was night again. Maybe the strong wind during the day had blown away the clouds, revealing half the moon, making the house bright.

Ye Youqing lay awake in her undershirt. The wound on her back was still uncomfortable but no longer bothersome.

An entire hour passed. The moonlight had shifted westward, and the room had darkened a bit.

Suddenly, a faint sound of wind could be heard, followed by the light tapping of toes on the ground. Ye Youqing tensed up, quietly waiting.

A wisp of white smoke drifted in through the vent. Following Shi Li’s advice, Ye Youqing held her breath. After a while, the latch on the door fell off by itself, and the door opened.

A seven-foot-tall figure, clearly a man, walked over to Ye Youqing’s side, pinched her arm, and sighed, seemingly dissatisfied with how thin and weak she was.

He weighed her up for a while before reluctantly bending over and hoisting Ye Youqing onto his shoulder, silently carrying her out the door.

At this moment, Ye Youqing was being carried upside down. She opened her eyes slightly, seeing the scene before her inverted and swaying, making her dizzy. She squinted, barely able to see clearly.

Another person followed behind, carrying a “man” whose arms were slender. She breathed a sigh of relief.

The experience of being carried while running across rooftops was extremely unpleasant. Ye Youqing felt as if all her internal organs were being jumbled together. Sometimes she was spinning in the air, and other times she was banging against the ground, making her dizzy and disoriented. She could only try to remember some landmarks.

She didn’t know how long it had been when they finally left the city. There were no towns in sight. She was placed on a fast horse, weaving through the trees. It was almost dawn when they finally stopped in a forest.

If she remembered correctly, these undulating mountains were the ones she had passed through when she first went to Weizhou.

“Back?” someone asked. Ye Youqing quickly closed her eyes, letting the person hoist her up again.

“Why is this one so skinny, like a bag of bones?” The gatekeeper grimaced in disgust.

“No choice, the boss said we’re short on people, so we have to capture more,” the man carrying her sighed, then started walking up a mountain path.

Along the way, Ye Youqing occasionally opened her eyes slightly. It seemed to be a mountain stronghold. They walked through several checkpoints before she saw rows of houses covered with dead leaves.

The bandits occasionally ran into acquaintances, chatting and laughing, creating a rather harmonious atmosphere.

There were some openings in the mountainside, bricked up with red bricks. People in black, looking exhausted, went in and out. One person passed right in front of Ye Youqing, ignoring her as she was being carried.

That person wiped the muddy sweat from their face with their sleeve, then rolled up their sleeve, revealing a cross-shaped tattoo.

Her gaze darkened.

The light above her disappeared as the man carried her into a cave. The cave was deep, guarded at the entrance, with tunnels branching off in all directions. Some led to wide, semi-circular rooms with dirty bedding on the ground, like makeshift beds. At this time, only one person was huddled in a corner.

Ye Youqing was thrown onto one of the beds. The man started checking her, took a money pouch from her waist, opened it, and then considerately put it back.

A bit more refined than mountain bandits, they don’t take anything but people, Ye Youqing thought sarcastically.

She had hidden the Fenghua Pendant in her hair. Not yet understanding the situation here, she didn’t want to reveal it, in case the Iron Cavalry was under someone else’s control.

The man quickly finished his inspection, finding no weapons, and got up, throwing a gray tunic at her. The sound of his footsteps gradually faded away.

“Brother, brother,” someone whispered in her ear. Ye Youqing opened her eyes and turned her head away.

“A new one again,” said a nearby man with a pitch-black face, looking quite excited. He dragged Ye Youqing up.

Ye Youqing looked him over. Judging by his build and voice, he was very young, but it was too dark in the cave to see his face clearly. The man was secretly lighting a fire stick, illuminating the cave.

Ye Youqing finally saw his face, still surprisingly black, like it was covered in coal dust. But looking closely, his features were delicate, especially his slightly upturned eyes.

It felt like a string had been plucked, a wave of familiarity washed over her.

Ye Youqing stared at him for a long time but couldn’t remember where she had seen him before.

Seeing her silence, the man thought she was scared, hurriedly shaking her shoulders, “Don’t worry, brother. As long as you don’t run, they won’t beat you.”

“Where is this place?” Ye Youqing paused for a moment before asking.

“I don’t know. I’ve been here for two years,” the man said, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes, quickly covered by a grin showing his white teeth. “How are things outside?”

“Fine, the weather is good,” Ye Youqing replied absent-mindedly, avoiding him and walking towards the cave entrance. The man quickly got up but almost stumbled.

Ye Youqing then noticed his leg was crippled.

She was about to reach out to help when she saw the man’s eyes widen in fear, retreating back to the corner clutching his leg. She quickly turned around and saw another man blocking the entrance, dressed in black, with two scars running across his face, burly like a demon.

He looked Ye Youqing up and down, a probing look flashing across his terrifying face.

Ye Youqing lowered her head to hide her face, slowly retreating.