Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 460: Yue Hongling's Fierce Revenge

Sisi was sitting on a backless stool. Leaning backward, her body was hanging in the air, and her feet stretched out in front of her. In an effort to seduce Zhao Changhe, she had put herself in an awkward position, making it difficult for her to get up quickly.

It was clear that she wanted to run but could not manage to do so in time.

Yue Hongling strode in and, with one hand, picked Sisi up, taking her seat on the stool. She then pulled Sisi into her arms and grabbed her foot, rubbing it back and forth. “Hmm, smooth as jade, white like jade... very pleasant. But I don’t see any gu...”

Sisi struggled in her grip, crying out, “Let me go~”

“What’s the matter?” Yue Hongling said with a teasing smile. “A man can touch your foot to examine it, but a sister can’t?”

Sisi continued struggling. “There’s no gu! I was joking! There’s no need to check...”

“But I find it very nice to touch. Can’t I just do it for fun?”

“Help! A heroine is bullying a helpless girl~”

Zhao Changhe watched in stunned silence.

Hold on, this scene of the older sister holding the younger sister in her arms and playing with her feet is... surprisingly nice.

Yue Hongling’s smiling face shifted to one of gritted teeth as she said, “Flirting and getting cozy with my man right in front of me. I let it slide back in Yangzhou, but now you’re doing it right in my face. Xiang Simeng, do you really think I’m invisible?”

Sisi kept struggling. “You’ve got some nerve to bring up Yangzhou! I told you back then, you wanted to kiss him yourself but kept pretending to be so noble and free-spirited! If I hadn’t helped you take that first step, you’d still be stuck pretending to be modest! It’s like that old saying, the newlyweds are in bed and the matchmaker is thrown over the wall...”

“Oh? So I should be thanking you?” Yue Hongling said with a grin. “Let me return the favor in the same way you helped back then...”

With a quick motion, Yue Hongling bent Sisi’s legs and tucked her hands under them, forcing her into a kneeling, bent-over position on the stool, her rear end sticking up. She gave Sisi a playful slap, and the soft flesh bounced slightly. “Hey Changhe, want to have some fun?”

Zhao Changhe’s jaw dropped.

Sisi shouted in outrage, “Yue Hongling! How dare you?!”

“Oh? Isn’t this what you secretly wanted? Why bother stretching out your little feet? I’m just helping you take that first step.”

“No, I don’t want this!”

“Speaking of old sayings, there’s an old saying in the jianghu: you reap what you sow...”

“Big sister Yue, I was wrong. I’m sorry, boohoo...”

Yue Hongling’s eyes glimmered with amusement.

Of course, it was all in good fun. It was just a playful, harmless punishment. There was no way Yue Hongling would seriously hold Sisi down and let Zhao Changhe do anything to her. But Sisi’s reaction was fascinating to her...

On the surface, Sisi always acted flirtatious and seductive, making it seem like any man could have her if he truly wanted to. But in reality, she resisted strongly. Despite knowing it was just a playful punishment, she instinctively used her true qi to struggle, as if she was genuinely afraid of being taken advantage of.

This woman, who seemed so free-spirited and sensual on the outside, clearly had her own limits and boundaries. She was not willing to let anyone cross them, especially not in this manner.

Yue Hongling suspected that if Zhao Changhe tried to kiss her, Sisi would refuse.

So she decided to test, “Hey, you’re not going to play along?”

Zhao Changhe, who had finally managed to close his gaping mouth, responded with a helpless smile, “A joke is fine, but are you really serious?”

“Do you not want to?”

“How could I? It’s against her will.”

“Fine,” said Yue Hongling. “But I still want to get back at her, so kiss her on the lips.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned. “Why do I have to kiss her for you to get back at her?”

“She pretended to be me and let you kiss her, so it’s my reputation that was affected, not hers. Now I want to turn the tables and have her, the Spirit Tribe’s saintess, get kissed back. What about it doesn’t make sense?” Yue Hongling explained righteously. “Anything else would be against her will, but kissing? She’s kissed you before, hasn’t she? She was more than willing!”

That... kind of makes sense. Zhao Changhe looked down at Sisi, who was still kneeling in front of him. Her head was still held high, her hair messy, and her eyes filled with defiance. “Zhao Changhe, don’t you dare!”

Tsk...

It’s funny—if she tried to seduce me and said, “Come on, master,” I might not have dared. Doesn’t she know that her acting this way only makes her more enticing?

Zhao Changhe crouched down in front of Sisi.

Sisi glared at him, and for the first time, there was a flicker of panic in her eyes.

She did not know how to react if Zhao Changhe actually kissed her. Was she to cut off ties with him? Or laugh it off?

After all, it would not be the first time he kissed her.

But this felt different somehow, though she could not quite figure out why. Her mind was in chaos, unable to analyze the situation properly.

“Alright,” Zhao Changhe said, reaching out to tap the tip of her nose. “I just realized that you look even prettier with this serious expression than usual.”

Sisi: “?”

Zhao Changhe added, “If you’re not willing, then don’t act all flirtatious. I, the master, am quite weak to that and might not be able to hold myself back...”

He reached out and helped Sisi to her feet, then smiled apologetically at Yue Hongling. “Let’s give her a break, okay?”

Yue Hongling, who had already gotten her frustration out, was not really upset anymore. Folding her arms, she snorted, “Fine, fine, you’re the hero, and I’m the bandit. Is that better?”

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “You know, I always thought you’d make a great bandit. It really felt right when I had you as my stronghold mistress back then”

“Hah...” Yue Hongling released Sisi from her hold. “Next time you flirt with my man in front of me, just wait and see how I deal with you!”

Now free, Sisi turned her back and pouted, the panic in her eyes gone, replaced by a mischievous glint as if she was already plotting her revenge.

Zhao Changhe chuckled and whispered, “You’d better run now.”

“Hmph.” Sisi stepped out into the moonlight. Though she was clearly retreating in defeat, she carried herself with elegance, swaying her hips, determined to show off a more seductive charm than the heroine.

As she left, her voice floated back, still putting up a front. “You two are injured and may face tough battles soon. Hurry up and heal up. This saintess won’t waste time with you.”

Her fragrance lingered even after she had disappeared.

Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling stood under the moonlight, looked at each other, and then burst into laughter.

“She’s quite interesting,” Yue Hongling said with a smile. “Hey, do you really want her? That rose comes with thorns, you know. Be careful.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Are you jealous?”

Yue Hongling tilted her head slightly. “I was a bit annoyed earlier. It’s like I wasn’t even there, watching you two flirt...”

Before she could finish, Zhao Changhe wrapped his arms around her from behind, his voice low and teasing in her ear, “I wouldn’t dare touch her for real. I’ve been holding myself back so much. But big sister Yue, what we have is the real deal...”

Yue Hongling struggled a little. “What do you mean by the real deal? Did I marry you?”

Zhao Changhe whined, “Big sister Yue...”

“Yesterday you were calling me a little girl, and now that you need something, you’re all sweet and flattering. You’re no good either.”

Even though she protested, her resistance was already weakening. Her breathing quickened, and her voice turned tender as she leaned into his arms. “But I liked what you did today... Changhe...”

“Hm?”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing another version of myself in you.”

“Because... I’ve always been chasing after your shadow...”

Yue Hongling turned to look at him but then pouted. “Take off that disguise. It’s bothering me.”

Zhao Changhe obediently wiped off his disguise, revealing his true face.

Yue Hongling gently ran her fingers over the scar on his face. That simple touch stirred something in her, and she whispered, breathless, “That saintess is stingy. She didn’t give you a real reward at all... so... let your big sister reward you instead.”

Zhao Changhe blinked, curious what this serious heroine in front of him had in mind as a reward.

“I roamed the southwest, and you followed me here... this was our agreement, and you’ve earned your prize.” Yue Hongling stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. “Your disguise skills are pretty good. Make me up to look like Sisi, and you can do whatever you want...”

Zhao Changhe felt himself getting excited.

Yue Hongling sensed it and giggled. “You really do have a thing for her, huh... Are you really planning to conquer her and make her your maid?”

Zhao Changhe did not answer.

Yue Hongling softly whispered, “Come on, master, what are you waiting for... Sisi is here to help you heal through dual cultivation...”

In terms of wildness, there was no way that this former Beimang stronghold mistress would lose out to some exotic enchantress.

Outside the courtyard, Sisi was so furious that the pearl ornaments in her hair seemed to shoot upward.

A few girls timidly approached, “Saintess, saintess?”

Sisi gritted her teeth. “What are you still doing here?”

The girls were confused, “Protector Si is injured, so we must watch over him. Why were you kicked out, saintess? Oh, right! You’re keeping guard over him personally, aren’t you?”

They were deeply moved. “Our saintess is so kind. We’ll head back and rest now. We’ll come back later in the night to take over the watch.”