Chapter 27: Real Combat, Feigned Performance

Chapter 27: Real Bloodshed, Feigned Drama

Ning Xishi released a small blue-purple butterfly from his sleeve.

This was one of Senior Sister Tong's signature techniques—the Purple Butterfly Tracker. When they had parted ways in the mountains earlier, Ning Xishi had Dong Shuang deliver a large supply of medicinal powder to Xie Jingxing to ward off poisonous insects.

Qiu Changyu had been deeply suspicious, believing Ning Xishi had ulterior motives.

He had even sought verification from the Master Healer treating Xie Jingxing's legs, and was told: "This powder is quite effective, specifically for preventing bites from poisonous insects and leeches in southern mountain regions. The person who gave you this powder means well."

Only then did Qiu Changyu reluctantly distribute the powder to the troops.

Ning Xishi certainly hadn't provided the powder out of charity. His ace in the hole was that he could use the Purple Butterfly to track anyone who had used the powder.

This was actually a precautionary decision Ning Xishi had made.

After all, Xie Jingxing had come to suppress bandits, and Ning Xishi was the bandit leader. If he could know Xie Jingxing's whereabouts, he could keep a safe distance.

He never expected that when the time came to use it, it wouldn't be for escape, but for finding someone.

The tiny butterfly, hidden among the crowd, went completely unnoticed.

Ning Xishi followed the butterfly up to the second floor. When he saw it stop at the door of a room at the end of the hall, he guessed that Xie Jingxing was most likely inside.

"Search every room—don't let a single Beggar Gang member escape!"

"The Beggar Clan Chief is clever—he went up to meet our master himself to draw attention while his followers snuck in to cause trouble. Search thoroughly!"

"You search the first floor; some of you, come with me to the second floor."

Hearing the clattering footsteps growing closer, Ning Xishi felt a sudden tension. He glanced left and right, noticing that the men nearby all had their robes hanging open, with a woman on each arm, making him seem somewhat out of place.

As the footsteps drew nearer, Ning Xishi opened the bamboo cage in his sleeve and took out the Purple Butterfly.

At the same time, he raised his hand, pushed open the door, and strode in.

Ning Xishi had come in braced for an attack, since if Xie Jingxing had truly been cornered here, he would kill anyone who entered without hesitation.

That was why he had hesitated at the door.

He had come to rescue, not to be taken down by Xie Jingxing the moment he stepped in—that would be utterly ridiculous.

After opening the door, there was no surprise attack as Ning Xishi had expected, but the room was indeed filled with a heavy scent of makeup.

It wasn't pungent, but rather pleasant and calming.

It seemed Ming Hanche had put considerable effort into setting up this place, even using top-quality cosmetics and perfumes.

Ning Xishi took a quick look and saw a figure collapsed on the bed with its curtains drawn. He immediately recalled what those men had said—the man's legs had gone weak from the pollen.

Although he didn't know how Xie Jingxing's legs had suddenly healed, the leg injury from a few months ago in the capital had definitely not been faked.

Therefore, Ning Xishi deduced that Xie Jingxing must have used some special medicine to walk again.

But that medicine must have had a time limit, or side effects—it had reacted with some ingredient in the cosmetics, causing the medicine to lose its effect prematurely. Caught off guard, Xie Jingxing had been left in this condition.

With this in mind, Ning Xishi hurried forward to check on him.

But unexpectedly, the figure on the bed suddenly turned over, seizing him by the neck with one arm and pressing him down hard!

Ning Xishi felt a tremendous force pressing down on his neck. Before he could even react, he felt himself on the verge of passing out.

He quickly reached up with both hands to claw at Xie Jingxing's arm locked around his neck, but Xie Jingxing didn't give him a chance to breathe. Ning Xishi felt the air in his mouth and nose draining away.

Xie Jingxing's blurry face swam before his eyes. It was only then that Ning Xishi realized it wasn't Xie Jingxing's face that was blurry—it was his own eyesight failing. He really was being strangled.

"Beggar Clan Chief?" Ning Xishi heard Xie Jingxing's voice. "You're not here to repay me for saving your life the other day, are you?"

Ning Xishi weakly clawed at his arm, but Xie Jingxing's grip didn't loosen in the slightest.

"Or perhaps you recognized my identity and want to play both sides against each other between Ming Hanche and me?"

Ning Xishi thought, Xie Jingxing was truly too clever.

With just these scraps of information, he could deduce that this Beggar Clan Chief had realized he wasn't Qiu Changyu but Xie Jingxing.

"Sorry, but whatever you're plotting, you have to die." Xie Jingxing looked at the man's utterly ordinary face before him, yet those eyes felt strangely familiar, so he said one more thing.

"Earlier, I thought Ming Hanche only wanted to rule the martial world, which was why I thought there was room to negotiate. But now I see he intends to rebel. And you, as the Beggar Clan Chief—whether you're following his orders or being threatened by him—you're a major threat."

Seeing that Xie Jingxing was about to finish and let him die knowing the truth, Ning Xishi felt the threat of death more acutely than ever.

He used almost all his strength to push against Xie Jingxing's arm, finally managing to create a tiny gap, and choked out two words: "Gen... General."

The grip on his neck suddenly loosened. Ning Xishi's face, which had turned nearly purple, was suddenly able to breathe. He gasped for air, feeling as though he had died and been reborn.

Before he could even look at Xie Jingxing's stunned expression, he heard footsteps drawing closer outside.

"Bang—"

The door of the adjacent room was kicked open.

Ning Xishi heard the man next door cursing angrily: "Don't you know the rules? I'm an honored guest of the Ming family!"

"Ah—sir, this one..." It seemed the male courtesan on the bed was frightened, pleading softly.

"Aren't you going to get out? If you dare come in again, I'll definitely tell Old Master Ming!"

The man next door was shouting loudly, but it didn't stop the guards' search. Ning Xishi and Xie Jingxing both heard the chaotic footsteps in the next room—they were certainly searching even the wardrobes and under the beds.

It was only then that Ning Xishi noticed that besides Xie Jingxing and himself on the bed, there was also an unconscious male courtesan against the wall.

He must have been knocked out by Xie Jingxing after barging in.

Seeing that Xie Jingxing probably no longer intended to kill him, Ning Xishi moved slightly and whispered, "Get off me first."

Their current position was highly compromising. As Ning Xishi had expected, Xie Jingxing's legs were gradually giving out.

Ning Xishi added, "There are Beggar Gang people outside to provide cover. I'm skilled at qinggong—I can carry you out."

Xie Jingxing gave a slight shake of his head.

Their eyes met, and Ning Xishi felt a flush of embarrassment, awkwardly turning his face away.

But Ning Xishi understood what Xie Jingxing meant. If Ning Xishi were to take him out now, regardless of whether they could escape safely, the two of them would definitely be recognized.

Then Xie Jingxing's identity would be exposed, making it even harder to continue their plan going forward.

Ning Xishi had just met Xie Jingxing's gaze and felt a helpless feeling like being caught by his father right after skipping school. He didn't dare look at him again, his voice barely above a whisper: "Then what do we do?"

Watching the room next door get searched, with the one across coming up next, Xie Jingxing straightened up, reached out, and tore open Ning Xishi's clothes at the chest, revealing the snow-white undergarment underneath and a tantalizing glimpse of his chest.

Ning Xishi was genuinely shocked this time, like some innocent young man forced into this kind of situation, ducking his head and reaching up to pull his clothes shut.

His face went beet red in an instant.

Then Xie Jingxing casually pulled out Ning Xishi's hairpin and untied his own hair tie.

After that, he draped the shimmering butterfly brocade robe the male attendant had left by the pillow over his shoulders, and swung his legs down to the floor. Ning Xishi heard the faint thud of knees hitting the floor.

Then, under Ning Xishi's utterly stunned gaze, Xie Jingxing lowered his head, aiming straight for the space between Ning Xishi's legs.

They were both men, and even if Ning Xishi had never actually done anything like this, he knew damn well what that position meant.

It was how those rich young wastrels in the capital blew off steam, having the courtesans use... Ning Xishi had heard about it from some older wastrels back at the Imperial Academy.

But he thought it was disgusting.

Having someone you bought with money, someone you didn't even like, do that to you—it was absolutely revolting.

But if the other person liked him, and he liked them back, then it would be too degrading for them.

So Ning Xishi had never in his life imagined he'd end up in a situation like this.

And he definitely never imagined Xie Jingxing would be the one doing it.

Seeing that the room across was done being searched, and Xie Jingxing's lips were getting dangerously close to that unsightly spot, Ning Xishi, summoning strength he didn't know he had, yanked him onto the bed and rolled over to pin him down.

Ning Xishi finally dared to meet Xie Jingxing's eyes, and this time, it was Xie Jingxing who looked away first.

"General, you need not do this."

Ning Xishi's burning, earnest gaze was like a fire, softening Xie Jingxing's body inch by inch.

Even with their clothes between them, they were so close that they could feel every bit of each other.

The little blue booklet the matchmaker had shoved into his hands at his wedding involuntarily popped into his mind. Ning Xishi knelt between Xie Jingxing's legs, murmured "Sorry about this," and grabbed one of Xie Jingxing's limp thighs, hooking it around his own waist.

Just then, their door was kicked open with a violent bang.

Ning Xishi's clothes were a mess, his chest peeking through the open fabric, sweat beading and trailing down his neck. His face was twisted with fury: "You ungrateful bastards, get the hell out."

Unlike the people in the other rooms who tried to throw their weight around, he gave off an air of authority that needed no words—the quiet menace of someone in power.

The lead guard was actually intimidated, freezing for a second before raising his fist in salute: "This is our master's order, please forgive us, sir."

The guards still meant to search the place thoroughly, but Ning Xishi, overwhelmed by the scorching heat, could barely hold it together. He barely shifted his weight down, and a faint sound slipped out of Xie Jingxing's nose.

Seeing that they had finished checking the wardrobe and under the bed, and still wanted to peek at the bed itself, Ning Xishi threw down the token he had stolen from Ming Hanche.

"If you don't leave now, you won't live to see tomorrow's sun."

The token, solid gold and carved with the Ming family crest, clattered to the floor, making the leader jump back and hastily pull his men out.

"Disturbing our honored guest was my mistake—we'll take our leave now."

In the end, they even closed the door behind them.

Ning Xishi could hold on no longer. He rolled over and tumbled off the bed.

==========Author's Note:==========

The first iconic scene from the outline—hope you all enjoy it.

First update.