The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 130: Stirring Up Trouble (6)

Yun Qianyue's already groggy mind grew even more muddled. She lay in Rongjing's arms, speechless for a long moment.

Rongjing was silent as well. After a pause, he asked in a soft voice, "Are you alright?"

"Alright? Hardly!" Yun Qianyue lifted her head out of his arms. The moment she opened her eyes, a dusty scent filled her nose, causing her to sneeze several times.

"We're safe for the moment," Rongjing said, loosening his hold on her.

Yun Qianyue propped herself up, squinting as she surveyed the area. Before her was a hall about ten meters across, lined with statues of Buddha. Dust blanketed the statues, floor, and walls, clearly untouched for a long time. She and Rongjing were lying on the floor before the statues, their clothes covered in dirt, dust swirling around them. Apart from the statues and four smooth walls, the hall was empty. She furrowed her brow, asking Rongjing, "What is this place? Do you know?"

"It's likely an abandoned temple beneath Lingtai Temple," Rongjing said, glancing around with a slight frown.

Yun Qianyue nodded. Though it seemed like they had traveled a long distance, they likely hadn't made it beyond Xiangquan Mountain. With the Buddha statues and the deserted state of the place, this was probably a forgotten shrine within Lingtai Temple. Judging by the thick layer of dust, it must have been abandoned for at least a decade.

"Where did we come in from?" Yun Qianyue observed the hall, seeing only the tracks they'd left in the dust. She turned to Rongjing.

"Behind the statues," Rongjing replied.

Yun Qianyue nodded, feeling the heat within her body building to the point of nearly exploding. She clenched her fists and struggled to stay silent.

Rongjing turned his gaze to Yun Qianyue. Her face flushed unnaturally red, as if a tide of crimson was washing over her. Though no longer holding her, he could still feel the heat radiating from her like a furnace. He frowned slightly, his lips pressing together as he watched her.

Yun Qianyue gripped her hands tightly, nearly drawing blood. She had never dated or been close with a man in her previous life; even during training, where they slept in close quarters, it was always platonic camaraderie, never anything romantic. Now, using a man as an antidote was something she simply couldn't do. She could only try to resist with her well-honed willpower. If she could endure, she would. After she escaped, she would find out who was behind this and make them pay. If she couldn't, then they'd have won for now, and revenge would have to wait.

With this thought, she closed her eyes and told Rongjing, "Could you move a bit farther away?"

Rongjing stayed where he was, only watching her.

"Do you realize you're like a Tianshan Snow Lotus right now, or maybe a fresh platter of fish, making me want to devour you?" Yun Qianyue managed to grind out between clenched teeth.

"Mm." Rongjing barely murmured a reply, but he didn't move.

Yun Qianyue tried to move herself farther away, but after a few steps, she found she couldn't bear to go any farther. She gripped her hands tighter, attempting to focus through the pain.

"Use these instead of your hands, or you might hurt yourself," Rongjing placed two handkerchiefs in her palms, his gentle pressure loosening her grip. He carefully placed one handkerchief in each of her hands.

Yun Qianyue clenched the handkerchiefs instead, but her mind couldn't help but linger on the coolness his touch left in her palm, a sensation that made her want to grab his hand again. She immediately murmured to herself, "The person before me is no beauty, just a monk, yes, Lingyin the monk, and I have no feelings for monks—especially old monks..."

Saying this, the thoughts in her mind scattered, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Though she thought she was mumbling to herself, her words had come out loud enough to be heard. Rongjing's face twitched slightly at her strange murmuring.

Rongjing's calm expression grew slightly more complex, but he said nothing and merely looked at the Buddha statues in front of him, an unusual expression on his face.

After a few moments, that burning sensation flared up again. Yun Qianyue immediately started chanting, "He's an old monk, an old monk, I have no interest in old monks, especially Lingyin the monk..."

Rongjing's mouth twitched again, though he didn't look at her this time.

The flames subsided again, and Yun Qianyue exhaled, relieved. It seemed her aversion to monks was effective.

After a while, Yun Qianyue spoke again, muttering to herself, "The man in front of me is a monk, a monk, an old monk, definitely an old monk... Lingyin the old monk..."

Once again, the fire receded, and Yun Qianyue felt some relief.

Rongjing's expression remained fixed as he looked at the statue, his face showing no response, though some dust drifted off his usually pristine robe, settling silently on the ground.

But this time, the reprieve only lasted as long as a cup of tea.

Yun Qianyue struggled again, whispering to herself, "But this isn't Lingyin; it's Rongjing... And who is Rongjing? A mess of peach blossoms. If I throw myself at him, he'll be surrounded by other women, each one out to claim him. And he's the heir of the Rong family. One day, he'll be a prince, no different from my father with his swarm of concubines. Then I'd have to deal with all those women fighting over him. Today it's me, tomorrow it's someone else, and the day after that..."