Chapter 31: His Majesty Ning brandishes a brick

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Fang Tang threw the golden tooth at the middle-aged man who'd came chasing after the sparrow. At a glance, one could tell this man was dressed like Northern Hu horse dealers. The horse dealer glanced at the lifted curtains of the carriage before docilely kneeling on the ground to thank Fang Tang.

Disdainfully, Fang Tang said, "Pathetic, letting a bird steal something out of your mouth."

The horse dealer muttered subserviently as he remained kneeling. Though he was speaking, no one could hear his words clearly.

"If even a sparrow could take it, it probably wasn't real gold," Ning Xiaoyao whispered to Lou Zigui in the carriage.

"Go on, scram," Fang Tang waved away the Northern Hu horse dealer with his hand.

Ning Xiaoyao tilted her head and asked Lou Zigui, "Did the fake tooth seller cheat that man?"

Lou Zigui felt himself getting a headache as he knitted his brows. "Just what are you planning to do today?" He couldn't follow such a stupid train of thought, or else they'd end up talking about who knows what.

"Restoring your innocence, ah. You don't know?" Ning Xiaoyao said.

"... ..." said Lou Zigui. Had anyone bothered to tell him beforehand?

Ning Xiaoyao lowered the curtains and said, "No fear, I'll protect you."

"Miaow, and me too," Big Boss Black called out.

What did she mean, she'd protect him? "How are you planning to restore my innocence? Are we killing our way to Northern Hu?" Lou Zigui asked.

"Ah?" Ning Xiaoyao said. "Didn't you say yesterday that it was an impossible task?"

Lou Zigui didn't want to talk anymore. Had he said such things last night?

"Don't worry," Ning Xiaoyao raised a hand, preparing to touch Lou Zigui's head again. "Supreme Commanderyour innocence will come back very soon."

Lou Zigui evaded her hand. "Can you tell me, what you've plann..." Before he could finished, the carriage wheels ran over a rock and caused the carriage to shake. Lou Zigui's body was still weak, so he tumbled headfirst into Ning Xiaoyao's lap. Then his lips crashed against something he shouldn't be touching. The soft silk beneath his mouth instantly turned Lou Zigui's face red before he sat bolt upright. Ning Xiaoyao pursed her lips. They'd rolled around in the sheets already, but this guy was still so shy. Why make such a fuss?

The carriage drove forward for a while longer before coming to a stop.

"Your Majesty, we've arrived at the Fragrant Storey," Shadowgale said from outside.

Ning Xiaoyao got off the carriage. The country was currently in mourning, so all the civilians were wearing mourning clothes in memory of the late emperor. The streets of the red-light district were completely unlit, nor were there any pedestrians walking around. Everything was deserted. Ning Xiaoyao raised her head to look at the three-storey brick and wooden building, musing that this was very different from the wineshops in her imagination. Aside from the lack of customers, there wasn't a single speck of light. Were all the shops on this street about to go bankrupt?

Fang Tang carefully helped Lou Zigui off the carriage. Shadowgale brought out a dumpy matron from the establishment, and Ning Xiaoyao caught a whiff of her potent powder before she even came over. She sneezed and wanted to tell the woman more wasn't necessarily better when it came to perfume. But then the little gyrfalcon gave out a long cry.

"The northern barbarians are here!"

Ning Xiaoyao heard footsteps coming from north of the street and turned back to run in front of Lou Zigui. She was about to warn everyone to prepare for a counterattack against the enemy when a flaming arrow shot towards Lou Zigui. Shadowgale dashed forward from behind Fang Tang and sliced the arrow in half with a flash of his sabre.

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