A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

25

"Sleep." He watched the eyes he liked, closed. His voice had lost its usual colour and the way he told Pingting to go to sleep was more like the everyday voice he used to command his soldiers.

Pingting, however, only felt comforted by it. She closed her eyes obediently but opened them after a while.

Chu Beijie was thinking of leaving when he realised that this 'soldier' had not listened to him. "Close your eyes, go to sleep."

Pingting suddenly felt amused, it reminded her of teasing her Master. She opened her eyes again and stared quietly at Chu Beijie.

Chu Beijie suddenly felt his heart speed up upon meeting her gaze and a feeling he had never felt before flooded through him. It was even happier than the pleasure and rush he felt on the battlefield.

He wasn't too pleased about this, because as the Duke of Zhen-Bei, he'd been through all sorts of situations and was always been able to have what he wanted. It was like one of his heart's muscles had been torn, leaving him with heavy breathing.

The little mute on the bed was undoubtedly a beauty; ignoring her face, nose and mouth. She had an incomparable elegance which no one else had and that was what made her beautiful.

"Close your eyes." Chu Beijie cleared his throat, "I'm going out."

Pingting felt rather disappointed but this time she really close her eyes.

Chu Beijie was a true gentleman, he really went out.

Another night. Tougher than last night; tougher than the night before.

Pingting only fell asleep in the morning and she slept until noon. Lady Hua hurried in and whispered in her ear, "Do you know who Dong Dingnan is?"

Pingting heart thumped a little.

"I'll tell you, he is Dong Lin's Duke of Zhen-Bei! I saw his portrait yesterday but oh God, he's the mighty Duke of Zhen-Bei!"

Pingting suddenly paled, her body gave out twice before she managed to prop herself up with difficulty.

The Duke of Zhen-Bei? Dong Dingnan, that was the guy who sat vigil at night, the man who carried her was the Duke of Zhen-Bei — A duke of Dong Lin, Dong Lin's strongest warrior, Gui Le's enemy and Master's scariest opponent.

Lady Hua must have thought this was a miracle and kept on praising Pingting. She then patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Hong, we're like sisters, so you will help me right?"

"Eh?"

"It's easy, I've already sent Mrs Hua to pass a letter onto the Duke of Zhen-Bei. It says that Lady Hua is currently engaged and not a free woman. It says that if he is willing to exert his authority and cancel my marriage, it will be easier to carry things out in the future." Lady Hua looked pleased at herself, "This time Father won't protest against it and when my marriage is cancelled, I'll tell the Duke of Zhen-Bei the truth. I'll even give you a good wedding dress. Oh yeah! You can have my wedding dress."

Pingting's face clouded halfway through Lady Hua's chattering. "Are...are...you crazy? The Duke of Zhen-Bei is much stronger, ten times stronger, than your family. If he finds out that we've been lying to him, the people of the Hua Residence will be in deep trouble." She was still very sick so she couldn't emphasise how serious this was.

Lady Hua took no notice, "He likes you. I'm sure he won't mind the fact that you borrowed my identity."

"It's not like that!" Pingting grabbed her, "Tell Mrs Hua not to send the letter."

Lady Hua felt a little scared seeing Pingting so angry. Her head drooped in shame, "But Mrs Hua just came back, she even told me the Duke of Zhen-Bei's response."

"What did he say?"

"He said, tomorrow, Lady Hua will be free again."

"Tomorrow?"

Lady Hua saw Pingting's strange expression and she pouted. "I need to practice qin, talk to you tomorrow." Then she left.

Pingting stared into space for a while, until she re-organised the events in her head.

"No way, the Duke of Zhen-Bei, he really was the Duke of Zhen-Bei...." Pingting thought deeply for a moment, then the light in her eyes flashed, showing that she'd made her final decision. "I still haven't found Master, I can't be bound here for no reason. As for Hua Residence...good luck."

She somehow managed to get up and pack up her belongings. She felt rather heartless when she thought of how kind the people of Hua Residence had been to her. No matter what though, she still had to go. She was in Dong Lin, the enemy's country, and if the Duke of Zhen-Bei ever found out her real identity, the Hua family would in even more trouble than before.

She went through a rarely used back door and no one noticed. Just like that, Pingting had left the Hua Residence behind.

That night she stayed at a restaurant. She was probably used to seeing Chu Beijie sit vigil as she could not fall asleep, leaving her thoughts to repeatedly torment her throughout the night.