I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 17, 3 River Town 5

"you!……"

Her peach-blossom eyes widened, and with a snap, the spearhead in her hand broke into several pieces. Before Gu Mingfeng could erupt in anger, Fei Xi's smile vanished, and she looked at him seriously, quickly saying:

"When we can leave here to find Junior Sister Mu depends on you, Young Master Gu."

Gu Mingfeng held his breath, glaring at the audacious woman who had been flirting with him. He gritted his teeth and spat out a few words:

"What do you mean!"

“Look at this tree branch. We’re currently heading west of Sanhe Town. I’ve checked the direction of the water flow and the layout of the islands. We must have accidentally wandered into the Eighteen Water Bends of Sanhe Town and followed the rapids to this area. If we swim downstream, we can reach Wenshan directly. There’s an official road in Wenshan, and we can use that road to return to Sanhe Town. That’s the fastest way to find Sister Mu right now.”

The girl, holding a wooden stick, casually drew a few lines, and a very rudimentary map appeared before Gu Mingfeng's eyes. Looking at the points the girl pointed to, he had to admit that her analysis made a lot of sense, but a very real problem lay before him:

"I can't swim, and you have no internal energy. In the dead of winter, this is suicide. Besides, what makes you so sure that Miss Mu has returned to Sanhe Town?"

"My junior sister and I are of one mind. Does Prince Gu have any questions about this?"

The girl feigned an innocent and carefree demeanor, making Gu Mingfeng's teeth itch with frustration. Before he could ponder what the girl was hiding, her cheerful voice continued:

"There is a small bamboo grove to the south; it's no problem to make a simple bamboo raft. Since Young Master Gu has eaten his fill, please follow me."

Fei Xi stood up, skipping and hopping, ready to lead the way. But the man remained seated, his eyes sharp as he stared at her, then suddenly let out a cold laugh:

"You dare order me around?"

She cursed inwardly, suppressed her smile, crossed her arms, and looked down at the seated person. She didn't speak, but answered him with her eyes.

What's the problem?

Why wouldn't I dare?

The two stared at each other for a long time. Fei Xi's eyes were tired from staring so long. Just as she was about to blink, the man in front of her suddenly looked away, stood up, and walked straight ahead.

Following him into the bamboo forest, he snapped bamboo stalks one by one with a single blow. Although she didn't understand why this young master Gu had suddenly given in, it didn't stop her from confidently ordering him around.

"This is enough. Here, take this. Make a one-inch cut in these places..."

Before nightfall, under Fei Xi's direction, the bamboo raft was quickly built to its basic structure. Despite her worries, she knew that traveling by water at night with such a small raft was unrealistic. Once the two horizontal bamboo poles were secured, she called a halt to the work:

"You secure both sides, and we'll go back to the thatched hut to rest and recuperate before going into the water at dawn."

She rekindled the fire, boiled the water in the bamboo tube, and replaced it with fresh water. Wet a handkerchief with the boiled water, and Fei Xi walked to the side of the seemingly lost in thought, Prince Gu, and said:

"Hold out your hand, I'll apply the medicine for you."

His face was devoid of any smile, somber as if someone were trying to steal his man, but at that moment his eyes revealed a sense of confusion and bewilderment.

She obediently stretched out her hand, her fair and slender fingers covered with tiny red cuts, all injuries she had sustained while working.

The handkerchief was warm, and it stung slightly as it touched the wound. This stinging sensation was quickly soothed by the cooling ointment. The hands that applied the ointment were cold, like a piece of jade that could never be warmed, so fragile yet possessing a resolute determination to shatter.

Looking at the girl's gentle, lowered head profile, Gu Mingfeng felt a sense of unease. Her arrogant, commanding manner just now felt strangely familiar to him.

He was certain he had never seen this person before, but this feeling of familiarity left his mind in turmoil, a complex mix of emotions. He couldn't understand why he was so obedient to the girl before him, as if he had lost the ability to judge for himself.

Every word she said was like a spell, compelling him to follow her lead, yet leaving him feeling lost and bewildered deep inside. He tried to understand the source of this emotion, but only found himself in utter confusion.

He realized his behavior had gone beyond reason, yet he was powerless to escape this strange influence. His lips parted slightly, and he guessed at a possibility:

"Have we met before? Where is your ancestral home?"

"Is Prince Gu planning to claim kinship? Everyone in my family except myself is dead. We are not your relatives. Besides, my surname is Fei and yours is Gu. You can rest assured that we are not related at all."

The girl tilted her head, her indifferent attitude inexplicably making Gu Mingfeng angry. This person is really heartless!

"Hmph, not the best! What do you mean by 'your family is all dead'?"

"There's not much to say. Every day in the martial arts world, there are stories of madmen wielding sharp weapons who, on a whim, slaughter entire families."

"..." How could you talk about such a tragic thing so lightly?! Gu Mingfeng was at a loss for words. He took the hot water handed to him, frowned, and asked again:

"Don't you want revenge?"

"Young Master Gu, aren't you curious why I, as the senior disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, have no martial arts skills?"

Before he could answer, the girl untied the sleeves binding her hands and opened them. On each of her fair wrists, a scar meandered, like a centipede coiled across them, so ugly it stung his eyes.

Seeing that he had seen it, the girl withdrew her hand and continued in a light tone:

"I won't show you my feet. All the meridians in my limbs are severed, and my perineum and dantian are destroyed. I can't cultivate any external or internal martial arts. It's already a miracle that I can walk like a normal person like this."

His throat ached as if it were being squeezed. Gu Mingfeng opened his mouth, but found he couldn't utter a sound. A violent killing intent surged in his chest. He finally managed to find his voice, but it sounded like his own voice floating in the air, hollow and lifeless, like a machine devoid of emotion.

Do you remember who your enemy is?

"I don't know. The other party was masked and did a very thorough job of destroying the evidence. I was too young to find any clues at the time."

She pulled her sleeves back on and patted the straw on the seat. The girl curled up into a ball, yawned, and buried her head in her legs. A muffled sound came from beneath her head:

"This topic is too heavy, let's not talk about it anymore. Prince Gu, let's get some rest, each of us keeping watch for an hour. Let this weak woman with a tragic past and a life as adrift as duckweed sleep first, and you can wake me up when it's time."

……

Gu Mingfeng began to wonder if he had been fooled and taken for a fool. Was this woman telling the truth? Distracted by this, the absurd thought that had just arisen instantly dissipated... Hmph, whether it's true or false, what does it matter to him? Getting back to Sanhe Town to take care of important business is the priority.

*

At the foot of Wenshan Mountain, just as the sun rose above the horizon, a young couple walked into the inn with grumpy faces.

The woman was pretty and dressed as a maid, while the man was dressed in fine clothes but looked very disheveled, with a noticeable red mark on his right cheek.

The two appeared to be master and servant, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that this was not the case.

"Listen to advice and you'll eat your fill. Haven't you heard the saying, Prince Gu? I told you the current is too strong; you can't use brute force!"

"Are you a pig? You look thin, so why are you so heavy! The bamboo raft broke because you're too heavy, why are you blaming me? If I hadn't used my light-footed skills to get you ashore, you'd still be in the water. Not only are you ungrateful, but you also slapped me, what do you mean by that?"

"Young Master Gu, you're so light! How come you didn't fly directly from the island to the shore? With your lightness and agility, how come you didn't fly directly from the island to the shore?"

"you!"

"Do you two gentlemen need lodging? Please show your sect tokens."

The waiter, trembling but forcing a smile, stepped forward to ask questions. He was used to all sorts of strange outfits worn by江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) people when investigating cases. But he didn't dare risk his life to see what an angry江湖 person might do. If the manager hadn't pushed him out, he wouldn't have wanted to deal with these people at all.

"No lodging needed. Quickly prepare some hot food and two fast horses."

After handing the Commander Du card given to her by her master to the waiter for registration, Fei Xi snorted and sat down at the table, ignoring the man who had taken advantage of her and then scolded her for being heavy.

No woman had ever dared to hit him! Gu Mingfeng felt his rare act of kindness had been wasted. Hearing what the woman said to the waiter… hmph, he decided not to bother with this woman.

After having breakfast, the two didn't waste any time and tacitly mounted their horses, quickly heading towards Sanhe Town.