Man from the Wild South
Page 12
For a moment, Li Yun Yi thought that Bo Lan Zhou has appeared and jumps to her feet. But when she sees a stranger with thunderous expressions, she quivers. “No, you are not Bo Lan Zhou. You are not the person I am looking for.” She grabs Shang Guan Jing’s other hand tightly. “Can you bring me to look for Bo Lan Zhou?”
With 2 people grabbing on to her, Shang Guan Jing has no choice but to stand up. She closes her hands around both their hands and grab on to them firmly.
“Jing, let go of her!” Feng Jing tries to laser Li Yun Yi with his eyes, which only sends the frightened woman to hide behind Shang Guan Jing. When he sees that Shang Guan Jing is looking at him with tears in her eyes, his frustration boils over. “Why are you crying over someone who is totally not worth it?”
Instead of coming to her senses, Shang Guan Jing cries in grief much to his consternation. “Shi Jie truly loves Er Shi Ge. Just look at her; she has forgotten everything and everyone but him! I cannot help but think how pitiful women can be. Once they fall in love, her man will become the centre of her existence. And when he is gone, or if he betrays her, her world will fall apart and she becomes miserable.”
Feng Jin mutters. “True, it can be quite miserable.” He sounds as if men can suffer the same, miserable fate and Shang Guan Jing considers him carefully. If he truly understands, could it be that he has fallen in love (maybe with her?). Before she can be certain, he repeats. “Let go of her.”
Her attitude is firm. “I can’t.”
“Let go of her.”
She is torn, but she shakes her head resolutely.
He rubs his temple with his free hand. “Then you let go of me!”
Despite his words, his hand tightens over hers and Shang Guan Jing is confused over his conflicting actions. He looks … nervous, and something inside her relaxed. If she does let go as he has demanded, she doubts she can handle the fallout. “I am not letting go.”
When he visibly relaxed, she mentally shakes her head. To have fallen for such a childish man, really, her fate is to be pitied. And true to form, he is still insistent you let go of her.”
“No.”
“You… You… look, I am also serious.”
“Huh?”
“I am serious about you.”
Shang Guan Jin has not expect his sudden love confession and to be frank, even Feng Jin is surprised by his own declaration. He is a little embarrassed but it feels like a rock has rolled off his chest and he is determined to set the record straight once and for all.
“I am serious when I asked you to marry me.”
She has to make sure. “What are you serious about?”
“I am serious about being with you my whole life. Even if I have to trick you, dupe you ….” He suddenly glares at her. “Why are you crying?”
When she only continues to cry and laugh, he has to take out a handkerchief and wipe her face. He wants to kiss her to make her feel better, but he caught sight of Li Yun Yi cowering behind her and gets all riled up again. “That woman behind you – are you going let go of her now?”
“No.”
Feng Jin fumes.
And fumes.
But since there is nothing he can do to her, what else can he do? He turns around and walks away. “Whatever you want!”
But they are still linked and in the end, all three left the forest hands in tow.
******
Although she cannot forgive her Da Shi Jie, Shang Guan Jing finds that she cannot abandon her, especially now when she is both physically and mentally unwell. After cleaning her up and feeding her, she let her sleep in her old bed in the guestroom while she contemplates what she should do next.
She knows that Feng Jin does not like her presence in their house but he has conceded in the end. While they were walking out of the swamp, Feng Jin has turn back every now and then and just thinking of his grouchy expression is enough to make her feel like laughing.
Thinking of the man, Feng Jin opens the door of the guestroom and strides in. After glaring at the woman on the guest bed, he leans over and scoops up his wife who is sitting beside the woman. He carries her all the way to their bedroom before finally placing her on the bed.
He is still angry at her for bringing her Shi Jie to their home but his kiss on her cheek is gentle. He has probably chosen a difficult woman to love but he has no regrets. One kiss leads to another and pretty soon, they are warring between the sheets. Their loving is at moments rough, at moments gentle but this time, Shang Guan Jing can see his feelings clearly, be it be irritation, tenderness or lust.
Finally when they are finished and exhausted, he makes her to lie on her side so that he can hug her from behind. Although he cannot see her face, he hears her clearly. “I want you to promise me 3 things.”
He narrows his eyes but he listens. “What are your conditions?”
“First, I want you to help erase my Shi Jie’s memory. The person whom she is looking for is no longer alive and in her current state, I doubt I can get her to understand and accept the fact. If she can forget everything, at least she can move on.”
He toys with her fingers with one hand. “I can help you but I have my condition. Once her condition has stabilized, you must send her away. I do not want anyone else to stay in the bamboo house because this place ours and ours only.”
Shang Guan Jing nods. “Once my Da Shi Jie is better, I can arrange for her to live in the village and get someone to help look after her. I can check on her every day after class, and if she really cannot adapt to the life here, I can bring her back to Yu Ling peak….”
“Are you still thinking about leaving?!” His hands tighten around her waist but she makes no move to dislodge him even as tightens his grip. “Listen to me….”
“I am not going to!” He wants to kiss her into submission but she blocks his advances firmly. As they glare at each other, she tries to get him to listen. “This leads on to my second request. I came back because I am worried about you and I have yet to settle all the things back at Yu Ling Sect. Yue Ying has left with her husband but Qing Qing is still there. She may be mature for her age, but she is still a young girl who needs looking after and …. I think she has special powers, just like you. Without teacher to guide her, I worry that she may not know how to control or manage her gift. Can I bring her to Nan Man and get you to coach her?”
She is asking at him for help and he finds it hard to turn her down when she is looking at him like that. However… “You are not going back.”
“But…”
“No buts. I can get Zi Ying to bring your Xiao Shi Mei to Nan Man. If she refuses to follow, it should not be too difficult to tie her up and haul her over.”
“Feng Jin!”
She is glaring at him but does she think he is afraid of something that can neither wound or irritate him? Huh! “So what?”
“Don’t you do anything rash!”
“I like to be rash. What can you do to me?” He nips at her delectable neck. “If you want to hate me, you can go ahead, but there is no way I am going to let you leave. What is your third condition?”
His may be lean but his arms are like steel bands and she finds that she is unable to dislodge him. She can feel that he is starting to burn up and the fire is spreading to her. Shang Guan Jing struggles to stay coherent and tries to settle the last issue. “My third condition is that you must bring me to meet my in-laws. Do you know that many of them attend my class? Just today, I received a long lecture from your great-grandmother on why I have not paid my official respects to her at the ancestral house. Until now, I still cannot figure out why am I the one to get the lecture when you are the one at fault?”
Feng Jin touches her nose with his and looks deep into her eyes. “Fine, I’ll bring you home so long as you promise never to leave me for the rest of our lives.”
It may sound like a command but Shang Guan Jing knows that he is feeling uncertain deep down. She hugs him tightly to reassure him, and studies his attractive features seriously
. . “You know, I have never intended to marry a super-handsome dude.”
“It is too late for regrets.” He says mater-of-fact. “But if you are really bothered, you can always keep me at an arm’s length and pretty soon, I’ll revert to being a freak and be ugly for as long as you want me to be. Provided you don’t miss the pleasure I can bring you.” So saying, he pushes into her onto the mattress and leave her no room for protest.
Although she is starting to feel dizzy, Shang Guan Jin feels like laughing at the same time. This man has no qualms about using whatever method he has just to get his way but she can be nice.
She is not letting go of him for the rest of her life either.
– End –