Chapter 254 Image

Words : 1336 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

On a wide official road. A luxurious carriage sped forward. A corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. Su Jin gazed at the rolling hills in the distance. The sky was azure, as if it had been washed clean. Large clouds drifted by. The wind slipped into the carriage, bringing a faint scent of fresh grass. Xingxing rummaged in her satchel, took out a package wrapped in oilpaper, and popped a sour fruit into her mouth. The sourness made her eyes squint, yet she looked utterly satisfied. She handed the oilpaper package to Su Jin. "Miss, I brought candied fruit. Want some?" Xingxing mumbled unclearly. Su Jin turned her head. The red fruit glistened invitingly. She reached out and took one. After popping it into her mouth, she casually asked, "How much longer until we arrive?" Xingxing shook her head. She didn’t know. Receiving no reply, she lifted the curtain and asked the driver, "My lady is asking you a question." The driver, looking exasperated, said, "I don’t know either." Xingxing, "...." Su Jin, "...." Through the curtain, Su Jin saw Xie Jingchen sitting straight on his horse, like an ancient sword embedded atop a mountain, brimming with poised elegance. Xingxing let the curtain fall, cutting off Su Jin’s view. Xingxing came over to continue munching on sour fruit. Quite satisfactorily. Su Jin teased her, "Aren’t you worried we might get sold off?" "Sold us?" Xingxing looked bewildered. "Mm." "Miss, don’t worry, no one would buy us," Xingxing said. Su Jin, "...." The driver, "...." Su Jin raised a hand to her forehead. Xingxing saw this and said, "When my lady wanted to go down the mountain before, Madam always used that to scare her." "The Eldest Young Master assured Madam that with a temper like hers, they’d have to offer a high price to sell her." "...." "The Young Master has no money, and the driver has even less," Xingxing said. "...." The driver’s mouth twitched. Not denying that the maid had a point. Someone as fierce as the Eldest Young Madam, with a domineering father like the Marquis Dongxiang, anyone aware of her status wouldn’t dare to risk taking her far away to sell her without an enticing price. The driver, lost in thought, didn’t notice that the leading Xie Jingchen had stopped ahead. He nearly crashed into him. He hurriedly pulled the reins, feeling a lingering fear. Xingxing lifted the curtain, exclaiming, "Miss, this place is beautiful." She jumped out of the carriage directly. Xie Jingchen dismounted and helped Su Jin down. Indeed, it was a beautiful place with mountains and rivers, few people, and breathtaking scenery. Looking from afar, the mountains were covered in lush pine and bamboo, swaying in waves of emerald green. The water was very green. Green like a flawless piece of jade. Rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, dancing on the water’s surface, reflecting with the mountains, like a celestial realm. "It’s as beautiful as our Qingyun Mountain," Xingxing said gleefully. A long wooden bridge spanned the river, with the current roaring below. Walking on the bridge, the wind blew in, fresh and elegant, peaceful and quiet. Su Jin loved it here. Such beauty cleared away troubles, opening one’s heart and mind. Her brows showed a hint of the beauty of spring. Su Jin admired the scenery. Xie Jingchen admired her. The mountains were beautiful. The water was beautiful. She was even more beautiful. Then— Xie Jingchen’s face darkened. Su Jin wandered around and sat down on the bridge. She took off her shoes and socks, exposing her fair feet, soaking them in the water. It was utterly refreshing. She propped herself on the bridge and tilted her head slightly to gaze at the sky. A shadow loomed over her—it was the face of Xie Jingchen. Su Jin furrowed her brows. "Stand a bit to the side," Su Jin said. "Put your shoes and socks back on," Xie Jingchen said, a flicker of fire in his eyes. "..." "What’s wrong with soaking my feet?" Su Jin said indifferently. "Mind your image!" Xie Jingchen said through gritted teeth. Su Jin let out a chuckle. "What image does a bandit need?" Su Jin asked with a calm smile. "Besides, there’s no one else here." Seeing Xie Jingchen’s face darkened as if ready to pull her up. Su Jin said, "I’ve already taken off my shoes and socks, let me soak a little longer." Xingxing, sitting nearby, said, "Master, my lady used to soak her feet like this all the time on Qingyun Mountain." Xie Jingchen’s face turned three shades darker. In the distance. The Heir of Duke Chong and a few companions came to enjoy the view. Thirsty, they drank from the river, finding it deliciously sweet. After drinking and wiping the water off their mouths, one of them said, "There’s someone on the bridge." "It should be the Heir of Prince Yun and Princess Fu Yun," another said. "Let’s go take a look." From afar, they saw the feet of Su Jin and Xingxing splashing in the water. Their fair skin was dazzling. The Heir of Duke Chong and his companions’ faces went dark instantly. Then they saw it was Xie Jingchen and Su Jin. Their faces turned pitch black. They were drinking water under the bridge. While they soaked their feet above! The servant, seeing this, shouted angrily, "My young master is drinking water below, how can you wash your feet above!" Before he finished speaking. The servant got a heavy blow on the forehead with a folded fan. His head was left dazed. The Heir of Duke Chong almost exploded with anger. Such an embarrassing situation. He couldn’t cover it up fast enough, and here it was being exposed. Is drinking foot-soaked water something to brag about?! Especially when it’s the foot-washing water of bandits from Qingyun Mountain! Su Jin stood up from the water, her skirt falling to cover her feet. A simple foot soak and running into such a mood-spoiler. This place was lovely, but the timing was poor, The Heir of Duke Chong clenched his folded fan tightly. Thinking of how Su Chong had schemed against him, losing Duke Chong’s Mansion, becoming the laughingstock of the Capital City, anger swelled in his chest. Seeing Su Jin, a wicked thought crossed his mind. "Running into me today is your bad luck!" He left this comment, stomped on the wooden bridge, and charged forward. Xie Jingchen sidestepped, lifted a foot. With a splash. The Heir of Duke Chong was kicked into the water. Water splashed everywhere. The splashing water reflected the sunlight, dazzling brightly. The few standing with their arms crossed, ready to watch the show, were dumbfounded. One move. Just one move, and he was defeated. They looked at each other, incredulous. Wasn’t the eldest young master of Duke Zhen poisoned, unable to fight? But recalling that on the street, Xie Jingchen had crossed hands with Su Chong, he wasn’t unable to fight; he just couldn’t go a few rounds without his blood and energy surging, causing the poison within to erupt. The Heir of Duke Chong, falling into the water, struggled a few times before standing up. "All of you, attack at once!" the Heir of Duke Chong said viciously. "If you kill him, it’s on me!" His voice carried a sinister tone. The three men clenched their fists and charged at Xie Jingchen. The bridge was narrow, so they charged in single file. And were kicked into the water in single file. Xie Jingchen didn’t even use his hands; a single foot sent them off. Firstly, he was quick, and they underestimated him. In their minds, they hadn’t taken Xie Jingchen seriously; he was just a wretched patient who could succumb to poison at any moment. Standing on the bridge, watching the Heir of Duke Chong and his companions in the water. Xingxing stood with hands on her hips, threw back the words they had said. "Running into us, today is your bad luck!"

Chapter 254 Image

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