Chapter 166 - 167: Attack
But Li Ji said,
"What’s there to be shy about? You’re my nanny. You belong to me from head to toe, so what’s the big deal if I take a look?"
Hua Manman stammered, "That may be so, but... but..."
Li Ji cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"No buts. Come here. Don’t make me say it again."
Hua Manman struck a pose of defiant resistance.
Li Ji narrowed his eyes, his expression slowly turning dangerous.
"Are you trying to force my hand?"
His gaze made her scalp tingle and the hairs on her back stand on end.
The next moment, following her heart’s true desire, she scurried over.
Li Ji told her to take off her pants.
’His words definitely needed to be censored,’ Hua Manman thought, ’or they’d never pass review.’
She made one last, desperate attempt.
"Can I apply the medicine myself?"
Li Ji mercilessly rejected her request.
"No."
Hua Manman was now filled with regret.
If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have stubbornly insisted on traveling by horse.
However, you can’t buy foresight with a thousand pieces of gold.
Now, with no chance to back out, she could only endure the overwhelming shame as she slowly untied her sash, lifted her skirt, and revealed the light silk trousers underneath.
While inwardly lamenting that her virtue was gone just like that, she turned her back and slowly pulled her silk trousers down to her thighs.
When Li Ji saw her red and swollen bottom, the corners of his lips curled up, and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Hua Manman’s head snapped around.
Li Ji quickly wiped the smile from his face. Meeting Hua Manman’s gaze, he raised an eyebrow and asked,
"What is it?"
Hua Manman watched him suspiciously. "Were you just laughing at me?"
Instead of answering, Li Ji retorted, "Is there anything about you for me to laugh at?"
Hua Manman pouted and turned her head away.
The corners of Li Ji’s lips curled up again.
He had Hua Manman lie face down on the blanket, then dipped his finger in some ointment and spread it evenly across her bottom.
The ointment must have had mint in it; it felt cool and soothing when applied, which was actually quite comfortable.
But the moment she remembered it was Prince Zhao applying the ointment, she was again overcome with shame and embarrassment.
Fortunately, she was lying face down and didn’t have to look at Prince Zhao, which greatly eased her awkwardness.
As soon as the medicine was applied to her bottom, Hua Manman immediately pulled her trousers up.
She snatched the jar of ointment from Prince Zhao’s hand.
"I can do the rest myself!"
She couldn’t see the sores on her bottom, but she could see the ones on her inner thighs.
She didn’t need anyone’s help; she could easily handle it herself.
Li Ji relented. "Alright."
Hua Manman glared at him. ’What’s with that expression? He actually looks disappointed!’
’Just a moment ago, this man was acting like a paragon of male virtue, a walking chastity arch who wouldn’t let anyone touch him, and now he’s trying to take advantage of me!’
’Ah! It must be my own damn, irresistible charm!’
Li Ji, who heard her inner thoughts, was speechless.
’What the hell was a "paragon of male virtue"? And what the hell was a "chastity arch"?’
’Sometimes, he really wanted to pry open her head to see what on earth was rattling around in that brain of hers.’
Hua Manman yanked the blanket over herself, covering herself completely.
Hiding under the blanket, she took off her silk trousers and fumbled to apply the ointment to her inner thighs.
The skin on her inner thighs was broken, so the ointment inevitably stung when it touched the raw flesh.
Li Ji couldn’t see her, only the blanket moving around, with the occasional soft, sharp intake of breath coming from within.
After a good while, Hua Manman finally threw the blanket off. Her silk trousers were already back on.
She handed the ointment back to Prince Zhao and picked up her skirt to tie it back on.
Just then, she heard Prince Zhao ask,
"We’ve been married for so long, yet we’ve never consummated our marriage. Haven’t you ever suspected anything?"
Hua Manman froze. Looking up at him, she asked uncomprehendingly,
"Suspect what?"
Li Ji retorted, "What do you think?"
’You won’t even sleep with a great Beauty like me,’ Hua Manman thought. ’That can only mean you’re... lacking.’
’Either you’re not into women, or you’re completely incapable in *that* department.’
Whatever the case, Hua Manman didn’t dare say it out loud.
She said cautiously,
"I have never suspected you of anything."
Hearing her inner thoughts, Li Ji’s expression turned strange.
’This woman really has some nerve!’
To prove he wasn’t... lacking, he said with a smile,
"Let’s consummate our marriage after we return to the capital."
Hua Manman was completely stunned.
Thinking she had misheard, she couldn’t help but ask again.
"Y-You... what did you say?"
Just as Li Ji was about to repeat himself, someone knocked twice on the carriage window.
He had to stop. He reached out, pushed open the window, and looked at Bian Ziming outside.
"What is it?"
Bian Ziming was on horseback, clad in silver light armor, cutting a dashing figure.
He clasped his fist in a salute to Prince Zhao before speaking.
"We’re about to reach the valley. To avoid any incidents, we need to pass through in batches. You will be in the first."
He paused, then added in a lower voice,
"This was the order arranged by the Crown Prince."
The valley Bian Ziming mentioned was the very place where the last convoy transporting disaster relief funds and grain had been ambushed.
They had bypassed the valley on their way here, but this time, they had no choice but to go through it.
The rope bridge was broken and couldn’t be repaired anytime soon.
Now they had no other choice. To return to the capital, they had to pass through that narrow valley.
Li Ji gave a slight nod to show he understood.
The convoy stopped near the entrance to the valley.
Hua Manman poked her head out the carriage window and looked ahead. The valley was just as narrow as described, barely wide enough for a single carriage to pass through.
Not only was the valley narrow, it was also very long.
The carriage carrying Prince Zhao and Hua Manman entered the valley first, with more than twenty soldiers from the Tiger Roar Camp following closely behind on horseback.
They proceeded slowly through the valley.
High stone cliffs flanked them on both sides, seeming to stretch endlessly upward.
Li Ji opened a hidden compartment and took out two swords.
He tossed the lighter of the two swords to Hua Manman.
"Take this. You’ll need it soon."
Hearing this, Hua Manman immediately became vigilant. "Is someone going to attack us?"
"Mm," Li Ji affirmed.
Hua Manman was confused. "But we’ve already distributed the funds and grain. Even if those mountain bandits were to rob us, there’s nothing for them to take."
But Li Ji said, "It’s not bandits."
He had barely finished speaking when a loud RUMBLE echoed from overhead.
It sounded as if something was rolling down from above.
Li Ji grabbed Hua Manman’s arm, pulling her with him as he flew out of the carriage. At the same time, he let out a sharp cry.
"Get clear!"
The soldiers’ reactions were swift. Hearing Prince Zhao’s shout, they immediately wheeled their horses around and galloped away.
Hua Manman looked up to see dozens of massive boulders falling from the sky, hurtling down toward them!
The soldiers on horseback galloped to a safe distance.
But the carriage was too large to turn around in the narrow valley, so the driver could only urge the horses to bolt forward.
The people above had clearly anticipated this, as even more and larger boulders came rolling down ahead.
In the end, the entire carriage, along with its driver, was engulfed by the boulders.