Chapter 12 A Dark Inn

The carriage stopped at an inn located just before the border of Shangyi and Xiantan, where they stayed for the night, resuming their road trip the next day.
It was the first time Yuxi had stayed at such places even though she had travelled before, but seeing that Zhan Peng and Yang Tian had experienced such stays before, she allowed them to make the choice of their rooms.
Zhan Peng took the lead and selected two spacious rooms on the top floor of the inn. Over the last two days, he took over driving the carriage to allow for some private time between his sworn brother and Yuxi. He hardened his feelings, recalling the overheard conversation that other day between Yuxi and the king.
It baffled him how she was engaged to someone and had no intention of breaking the arrangement.
Her concern that she might not keep herself pure for him, did it mean she had someone on her mind? Was that someone, him or Yang Tian? Although he had that encounter in the bath chamber with her, Yuxi did also have a heart-to-heart with Yang Tian just before embarking on the trip.
Yang Tian had even given her flowers. He witnessed everything from beginning to end while hiding in the shadows, keeping his calm to not give away his location.
She smiled and thanked him. From her body language, Zhan Peng noticed clearly how she was at ease with him. His presence was comforting to her. They talked for about an hour and a half, although he could not hear them clearly from where he was hiding.
At the end of the conversation, when Yang Tian was about to head back to the chambers, he heard her call him and he turned back. She gave him an adorable smile, showing him her clenched fist. She was encouraging him to go on fighting.
What fighting did she mean? Was she encouraging him to pursue her?
Was Yang Tian, not he, the reason for her to doubt herself from keeping her chastity? He paused and reflected on everything, starting from the encounter in the flower garden to every meeting between them. Every single time they met, she was sweet and approachable. But with Zhan Peng, she never seemed to be happy, either angry or sad.
If it was Yang Tian she liked, despite it conflicting with her engagement to Lang Juan, then he would not try to disrupt their happiness. Hence, he had said all those words to her to draw the line between the two of them, and yet created more opportunities between her and Yang Tian. Perhaps Yang Tian would be the one worthy enough for her to change her mind about the engagement.
As much as he knew he couldn’t snatch his sworn brother’s love from him, he couldn’t help that he was concerned about her. And even then, he would continue to bottle up his fondness for her, without showing his true feelings.
Zhan Peng lay in bed, ignoring Yang Tian’s snores. A loud gong sounded in the distance, signifying it was past midnight, deep in the night. But his instincts told him something was not right. Of all the inns they had passed, this inn had been the least incredulous. But just last night, when he headed downstairs to get some wine, he slinked past some leery behaviour of the employees of the inn.
Earlier, the innkeeper and his employees appeared to be discussing a beauty, which they further believed to be from a prominent family based on her style of dressing. They had even mentioned that they had rarely encountered females of such ‘quality’, and she was a good catch for anyone. He walked away in disgust after hearing what they said, grabbed a pot of wine off the counter, and left the money.
He wasn’t unaware of such atrocities happening in Longsu despite his protected life as a prince. The worst one could come to during travelling was being ambushed by the workers of a ‘dark inn’. Such innkeepers in Longsu had resorted to killing and robbing their patrons for money and possessions. Money was an evil, and yet such a necessity.
He peered outside the window. A dark figure had employed the light art to reach the upper level and was making his way towards their rooms. He took in a deep breath and maintained his calm, exhaling a few times till he was sure the figure had passed by.
He didn’t know how many female patrons were in the inn, but Yuxi was staying on the same level as them. Calmly, he opened the door to see everything silent as if nothing had happened. He walked past each door, putting his ear to the door to listen if anything was wrong.
He soon found himself outside Yuxi’s room and tapped on the door.
He tapped once. No answer.
Then he tapped again. Still no answer.
On the third tap, she still didn’t respond. Perhaps she was asleep. It was extremely late, after all. Still, something made him uneasy.
Zhan Peng employed his martial arts to bring forth a small gust of wind that cast open the door with a small creak. Summoning his powers, he entered the room.
There was a man in the room, dressed entirely in black, with a scarf over his mouth. Immediately, he recognised the dark figure he saw earlier. The man’s movements were exactly the same as how he crept up to the upper level!
“You should have stayed at Shang-Yi,” he heard the man uttering. His eyes darted to the sleeping woman on the bed.
Qian Yuxi seemed to be in a rather peaceful slumber. The man lifted the covers off her to reveal her in her undergarments. She was wearing what they called a red belly binder in Longsu, but it was completely bare at the back and merely covered her front. She wasn’t wearing any trousers, either.
“You shameless hussy. I ought to punish you as your future husband.” Future husband? Did he mean he was Lang Juan? Zhan Peng felt a slight stab in his chest. If he was Lang Juan indeed, why did he need to resort to such means? His attention diverted to a scar across the man’s face, barely hidden by the scarf.
The intruder pulled on the knots of her undergarments, pulling it off her body. Zhan Peng’s heart surged with desire at seeing Yuxi’s flawless body. It was the first time he had seen it so vividly under the light. He scrutinised each curve of her body, the whiteness of her breasts, up to her round bottom. Everything was calling to him.
He sensed his manhood reacting to this call. The man took his time in undressing. Zhan Peng remained silent, waiting for the right time to react.
A tattoo bearing the surname ‘Lang’ seemed to be branded on his back, confirming Zhan Peng’s suspicion further. But did he need to do this? He glanced towards Yuxi. She was still sound asleep, showing no signs of waking.
Just then, Lang Juan whisked off his scarf, providing Zhan Peng a clear view of his facial features. He was incredibly handsome, albeit that a long scar extended from his cheek to below his chin. Could that be the reason he hadn’t wanted to appear before Yuxi directly? Zhan Peng wondered.
He watched as Lang Juan positioned his lips before Qian Yuxi’s cherry red lips, breathing in her fragrance. Lang Juan’s wolf eyes wandered up and down her naked body lustfully.
“I’ll give you a night of pleasure, my dear wife-to-be.”