Finest Servant

Chapter 585 Who's Jealous?

"Really?" Old Gao couldn't contain his grin. "I knew it. In such an exciting matter, Brother Lin would never miss out. Let's all go on blind dates!"

Lin Wanrong chuckled. "I haven't decided about that matchmaking nonsense yet. We'll see when the time comes. Also, Kyzil's army of a hundred thousand is setting out tomorrow morning. Old Hu, you should send a few capable men to confirm this. The farther they are from us, the safer we are."

Old Hu understood the gravity of the matter and quickly nodded. "I suggest we send Xu Zhen to lead two scout teams to track the movements of this hundred-thousand-strong enemy army."

Lin Wanrong nodded, looking at Xu Zhen for a moment. "What do you think, little Xu? Any issues?"

Xu Zhen excitedly clenched his fist in salute. "Please rest assured, General. I will not fail you."

The key to tracking this massive army was to maintain a safe distance; they couldn't afford to be discovered by the enemy. Otherwise, given Lu Dongzan's intelligence, figuring out Lin Wanrong's intent wouldn't be difficult.

After giving Xu Zhen detailed instructions, Lin Wanrong turned serious. "We are only ninety miles away from Kyzil. Even the slightest carelessness could give us away. Until we receive definite news from Xu Zhen, we must be extremely cautious. Better to wait a day or two than to be deceived by the enemy."

Everyone nodded hastily. Lin Wanrong hummed in agreement. "Also, the Right Prince of the Turks, Tursun, is camping near Uvs Lake tonight. That's just over six miles from us. Make sure our men up front are alert and vigilant. Report immediately if anything unusual happens. No delays."

With everything settled, his comrades dispersed. Lin Wanrong let out a 'hey' and asked Gao Qiu beside him, "Where's Yueya'er?"

Gao Qiu pointed toward a dense patch of tall grass in the distance. "Over there. Several of our men are keeping an eye on her."

Lin Wanrong looked over. The tall grass reached almost half a person's height and was lush and dense, like a wave of green. Amidst it, a delicate figure sat quietly on the ground, holding some strands of grass and weaving something.

Lin Wanrong grunted and walked into the grass. The surrounding soldiers saw him approaching and promptly rose to salute. Lin Wanrong waved his hand and smiled at them.

The rustle of footsteps disturbed Yueya'er, who was deeply focused. She lifted her head and saw Lin Wanrong's dark face. Surprised, she quickly hid the grass she held behind her.

Lin Wanrong said nothing, but took slow steps toward her. His gaze was piercing, coldly landing on the young Turkic woman.

Yueya'er lifted her head, unyielding, to meet his eyes. However, she eventually lowered her gaze, clutching the grass in her hands tightly.

"Quite leisurely, aren't you, Miss Yujia?" Lin Wanrong said with a cold smirk. His tone was menacing, making Yueya'er feel uncomfortable.

She lifted her head and defiantly met his gaze. "What does it matter if I'm idle? It's all thanks to you bandits!"

"Tie her up!" Before the words had even left Yujia's mouth, Lin Wanrong roared in fury, his face darkened. The ferocity of his outburst startled even Gao Qiu who stood by his side.

"Understood!" Several soldiers immediately stepped forward, lunging at Yujia like tigers and wolves, intent on binding her arms with ropes.

"Don't touch me!!!" The Turkic girl's face flushed crimson as she forcefully shrugged off the soldiers of the Great Hua Empire, retreating a few steps. "None of you men from Great Hua are allowed to touch me!"

Her eyes flashed dangerously when she was angered, and her face held an aura of noble authority that dissuaded anyone from violating her space.

"Can't touch you? Trying to scare me?" Lin Wanrong rolled up his sleeves, a cold smile stretching across his face as he menacingly approached her. "I am a man of Great Hua. Let's see if I dare touch you or not!"

With each step, he deliberately stomped hard on the grass, making a swishing noise that added to his imposing demeanor. Yujia's expression changed; her eyes flashed as she drew out her precious golden blade, pointing it directly at Lin Wanrong. "Dare you—"

‘Damn it, even as a captive, she doesn't act like one. Still so arrogant at this point?’ Lin Wanrong thought to himself, sneering internally. In a swift motion, he lunged forward and aimed a punch at the wrist that held her blade.

Though not highly skilled in martial arts, he had once sparred with Qingxuan, and his brute strength was something even the most robust nomads had to respect. His punch whistled through the air, powerful and unrelenting.

"Despicable!" Yujia exclaimed, attempting to withdraw her blade. But before she could even move her wrist, it was firmly seized by him.

While his punch seemed frightening, it had lost much of its force when it actually landed on the girl. Yujia tried to struggle, but a slight increase in pressure from Lin Wanrong made her let out a soft "um," her eyebrows tightly knit as her grip involuntarily loosened.

With a swift motion, Lin Wanrong twisted her wrist and snatched away her shining golden blade. Without a glance, he cut through the air near her ear.

Yujia let out a piercing scream, furiously demanding, "What have you done to me?"

"Just cutting some hair. Why the fuss?" Lin Wanrong retorted coolly, the severed strands of her long, lustrous hair floating gently to the ground.

Yujia's face flushed even deeper, and she turned away, snorting, "Besides bullying me, what else can you do? You worthless Great Hua man!"

"Me, bully you?" Lin Wanrong's eyes twinkled as he chuckled coldly. "Miss Yujia, you're giving me too much credit. We both know who's been bullying whom here."

Yujia shot him a sarcastic glance. "So, you're implying that I bullied you? The phrase 'shameless' suits you perfectly."

Before she could finish speaking, a cluster of flowers, still wet with dew, was thrown heavily at her feet. A light fragrance wafted into the air; Gao Qiu sniffed it a few times but then couldn't help but sneeze several times.

Lin Wanrong's face darkened. Staring intently at her, he spoke with a false smile, "Who's shameless, and who's bullying whom—Miss Yujia, do you take me for a fool?"

"Hmm, what is this? Have I bullied you?" Yujia lifted her head, her eyes glinting with an innocent light.

"Do you not know what this is? You think knowing medicine makes you great? Do you even know how to spell the word 'shameless'?" Lin Wanrong gritted his teeth.

"And you dare call me shameless to my face?" The Turkic girl chuckled yet sounded annoyed, lowering her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Old Gao, tie her up!" Lin Wanrong roared, twisting Yujia's wrist as he gave the order. Old Gao chuckled darkly and stepped forward quickly with a rope. Just as he was about to act, Yujia screamed, "Wait!"

"Do it!" Lin Wanrong's voice amplified, full of undeniable authority.

However, Yujia was even more defiant. She quickly turned her head, eyes wide open, shouting, "If someone has to tie me up, it can only be you!"

Fury coloring her face, her bosom heaving rapidly, her eyes shining brightly, she bravely met his gaze, exuding an air of indomitable spirit.

"Is this a request or a threat? You think I dare not tie you up?" Lin Wanrong was irritated. Stretching out his hand, Old Gao handed him the rope with a sneaky laugh.

Lin Wanrong snorted and tied Yujia's soft arms behind her back, winding the rope around her again and again, binding her as tightly as a dumpling. In the end, still dissatisfied, he tugged at the ropes, his face clearly showing his frustration. Old Gao watched and secretly stuck his tongue out. Lin Wanrong was genuinely angry today, showing no chivalry whatsoever.

The Turkic girl clenched her silver teeth and stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Her mysterious eyes were slightly moist.

"What's this?" Old Gao shouted, his eyes falling on Yujia's slender jade hands. Yujia, completely immobilized by the ropes, tightly gripped a bunch of grass in her hand, refusing to let go even if it killed her.

"More devious plots?" Lin Wanrong startled, fumbling to pry open her wrist. Somehow, she found the strength to keep her jade-like hands clenched as tightly as a vise. Despite his immense effort and sweat, Lin Wanrong couldn't pry her hand open.

Completely aggravated, Lin Wanrong unsheathed his golden blade and was about to cut the bunch of grass.

"No!" Yujia let out a desperate cry. Her tightly bound body slumped onto the grass. Her face buried in the green, her delicate shoulders trembling slightly, and finally, her slender jade hand loosened its grip.

Relieved of the perceived threat, Lin Wanrong took a deep breath and hastily picked up the bunch of grass for a closer look, finding himself somewhat dumbfounded.

What he'd expected to be a dangerous item was actually a little figure made of grass. Although it was crafted from grass, Yujia's skill was extraordinary. The little grass figure had a face, eyes, hair, and clothes, distinctly visible.

"This looks strangely familiar," Lin Wanrong touched his nose in confusion.

The grass figure had eyes and a nose drawn on its face with an eyebrow pencil. Despite being slightly tattered, it still vividly portrayed a sneaky appearance. Its grassy hair was neither too long nor too short, styled like a nomad. It wore a Turkic robe, making it look extremely peculiar upon first glance.

"It looks like a nomad!" Gao Qiu squinted for a moment before shaking his head. "But judging by the expression and demeanor, it seems like it's you, Brother Lin! How did you become a nomad? Truly bizarre!"

Gao Qiu's words were like a wake-up call for Lin Wanrong. Of course! It was Lin San, who had styled his hair like a nomad and was wearing a Turkic robe. No wonder the face looked so familiar and so handsome.

Gao Qiu had also caught on to the situation. Leaning in close to Lin Wanrong, he whispered conspiratorially, "Brother Lin, what should we do? Should we untie her?"

"Untie what?" Lin Wanrong shot him an annoyed look. "This is clearly a trap to lure me in. They want to turn me into a Turkic person. Do you think I'm so easily fooled? Do the Turkic people have anyone as handsome as me?"

"Good point, good point," Gao Qiu hastily nodded.

Stuffing the straw figure into his clothing, Lin Wanrong chuckled and picked up the wet herbs. He slowly brought them close to Yueya'er's petite nose. The Turkic girl held her breath for a moment but couldn't resist coughing soon after.

"Miss Yujia, still think I'm bullying you? I've had to smell this for an hour—" Lin Wanrong's expression grew cold. "You can't even withstand the medicine you've prepared yourself?"

Yueya'er snorted, finally ceasing to argue. Lin Wanrong sighed, "Various herbs mixed in water, releasing a unique odor. Maybe in a few more hours, the water will change color and taste, won't it?"

"How did you know?" Yujia finally spoke, as there was no longer a need to hide the truth.

Lin Wanrong grinned, "It's not hard to guess. Uvs Lake is the source of drinking water for the Turks. To attract the attention of your people, the best way would be to change the water's color and taste. Since you're skilled in medicine, you could easily accomplish this. If any of your people noticed something strange about the lake, they'd report it. You had a brilliant plan to alert your tribe. You almost succeeded. My brothers and I had to remove the herbs from the water for an hour!"

Glancing at his wet hair, Yujia hummed, "You're not stupid either. It's a pity I still didn't succeed."

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, "How should I put it? You've done everything you could. It's just bad luck that someone arrived just after you'd added the herbs. But it's also good luck because that someone is your childhood friend. He recognized the smell and your personality, and mistook your distress signal for one of your pranks—the more familiar people are, the more likely they are to misunderstand."

"Childhood friend? Who are you talking about?" Yueya'er looked puzzled.

"Who else could it be?" Lin Wanrong chuckled. "Isn't it your dear friend, your beloved, the Right Prince of the Turks?"

Yujia's eyes widened in surprise and delight. "Are you saying... Tursun is here?! How could he be here? Wait, what nonsense are you talking about? How could he be my beloved?"

"So, you're familiar with the term 'beloved' too," Lin Wanrong said with a playful smile. "Deny it all you want. It's undeniable that you and Tursun had a close relationship. I never expected you to have such a high-ranking old flame. What a pleasant surprise!"

"I'll say it again, Tursun wasn't my lover—" Yujia glanced at him, then suddenly sneered, "I see, you're just envious—"

"Envious of what?" Lin Wanrong was momentarily stunned. Then he burst into laughter, "Ah, you mean 'being jealous'! Miss Yujia, you need to practice your Mandarin more! — Hey, ptoey, ptoey, who's jealous?"

"Who do you think is jealous?!" Yujia looked at him calmly.

"You're saying I'm jealous?! Miss Yujia, speak with some conscience." Lin Wanrong's eyes widened, hardly believing his ears. ‘Good heavens, her vanity surpassed mine by a hundredfold!’

"Do you truly not feel jealous?!" Yujia stared intently at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

‘Wait, I came here to deal with her, how did we end up talking about jealousy?’ Lin Wanrong waved his hand dismissively. Before he could speak, Yujia's anger flared, "Answer me, Wo Lao Gong!"

"Answer what?!" Lin Wanrong replied irritably.

Yujia stared blankly at him, her face serious, her eyes darting around. The young girl's eyes welled up with tears, and she said through gritted teeth, "Fine, you're principled. Remember this, Wo Lao Gong, never regret the decisions you make!"

‘What decision did I make? What did I regret?’ Lin Wanrong shook his head. Seeing Yujia close her eyes, seemingly unwilling to say more, he felt disheartened.

Gao Qiu whispered, "Brother Lin, what should we do now? This girl is very cunning!"

Having tied her up like this, how cunning could she be? ‘If she could still outsmart me, I might as well have thrown in the towel.’ Lin Wanrong patted Gao Qiu on the shoulder, "Brother Gao, you know how dangerous Yujia can be. From now on, without my order, no one is to untie her. She will be of great use later."

"Understood. After all, the Turkic Right Prince is waiting for her," Gao Qiu said with a grin.

Lin Wanrong looked at Yujia, who was curled up on the ground, and shook his head with a wry smile.

Hi, if you like the story, please rate and review this novel on novelupdates. Thanks!

Announcement