Chapter Ten: Teasing

Naturally, the crowd wasn’t gathering simply because of a beautiful woman—ancient people weren’t so superficial. Though women were generally kept indoors, on the open-minded continent of Yunfeng, such restrictions were not strictly observed. While it wasn’t common to see many women out shopping, it wasn’t so rare either.

The truth of the matter was that a chubby, privileged young master, surrounded by his retinue, was harassing a girl holding a bouquet of narcissus flowers.

It was hard to blame the young master for his lecherous behavior, for the girl’s attire was indeed rather provocative. She wore a translucent pink robe that faintly revealed her snow-white skin. Her delicate chest, like carved white jade, was half-covered and half-exposed, irresistibly drawing the eyes. A red sash cinched her waist, which was so slender it seemed a breeze could encircle it. As her skirt fluttered in the wind, she appeared even more fragile and delicate.

Liu Ling’er felt a pang of sympathy for the girl—she was so pitiful that even an old servant would feel protective, let alone a bystander. Such a young girl, wandering alone, was surely inviting harassment. Liu Ling’er thought to herself, “If I were a man, I’d probably be tempted to flirt with her myself.”

The young master reached out to touch the girl’s face, leering as he spoke, “Little lady, is this your first time in the capital? It’s almost noon—are you hungry? Let me take you to the best tavern in the city; I promise you’ll eat your fill.”

The girl arched her phoenix eyes, a flirtatious gesture that made the onlookers’ hearts flutter—and the young master’s lascivious intentions were all too obvious.

Using the bouquet of narcissus to shield half her face, the girl deftly dodged his grubby hand, laughing sweetly, completely unperturbed. “Good sir, the women on this street are as plentiful as fish in the river—why do you invite only me to dine with you, hmm?”

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar. Everyone lamented the decline of morals: the young master was clearly up to no good, but, judging by the girl’s response, she wasn’t so innocent herself. Her words—especially that lingering “hmm”—were enough to make anyone blush.

Sensing a glimmer of hope, the young master practically drooled as he grinned at her. “The streets are full of plain, common faces, but none can compare to your exquisite beauty.”

Hearing this, Liu Ling’er felt nauseous and covered her mouth, feigning retching sounds, which sent the crowd into fits of laughter.

Noticing Liu Ling’er—more precisely, Liu Ling’er disguised as Xiao Tao—the girl’s eyes sparkled. She lifted a dainty finger and pointed at her. “What do you think of that young lady over there?”

The young master followed her finger, eyeing Liu Ling’er up and down. Stroking his chin, he said lecherously, “That little lass isn’t bad either, but she’s not as delicate and lovable as you.”

Liu Ling’er couldn’t stand it any longer and began to retch again. The young master taunted, “Oh my, little miss, why the dry heaves? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were already carrying my child!”

Her face darkened as she strode up to the young master. “Do you think we girls are weak and frail just so scum like you can harass us?”

To her surprise, the young master was shameless beyond belief, taking her sarcasm as a compliment. “Haha! Thank you for the praise. Why don’t you do me the honor of joining me for a drink?”

Liu Ling’er drew in a sharp breath. This man had no sense of shame whatsoever. As his greasy hand reached out toward her, her expression turned even colder, darker than the bottom of a soot-blackened pot.

Enough was enough. With one hand, Liu Ling’er brushed aside his groping hand, and with the other, she delivered a crisp, resounding slap across his face.

The crowd burst into applause. The delicate girl’s eyes sparkled with delight, clearly not expecting her cousin Xiao Tao to be so fierce.

At that moment, a carriage happened to pass by. From inside, a low voice asked, “Tie Wu, what’s happening outside? Why is there such a commotion?”

Tie Wu pulled the reins and glanced toward Liu Ling’er before replying, “Master, it’s the Left Chancellor’s son harassing another girl. One of them appears to be a maid from the General’s estate.”

Baili Xian drew back the curtain, speaking as he did so. “Oh? Is that so? It seems today I’ll have to help Li Feng teach his good-for-nothing son a lesson.”