USWHC -Chapter 414 Slaughtering in All Directions (Part 4)

All eyes widened in surprise as they stared at Zhu Jie and Ji Yi. This time, Zhu Jie’s face didn’t flush at all, but Ji Yi couldn’t help blushing first. He cast a small, aggrieved glance at the Imperial Guards, his eyes darting back and forth.

The Imperial Guards themselves were equally shocked. No way… someone so bold and uninhibited? Ripping off clothes at first sight? And why is that man staring at me so much? Doesn’t he know what he’s supposed to do right now?

Ji Yi’s face alternated between red and pale. He cleared his throat on purpose—was this a signal to Zhu Jie?

Not at all. He suddenly shouted, “Turn around!” The Imperial Guards immediately pivoted, forming an impeccably aligned line. In an instant, all eyes were on the back of their heads!

What did this mean? Were they supposed to continue the… rhythm?

At that moment, Zhu Jie shouted loudly, “The injury! Where’s your injury?”

“It’s… right here?” Ji Yi said weakly, raising his arm high and pointing to the faint mark on it.

Zhu Jie slapped him squarely. “Liar! All of you are liars!”

Yes, he was injured—but the mark was tiny, barely a scratch from a whip or something. It was so shallow it probably didn’t even hurt, let alone leave a scar.

Ji Yi had been teasing her, but he hadn’t expected her to actually get angry. Panic immediately flared in him. “I was just joking! Really! I wasn’t hurt at all!”

Looking at his smooth chest, though… not hurt, indeed! The mark from the branding iron was still there; not a single hair spared.

Tears suddenly defied her, streaming down and pattering onto Ji Yi’s hands. He recoiled as if burned. “Why are you crying now?”

He gently held her in his arms, stroking her back and softly comforting her: “It’s okay, it’s okay. My fault—I shouldn’t have teased you. You got scared, didn’t you?”

The more he said that, the louder Zhu Jie cried, pounding on him as she clung to him, words failing to come out.

Hearing the rhythmic thumping, Zhao Xuguang couldn’t help but turn around. Seeing the two just embracing, with Zhu Jie repeatedly throwing punches, he was dumbfounded. This is… a unique way to bond!

After some time, Zhu Jie finally managed to stop crying. Choking on her words, she asked, “Did Doctor Sun come to see you?”

“He did! And he even brought me a bottle of wine!” Ji Yi said, pointing to the wine jar in the corner. “Thanks to him, I slept so well! You have no idea how cold it was last night, and it rained outside. Without a bit of wine to warm myself, there’s no way I could have slept in such a damp, chilly place!”

“I know,” Zhu Jie choked out. Last night had really been cold, and the rain truly heavy.

“Look at you, your eyes are swollen from crying!” Ji Yi said, heart aching as he gently wiped her tears. “I’m fine, see? So why are you still crying?”

Zhu Jie opened her mouth to speak but swallowed the words. With a soft sigh, she said, “Did they hit you? Did Constable Hao take advantage of the situation to settle a personal grudge?”

“They did!” Ji Yi said seriously, but then he chuckled. “But come on, could they really beat me? They couldn’t even touch my clothes! Liao Zhanggui and the others had everything arranged—no one messed with money. Only that Hao fellow didn’t hit for real.”

He sighed and pointed to the mark on his arm. “See, this is where he hit me with the whip. If I hadn’t been alert and grabbed it, who knows how many strikes I’d have taken!”

Ji Yi laughed while talking: “You have no idea how useless he is—I almost pulled him over!”

Zhu Jie clenched her fists nervously for Constable Hao. She hadn’t expected things to be like that.

Seeing Ji Yi demonstrate the pull, looking proud of himself, Zhu Jie finally exhaled in relief. “Seeing you unharmed makes me feel at ease.”

“Relax. I still need to prepare for the wedding. How could I get hurt?” Ji Yi said, deliberately raising an eyebrow at Zhu Jie. “On the wedding night, I can’t disappoint my bride!”