Inside, the carriage felt surprisingly luxurious compared to its tough exterior. Soft crimson velvet covered the seats, and a polished dark wood table stood in the center. The gentle scent of sandalwood incense lingered in the air.
Sitting opposite the door was the woman who had spoken, Yan Rou.
She was not a young girl, but a woman in her early twenties. She possessed a mature grace that most could only dream of and projected an air of authority born of a lifetime of high status.
Her long black hair was pinned up with a jade phoenix. She wore a flowing sky-blue silk dress that set off her pale skin. Her beauty was elegant and refined, with a hint of coolness.
Lei Feng let out a long, appreciative whistle as he stepped inside, his eyes immediately locking onto her. He did not just glance; his gaze was direct and thorough, slowly scanning her from the jade pin in her hair down to the embroidered slippers on her feet. His confident smile widened.
Yan Rou met his gaze with a steady one of her own, her expression cool and composed, masking any discomfort his scrutiny might have caused. She lifted her chin slightly, asserting her own presence in the space, as if to remind him that she was not merely a spectacle to behold but a person of equal standing.
However, as Lei Feng's inspection became more and more intense, she could not take it any longer.
Yan Rou's calm expression faltered under his intense inspection. A small frown appeared between her perfectly shaped eyebrows. She was used to being looked at, but this was different. This felt like a predator sizing up its prey.
"Have you seen enough?" she asked. Her voice was cold and sharp, the kind of tone that had made plenty of men before him shrink back in embarrassment.
"No, not nearly enough," Lei Feng said at once. There was not the slightest shame in his voice. He looked her straight in the eye, not even blinking. "If a man is not allowed to admire such rare beauty, he might as well be blind. To look away would be a crime against the heavens."
Yan Rou was caught off guard.
The words themselves were simple, yet the way he spoke them left no room for doubt or hesitation.
He was not flattering her to win favor, nor was he trying to impress her with clever phrasing.
He meant every word and said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A faint warmth crept up her neck and into her cheeks, breaking through the calm she usually kept. This was not a situation she was used to.
She had met many suitors before, young masters from rich and powerful families. They all came dressed in the finest silks, speaking carefully rehearsed lines.
They praised her beauty with flowery phrases, compared her to flowers or the moon, and acted as though they were too noble to be shaken.
Every one of them tried to appear graceful, patient, and refined, hoping to charm her without ever stepping out of line.
This man in front of her was nothing like them.
His clothes were simple and worn, his posture easy, and his smile much too bold. Others hid their feelings behind polite words, but he spoke plainly and showed exactly what he wanted.
She did not know how to handle him. He was not playing the same game she had grown used to.
Instead of trying to impress her, he simply looked at her as if she were already his to admire. It unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
Outside, Zhang heard the exchange clearly, and his face turned dark with anger. "Young Miss, should I throw this disrespectful punk out onto the road?" he called out, his voice full of menace. "Just give the word!"
Yan Rou hesitated for a fraction of a second. This man was infuriating and strange, but her appointment with her father was truly urgent.
"No, Uncle Zhang," she said. "Just get us moving. Now."
"As you wish."
With a frustrated sigh that was audible even through the carriage walls, Zhang cracked the whip.
The carriage lurched forward again, heading toward Azure Dragon City.
Lei Feng made himself comfortable, lazily leaning back against the velvet cushion as if he owned the place. His eyes, however, never left Yan Rou. "So, it seems like you're a famous pearl of the Yan family," he began, his tone light and conversational. "I can see why. You are a top-tier beauty, truly."
Yan Rou remained silent, her jaw clenched as she stared straight ahead, trying her best to ignore him.
He continued, completely undeterred by her silence. "My name is Lei Feng. What should I call the beautiful lady in front of me?"
She gave him a sharp, warning glare. "You may call me Miss Yan or Miss Rou."
"Rourou it is," he said with a cheerful nod. "Your dress is a lovely color. It reminds me of the sky just after sunrise on my mountain." He leaned forward slightly. "And your eyes... they have a fire in them. I like that."
Hearing the man in front of her call her Rourou, Yan Rou's ears turned red. She refused to respond, hoping her silence would make him stop.
Unfortunately, it did not.
"Your face, your elegant posture... it is all nearly perfect," he said, tilting his head as if critically studying a piece of art. He stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment.
"I have to say, though," he said, his voice low as if it were the biggest pity of the entire kingdom, "if only your chest were slightly bigger, I wouldn't mind taking you as my wife."
That was the final straw. Yan Rou's face flushed a deep crimson, a mix of pure rage and utter embarrassment. "You—you are shameless!" she finally managed to say, her voice trembling slightly with fury.
She could not bear to look at him or hear his vulgar but strangely pleasant voice for another second. She quickly formed a hand seal, and a faint, almost invisible barrier of Qi shimmered around her ears, blocking all sound. She closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself into a meditative state to ignore his maddening presence.
'But I was just saying the truth… Never mind. She might still be developing. For now, I will put her in my list of potential wife candidates. I can always revisit her later.'
Lei Feng simply shrugged.
Finding no more entertainment from the now silent woman in front of him, he turned his gaze to the window, watching the blur of the forest as the carriage picked up speed.
They traveled like this for some time, the only sound being the steady clatter of the wheels on the stone path and the occasional snort from the horned steed.
The inside of the carriage had fallen into a calm silence.
Suddenly, the horned steed let out a sharp, frightened neigh, breaking the quiet. Right after, Uncle Zhang shouted from outside.
"Young Miss, there is trouble!" Uncle Zhang shouted frantically.
The carriage came to a violent, screeching halt, as if it had slammed into a solid wall. The sudden stop threw Yan Rou forward from her seat, her eyes flying open in alarm. Her momentum carried her across the small space, and her fall was only stopped when her forehead was just an inch from the calm, steady chest of the young man opposite her.