bdsm-fiction Chapter 128 A Feast on the Edge of a Knife?
Chapter 128 A Feast on the Edge of a Knife?
"It's not a net—it's a feast with open blades," Lin Tian chuckled.
"A banquet on the edge of a knife?" Zi Nu was taken aback.
Lin Tian paused, slightly embarrassed: "Ahem... just an analogy. What I mean is, he doesn't intend for me to come out unharmed."
Zi Nu didn't press further about this obscure explanation, only saying, "Since that's the case, why not go? The fact that he personally sent the invitation shows that he's not entirely confident in capturing you; if you really step into the general's mansion, with its courtyard full of bows, crossbows, and armor, you might not even find a way out."
"Not going? Why not?" Lin Tian raised his eyebrows, his smile undiminished.
Zi Nu frowned, a hint of anger in her voice: "Now is not the time to be stubborn! You yourself just said it was a feast on the edge of a knife, and you're still laughing?"
Lin Tian didn't reply, only gazed at her silently. After a moment, he suddenly smiled: "Miss Zi Nu... are you worried about me?"
Zi Nu's ears burned, but she turned her face away and snorted coldly: "Heartbreaking? Ha, I'm just afraid that if you die on the spot, Nong Yu will cry her heart out."
Lin Tian chuckled softly, remaining noncommittal: "Does Miss Zi Nu really think Ji Wuye's tricks can kill me? Besides—do you know who slit whose throat at the end of that banquet on the edge of a knife?"
"Who won and who lost?" she asked, glancing sideways.
"The person who attended the banquet flipped over the entire table." Lin Tian's eyes shone brightly.
Zi Nu stared at him for a long while, then suddenly stood up: "Want to go to the General's Mansion? Fine—get past Nong Yu first." Before she finished speaking, her skirt swirled, and she was already out the door.
Lin Tian was speechless—this wasn't dissuasion, it was clearly adding fuel to the fire. Was she in such a hurry to deliver a message to Nongyu?
"Never mind." He shook his head and chuckled, then turned to look at Mo Ya, who had been standing silently in the corner: "Mo Ya, go to the General's Mansion for me and tell Ji Wuye—I will definitely be there in three days."
Before Mo Ya could respond, Bai Feng couldn't hold back any longer: "Send Mo Ya? No way! If Ji Wuye turns hostile, his life will be in danger!"
Lin Tian just smiled and didn't answer.
"Bai Feng, don't worry," Mo Ya said calmly, "I'll be fine."
"How could nothing be wrong?" Bai Feng blurted out.
"Nothing is impossible." Lin Tian said calmly. "Compared to killing a messenger, Ji Wuye is more afraid that I will turn around and leave. If he really makes a move against Mo Ya, and I simply walk away, wouldn't he be wasting his time? Besides—with Mo Ya's agility, those gates of the General's Mansion can't stop him."
"But……"
"Bai Feng." Mo Ya raised his hand to stop him, turned to Lin Tian, and bowed respectfully. "Young Master, rest assured, I will definitely deliver your message."
Lin Tian had previously promised them that they had the right to refuse orders. But Mo Ya knew in his heart that this time, he couldn't back out.
This was Lin Tian's first official assignment, and his opponent was Ji Wuye again. It was less of a errand and more of a pledge of allegiance, a tearing of the robe and burning of the old contract—a clean break from the General's Mansion. Besides, Lin Tian was right: this trip wasn't inherently dangerous.
"Hmm." Lin Tian nodded. As expected, Mo Ya knew better than Bai Feng how to behave.
……
At this moment, Lin Tian felt his scalp tighten, experiencing an unprecedentedly difficult situation.
Nongyu sat opposite him, not saying a word, but staring straight at him with her wet eyes, tears welling up in them like spring water about to burst its banks.
"Yu'er, don't you believe I can get away unscathed?" Lin Tian asked softly.
Nongyu gently shook her head.
"Then do you really think Ji Wuye can do anything to me?" he asked again.
Nongyu still shook her head.
"Then... come with me to this banquet, okay?" He moved closer, his voice even lower.
Nongyu shook her head again, her fingers twisting her sleeves tightly.
Lin Tian sighed and glared at Zi Nu, who was leaning against the door with a smile on her lips, clearly watching the show. If it weren't for her adding fuel to the fire, why would Nong Yu be so flustered?
Zi Nu didn't even lift her eyelids, picked up her teacup and slowly blew on it, as if that sharp gaze from just now hadn't even landed on her.
Lin Tian sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "Yu'er, tell me, what will it take for you to agree to let me go?" He always granted his woman's requests, but if he couldn't overcome Nongyu's insistence, then this banquet—he was afraid Ji Wuye would have to wait in vain.
Nongyu lowered her eyes for a moment, then looked up with clear and stubborn eyes, staring straight into Lin Tian's eyes: "If you must go, then I will go with you."
"Hmm?" Lin Tian was taken aback, then his shoulders relaxed slightly and the corners of his lips curled up.
Zi Nu smiled lightly, thinking that Lin Tian had been persuaded, and was about to turn and leave—but the words he blurted out the next moment made her stop in her tracks, almost losing her composure.
"Why didn't you just make it clear earlier? If Yu'er is willing to go, I will naturally accompany her to the end." Lin Tian's tone was relaxed, as if he was just inviting her to see a lantern festival.
Zi Nu abruptly stood up, her fingertips clenching her sleeves, her voice suddenly rising: "Lin Tian! Do you know what nonsense you're spouting? Bringing Nongyu into the General's Mansion? Are you trying to push her onto the edge of a knife to her death?!"
"Sister Zi Nu," Nong Yu stepped to the side, her voice soft yet as steady as a rock, "I believe in Young Master."
"Nongyu..." Zi Nu opened her mouth, but swallowed the words back. Looking at the unwavering light in Nongyu's eyes, she suddenly realized that any further advice would be futile.
She abruptly turned to stare at Lin Tian, her voice strained: "I couldn't stop you from going into danger! But you insisted on dragging Nongyu along—what on earth have you gone mad with?!"
Lin Tian chuckled softly, the laughter not reaching his eyes: "Attending a banquet is considered taking a dangerous step?" He slowly swept his gaze across the hall, his tone as indifferent as a breeze brushing past his ear, "Miss Zi Nu, do you truly regard Ji Wuye as an unshakeable mountain? Even if he turns the General's Mansion into an iron barrel, I can break it down with the flick of my wrist. A mere powerful minister, nothing more than a clown. If I truly wish to contend for the world—Yu'er, do you wish to sit on that phoenix throne?"
"No! Nongyu refuses!" Nongyu hurriedly shook her head, her cheeks flushed. "If you, young master, were to contend for the world, wouldn't you even have time to spend with me?"
"Since Yu'er doesn't care," Lin Tian's smile deepened as he reached out to tidy a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind, "then this empire, these nine tripods, are nothing more than a pile of hot, old rubble to me."
Zi Nu stood there, stunned, her chest heaving.
What kind of mindset does this person have to regard the emperor's throne as mere dust? For a moment, she even had the absurd thought: how wonderful it would be if those words "sit on the phoenix throne" were directed at her.
The last thought of dissuading him quietly dissipated. Because she suddenly became absolutely certain that even a thousand troops lined up and ten thousand crossbows drawn could not stop this person from taking a single step.
In front of the General's Mansion.
"Yu'er, are you panicking?" Lin Tian turned his head, his gaze gentle.
"With you here, young master, Nongyu has nothing to fear." She raised her face, her voice soft yet resolute.
"Is that so?" Lin Tian suddenly raised an eyebrow, deliberately lowering his voice, "But the strength you used to grip my wrist was enough to crush the bones."
"Ah—Young Master…" Nongyu blushed instantly, hurriedly letting go, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Lin Tian took her slightly cool hand in his palm and gently squeezed it: "If I wasn't absolutely sure, how could I dare to lead you into this dangerous place? Don't worry."