Chapter 58: Kidnapping

After settling the bill, Ye Zi and I found an inn. With the situation outside in such disarray, escaping into the warmth of the inn for a hot bath was the most comfortable option.

We rented two rooms, intending to stay the night and return to the academy tomorrow.

"Miss, I've prepared the hot water for you. Let me help you bathe." Ye Zi poured all the items brought by the inn attendant into the wooden tub.

"There's no need. You should go back to your room and bathe as well; I can manage on my own." I had no desire to spend a couple of hours taking a bath; I preferred to do things myself.

I dismissed Ye Zi and leaned over the rim of the tub, stirring the bathwater. I had no idea ancient flower petals could be so fragrant; tossing in just a few made such a difference. There shouldn't be any bacteria, right? Everyone bathed this way, so I should be fine.

I let down my long hair. Ancient people didn't have hair dryers, and drying such long hair wouldn't be easy, but I simply couldn't endure going unwashed.

Finally, I could give my whole body a good wash. Counting the days, it had been quite a while since my last bath. With Liu Yitang around, I could use his room to bathe whenever I wanted, but now that he had descended the mountain, devoid of that protective umbrella, who knew when my next bath would be?

Speaking of which, winter in ancient times didn't seem particularly cold. Wearing six layers of cloth here was roughly equivalent to wearing a down jacket in the modern world. Peeling them off one by one was just a bit troublesome.

I had just removed my undergarments and was about to untie my red silk ribbon when I heard a rush of hurried yet light footsteps echoing from the corridor. Could it be a thief? Surely not, it wasn't even dark yet. I grabbed my white undergarment and tiptoed toward the door. Pressing my ear against the wood, I heard nothing outside. I slipped the undergarment back on, pulled the wooden bolt, and cautiously poked my head out to look into the hallway.

Suddenly, a white shadow flashed past.

"Mmph—" Someone covered my mouth from behind, dragged me back into the room, and slammed the door shut.

Good heavens! I had only just ventured down the mountain once—whose toes had I stepped on to deserve this? Was this legendary kidnapping?

The man pressed me into a corner. It was him—the man from the wonton stall. Damn it, I even paid for your meal, what more do you want?

The man covered my mouth, a chilling aura pressing straight against my neck. A cold threat breathed into my ear: "If you don't make a sound, I won't hurt you. If you dare utter a single cry, I'll make sure you never make a second. Understand?"

Another cliché straight out of television dramas. Usually, though, the person who spoke this line turned out to be some righteous hero and largely a good guy. I nodded helplessly; I still didn't want to die yet.

The man glanced toward the door and slowly loosened his grip on my mouth. I let out a long breath, patted my chest, and whispered, "Who are you? What are you doing in my room?"

I knew this man was fleeing from assassins, but I couldn't be certain whether he was a hero or a villain. Still, preserving my life came first—I definitely must not scream.

Seeing that I hadn't raised an alarm, the man withdrew his sword, cupped his fists, and said, "I am Sima Chenfeng. Forgive me for offending you just now, but I had no other choice."

Sima Chenfeng? What kind of background did he have?

"Hmph, apologies offered after the offense are meaningless. Are you being hunted?"

Hearing my words, Sima Chenfeng immediately stepped back two paces, and with a swift *shing*, the edge of his sword pointed directly at my throat. "Who are you? How did you know I was being hunted?"

"I'm the one who paid for your noodles. I saw with my own eyes that you were being chased by a group of men in black."

To be honest, I felt quite relaxed at that moment; I didn't feel any terror of death. Television dramas often talked about time-traveling to ancient times, and dying meant returning to the modern era—perhaps that was actually true. People used to think time travel was absurd, yet hadn't I crossed over all the same?

Sima Chenfeng frowned, deep in thought. Before he could recover his senses, a commotion broke out outside the door. Countless footsteps drew closer and closer. Sima Chenfeng glanced at me, surveyed the room, and resolutely decided to crawl under the bed.

I heard the sound of room-to-room searches outside. The commotion was loud; they were clearly searching every single room one by one. To conduct a search with such a massive fanfare meant their backers must be quite powerful.

Since they were searching rooms, how could they possibly skip a spot as obvious as under the bed?

I lifted the bedsheets and saw this grown man squeezed into that narrow gap. "Get out from there, you'll definitely be found hiding there." I pointed toward the wooden tub. "Do you know how to swim? Hide in there."

Sima Chenfeng nodded.

At that moment, aside from trusting me, he seemed to have no other path left. But what about me? I had never dealt with a life-or-death situation like this before; this was literally like shooting a movie!

Right, a movie. I would just pretend it was a movie. I tugged at the ties of my inner garments, noticing that my hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Stay calm, I must stay calm—

Beauties saving heroes in movies always followed this exact plot—without exception, they always managed to pull through. Surely I wouldn't be so unlucky.

With a loud crash, the door was magnificently kicked open, and a crowd of men in black stormed in. I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest. Although I was already submerged in water and bound in red silk so they wouldn't see anything, acting required commitment; otherwise, the audience wouldn't buy it.

"Who are you people? How can you just barge into someone else's room like this? Get out, get out!"

They didn't seem to be listening to me at all, rummaging through the entire room on their own accord. From beneath the bed to inside the wardrobe, they turned everything upside down. The leader swept his gaze across the room and instructed his subordinates, "Let's go, to the next room."

Cramming two people into a single wooden tub was truly tight. Shortly after the men in black departed, Sima Chenfeng emerged from the water. Being able to hold his breath for that long showed he had some genuine skill.

Seeing my exposed shoulders, Sima Chenfeng immediately turned his face away and climbed out of the tub. Water splashed everywhere in the room, making it look as though a naval battle had been fought.

At that exact moment, a knock sounded at the door. Sima Chenfeng and I instantly tensed up until Ye Zi's voice rang out, which finally allowed me to relax.

I climbed out of the tub. Fortunately, everything that needed to be worn was already on—swimmers at a pool wore a lot less than this. I grabbed my outer robe, slipped it on, and headed toward the door.

As soon as I opened it, Ye Zi asked anxiously, "Miss, are you alright? Did someone come in to search the room just now?"

Ye Zi's gaze instantly swept to Sima Chenfeng, standing drenched to the bone inside the room. "Ah—!"

I immediately covered Ye Zi's mouth, gesturing for her not to scream.

Ye Zi nodded, her expression full of terror. "Who are you? Why are you in my lady's room?" Looking around, water was splashing on the floor, Sima Chenfeng's clothes were thoroughly soaked, and I was in complete disarray. Ye Zi pointed blankly at Sima Chenfeng, marched right up to him, and demanded, "Speak, what is going on here? What did you do to my lady?"