Chapter 05: Bewilderment

Yao Mi spoke while reaching out to touch her hair, brushing off a piece of tea leaves. For a moment, she raised her sleeve to wipe her face, then turned to the table, picked up the kettle, and shook it. Seeing that there was still some leftover tea inside, she lifted the lid of the kettle, aimed it at Xie Teng's face, and forcefully splashed the tea onto him. After stepping back a few paces and noticing that Xie Teng had moved, she quickly stood up and said, "General Xie, do you believe me now?"

"What is it? Speak up!" Xie Teng saw Yao Mi's lips quivering, clearly frightened, yet she stubbornly widened her almond-shaped eyes, which looked somewhat comical. The murderous intent in his heart diminished a few degrees. He lowered his voice and said, "If you speak honestly, I might spare your life."

As Yao Mi fainted, three figures emerged. The eyes of all three sparkled with light. One stepped forward and lifted Yao Mi's chin with the tip of his foot, saying, "Tsk tsk, Xiao Dao mentioned that three new cooks have arrived, and one resembles the little aunt. I didn't believe it at first, but looking at this girl's appearance, she indeed bears some resemblance to the little aunt!"

Yao Mi had only taken two steps when she heard a loud "thud"; it seemed that the bottom of the copper basin in her right hand had collided with something. Without a second thought, she flipped the copper basin over and hurled it forward with force, while screaming, "I will kill you, I will kill you!"

"What a rarity, isn't it?" Xie Teng and Xie Sheng said in unison, turning to leave. After taking a few steps, Xie Teng turned back and instructed Xie Lan, "The ground is cold, be careful she doesn't get sick, take her into the room!"

"If you do not speak the truth, I will have to take drastic measures." Xie Teng shot a heavy glare at Yao Mi, extending his hand to grip her throat. Applying a bit of force, he heard Yao Mi gasp for breath. Looking at her face, which resembled Xie Yun's so much, he ultimately eased his grip and leaned closer, saying, "Even if you do not speak, I have ways to find out. Don't you have two companions?"

Waking up in the middle of the night feeling hot, I reached out to touch the fan, but after searching around, I could not find it. I had no choice but to get out of bed, put on my shoes, and, aided by the moonlight coming through the window, I tried to find something to fan myself with. After a long while, I found nothing and couldn't help but sigh. I picked up a cloth, took a copper basin, and pushed the door open.

Yao Mi had been accustomed to the life of a pampered young lady, and suddenly becoming a cook, sleeping in a servant's room, and sharing a large communal bed with two others made her somewhat uncomfortable, and it took her a long time to fall asleep

"Elder brother, there is no one in your room, why not take her in?" Xie Sheng glanced at Yao Mi's appearance, initially feeling somewhat moved, but upon seeing Xie Teng's indifference, he immediately felt unconvinced. If he is not moved, why should I be moved?

Yao Mi was terrified, chanting Buddha's name repeatedly, hurriedly putting on her shoes, clutching a cloth in her left hand, and holding a copper basin to her chest with her right hand, she turned around and tried to run

Yao Mi coughed lightly, reached out to adjust Xie Teng's hand, and said with a wry smile: "I am merely a weak woman, why must General Xie treat me as if I were a formidable enemy?"

"If you want to do it, do it yourself. This is not a battlefield, I don't have to listen to you," said Xie Nan as he ran away in a flash

After Yao Mi finished washing her feet, she placed the copper basin on the ground, stood on one foot, and shook her right foot to get rid of the water. Just as she was about to slip it into her shoe, she suddenly felt someone coldly staring at her from behind. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she quickly turned around, but saw nothing.

Xie Teng, after all, is a general forged in the crucible of battle. Although his limbs were numb, with a mere shift of his body, he evaded the copper basin thrown by Yao Mi, while sternly asking, "Who are you? What is your intention in infiltrating the general's residence?" Such a person, who can exude an enchanting fragrance with just a word, is certainly not an ordinary kitchen maid.

Although Yao Mi had only seen Xie Teng from a distance once, she had a profound impression of him. Under the enchanting moonlight, she quickly recognized that the person before her was indeed Xie Teng. This surprise was extraordinary. When Xie Teng pinched her again, in her panic and urgency, her body went weak, and she fainted once more.

Entering the study, Xie Teng threw Yao Mi onto a chair, lifted the lamp, then picked up a large kettle, removed the lid, and splashed the remaining tea from the kettle onto Yao Mi's face. Watching her open her eyes, he then coldly said: "Speak, who sent you? What is your purpose?"

Yao Mi then said: "I am the granddaughter of Gu Ting. Due to an unresolved marriage matter, my mother brought me to the capital, intending to betroth me to my cousin. I do not wish to marry my cousin, but as I approach the age of fifteen without having found a suitable partner, I have no choice but to think of another way. I secretly entered the General's residence as a kitchen maid, in order to avoid the marriage. I am certainly not a spy infiltrating the General's residence." After a pause, she bit her lip and continued: "As for the matter of hiding fragrant powder in my mouth, it was a misunderstanding by the General. Ever since I came of age, whenever a young man approaches, my breathing becomes uneven, and I feel hot and flushed, causing the scent I exhale to resemble that of fragrant powder. Just now, when I fainted on the ground, as the General approached, in a moment of panic, I accidentally blew a breath towards him, I..."

Upon hearing Xie Teng's words, Yao Mi slowly stood up, took half a step closer to Xie Teng, squinted her eyes and took a deep sniff, her pretty face flushed red, and suddenly opened her mouth to blow a strong breath onto Xie Teng's face

In the dead of night, should I take her to the room? Xie Nan's eyes widened, ready to speak, but he heard Xie Teng say again: "Let's take her to the study, there aren't many people there"

As Xie Teng loosened his grip, Yao Mi finally caught her breath. Once she caught a whiff of his scent, her breathing became rapid again, her face flushed red as she said, "I am not lying; if you don't believe me, you can check."

Xie Teng let out a "humph" and released his grip

Yao Mi swallowed hard, still feeling a faint pain in her tongue that had just been pinched by Xie Teng's finger. She leaned forward again, aimed a sharp breath at Xie Teng's prominent nose, and saw his handsome face flush red, his lips moved but no sound came out. Only then did she straighten up and murmur: "Disrespecting one's elders will incur divine retribution"

Xie Teng's fingers curled slightly, and Yao Mi had already closed her mouth, swallowing hard. For a moment, her breathing became rapid, her head half lowered, and she gasped, asking: "Has the general clarified the situation?"

Xie Teng let out a low growl, exhaling a breath, and his hand was already filled with strength. He grasped Yao Mi's wrist with one hand while the other hand had already seized her neck

Xie Teng let out a sigh, slowly turned around, and crouched down to grab Yao Mi's collar. As he lowered his head, an unexpected waft of fragrance suddenly brushed against him. Despite his quick reflexes and hurriedly holding his breath, he still inhaled quite a bit, causing his hands and feet to go numb and his vision to blur.

When Yao Mi woke up, she felt someone squatting in front of her. The man's breath came rushing towards her, hot and intense. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and blew out a strong gust of air. Then, she casually reached out and grabbed the copper basin, lifting it up to smash it down.

Upon seeing Xie Nan flee, Xie Sheng also hurriedly made his escape

"General Xie does not believe it, so just try it out." Yao Mi had no choice but to reveal her secret, yet she found that Xie Teng did not believe her, which made her extremely angry

Xie Teng's right hand had two fingers smeared with Yao Mi's saliva, feeling damp and sticky at the fingertips. His eyelids involuntarily twitched, but he saw Yao Mi lower her head, her chin rubbing against the palm of his left hand. As she spoke, her warm breath brushed against the back of his hand, and a faint, exotic fragrance wafted around them. He couldn't help but retract his left hand, wiping his right hand on his clothing, as a strange emotion surged within him. He said in a deep voice: "Did you not say that a single breath could enchant someone? Why not give it a try?"

Xie Teng let out a cold smile, stepped forward, and grasped Yao Mi's chin, forcing her to open her mouth. He looked inside for a moment, then suddenly extended his right hand, inserting his index and middle fingers into Yao Mi's mouth, exploring around. Soon, he pinched her pink tongue, and his middle finger brushed beneath her tongue, confirming that there was nothing hidden in her mouth before withdrawing his fingers.

Yao Mi raised her hand to wipe the tea from her face, staring blankly at Xie Teng. After a moment, she realized that Xie Teng might have misunderstood, as he repeated the words she had said to Meng Zhong and the others.

Another voice said, "It does sound somewhat similar." As he spoke, he turned to the other person who had remained silent and said, "Elder brother, look..."

Xie Teng probed with his finger into Yao Mi's mouth, suspecting that she must have hidden a fragrant pill. After blowing on him once, the pill had dissolved and could no longer cause any trouble. He looked at Yao Mi with a scrutinizing gaze, curious to see how she would cover up her lie. As she leaned in closer, opened her mouth to blow, and did not shy away, he was about to make a jest when he suddenly caught a whiff of a strange fragrance. He felt dizzy, his handsome face flushed, and his limbs went numb. Fortunately, he managed to turn around and fell into the chair where Yao Mi had just been sitting.

"Still want to argue?" Xie Teng said with a cold laugh, "Can an ordinary woman hide a fragrant powder in her mouth and knock someone out with just a breath?"

Upon hearing the words of Xie Teng and Xie Sheng, Xie Lan immediately withdrew her foot and said with a smile, "This girl is really fortunate, both elder brother and second brother are actually competing for her."

Xie Teng frowned as he looked at Yao Mi, who had collapsed on the ground. Remembering how she had just used a seductive fragrance to trick him, he couldn't help but feel a bit angry. He reached out, tucked her under his arm, and with a few quick movements, they were already outside the study door

What elder? Does she think that just because she resembles my aunt, she can be considered my elder? Xie Teng'er, with keen ears, was surprised to overhear Yao Mi's murmurs

"I did not hide the fragrance, I merely..." Yao Mi met Xie Teng's glare and fiercely glared back. She could not show weakness in front of him; if she yielded this time, after marrying General Xie, how could she still assert the authority of her elders?

"A single breath from your mouth can enchant others?" Xie Teng looked at Yao Mi with the eyes of a clown and slowly said, "You might as well say you are transformed from a fox spirit; that would be more believable."

The well of the general's residence was located not far from the kitchen. Yao Mi made a small detour and soon arrived at the well. After drawing up half a bucket of water and pouring it into a basin, she wet a cloth with the water and washed her face and neck, which alleviated some of the heat from her body. Glancing around, she noticed the stillness of the midnight hour, which emboldened her. She took off her shoes and stood barefoot at the edge of the well, rolled up her pant legs, and poured the water from the basin over her calves. Instantly, a wave of coolness surged from her feet, bringing an immense sense of comfort.

Yao Mi waved the copper basin aimlessly, but did not throw it accurately. Feeling even more flustered, she slipped and fell to the ground, and in her fear and urgency, she fainted solidly.

The one referred to as "Big Brother" is Xie Teng, who rested his chin on his hand while looking at Yao Mi, and said lightly: "Since she resembles my little aunt, we cannot allow her to fall into ruin. Sheng Di, your room is still empty; take this girl in."