Indigo frowned as he watched that scoundrel swagger toward them.
The man wore a silk robe and a jade hairpiece. As he walked, his belt fluttered, and his appearance was that of a refined young master. But Aenwyn always felt there was a cruel, sinister vibe deep in his bones.
He was no good. When it came to dealing with people, she trusted her first instinct. If beautiful boys were like wolf cubs, then this man was a vulture, a hyena.
It was obvious he was trouble. The crowd had completely scattered, and those who couldn't crawl away were dragged off.
Haozhou was like a lunatic, even more dangerous than Indigo.
If you couldn't provoke him, the best you could do was avoid him.
He was the only son of the county magistrate of Citong Town. The nearby street vendors were clearly full of fear. Indigo, at least, gave him some face and always greeted him with a smile.
A vendor selling erotic paintings tried to slip away but was grabbed and spun around by Haozhou. "Why run when you see me, hmm?"
"Hehe, Young Master Hao, how could I?" The vendor, held by the collar, obediently held out a booklet with both hands, though his heart was bleeding. "This one just got some fresh stock. Don't know if it'll suit your taste?"
Haozhou let out a low laugh and casually took it. "Ordinary stuff doesn't interest me." As he said this, he slowly flipped through a few pages.
Aenwyn, sitting on horseback above, glanced down through the gap in her cloak and caught a glimpse of the book's contents.
She was stunned. Those naked bodies tangled together in weird positions, was that porn?
Tsk tsk, people really did have wild ideas. She could definitely draw better. Aenwyn had that confidence. After all, artistic expression was all about personal taste. To the pure, it's pure. To the pervert, it's porn.
What got her more was how this man, looking all proper, openly read that stuff in front of everyone. Wait, were those people earlier all gathered just for this? Aenwyn suddenly realized, completely shocked. What kind of world was this?
Sensing movement in the girl in his arms, Indigo's annoyance deepened as he looked at the man in front of his horse. The horse snorted loudly and stamped its hooves. Indigo said coldly, "Move."
Only then did Haozhou reluctantly close the booklet and tuck it into his robe. Under the vendor's hopeful gaze, he slowly pulled out a small piece of silver. "For you."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Young Master Hao." The vendor bowed and scraped, not daring to complain even though the price was way off. He accepted the silver gratefully and left.
Buying the book was a minor thing, not worth mentioning.
Haozhou ignored Indigo's cold face. "What, this horse doesn't suit your taste, Young Master Indigo? You came back so soon this time." He reached out with a smile to touch the horse's head, only to get a faceful of spit.
"Pft."
Haozhou's smile froze. He slowly pulled back his hand and said calmly, "Definitely not a good horse."
Beasts were still beasts. Only that Indigo would treat them like treasure. Every time he got a new horse, he'd go out on a wild ride for days like he was possessed.
If his father hadn't ordered him to stay on good terms with Indigo, he wouldn't bother.
He took a handkerchief from a servant behind him and wiped his face, then looked up at the person Indigo held in his arms. "Brought someone back?"
Aenwyn felt like a frog being stared at by a snake.
Actually, people had already noticed the large bundle at Indigo's chest earlier, but no one dared ask. They didn't even dare take a second glance.
Life here was cheap. No one was stupid enough to ask for trouble.
Indigo replied flatly, "Uncle Zhong's nephew." Uncle Zhong was their old steward, and Haozhou knew that too.
…
At those words, Haozhou gave a quiet chuckle. Nephew, my foot. What kind of nephew needed to be wrapped up that tightly and held like that?
"Let me take a look." He stepped forward to pull the cloak away but was stopped by the crack of a whip that struck the air and froze him in place.
"Don't touch what you shouldn't." Indigo was firm.
Haozhou stared at him for a moment. Just when everyone thought a fight was about to break out, he suddenly smiled, backed off a step, and said smoothly, "Yes, yes, my mistake."
His smile turned sly. "So, our dear brother has finally awakened to new tastes."
Indigo didn't just dislike men. He hated the very idea. But if he was protecting someone this closely, what else could it be?
His eyes locked onto the black cloak, trying to see through it. This had to be a real beauty.
Indigo replied, "None of your business," then whipped his horse and rode off.
Haozhou watched them go with a dark expression. The more he was denied, the more he wanted to see. What kind of beauty was being guarded so tightly?
He guessed it was probably a soft and delicate foreign boy slave. Citong Town was near the border. If traffickers risked their lives to sneak past the natural barriers to sell prisoners of war, this was the first stop. Plenty of fresh stock came through.
He had played with a few defeated noble boys from other countries before. They were beautiful, but too fierce. He preferred the obedient kind.
That brat went out and came back with someone, and even kept it hidden. Haozhou pressed his tongue against his cheek, mind swirling with wicked thoughts.
His new servant, on his first day, had already witnessed a big scandal. First, that Indigo brought back a beauty. Second, his own young master's temper seemed strangely mild.
Everyone in the manor knew that Young Master Hao, the only son of Citong Town's magistrate, had a habit of sucking up to Indigo.
Even after being humiliated by Indigo like that, he didn't get angry. Very strange. Could it be unrequited love? The servant turned his head and met Haozhou's venomous glare.
"You enjoying the show?"
The servant's heart dropped. He had forgotten the rumors. When Haozhou was in a bad mood, he took it out on his staff. "I was wrong," the servant begged, dropping to his knees.
Too late. Haozhou began beating him with fists and kicks. "You think my business is for your entertainment?" The punches were heavy, blood spilled, and the cries for help gradually weakened.
He looked like a complete madman, terrifying the onlookers peeking from the street.
Once they arrived at the Indigo estate, Aenwyn was carried straight into the inner courtyard. Once they stopped, she quickly pushed off the cloak covering her face. She was suffocating.
Indigo didn't stop her. He seemed in a good mood. "We're home."
Uncle Zhong was still wondering why his young master had come in carrying someone. He took the reins to lead the horse to the stables but froze when he saw the face under the cloak.
A girl??
Aenwyn looked around, then asked the pretty boy to set her down. She walked a few steps and finally felt a bit more comfortable.
She hadn't noticed it before when riding at the horse ranch, but sitting on a horse for so long was exhausting. Her thighs were probably rubbed raw.
The Indigo estate looked a bit old. It had a traditional charm but was well-kept. There was even a bamboo grove in one corner of the yard, its leaves rustling softly. Aenwyn was quite pleased.
Uncle Zhong was so excited his goatee stood up. "Young master, who is this?" he asked, trembling as he pointed at the lively Aenwyn exploring the courtyard.
Is this a woman? Even though there was no cinnabar mark on her forehead, that delicate and soft face made it obvious. He wasn't blind in his old age. She was clearly a young girl.
These days, women were becoming rarer. Only powerful noble families or royals could keep them. Even sons of officials had to work hard just to earn access rights, and the lucky ones might leave behind descendants.
Their young master had been exiled here. Unless the old master changed his mind, he thought the young master would grow old alone.
And she's so beautiful, is she a concubine or a noblewoman?
Uncle Zhong's eyes filled with hot tears.
Right now, women were strictly divided into four classes with sixteen ranks: slave, servant, concubine, noblewoman. Each level had its own rigorous assessment system, designed to match men from different social standings.
With the overwhelming imbalance between men and women, most people only ever saw elderly women nearing fifty who had limited fertility. Rarely did one see a youthful girl.
He never dreamed that one day, the young master would bring home a young girl like this.
"Mm, mine," Indigo said, looking at Aenwyn.
Unaware that someone had just marked her as personal property, Aenwyn finished scanning the courtyard and stopped. She was someone who could adapt to situations easily. Since she had nowhere else to go, she'd stay here for now. Once she was more familiar with the place, she'd leave.
The main problem was the language barrier. Otherwise, she wouldn't have followed him home.
Aenwyn thought she had just been saved by a handsome boy and brought to his home for a short visit. The old man did seem overly excited though. Maybe the boy rarely brought anyone home?
Well, that made sense. The place was so quiet. No friends around either. She smiled politely at the old man.
But that made him even more emotional. Once the handsome boy said something, the old man stumbled as he turned to leave. He even tripped at the doorway.
Now that she had a place to stay, she needed to think about other things. First, learn the language. That would be her goal.
She'd start with names. She couldn't just keep calling him the handsome boy. She pointed to herself and said, "Aenwyn, Aenwyn."
Indigo was puzzled for a moment but then he understood. That must be her name. He remembered her making similar sounds before.
"Aenwen?"
"No, no, Aenwyn." Her slender finger gently shook, her nails pink and soft. Indigo stared at her in a daze.
Aenwyn blinked at him. Why was he acting like a fool? Wasn't he that calm and distant youth in the desert? She was used to stunned stares but never like this.
Had her appearance changed? Become even prettier? Aenwyn wondered. After all, if she could cross worlds, maybe her looks had changed too.
She suddenly got serious and went to dig through her backpack, pulling out a makeup mirror. It was the one she had found in the desert. Inside were her lip balm, mirror, phone, and the biggest bulk: sketchbooks, paints, and all her art supplies.
She had only packed those things because she was originally headed out to sketch. If she had known this would happen, she might've packed more useful stuff.
She finally pulled out the mirror and took a look. Still the same face, still the same beautiful girl.
Sure, she was pretty but not mind-numbing pretty.
She was a bit dirty though. There were dried bloodstains on her hat. Now that there were no more sandstorms, she pulled the hat off with disgust.
Her wavy long hair spilled down like silk, making her already delicate face look even more lovely.
Indigo felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He even wondered if he was ill but his eyes refused to look away.
At the same time, a bit of fear rose in him. Could a girl this beautiful really belong to him?
"Aenwyn," Indigo whispered.
She looked up when she heard her name and smiled with delight. That pronunciation was perfect. She gave him a thumbs up.
"Indigo, Indigo," she said after hearing him.
Aenwyn had a natural gift for languages. "Indigo?" she repeated, her accent soft and lilting, every syllable clear and sweet.
Indigo couldn't hold himself back anymore. He walked up and gently hugged her, sighing, "Yes, very smart."
At that moment, he knew he was done for. Even if it cost him his life, he had to have her.