From Now On, You're Only Allowed to Fasten This Lousy Armor on the Loosest Outer Row
Qian Renxue clutched the overlapping lapels of her moon-white brocade robe tightly to her chest. The psychological shadow left by the past few days in the Eastern Palace's secret chamber made her voice tremble.
In particular, when she clearly heard the sleeping Ning Rongrong suddenly smack her lips twice in the outer compartment, separated from her by a single partition, then turn over with a faint, muffled thump against the wooden board, the intense thrill of possibly being exposed at any moment stretched every nerve in her body taut to the limit!
"Do you really think you're made of iron?"
Lin Feng paid no attention to her show of defiance, all bark and no bite. His slender fingers pulled apart the outer lapels of the brocade robe she was clutching and reached for the dark-gold sunken-silver breastbinding soft armor she wore underneath.
The soft armor had an extremely intricate design, with rows of concealed clasps down the sides. To flatten her originally proud curves completely and match the figure of a male crown prince, Qian Renxue had forcibly fastened every clasp into the tightest inner slot. The edges of the tough sunken-silver threads dug deep into her delicate, tender skin.
Lin Feng's fingertips moved, flicking open the dark-gold clasps stretched to their limit, one after another from top to bottom!
Snap, snap, snap-
With several faint, crisp metallic clicks, the sunken-silver soft armor that had bound Qian Renxue for a full day and night suddenly loosened and fell open to either side.
Freed from the force pressing them down, her full, snow-white breasts, which had been bound so tightly she could scarcely breathe, instantly regained their rounded shape.
A ring of deep-pink pressure marks stood out starkly on her delicate, suet-white jade skin beneath her breasts and along both sides of her ribs.
Qian Renxue felt the pressure on her chest suddenly lift. Then a cool draft slipped through her open robe, and a burning flush spread instantly over her neck and fair cheeks.
She had just raised a hand to pull the loosened armor over herself when Lin Feng simultaneously adjusted the sensory scale on the time menu in his mind.
[Tenfold Sensory Extension, activate.]
The next moment, Lin Feng placed his warm palm directly over the dark pressure marks left by the sunken-silver soft armor, rubbing and massaging them.
Just then, the speeding carriage drawn by eight dragon-scale horses crossed a slightly uneven seam in the flagstones, and the whole compartment jolted and swayed twice.
In the outer compartment, Ning Rongrong, disturbed by the jolting, mumbled drowsily:
"Crown Prince big brother, have we reached Suotuo City...?"
Immediately afterward, She Long's deep, respectful report came from outside the window on the right:
"Your Highness, Special Envoy, the outer watchtowers of Suotuo City are visible twenty li ahead. We should reach the city gates in about two quarters of an hour!"
Just outside the door was Ning Rongrong, close at hand, and outside the window was the Titled Douluo She Long, ready to receive orders at any moment!
Yet inside, on the snow-bear-fur couch, she, the exalted Heaven Dou Crown Prince and young master of Spirit Hall, had shed every part of her male disguise and was half undressed.
Although she knew perfectly well that a soundproof barrier was in place, Ning Rongrong's sleepy mumble so close to her ear and She Long's report still threw Qian Renxue into utter disarray amid extreme panic and shame.
A broken whimper she simply could not suppress was about to burst from deep in her throat. In desperation, Qian Renxue jerked her head up, wrapped both arms tightly around Lin Feng's neck, and sank her teeth hard into the fabric over his left shoulder!
Her pearly teeth dug deep into the muscle beneath his black robe. Qian Renxue buried her burning face in the crook of Lin Feng's neck, not daring to let even the faintest breath escape.
But the harder she held her breath and tried to resist, the more the impact of the tenfold sensory barrier came crashing down like mountains and seas.
As the carriage swayed gently and rhythmically along the official road, Lin Feng's palm roamed along the inside of the loosened dark-gold soft armor.
In a few short moments, all strength drained from Qian Renxue's legs, which had been taut with resistance. The sacred Soul Power of her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, her pride and joy, fell into complete disarray within her body. Like spring snow melting beneath the blazing sun, she collapsed in Lin Feng's arms, limp and powerless.
Her brilliant golden hair lay scattered across the snow-white fur blanket. Her teeth could no longer muster any force against Lin Feng's shoulder; only her rapid, heated breaths fell against his collarbone, while a film of moisture gathered uncontrollably at the corners of her eyes.
No one knew how long had passed. In the outside world, only a little over a quarter of an hour had gone by, but under the torment of her senses being extended tenfold, it felt to Qian Renxue as though she had endured a full two hours of agony.
At last, from above the carriage roof came the sudden tap-tap of Paimon lightly knocking an empty bamboo skewer against the wooden frame of the skylight:
"Lin Feng! Paimon ate all twenty lamb skewers! I can see a really tall, huge city wall ahead, and there's a really long line at the gate!"
At the sound of her crisp reminder, Lin Feng finally dispersed the tenfold sensory amplification in the inner compartment and withdrew his hand from inside the robe of the golden-haired young woman, who had long since melted into a pool of spring water.
"Let go. We've reached Suotuo City."
Qian Renxue lay against Lin Feng's shoulder for several breaths before tremblingly releasing her bite. Bracing herself on her weakened arms, she slowly sat up in his embrace.
Lin Feng looked down at the clear, damp circle of teeth marks on the fabric over his left shoulder, then casually picked up the dark-gold breastbinding soft armor lying open beside them and tossed it back into her arms.
"Get dressed. From now on, when you travel in my carriage, you're only allowed to fasten this lousy armor on the loosest outer row."
Qian Renxue clutched the soft armor, still warm from her body, tightly to her chest and raised her head to glare fiercely at Lin Feng.
But her hair was disheveled, the flush had yet to fade from her cheeks, and her brilliant golden eyes were veiled with moisture. Biting her lip and glaring at him with reddened eyes, she showed none of the cold beauty and authority the young master of Spirit Hall usually possessed. Instead, she radiated an indescribable sense of grievance and allure.
Just then, the sounds of Ning Rongrong stretching and yawning came from the outer compartment:
"Mmm... That was such a comfortable sleep! Huh, where did Crown Prince big brother go?"
Hearing that Ning Rongrong had awakened, Qian Renxue's heart tightened. She could no longer spare a thought for settling accounts with Lin Feng. Hurriedly turning her back, she put the dark-gold breastbinding soft armor back on with trembling fingers.
When her fingertips reached the innermost row of slots, they paused. In the end, she did not dare disobey Lin Feng's warning and obediently fastened the concealed clasps on the loose outermost row. Then she quickly tied her moon-white crown prince's robe and the jade belt around her waist.
A faint light flashed from her Head Soul Bone, and her brilliant golden hair and breathtakingly beautiful face instantly disappeared. Once more, she became Xue Qinghe, the tall, slender crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, with a face as handsome as carved jade.
Lin Feng removed the inner compartment's soundproof barrier. Qian Renxue took two deep breaths to calm the pounding of her heart, then maintained a gentle, composed appearance as she reached out, slid open the red sandalwood door, and stepped outside.
"Crown Prince big brother! Did you just go into the inner compartment to discuss important business with Boss Lin Feng?"
Ning Rongrong, who had just finished rubbing her eyes, saw Qian Renxue come out and greeted her with a smile. Then she leaned closer for a puzzled look. "Huh, Crown Prince big brother, why are your eyes a little red? Did you not sleep well in the outer compartment last night?"
Qian Renxue's fingers tightened abruptly around her folding fan. She turned her head away from Ning Rongrong's gaze and said in a slightly hoarse voice:
"It's nothing. Some windblown sand from outside the window got in my eyes while I was looking at the map just now. Get your things in order. Suotuo City is just ahead."
It was noon, and the towering, imposing north gate of Suotuo City was now close at hand.
Paimon dropped her concealment and slipped back through the skylight onto Lin Feng's shoulder, clapping her little hands excitedly as she looked toward the bustling streets within the city.
The eight royal dragon-scale horses slowed. Under the awed gazes of the soldiers guarding the city, they passed straight through the gateway and proceeded slowly toward the city's most renowned district.