Chapter 143: So She Was Just a Literary Girl

The two of them walked straight to Zhen Mi's room.

Cao Peng pushed the door open directly and roughly.

Looking at the towering and powerfully built Cao Peng, the peerless maiden Zhen Mi inside the room was so frightened that her lovely face lost all color.

"You, who are you? How dare you be so rude..."

Hearing the frightened voice of the young woman, Cao Peng smiled and said, "I am your future husband!"

A very unpleasant expression appeared on Zhen Mi's pretty face; she had not expected Cao Peng to arrive so quickly.

Cao Peng paid her no attention, choosing instead to look around the room.

It was filled with various books, and the desk held the four treasures of the study, with the woman's delicate and graceful handwriting still visible on a piece of bamboo slip.

Generally speaking, the room was filled with an scholarly and refined atmosphere.

Cao Peng suddenly thought of how, in original history, the Goddess of the Luo River, Zhen Mi, had indeed left behind quite a few literary works.

It seemed that this Zhen Mi truly was a literary young woman.

Cao Peng turned his head back to carefully scrutinize the woman once more.

Peerlessly clear and lovely, breathtakingly stunning.

If Diaochan was a type of bewitching and gorgeous femme fatale, then Zhen Mi was an otherworldly fairy.

Cao Peng had heard before that in her childhood, Zhen Mi had received the favor of an immortal, and as a result, she grew more and more beautiful with each passing day.

Furthermore, a fortune-teller had once prophesied that Zhen Mi was destined for extraordinary greatness and would sooner or later attain immense wealth and nobility.

Seeing her today, Cao Peng strongly believed in these legends.

Whether judged by her temperament or her appearance, she was utterly flawless.

In Cao Peng's heart, the only person other than Diaochan who could score a full 100 points for appearance was now joined by Zhen Mi.

"Little sister, do not be rude! This is General Cao, wasn't it you who day and night longed to meet him?"

As Zhen Mi spoke, she frantically signaled to Zhen Mi with her eyes.

Unexpectedly, Zhen Mi showed no appreciation, knitting her delicate eyebrows instead.

Ever since Cao Peng entered just moments ago, she had heard the commotion of countless people pouring into the Zhen family estate.

The outside noise made her feel that the place was foul and chaotic.

Zhen Mi spoke in a somewhat cold tone: "For the General to break into the Zhen family with so many people, and moreover with such a bunch of crude fellows creating a foul and chaotic atmosphere here, doesn't this seem somewhat lacking in propriety?"

Cao Peng felt nothing of the sort upon hearing this, his face still bearing a smile.

Zhen Mi's brother, Zhen Yan, turned pale with fright, inwardly cursing Zhen Mi for acting as if she wanted to drag the entire family down the path of destruction.

This woman, cherished in the palms of everyone's hands like a flower in a greenhouse, knew nothing of the hardships of the human world.

She had no idea that the man before her could, with a single fit of anger, cast the entire Zhen family into an abyss of eternal damnation.

"Silence your impudence!" Zhen Yan scolded with an unsightly expression.

"It's no matter. A sharp tongue is actually rather endearing," Cao Peng smiled.

Zhen Mi said nothing, merely looking at him with a pout.

Cao Peng met her gaze with a smile as well. Naturally, lacking the thick skin of a man, Zhen Mi could not sustain such a direct stare for long as a young maiden.

She lowered her head.

"Miss Zhen is so beautiful. I hear there are quite a few clansmen right here in Jizhou who want to betroth her!"

Cao Peng suddenly blurted out these words.

Zhen Yan's heart leaped to his throat once more, and he hurriedly said, "My little sister has an outstanding appearance, so naturally she has attracted the favor of quite a few toads wishing to eat swan meat. However, the family rules of the Zhen family are extremely strict; outsiders wouldn't even get a glimpse of my little sister."

Zhen Yan was stating his stance, showing that he had followed Cao Peng's instructions and taken good care of Zhen Mi all along.

Cao Peng said nothing more.

He had already walked right up to Zhen Mi, and this robust, masculine aura made the maiden's heart skip a beat.

Cao Peng showed no intention of stopping, pressing closer and closer to Zhen Mi.

A flush of red now covered Zhen Mi's face as she retreated step by step.

Until she retreated into a corner with nowhere left to run, Cao Peng still did not stop.

Cao Peng stared directly at this exquisite and gorgeous face; the maiden lowered her head shyly, not daring to meet Cao Peng's eyes.

She simply couldn't imagine what she could do if Cao Peng were to force himself upon her.

Cao Peng had already read the thoughts in the maiden's heart, so all of this was done entirely on purpose.

He reached out his hand, gently brushing across Zhen Mi's pretty face, and playfully lifted her delicate chin.

Their eyes met; crystal-clear tears welled upon Zhen Mi's velvet-like eyelashes.

Her petite and delicate body trembled with tension.

If Cao Peng wanted to defile her now, she would simply have to endure it.

Yet after waiting for a long time, there was no movement.

Zhen Mi opened her eyes in astonishment to find that Cao Peng had already reached the doorway.

"Zhen Mi, the day will come sooner or later when you beg me!"

Cao Peng's words echoed like those of a demon, while he himself prepared to leave.

Though spoken in a teasing tone, Zhen Mi believed it without rhyme or reason, as if spellbound.

"Where is the General going?" Zhen Yan asked.

"Naturally, to have a hearty drink with my soldiers. You had better entertain us well, Zhen family," Cao Peng smiled.

"You jest, General. That is only our bounden duty."

Zhen Yan's heart felt as though it were riding a roller coaster, tossed back and forth in a violent storm to the point of nearly suffocating him.

However, the current outcome seemed rather good.

His younger sister had shown no polite deference to Cao Peng, but it seemed precisely because of this that she had piqued Cao Peng's interest.

Zhen Yan was also a normal man, and putting himself in Cao Peng's shoes, it was very likely that the other party simply preferred a Zhen Mi with this kind of attitude.

After all, he had already seen far too many women throwing themselves at him.

To occasionally encounter a woman who dared to stand up to him was somewhat rare in his eyes.

Not to do so even more when she was such a stunning beauty.

Zhen Yan slammed his hand on the table and reprimanded, "Do you know that your foolish behavior just now almost plunged the entire family into an abyss of eternal damnation? Fortunately, General Cao did not take offense; otherwise, we would all have been killed because of you!"

"It seems all this is because I have been too indulgent with you. As things stand, do not blame your brother for hardening his heart. Marriage is a major life event and should never be something you decide for yourself. You are destined to be General Cao's woman, and that is something you cannot escape."

Zhen Mi remained silent for a moment before murmuring:

"Elder brother, this little sister was wrong. I will fulfill my duty and will no longer be willful."

"Hmm..." Upon hearing these words, Zhen Yan was momentarily stunned.

Did this stubborn younger sister of his mean she agreed?

Judging by Zhen Mi's intent, this should be considered agreement.

Regaining his patience, Zhen Yan struck while the iron was hot and said, "Little sister, the empire is in chaos, and peerless men like General Cao are hard to come by."

It seemed as though she did not take in a single word of what her elder brother said afterward.

Because her thoughts had already drifted far away.

Within the recesses of her mind, Cao Peng's figure involuntarily emerged.

Had she truly lost her mind?

Why did she agree so easily?

Perhaps deep within her heart, she had only now suddenly come to understand.

What use was proud modesty?

Under the overwhelming pressure of Cao Peng, everything would simply crumble into dust.

Of course, at this moment, she held no romantic affection for Cao Peng; what she felt was largely the pressure imposed upon her by her family.