The Li Family Young Master was gentle and refined, treating others with humility and courtesy. His knowledge and cultivation far surpassed his peers, yet regrettably, such a prodigy who should have entered officialdom was confined to his sickbed day and night due to an ailment contracted since birth. Many found this a great pity.
The frail young master leaned against the headboard, flipping a page of the book in his hands. His fingers traced the yellowed paper as his gaze lingered on the line, "Before the battle was won, the hero fell, leaving tears to stain the sleeves of generations." A sigh, almost inaudible, escaped his throat.
Outside the window, the wind carried a few crabapple petals, swirling before settling on the windowsill—a poignant reflection of his own life, trapped by illness. Full of lofty aspirations, he could only watch helplessly as time and opportunities withered away like falling blossoms.
Everyone in the Li Mansion knew the young master preferred tranquility. Even the cicadas in the courtyard had been shooed away, leaving only the occasional whisper of wind—an almost excessive stillness.
Suddenly, a clamor of footsteps shattered the silence. The jangling of hairpins preceded the abrupt slam of the door being pushed open. A dazzling figure stood at the threshold, adorned with glittering ornaments—a vision of opulence.
"Brother, I brought the doctor!"
Li Huaijin coughed, perhaps startled by the girl's "bandit-like" demeanor.
"Doctor, hurry! My brother is coughing again!" Li Furong dragged the elderly physician into the room, her boundless energy nearly knocking the breath out of the poor man.
Doctor Wu, the finest physician in the city, had visited the Li Mansion countless times to treat Li Huaijin. Finally settling into a chair, he took the young master's pulse.
Li Huaijin's jet-black hair cascaded freely, framing his delicate yet pallid features. Draped in a blue robe, his frail figure seemed even more fragile. His bloodless lips curved slightly. "Doctor Wu, I apologize for troubling you again. A few days of rest will suffice, but Furong insists on making a fuss."
Li Furong plopped onto the bed, eyeing her sickly brother skeptically. "I’m not making a fuss! You’ve been holed up in your room for days. If I hadn’t brought the doctor, who knows how long you’d have stayed cooped up?"
Doctor Wu withdrew his hand, his expression grim. "The young master’s innate weakness means he must avoid excessive worry and mental strain. I’ll prescribe more calming herbs. Miss Li, ensure he takes them on time."
Li Furong nodded eagerly. "I will."
A servant escorted Doctor Wu out with the prescription.
Once alone, Li Furong carefully produced an oil-paper package and unwrapped it with exaggerated caution—revealing a chicken leg.
"I snuck it without anyone noticing. Here, take a bite—just one!"
Master Li forbade Li Huaijin from eating greasy foods, leaving his meals bland and unappetizing. Li Furong, after consulting Doctor Wu, knew a small indulgence wouldn’t harm him.
She held the chicken leg to his lips, and Li Huaijin obediently took a bite. After days without meat, even this humble treat tasted like a delicacy.
He chewed once before Li Furong yanked it back.
"Furong, let me have another bite," he pleaded.
"No! You’ll feel sick."
She devoured the rest with relish, leaving Li Huaijin to sigh wistfully. He picked up a handkerchief and dabbed the grease from her lips.
"Brother," she said suddenly, "I heard Father plans to arrange a marriage to 'ward off your illness.'"
Li Huaijin frowned. "No. In my condition, I’d only ruin a good woman’s life. Furong, persuade Father to abandon this idea."
"Father never listens to me." Li Furong swung her legs, then pursed her lips, stealing a glance at his pale face. "Brother… are you still thinking about Chu Yangzi?"
Li Huaijin sighed. "What does Miss Chu have to do with this?"
"When we were children, before Father and Lord Chu fell out, the three of us often played together. Didn’t they intend to arrange a marriage between you two?"
"But after their feud, the engagement was forgotten."
"Brother, stop pining for Chu Yangzi! She’s already married—to some shady outsider, no less! He’s nowhere near as good as you!"
Li Huaijin looked surprised. "She didn’t end up with Song Chunming?"
"I checked. Song Chunming lost his memory and married someone else. They had a falling out."
Li Huaijin murmured, "How cruel fate can be."
"So forget about her!"
"I truly have no attachment to Miss Chu."
"Liar." Li Furong muttered, her voice tinged with unresolved resentment.
"Anyway, don’t dwell on her. I’ll go supervise your medicine."
She stood too quickly, tripped on her skirt, and crashed face-first onto the floor before Li Huaijin could catch her.
Clutching her bruised knee, she winced in pain.
Li Huaijin’s outstretched hand hovered uselessly before retreating. "I’m sorry, Furong. I’m so useless."
Confined to his sickbed, his reflexes were no match for a healthy person’s.
"I’m fine!" Li Furong forced a grin. "Rest well. I’ll bring your medicine soon!"
She dashed out, shutting the door behind her. Silence reclaimed the room.
Li Huaijin reopened his book. A page later, a black crow alighted on the windowsill. He glanced at it, retrieving a note tied to its leg.
The crow tilted its head. "Caw."
In the next instant, a hand seized the bird with deadly precision.
"Too noisy."
A brutal twist snapped its neck. The crow went limp.
Soon, its corpse was tossed out the window. The pane shut with a click. Outside, the crabapple blossoms trembled as if startled by the sudden violence, their petals scattering like a crimson snowfall.
A dark red shadow flickered in the moonlight, like a splash of blood.
From inside, a fit of coughing pierced the night, weaving an eerie tension into the gathering darkness.
"Please, let me go! My wife and children are waiting for me—they’ll starve without me!"
"My eighty-year-old mother depends on me!"
"My dog is about to give birth!"
A masked figure in black rapped a knife against the water prison’s bars. "Enough! I said whoever draws the person we’re looking for—and draws them accurately—gets to leave. Otherwise—"
The blade glinted. "You’ll all stay here as worm food!"
