Zhan Haoting’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice hoarse. “My lady, that hairpin holds extraordinary significance for Lord Wei. You cannot accept it. Return it to him.”
Cheng Yao hurriedly pressed the hairpin back into Wei Qing’s hand.
“Young Master Wei, I have accepted your kindness in my heart. Please take this hairpin back.”
Wei Qing’s hand recoiled awkwardly. Where her soft fingers had touched him, his skin seemed to burn.
Suppressing the ripples stirring within him, he steadied himself and thought: The War King discovered his identity so quickly. He must have hidden guards at his side. His strength cannot be underestimated. Perhaps one day, he may yet rise again!
Wei Qing’s feelings were complicated. He hoped Zhan Haoting could regain his former standing, yet he also feared that he might choose the path of rebellion and stand against the Emperor.
“Madam General’s great kindness will be engraved upon Wei’s heart. I shall never forget it.” He cupped his hands solemnly. “So long as I live, I will do everything in my power to repay you, Madam.”
Cheng Yao curtsied in return. “You are too kind, Young Master Wei…”
After a brief exchange of courtesies, the constables had finished their count. They reported that aside from Fatty, they had found the bodies of two other prisoners in a corner. They must have secretly asked the village chief for green rice dumplings and died after being poisoned.
Their families were devastated, their wails mournful and piercing.
Zhan Yunpeng felt deeply troubled. Pulling Zhan Mang along with him, he gave those villagers another vicious beating.
Once everything had been dealt with, Constable Wang led the group away from the deserted village.
Dawn was just beginning to break. The gray, overcast sky cast a deathly pallor over the muddy official road.
The exile convoy crawled through the torrential rain like a dying snake.
About ten li ahead, the scouts returned with news that there was an abandoned temple where they could rest.
“Everyone, stop! There’s a ruined temple ahead. We’ll take shelter from the rain there for now!” Zhang Dapeng shouted hoarsely, wiping rainwater from his face.
A collective sigh of relief rose from the crowd. Dragging their exhausted bodies, they surged toward the half-collapsed temple by the roadside.
Cheng Yao lingered at the very back, discreetly studying the area around the abandoned temple while everyone else rushed inside.
She pulled her drenched coarse hemp clothing tighter around herself. Icy rain streamed down her pale cheeks and slipped beneath her collar, making her shiver uncontrollably.
Then a garment carrying a man’s crisp, clean scent was draped over her shoulders.
She turned and met Wei Qing’s eyes, filled with concern. “Madam, take care not to catch a chill.”
The garment was wet and worn, but it still held his warmth. Wearing it would surely make her feel a little better.
But if she wore his clothes like this, it would be far too intimate.
Before she could react, however, Zhan Haoting began coughing violently.
Cheng Yao immediately grew anxious. She hastily pulled off the garment and tossed it back to Wei Qing before striding quickly over.
“Why are you suddenly coughing?”
Zhan Haochen was equally concerned. “He may have caught a chill.”
Cheng Yao frowned, her heart aching for him.
Even someone made of iron could not endure traveling through the rain, much less Zhan Haoting, who was still covered in wounds from the beating he had suffered.
“I’ll go inside and start a fire first.”
She hurried into the temple.
Wei Qing’s gaze followed her all the way until she disappeared from sight, only then revealing a trace of disappointment.
“Brother, that Wei fellow is trying to steal your wife!” Zhan Haochen said indignantly.
Zhan Haoting’s eyes were dark and unfathomable, his expression impossible to read.
“He won’t get the chance.”
“That’s true.” At the thought that he would never have to see Wei Qing again, the knot in Zhan Haochen’s chest finally eased.
He added, “Even if he comes back someday, we can’t let him see Sister-in-law again.”
The ruined temple reeked of rot and damp. A shattered Buddha statue hung crookedly from its pedestal, its once-benevolent face veiled in cobwebs and dust.
Everything about the place spoke of decay and desolation.
The group could only crowd beneath the relatively intact eastern eaves, like a herd of frightened animals, their faces filled with unease.
Madam Zhan and her daughter conscientiously went about gathering dead branches, fallen leaves, and broken benches from the temple. They arranged them in a corner some distance from the others. As soon as Cheng Yao entered, the two women waved her over.
With her back to them, Cheng Yao used a lighter to ignite the leaves, then added small twigs. Before long, the fire began to burn steadily.
A short while later, Zhan Haochen came in carrying Zhan Haoting on his back.
Hongxiu took out a blanket that had been half-dried over the fire the night before and spread it on the ground. Zhan Haochen carefully laid Zhan Haoting down on it, then sat a little farther away to inspect the wound on his ankle.
His stamina was much better than before, but carrying a grown man through the rain at night had still taken a heavy toll on him.
He had twisted his ankle twice. Branches and stones had cut several gashes into it, and twice he had nearly fallen. Still, he had endured it all without a word.
Rolling up his trouser leg, he revealed flesh soaked pale and unhealthy by the rainwater. Gritting his teeth, he was about to tear a strip from his clothes to bind the wound when Cheng Yao handed him a small porcelain bottle.
“It’s medicine for external injuries,” she said softly. “It was very hard to come by, so use it sparingly.”
In truth, it was Yunnan Baiyao mixed into a paste with spirit spring water, but to them, it was indeed something exceedingly precious.
Zhan Haochen was instantly moved. “Then I’ll save it for Elder Brother.”
“I’ve been using it on your elder brother all along. Otherwise, how do you think he recovered so quickly?” Cheng Yao patted his shoulder. “You’ve worked hard. Your elder brother will remember everything you’ve done for him.”
The journey had not been far, but with Wei Qing now among the group, she had not dared risk bringing Zhan Haoting into her space.
Xiao Fu was getting on in years, and Zhan Haochen had worried that he would not be able to bear the strain. So he had forced himself to carry the burden alone all the way.
He was only fifteen or sixteen, a boy who had grown up cherished and protected. To have done this much was already remarkable.
Yet Zhan Haochen only shook his head. “It doesn’t compare to even a tenth of what Elder Brother has endured for our family and our country.”
Cheng Yao was about to reply when Wei Qing came over to bid her farewell.
Constable Wang was riding back to report the case, and Wei Qing would be returning to the magistrate’s office with him.
“Jiuyou Prefecture is ten thousand li away. I hope the General and Madam will both take care of yourselves.”
Wei Qing gave them careful, repeated instructions. Cheng Yao saw him out of the ruined temple, but he continued talking without pause.
Then, once they had stepped outside, where no one could see them, he suddenly fell silent. Turning back, he gazed steadily at her.
At some point, the rain had completely stopped.
Only the trees still dripped with the remnants of it—tap, tap, tap—like knocks upon the heart.
Rainwater clung to her fair, delicate face. His fists were clenched tight, his knuckles white from the force of it. It took every ounce of strength he possessed to stop himself from reaching out to wipe it away for her.
Yet the emotions churning in his eyes were like waves that had yet to settle—gratitude, admiration, and an ardent affection he could not conceal.
“Madam,” he said, his voice hoarse as though filled with sand, “if there comes a day… Wei will cross mountains and rivers to find you… and repay this debt of kindness.”
Cheng Yao was taken aback. Why did that sound suspiciously like a confession?
In the original novel, he had fallen for Shao Yutong. But now he was interested in her instead?
Did he fall in love with anyone who saved him, regardless of who they were?
But weren’t people in ancient times particularly concerned with whether a woman was still pure?
She was a married woman, not some untouched maiden!
Cheng Yao lowered her eyes. “Young Master Wei, you overstate it. This humble woman is undeserving of such words.”
Wei Qing gazed at her lovely profile. His Adam’s apple moved several times, but in the end, he said nothing more.
As he swung himself onto his horse, he turned for one last look. She was still standing before the ruined temple, her skirts fluttering in the wind like a resilient winter plum blossom.
The sound of hoofbeats gradually faded, yet he could not help looking back again and again. Only after that slender figure in blue had vanished completely from sight did he clench his palm tightly.
When Cheng Yao returned to the temple, she heard Zhang Dapeng first urging everyone to tidy up a place to rest, then ordering people to gather firewood so they could light a fire and dry their clothes. He changed his mind repeatedly, leaving everyone at a loss.
He had a violent temper and cursed at anyone he could get his hands on. Even a dog passing by would earn a few insults from him. No one dared provoke him; they could only obey his commands nervously.
As Cheng Yao made her way back to where her family was gathered, she heard a soft, delicate voice from afar.
“Eldest Cousin, have something to eat.”
Shao Yutong was crouched beside Zhan Haoting, holding half a flatbread in her hands, her face wearing just the right amount of concern.
“No need.”
Zhan Haoting offered only two words, his tone cold to the extreme.
But Shao Yutong was not discouraged. She sat down beside him and gently brushed a speck of mud from her face. The gesture was as natural as that of a tender wife, and her voice was equally soft and sweet.
“You may be badly injured and unable to move, but your eyes can still behold this world, and your mind can still devise strategies and lay plans. Your soldiers remain fiercely loyal to you; your advisers will follow you for all their lives.
“A strong man like you is favored by Heaven itself. So long as you can pull yourself together this time, you will soar to great heights and stand above all others beneath the heavens.”
Hearing this, Cheng Yao could only marvel. No wonder the two Zhan brothers had been so infatuated with her in the original novel—she truly knew how to speak. Even Cheng Yao herself felt her blood begin to stir.
At last, Zhan Haoting raised his eyes, meeting Shao Yutong’s clear gaze. There was no pity in those eyes, only open and earnest expectation.
What a warm-hearted girl.
Yet Zhan Haoting frowned.
A strange flutter rose in his heart. It was as though he had been bewitched—he had developed a favorable impression of her entirely beyond his control.
There was something strange about this woman.
He looked up, his eyes as dark and deep as an icy pool steeped in ink. His gaze settled on her without the slightest warmth.
“My cousin seems to know me rather well.”
For a sheltered young lady like her to know that he had soldiers following him and advisers pledging their loyalty was highly unusual.
Shao Yutong was just about to speak when his gaze silenced her.
His brows lifted slightly, and there was a hint of careless mockery in his eyes, as though he regarded her as an actor on a stage—someone whose next performance he already knew, seeing through her completely with cold detachment.
Shao Yutong felt a touch of humiliation, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms.
Since he had seen through her, she might as well be frank with him...
But before she could say anything, Cheng Yao walked over.
“Shao Yutong, there’s no one else here. You don’t have to keep up this act.” Cheng Yao’s voice was icy. “I’ll ask you just one question. The Zhan family has treated you well and given you plenty of confidence, and your two cousins are both exceptional men. Why insist on using them to risk their lives for the man you love?”
The moment she finished speaking, Zhan Haoting and Shao Yutong both turned sharply toward her.
Zhan Haoting: Why did his wife know things even he didn’t?
Shao Yutong: How did she know I had someone I loved? And how did she know about my plan? I’ve never told anyone!
Cheng Yao smiled, her expression teasing. “No need to be surprised. I have eyes that can see a thousand miles, and I can read minds, too. There’s nothing in this world I can’t see through.”
Shao Yutong froze for a moment before her lips curved into a sweet smile.
What a boastful woman. If she truly possessed such abilities, how could her eldest cousin have ended up in such a state? Apparently, what she had said earlier was merely a guess that happened to hit the mark.
Shao Yutong skillfully deflected the accusation. “Eldest Sister-in-Law, you do love to joke. I only hope that my eldest cousin can get through his current predicament. I have no other intentions, much less any plan to win my two cousins over and have them serve the man I love, as you claim.”
As she spoke, she rose to her feet and suddenly raised her voice, loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I know Eldest Sister-in-Law is proud and unwilling to accept my kindness, but the journey is a long one. My eldest cousin still needs something to eat.”
Everyone looked at Cheng Yao, their eyes filled with confusion.
She had said they had no food, so why refuse what Yutong had offered?
No matter how self-righteous she was, shouldn’t she consider the needs of an injured, sick man?
“Eat? I never said I wouldn’t eat!” Cheng Yao shot her an arch look. “Yutong, you only asked about your eldest cousin and forgot to ask me.”
With that, she held out her hand toward Shao Yutong. “The braised chicken legs got wet, but they should still be edible if we roast them over the fire. Bring them here.”
Shao Yutong’s eyes widened in shock. The braised chicken legs were hidden in her bundle, wrapped in layer upon layer of oiled paper. Apart from her and her mother, no one knew they were there!
A tempest raged in her heart, but she pretended to remain calm. “Eldest Sister-in-Law, I don’t have any braised chicken legs.”
“What? Are you unwilling to give them to your eldest cousin?” Cheng Yao’s smile was full of meaning. “Your aunt dropped her bundle on the road, and a packet of braised chicken legs rolled out. I saw them myself.”
So that was how she had known.
Shao Yutong’s face flushed awkwardly. “They’ve been hidden in my bundle for so long that I forgot about them.”
She forced a smile. “It’s just that I wanted to save the chicken legs for Grandmother. Is that all right?”
“Since it’s yours, you can give it to whoever you want. Why ask me?” Cheng Yao said. “It’s just that Grandmother is barely conscious and even has trouble drinking water. You’ll probably have to chew that drumstick up and feed it to her.”
Chew it... up?
Shao Yutong felt a wave of revulsion. With an awkward smile, she said, “Then I’d better give it to Big Cousin. Grandmother might not be able to digest it.”
Feng Xianxian immediately said, “Yutong, you should give the drumstick to one of your own family, then. Your eldest uncle’s family has already split off from us.”
Shao Yutong’s expression remained calm. “Even after separating households, they’re still family. Big Cousin is badly injured and needs to replenish his blood and energy. He needs this drumstick more than any of us.”
Before Feng Xianxian could respond, she turned to Zhan Haoting and said, “Big Cousin, wait here. I’ll go get the drumstick for you.”
“I’m not eating it.” Zhan Haoting’s voice was deep and cold, and his expression darkened.
“All right...” Shao Yutong’s delicate lashes trembled. Mist gathered in her almond-shaped eyes, and her slender shoulders quivered slightly, like a white jasmine battered limp by the rain. Clearly on the verge of tears, yet still stubbornly holding her chin high, she said, “Then I’ll divide it among everyone.”
One of the clansmen nearby laughed. “There are so many of us. Who can you possibly share one drumstick with?”
“I have my ways.”
Shao Yutong rose and borrowed a dagger from one of the guards. She carefully shaved the meat from all four drumsticks, slicing off more than a hundred pieces—just enough for everyone in the group to receive a small sliver.
The starving and freezing people were overjoyed. Praise immediately rang out all around them.
“This girl has such a generous heart.”
“She gave every one of her few drumsticks to us. I’ve never met anyone so kind.”
“If I survive this, the first thing I’ll do is repay her.”
Listening to the endless stream of praise and looking at the wafer-thin slice of meat held out to her, Cheng Yao sighed inwardly.
As expected of the heroine. Not only did she come with her own halo, good luck, and popularity, but she was also incredibly capable when it came to taking action and solving problems. She was even willing to do what others couldn’t.
With nothing more than a paper-thin slice of drumstick meat, she had won over so many people. She really was something.
Shao Yutong raised her voice again. “This little piece isn’t even enough to get stuck between my teeth, but at least it can help everyone catch their breath, can’t it?”
“Yes!”
The crowd responded loudly.
Shao Yutong was pleased. Her smiling red lips were as radiant as peach blossoms in the third month of spring.
She walked to the center of the group. “The rain has let up. I think there should be plenty of wild fruits and edible greens in these mountains. Why don’t we go out and look for some? It’s better than sitting here and starving.”
Hope flared in the formerly dull eyes of several young men, and they rose one after another in agreement.
Cheng Yao frowned and reminded them, “This is a remote wilderness, and it’s easy to get lost if you don’t know the terrain. Besides, heavy rain can trigger landslides, and we might even run into wild beasts...”
“Big Cousin’s wife, things aren’t what they used to be. We’re all going to starve to death, so who has time to worry about that?” Shao Yutong interrupted with a light laugh. “We’re all convicted criminals now. We have to learn how to struggle for survival in the wilderness and find a way to live, don’t you agree?”
“You’re right. We have to forget who we used to be and humble ourselves until we’re lower than dirt if we want to survive.”
“Our food has been poisoned, so we can’t eat it. If the authorities don’t give us replacements, we’ll starve to death. At this point, who has the luxury to worry about danger?”
“Better to risk our lives than sit here and wait to die.”
Everyone sided with Shao Yutong.
Cheng Yao countered, “You keep calling yourselves convicts, but do you really think the bailiffs will let you go into the dense forest?”
Yet the moment she finished speaking, Zhang Dapeng gave a cold laugh, as though determined to oppose her.
“Who says we don’t agree? We agree wholeheartedly! Go on, all of you—get out there! Take care of your own families. Whether you live or die, whether you’re injured or not, I’m not responsible. Don’t even think about blaming me.”
The other bailiffs clearly didn’t approve of what he was doing. They gestured for him to stop, but he ignored them completely.
The others turned around and attacked Cheng Yao instead.
“See? Even the bailiff is more open-minded than you.”
“The bailiff is worried we’ll starve to death. He’s willing to risk being held responsible if we escape and let us search the mountains for food, while you’re trying to stop us. You’re worse than an outsider.”
“What a heart of stone.”
Cheng Yao: “…”
Fine. Her good intentions had been mistaken for malice. If they insisted on throwing their lives away, there was nothing she could do.
“I’ll say it one more time. There may be landslides in this area, as well as dangerously agitated wild beasts. You’d better not go. And if you do, don’t venture into the deep mountains.”
The starving crowd refused to listen, but Zhan Yunpeng, Zhan Mang, and the other clansmen who trusted her hesitated.
In the end, egged on by Shao Yutong, more than thirty of the stronger young men formed two teams and set off in a grand procession.
They had barely gone any distance when a sudden rustling came from outside the temple. A moment later, a plump, dappled wild piglet stumbled into the ruined temple. It seemed to have just escaped pursuit by another predator, and after encountering a crowd of people while still terrified, it began darting around the temple in a panic.
Everyone froze for a moment. Then they all grew excited.
“A wild piglet actually ran right in!”
“Even Heaven must pity us for starving and have sent us meat!”
“What are you standing around for? Catch it!”
The crowd erupted. Hunger gleamed in their eyes, and nearly everyone lunged at the lone piglet at once.
The piglet fled in terror, letting out shrill cries as it charged left and right through the crowd. In the end, Zhan Mang managed to seize it by one hind leg.
“Wonderful! Now everyone can have meat for dinner!” Shao Yutong clapped her hands delightedly, then turned to Bailiff Zhang. “Bailiff, shall we start a fire and roast the pork?”
But before she could finish, Cheng Yao suddenly sprang to her feet.
“We can’t eat this piglet!”
Everyone froze.
“Why not?” Shao Yutong asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cheng Yao hurried into the middle of the crowd, her voice tense with urgency.
“This is a wild boar’s young. Mother boars are fiercely protective of their offspring. Their sense of smell is incredibly keen, and they can track something for dozens of miles. If we eat this piglet, its mother will certainly come after us in a frenzy.”
Shao Yutong let out a soft laugh. “Cousin-in-law, you’re being far too timid. This is the middle of nowhere, and hunters often come here to hunt. Do you really think they don’t hunt wild boars?”
“Hunters kill them and carry them away. They don’t leave them here and wait to be killed.”
Shao Yutong was momentarily at a loss, but forced herself to continue. “Fine. Let’s say the mother boar is spiritually aware. But why would it happen to find its way here?”
“No, Hao Ting’s wife is right.” The old patriarch of the Fifth Branch pondered the matter. “Wild boars are exceptionally ferocious and truly shouldn’t be provoked. If you kill one, a whole herd may appear…”
“Fifth Grandfather!” Shao Yutong interrupted him. “Just look at everyone. We’re cold and hungry, and it’s been ages since we’ve had a proper meal. This piglet is heaven-sent food that could save our lives! Are we really going to let everyone keep starving over a danger that may or may not exist?”
She turned to the others, her voice catching with emotion. “I know everyone here is kindhearted and unwilling to take a life. But in our current situation, staying alive matters more than anything else. If Cousin-in-law truly can’t bear to watch, she can take shelter in the temple for a while. I’ll bear the sin of killing it.”
Her words cleverly twisted Cheng Yao’s warning into nothing more than a woman’s pointless compassion. The clan members, already ravenous, immediately grew angry.
“Yutong is right! We’re practically starving to death, so who cares about a mother boar? If it dares come, I dare kill it!”
“Exactly! If Cheng Yao doesn’t like it, she can go hide in a corner!”
“Don’t pretend to be so noble. You’re in exile just like the rest of us…”
Cheng Yao looked at the furious crowd, and a deep sense of helplessness welled up inside her.
She tried once more to explain. “I’m not against finding food. I’m only saying that this stray piglet is truly dangerous to provoke. We can look for wild fruits and vegetables, or even set traps for rabbits…”
“That’s enough!” Shao Yutong suddenly raised her voice, tears rolling down her cheeks at precisely the right moment. “Cousin-in-law, yes, my background isn’t as noble as yours, and I haven’t read as many books. But I know that when people are hungry, they need to eat! You keep claiming that you’re thinking of everyone, but in truth, you look down on me. You think every decision I make is wrong, don’t you?”
After being tormented by hunger and exhaustion, the others had almost no reason left to speak of.
And Shao Yutong’s blatant distortion of the truth finally ignited their anger.
They surrounded Lin Wei, their accusations rising in wave after wave.
Cheng Yao looked around and saw only faces twisted by hunger and fury.
She knew that nothing she said would make any difference now.
Zhan Haoting spoke up as well. “Yao’er, let them be.”
Cheng Yao nodded and turned back to his side.
She had tried to save them, but they refused to listen. All she could do now was leave their fate to heaven.
Behind her, the piglet let out a shrill, miserable squeal. Then came the bustle of the women preparing the fire and the men dressing the carcass. Shao Yutong stood amid the crowd and cast Cheng Yao a triumphant glance.
In less than half an hour, a fire had been lit in the middle of the ruined temple.
The aroma of roasting pork filled the air, making everyone’s mouths water.
They sat gathered around the fire, excited as though celebrating a festival. Some even began singing rustic tunes from their hometowns.
It was the first time they had been this happy since their exile began.
Shao Yutong was surrounded by everyone, basking in their attention like the center of the stars. She looked every bit like the backbone of the group.
She gave the tenderest cuts from the legs to the elderly, the weak, and the sick, earning even more grateful looks.
“If you ask me, Yutong is our lucky star!” a middle-aged man declared loudly. “If it weren’t for her, we’d still be going hungry today!”
Everyone chimed in, showering Shao Yutong with praise.
Shao Yutong’s cheeks flushed as she said shyly and modestly, “You’re all too kind. I only did what anyone should have done. Eldest Cousin-in-law meant well too, so please don’t blame her.”
Her words seemed to be defending Cheng Yao, but in reality, they only stirred up even more resentment toward her.
Sure enough, someone immediately sneered, “Meant well? She just can’t stand to see anyone else doing well!”
Cheng Yao sat against the wall with her eyes closed, saying nothing.
In her previous life, she had once ventured deep into the mountains to hide from the zombies.
One day, two families there had joined forces to hunt a small wild boar. That night, several enormous wild boars with tusks charged in and viciously tore both families apart.
Crouched on a ridge, she had witnessed the entire tragedy. Her whole body had trembled with fear, and she had gained a new understanding of just how savage wild boars could be.
Now, she, too, hoped she was merely worrying needlessly and being overly cautious. But with a ninety percent chance that more wild boars would be drawn here, she couldn’t afford to take any chances.
After thinking it over again and again, she made a decision: the entire family had to leave this ruined temple.
