It was already afternoon, but Yun Lou still hadn't gotten out of bed.
Spring sunlight streamed through the window, hitting her bed at just the right angle, warming the quilt.
Her wounds had been scabbing over the past few days, and her body occasionally itched. She wiggled around under the covers a bit, settled into a more comfortable position, and continued lying flat.
A few days earlier, Pei Xu had arranged for a maidservant named Yinyin to take care of her. Now Yinyin came rushing in, breathless:
"Miss, something terrible! Miss Cui has come to pick a fight!"
Yun Lou poked her head out from the silk quilt: "Miss Cui?"
"Cui Lingyi! The magistrate's daughter—Magistrate Cui! She's been chasing Master Pei for years. The Cui family proposed marriage to Master Pei three times, but he refused every time. Miss Cui has been deeply in love with him and once declared she would marry no one else. She must be here to cause trouble for you!"
Yun Lou understood.
A "love rival."
But were the young ladies around here this bold? She was already engaged to Pei Xu, and yet this woman was coming straight to her door to pick a fight?
As if sensing her confusion, Yinyin explained while quickly helping Yun Lou wash up and dress: "Miss Cui has been spoiled rotten by Magistrate Cui—she acts rashly and impulsively. She's even trained with the constables from the yamen since she was little. If she rushes in, she might cut you down with one swing!"
Yun Lou: "Oh? Me? Cut down?"
Outside the door, another maidservant, Wensi, was desperately blocking the courtyard gate, pleading:
"Miss Cui, whatever you have to say, you can say it from outside the door. Our young lady is frail and can't withstand your outburst. Besides, Master Pei has already exchanged betrothal gifts with our young lady—they're engaged. Why do you insist on making things difficult for her?"
These two maidservants Pei Xu had sent over were pretty loyal!
A young, arrogant voice shattered the courtyard wall: "What do you mean 'making things difficult'? I just want to see what kind of woman Pei Xu rejected me for, after so many years of being picky, finally chose! Open the door first! I swear I won't lay a hand on her!"
Yun Lou had finished dressing by now. Yinyin poked her head out sneakily: "Miss, while Wensi holds the door, we can escape through the back—"
Before she could finish, she saw Yun Lou saunter past her with a chair in hand, as if admiring flowers, then sat down gracefully in the middle of the courtyard.
"Remember, if we turn and run when the enemy comes knocking, we only make them bolder." She smoothed her dress elegantly. "Open the door. Let Miss Cui in."
Yinyin and Wensi: "!"
That made perfect sense!
Besides, Miss Yun was Master Pei's formally betrothed fiancée. If anyone should be hiding, it should be Miss Cui!
They exchanged glances, nodded in agreement, and Wensi pulled the door open with a look of fierce determination.
Outside stood a young woman in green silk finery, her face flushed with anger and her hand still mid-pound on the door. Her head was full of sparkling accessories, her whole appearance dripping with wealth, and a sword hung at her waist—the sapphire on its hilt gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
She clearly hadn't expected the woman she came to confront to be sitting right there in the courtyard behind the door, and when she saw her, Yun Lou's eyes even lit up slightly—a bit like how she looked when she ran into those lecherous men on the street. Outrageous!
Shaking her head to rid herself of the strange feeling, Cui Lingyi frowned and studied the young woman in the courtyard.
She was a rare beauty—sharp-featured, delicate, with a frail frame and a slender waist that seemed barely as thick as a handful. She looked like the fragile, gorgeous crabapple flowers on her family's courtyard wall after a storm, tangled and broken by wind and rain.
That meekling? She could knock her out with one punch!
That blind Pei Xu. Out of all women, he had to pick this weak, useless vixen with nothing but a pretty face for a wife!
Cui Lingyi's tone was hostile: "So you're that orphan Pei Xu saved from the mountain bandits?"
Yun Lou: "Mm-hmm, that's me."
Cui Lingyi: "I've read about women like you in storybooks! Rescued by someone from danger, and then you feel you have to repay him by giving yourself to him as a wife. What kind of repayment is that? It's biting the hand that feeds you!"
Yun Lou leaned against the chair's armrest, chin resting on her hand, her eyes fixed in admiration on Cui Lingyi's radiant, bright beauty: "Mm-hmm."
Cui Lingyi: "...Brother Pei Xu is an honorable man who values propriety. He married you to protect your reputation! He doesn't even love you!"
Yun Lou: "Mm-hmm."
Cui Lingyi rolled her eyes in frustration: "What's all this 'mm-hmm'? Do you even understand what I'm saying?"
Yun Lou: "Mm-hmm, I understand. He doesn't love me. It's just that when we first met, he kissed me, and we had some... intimate moments in the cave. So now he feels responsible and has to marry me."
Cui Lingyi was fuming.
Provocation! She was provoking her!
"You... you..." Her slender, fair fingers trembled as she pointed at Yun Lou. "What a shameless little wretch..."
Yun Lou: "Your hands are really pale."
Not like hers—rough, with hard bones and calloused fingertips from years of martial training.
Cui Lingyi whipped out her sword in a flash.
She was clearly furious enough to charge in and fight her.
Ah, and she'd even praised her.
Yinyin and Wensi quickly moved to shield Yun Lou, but before anything else could happen, hurried footsteps sounded at the gate, followed by a stern, dignified voice:
"Miss Cui! As the daughter of a magistrate, you know the law. Are you committing assault in broad daylight, in front of everyone?"
Cui Lingyi stiffened at the sound. Being called out like this by the man she loved made her eyes instantly red.
Her sword drooped weakly. She turned, hurt, to look at the young scholar:
"Brother Pei Xu... are you really going to marry this nameless orphan? You've known since we were kids that I've always—"
"And I've told you the same thing since we were kids: I have no romantic feelings for you. Don't waste your time on me."
He strode into the courtyard, positioning himself protectively in front of Yun Lou. His tall, graceful silhouette was like a jade mountain, reflecting in Cui Lingyi's tear-filled eyes.
Today, he wore a simple white robe. The spring sunlight was just right, and his jade hairpin gleamed; a soft golden glow seemed to cling to his pure white garments. His refined facial structure rivaled that of the noble sons she had seen in the capital, yet he lacked their aristocratic aloofness, making him seem easier to approach.
But Yun Lou knew—beneath those flowing robes, his body wasn't weak at all. That day, he had pulled her out of the rushing river with his bare hands, then carried her for half a day until they found a cave to hide in.
She had been lying half-conscious in his arms, with only one thought in her mind.
He's really firm.
The kind of firm that spoke of clearly defined bones and hard muscles—with arms and a chest like solid rock. Yet when she opened her eyes, she saw only a thin, clean-looking scholar boiling soup for her.
Now, that body—which looked slim dressed but was actually built like a gladiator underneath—was about to be hers.
Wonderful.
The corners of Yun Lou's mouth curled up involuntarily, and her smile looked like a blatant provocation in Cui Lingyi's eyes.
This lit a fire in Cui Lingyi. "Brother Pei Xu, I just want to know one thing: where am I lacking compared to her? She's so weak, she can't even lift a sword. How will she ever protect you?"
Pei Xu remained unmoved, his tone resolute: "She doesn't need to compare herself to anyone. I don't need anyone to protect me. My job is to protect her."
Cui Lingyi refused to give up: "You don't really love her. You're only marrying her because honor and responsibility demand it, right?"
She seemed to think that if Pei Xu just nodded, she could finally make peace with it.
Pei Xu furrowed his brow. "This has nothing to do with me. Miss Yun and I will be married soon; she will be my one and only wife. I hope Miss Cui will stop pursuing this."
His expression was too cold and harsh. Cui Lingyi cast a heartbroken glance at him before finally withdrawing in defeat.
Pei Xu turned and gently reassured her, "Were you scared?"
Yun Lou hummed in response. "Mm~"
"I'll handle Miss Cui. She won't bother you again from now on."
He gestured for Wensi and Yinyin to come over and support Yun Lou back to her room. Though they had already shared intimate contact in the mountain cave, after proposing to Yun Lou and bringing her back to Fengping City, Pei Xu had maintained a respectful distance, refraining from any physical touch.
Once the two of them entered the room and closed the door, the nearby onlookers who had been peeking at the spectacle also withdrew their curiosity.
This small courtyard was where Pei Xu and his mother had lived when they first came to Fengping City over a decade ago. Back then, their life was simple and frugal, renting this place. Though humble, it was warm. It wasn't until they saved enough money from running a medical clinic to buy a larger estate that they moved away.
After his mother passed away, Pei Xu bought this small courtyard and had it regularly tidied. He settled Yun Lou there after bringing her back.
Before the wedding, Yun Lou would live here.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
Yun Lou answered honestly, "I just woke up."
Pei Xu chuckled and called out, "Le'an," his personal attendant quickly appeared carrying a food box.
"I brought some dishes from Dongxing Tower. Try them and see if you like them."
He laid the still-warm dishes neatly on the table, his movements unhurried and deliberate, much like preparing herbal medicine—imbued with a meticulous calm.
Yun Lou realized how easily one could slip from simplicity into luxury; she now accepted Pei Xu's care with utter ease, like a young lady raised in comfort.
Who would have thought that just a month ago, she was a reckless fugitive living on the edge of death?
"Dr. Chen from the clinic has prepared a new prescription for you," Pei Xu said as he sat beside her while she ate. "He says your injuries are severe—both your qi and blood are deficient. It will take at least two years of careful recuperation to recover fully."
Yun Lou was stunned. "Two years of taking medicine?"
Pei Xu smiled. "I'll have Dr. Chen make the medicine taste better." He picked up some food for her with his chopsticks, his voice clear and gentle. "You're too thin. You need to eat more. Food nourishes better than medicine; the more you eat, the less medicine you'll need."
Yun Lou sighed in resignation.
After all, she couldn't explain to him that her extreme thinness was due to her inner energy rapidly draining away after her severe injuries, and that eating more wouldn't help much.
In her current state, even if the leader of the Blade's Edge stood before him, he probably wouldn't recognize her as his pride and joy—the top-tier assassin, the "Night Wanderer," who made the martial world tremble.
She had been in Fengping City for five or six days now. Her injuries were recovering at an agonizingly slow pace, and she still often felt exhausted.
To escape the Blade's Edge, she had to genuinely injure herself to deceive the leader. The wound stretched from her abdomen all the way to her collarbone, nearly splitting her open.
Even Situ Yan said she'd been too harsh on herself.
Situ Yan had used silver needles to seal her seven main meridians and eight extraordinary vessels, creating the illusion of inner energy depletion and incurable injuries. The leader hadn't seen through it.
If she refrained from using martial arts for six months and took good care of herself, her martial skills would recover to about eighty percent. After that, the skies and waters would be free for her to roam—how wonderful that would be.
The only trouble was a poison she'd contracted earlier.
Yun Lou had no idea when she'd been poisoned or what kind of poison it was. It would flare up at irregular intervals with no fixed pattern, and each time the symptoms were different, though it never proved fatal. It was like a capricious, mischievous child.
Even the brilliant physician Situ Yan was at a loss against this strange, unfamiliar poison. All he could advise was for her to drink more hot water.
After leaving the Blade's Edge, she had stuck to remote, desolate mountain paths to cover her tracks. That day, while passing through Bei Wu Mountain, the poison had flared up. She was also unfortunate enough to encounter bandits. Though she killed all the ones who pursued her, she was gravely wounded herself and fell off a cliff into a mountain stream, nearly dying.
That couldn't happen!
She had just struggled to regain her freedom; her retirement was only beginning. How could it end so soon?
Those damned bandits were better caught alive. She swore that if she survived, she would tear down their stronghold, strip them of their pants, hang them from their mountain gate, and let the birds peck at them.
Yun Lou, dizzy and drifting in the stream, made that vengeful vow.
Perhaps the heavens heard her, because someone was sent to save her.
The handsome scholar looked frail and bookish, but he was surprisingly strong. He fished her out of the water, calling out, "Miss! Miss!" while pressing on her chest.
Yun Lou was dazed and disoriented, coughing up water, and was then sealed by a warm, soft breath on her lips.
Her internal rant about the bandits came to a halt. In her groggy state, she realized he was giving her resuscitation.
That was the first time she had touched a man's lips.
He smelled faintly of medicinal herbs—pleasantly so. His lips were soft and warm. Out of curiosity, she bit him.
"Ah—"
The scholar winced in pain, and she heard his low voice. "Miss, are you awake? Pei Xu did not intend to be improper, but since you were drowning, this was the only way to save you. Though I never planned to marry, having been intimate with you, I must take responsibility for my actions. If you are willing, I will marry you after you awaken. If not, since we are alone here, I will swallow this matter and pretend it never happened, to preserve your reputation."
What on earth is he rambling about? Such a firm chest... Such a nice scent...
Yun Lou drifted hazily into unconsciousness.
