Lies came easily to her lips—they had from the very first moment they met.
Yun Lou said at once, “Of course not!”
Pei Xu gazed at her calmly. “You never told me you were poisoned, and you don’t want to be cured. You’re holding onto the idea that when the poison flares up beyond recovery, you’ll just leave. After all, as a man, I can always remarry. I’d soon forget you, and you wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it.”
Every word hit the mark.
Yun Lou guiltily looked away. “I do want to be cured. But I’ve tried so many things and nothing worked. I didn’t want you to waste your efforts…”
“Whether it works or not, we won’t know until we try.” Pei Xu looked at her, and after a long moment, let out a soft sigh.
The oppressive air dissipated. He returned to his usual gentle self, cupping her hands in his palms. “I don’t care what you were thinking. Let’s cure this poison first, alright?”
Yun Lou asked, “And if it can’t be cured?”
Pei Xu sat back down and picked up his brush again. “There will be a way,” he said.
After that, when he asked again, Yun Lou was far more forthcoming, honestly describing each different symptom she experienced during every flare-up.
Pei Xu listened and wrote as she spoke. When he heard her casually mention symptoms that were agonizing just to hear about, the hand holding his brush began to tremble.
The symptoms filled an entire sheet of paper. Pei Xu folded it carefully and put it away, then said seriously, “Next time it flares up, you must tell me. Don’t endure it alone.”
Seeing that he was truly no longer angry, Yun Lou beamed. “Got it!”
Pei Xu then called for Yinyin and Wensi to keep her company. “I’m going to the clinic. I’ll be back later. Make sure you eat properly.”
With that, he tucked the paper into his robe and hurried out of the Pei residence.
He headed in the direction of the clinic, but when he reached the street corner, he changed course and made his way toward the western morning market.
The market was long over by now, but the streets were still lively, with vendors hawking their wares in a constant clamor. Pei Xu walked until he came to an old man crouching by the roadside, selling fish.
The old man wore a straw rain cape and a bamboo hat, dozing with his hands tucked into his sleeves on a small stool.
Pei Xu crouched down and looked into the fish basket in front of him. “No fresh river fish left?”
The old man opened his eyes, saw him, and grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth. “Sold out. If you want some, I’ll go fish at Reed Wharf tonight.”
Pei Xu nodded. “I want three fresh river fish—and the biggest one of them all.”
The old man raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Consider it done.”
Today, as always, the Hall of Life-Saving Medicine was quiet.
Pei Xu took down a medical text on poisons from the bookshelf and sat in the inner chamber, reading through it.
After dark, the clinic closed its doors. Pei Xu sat in the inner chamber, giving Le’an a few brief instructions. The clinic staff knew the young master was troubled by his wife’s poison, so they did not disturb him—closing the door softly, they left.
The street quickly fell silent. When the sound of the second watch rang out, Pei Xu rose and left the clinic.
He walked quickly, straight toward Reed Wharf.
The moonlight was clear and bright tonight. In the distance, a silvery expanse of reeds swayed gently under the moon. As Pei Xu approached, a figure was already waiting there.
The man crouched at the edge of the wharf, a reed stalk dangling from his mouth, a bamboo hat on his head, and a red ribbon tied at the crown of his hair, fluttering freely in the reed-scented breeze.
At the sound of footsteps, he turned his head. His narrow, elongated eyes slanted upward, carrying the wild, roguish air of a young bandit. “You came? Well, I’ll be damned—the sun must rise in the west today. Our Pei the Number One Scholar actually asked to see me of his own accord.”
Pei Xu walked over expressionlessly and slapped the paper from his chest onto the man. “Find someone who can cure this poison. And be quick about it.”
Xiao He opened the paper lazily—its surface was covered in dense handwriting. “Ugh, my head hurts just looking at words. You got poisoned?” He gave Pei Xu a once-over, then realization dawned. “Your wife’s poisoned?”
Pei Xu said coldly, “Find the person, or you can handle everything else yourself from here on.”
“Threatening me?” Xiao He spit out the reed stalk, stood up, and shook his fist at him. When Pei Xu didn’t budge, he broke into a sly grin. “Fine, fine, I’ll find someone—soon as I’m back, I’ll send people out immediately. But don’t you bail on me now. I’ve already carried out the kills according to plan. All that’s left is for you to go to Jiangling to see that second son of the Shen family.”
Pei Xu frowned. “That reminds me—what’s this about the assassin’s pursuit order? Why would the Fine Blade Sect get involved?”
Xiao He puffed up his chest proudly. “Because I’m a genius, that’s why! I disguised the killings as Night Roamer’s handiwork and had two men spread rumors in Jiangling that the Night Roamer was active in the city. The Shen family, to save face, had no choice but to follow that lead for now—buying us more time. Impressive, right?”
Pei Xu: “If the Fine Blade Sect finds out you framed the Night Roamer and starts investigating, our plan could fall apart.”
Xiao He: “Shit! Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
Pei Xu was practically infuriated by this muscle-headed, simple-minded bandit. “I told you long ago—just kill the Shen patriarch. No one asked you to frame the Night Roamer on your own!”
Xiao He threw up his hands in reckless surrender. “So what do we do now?”
“Kneel on the mountain every day and pray the Fine Blade Sect doesn’t get involved.”
“Damn it!” Xiao He jabbed a finger at him indignantly. “Your tongue’s gotten sharper since you got married!”
Pei Xu sneered. “You had my wife kidnapped on my wedding day, and you still expect a smile from me?”
“Oh, come on—I just wanted to invite the lady up the mountain for a cup of tea. Never meant her any harm. If you’d agreed to help me sooner, I wouldn’t have had to resort to that.”
Xiao He grinned shamelessly. “Besides, Ma Cheng’s dead, right? That should count as avenging you. Tell you the truth, to this day I still have no idea how Ma Cheng died. Like he ran into a damn ghost.”
Pei Xu closed his eyes in frustration. “Get lost.”
Instead of leaving, Xiao He drew closer and slung an arm around his shoulder. “I still haven’t seen your wife, you know. What does she look like? Pretty? Did she like the hairpin I sent?”
He rattled on and on without stopping. Pei Xu ignored him, waiting until the man tired himself out before speaking. “I’ll go to Jiangling at the end of the month. Until then, stick to the original plan. As for the antidote, handle it personally—I don’t trust anyone else.”
Xiao He reached up and adjusted his bamboo hat. “Since you trust me, I won’t let you down. Just wait.” He folded the paper, tucked it into his pocket, then remembered something. “I heard those men from Fallen Tiger Fort came down the mountain again recently.”
Pei Xu said, “Mm. They robbed my medicine.”
Xiao He burst out laughing, slapping his thigh. When he’d laughed his fill, he turned and waved, disappearing into the reeds.
Pei Xu watched the reeds drift through the clear moonlight for a moment, then hurried back toward home.
By the time he arrived, the night had grown deep. Two lanterns glowed by the gate of the Pei residence, where Le’an sat nodding off.
Hearing footsteps echo down the quiet street, Le’an jolted awake. “Young master! You’re back at last! The lady asked about going to the clinic several times, but I persuaded her to stay put, just as you instructed!”
Hearing this, Pei Xu quickened his pace even more.
Back in the inner courtyard, he pushed open the gate. The lamp in the bedchamber was still lit, casting a warm golden glow against the dark.
His wife had stayed up waiting for him to come home.
-
After two more days of resting at home, Yun Lou felt fully recovered. This poison struck fiercely, but it also faded just as quickly.
But Pei Xu wasn’t reassured, so he insisted she rest in bed for two more days. During that time, he brought apology gifts to the Cui residence to call on them in person, but Cui Lingyi didn’t seem willing to see him. Pei Xu exchanged a few words with Magistrate Cui, left the gifts, and took his leave.
Yun Lou couldn’t leave the house, but she was thinking about her saber. So she secretly instructed Zhong Shi to go to the blacksmith’s shop and have the old blacksmith forge a blade according to the specifications she had given earlier.
Zhong Shi, who was now her most loyal guard, took the task and headed for the door, only to bump into an unexpected visitor at the entrance.
Cui Lingyi stood outside the Pei residence clutching a large box, looking as though she had been hesitating there for quite some time. It was only when she ran into Zhong Shi that she made up her mind. “Is your mistress home?” she asked.
Zhong Shi hesitated, then nodded. Cui Lingyi took a deep breath. “Take me to see her.”
Remembering how she had carried her mistress to the doctor’s that day, Zhong Shi nodded and led Cui Lingyi inside.
This wasn’t her first time at the Pei residence. When Pei Xu’s mother was still alive, she used to come here often to play. Back then, she really had believed she would one day become the mistress of this household.
Now, stepping back through its gates, everything had changed, and a heavy melancholy settled over her.
Zhong Shi made a hand gesture, and Zhao Shitou popped up from behind the courtyard wall, calling out to Yun Lou, who was sitting in the shaded pavilion: “Madam, Miss Cui has come to visit you!”
Yun Lou exclaimed with delight: “Miss Cui is here? Do invite her in!”
Cui Lingyi soon walked into the courtyard, which had been completely transformed. Seeing Yun Lou standing under the pavilion, waving at her with a bright smile, Cui Lingyi marched toward her with the air of someone heading into battle.
“Miss Cui, we meet again,” Yun Lou said, seating her in the pavilion and pouring her tea herself. “I still haven’t apologized for last time—sorry for giving you a fright. I’d planned to come by your home to thank you once I recovered, but it turns out you came to me first.”
She was so open and easygoing that it made Cui Lingyi feel awkward and fidgety in comparison. Cui Lingyi set the box she’d been holding down on the table. “I was the one in the wrong last time! I shouldn’t have tried to fight you for that thing. I bought this saber—it’s for you, as an apology!”
Yun Lou blinked, then smiled. “You don’t need to do that. If you like it…”
Cui Lingyi gritted her teeth. “If you don’t accept it, it means you haven’t forgiven me!”
Yun Lou hugged the box to her chest at once. “I accept it! Thank you so much, Miss Cui!”
The two stared at each other for a long moment. Then Cui Lingyi cleared her throat lightly and asked, “Your… poison—are you feeling better?”
Yun Lou rested her chin on her hand and smiled warmly at her. “Nothing serious. Thank you for worrying about me, Miss Cui.”
Yun Lou always looked at her with that smile, and Cui Lingyi was starting to get used to it. In fact, when she thought back, from the very first time they met, Yun Lou had always been all smiles toward her.
No matter how sour her own face was, no matter how much she tried to needle her or make things hard for her, Yun Lou had always responded with patient, good-natured smiles.
And that day, when she’d coughed up blood so badly, she was still comforting Cui Lingyi, telling her not to be scared.
At the end of the day, Yun Lou was just a pitiful soul with no home to go back to. If she encountered a man as fine as Pei Xu, wanting to marry him was only natural. If she herself had been given such a chance, wouldn’t she have held on with all her might too?
With these thoughts, the lingering hostility in Cui Lingyi’s heart, which had already been on shaky ground, completely crumbled.
Her father was right. Pei Xu wasn’t the finest man under heaven. Once she returned to the capital, the whole of prosperous Shengjing’s noble young lords would be hers to choose from.
As the two of them talked, Yun Lou began to notice that the look in Cui Lingyi’s eyes was gradually becoming more candid.
Seeing that Cui Lingyi seemed inclined to befriend her, Yun Lou seized the opportunity without hesitation. She immediately reached out and took the other girl’s fair, soft hand in hers. “Miss Cui, I’m so glad to have met you. I have no relatives here in Fengping, and I don’t know a soul. I don’t even have a single girlfriend to talk to—I’m always shut away in this little courtyard…”
Cui Lingyi felt such a pang of guilt that she scolded herself inwardly: What an absolute monster I’ve been!
She immediately grasped Yun Lou’s hand firmly and declared with great solemnity: “From now on, anything fun or tasty in town, any gathering of the ladies—I’ll bring you along to all of it!”
Yun Lou nodded eagerly. “Mm-hmm!”
Miss Cui’s hand really was soft to the touch—smooth as cream, silky and warm, just like a fine piece of suet jade. Yun Lou found it difficult to let go.
Cui Lingyi: …Something about this felt a little off, but it was probably all in her head.
Once the two of them genuinely opened up and started chatting, they felt a sense of instant kinship.
Actually, Cui Lingyi, too, didn’t have any true girlfriends here in Fengping City. People were always wary of her status as the county magistrate’s daughter and the temper of hers that flared up like a struck match, so their conversations always carried a hint of fake flattery.
But talking with Yun Lou was completely different. The way Yun Lou praised her was full of the most sincere warmth; it didn’t seem to trouble Yun Lou at all that she had a bad temper—she genuinely thought she was adorable!
When Cui Lingyi left the Pei residence, she could feel her face was flushed pink, her heart thumping in her chest, practically floating all the way out the door.
She was so lost in her daze, she didn’t even hear Pei Xu say hello to her.
Pei Xu, just back from the doctor’s, watched in bemusement as Cui Lingyi wafted out of his house in high spirits. When he reached the courtyard, he found his wife sitting under the pavilion, beaming, chin propped in one hand as she examined a broad-bladed saber that sat on the table before her.
Pei Xu walked over. “Miss Cui came to see you?”
“She did. She brought this saber as a gift,” Yun Lou said, looking vaguely dreamy. “Miss Cui really is precious, isn’t she?”
Pei Xu: “…………”
Yun Lou sighed. “She gave me something so valuable—I’m not sure what to gift her in return.”
Pei Xu reached out and gently smoothed the stray locks of hair that had fallen across her cheek. “At the end of the month, I’m going to Jiangling. When I’m there, tell me what you want, and I’ll bring it back for you.”
