Luo Batian: "Everyone here has heard about the assassination of the head of the Shen family in Jiangling last month, right?"
Yun Lou: Heh, sure enough, it always comes back to me.
She crunched loudly on her watermelon, her expression as cold and detached as if she'd spent ten years gutting fish in the bustling market west of the city.
Cui Lingyi had loved swords and martial arts since she was a child. The moment her father took his eyes off her, she'd snatch up her great sword and run off to roam the jianghu as a swordswoman. Unfortunately, she'd spent most of her years cooped up in her boudoir as a proper young lady, which was precisely why she was so keen on the latest gossip and secrets of the martial world.
"Heard of it! The kill-on-sight order is out. Who hasn't heard?"
Luo Batian's gruff voice dropped even lower: "I heard that the one who killed the Shen family head and the wealthy merchant of Fumei Town are the same person. Both had their throats slit clean through—one cut, instant death!"
"You mean Night Wanderer?" Cui Lingyi blurted out the name, scaring Luo Batian so badly his face went pale as he frantically gestured for her to keep her voice down.
Cui Lingyi, however, was completely unbothered: "It's just a name. Say it and it's said. What, does Night Wanderer have clairvoyant eyes and wind-chasing ears to hear us? Right, Xiao Lou?"
Yun Lou, holding her watermelon: "Mm-hm, mm-hm!"
Cui Lingyi: "And honestly, I don't think Night Wanderer was the one behind the massacre at Fumei Town."
Yun Lou: "!!!"
Sister! My sister in arms! Finally, someone spoke up for her!
"Night Wanderer—who is that? A top-tier assassin of The Thin Blade, ranked alongside Diaoke, Sangmen, and Xueji as the Four Killers of Blood." Cui Lingyi rattled this off like it was second nature.
"Night Wanderer is the head of the Four Killers, the most mysterious of them all. His fee never dips below ten thousand gold, and every contract he takes is for the heads of royalty and nobility. That small-time silk merchant from the next town over—what, did he warrant hiring someone like him?"
Yun Lou: "Mm-hm, mm-hm!"
"Miss Cui speaks sense," Luo Batian said with a chuckle. "We were only guessing anyway. Eh, enough of that. Eat your melon, eat your melon!"
Guan-zhu Luo's melons were sweet—far sweeter than the ones growing in her own courtyard. Yun Lou spent the entire afternoon picking his brain on gardening and resolved to grow some truly excellent melons when she got home.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon and the bare-chested young men headed home one by one, Yun Lou and Cui Lingyi reluctantly rose to take their leave of Luo Batian.
Bian Yu had left early due to official duties, so there was no one to stop them this time. Unfortunately, that would also mean the young scholar at Ruyi Tower had likely already made his exit by now.
Cui Lingyi grumbled the entire way back: "If he weren't so handsome, I would've punched him ages ago!"
Yun Lou looked at her dainty, flower-punching fists and felt that was highly doubtful.
The two of them stopped at Dongxing Restaurant for dinner before going their separate ways home. By the time Yun Lou got back, Pei Xu had already washed up, changed into his night robes, and was sitting by the bed reading a book at the rosewood desk.
The summer night was stifling, so he'd left the window open, letting the night breeze stir his softly mussed black hair. After an afternoon of watching rough, tanned men throw punches, this gentle, jade-like gentleman was a genuine feast for sore eyes.
"I'm back!"
Pei Xu caught his wife as she flung herself at him, wrapping one arm around her while pressing down a page with the other, asking with a smile: "Where did you go this afternoon?"
Yun Lou perched on his lap, arms around his neck, nuzzling and sniffing him: "...Went to Zhenwei Martial Hall."
The finger turning the page froze. Pei Xu tilted his head slightly to look at the woman in his arms: "Zhenwei Martial Hall?"
Yun Lou, still oblivious to the weight in his tone, thought Pei Xu smelled especially fragrant tonight, positively irresistible. Just as she moved to sneak a nibble on his warm earlobe, the hand holding the book seized the back of her neck.
Forced to turn toward him, she found that flawless, moon-white face inches from hers. Before she could speak, he kissed her, biting down gently.
Yun Lou melted completely into his embrace, catching his murmured question: "Did you tire yourself out playing today?"
"No, not at all—mm—"
She heard Pei Xu let out a soft laugh. The candlelight swayed, and the very air seemed to grow damp and heavy.
She bit his shoulder in annoyance: "...Are we going to keep doing this forever? When will we finally consummate the marriage?"
Pei Xu's voice was uneven, rising and falling with his breath: "When I come back from Jiangling."
The summer heat grew fiercer by the day, and by the end of the month Yun Lou no longer wanted to leave the house.
Cui Lingyi was equally disinclined to go out, so every few days she'd send a maid over with some iced fruit for Yun Lou to try.
Pei Xu was about to leave for Jiangling on business, a round trip of about half a month.
It was the longest they'd been apart since their wedding. He'd expected his clingy wife to throw a fit, but seeing her happily pack his luggage and carefully rattle off everything he needed to bring back for her, Pei Xu wasn't sure whether to be relieved or a little disappointed.
The night before his departure, the two of them stayed up until the middle of the night.
Yun Lou figured this was at least a decent way to build arm strength—hadn't she noticed how smooth and firm the lines of her arms were getting lately?
Pei Xu knew he'd gotten carried away too. He brought in water and wiped her fingers one by one, then held her in his arms and kissed her again and again: "I'll be back as soon as I can."
The water route to Jiangling had reopened, and the Shen family was currently tearing itself apart over who would inherit the position of family head.
The situation he wanted had already materialized. It was time for the next step.
Deep in the still of night, Pei Xu looked down at his wife sleeping soundly in his arms. He didn't want to drag her into danger, but the way Xiao He had acted on their wedding day had made it clear that if he didn't help finish this, there was no clean way out between him and Xiao He.
They were tangled up too deeply, in too many ways. Pulling out wouldn't be easy.
Besides, he also needed Xiao He's help finding someone who could lift the poison.
The galaxy slanted toward the horizon, dawn nearly breaking in the east. Pei Xu let go of the woman in his arms and slipped quietly out of bed. As he dressed, he heard Yun Lou's sleepy, soft voice: "Pei Xu, be careful on the road, and come back early."
Pei Xu said: "I will, my lady."
Yun Lou turned over and slept until early afternoon.
When she sat down to eat and found the seat beside her empty, a sudden emptiness hit her. She wasn't used to it yet.
Yinyin, seeing her poke at her food with no appetite, spoke up: "The young master should have passed Qingjiao by now; tonight he'll be lodging at Qiyu town."
Yun Lou gave a muffled, disheartened "Mhm."
After eating, she lay on the mat under the awning, shaded by the lush paulownia leaves overhead. In the deep well nearby, a watermelon chilled in the cold water—whenever she got too hot, she'd haul it up for a bite or two.
Day after day went by like this. The heat was about ready to drive everyone mad.
Mercifully, a heavy downpour came a few days later, drenching the steaming earth thoroughly. After a night of rain, the air cooled off considerably. Although the sky was still clear and sunny, at least it was no longer so humid and oppressive that no one wanted to step outside.
Early the next morning, while Yun Lou was still in bed, Cui Lingyi sent a maid rushing over with an urgent message: With the weather so pleasant today, she insisted they absolutely must go on an outing. Yun Lou was not allowed to sleep in—she was to get up at once and meet at the foot of Fulin Mountain at precisely nine in the morning!
The Baoling Temple on Fulin Hill in the suburbs drew heavy crowds for its incense. Going there to pray for a safety amulet for Pei Xu wouldn't be a bad idea.
So Yun Lou dragged herself out of bed, washed and dressed, and had Aunt Zhou pack some tea, pastries, and fruit to take along.
Cui Lingyi was even more eager than she was—the woman was simply incapable of staying still, and these past few days had nearly bored her to death. She'd sent her maid to deliver the message, then saddled her horse and gone galloping off to the outskirts for a few laps, planning to meet Yun Lou and climb the mountain together at nine.
After the heavy rain, the sky was scrubbed clean and the Fulin Mountain looked freshly washed, revealing layers of verdant green. Mist coiled around the mountainside, and the ancient bell of Baoling Temple echoed now and then through the hills.
Cui Lingyi had run her horse several laps around the mountain, feeling wonderfully invigorated. Reaching the foot of the hill, she dismounted and walked at a leisurely pace, leading her horse by the reins as she waited for her close friend.
Before long, the urgent clatter of hooves and the rumble of carriage wheels came from behind her. Cui Lingyi turned to look—two people were driving a horse-drawn carriage past at full speed. A heavy rain had fallen the night before, and the muddy pits at the base of the mountain were all filled with water. The carriage flew by without slowing in the slightest, and she had no time to dodge. In an instant, she was splattered with filthy, muddy water all over.
Mud caked her face and clothes. Cui Lingyi was absolutely livid, shaking her horsewhip at the carriage that was already vanishing into the distance and letting out a string of curses before leaping onto her horse and giving chase.
By the time Yun Lou arrived at the foot of Fulin Mountain in a swaying carriage packed with pastries, there was no one to be seen.
The driver pulled the carriage to the side, and Yun Lou stayed inside, waiting until well past midday, but Cui Lingyi never showed.
Yinyin said, "Perhaps something delayed her."
Yun Lou thought it over for a moment, then jumped down from the carriage and looked around. There had been passersby walking by in the morning, and the road was thick with mud, so no traces could be discerned.
If something had delayed Cui Lingyi, her temperament would have meant she'd send someone to inform Yun Lou.
A faint unease settled in Yun Lou's chest, and she climbed back into the carriage. "Return to the city, go to the county office."
When they reached the entrance of the government office, Bian Yu happened to be walking out. Yun Lou lifted the carriage curtain and waved to him. "Captain Bian, have you seen Lingyi?"
Bian Yu frowned. "Didn't she make an appointment with you at Fulin Mountain?"
When Yun Lou told him she'd waited at the foot of the mountain for two full hours without a sign of Cui Lingyi, Bian Yu's always-cold expression shifted. He turned on his heel and strode back inside, emerging moments later with an ashen face. "The officer on duty said he saw her ride out of the city on horseback early this morning."
Yun Lou didn't want to think the worst. People came and went constantly at the base of Fulin Mountain, and though Cui Lingyi was only a mediocre martial artist, she'd trained in the martial arts since childhood—not someone an ordinary person could easily get close to.
"Perhaps she went up the mountain herself? I'll go up and search for her."
But Bian Yu's mind seemed to jump to something else, and suddenly his face went stark pale. "…Of late, young men and women have been disappearing in surrounding towns. Magistrate Cui suspects it's tied to the bandits of Beiwu Mountain and is investigating."
His expression was grim. He couldn't spare another word for Yun Lou, and hurried back into the county office.
Yinyin watched all this unfold, tension rising in her voice. "Madam, what should we do? Could Miss Cui have really been taken by the bandits?"
Yun Lou gazed into the distance, toward the direction of Beiwu Mountain.
After a moment, she lowered the curtain. "Let's go home first."
The wide blade Cui Lingyi had gifted her stood beside the purple sandalwood desk where Pei Xu usually studied. Yun Lou had said she wanted it placed there to ward off evil, and he'd indulged her.
When she found herself alone, Yun Lou would practice with the blade inside the house. This knife was a little shorter than the one she'd once used, but heavier—still, she found it served her hand well.
She wrapped the blade in her cloak, didn't let Yinyin or Wensi follow this time, and only told Zhong Shi to drive the carriage. They headed back toward Fulin Mountain.
Let's hope Cui Lingyi was up there, inside Baoling Temple.
Otherwise, she would have a score to settle with the bandits who'd been testing her patience time and again.
