Although Hao Ren hadn’t said a word about it, Ji Cheng knew that if she didn’t help him, he might try to save himself by betraying her. If she were in his position, she would certainly do the same.
On this autumn night, the Qing Garden was pitch dark. The wind howled eerily, and if one listened carefully, it seemed to carry faint cries and sobs. Yu Qian’er was so frightened she almost clung to Ji Cheng.
When they reached the bamboo grove at the foot of Jiuli Courtyard, Ji Cheng said, “Don’t wait for me here. Go find a sheltered place to rest.”
Yu Qian’er whispered, “That bamboo grove is strange. What if you go in and can’t come out? It’s so cold; I wonder if the Second Young Master will even remember to come.”
Ji Cheng replied, “Don’t worry, I’m prepared.”
Indeed, Ji Cheng had come prepared. She carried silk thread with her, tying it to a bamboo stalk as she entered the grove. Every two steps, she tied it to another stalk. This way, if she wanted to leave, she could follow the thread to find her way out. Fearing the thin silk might break in the wind, Ji Cheng had twisted several strands of the strongest cotton thread together for safety.
The bamboo grove was deserted. The rustling of bamboo leaves sounded like countless ghostly footsteps approaching. Ji Cheng almost wanted to cover her ears. She pulled her smoke-blue satin cloak with gray fox fur trim closer around her. After waiting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn without seeing Shen Che, Ji Cheng simply took off her cloak, draped it over a nearby bent bamboo stalk, and began practicing her sword dance with her peach wood sword to keep warm.
As she finished a turn at the end of her routine, Ji Cheng looked up to see Shen Che standing against a bamboo stalk opposite her.
Ji Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had truly feared that Shen Che might be toying with her and stand her up, given the playful tone in his voice on Mount Suyu.
“The sword dance that summer night was even better. As graceful as a swimming dragon, as beautiful as a blazing phoenix,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng put her sword away on her back and said, “Cousin Che.”
Shen Che took a few steps forward, and Ji Cheng could finally make out his features. There was no moon tonight, and even the starlight was faint. Mixed with the sparse lights from Jiuli Courtyard on the hill, it cast an air of mystery over Shen Che.
Such a night easily lent itself to ambiguity.
“I apologize, I had some social engagements outside tonight. I’ve kept Ah Cheng waiting,” Shen Che said.
This time, Ji Cheng was truly stunned. The progression from “Miss Ji” to “Sister Cheng” had been natural enough. After that incident in the changing room at the polo match where Shen Che’s eyes had taken advantage of her, it had become “Little Sister Cheng”. Ji Cheng knew this was just the playful flirtation of a romantic young master. But she hadn’t expected it to suddenly become “Ah Cheng” tonight, to the point where Ji Cheng wondered if she had come as Shen Che’s “lover” for a tryst.
Ji Cheng’s ears turned red uncontrollably, and her face felt hot. Compared to a man’s appearance, Ji Cheng felt that a man’s voice was more bewitching.
At this moment, Shen Che’s voice carried the deep tones of the night, like oil drops coating one’s heart. And he stood there, right before her eyes, impossible to avoid.
Ji Cheng had always known that Shen Che had a face that could captivate hearts. Because she was quite averse to him and disapproved of some of his actions, to avoid being deceived by appearances, Ji Cheng had always tried to avoid looking at Shen Che when they met before.
But tonight, perhaps because the night was so dark, Ji Cheng found herself boldly examining the man before her.
His sideburns were as if cut by a knife, his eyes like dots of lacquer. In the sparse light of the cold stars, Shen Che’s skin emitted a clear radiance like jade from a cold mountain. Jade is something that becomes more appealing the longer one looks at it, making one want to hold it and play with it. Ji Cheng thought this man was truly blessed by heaven.
Bones like cold mountains, skin like jade, yet his face wore a harmless smile, making Ji Cheng all the more alert. Shen Che was cold to the bone; no matter how beautiful jade is, it’s still just a stone.
Ji Cheng lowered her gaze slightly, no longer looking at Shen Che. Though his smile seemed harmless, it carried an indescribable meaning that made even the rational Ji Cheng’s heart tremble. She was certainly no match for Shen Che, who had seen countless women.
“Is Ah Cheng cold?” Shen Che asked again.
Such thoughtfulness felt like a weasel paying New Year’s respects to a chicken. Ji Cheng shuddered but shook her head, indicating she wasn’t cold. She had been frightened by Shen Che’s sudden gentleness.
Shen Che chuckled softly, “You have a good constitution. But I’m a bit cold. Come with me.”
Ji Cheng didn’t know what Shen Che was like outside, but within the mansion, he never showed a smile to his sisters. Women should avoid their fathers, let alone an elder brother. So these two times when Shen Che treated her with such a beaming smile, although Ji Cheng wasn’t frightened to the point of weak knees, her heart was racing, waiting for him to reveal his true intentions.
After following Shen Che for a while and coming to her senses, Ji Cheng’s face turned completely pale.
The bamboo path was deep and winding. After many turns, rocks appeared behind the bamboo. Ji Cheng looked up at the sky to estimate their position. This place should be right below Jiuli Courtyard, and these rocks were the small hill where Jiuli Courtyard was located.
Shen Che stepped on a small protruding rock on the ground to his right front three times. Slowly, a door crack appeared in the rock face. With several “ka-ka-ka” sounds, the rock moved aside, leaving a gap wide enough for a person. Shen Che slipped inside, and although Ji Cheng’s scalp was tingling, she had no choice but to follow.
The last time Ji Cheng came to the bamboo grove, she had sensed something was amiss but didn’t dare to investigate further, fearing she might see something she shouldn’t. This time, she had been directly trapped by Shen Che.
Ji Cheng now realized that it was probably impossible for her to leave unscathed. She didn’t know what Shen Che was planning, but whatever it was, he must be very confident, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to reveal this secret lair to her.
If she had a choice, Ji Cheng truly wanted to run away and never bother with Hao Ren’s troublesome affairs again.
The cave was empty except for a stone table and a few stone stools. Judging by the size of the room, there should be other hidden chambers, but Ji Cheng didn’t want to know what was in them at all.
“Sit down,” Shen Che pointed to the stone stool opposite him.
Ji Cheng sat down reluctantly and only then noticed the tea set on the table. She had been too nervous to notice it earlier.
Shen Che sat down across from Ji Cheng. A red clay charcoal stove stood to his right, with a copper kettle on top emitting steam. The water inside seemed to be close to boiling.
Ji Cheng watched as Shen Che arranged the tea cups, poured hot water to warm them when the water boiled, and then brewed a cup of hot tea for her. Ji Cheng took it in her hands, and the tea lid clinked against the cup with a “ka-da-da” sound – her hands were shaking.
“It’s ginger tea. Warm yourself up first,” Shen Che said gently.
Ji Cheng no longer stood in the ceremony. Whether she stretched her neck out or pulled it back, she couldn’t avoid what was coming. She simply relaxed and took a sip of the ginger tea. Her stomach immediately warmed up, and her whole body felt more comfortable.
“Cousin Che,” Ji Cheng spoke timidly. No matter what, showing weakness to the enemy was never wrong.
“Hmm?” The rising tone at the end made it impossible for even the shrewd Third Miss Ji to interpret Shen Che’s meaning.
Ji Cheng was well-versed in the trick of not moving unless the enemy moves first. She thought that tonight, Shen Che must be more eager to lay his cards on the table than her, so she said, “Cousin Che, I left my cloak outside.”
“Then go out and get it,” Shen Che replied naturally.
“I can’t find my way,” Ji Cheng lowered her eyes and said frankly.
“I’ll draw a map for you.” As he spoke, Shen Che took out paper and brush from under the table to sketch the path for Ji Cheng. “There’s a Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams formation set up by Master Zhu in this bamboo grove. If one doesn’t know how to break the formation, their mind will be affected after wandering for half an hour – at best, they’ll be unconscious for several days; at worst, they’ll become an idiot.”
Ji Cheng thought, is it really that mystical? She had never encountered such things before, and while she had doubts, she dared not disbelieve.
Shen Che quickly finished drawing the map and handed it to Ji Cheng. “The ink will only last for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Memorize it quickly, otherwise, if such a beauty were to become an idiot, it would be my fault.”
Hearing this, Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che. His face still wore a smile, but he was a smiling tiger hiding a knife. What sin had she committed to encounter such a person to deal with her?
Shen Che shook the paper in his hand and raised an eyebrow, “Why are you standing there dumbfounded?”
Ji Cheng hurriedly took the paper, first scanning it roughly and memorizing about fifty to sixty percent of it. Then she carefully looked at the parts she found most difficult to remember before taking the map and walking out.
The stone door closed behind Ji Cheng. When she looked back, she could hardly find where the door had been. The door was a rugged rock. The hill where Jiuli Courtyard was located was made of rocks, and this stone door stood there – if one didn’t look carefully, they couldn’t see any sign of it being movable.
Ji Cheng followed Shen Che’s map to retrieve her cloak. She paid attention to her surroundings and noticed that the silk thread she had tied when first entering the grove had disappeared. It couldn’t have been blown away by the wind or broken; someone must have removed it.
Such caution?
Ji Cheng put on her cloak and hesitated on the spot. Should she leave or stay? If she left, would Shen Che let her off for the sake of their family ties? Ji Cheng bit her lip and thought about it, estimating that neither Ji Lan nor herself had such a great face.
Ji Cheng had no choice but to slowly walk back. Was Shen Che after her money or her body? In any case, Ji Cheng had already made up her mind that as long as the price was right, she would give him whatever he wanted.
When the stone door opened again, Ji Cheng’s face had changed to a confident expression. There was no trace of the worry and nervousness from moments ago. At the negotiation table, one must never reveal any weakness.
Ji Cheng sat down in front of Shen Che again and noticed that he seemed to have changed his clothes. It was still a moon-white brocade robe, but the previous one had a pattern of curled grass and ruyi symbols, while this one had an eight treasures pattern. If one wasn’t paying attention, it would be easy to overlook.
Moreover, earlier Shen Che had a faint smell of alcohol, indeed as he said, he had just returned from an engagement and hadn’t changed before meeting her in the bamboo grove. Now the smell of alcohol was gone; he must have freshened up.
The ginger tea in front of her had been replaced with Liu’an Guapian tea. The color was clear and bright. Ji Cheng took a sip; it was slightly bitter at first but had a sweet aftertaste. Ji Cheng enjoyed the tea fragrance for a moment before looking at Shen Che and saying, “On Mount Suyu, Cousin Che said you knew why I was looking for you?”
“Mm,” Shen Che took a sip of tea.
“Then can Cousin Che spare Hao Ren?” Ji Cheng asked directly.