Yu Tang wanted exactly this effect.

She walked over with measured steps, ignoring the gazes falling upon her, and lifted her veiled hat with a pretense of curiosity.

Then she saw faces frozen in astonishment.

Green bamboo-colored robe… two pouches… one water-green, one lake-green…

Yu Tang quickly found Li Jun sitting in the western part of the crowd.

He was not yet twenty years old, with fair skin and handsome features, his eyes sparkling with vitality as he spoke with someone beside him.

Sensing the disturbance around him, he turned his head and immediately saw Yu Tang.

Yu Tang watched as he slowly opened his mouth, his eyes widening as he stared at her unblinkingly like a fool, his eyes filled with amazement.

So this was Li Jun?

Yu Tang blinked.

In her imagination, if Li Jun knew her and saw her suddenly appear here, he should be very surprised. If he didn’t know her, he would be unfamiliar with her—either glancing at her once and turning away, like Third Master Pei had when he first saw her, or examining her curiously a few times.

But now… she hadn’t expected Li Jun to look like this.

This made it impossible for her to judge whether he recognized her or not.

But she couldn’t return empty-handed—things had already reached this point, and it would be difficult to find such an opportunity again. Most importantly, she feared her parents would think this was a good match and quietly agree to the Li family’s proposal.

Yu Tang thought for a moment and smiled at Li Jun.

Li Jun’s face immediately flushed red, but he also came to his senses.

He lowered his head embarrassedly and pretended to take a sip of tea, then couldn’t help but look up at her again, appearing extremely curious about her.

Yu Tang took a few steps forward, walking under Enlightenment Pine, and looked at Li Jun, saying, “May I ask the young gentlemen for directions?”

Li Jun showed hesitation on his face. The gentleman closest to Yu Tang had already stood up, his face bright red, looking somewhat flustered as he said loudly, “Miss, you can ask me.” As he spoke, he bowed to Yu Tang. “This student’s surname is Chen. I’m from Banqiao Town in Lin’an Prefecture, living in Chen Family Village west of Banqiao Town…”

Before he could finish speaking, the Chen-surnamed scholar was suddenly pushed aside by a gentleman next to him. Someone moved forward and said to Yu Tang, “Miss, don’t listen to him. As someone from Banqiao, how could he know better than me, someone whose ancestral home is Mituo Village? Miss, what do you want to ask?”

“Hey, hey, hey! Fu Xiaowan, you’ve gone too far.” The Chen-surnamed scholar angrily pointed at the person speaking to Yu Tang. “How can you not even observe basic courtesy? And you call yourself a disciple of Confucius and a follower of Mencius.”

“What does this have to do with studying?” Someone walked over and patted the shoulder of the one called Fu Xiaowan, smiling at the Chen-surnamed scholar. “Chen Yao, when we help others solve their troubles, it’s just doing one good deed a day. Different people see things differently—don’t think everyone is like you.” Since this remark wasn’t quite elegant, the person spoke vaguely.

The one called Chen Yao was absolutely furious.

Someone came to mediate: “Alright, alright, Shen Fang, Chen Yao, Fu Xiaowan, all of you say less. Look how you’ve frightened the lady.”

Yu Tang saw it was Li Jun.

Li Jun gave her a gentle smile and bowed to her, saying, “Miss, these classmates of mine are all quite good people. They just like to joke around. They haven’t frightened you, have they?”

Fu Xiaowan sneered and said, “Li Jun, you’re one to talk. Looking at you, I don’t see you being particularly courteous either!”

“Xiaowan!” Shen Fang stopped Fu Xiaowan. Clearly, the two had a good relationship.

Fu Xiaowan said nothing more.

Yu Tang’s heart leaped with joy.

She hadn’t mistaken Li Jun, and she had even struck up a conversation with him.

Yu Tang smiled at Li Jun and said, “Young master, thank you! I want to go to Brush-Washing Spring. Could you tell me how to get there?”

Li Jun hurriedly gave her directions: “You go forward from here, and when you see a red corner gate, turn left first…”

His companions behind him squealed and jeered.

That Fu Xiaowan was even more mischievous, saying, “So the young miss wanted to ask Young Master Li for directions! No wonder she ignored us!”

But before his words had finished, Shen Fang patted his shoulder and scolded, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Fu Xiaowan laughed gleefully.

Someone said, “He’s the second young master of the Li family in the southern part of the city, called Li Jun. He loves racing horses on the post roads outside the city. Miss, please remember this. Next time if you lose your way again, you might ask around there.”

Li Jun looked very embarrassed but didn’t stop or refute that person’s words.

Yu Tang was astonished.

What did Li Jun mean by this?

Could he really have misunderstood that she had taken a fancy to him?

Yu Tang was just pondering how to make Li Jun dispel this misunderstanding when she heard Chen Yao say sarcastically, “Young Master Li is being rather unromantic. You should hurry and ask which household the young miss is from, so as not to disappoint her deep affection and sincere intentions.”

These words were somewhat excessive.

Yu Tang frowned.

Li Jun turned around displeased and glared at Chen Yao.

Shen Fang simply glowered and scolded Chen Yao, “If you can’t speak properly, don’t speak. No one thinks you’re mute.”

Chen Yao said, “Young Master Shen comes from a prominent family in Hangzhou Prefecture. It’s common for you to look down on us poor country folk.”

“Who are you talking about?” Fu Xiaowan spoke up for Shen Fang, confronting him. “You better watch your mouth.”

“I’m talking about Shen Fang. What’s it to you?”

Chen Yao, Fu Xiaowan, and several others started quarreling.

Not only did Li Jun not go help, but he stood in front of Yu Tang and stammered for a long while before bowing to her and saying, “I still don’t know which household the young miss is from? Do you have maids or servants with you? There’s a stone bench over there. If the young miss doesn’t mind, why not go rest for a moment? I’ll send a servant to find your family members.”

Yu Tang felt as if she had fallen into an icy cellar in an instant.

The truth came so unexpectedly.

She thought she would need to put in more effort, but who knew that after just a few sentences, Li Jun would reveal his true colors.

Li Jun didn’t know her at all.

Didn’t know who she was.

Lin Shi had lied!

But why would she lie?

Was it just to make her marry Li Jun?

What was Lin Shi after?

In her previous life, she had lost her parents, her family had fallen into decline—even her dowry wasn’t worth much money.

Why did Lin Shi insist that she marry Li Jun?

Could it be because Lin Shi knew Li Jun’s life wouldn’t be long?

Yu Tang immediately dismissed this conjecture.

Even if Li Jun died young, it wasn’t impossible for the Li family to find someone for a ghost marriage for him. Why go to such great lengths to scheme for her?

Yu Tang couldn’t figure it out.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Scripture Repository nearby, Pei Yan, who had watched the entire process, had his face stretched taut. His already expressionless face appeared even more cold and severe.

Though it wasn’t yet winter, one could already feel a bone-chilling cold.

Master Huikong, the abbot of Zhaoming Temple who had just arrived, looked at his hand gripping the bright red railing—fair as jade, slender as bamboo—yet holding the Pei family’s vital point, making people dare not move. He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly in his heart and said, “What is the benefactor looking at here?”

Pei Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at Huikong indifferently without making a sound.

Huikong took no offense. He walked to his side, looked at the men and women under Enlightenment Pine, and smiled, “If the benefactor hasn’t noticed, I’d like to invite the benefactor to look at a painting.”

Pei Yan said nothing, but pale green veins surfaced on the back of his hand. His hand seemed to grip even tighter.

Huikong pointed to Yu Tang, Li Jun, and the others below, saying, “Benefactor, look!”

He didn’t expect Pei Yan to answer him, so he continued, “When we look down from the second floor, we only see a talented man and beautiful woman, like a perfect couple. That young gentleman seems quite smitten with that young lady and is carefully speaking with her. But in reality, that young gentleman and the young lady didn’t know each other before speaking, and it was the young lady who initiated the conversation with the young gentleman. This shows how great the gap is between fact and imagination.

“Your father and I were friends beyond worldly concerns. He told me about calling you back.

“I thought at the time that your father did the right thing.

“But who could have known that your father would fall ill and pass away because of it?

“Therefore, I ask you to grieve properly and not replace facts with imagination, or punish the present with the future.

“You should focus more on the present.

“Otherwise, what meaning was there in Old Master Pei calling you back?”

Pei Yan lowered his eyes.

His long lashes were like neat little fans, casting a shadow on his eyelids.

Watching this, Huikong chanted a Buddhist invocation and changed the subject, “The benefactor said he wanted to borrow Zhaoming Temple’s Scripture Repository. This temple is deeply honored. I wonder which scripture the benefactor is interested in? This old monk regularly recites the Diamond Sutra. Does the benefactor have any insights to share?”

Pei Yan suddenly opened his eyes and then coldly interrupted Huikong’s words: “The Heart Sutra.”

Huikong didn’t react for a moment: “What?”

“I said the Heart Sutra.” Pei Yan’s gaze still looked at the original spot as he said, “You asked what I like. I said I like the Heart Sutra.”

Huikong let out a long breath of relief.

It was good that Pei Yan was willing to speak with him.

Since Old Master Pei’s death, Pei Yan no longer communicated with others, and the words he spoke carried a killing intent like clashing weapons, making those around him uncomfortable and spawning many rumors unfavorable to the Pei family.

This was something Master Huikong, who had been on close private terms with Old Master Pei, did not wish to see.

“You’ve had a photographic memory since childhood. The Heart Sutra is only about a hundred characters long, so presumably you already know it by heart…” As Huikong spoke with Pei Yan, he thought of the corner of his mouth that had just curved up. He couldn’t help but follow his line of sight, only to see that the woman who had been standing by Enlightenment Pine had disappeared without a trace, leaving only the Li family’s second young master Li Jun standing there alone and forlorn.

Behind him, the young scholars were still arguing about something, but his expression was very dazed, as if he had been abandoned.

This was probably yet another story.

Huikong collected his thoughts and continued discussing the Heart Sutra with Pei Yan, hoping through this method to unlock Pei Yan’s emotional barriers.

Yu Tang was pulled away by Ma Xiuniang.

When Ma Xiuniang heard the group jeering, she feared Yu Tang would get into trouble. She ran over in two or three quick steps, hastily said to Li Jun, “I’m sorry, I got separated from my sister,” and forcibly pulled Yu Tang away from Enlightenment Pine.

Yu Tang stumbled along until they began climbing the mountain path to Brush-Washing Spring before she caught her breath.

She wished she could rush home immediately and tell Chen Shi of her discovery, to investigate why Lin Shi wanted her as a daughter-in-law in both lifetimes.

But it had been hard for Ma Xiuniang to come out with Zhang Hui this time. She couldn’t just think of herself and ignore others.