Zhou Ting withdrew the personal attendant guards he had originally stationed outside the medical hall and had Chao Yisong place the items he’d brought in the back corridor. Brocade boxes of various colors nearly filled the table surface. He said, “The Night Watch Bureau has been busy lately, and I haven’t been able to come visit Miss Ni. These are all items the Commander ordered me to deliver to you.”

“Commander Han?”

Ni Su was astonished. Regarding this Night Watch Bureau Commander, she found it difficult to say she had no fear in her heart. Every time she recalled the interrogation Commander Han had subjected her to upon first entering the Night Watch Bureau, it made her tremble.

“The Commander admires your courage in seeking justice for your brother and personally ordered people to gather these things. Please do not refuse them, Miss Ni.” Zhou Ting said.

Behind him, Chao Yisong heard these words and a strange expression floated across his face, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

“Then please, Deputy Commander Zhou, convey my thanks to Commander Han.”

Ni Su bowed with cupped hands.

“You have injuries, miss. No need for excessive courtesy.” Seeing her do this, Zhou Ting instinctively reached out his hand but quickly withdrew it. After she straightened her body, Zhou Ting looked at her thin, pale face and asked, “I wonder if Miss Ni’s injuries have improved somewhat?”

When Zhou Ting first met her, she had been in the Night Watch Bureau prison, having already received the威棍 (intimidation rod) from Guangning Prefecture and then been personally interrogated by Commander Han Qing in the punishment pool.

She was always getting injured, and her person grew thinner day by day. But Zhou Ting knew that beneath this frail appearance, she possessed sharp and resilient bones.

Cai Chunxu’s eyes swept back and forth between these two people standing and talking. A smile tugged at her lips. She ordered servants to take all those things into the room, then took the cushion from Yuzhen’s hands and placed it on the stool surface, helping Ni Su sit down. “Her injuries have improved somewhat. Why must Deputy Commander Zhou stand while talking? Quickly sit and drink some hot tea. This servant thinks it would be good if you stayed to have a meal as well.”

Cai Chunxu’s enthusiasm could not be blocked. Zhou Ting could hardly find an opening to decline. Chao Yisong, quick-eyed and quick-handed, immediately stepped forward and pressed down on Zhou Ting’s shoulders, making him sit. He grinned at Cai Chunxu, “Is there a meal for me too?”

“Naturally there is.”

Cai Chunxu placed a warming jar in Ni Su’s hands and answered with a smile.

“How wonderful!”

Chao Yisong plopped down beside Zhou Ting and secretly winked at him. “Deputy Commander Zhou, let’s eat a meal here!”

“…”

Zhou Ting turned his face away, ignored him, and said to Cai Chunxu and Ni Su, “Forgive the intrusion.”

In the room, Xu Hexue heard someone push open the door to the adjacent room. He stood by the window gauze. Their voices of conversation were sometimes clear, sometimes muffled. Xu Hexue didn’t listen carefully but only looked at the beast pearl in his hand. It remained quiet, no longer flashing any light of soul fire.

He gently raised his eyelids. Through the pale-colored window gauze, he saw the back of that young woman wrapped in a thick cloak, sitting together with Cai Chunxu.

Xu Hexue returned to sit before the desk. Droplets of glimmering dust condensed at his fingertips and drilled into the beast pearl, but the wooden carved beast pearl still had no reaction whatsoever.

He remained in this quiet room, holding that beast pearl and trying repeatedly, until the sky dimmed and his eyes gradually found it difficult to see.

Cai Chunxu had arranged a table of fine food. During the meal, she warmed a pot of wine, poured a cup, and stood to toast Zhou Ting. “Deputy Commander Zhou, my husband entered the Night Watch Bureau twice, and you didn’t torture him either time. This servant will use tonight’s meal to thank you and Commander Han.”

“I truly cannot accept this thanks from Madam Cai.”

Zhou Ting raised his cup. “The Night Watch Bureau only questioned the Court Gentleman. Since it was questioning, naturally we couldn’t use torture.”

“Regardless, thank you, Deputy Commander Zhou, for having people protect my little sister A’Xi all this time.” Cai Chunxu’s face remained full of smiles.

“It was my duty.”

Zhou Ting didn’t know how to respond to Cai Chunxu’s teasing gaze. He nodded to her, then drank down the cup of wine.

Ni Su had injuries and naturally couldn’t drink alcohol. She used tea in place of wine to toast Zhou Ting. “Deputy Commander Zhou, I knew from the beginning that my matter would be very difficult. But you and Commander Han were willing to care about it, willing to work hard for it. Ni Su is endlessly grateful in her heart.”

Even knowing that Han Qing and even Minister Meng behind him had only taken pains over her elder brother’s case because they felt it was advantageous to them, Ni Su didn’t care about any of that.

Wu Jikang had confessed his crime and died. This was more important than anything.

Zhou Ting could still respond to a few sentences of what Cai Chunxu said, but when it came to Ni Su, Zhou Ting simply didn’t know what to say when watched by those eyes of hers.

He only raised his cup to her, then drank it all in one gulp.

After toasting, at the table only the voices of Cai Chunxu and Chao Yisong remained. Zhou Ting was naturally not good with words, while Ni Su was absent-minded. She couldn’t help repeatedly turning to look at the dark room across the way.

The sky was boundlessly dark. As Chao Yisong followed Zhou Ting out of the medical hall, he said eagerly, “Deputy Commander Zhou, I saw that snowflake satin again!”

“What snowflake satin?”

Zhou Ting was distracted.

“Last time when the bailiffs from Guangning Prefecture came here searching for monkshood and made a mess—didn’t I tell you there was an unfinished man’s garment? When I followed the servants to put things away, I saw a bolt of satin again. I think it’s the same as last time—snow white with pale gold hidden patterns. Extremely beautiful! It must have cost quite a bit!”

As Chao Yisong spoke, he also studied Zhou Ting’s tall, imposing figure. “You always wear military official robes. I’ve never seen you wear such a refined style.”

“Don’t speak nonsense.”

Zhou Ting frowned.

“How is it nonsense? I see that Miss Ni doesn’t know any other young gentlemen—isn’t it just you, sir?” Chao Yisong avoided puddles in the road, chattering away. “I really don’t understand you, sir. Those things given to Miss Ni today—how were they all sent by the Commander? Don’t they also include your share? Yet you didn’t even mention it… Now that Miss Ni’s elder brother’s case is resolved and her vengeance is repaid, if you don’t move more quickly, what if, what if she doesn’t stay in Yun Jing and wants to return to her hometown in Que County? After all, Yun Jing isn’t really a good place for her.”

Zhou Ting started, then lowered his eyes.

The justice she had risked her life to fight for—she had already obtained it. So would she still remain in Yun Jing, this place that had destroyed her elder brother’s life?

“Speak any more and you’ll return to the Night Watch Bureau for punishment.”

Chao Yisong was still going on endlessly. Zhou Ting collected his expression and strode forward.

“…”

Chao Yisong’s face turned the color of vegetables. In his heart he only felt that this Deputy Commander Zhou was good in every way—only his romantic faculties weren’t well developed, like a stuffy gourd.

Cai Chunxu ordered the servants to clean up the courtyard and helped Ni Su, saying to her, “Little sister A’Xi, what are you thinking in your heart?”

“What?”

Ni Su was still looking at the room across the way.

“I had someone ask around. Deputy Commander Zhou’s family background is quite good. Though he’s a military official, his family is actually scholarly. His father is a fourth-rank official at court…”

As Cai Chunxu spoke these words with a smile, Ni Su finally reacted. She turned to meet Cai Chunxu’s eyes and smiled helplessly. “Sister Cai, I don’t have those kinds of thoughts about Deputy Commander Zhou.”

What Cai Chunxu actually thought was—even if there aren’t those thoughts now, who knows about the future?—but she didn’t say this explicitly. She only asked, “Then tell me, what kind of gentleman do you want?”

What kind of gentleman?

Ni Su thought hard. “First and foremost, someone who doesn’t belittle my aspirations.”

“And what else?”

“And also…” Ni Su pressed her lips together and said, “I’m not very good at cooking. If he could cook, that would be good.”

“How many men are willing to cook?”

Cai Chunxu laughed at her.

“There are some.”

Ni Su said.

“What else then?” Cai Chunxu slowly helped her walk into the courtyard.

The cold air was heavy at night. Every breath became white mist. Ni Su sniffed and looked up to discover that tonight on the roof tiles, stars spread across the night sky, twinkling with clear, bright light.

She tilted her head back and among so many stars found the brightest one. “Like a star—clean and bright.”

Cai Chunxu was completely confused. “There’s no such man in this world.”

As night deepened, Cai Chunxu couldn’t stay any longer. She instructed Yuzhen to serve Ni Su well, then took the carriage back to the Grand Commandant’s mansion.

“Miss Ni, why do you want to sleep here tonight?”

Yuzhen’s puzzled voice came from outside the room door. Xu Hexue, sitting quietly in the darkness, felt his eyelashes flutter slightly and raised a pair of lifeless eyes.

“I…”

Ni Su felt somewhat guilty. “The medicinal smell in my room is a bit overpowering. I want to change rooms to sleep.”

“Oh…”

Yuzhen didn’t suspect anything.

Xu Hexue heard the sound of the door being pushed open, followed by the maidservant Yuzhen’s voice. “The room hasn’t been lit yet. This servant will immediately—”

“No need. Just give me the fire striker. I’ll do it myself.”

Ni Su interrupted her.

“But your injuries…”

Yuzhen hesitated somewhat. She had moved around a lot today—who knew how much her wounds hurt?

“It’s just a small matter. I can do it.”

The lantern under the eaves swayed slightly, casting orange-yellow light and shadow into the room. Ni Su saw the person sitting in that patch of dim shadow. His eyes were half-lowered, his form as faint as mist.

Unable to dissuade her, Yuzhen could only hand her the fire striker and help her enter the door to sit by the table. Then she found many candles to place on the table before withdrawing.

“You…”

Xu Hexue listened carefully to her movements and pressed his lips together lightly. “Are you sleeping here tonight?”

“Am I intruding on you?”

She said.

After a long while, Xu Hexue said softly, “No.”

A remnant soul—what intrusion could there be? This room was hers. The furnishings and objects were all hers. If she wanted to be here, she could be here.

“If I didn’t say this to Yuzhen, how could I come see you?” Ni Su steadily placed the candle on the candlestick. “You weren’t happy today. I was afraid that even if I called you, you wouldn’t be willing to come see me.”

“I wasn’t unhappy.”

Xu Hexue started. The candle hadn’t been lit yet. He couldn’t see her and could only turn his face in the direction her voice came from.

“Then why, on the way back from the execution ground, were you unwilling even to appear before my eyes?”

At that time, beside Ni Su had been Cai Chunxu, Yuzhen, and the Night Watch Bureau’s Deputy Commander Zhou Ting. Only he was absent—just a wisp of pale mist, as if he could be scattered by the cold wind at any moment.

As she spoke, a lamp lit up, illuminating Xu Hexue’s hollow, pitch-black eyes, making him meet her gaze unprepared.

Outside the window, cold wind swept across the ground. Withered leaves rustled.

Xu Hexue parted his lips but didn’t know how to answer.

During the long silence, Ni Su lit several more lamps. The entire room became much brighter—enough for his eyes to see her face clearly.

“Will a gentleman also lie?”

She suddenly said.

Xu Hexue’s fingers clenched and curled around the robes at his knees. He spoke, “I was only…”

“Only what?”

Ni Su supported herself on the table surface with one hand and stood up. Her body still hurt badly, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead, but she showed no sign of it. She walked to the bed, then turned back to look at him. “May I?”

Xu Hexue’s fingers relaxed. The beast pearl nearly rolled away. His voice carried a trace of subtle hoarseness. “…You may.”

Actually, whatever she wanted to do was fine.

He even wished she wouldn’t need to ask him. Sheltering under her eaves, he had never had room to refuse.

The candles in the room were too bright, allowing him to clearly watch her lift his quilt and lie down fully clothed, resting on his pillow…

His eyelids moved slightly as he looked away.

“Are you unhappy because I’m not good to you?”

Lying on this bed, wrapped in his quilt, Ni Su actually smelled a scent identical to what was on his body—accumulated snow burying spring flowers, cold yet refreshing.

Curiously, she pressed her nose to the edge of the quilt and sniffed.

“No…”

As Xu Hexue spoke, he raised his eyes. His words drowned in his throat.

What was she… doing?

As a ghost spirit, he had no warm temperature and couldn’t blush, yet her actions still awakened an emotion that only existed when he had been human.

“…I’m sorry.”

Ni Su realized her behavior was a bit strange. A trace of redness floated across her pale face.

This time it seemed she really had intruded on him a bit.

The room fell silent again. One of them on the bed, one at the desk—facing each other, yet neither dared look into the other’s eyes.

“Why aren’t you answering me?”

Ni Su gazed at the bed canopy overhead and cleared her throat.

“You treat me very well.”

Xu Hexue smoothed the wrinkles in his sleeves. “But actually, I hope you won’t…”

Don’t treat me so well.

He had clearly already decided to say this latter half of the sentence to her. Today beneath the execution platform, when he looked at his own hand, he had wanted to tell her this.

But now, looking at her, he discovered he was actually held captive by selfish desire, unable to speak.

Ni Su didn’t know what he was thinking. Having waited a long time for the rest of his sentence, she opened her mouth to ask, but saw his expression change slightly. Then he raised his hand. The beast pearl in his palm actually broke free from his hand, scattering strange glimmering light as it floated up.

Ni Su looked at that beast pearl. Glimmering light continuously poured from within, like silk threads moving back and forth, gradually outlining a faint shadow.

Her pupils constricted. She almost immediately rose from the bed. Disregarding her injuries, she took stumbling steps closer.

The garment he wore was the one his corpse had worn in the Clay Bodhisattva temple at Qingyuan Mountain—the garment she had watched her mother sew for him, stitch by stitch.

As if unable to believe it, Ni Su called out tremulously, “Elder brother…”

As if much time had already passed, her elder brother’s voice and appearance existing in her mind had already begun to fade. But when he now appeared before her eyes, all the past became incomparably vivid again.

“A’Xi.”

The shadow projected by the beast pearl was clear and clean. He didn’t look at all like that corpse in the Clay Bodhisattva temple—decayed and cold.

Just this one call of “A’Xi,” and Xu Hexue saw Ni Su’s eyes instantly turn red. Like a child, she suddenly burst into wailing sobs.

“A’Xi, you’ve lost so much weight.”

Ni Qinglan’s figure hung suspended in midair. He reached out his hand but couldn’t support her. “For me, you’ve suffered.”

“It wasn’t suffering.”

Tears nearly blurred Ni Su’s vision. She kept wiping with the back of her hand, wanting to see her elder brother’s face more clearly. “Elder brother, I didn’t suffer…”

He was the elder brother from her memories, possessing brows and eyes similar to hers, such a handsome face.

“If I had known it would come to this, you shouldn’t have listened to father.” Ni Su cried beyond her control. “If you hadn’t come to Yun Jing for the examinations, you wouldn’t have been murdered. I wanted you to be well, wanted you to live. I miss you so much. Mother misses you too…”

Her courage, her resilience—in this moment of seeing her deceased loved one, they crumbled to dust.

“I’ve seen mother.”

Ni Qinglan couldn’t even wipe her tears for her.

“A’Xi, actually I don’t want you to be like this for me. You’re my younger sister. I wanted you to have it better—at least not to injure yourself all over for my sake.”

“But A’Xi, I’m also very happy. To have a younger sister like you is this elder brother’s fortune.”

Ni Qinglan looked at her and showed a trace of a smile. “You also shouldn’t be sad for me anymore. You’ve already done enough for me. I can see it all. Mother can see it too.”

“From now on, will you be afraid, all alone?”

Ni Su shook her head and said through her tears, “I’m not afraid.”

“I know you won’t be afraid.” Ni Qinglan nodded and said to her, “When you were young and secretly studied medicine, when father whipped you, you weren’t afraid then either. You’re a young woman of firm resolve. I’ve always known.”

Ni Su took out a book from her sleeve. With trembling hands she opened it. “Elder brother, do you still remember what we agreed? We would write this medical text on treating women’s private ailments together. You taught me first. You said that when I grew up, when I’d seen more patients and learned better medical skills, I would teach you in turn…”

“Elder brother can’t do it anymore.”

Ni Qinglan shook his head gently, looking at her tenderly. “But A’Xi, you certainly can, right?”

“I can.”

Ni Su’s face was wet with tears. She said chokingly, “I certainly will. For this entire life, I will carry both my own aspirations and elder brother’s unfinished ones to write this medical text. I want women throughout the land to no longer feel shame about private ailments. I want elder brother’s legacy to exist in this world together with this medical text.”

“I, Ni Su, vow with this aspiration to devote the rest of my life to it.”