The room was very quiet. The maids had all gone to see off Jin Siyu. Only she and Doctor Ruan remained in the chamber.

She still maintained her appearance of resting with closed eyes. Doctor Ruan concentrated on writing the prescription. Neither gave the other an extra glance.

All around, only Klie’s murky breathing sounded strangely. She suddenly opened her eyes and said sincerely to Doctor Ruan’s back, “Doctor, please do your best to save this friend of mine. Because of me, one has already died. I cannot allow another to die.”

Doctor Ruan paused with his brush and turned to look at her questioningly.

She pulled at the corners of her mouth, revealing a bitter smile, but said nothing more, only asking, “Can you save him, Doctor?”

Doctor Ruan leaned over to examine him. “This person has an extremely strong will to survive, and his physical foundation is good. It’s not impossible to try.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, Doctor.” She smiled.

The maids who had seen off Jin Siyu returned. Doctor Ruan instructed, “Move this patient out of Madam’s room. Don’t spread the illness.”

He also took out some herbs. “Hang these above the door lintel and burn them for one hour each night. As for all those other incenses and such, don’t use them anymore. The patient can’t tolerate them.”

Whatever he said, the maids did. Presumably they had already received Jin Siyu’s instructions.

After writing the prescription, taking the medicine, and brewing it—the medicine was brewed by the apprentice, but the maids fed it to her. The apprentice stood stiffly beside the bed, unmoving, staring at the medicine bowl.

“You really don’t understand propriety.” The maid felt uncomfortable being watched and couldn’t help scolding. “Why are you standing here like a post?”

Doctor Ruan, who was searching through his medicine bag, hurried over to pull the apprentice away, saying in a low voice, “Xiao Dai, don’t be rude!” While smiling apologetically at the maid, “Miss, don’t blame him. This has been my rule in practicing medicine—I must watch the patient’s reaction when drinking medicine so I can adjust the prescription at any time. Forgive the impropriety.”

Only then did the maid’s anger turn to pleasure. She smiled demurely and generously moved aside. “After all, it’s not me you’re watching. Look all you want.”

Doctor Ruan still wanted to pull the apprentice away, but the apprentice suddenly shook his sleeve. Doctor Ruan was pushed back stumbling. He couldn’t help but smile awkwardly. “This honest child.” He no longer attempted to pull him away but also stood beside him, unmoving.

The short bed now had two people standing before it, one staring fixedly at the maid feeding medicine. Anyone would feel uncomfortable, yet she acted as if nothing was amiss, not even lifting an eyelid, drinking it down mouthful by mouthful. The maid took out a handkerchief to dab the corners of her lips, smiling. “Miss drank her medicine especially readily today.”

“I feel this medicine is comfortable. Though bitter, it doesn’t make my stomach churn after drinking.” She answered faintly, then closed her eyes.

Doctor Ruan immediately withdrew tactfully, pulling the somewhat stiff-bodied apprentice out. That child’s steps were heavy, his walking sluggish. The maids all giggled, finding the fool amusing.

Just as the two figures were about to disappear at the doorway, she suddenly opened her eyes and glanced at their backs.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, the apprentice also suddenly turned to look at her.

But he only saw her with closed eyes, sleeping peacefully, appearing never to have opened them at all.

Turning at the threshold—just a brief instant.

His gaze drifted thousands of miles yet couldn’t reach her.

Guard Captain Liu led the newly selected guard through the second gate. All along the way, people kept greeting him respectfully. Looking at this lucky fellow, they all smiled somewhat strangely.

As if thinking some good show was about to begin, but having to hold it in, absolutely unable to let the person involved discover—that kind of expression.

The newly selected tall fellow didn’t notice these things. In high spirits, he looked left and right like a country bumpkin entering the city, taking in Puyuan to his fill.

“Say, what’s your name?” The guard captain’s hand rested on his shoulder as he asked with a smile.

The tall fellow lowered his head somewhat oddly, thinking this guy was half a head shorter than himself yet insisted on putting his hand on his shoulder, straining to look up while talking—didn’t that feel uncomfortable? But his mouth spoke humbly, “This humble one is called Liu San Hu.”

“San Hu, good name. You even share a surname with me—what rare fortune.” The guard captain chuckled, vigorously patting his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Follow me, and I’ll treat you well in the future.”

Liu San Hu beamed at him, bowing crisply and efficiently. “Thank you for your favor, sir!”

“My name is Liu Yuan.” The guard captain pulled him up, gripping his hand, examining him up and down again. A trace of secretive amusement appeared in his eyes. “I must cultivate you well. From today on, you’ll room with me.”

The guards all around pricked up their ears listening. Hearing this sentence, glancing at the tall fellow’s physique, their lips all curved into strange arcs. They quickly turned away or busied themselves with tasks, all making themselves look very occupied.

This time Liu San Hu didn’t show pleasure but hesitated. “Room with you, sir? This… isn’t appropriate, is it?”

If I room with you, how will I go find people?

“Hm?” Liu Yuan drew out a long trailing tone, his eyes glancing over sideways. “What’s appropriate or not? If I say it’s appropriate, it’s appropriate!”

The warrior San Hu reacted flexibly, immediately sweeping away his hesitation with a crisp “Yes!”

“Come, I’ll show you our room.” Liu Yuan’s anger turned to pleasure. He grabbed him and headed toward the west wing of the front courtyard. Behind them, guards stuck out their heads, exchanging mysterious glances. Once the two figures turned the corner, they burst out laughing with a “whoosh.”

“Hey, another one!”

“Old Liu’s going to have a great time now.”

“Let’s bet—tomorrow will that guy walk bow-legged or just take sick leave?”

“I bet sick leave!”

“Bow-legged!”

“Sick leave!”

The laughter behind them naturally went unheard by the two ahead. Liu Yuan pulled Liu San Hu directly into a room in the west wing. This room was in a secluded location, surrounded by flower beds on all sides, with no servants in sight.

Liu Yuan brought Liu San Hu straight into the inner room, leaned against the bed, patted the bed board, and beckoned to Liu San Hu. “This is your bed. Come.”

Liu San Hu tilted his head, looking at Liu Yuan. “Huh?”

“Come on.” Liu Yuan smiled with narrowed eyes. “Let me see if you’re sturdy or not.”

“Didn’t you already check earlier, sir?” Liu San Hu looked astonished but slowly came over, standing beside the bed.

“I did look, and what beautiful…” Liu Yuan giggled. “So I want to look again…”

Liu San Hu seemed to freeze in place, unmoving.

“Fool! Don’t you know Master Liu has taken a fancy to you?” Liu Yuan smiled as he looked up, then “smack”—slapped Liu San Hu’s buttocks. A crisp sound.

Liu San Hu jumped up from the slap, rubbing his buttocks, staring at Liu Yuan with his squinting eyes now wide open and round.

Liu Yuan pursed his lips. “Why pretend to be dumb? Looking at you so sharp, you’re not ignorant. This matter—to put it nicely, it’s called male fashion. To put it bluntly, it’s called a butt lawsuit… Come, please Master well, and there’ll be benefits for you.”

With that, he stood up, placed both hands on Liu San Hu’s shoulders, and with one push, the dazed Liu San Hu was shoved onto the bed.

“What a fine body, though Master Liu must still exert himself…” Liu Yuan beamed. “Master Liu likes to play with a few little tricks. Be good now, endure it.”

He raised his hand to pull open the drawer beside him. Inside was full of binding ropes, whips, and such things. Arranging those items methodically, Liu Yuan pressed down Liu San Hu with one hand while the other forcefully tore—rip!—Liu San Hu’s collar was torn open wide, revealing a honey-toned, solid, crystalline chest that gleamed like silk in the dim candlelight.

“Truly beautiful…” Liu Yuan clicked his tongue in admiration. “Ordinary looks, but the body is truly rarely seen…”

Liu San Hu closed his eyes, frowning. From earlier until now, he hadn’t moved or spoken. Under his tightly closed eyelids, his lashes trembled rapidly, as if engaged in intense thought. Trembling too were his fingers, constantly gripping at the bed’s edge, leaving scratches in the wooden bed board.

“Be good now… endure it…” Liu Yuan smiled ambiguously, picking up a section of rope, looping it over Liu San Hu’s neck, then around his bare chest. “Please Master well…”

“Fuck!”

A low roar—an angry lion’s bellow. Liu Yuan started, then felt fierce wind assault his face with overwhelming momentum that stopped his breath. In a daze, seven-colored jewel-like light flashed, and with a bang he was already kicked to the floor.

Greatly alarmed, he looked up to see the person who’d been pressed down on the bed leap up. In midair, he pounced like a golden male lion, one kick sending him sprawling. Then crouching low on one knee, the knee pressed heavily on his chest, pressing until his chest bones creaked and crackled, nearly shattering.

All this happened in an instant. Liu Yuan’s mind full of romantic thoughts was suddenly doused with cold water. His mind went blank, unable to react. He vaguely seemed to hear Liu San Hu mutter lowly, “…Sorry, I really couldn’t endure it…”

He didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence. He looked up in panic. Liu San Hu’s face had already pressed down viciously. “Fucking dead rabbit! Dead rabbit dead rabbit!”

Liu Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say I’m not a rabbit I just like playing with rabbits, but Liu San Hu had already spat a mouthful of saliva in his face. Raising his hand to rip off the rope from his own neck, he bound up Liu Yuan in a few quick movements, threw him with a bang onto the floor, stepped on Liu Yuan’s chest, and spat. “Damn it, a warrior can be killed but not humiliated. Since I’ve knocked you down, might as well be straightforward—old rabbit, you endure it!”

He upended the drawer full of whips, randomly grabbed one, held it in his hand, and lashed down at Liu Yuan.

One lash, one question.

“Fucking telling you to play rabbit?”

“Smack!”

“Fucking telling you to call me good boy?”

“Smack!”

“Fucking telling me to endure?”

“Smack!”

“Fucking telling me to please you well? I’ll beat you well!”

“Smack!”

“Fucking you play however you want but play so disgustingly, making me unable to grit my teeth and sacrifice myself! You’re killing me!”

“Smack!”

Liu Yuan was beaten until he howled, rolling around on the ground. Gradually though, he stopped crying out. He only used his arms to protect his head and face, but from between his arms secretly looked up at Liu San Hu.

That person above, from the angle of lying on the ground looking up, appeared very tall—broad shoulders, narrow waist, slim hips, long legs, a golden beautiful physique. The torn collar forgotten, exposing a large expanse of honey-toned full chest. His forehead and chest, from exertion and anger, seeped crystalline sweat beads that reflected diamond-like luster in the dim candlelight. Rich masculine aura emanated. This moment’s furious man possessed a kind of handsome lion-like masculine charm.

Liu Yuan gazed entranced, suddenly forgetting the pain raining down on him—this type of whip was originally for amusement and didn’t injure bones or tendons. He gradually released his hands. Liu San Hu lashed down another whip. Liu Yuan didn’t permit it, howling as he lunged forward, hugging Liu San Hu’s legs.

“Your Majesty!”

This form of address was earth-shattering. Liu San Hu held the whip, stunned.

“Your Majesty… good man…” Liu Yuan hugged his legs, gasping as he nuzzled against him, looking up with a seductive smile. “Beat me… beat me…”

Liu San Hu slowly lowered his head, staring at him, completely forgetting what he should do.

“You’re my hero, my king…” Liu Yuan reached out to grab the whip in his hand. “Everyone says I like playing rabbit… actually I love more when you torture me… but no one dares… no one’s ever dared… I could only play with them… when raising the whip to them, actually I so hoped a real man… would like this fiercely… fiercely…” He grabbed Liu San Hu’s hand, bringing the whip toward himself. “Come… come… quickly… as long as you’re willing… I’ll agree to anything…”

Liu San Hu stared blankly at the whip in his hand, looking at Liu Yuan’s face full of joy and excitement, flushed all over, even his nostrils flaring excitedly. His face showed an expression mixing collapse and delight.

“Fucking hell…” He stared straight ahead, murmuring. “This world is truly too fucking much to bear…”

Then he lowered his head, looking at the lustful-faced fake-top-actually-bottom masochist Rabbit Liu, flourishing the whip in a flower pattern, growling viciously, “You want me to beat you?”

“Mm.” Rabbit Liu nodded intoxicatedly.

“You’ll agree to anything I say?”

“Good man…” Rabbit Liu gasped and wheezed, clutching the whip. “Anything…”

“I want to enter the back courtyard as His Highness’s personal guard!”

“Done!”

“Damn it, now if I don’t beat you it would be letting you down.” Liu San Hu tossed his hair, suppressing the urge to howl and laugh to the heavens, cracking three random lashes—smack smack smack—then threw down the whip and strode out.

No need to suspect deception—no deception could produce such a weirdo.

His pant leg was suddenly grabbed.

“Darling!” Liu Yuan looked up gasping, clutching his boot. “One more lash!”

The new Guard Liu didn’t take sick leave the next day. But Guard Captain Liu did take leave.

The guards watched the high-spirited Guard Liu walking toward the back courtyard, showing thunderstruck expressions.

How did this kid play? So fierce? The rabbit knocked the master down? What deep skills that must take.

Guard Liu was spirited and cheerful as he reported to the inner courtyard. Only after reporting did he discover that though called His Highness’s personal guard, it wasn’t the kind constantly at His Highness’s side. His Highness’s personal guards also had inner and outer distinctions. He was the kind guarding at the inner courtyard entrance. Guard Liu was very dissatisfied and wanted to go back and beat the old rabbit again to trade for a first-class personal guard position. Thinking that kind of guard probably required Jin Siyu’s personal approval, which the old rabbit lacked authority to grant, he had to give up.

Jin Siyu spent most of his time in the inner courtyard. Supposedly he’d recently taken a new concubine whom he doted on greatly. Since the concubine was ill, he lodged in her room nightly. The guards were very well-informed. Speaking of this, they were animated, saying no one had seen this concubine—His Highness treasured her like a jewel, keeping her in deep seclusion. Someone had glimpsed her from afar—weak as the wind, nothing special to see. They also said His Highness seemed amiable but had always been indifferent toward women. Rarely moved to affection, if this woman could nurse her health back and bear a son or daughter soon, she might fly up to the branches in the future. His Highness already had a principal consort, but the side consort position was still vacant.

Whenever they spoke of these things, Guard Liu silently listened. One day when the guards discussed it again, he said, “That concubine is ill? Would His Highness fancy a sickly one?”

“A beauty’s worried heart adds to her charm.” One guard came up with a refined phrase, then added, “His Highness specially sought the renowned doctor from Three Tripod Mountain for her. Supposedly she’s improved lately. His Highness, fearing she might need a doctor at any time, specially permitted those two to lodge at Cuixue Studio. Truly rare such devotion.”

“The inner courtyard even permits outside men to live there?” Guard Liu clicked his tongue with a smile. “Even we can’t enter one step.”

“Come on, not entering is your good fortune.” One guard said lazily. “What is that inner courtyard? A dragon’s pool and tiger’s den! Step by step with danger. Just what was transported from the capital…”

“Fourth!” A guard suddenly shouted. The previously speaking guard immediately shut up, smiling awkwardly, patting Liu San Hu’s shoulder. “Brother, anyway that’s not a place for us to concern ourselves with. Best not ask.”

“Who’s interested in the inner courtyard?” Liu San Hu scoffed, propping his face with a very longing expression. “I’m interested in women… Poor family, twenty-two and still no wife!”

The guards roared with laughter. A deputy captain smiled. “You speak sense. The outer courtyard has many single men, the inner courtyard many resentful women. I’ve seen a few—some are indeed attractive. With our status, even if we follow His Highness back to the capital in the future, in that magnificent imperial capital at the Son of Heaven’s feet, no one will spare us a glance. Better to stay in Pucheng and find a decent, proper woman to be wife or concubine. San Hu brother, you’re a local. If you’re truly of this mind, your brother can keep an eye out for you.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, elder brother!” Liu San Hu stood up overjoyed with a bow. “My mother’s eyes are nearly going blind hoping I’ll marry a wife!”

The guards laughed uproariously, jostling Liu San Hu, joking that when he got a wife he must treat them. They began enthusiastically discussing which maids in the inner courtyard were attractive and worth considering. Liu San Hu chuckled along, running out to urinate. While urinating, he muttered lowly, “After seducing men, now seducing women. I’m truly devastating to both sexes…” Suddenly a low shout: “Who!”

A black shadow flashed atop the wall, revealing a person’s silhouette. Liu San Hu seemed unable to see clearly, squinting as he assessed, when suddenly his elbow struck out horizontally, directly attacking the other’s chest. Wind whistled beneath his elbow, killing intent severe. “Die!”

The black shadow flashed, drifting lightly past, sliding like a withered leaf from beneath his elbow. Raising a hand, he sealed Liu San Hu’s upper, middle, and lower attacks.

Then giggled.

Liu San Hu frowned, vaguely feeling this laugh was somewhat familiar. His heart stirred and he withdrew his hand, saying nothing more, silently gazing into the darkness.

The other gradually revealed his form—green clothes, small cap, outer courtyard servant’s attire, ordinary features, but a pair of very lively eyes.

Liu San Hu carefully examined his physique. After a long moment, he said hesitantly, “You…”

The other pursed his lips. “Me what me? Don’t ask me. Right now I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

Liu San Hu’s gaze flashed, showing sudden understanding—hearing this dejected, sulking tone, it was eighty percent that certain someone’s personal bodyguard who’d stuck his oar in, causing her to lose her mother and brother.

He had no favorable impression of this person.

“Oh my, I heard you’d been freed. How do you happen to be here? Could it be Pucheng’s scenery is uniquely good, so you’ve come for a holiday?”

The Warrior San Hu discovered for the first time that he actually had a talent for sarcasm.

The capital’s number one spoiled guard opposite him didn’t jump up. He pursed his lips. “Yeah, uniquely good scenery. Beautiful buttocks that slap loudly, old rabbits who can’t be rabbits so play with rabbits instead, and good boys who lovingly whip people every day. Really nice to watch.”

“…”

Guard Liu’s veins bulged, his squinting eyes became round as balls, his finger bones cracking crisply like a string of firecrackers.

Behind his ears appeared a very suspicious flush of red…

“I didn’t come to fight with you.” The servant stepped back, somewhat aggrievedly tugging at his cloth clothes. “I came to discuss with you—think of a way to send me inside.”

“I send you in?” Guard Liu laughed, pointing at his own nose. “I can’t even get in myself. I’ve even been separated from my own people. Send you in? Dream on!”

“I’m more useful going in.” The servant said seriously. “My martial arts are better than all of yours. I can rescue the person you want to rescue.”

Guard Liu snorted with displeasure but didn’t refute the martial arts assessment. He only said coldly, “You’d rescue her? Stop fooling me. Back then, her mother and brother indirectly died at your hands!”

“It’s not…” The servant urgently tried to say something, opening his mouth but stopping. After a long moment, he sighed. “When I wrote that letter, what happened at Nanhai later hadn’t occurred yet. At the time, seeing Master hesitate, I felt uneasy. You don’t know—though the Golden Plume Guard was given to Master, he doesn’t solely control it… After the Nanhai ancestral hall siege incident, I felt… but what’s written is written, black on white. It can’t be taken back…”

“So you regret it?” Liu San Hu listened quietly, shaking his head. “No, I think you’re unreliable. Everything you do is for your master. Everything your master does is for that position. You two could betray at any moment for what you value most… I don’t trust you.”

The servant fell silent, head lowered without speaking. After a long while, he said softly, “He’s already done this much. That day… you saw it too. Someone of his golden noble birth… willingly suffered that punishment… and you still don’t believe?”

“That’s what he deserves.” Liu San Hu answered decisively. “Everything has cause and effect. Speaking of physical suffering, inner pain—whether him, you, or me, who has suffered more than her?”

The servant said nothing more, drawing patterns on the ground with his toe, his fingers constantly picking at the wall as if wanting to pick a hole through it to drill in and see his master.

“Recently I’ve mapped most of the outer courtyard’s routes.” The Warrior San Hu ignored him, pulling out a piece of paper on his own. “There’s still half I can’t access. Looking at your outfit, you’re an outer courtyard cleaning servant? Perfect. Help me fill in that half. This entire Puyuan is quite unusual—both inner and outer courtyards have considerable arrangements. I’ve already marked them. You mark your half too, then we’ll share information and figure out how to send someone in. Even if we can’t enter the inner courtyard, we must clear the escape routes for them.”

“Are you certain that concubine is her?”

Liu San Hu remained silent. After a long moment he said, “There’s a place in the outer courtyard, that northwest corner area—I feel something’s not right. Help me investigate whether it’s Jin Siyu’s misdirection tactic.”

He looked in that direction, his gaze flickering, thinking of how he’d once managed to pass by there and felt those stone lions in the garden were somewhat strange. Also, the pond there—the water seemed too shallow.

“If there’s a dungeon there, then who would be imprisoned…”

The next day, Guard Liu received an assignment—deliver documents to the inner courtyard, to be handed over to the study servant.

Jin Siyu often stayed in the inner courtyard. Many administrative matters were sent by outer courtyard guards to the inner courtyard entrance, collected by inner courtyard study servants who delivered them onward. Guard Liu ordinarily had no opportunity to enter the inner courtyard and couldn’t stick his head around the inner courtyard entrance. This day he finally got his turn to deliver documents.

He carried the document case inward. All along the way his eyes looked straight ahead, yet from the corners of his eyes he surveyed everything around him clearly.

The closer to the inner courtyard, the clearer certain sounds became—the clicking of mechanisms, almost omnipresent. One could imagine that in those dense shadows, behind those rocks, on those eaves, between those flower walls—in all places that could provide cover—were stationed all of Great Yue’s most formidable weapons, their dark barrels coldly watching all who tried to covet the inner courtyard.

This was only the outer perimeter. What about her side? What kind of heart-stopping arrangements would there be?

Thinking of her weak and injured, trapped in heavy siege, confined beside tigers and wolves, under the gaze of many eyes where one misstep meant mortal danger—his heart blazed with fiery anxiety.

In such an environment, could she eat, could she sleep? Could she recuperate well and not be broken down by Jin Siyu’s constant psychological attacks and tests?

As for himself, he hadn’t thought much—everyone knew Jin Siyu absolutely wouldn’t keep her alive for her beauty. This reputedly deeply scheming prince, Great Yue’s most powerful contender for the throne, could only have one purpose in sparing her life—besieging the city to strike at reinforcements.

While she lived, there would be an endless stream of rescuers attempting to save her. From these rescuers, he could deduce her identity and catch even bigger fish.

Therefore, not one could fail.

Liu San Hu pressed his lips together, clutching what he held, thinking that if things went badly and truly reached a desperate dead end, should he bite off his tongue for a quick death or commit suicide by cutting his throat?

At the inner courtyard entrance, a man dressed as a servant was also waiting for him with eyes straight ahead.

This person’s posture standing with hands clasped at the doorway was even more proper than Guard Liu’s, more like a trembling, fearful household servant.

Guard Liu squinted at him, unable to help smiling.

Handing over the case, the servant looked up to receive it. As their fingers touched at the bottom of the case, both quickly withdrew.

Both their sleeves moved.

People were all around them. The two looked up at each other. Their gazes met as if sparking, then both withdrew.

Both were from the same batch entering service. Not exchanging any pleasantries would be unreasonable, though neither actually wanted to exchange pleasantries.

“What’s this brother called?” Guard Liu squinted and smiled at the other. “That day at the gate house, we met once. We nearly got assigned together.”

“Qiu Shu.” The man looked up with a smile. “I don’t have brother’s good fortune. Look—study servant.”

“Liu San Hu.” Guard Liu smiled. “Brother is someone at His Highness’s side—not comparable to a second-rank guard like me. Please take care of me in the future.”

“Wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”

“Must, must.”

With fake smiles, they exchanged a few flat, unremarkable sentences. Then Guard Liu turned and left, so quickly it was as if someone were burning his buttocks. That study servant called Qiu Shu didn’t look back, carrying the case back into the inner courtyard.

Carrying the case, Qiu Shu had just reached the second courtyard when a group of personal guards were practicing martial arts there. The servant detoured around them when he suddenly heard from behind: “Watch out!”

The voice came abruptly, full of killing intent. Then a sheet of crystalline light descended from behind!

Qiu Shu turned in alarm, and like any ordinary person without martial skills, was so startled he froze in place, unmoving.

“Whoosh.”

A vat of water poured down on him, instantly drenching Qiu Shu thoroughly. The water vat itself continued falling toward his head. He stood dazed, eyes wide—clearly frightened senseless.

“Clang!” Blade light flashed, grazing past his scalp, striking down the small vat. Fragments splashed at his feet. The guard who’d rushed over with his blade to shatter the vat raised his weapon. A few strands of hair fell from the blade. He contemptuously shoved him aside. “Standing there stupidly doing what? Getting in the way!”

Qiu Shu hadn’t yet reacted. Pushed, he stumbled and fell to the ground. His hand instinctively braced himself, landing right on those ceramic shards, immediately cutting his palm and staining the fragments red with blood.

He hissed in pain, his palm bloody, his whole body soaked, his hair plastered wetly to his forehead. In the northern lands’ early winter cold wind, he shivered, looking quite wretched. Facing the surrounding guards, he carefully scooted backward on the ground, not daring to look at his own wounds, still humbly smiling in apology. “Yes, yes, this humble one had no sense… So this is martial arts. Sirs have truly opened this humble one’s eyes.”

The guard who’d struck with his blade snorted coldly and walked away. But another man came over, personally helping him up, smiling. “Don’t mind Old Zhang—sharp tongue, soft heart. It’s my fault. Just now I was practicing horse stance while balancing a vat. Suddenly an ant crawled up my neck. Couldn’t bear the itch. Just as you were passing by… Are you all right?”

“Thank you for your concern, sir. I’m fine, I’m fine.” Qiu Shu looked flattered and grateful. That guard helped him up, smiling. “Your clothes are all wet, and the case got water on it too. How can you deliver documents to His Highness like this? We have spare clothes at the practice ground. Go change.”

“How could I wear the sirs’ clothes…” Qiu Shu quickly declined in panic. But that guard pushed him toward a building, smiling. “It’s fine. These aren’t guard uniforms but casual clothes we wear off-duty when going out.” Without further ado, he pulled him into the room, personally finding a set of clothes and even holding them, seeming to watch Qiu Shu change.

Faced with this guard’s extraordinarily excessive enthusiasm, Qiu Shu demurred politely for a while, then calmly accepted and changed openly. Yet that guard turned his head away casually, as if completely unconcerned.

Whether he looked or not really didn’t matter—there were countless places all around from which to watch.

All the wet clothes were changed. Qiu Shu thanked the guard and took the clothes to leave. That guard detained him. “Your clothes got dirty because of me. I owe you an apology. Take them to the laundry room west of the practice ground. That’s specifically for washing our guards’ practice uniforms.”

Speaking as if afraid Qiu Shu would decline, he seized the clothes and sent them over. Qiu Shu smiled faintly, didn’t ask questions, and said, “Then I’ll go deliver documents to His Highness.”

He took his leave of that guard and continued forward carrying the case. The wound on his hand had congealed with blood. The cut was deeper than expected. The welling blood quickly froze into icy beads in the winter cold wind—that super-enthusiastic guard had only cared about his clothes yet didn’t spare a glance at these wounds.

Lightly raising his hand, he very casually wiped the blood marks on the wall, as if afraid of dirtying the case and clothes. Those vivid blood marks printed clearly on the blue brick wall, the color deep crimson.

New blood welled from the wound, faintly revealing white traces—a bloodstained wax pill embedded in the wound.

Just moments ago, in the instant of falling, the wax pill originally in his sleeve entered his palm, and he viciously pressed it into his own wound. The wax pill wasn’t large. Only a small part protruded from the skin. Once congealed with blood, in the already bloody mess of his palm, it appeared completely unremarkable.

When he fell, he’d aimed for the sharpest ceramic shard. The wound was extremely deep. To extract the wax pill already forcefully embedded would be no different from another heart-cutting agony.

He frowned at the wound—not fearing the pain but worried the already flattened wax pill would shatter in his flesh when extracted. Once infected, this hand would be ruined.

After thinking for a long time, he raised his hand to pluck a withered branch from a nearby tree.

Just about to pick it out, he suddenly stopped, tossed away the withered branch, lowered his sleeve, and quickly straightened his body.

After quite a while, footsteps approached. A middle-aged man and a simple-minded boy—Doctor Ruan and his Xiao Dai—appeared from that direction.

Doctor Ruan lived high in the mountains and had a habit of daily walks. This was his fixed walking route. Everyone knew. At first guards followed, but gradually they rarely came—in this freezing winter, walking in the bitter wind really wasn’t comfortable.

He watched those two approach and bowed slightly. The young apprentice stopped first, staring at him.

His gaze was bland, yet the withered branches all around suddenly trembled.

His expression unchanged, he smiled and greeted Doctor Ruan. “How are you, Doctor?”

Doctor Ruan smiled. “Thank you for asking. Very well.”

Qiu Shu was about to step aside when Doctor Ruan suddenly said, “Young brother, how did you injure your hand?”

The freshly torn wound dripped blood. A small pool had already accumulated on the ground. He hissed in pain, smiling. “Just now careless—cut by ceramic shards. A small matter, not worth troubling you, Doctor.”

“We doctors get itchy hands when we see injuries and don’t treat them.” Doctor Ruan chuckled, beckoning him to a nearby pavilion. “Let me do some simple treatment.”

The two sat in the pavilion. Doctor Ruan took out his ever-present medicine pouch, searched through it, then turned to ask the apprentice, “Did you bring anesthetic powder?”

The apprentice Xiao Dai held a small packet of anesthetic pills in his hand but resolutely shook his head. “No.”

Qiu Shu began coughing. Doctor Ruan stared at Xiao Dai. Xiao Dai returned his gaze without shame, his expression resolute, his eyes clear.

After a long moment, Doctor Ruan shook his head—unclear whether helpless or pleased—grabbed Qiu Shu’s hand, and said apologetically, “Bear with it.”

Long silver tweezers probed into the wound, bit by bit separating blood and flesh, extracting fragments. Qiu Shu trembled but immediately smiled. “How are you, Doctor?”

He’d already asked this during his earlier greeting. Asking again now carried other significance. Doctor Ruan looked up at him. After a long moment he said, “Manageable.”

This answer also differed from before. Qiu Shu breathed out. Dense beads of sweat appeared on his forehead—unclear whether from pain or from relaxation hearing this sentence.

“If you’d known it would come to this, why did it in the first place?” Doctor Ruan spoke while slowly cleaning the wound to divert his attention. “You should be more careful.”

“Many things can’t be avoided just by wanting to avoid them.” Qiu Shu smiled wryly.

“Indeed.” Doctor Ruan smiled. “Better to make yourself forget.”

“I’m afraid I want to truly forget but can’t.” Qiu Shu looked into Doctor Ruan’s eyes.

An ordinary sentence, yet Doctor Ruan fell into contemplation. Naturally he knew what the other was asking. Yet this question, only this question—even he couldn’t determine the answer.

Someone like her—if she truly wanted to conceal herself, even heaven-reaching wisdom and medical arts couldn’t truly fathom her.

After a long moment, Doctor Ruan shook his head. “Heaven-reaching medicine cannot cure heart illness.”

Qiu Shu fell silent. All around remained only the thin crisp sound of withered leaves scraping the ground and the fine sounds of knife, scissors, tweezers, and needles alternately placed on the white stone table. The wound was turned quite ghastly, yet Qiu Shu never groaned. Gradually, faint amusement even appeared in his eyes.

When he smiled, his eyes held faint ripples of light, like a quiet lake in distant mountains, lonely through the ages.

The crushed wax pill in flesh was quite troublesome. A full half hour passed before Doctor Ruan said, “Done.”

Qiu Shu smiled again. Doctor Ruan looked up and saw the color of his collar had darkened—presumably his inner and outer clothes were completely soaked.

The bloody wax pill fell in the shadow of both men’s palms. Xiao Dai stood impassively a zhang away. With him there, no one could approach undetected.

The wax pill crushed, a thin paper strip appeared, drawn with some lines in an extremely fine brush. The handwriting was ugly, the lines crooked and twisted. Quite remarkable that a certain crude person could draw such fine lines with such a fine brush.

Also thanks to it being this fine, the wax pill was small and easy to hide. Otherwise it couldn’t even have been stuffed in the wound.

Two supremely intelligent men glanced once and committed it to memory. Doctor Ruan raised his hand to pack the medicine pouch. When he moved the pouch away, not only had the paper strip vanished, even the wax fragments were completely gone.

Qiu Shu rose to thank Doctor Ruan. Doctor Ruan calmly invited him to walk together. The three followed the original route until reaching the second inner courtyard before parting—one returning to Cuixue Studio, one to the study.

Qiu Shu going to the study carefully sorted and organized the documents, ground ink, tidied the desk, took a duster to organize the bookshelves. Though he was the study servant, Jin Siyu maintained completely imperial airs. Servants could only attend to everything in the study when he wasn’t there. When he worked, absolutely no one was permitted present.

Jin Siyu preferred working at night. By his rules, between the hour of the Monkey and Rooster, servants must vacate the study. By then it was completely dark. The main kitchen’s meal had long since been served. Qiu Shu returning to his servant quarters each day could catch a mouthful of cold rice if lucky. Sometimes he could only go hungry until the next morning’s meal.

Currently it was only early Monkey hour—still ample time. This hour Jin Siyu had never come to the study. Qiu Shu slowly cleaned, seeming to browse books before the long bookshelf, looking them over one by one.

Suddenly footsteps approached, mixed with a woman’s delicate, shy low laughter.

That voice was so familiar. Qiu Shu standing before the bookshelf was as if struck by five thunderbolts, freezing in place.

Then he heard a low male voice rapidly approaching, carrying laughter. “Shaoyao’er, rare that you ate a bit more tonight. The doctor said to walk more to avoid food stagnation… Perfect, come see where I work every day.”

The woman giggled, her voice somewhat muffled as if sunk in another’s embrace. “How is this any kind of walk? At least let me walk on my own…”

Both voices were light and cheerful, full of rich pleasure. Qiu Shu with his back to the door stood listening quietly.

The conversing voices rapidly approached. Qiu Shu somewhat stiffly set down the duster. Exiting now was already inappropriate. Supposedly if His Highness encountered servants lingering in the study, he would expel them at minimum, beat them to death at maximum. He glanced around in all directions, having no choice but to flash into the curtained area behind the long bookshelf.

“Creak”—the door opened.

Jin Siyu carrying Wang Shaoyao stepped through the door.