At that moment, his body suddenly began to shake violently, his teeth chattering, and the severe trembling pulled at his wounds, making his suffering even more unbearable. He felt trapped between life and death, nearly crushing his teeth from clenching them so hard. Xiang Lan lay across his body, holding him tightly, whispering in his ear, though he couldn’t make out the words. Soon, the trembling gradually subsided, but before long another spasm seized him. He gritted his teeth and endured, feeling completely helpless and drained.

Only Xiang Lan held him in her embrace, rubbing his face and hands while continuously breathing warm air, muttering phrases like “Amitabha” and “Guanyin Bodhisattva” as if reciting sutras for him. He focused intently on her voice, clinging to a thread of life. This cycle repeated several times, and though he was utterly exhausted, his innate stubbornness prevented him from letting out even a single groan. Eventually, he managed to speak, his voice hoarse as he reassured her intermittently: “It’s… it’s nothing… Master fought in Liaodong before… after being frozen… when the body warms up… it causes shivering…”

He seemed to hear Xiang Lan let out a relieved sigh, choking out the words: “Buddha’s blessing.” He gathered all his strength to pull Xiang Lan down to lie beside him. She was too exhausted to resist and heard Lin Jinlou say in his hoarse voice: “What’s done is done. There’s no use thinking too much about it. Life and death are predetermined.” After a pause, he added, “Get some sleep, you’ve suffered greatly today, I…” His hand squeezed Xiang Lan’s shoulder gently, unable to continue speaking. He painfully shifted his position, wrapping Xiang Lan in his cloak. Xiang Lan carefully arranged their clothes over both of them, pulling a thin blanket over their faces. Lin Jinlou then covered her ears with his hands and said softly: “Sleep now, Master will keep watch for one hour, and then it’s your turn.” Xiang Lan mumbled in agreement and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

Lin Jinlou pulled down the blanket covering his face and looked up at the sky. Above him, the reeds swayed back and forth, and the moon at the horizon appeared and disappeared intermittently. With no sounds of battle reaching his ears, this small reed marsh seemed like the entire world. His whole body ached, and the pain kept him from sleeping, so he decided to let Xiang Lan rest properly. He looked down at the woman who had buried her head under his arm.

Despite priding himself on his ability to read people, he couldn’t fully understand Xiang Lan. In the Lin family mansion, he had gradually worn down her sharp edges and pride, like training a hawk. She had transformed from being fierce and aggressive to becoming quiet, though a stubborn streak remained in her core. Eventually, even this stubbornness seemed to dissolve, and she appeared capable of swallowing any hardship or grievance.

Yet in her silence, she had changed from her former self. While her defiance and pride had disappeared, she had become more composed and well-rounded. On this cold, snowy night filled with successive misfortunes, it was she who had single-handedly preserved his life, showing even greater courage and resilience than a man.

Lin Jinlou lay there with his eyes fixed on the sky, lost in thought, though what occupied his mind remained unknown.

As dawn began to break, Lin Jinlou woke Xiang Lan. She sat up and rubbed her eyes vigorously, then untied the brocade pouch at her waist. She took out a piece of misshapen pastry and urged Lin Jinlou: “Master, please eat something before sleeping.” She held the pastry to his lips, and Lin Jinlou, with his eyes closed, took a bite. He chewed very slowly, seemingly fighting nausea as he swallowed the pastry, then said weakly: “Damn, it’s dry and hard, sickeningly sweet, even worse than day-old steamed buns.”

Xiang Lan said: “In such cold weather, sweet food is better. Please eat a few more bites.”

Lin Jinlou frowned but took another bite, swallowing slowly. He opened his eyes and said: “Where did you get this pastry? You should eat too…” He froze when he saw Xiang Lan’s face, reaching out to gently touch her cheek, asking: “Does it hurt?”

Xiang Lan started, touching her face, only then realizing it was swollen. The touch felt like needles pricking her skin, and she suddenly remembered being struck by the tall, thin man the night before. In the chaos and bitter cold, half her face had gone numb. She shook her head and said: “It doesn’t hurt.”

Just as Lin Jinlou was about to speak, he suddenly raised his crossbow, staring intently at the reeds beside them. From among the reeds emerged Zhao Yuechan’s face. Her hair was disheveled, and she wore a cape, looking desperate and miserable, completely unlike her former self with her elaborate makeup and charm. Though her face remained exceptionally beautiful, her eyes were red and swollen, her expression ice-cold, and her lips pale from the cold, conveying an indescribable sense of despair.

Lin Jinlou started, frowning as he said in surprise: “Zhao Yuechan?”

Zhao Yuechan responded quietly: “It’s me.” After a pause, she continued, “Fate is indeed ironic, who would have thought I’d encounter old acquaintances here? I recognized you both last night.”

Lin Jinlou asked Xiang Lan: “How did she end up here?”

Xiang Lan whispered: “Last night, someone robbed their carriage and horses. Her brother died, and she…” She glanced at Zhao Yuechan and trailed off vaguely.

Zhao Yuechan suddenly burst out laughing, saying: “I’m doing just fine! Just fine!” She laughed several times, unable to hide her sobs, alternating between crying and cursing: “What do I have to fear! What do I have to fear? At worst, they’ll say I whored myself to men… Pah! Beasts, they’re all beasts! Those who wronged me, those who owe me, I’ll make them pay a thousand times over! Pah! Beasts! May they all die a thousand deaths, with no burial ground! No burial ground!” She cried and cursed, occasionally breaking into hysterical laughter, crying even harder.

Lin Jinlou seemed to understand, and after a long silence, said calmly: “You know very well what happened to Furong. This is your retribution.”

Zhao Yuechan’s whole body trembled. With tears on her face, she laughed several times like a mad woman, asking Lin Jinlou: “Are you satisfied now?”

Lin Jinlou remained silent, lowering his crossbow and turning away, ignoring her.

Zhao Yuechan covered her face with her hands, her sobs eventually becoming whimpers, her body shaking, the crying sound barely audible.

Xiang Lan sighed. Though she despised Zhao Yuechan to the bone and had never thought of revenge, preferring to avoid her entirely, seeing her current state made Xiang Lan’s heart soften slightly. She found Zhao Yuechan simultaneously hateful, pitiful, and tragic.

After crying for a while, Zhao Yuechan suddenly wiped her face and stared at the pastry in Xiang Lan’s hand, saying hoarsely: “Could you… give me something to eat… I…”

Without hesitation, Xiang Lan took a piece of pastry from the pouch and handed it to her. Lin Jinlou frowned; given their uncertain situation, they didn’t know how long they would be trapped here, and every bit of food was as precious as jewels. By then, Xiang Lan had already lowered her head and was feeding the remaining half of the pastry to Lin Jinlou. He stared at her face and ultimately said nothing, but gently squeezed her hand.

Zhao Yuechan held the pastry without speaking for a long while, seemingly muttering a word of thanks, but the sound was so faint that it was lost in the northwestern wind.

After eating the pastry, Lin Jinlou could no longer stay awake and fell into a deep sleep. Xiang Lan reapplied medicine to his wounds, noting that while the injuries on his shoulders had stopped bleeding, the arrow wound in his chest was severe and truly worrisome.

Zhao Yuechan sat a few steps away, facing away from them, with nothing left to say between them.