Perhaps it was related to his childhood frailty, or perhaps it stemmed from his mental preoccupations, but as Pei You An grew older, his sleep became increasingly light and scarce. Although today he was weary from travel, even deep into the night, he still had no desire for sleep. Unable to rest, he got up, lit a lamp, and took up an old book. In the surrounding silence, suddenly a cry of “Save Ah Fu” came from beyond the wall. Though the voice was faint, it broke the stillness like a stone dropped in calm water. Immediately, a figure both blurry and extremely clear appeared in his mind.

He recognized it distinctly—this cry for help came from the Zhen family’s cousin. But it was hard to believe she would suddenly appear here, calling out to him from across the wall. When he opened the door to investigate, he could never have imagined witnessing such a scene. Even more unexpected was her rushing over and embracing him.

Pei You An felt the body in his arms trembling slightly. After saying what he had, seeing that she appeared not to have heard him and still clung to him tightly, he could tell she was extremely frightened.

The sudden sensation of holding such a soft, fragrant form made him quite uncomfortable. His heartbeat became irregular, his breathing constricted, and he didn’t know where to place his hands. But seeing her so terrified, he couldn’t bear to forcibly push her away. After hesitating, he had no choice but to allow it temporarily. Instead, he raised his eyes to look at the Prince’s household woman across from him and said, “She is my cousin, who has always lived in Quanzhou. Who gave you the audacity to engage in human trafficking, bringing her here?”

He was usually gentle with people, not displaying anger or happiness openly, but at this moment, his gaze was as sharp as lightning. Though his voice wasn’t raised, it contained an implicit severity, showing he was angered.

Before leaving, Mama Zhu had been instructed not to reveal any information about their journey. That’s why earlier, when encountering Pei You An at the entrance, she had immediately hidden, fearing he would see her. She truly hadn’t expected that while Pei You An wasn’t the Zhen girl’s blood brother, they were indeed cousins. Her thousand years of experience had been defeated by this little devil. The girl had seemed so obedient, fragile, and timid, yet not only had she set a fire that nearly killed her, but she had also succeeded in calling Pei You An out.

Recalling the girl’s reaction upon seeing Pei You An at the door earlier, the woman finally understood—she had been completely fooled.

Mama Zhu was both angry and somewhat flustered. She struggled to compose herself, moved a little closer, and said with a forced smile, “Master Pei misunderstands. How would I dare engage in such activities? I truly didn’t know she was Master Pei’s cousin. Just now she set fire to the room, nearly burning me alive inside—Master Pei, you saw it yourself. I was afraid she would disturb others, so I pursued her. I was a bit anxious, and if I’ve offended you, please forgive me. It’s nothing serious—only that an important person has invited the young lady, with absolutely no ill intentions. Master Pei can rest assured; please hand the young lady over to me.”

“Which important person?” Pei You An asked coldly.

Mama Zhu opened her mouth, then closed it again. She saw the Zhen family girl clutching Pei You An and shaking her head continuously, realizing the mission had been thoroughly ruined.

The Young Master’s name absolutely could not be mentioned, but without saying it, how could Pei You An possibly release the girl to her? And if she couldn’t bring the girl back, how would she explain herself?

“Master Pei! Is everything all right there?” The post house manager’s voice came from the head of the corridor.

The earlier commotion had drawn him over. Seeing fire in the direction of the superior room where the Prince’s household people were staying, he had been alarmed and quickly called for people to extinguish it. Fortunately, the room wasn’t connected to other buildings, and the fire was discovered early, so it hadn’t spread. After putting out the fire, he hurried here and dimly saw a woman clinging tightly to Pei You An, with the woman from the Prince’s household also present. The two sides seemed to be in conflict—a strange situation. The manager suspected there was some hidden story involving the Prince’s household that he shouldn’t get involved in, so he didn’t dare approach, only calling out from across the long corridor.

Mama Zhu looked back and saw that quite a few people had gathered at the end of the corridor, probably drawn by the earlier disturbance. Her expression darkened.

The mission had been ruined, and if word got out, she really would have no way to explain herself.

“Everything is fine here! It’s late, tell everyone to go rest!” Pei You An raised his voice to reply.

Soon, the corridor returned to silence.

Mama Zhu steadied herself and said, “Master Pei, where there’s room for forgiveness, please forgive. You know I’m acting on orders, please don’t make things difficult…”

“My cousin is like my own sister. Go back and tell that important person that I’ve taken her with me. If there’s any issue, come find me. I’ll be waiting in Wuding Prefecture,” Pei You An interrupted her. He then looked down and gently removed Jia Fu’s arms from around his waist, saying, “It’s all right now, come inside with me.”

Mama Zhu watched as he led the Zhen family girl through the courtyard gate. As the gate closed, both figures disappeared. She touched her face, which stung from the fire, gritted her teeth, and turned to leave quickly.

……

Jia Fu’s hair was disheveled, her face smudged with several streaks of soot. Her hands clutched the cloak that covered her body, but even so, it couldn’t hide her exposed snow-white calves and bare jade feet. Her toes, round and adorable, now seemed shy of being seen, tightly curled together. In her sorry state, there was still a touch of tender charm and a hint of allure.

The originally quiet room became alive with color and fragrance with the addition of such a young woman.

Pei You An averted his gaze, his voice slightly dry: “Do you have any clothes left over there? I can send someone to fetch them for you first.”

Although she had escaped danger, Jia Fu was still in shock. Hearing him ask about clothes, she suddenly felt the cold wind creeping up from beneath the cloak. Extremely embarrassed, she closed her legs tightly and said with a woeful face, “That woman took away all my clothes at night to prevent me from escaping. Just now with the fire, they’re probably all burned…”

Pei You An paused, then went to get one of his heavy outer garments. He placed it nearby without saying anything and turned his back.

Jia Fu understood. Suppressing her sense of shame, she went over to take his garment, removed the cloak that wasn’t long enough, and put on his clothes, clutching the front tightly and tying the belt. Though loose and baggy, it at least covered her feet.

She said softly, “I’m ready.”

Only then did Pei You An turn around. His gaze swept over her once more before he gestured for her to sit down.

Jia Fu glanced at him furtively, seeing that his expression had returned to its usual seriousness. She obediently sat down, placing her hands properly on her lap, motionless.

“What happened?” he asked.

Jia Fu then told him everything, from being taken hostage by Xiao Yin Tang to leave the city, up to the accident outside the Mazu Temple that day. As she spoke, Pei You An listened without interrupting once. Even after Jia Fu finished, he still remained silent, only turning to slowly walk to the window, facing outside, seemingly lost in thought.

Jia Fu watched his back, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Because of his help in her previous life, she naturally believed he would help her now as well.

Indeed, he had intervened as she had hoped, allowing her to escape successfully. But this matter was not over, and given his position, it was probably something that would make him feel quite troubled.

Jia Fu bit her lip, slowly stood up, and said softly, “Elder Cousin, have I put you in a difficult position?”

Pei You An turned around, looked at her, and saw her staring at him with wide eyes. He smiled slightly at her and said, “It’s all right. You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll take care of everything.”

“I promise to send you home safely, and such things will never happen again,” he added with emphasis.