A man on the boat wielded a long, thick wooden rod and struck down at Qin Shuying without warning. Caught off guard, Qin Shuying cried out in pain as she was struck repeatedly on the head, unable to resist, and immediately sank into the water.

Ziteng frantically tried to rescue her, but the man raised his wooden stick to strike Ziteng as well. Ziteng was no match for him and quickly sank down too.

Not content with this, the man was clearly also a swimmer. He discarded his stick and entered the water, using one hand to press down on Ziteng’s shoulder while dragging Qin Shuying’s arm with the other.

Qin Shuying and Ziteng instantly realized that this person was likely one of Princess Fu’an’s people. Having discovered their scheme, he intended to kill them.

Before this man’s overwhelming strength, Qin Shuying and Ziteng had no power to resist. She could see that Ziteng was already unable to protect herself, struggling in the water and blowing bubbles from her mouth.

Qin Shuying wasn’t faring any better, having lost her rhythmic breathing and choking on water through her nose and mouth.

Was she going to die here?

She… hadn’t yet avenged Feng’er…

Hadn’t yet trampled her enemies underfoot…

Perhaps it was for the best. Living such a wretched existence now, dying to reunite with Feng’er might be better…

Ziteng would die with her too – that was also good, so Uncle’s family would be reunited…

Only, the people in Yilan Garden would suffer torment.

I’m sorry, Nanny Fu, Lu Ye…

This was Qin Shuying’s last thought before losing consciousness.

…

Qin Shuying felt she had a very, very long dream.

In the dream, she was still Qin Yaoyao.

Feng’er was at her knee, calling “Mother, Mother” in his sweet, innocent voice.

She sat under the eaves, smiling lovingly as she watched Feng’er play in the courtyard. Occasionally he would run up and nestle in her arms, and she would kiss him again and again.

His sweet, soft little body, his milk-sweet voice – she could never kiss him enough, love him enough, hold him enough…

She only wished this dream would never end.

Even if she died, even if her great revenge remained unavenged, she accepted it.

…

“Yanjun, how is she?”

A man’s voice rang out.

The scene in Qin Shuying’s mind suddenly froze – Yanjun? So familiar!

Suddenly, she remembered – nine years ago, that Yanjun. Was this Yanjun the same as that Yanjun?

Or rather, had she returned to when she was still Qin Yaoyao? Rescued by that boy’s order?

But this was clearly a man’s voice, not a boy’s.

“Young Master, she’s fine. She’ll wake up soon.”

Then that man said: “Fortunately you came, otherwise I really wouldn’t have known this method.”

This method? What method?

Just as Qin Shuying was wondering, she suddenly felt her chest cavity was uncomfortably congested. She couldn’t help coughing, then spat out water from her mouth, choking until her brain ached and nose burned.

She opened her eyes to see a hand supporting a chin, and a person with his head tilted, looking at her.

On that hand was a blood-red mole.

Qin Shuying was stunned, too shocked to even cough.

She stared fixedly at that hand, stared intently. Yes, it was him, it was him – he had saved Qin Yaoyao back then. This was her lifesaver, whom Qin Yaoyao had been searching for right up until she was imprisoned.

Who exactly was he—

Qin Shuying involuntarily looked toward his face, but why was this person’s mouth above and eyes below? What was happening?

Suddenly, she heard that person’s mouth move and speak: “Put her down.”

Liang Yanjun placed Qin Shuying on the grass, or more accurately, half-threw, half-placed her.

After all, Qin Shuying weighed eighty or ninety pounds. Liang Yanjun had been holding her upside down for quite a while. Even though his martial arts weren’t weak, this wasn’t easy work, especially while constantly monitoring whether she was dead.

Liang Yanjun breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as Qin Shuying touched the ground, she began coughing violently.

While coughing, she quickly turned over, knelt on the ground, and looked at that man.

With this look, she was thunderstruck.

It was actually Liang Zhe.

She had seen him once at Duke Chu’s mansion, then again before. He was so strikingly handsome that she couldn’t fail to recognize him.

It was actually him!

In an instant, she understood. When he had saved her back then, it must have been when he was heading northwest to join the army. A ten-year-old child – he had been just a ten-year-old child then…

In her previous life and this one, she had been saved by him twice.

Liang Zhe raised an eyebrow and said: “Fortunately, I’m used to being stared at like this, otherwise, with the way you’re looking at me, I’d think you wanted to blackmail me. I am indeed your lifesaver, but I’m not lacking people who want to repay me with their bodies. Give up that idea.”

Qin Shuying was dazed, her coughing once again interrupted by extreme shock.

Then she heard another person coughing. Looking back, she saw Liang Yanjun holding Ziteng upside down. Ziteng had also awakened and was coughing.

Qin Shuying came to her senses. “Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life!”

She quickly kowtowed to Liang Zhe, then turned to embrace Ziteng and placed her on the grass.

Ziteng coughed for a while before recovering.

“Miss…”

Ziteng, with the joy of surviving disaster, had tear stains on her face but was smiling.

“Let’s first thank Young Master Liang for saving our lives. He’s the one who saved us!”

Both Qin Shuying and Ziteng knelt on the ground and bowed three times to Liang Zhe. “Thank you, Young Master Liang, for saving our lives!”

Qin Shuying also introduced herself, concluding: “This life-saving grace will never be forgotten. If Young Master has any orders, this humble woman will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

She spoke the truth. Having been saved by him twice, what was going through fire and water?

Liang Zhe sat upright on a stone, with an air of “I am your lord,” accepting the two women’s kowtows. For life-saving grace, he was worthy of it. Hearing Qin Shuying speak thus, he said lazily: “Get up!”

Speaking, he looked at them with some disgust: “Quite ugly. Yanjun, go find them a comb.”

Liang Yanjun’s eyes widened: “Ah?”

Liang Zhe tilted his head: “I can’t stand looking at ugly women!”

Liang Yanjun walked away reluctantly.

In April weather, it was already quite hot. The two had been wearing light clothing, and after being blown by the wind, their clothes had dried almost completely. However, their hair was too disheveled to be seen by others.

This Liang Zhe was truly considerate. Clothes could be arranged, but with such long hair, it would be impossible to tidy up properly without a comb.

At this moment, as Qin Shuying and Ziteng slowly stood up, they were suddenly startled, thinking of another matter.

Now that the weather was hot, everyone’s clothing was thin. Under their skirts they wore only thin undergarments that only reached their knees. That meant when Liang Yanjun had held her upside down earlier, her skirt would naturally have flipped over, exposing her undergarments and leaving her legs completely bare.

Liang Zhe had seen it all!

She was both shocked and puzzled, then gritted her teeth. Forget it! She was already trying to find ways to break off the marriage with Liu Junqing. What did it matter if someone had seen her legs below the knees?

Regarding reputation, at this point, what did she have left to care about?

Liang Zhe then asked: “Why were you in the water? If we hadn’t been idly napping here just now, who would have seen you two floating by?”

Tomorrow three updates