“Take… take her where?”

Jiang Zhiyi almost doubted her hearing. But before she could ask a question, Shen Yuance had already grabbed her hand and raced back the way they came.

The man in front of her held her hand with one hand while wielding a foot-long, narrow blade in the other. With a reverse grip, he slashed in one sweeping motion, and another masked assassin fell at their feet.

Jiang Zhiyi let out a sharp scream as she jumped, leaping over the corpse beneath her feet—never in her life had she taken such a large step.

Shen Yuance laughed loudly as he continued forward, cutting down enemies with his blade.

His slender knife moved like a brush, spinning between his fingers. The flashing blade scattered like chaotic snowflakes, dazzling to the eyes.

She had never seen anyone respond to an assassination attempt by charging forward instead of retreating. She had truly encountered a madman…

Jiang Zhiyi gasped anxiously as Shen Yuance pulled her along, sprinting wildly forward, dodging left and right, yet remaining unstoppable throughout.

Watching as each approaching assassin fell to his blade—one after another, pairs after pairs—while Shen Yuance still managed to lift her over obstacles she couldn’t cross, Jiang Zhiyi didn’t know if she had become numb or simply felt safe, but gradually she forgot to be afraid.

Looking down at the hand gripping hers tightly and listening to her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, she inexplicably developed a strange illusion at this inappropriate moment. It felt as if this wasn’t an assassination attempt, but rather an elopement on the run.

Above the chaos in the streets, lanterns shone brilliantly. The spring night’s gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks, making their long hair flutter. He led her through the surging crowds, through the rows of streets and alleys, running beneath the glittering stars above, as if racing toward an endless horizon…

Gazing at the exhilarated profile of the man before her, Jiang Zhiyi shook her head vigorously, suppressing these strange thoughts.

After countless assassins had fallen, the entire street finally quieted down.

San Qi stepped over the strewn corpses and came forward, saluting with his sword: “Young General, except for one prisoner we’ve kept alive, the rest have all been eliminated.”

Jiang Zhiyi, panting heavily as she stopped alongside Shen Yuance, was just catching her breath when she looked up and saw the blood dripping from San Qi’s sword. Her vision blurred, and her already weakened legs stumbled.

Shen Yuance shifted to block her view, tightening his grip on her hand: “When following the Young Madam, kill people more elegantly.”

Only then did Jiang Zhiyi realize that throughout their journey, she had only seen people fall but not a drop of blood. People didn’t even have time to bleed before this madman had already carried her toward the next assassin. Looking more carefully now, she noticed that the blade in Shen Yuance’s hand had moved so quickly that hardly any red stains remained on it.

…So this was what elegantly killing people meant.

San Qi lowered his head: “The Young General’s instruction is correct. If not for the Young General’s timely arrival on the street tonight, the assassins who escaped from my hands… This humble one would deserve a thousand deaths!”

“It wasn’t a coincidence,” Shen Yuance glanced sideways at Jiang Zhiyi. “When another man came to invite the Young Madam out, I came to catch her and take her home.”

Jiang Zhiyi: “…”

Pei Zisong was merely coming to escort his sister… and Shen Yuance was taking advantage of her breathlessness to be sarcastic.

Jiang Zhiyi glared at him, caught her breath, then turned to San Qi: “Don’t blame yourself. If you hadn’t been ahead of us, those assassins wouldn’t have come to us one by one. If they had all come at once…”

“The result would have been the same,” Shen Yuance cut off her concern decisively.

Jiang Zhiyi was at a loss for words. She licked her dry lips, wanting to say something to him, when she suddenly felt something was amiss. Looking down, she realized Shen Yuance was still firmly holding her hand, and she was still holding his in return.

Jiang Zhiyi quickly let go, her gaze flickering as she glanced at Shen Yuance while rubbing the fine sweat on her palm.

Shen Yuance clicked his tongue lightly, as if he had expected this.

Suddenly, two urgent footsteps came from behind: “Sister Zhiyi, are you hurt?”

Turning around, she saw that the Pei siblings had finally escaped the chaotic crowd and caught up with them.

“I’m fine, what about you?”

Pei Xueqing pointed at Pei Zisong: “My brother’s hand is wounded. I’ve already applied emergency bandages for him.”

Jiang Zhiyi was shocked: “Were you injured by a blade while pulling me away?”

“Just a small cut, nothing serious,” Pei Zisong shook his head.

“But that’s your right hand, the writing hand of a scholar…” Jiang Zhiyi noticed his right hand wrapped in several layers of bandages and quickly walked toward him.

Shen Yuance watched Jiang Zhiyi’s back, opened his mouth, then closed it, and threw his knife down in frustration.

San Qi observed Shen Yuance’s displeased expression. Truly, only the child who cries gets the candy, only the wounded child gets the sympathy. Perhaps being too skilled a fighter wasn’t always beneficial…

Thinking this, San Qi quickly wiped his dripping sword and pressed his blood-covered hand against Shen Yuance’s waist: “Oh no, Young General, how did you lose so much blood!”

Shen Yuance: “…”

Jiang Zhiyi, nearly reaching Pei Zisong, halted her steps and suddenly turned back, greatly alarmed: “…You’re injured too!”

Three-quarters of an hour later, two soldiers carried a stretcher into the main courtyard of the Shen residence. San Qi followed beside them, pressing against Shen Yuance’s waist. Shen Yuance lay straight on the stretcher, covering his eyes with his hand. Jiang Zhiyi led the way, directing them from the front: “Careful, careful, there’s a step here, don’t let your Young General fall…”

A murderous glare escaped from between Shen Yuance’s fingers, directed coolly at San Qi.

San Qi hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. At first, he had only wanted to make the Young Madam turn back and show concern for the Young General. He hadn’t anticipated that the blood would seem excessive to her, leading to such a commotion. When the Young General said he could walk, the Young Madam wouldn’t believe him and insisted he be carried on a stretcher.

For soldiers of the Xuance Army, minor injuries didn’t mean leaving the battlefield, and major injuries didn’t warrant a stretcher unless one was at death’s door. No real man would want to be carried like this; no wonder the Young General covered his eyes the entire time, trying to ignore reality.

In the bedchamber, Li Dafeng was already waiting with his medical box. Hearing the commotion behind him, he hurried forward. Just as he was about to inquire about the situation, he looked down and saw San Qi’s hands covered in dried blood.

“?” Meeting San Qi’s sheepish gaze, then looking at Shen Yuance’s embarrassed appearance, Li Dafeng blinked slowly, recalling the message he had received earlier. “I heard you lost a lot of blood?”

Shen Yuance: “…”

Jiang Zhiyi, who had just opened the bed curtains to let them place Shen Yuance on the bed, heard this and looked back, puzzled.

San Qi quickly said, “Young Madam, could you please go order some hot water to be prepared?”

“Then quickly put him on the bed. Doctor Li, I leave him in your care.” Jiang Zhiyi turned and hurriedly left the bedroom.

As soon as the door closed, Shen Yuance flipped off the stretcher and glared at San Qi: “Are you tired of living?”

“Young General, why are you being ungrateful? At least the Young Madam showed concern for you…”

“If she finds out—” Shen Yuance closed his eyes briefly, then grabbed a soldier’s waist knife and moved it toward his waist.

“Hey!” San Qi hurriedly stopped him. “Young General, that won’t do! There’s no need to make the pretense real. Why not ask Doctor Li to bandage you? After bandaging, it won’t matter whether you’re injured or not…”

Shen Yuance exhaled deeply, removed his outer garment, and sat on the bed.

Li Dafeng quickly bandaged Shen Yuance’s “wound” at the waist, picked up his medical box, and shook his head: “Following you truly means a life of toil. I’m leaving.”

Shen Yuance glanced at him, and as Li Dafeng pushed open the door, he suddenly remembered something and called out: “Li Dafeng.”

Li Dafeng looked back: “Anything else?”

Shen Yuance tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Perhaps—have you ever been called ‘brother’ by someone?”

“…”

Li Dafeng curved his eyes slightly: “Perhaps—do you know what I’m going to do now?”

“?”

“By the Princess’s command, I’m going to treat the Pei gentleman’s wound—the one she cares deeply about.”

“…”

The door closed with a thud, and Shen Yuance sat expressionless on the bed, his hand resting on his knee, slowly clenching into a fist.

When Jiang Zhiyi returned after instructing the servants, she found that both Li Dafeng and San Qi had left the bedroom. Shen Yuance stood alone by the bed, having changed into clean new robes, fastening his leather belt.

“Has the bandaging been completed so quickly?” Jiang Zhiyi approached in surprise. “The hot water isn’t even ready yet…”

Shen Yuance paused in fastening his belt, avoiding her scrutinizing gaze: “It was just a minor wound.”

“Even with so much blood loss, you still call it minor?” Seeing that his movements were nimble as he fastened his belt, he certainly seemed unharmed. Though her worry had subsided, she remembered how his elbow injury from the previous time, when he had intervened on behalf of the Zhong and Zhuo families, had hindered his movements after bandaging.

Jiang Zhiyi frowned slightly, clutching her sleeve cuff as she lowered her head: “How much blood did you lose that time when you stood up for me…”

Seeing her mood sink, Shen Yuance’s gaze faltered. He hadn’t expected her to recall old grievances not out of anger, but out of concern. After a moment’s hesitation, he replied: “Not… not much.”

“But last time after your bandaging, I could still smell the blood scent, yet this time there’s none!” Jiang Zhiyi pouted.

Though her words sounded calculative, she was only concerned about his dismissiveness, worried that he had lost more blood the previous time. She never suspected his current injury was fake, just as she had been deceived by him every time before.

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about the past,” Jiang Zhiyi came over to support his arm. “Quickly sit down and rest. Skip your bath today, and if possible, don’t go to the military camp tomorrow either…”

Shen Yuance, pushed by her toward the bed, seemed to struggle with his steps, then paused at the edge of the bed, unfastened his newly secured belt, and opened his outer garment.

Jiang Zhiyi hastily turned her back.

“Weren’t you concerned about my wound? Turn around, let me show you.”

“The location of your wound this time isn’t convenient for me to see. If you’re fine, then…” Before Jiang Zhiyi could finish, she was abruptly turned around. Clean strips of cloth floated gently before her eyes, revealing an unharmed body.

Jiang Zhiyi froze, looked up at him, then, in disbelief, lifted his robe and reached out to touch his waist: “Where’s your wound? Weren’t you injured here just now?”

Shen Yuance tensed his lower abdomen, stiffening his body: “San Qi deceived you.”

“Consider it—me deceiving you too.”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked in bewilderment, raised her head, and recalled how everyone had been acting secretively earlier. She had thought they were concerned she couldn’t bear the sight of blood, which is why they wouldn’t let her approach…

Jiang Zhiyi’s hand at her side gradually clenched into a fist as she gritted her teeth: “Shen… Yuance!”

Shen Yuance rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger knuckle.

Jiang Zhiyi’s chest heaved up and down as she angrily turned to leave.

Shen Yuance pulled her back: “This spot of mine did suffer an injury. It hurt quite a bit last year when my birthmark was removed. Would you grudgingly consider it an injury I received today?”

“Using last year’s wound to deceive my current feelings, I was just wasting…” Jiang Zhiyi suddenly halted midway through her sentence, slowly lowering her head to look at the left side of his waist. “What did you say? You originally had a… birthmark here?”

Shen Yuance nodded: “My elder brother doesn’t have one, so—”

“What kind of birthmark?” Jiang Zhiyi suddenly interrupted him anxiously.

Though he didn’t understand why she was interested in this, Shen Yuance pulled down his waistband slightly, exposing the scar left from removing the birthmark.

Jiang Zhiyi had completely forgotten her anger at being deceived, as well as any embarrassment at the current situation. She stared directly at the protruding, jagged strip, recalling something.

“Was this birthmark originally red… shaped like a python?”

Shen Yuance’s expression changed: “How did you know?”

Jiang Zhiyi widened her eyes in shock.

How did she know… because it was mentioned in “The Tale of Yiyi.”

How could this novel repeatedly be so accurate, with everything matching up?

In a daze, Jiang Zhiyi suddenly remembered New Year’s Eve when, based on the novel’s claim that “A-Ce brother” didn’t eat beef, she had assumed Shen Yuance didn’t eat it either. But when she mentioned it, he had denied it—

“So do you… truly not eat beef?”

Shen Yuance closed his robe, hesitating before nodding slightly.

Jiang Zhiyi sat down on the bed, lost in thought, supporting herself on the edge.

From Pei Xueqing’s jade pendant to Shen Yuance’s hardships in pretending to be a prodigal son, to his birthmark and dietary restrictions…

One coincidence might be just that, but so many coincidences were impossible to believe as mere chance.

Her unexpected entanglement with Shen Yuance had all begun because of this novel. If the existence of this novel wasn’t coincidental, then who had written it? And for what purpose?

The author knew so many secrets, yet hadn’t exposed the Shen family’s crime of deceiving the Emperor. Instead, these secrets had been woven into a romantic novel and delivered to her hands… Was it just to make her and Shen Yuance fall in love?

“Tell me, who would know both about your aversion to beef and the appearance of your birthmark?” Jiang Zhiyi asked seriously.

Seeing her puzzled expression, as if desperately seeking confirmation of something, Shen Yuance set aside his questions and answered: “Li Dafeng, Mu Xinhong, and my stepmother.”

“Just these three people?”

“Just these three.”

“Then think about it. Among those who know these two things, would anyone hope for us to fall in love and marry?” Jiang Zhiyi thought for a moment, then added, “I mean, someone who desires it so strongly they would go to any length to make it happen.”

That was an unusual question. Shen Yuance pondered carefully and confirmed: “Someone who hopes for us to fall in love and marry, desires it strongly enough to go to any length to make it happen, and also knows about my dietary restrictions and birthmark—is that right?”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded solemnly: “Think quickly, is there such a person?”

“There is.”

“Who?”

Shen Yuance spread his hands: “Isn’t he standing right in front of you?”

“………..”