Tie Ci’s temple twitched.

This fellow’s tone, expression, every word and sentence – why did they always remind her of a type of scumbag her master used to talk about?

The kind who packaged themselves, then seized on women’s mistakes relentlessly, using verbal brainwashing to make them feel guilty and inferior until they were gradually controlled and unable to escape.

When she heard her master mention this in casual conversation, she found it incredible – how could anyone be controlled by someone else’s words? If you were verbally attacked, so what? Didn’t people have self-confidence?

But now, watching Pingzong’s expression of conviction mixed with distress, she shook her head inwardly.

It was one thing for this fellow to use such tactics on others, but if he dared play these games with her…

She could make him spend his whole life being scrubbed clean.

Pingzong was again coaxed by the cook into going to the kitchen, because that fellow told her “a girl who can’t cook will find it hard to capture a man’s heart.”

Then he left, turned back, and met Tie Ci’s sinister gaze.

The cook paused, turned around, and pounced toward Tie Ci, “How can such a precious girl cook and harm her delicate jade fingers? Such rough work is enough for men to do!”

Tie Ci extended her foot, blocking the pouncing someone.

Listening to his nonsense was worse than meeting the ghosts of Ghost Island.

The room had a large bed with complete furnishings, but the decorations were quite strange.

For instance, the bed was an intricately carved canopy bed with many openwork designs, but the curtains were coarse hemp cloth – thick and unventilated.

Of the bedding, one set was silk satin, one was cotton, and one was thin hemp.

The curio cabinet held simple pottery, elegant porcelain, and ornately carved, richly colored jade objects.

All other items followed this pattern – one style simple and antique, one grand and common, one gorgeous and refined.

That sense of incongruity discovered in Pingzong appeared again.

It was hard to imagine one person having three completely different preferences.

Pingzong made a late-night snack and had it sent over, but for some reason didn’t come herself.

Naturally, the two wouldn’t eat something made by a first-time cook. To avoid Pingzong’s harassment, they blew out the lamp and lay down early.

Tie Ci chose the most comfortable-looking cotton quilt and threw the silk brocade quilt onto the footstool.

However, was someone the type to follow arrangements? Wrapped in the brocade quilt, standing on the footstool, he reached both hands under Tie Ci, trying to flip her inward.

Tie Ci was too lazy to fight and had to roll over to sleep on the inside.

Someone lay down accordingly and covered himself with the quilt.

Tie Ci didn’t push him off again.

Finally having a chance, they should talk.

The room was pitch black. The two lay stiffly with half a person’s distance between them.

After a while, a hand crawled slowly across the Chu River Han boundary, advancing toward Tie Ci’s direction.

Then it touched a hard pillow.

A sigh in the darkness.

Someone asked quietly, “Where’s my hairpin?”

Tie Ci asked, “Where’s your face?”

Not cursing, simply referring to his face.

Someone said quietly, “A bit afraid.”

Tie Ci chuckled coldly, “Just not afraid of breaking off our friendship.”

“You lied to me too…”

“I did that because I felt kindred spirits were hard to meet. I didn’t want to investigate thoroughly. When encountering someone in the martial world, follow your heart – sometimes identity is still an obstacle. In front of you, at least my face was always that same face. What about you?”

A period of silence.

After a while, Tie Ci righteously let out a cold laugh.

As expected.

“You shouldn’t be called Feiyu. You should be called Bird-man.”

Bird-man, thick-skinned as a city wall, said, “Fine. Sounds pretty good actually.”

In the darkness, Tie Ci’s lips curved, then she silently shook her head on the pillow.

Actually, she wasn’t really blaming or angry with him. Hadn’t she fallen for this interesting soul in the first place?

She just couldn’t let him lead her by the nose.

Feiyu said quietly, “This face – it’s not that I can’t show you the real one, but I’m afraid if you see it you won’t be able to control yourself and pounce on me. What would I do then?”

Tie Ci laughed angrily. She had never been one to argue much, too lazy to bicker – I have legs.

She kicked toward Feiyu.

Feiyu timely raised his leg, and their long legs clashed in the air with a muffled sound, making the bed shake violently.

Something creaked somewhere, and now neither dared move.

This bed was a fancy frame with many openwork carvings – its stability was questionable. If they really fought and collapsed it, Pingzong wouldn’t think that way – she’d probably think something else, and having finally appeased her, receiving such stimulation and going crazy would be troublesome.

Tie Ci had to withdraw her leg.

Feiyu also withdrew his leg, wanting to play dumb and rest it on hers when putting it down, but thinking better of risking it.

After a while he said, “Let’s talk seriously this time. I will definitely show you my face, but now isn’t the time. Once I resolve certain matters, I’ll have the face to speak openly with you about our affairs.”

“What matters?”

“Small things, actually I don’t take them seriously either, but I’m afraid you’d mind, so better to resolve them first.” Feiyu turned over to face her, “Wait for me to give you the complete me, okay?”

The words sounded frivolous like a joke, but Tie Ci almost immediately thought of the words “marriage engagement.”

Did this fellow also have a marriage engagement?

If it’s a marriage engagement, just say so – why phrase it so ambiguously?

She felt he was somewhat guilty.

Tie Ci said, “Perfect. I also don’t want to accept the complete you, since I also have some unresolved matters.”

Feiyu was about to ask “Also a marriage engagement?” but stopped himself mid-sentence.

Trying to fish for information?

Not falling for it.

At her age, whether from elite families in the capital or those legendary great clan disciples, having marriage engagements was too normal.

Just like himself – he should have had one long ago.

Feiyu turned back and lay comfortably. This trip was half to look after her, half to approach Liaodong to handle some matters.

His people were scattered along this route. He hadn’t brought many with him and was waiting for those investigating the assassination of the Crown Princess to return and report.

He had specifically arranged for carrier pigeons. Calculating the time, they should arrive soon.

With him not speaking and Tie Ci not speaking either, their bodies were somewhat distant but their faces close – close enough that their breathing carried each other’s scent.

Tonight was very dark, the windows small, with no light from any direction. Except for occasional moonlight turning past the window lattice, there was no illumination.

The entire courtyard was completely silent. The cleaning people seen earlier, including the mistress, seemed to have hidden in rooms or fallen asleep. The whole courtyard was like an empty one, making the presence of the person beside her particularly intense.

Feiyu’s fragrance had changed – not the courtesan’s peony scent, but a faint woody fragrance. Carefully sniffing revealed nothing, but without careful attention, it had a very strong presence. To reduce recognition, Tie Ci never used incense, but Feiyu always felt she carried natural body fragrance – a light, mellow, slightly cool scent that reminded one of snow on mountain pine needles, melted by morning sunlight.

His heart itched, wanting to get closer to that fragrance, that person, that smooth skin, that forehead round and jade-like…

Tie Ci suddenly turned her head, precisely avoiding his approaching face.

Feiyu wasn’t discouraged, immediately saying pitifully, “I didn’t do it on purpose. I can’t help shaking my head lately – probably from hitting my head in the river that day…”

Knowing he lied without compensation, thinking of his motionless state that day, Tie Ci couldn’t help softening. Her hand moved slightly, and Feiyu immediately brought his head over, climbing the pole: “Rub it for me. Darling.”

“If it’s really a concussion, can you rub the head?” Tie Ci pressed her palm against his head without good humor, pushing that beautiful skull outward, “This reminds me of a melodramatic story my master once told. A couple encountered a car accident. Both were saved, but when the woman visited the man and they were playing around, she slapped his head and pushed him to death again.”

“Ah?” Feiyu was shocked, “Why?”

“Because of that car accident or whatever, similar to your head collision, the brain was shaken inside, turning into tofu pudding. Having barely reorganized, it was just when it couldn’t be moved. One movement and wouldn’t the tofu pudding scatter?”

Feiyu pondered this and snorted with laughter, “What kind of ridiculous plot is that?”

“Isn’t it the same as what you’re doing?” Tie Ci also snorted, “What’s in your brain now? Tofu pudding?”

Feiyu laughed, “What it is – why don’t you take a look and see?”

He climbed up and pounced toward her.

Tie Ci was about to push him away out of boredom when he stopped beside her. His lips were only millimeters from Tie Ci’s earlobe. The warm breath from his breathing made Tie Ci tremble all over. In the hazy night and ocean sounds, he whispered in her ear with breath, “No, not tofu pudding – isn’t it all full of you?”

This time even Tie Ci’s heart trembled, and the warm breath at her ear seemed to flow through her entire body like electricity.

Feiyu tilted his face slightly, his lips lightly touching her earlobe.

Touching and immediately separating.

Light as willow silk swaying in the wind, the tip drawing a faint trace on the water’s surface.

Or like a dragonfly spreading wings beneath low clouds, transparent wings skimming over the lotus leaves and flower petals.

That surge of heat split through the nearby darkness and distant waves, flashing bright and white into the young man and woman’s bodies. Wherever it passed, waves rolled and surged, every drop of water crystal bright and glowing.

In the darkness, no one knew whose breathing became heavier, yet it still sounded beautiful and soft.

Feiyu was doing something small and fragmentary in the darkness. Tie Ci reached out, slowly grasping her burning earlobe, afraid it might burn itself up.

Just at this moment, she suddenly remembered Lan Xian’er’s earlier gossip about Ghost Island ghost stories.

“Their gods are usually enshrined behind doors, and the corpses of deceased relatives and friends would also be there…”

The hair on her back suddenly stood up.

Behind the doors here, would those things also be there?