The rustling bamboo grove, the shade blocking out sky and sun, the sound of feet stepping on broken branches—rustling and whispering, merging into a sea that roared toward Yu Tang, suddenly making her feel as if she were in that grove behind Kuān Temple.

“You’re blinded by lust!”

“This is a pledge of allegiance!”

“Can you bear this alone?!”

“Stop flattering yourself!”

Peng Eleven’s cold mockery, sentence by sentence, was like swords cutting through those memories she had once firmly suppressed deep in her heart, constantly telling herself to forget. That day’s scene came rolling back, recreating itself in her mind.

Li Duan’s shocked expression.

Peng Eleven’s vicious face.

The sharp scissors.

Yu Tang instantly felt a chill run down her spine, alarm bells ringing loudly in her heart.

She instinctively sensed danger.

“Run!” Yu Tang pulled A’Xing and ran toward the shop.

A’Xing hesitated at first, turning her head to glance at Peng Eleven.

The murderous intent revealed in Peng Eleven’s eyes made her heart tremble.

Her mind buzzed. Not only did she start running with Yu Tang, but because her body was in better condition than Yu Tang’s, she ran ahead of Yu Tang, pulling Yu Tang forward as they ran.

Peng Eleven was slightly stunned.

He’d thought Yu Tang would run, but he hadn’t expected her to be so alert—just one glance at him and she ran.

Was his expression wrong?

Peng Eleven had no time to think carefully. He strode after Yu Tang in pursuit, but couldn’t help feeling some faint regret in his heart.

He shouldn’t have appeared in person.

But if he hadn’t appeared himself and entrusted this to others, once they knew who Yu Tang was, not reporting to the Pei family would already be good—forget about helping him capture someone.

Even that Steward Gao who used to be obsequious before him had hesitated and hedged when he asked him to find out Yu Tang’s whereabouts. Only when he said he wanted to curry favor with Yu Tang, wanted to send her some gifts and have her put in a good word with Pei Yan did Steward Gao reluctantly agree to help find out Yu Tang’s whereabouts.

Thinking of this, a fire immediately burned in his chest. He drew the dagger from his hand, the murderous intent in his eyes intensifying, and he ran even faster.

In just a few breaths, Yu Tang was already within reach. If he got a bit closer, he could reach out and grab Yu Tang’s hair.

Pei Yan wanted him dead—then he would make Pei Yan’s beloved die!

Peng Eleven’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Just as he was about to grab Yu Tang, the little maid running ahead of Yu Tang screamed shrilly, forcefully throwing Yu Tang to the side, tossing her into the bamboo grove beside them.

“Murder! Murder!” A’Xing shouted, lunging back toward Peng Eleven instead.

Yu Tang’s eyes nearly split with rage: “A’Xing!”

Whether in her previous life or this one, Yu Tang had never properly tried to understand A’Xing as a person. She only wanted to repay A’Xing’s kindness from her previous life, thinking of giving her a more dignified life, then carefully choosing a good family for her to live happily under the Pei family’s protection. But she hadn’t expected that while Bai Xing in her previous life had saved her once, A’Xing in this life was even more resolute than in the previous life, choosing a path even more difficult than before.

She scrambled on hands and knees, wanting to lunge forward and grab onto Peng Eleven, choking his neck.

In this life, she would definitely succeed.

Even if she died, she would drag Peng Eleven down with her.

But before she could stand up, she saw Pei Yan’s figure appear at the edge of the bamboo grove.

“Xianguang!” Yu Tang shouted with a voice torn from her lungs, never having called out so loudly as in this moment.

Then she saw Pei Yan’s expression change drastically as he rushed over.

Behind him appeared the Pei family guards.

Peng Eleven smiled bitterly.

His luck had always been just that little bit short.

Resented by clansmen, his face scarred; loyal to the clan head, yet offending Pei Yan; fleeing far away, yet the Pei family’s power growing stronger and stronger. For the sake of salt certificates, his family actually wanted to offer him up to curry favor with Pei Yan.

He had no way to move against Master Peng the Elder, but he didn’t want to let Pei Yan be smug and escape unscathed.

Then let it be mutual destruction.

He turned back to grab Yu Tang but was held by A’Xing who wrapped around his legs.

Peng Eleven laughed loudly, finding it extremely ridiculous.

There were always those so-called loyal servants who didn’t know self-preservation, thinking that blocking swords and spears for their masters was only proper.

Then he would fulfill these people’s wishes!

Without thinking, he raised his dagger and stabbed toward A’Xing.

Yu Tang tightly embraced Peng Eleven’s arm and bit down hard.

Even if she couldn’t kill Peng Eleven, she would make him pay a heavy price.

Like a newborn calf, Yu Tang ran down one path without looking back, without admitting defeat. Peng Eleven, in pain, swung his arm left and right. She was like grass in a fierce wind, yet tenaciously refusing to fall.

“Third Madam!” A’Xing, tears streaming down her face, bit toward Peng Eleven’s thigh.

Peng Eleven cried out in pain. Disregarding Yu Tang, he stabbed toward A’Xing again.

Pei Yan, who had rushed over, grabbed his wrist.

“Peng Eleven, you’re seeking death!” His eyes red, he kicked Peng Eleven in the solar plexus.

Peng Eleven grunted dully, clutching his chest.

The Pei family guards swarmed forward, pressing Peng Eleven to the ground.

Yu Tang collapsed on the ground, calling out “Bai Xing,” but was pulled into Pei Yan’s embrace.

A’Xing looked at Yu Tang in confusion, watching the Third Master who usually kept his emotions hidden, his hands trembling, thinking that Third Madam must have been terrified, which was why she called out the wrong name!

She struggled to stand up but couldn’t manage it for a long time. Finally, a guard nearby helped her up. Only then did she realize her mouth was dry and her legs were trembling.

A’Xing looked at Peng Eleven lying motionless like a corpse, not knowing how she’d had such courage just now, only thinking she had to save Third Madam.

She laughed twice foolishly, then saw the Second Madam, Qing Yuan, and several others rushing over hurriedly.

From afar she could hear the Second Madam’s panicked voice: “I thought Third Uncle, you were coming to find Sister-in-law, so I deliberately called all the maids and servants aside. How could this happen…”

In A’Xing’s memory, the scene afterward became somewhat chaotic.

Peng Eleven was taken away, the lamb restaurant closed its doors, Madam Wu the First and the others were politely asked to leave. The Pei residence borrowed the proprietor’s private room to wait for a physician to come examine Third Madam’s pulse. Third Master kept holding Third Madam, murmuring in a low voice “This is my fault,” “I forgot about this matter.” His expression was tense, as if he were the one who’d been frightened. Instead, Third Madam, who had just been pursued for murder, was calmer than Third Master, constantly stroking Third Master’s back, comforting him saying “I’m fine,” “Everyone’s fine”…

A’Xing couldn’t bear to watch and withdrew with Qing Yuan, changing into fresh clothes. When the physician arrived, the physician’s young apprentice helped clean her scrapes. She followed the carriage back to Third Madam’s residence.

Pei Yan was furious and immediately sent people to summon the Peng family.

Yu Tang didn’t know how they negotiated, nor did she want to know.

She believed Pei Yan would give the Peng family a lesson and would avenge her.

But what she hadn’t expected was that when Pei Yan returned that evening and held Yu Tang as she rested in bed, his arms were still trembling.

“I’m really fine!” She comforted Pei Yan again.

Pei Yan said nothing, only holding her tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his own body.

Yu Tang laughed like tinkling bells and said, “Are you trying to strangle me to death?”

“Don’t say that word!” Pei Yan, who usually feared nothing in heaven or earth, now didn’t even dare say “death.” He scolded Yu Tang in a low voice, saying with lingering fear, “It’s all my fault. I don’t leave any room for maneuvering in my actions, too narrow-minded, lacking tolerance for others, causing you to fall into danger…”

This wasn’t the Pei Yan she knew.

The Pei Yan in her heart was someone with a flying spirit, confident and proud. When would he ever question his own decisions and principles of conduct?

Yu Tang felt distressed and embraced Pei Yan in return, saying, “How can you blame yourself for this? You’ve encountered countless situations in your life—do all those people act like Peng Eleven, unable to defeat you so they take it out on women and children? If someone should feel ashamed, shouldn’t it be Peng Eleven? Why should someone who did nothing wrong feel guilty while those who did wrong act self-righteous? Xianguang, you shouldn’t be this kind of person!”

“But if it weren’t for me…” Pei Yan had just started speaking when Yu Tang interrupted him, saying, “If there’s anything wrong, it’s that we were too careless. If you don’t remove the roots when cutting grass, the spring wind will make it grow again. For someone like Peng Eleven, we shouldn’t have given him an opportunity. If you don’t believe me, go investigate—when his family exiled him to the northwest, he must have done other bad things too.”

Because given the Peng family’s utilitarian nature, they couldn’t possibly leave a “talent” like Peng Eleven unused.

Yu Tang continued: “He came to trouble us only because he picks on soft persimmons. He offended you, but the ones punishing him are the Peng family. Why doesn’t he dare go after the Peng family?”

She indulged Pei Yan unconditionally.

Pei Yan’s expression indeed visibly brightened.

But he still held Yu Tang’s hand and said in a low voice, “We should still be more careful. In your dream, you said you stumbled upon Peng Eleven and Li Duan talking together. I only thought about dealing with Li Duan but didn’t consider that the cause lay with Peng Eleven. When all is said and done, I didn’t think through what you said carefully enough.” He looked at Yu Tang earnestly. “I won’t be so careless again in the future.”

After finishing, Pei Yan pulled Yu Tang into his embrace again.

Yu Tang patted Pei Yan’s back and said gently, “Didn’t you say you were accompanying Old Master Zhang to Xiangshan? How did you suddenly come to Tongzhou and rush to the lamb restaurant?”

If Pei Yan had arrived a moment later, she and A’Xing might have lost their lives, right?

Pei Yan’s body stiffened slightly. He made some acknowledging sounds and said softly, “I didn’t have anything going on, so I came to Tongzhou. Aren’t we supposed to receive someone?”

Wasn’t it really because he wanted to see her sooner?

Yu Tang rested on Pei Yan’s shoulder, the corners of her mouth lifting high as she said, “Xianguang, I’m so glad you came!”

She was so glad she could meet him in this life.

But before she could feel moved for even a quarter hour, Pei Yan said arrogantly, “Of course! If it weren’t for me, you’d be in trouble again.”

Yes! If it weren’t for Pei Yan, she’d be in trouble again.

But Li Duan was gone, Peng Eleven would never appear by her side again, the Yu family had obtained the Longevity Festival contract, Gao Shi had eloped with her cousin… Everything was different from before.

She thought of how she’d encountered Pei Yan at the pawnshop, encountered Pei Yan on Changxing Street, encountered Pei Yan in the Yu family’s mountain forest… Every time, he could turn danger into safety for her.

She thought of Kuān Temple.

She felt she needed to go to Kuān Temple once, wanting to know where that eldest cousin who had cared for her was, wanting to know if she had received his care in her previous life.

Although at that time she was single-mindedly focused only on revenge, and everything in this life had already changed, some things she might not be able to investigate to find the truth—but what did that matter? She only needed to know that in her previous life, he had also been fated to meet her, and that was enough.

She remembered when Pei Yan held her on that green-shaded path.

Surrounded by lush greenery.

Just like in her previous life when she fell to the ground, the last scene that entered her eyes.

But in her previous life, she never woke up again.

In this life, the person who loved her held her.

Yu Tang gently, tenderly kissed Pei Yan’s forehead.