In the sweltering noon of midsummer without a hint of breeze, the sunlight was always bright and piercing. Everyone either napped in their chambers or sought shady spots to escape the heat. The vast Biyun Temple was perfectly silent.

Fu Tingyun wore a moon-white cotton shirt and a bamboo hat, walking slowly westward along the wall behind the temple’s back courtyard, which was overgrown with weeds and thorny brambles.

Heat waves shimmered from the sun-scorched ground, making her sweat profusely. Her clothes were quickly soaked through, clinging damply and stickily to her body. The low brambles frequently caught her skirt, and with every few steps through the tangled weeds, a black swarm of small insects would buzz up. One moment she had to crouch down to free her hem from the thorns, the next she had to pull out her handkerchief to wave away the nameless bugs. She looked quite disheveled.

Fu Tingyun paid no mind to this, glancing around until her footsteps finally halted beneath a large locust tree.

The tree was as thick as a person’s embrace. Whether struck by fierce winds or lightning, it had broken from the middle. The treetop had fallen beside the wall, withered and rotted into an insect nest, while new branches had regrown from the roots, already as thick as bowls, with lush foliage extending diagonally beyond the wall.

This must be what she had seen that day from the second floor of the Scripture Repository!

Fu Tingyun’s heart leapt with joy, and her previously solemn face broke into a faint smile.

She kicked hard at the new branches.

The leaves rustled noisily, but the branches remained firmly fixed on the wall.

Fu Tingyun smiled with satisfaction, removed her bamboo hat, and revealed her thick, jet-black hair.

She tucked a corner of her skirt into the sweat towel at her waist, then carefully climbed the tree, stepping on its branches.

The dazzling sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on her face, hands, and clothes, creating patterns of mottled light and shadow.

Fu Tingyun focused intently and quickly climbed up to the wall.

She parted the leaves, blocking her view.

Without warning, the face of a young man suddenly appeared behind the leaves.

They were so close—face to face, nose to nose. She could even smell the sweat on him and feel his hot breath on her lips.

“Ah…” After a moment of stupefaction, Fu Tingyun cried out in terror, instinctively backing away, forgetting that she was currently standing on an overhanging tree—she stepped into emptiness and fell into the grass below.

How could someone appear at the top of such a high wall?

As she tried hazily to get up, her vision darkened, and her neck was suddenly tightened. In an instant, she was yanked up and pushed against the wall.

Fu Tingyun’s breathing immediately became difficult, and the rough wall surface dug painfully into her back.

“Let me go!” She tried to shout, but all she heard was her whimpering. She wanted to kick and struggle, but her strength seemed to have been drained away; her limbs were limp and powerless.

It’s over, it’s over… In the silent, deserted afternoon, in the remote and desolate back courtyard, a man climbs over the temple wall… She was doomed!

Though her mind was crystal clear, she couldn’t move at all.

The hand gripping her neck loosened slightly, allowing thin air to rush in.

Fu Tingyun greedily gulped in great breaths.

The man’s low, grim voice sounded coldly in her ear: “If you make even the slightest sound, I’ll immediately break your neck.”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, dull and flat, without any inflection, yet it was more intimidating and threatening than roars or stern shouts.

Fu Tingyun went completely limp and nodded vigorously, fearing he wouldn’t believe her—though to an onlooker, it would have appeared as merely a slight nod.

The hand on her neck slowly relaxed, with a trace of caution.

She collapsed weakly to the ground, both hands clutching her throat as she coughed painfully. Then, remembering the man’s words, she quickly suppressed her cough and looked up at him in terror.

The man before her was only in his early twenties. Though tall, he was extremely thin, wearing a loose, tattered short jacket of indistinguishable color. His deeply sunken eyes were extraordinarily bright and sharp, his cracked lips pressed tightly together, and his gaze fixed on her with the cold ferocity of an eagle eyeing a chick.

Fu Tingyun’s heart sank.

She quickly glanced at his feet.

He wore no shoes, his pant legs rolled up unevenly, revealing bronze-colored skin.

Her heart sank further.

Such a ruthless and cold-blooded person, even if of humble origin, would be employed by debt collectors or wealthy merchants… yet he was so destitute he couldn’t afford even a pair of straw sandals… unless he couldn’t show himself in public!

She couldn’t help but tremble!

Was he a notorious bandit wanted by authorities? Or a fugitive who had murdered in his village?

Whether the former or the latter, she had stumbled upon his whereabouts… Would he kill her to silence her?

Her whole body went weak, and her gaze involuntarily fell on those large hands with prominent knuckles, like iron tongs.

Fu Tingyun still remembered the feeling when they gripped her throat!

No, if he wanted to kill her, he could have strangled her directly then. Why threaten her with words?

She recalled his cautious loosening of his grip, and a spark of insight flashed.

Perhaps he had his concerns!

Fu Tingyun’s heart gradually came alive, and strength returned to her body as she rapidly considered her options.

If her guess was correct, since he was someone who couldn’t be seen in public, he wouldn’t care about adding another life to his crimes… He was probably worried that if he killed her, the discovery of her body or her relatives reporting to officials would draw attention, exposing his whereabouts…

At such times, each moment of hesitation brought greater danger!

“Sir,” she didn’t hesitate, enduring the discomfort in her throat and speaking hoarsely, “I am a daughter of the Fu family from Huayin. Biyun Temple is my family’s ancestral temple. Because of the hot weather, I brought a maid to the temple to escape the heat. I heard there were stone tablets with calligraphy by masters from previous dynasties in the back courtyard, and I wanted to see them. I’ve been busy every time and never had the chance. This visit, staying at the temple, I thought I’d have an opportunity, but my nurse thought it was too hot and feared I might get heatstroke, so she wouldn’t let me come. That’s why I sneaked over when no one was around to take a look…”

His expression remained blank, though a hint of hesitation seemed to flash in his eyes.

Fu Tingyun secretly rejoiced, her voice growing softer: “Men and women should not have physical contact. If my nurse discovers I’m alone with a man, I’m afraid she’ll scold me…” She lowered her eyelids, appearing dejected, while secretly watching his expression from the corner of her eye. “If she tells my mother, it might implicate you, sir…”

He twisted his mouth and abruptly interrupted her: “You say you’re a daughter of the Fu family from Huayin?” His flat tone made it impossible to discern his feelings.

“Yes!” Fu Tingyun quickly sat upright, crossing her hands on her knees. “I’m the ninth child in my family.”

He made a sound of acknowledgment, with a slightly rising tone carrying an indescribable mockery: “You mean the Fu family with five memorial arches in front of their gate—besides the arches for Imperial Tutor and First Scholar, the other three are all chastity arches?”

Fu Tingyun immediately realized he held the Fu family in contempt.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Although the Fu family hadn’t produced any provincial governors for several generations, their clean and strict family discipline still commanded respect as before.

Yet he looked down on the Fu family!

She wanted to speak but held back.

Arguing with him about this now was unwise.

If such a person understood concepts like honor and shame, would he have fallen to such circumstances? Talking to him about loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness would be like playing the lute to a cow. It would be better to tell him that if he let her go, she could give him some money without alerting others… Fortunately, she had brought some jewelry… If exchanged for silver, it would be worth one or two hundred taels… Though not enough for him to live comfortably, it could at least solve his immediate predicament… She wondered if he would take advantage of her offer… She had come in haste and couldn’t produce more…

Fu Tingyun was undecided.

The man had already asked: “You say this is the Fu family’s ancestral temple?”

Fu Tingyun quickly gathered her thoughts: “Yes!”

“Then you should know where the kitchen is, right?” he said flatly. “Find a secluded path to avoid people in the temple and take me to the kitchen!”

The… kitchen!

Fu Tingyun was quite surprised but dared not ask more. She stood up, supporting herself on the old locust tree stump.

Perhaps she rose too quickly, or maybe she had hit something earlier, but stars swam before her eyes. She closed her eyes to rest for a moment before recovering and slowly heading east.

He followed silently behind her. They left the back courtyard and entered a narrow alley.

The alley had no trees. The sun shone directly overhead, a blinding expanse of white that made Fu Tingyun dizzy. Yet not as much as the man’s gaze behind her, which seemed to burn a hole in her, making her fearful and anxious, not daring to think too much, much less take a wrong step.

Fortunately, they met no one on the way. The kitchen, located in the southeast corner, was dim and deserted.

He searched around the kitchen for a while, gathering buns, wheat cakes, pickled vegetables, and even half a bowl of leftover rice, bundling them all in his outer garment.

Fu Tingyun lowered her head when he removed his clothing.

Her face burned fiercely.

In all her years, this was the first time she had encountered a man undressing in front of her.

Such a rustic boor, truly vulgar!

“Let’s go!” In the blink of an eye, he stood before her, holding his food-wrapped clothes in one hand and a rice jar the size of a water bucket in the other.

Go? Where? From here to her living quarters was just across a courtyard…

The thought flashed by, and her face turned ashen.

He wanted her to return to the back courtyard with him!

No, no, no… He no longer needed her. If she followed him back to the rear courtyard, she would be seeking death… She couldn’t go with him no matter what… In the neighboring courtyard lived several nuns who cooked, and they should be napping at this hour… She had been so confused… She should have escaped when he was looking for food…

“Sir!” Fu Tingyun secretly retreated while trying to make her tone sound gentle and compliant. “You already know the way out. The sun is so strong outside, and I’ve been in the back courtyard for so long in the heat that I’m feeling unwell. I won’t see you out…”

Her heel had already touched the threshold.

“Help!” She ran with all her might.

But just as the word “help” left her mouth, her throat tightened again. Grabbed by the neck, she was pulled inside and pushed against a floor-to-ceiling pillar in the center of the kitchen.

Her entire body ached as if broken.

She desperately tried to pry away his hand that gripped her throat, staring fixedly at his face, as if only this could express her hatred.

He looked at her calmly, with the casual air of someone crushing an ant. As if the killing before him was as ordinary and commonplace as eating or drinking!

Fu Tingyun trembled as if plunged into an icy cavern… struggling like a fish thrown ashore… gradually unable to breathe… sinking into darkness…