I returned to my room, put up my hair, found a random piece of black cloth to cover my face, changed into black stealth clothing, and leaped over the wall, heading straight for Yu Chi Manor’s villa by Daming Lake.

This place was quite familiar to me by now. I jumped over the high wall, avoided several guards, and went directly to the Scenic Garden.

The garden was lush with trees and brilliant with flowers. After walking a few steps into the garden, I heard melodious zither music, tinkling like water splashing on jade or pearls falling into a dish, incredibly pleasing to the ear. Through the sparse foliage, I saw in the distance an exquisite pavilion surrounded by water on all sides, where a woman sat playing the zither. Yan Shao stood beside her with his hands behind his back, his expression unclear, but his demeanor seemed quite entranced.

I hesitated slightly, uncertain whether to approach when suddenly I smelled a woman’s cosmetic fragrance. Simultaneously, a slight disturbance came from the left, and a figure flashed quickly under the flowering trees.

I immediately retreated into the dense shadows. Just as I concealed myself, I heard a light shout: “Who’s there?”

I was startled, but then heard another female voice coldly say: “Miss Liu, don’t you recognize me?”

A yellow figure flashed out, laughing lightly: “So it’s Miss Luo Fei. This late at night, why aren’t you attending to your lord? What are you doing here?” Her tone was extremely contemptuous.

Luo Fei said coldly: “I’m here to find Lin Wan Ci. Tell her to come out.”

Liu An laughed: “My mistress is entertaining guests, she’s not available.”

Luo Fei’s tone took on a hint of anger. “My lord was severely injured because of her, yet she’s secretly meeting other men in the dead of night…”

Liu An interrupted her, saying in a low voice: “Miss Luo Fei, please mind your words.”

Luo Fei didn’t speak. The two stared at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy. At this moment, the woman in the pavilion’s music reached its climax, the sound intense and fast, providing a perfect soundtrack to the scene before me.

Liu An was the first to break the silence: “Miss Luo Fei, if I were you, I would go back to my room and sleep now.”

Luo Fei didn’t say a word. Suddenly, her wrist flicked, and a cold light stabbed straight toward Liu An’s chest. This move was incredibly swift and vicious. They were only two or three steps apart, and there was no way Liu An could avoid it.

In that split second, a point of white light shot forth. With a “pat” sound, it struck Luo Fei’s dagger, which immediately fell. At the same time, the song in the pavilion ended, leaving lingering echoes.

Yan Shao applauded and recited: “There is a beautiful person, graceful as a willow. With charming gestures and a captivating smile, pleasing and enchanting disposition. She knows the music and understands the melody, skilled in the art of music…”

His voice was deep and far-reaching, drifting over in the night, making me seethe with anger.

The distance to that pavilion was only about a hundred steps. With Yan Shao’s martial prowess, how could he not hear the commotion? Yet he acted completely oblivious. Was the zither music really that captivating? It was infuriating!

At this moment, Luo Fei called out softly: “My lord.”

Her tone was inexplicably aggrieved.

Under the peach blossoms stood Nan Gong Jun Qing, dressed in white, his complexion pale yet beautiful, his gaze cold, his voice devoid of any warmth. “Apologize to Miss Liu at once.”

Luo Fei’s face drained of color. After a moment of silence, she finally said: “I’m sorry.”

Liu An snorted coldly, then suddenly turned and left.

Nan Gong Jun Qing’s face was as smooth as a mirror, showing no trace of joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure.

Luo Fei raised her beautiful face to look at him, her eyes glistening with tears. “My lord, you know she’s only… only using you… You’ve known all along, why do you subject yourself to this…” Her voice broke with sobs.

Nan Gong Jun Qing remained silent.

The fragrance of the peach blossoms unfolded unhurriedly in the moonlight, relaxed and graceful.

After a long while, the corner of his lips flashed with what seemed like a smile. Sorrow swept across his face—beautiful to the point of bewitchment—like sunlight skimming across a mirror’s surface, gone in an instant.

“I know, but I have no choice.”

His voice in the early summer night was as light as dew, unable to withstand even the gentlest kiss of the night breeze before scattering away.

“But I will always be by your lord’s side.”

“Go back to your room now,” Nan Gong Jun Qing’s voice remained as cold as ever.

Luo Fei stopped crying. She closed her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and when she opened them again, she had regained her composure. She stepped back twice, turned, and left, crushing the moonlight beneath her feet.

Only the spring courtyard moon shows compassion, still illuminating fallen flowers for those who have departed.

Nan Gong Jun Qing stood in the moonlight, his beautiful eyes fixed on the pavilion, expressionless.

I couldn’t help feeling pity. What a beautiful person! If I were a fan-fiction writer, I would pair him with Shen Zui Tian. Those two would truly be a match made in heaven, an unparalleled couple.

But pity aside, I still needed to keep a close eye on Yan Shao, to prevent him from straying.

I reluctantly pulled my gaze away from Nan Gong Jun Qing’s face. At that moment, he suddenly spoke.

“So it’s you.”

Hmm? Was he talking to me? It shouldn’t be. I wasn’t crouching—I was leaning against a tree branch watching the drama unfold. I was just leaning a bit too far to see more clearly, but that couldn’t be considered crouching.

He turned around, his gaze shooting over like cold lightning.

I didn’t move or speak.

This was not a good place for confrontation. I was the former manor master despised by Yu Chi Manor, who had disgraced them and caused Lin Qian Yi and four Hall Masters to be severely injured. They hated me to the bone, while I was such a kind and soft-hearted person—

“If you don’t speak, don’t blame me for being discourteous.”

He approached step by step, his moon-white sleeves rippling in the night wind like water.

I inwardly groaned, thinking this battle seemed unavoidable.

Suddenly, a voice said: “She is a guest I invited.”

I immediately felt relieved, raising my eyes to look at the newcomer, feeling that his face, cold as ice, now appeared more handsome than ever before.

Nan Gong Jun Qing stopped, saying coldly: “Lin Shao Zhu’s guest is quite special. Wearing a mask—is she afraid to show her face?”

Lin Shao Ci smiled slightly, his tone quite playful. “Who says she isn’t? Tonight’s guests are all special. Some enjoy the moonlight by the water pavilion, others stand alone at midnight, pacing back and forth without—”

Before he could finish, Nan Gong Jun Qing suddenly swept his sleeves and left, his movement so swift that in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Lin Shao Ci continued smiling, shaking his head and sighing softly: “His temper hasn’t changed one bit.”

When he looked at me, his expression suddenly became indifferent, saying coldly: “Your actions make things difficult for everyone.”

Knowing I was in the wrong, I stubbornly said: “I’m sorry, but I have something to ask you.”

He glanced toward the pavilion, then said: “Come with me.”

I followed him to the study in the South Garden and sat down, telling him about my promise to give Shen Zui Tian the antidote.

He remained silent.

I coughed twice, saying: “I know there are deep grudges between the Ghost Valley Alliance and Yu Chi Manor, but he has sworn not to set foot in the Central Plains for ten years. I think…”

He interrupted me, saying coldly: “Do you know who he is?”

I looked at him, confused.

He stood up, took several letters from the bookshelf, placed them in front of me, and laughed coldly: “These are letters I found in his mansion. Take a look… He is the leader of the Mongolian Oirat tribe and the most valued grandson of Prince Shunning Ma Ha Mu. Although I suspected his identity early on, I never imagined he harbored such wild ambitions…”

I kept silent. Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di had repeatedly campaigned against the Northern Yuan, personally leading expeditions many times, showing that the Mongol cavalry was not docile or obedient.

He continued: “Even if we temporarily set aside the grudges between Yu Chi Manor and the Ghost Valley Alliance, as a subject of the Great Ming, I absolutely cannot allow Mongol barbarians to encroach upon a single inch of Ming territory.”

I remained silent for a while, then sighed deeply: “I feel that the current situation in the Ming Dynasty is not conducive to offending foreign tribes. The Prince of Han is about to rebel, the Emperor will die, and internal strife and external threats…”

His expression changed dramatically, his gaze sharp as he fixed me with it: “The Emperor will die?”

I nodded, saying seriously: “According to Ming’s historical records, he will pass away on the twelfth day of this month.”

He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed, got up, and paced around.

“This is truly incredible—but you. You are indeed so different from Shu Kuang, I’ve been trying to convince myself—” He was somewhat incoherent, and laughed again as he spoke.

I looked at him and declared firmly: “I am indeed not Rong Shu Kuang.”

His smile turned bitter, and he muttered softly, “Yes, you are much more cruel than her.”

I was speechless. He also stopped talking, his face frosty. The candle in the room suddenly popped, making a particularly loud noise.

After a silent moment, he suddenly took out a white porcelain bottle and handed it to me, saying not without mockery: “Since you are a prophet, I’ll listen to you.”

I took it and put it away, coughing slightly: “There’s one more thing I wanted to ask… um, it’s about…”

He calmly continued: “It’s about that treasure map, isn’t it?”

I felt secretly guilty, inwardly berating my judgment of character. Lin Shao Ci was an extremely perceptive and intelligent person. Perhaps he was just a bit stupid when it came to emotions—there are indeed such men in the world who are normally articulate and sociable, but once they are in front of someone they like, they suddenly become tongue-tied and taciturn.

I took a deep breath and said honestly: “Yes. I want to know about the treasure map. But if it’s inconvenient for you to say, just pretend I didn’t ask.”

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. This treasure map was obtained by my mother from Miao territory.” The corner of his mouth twisted as he said bitterly: “My mother died because of this map.”

“What happened?”

“When my mother went to Miao territory, she was already pregnant. Unfortunately, she was poisoned and died shortly after giving birth to Wan Ci. And Wan Ci also suffered from the lingering effects of the poison. She was born with a strange illness that even Physician Li couldn’t cure… My father’s temperament changed drastically because of this, becoming violent and suspicious…” His tone was calm and numb. “In short, since obtaining this map, the Lin family has never known peace.”

I couldn’t speak, only sigh.

He looked at me, suddenly smiling: “But after tonight, the troubled one will probably be Chu Tian Yao.”

I was startled. “What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer, but instead came out with an unrelated statement. “If Chu Tian Yao truly loves you, he should take you far away from the jianghu’s disputes.”

I was startled again.

He walked to the window, looked up at the moon in the sky, sighed softly, and said to himself: “Before, on Biyu Peak, I would wake up startled every night. At that time, the stars had not yet fallen, the night sky was vast and mysterious. Do you know what I was thinking then?”

He laughed slightly, asking and answering himself: “I was thinking, how will this day end? How will this life end?”

After speaking, he turned to smile at me, with a pain in his eyes like an orchid suddenly crushed.

I was moved by his grief and couldn’t speak for a long time. I sat dumbfounded for a while before finding words to say.

I cleared my throat and said: “Um, there are two lines from a Tang poem—um, they go like this: ‘A thousand boats pass by the sunken ship, ten thousand trees thrive before the diseased tree.’ Although nine out of ten things in life don’t go as we wish, but…”

I struggled with how to phrase it when he suddenly burst out laughing. I couldn’t help feeling angry, glaring at him: “What are you laughing at?”

His ink-black eyes were full of mirth as he looked at me steadily, remaining silent.

I grew more annoyed, pressed my hands on the table, stood up, and said: “Fine, Master Lin, you can spend the rest of your life pondering this.”

Damn it! Considering you were born six hundred years before me, I was trying to engage in literary discourse with you, otherwise I would have slapped you twice already. Why are you being so melodramatic? How will it end? Do you think you’ll become an immortal?

I opened the door, with one leg already stepping out. He suddenly moved to block me, saying: “I’m very sorry, but your lecturing appearance makes one want to laugh.” He laughed again as he spoke.

I glared at him, but finally couldn’t help laughing myself.

“I have something to do, I’ll leave first.”

His laughter grew louder. “You want to eavesdrop, don’t you?”

I was immediately embarrassed, and laughed dryly: “How can you call it eavesdropping? If they haven’t closed the door and I happen to hear something, it can’t be considered eavesdropping.”

His gaze passed over my head, saying: “It seems you don’t need to ‘happen to hear’ anything now.”

Following his gaze, I saw Yan Shao and a green-clad woman walking through the garden’s lush flowers, slowly approaching the redwood corridor to the study. The woman was so fragile-looking it seemed her clothes might overwhelm her, her figure graceful like a walking willow. Her demeanor was serene and pure, stunningly beautiful.

As she walked, she spoke with Yan Shao, her bright face always wearing a smile. Her eyes, like autumn pools, were full of laughter, like the dew of early autumn, crystal clear.

I stared at her, forgetting to breathe. She gave my twenty years of imagination about classical beauties a clear, visible impression for the first time. All the women I had seen before could not be called women in comparison to her.

As the two of them were about to step onto the corridor, Lin Shao Ci pulled me into the room, tilted his head to look me up and down, and said: “In that outfit, you certainly don’t look like a guest.”

“Is there a back door?”

“No back door, but there is a back window.”

“Until we meet again.”

“You’re always welcome.”

I pushed open the window, using the light-body technique of walking on water, and departed with the moonlight. After leaving the courtyard, I came to an embankment shaded with green willows and sat waiting for Yan Shao. Hmph! I wanted to see just how long it would take him to come out!

Just then, someone behind me suddenly said coldly: “So it’s you.”

I was startled, turned around, and saw it was Nan Gong Jun Qing in his long robes, with a clear, pale face.

I looked at him, asking curiously: “What are you hiding for?”

He only glanced at me once, then turned to gaze at the clear waters beneath the misty willows, saying: “I’ve been here all along.”

I looked around, laughing dryly: “Insomnia?”

He didn’t speak. After a moment of silence, he turned to leave, not even looking at me properly, his tone indifferent: “I was curious who Lin Shao Ci’s guest was. Now I know.”

Watching his back, I couldn’t help muttering: “How strange.”

By this time, the night was deep, mist wreathed the lake, and a thin crescent moon reflected in the water as nothing more than a faint shadow under the clear blue sky.

I waited for a long time but didn’t see him come out. My mood changed from impatient to very impatient, and then from very impatient directly to despair. So I simply went home to sleep. Hmph, come back whenever you want, better not to come back at all.

When I returned, Feng Ming was still awake. Not only was he awake, but Hong Yu and Du Du Niao were also awake. The three were practicing swordplay under the moon. Feng Ming held the young lady’s sword, demonstrating moves. When he saw me, he showed no surprise, performing a “Phoenix Nods” move as a greeting, as if he had known all along I wasn’t in my room.

Feeling depressed, I lay down on the bed fully clothed, growing more and more angry. The sound of swordplay from the back courtyard only irritated me further. After tossing and turning for quite a while, I finally heard the sound of the door opening.

Yan Shao came in, saying softly: “Asleep?”

I lay with my back to him, eyes closed, saying irritably: “Yes, asleep.”

He chuckled and said: “What did you do tonight?”

“What else can I do besides sleep?”

“Sleep in night-walking clothes?”

“Is that not allowed?”

He laughed, “Of course, it’s allowed—just that these fastenings are troublesome.”

As he spoke, he got into bed and embraced me. I seemed to smell a faint fragrance on his sleeve, like orchid or musk, and immediately burned with anger, pushing his hand away.

He was silent for a moment, then said with feigned grievance: “Then I’ll go sleep in the west wing.”

I ignored him.

“I’m leaving,” he said again, but there was no sound of footsteps.

I was about to ignore him, but on second thought, I turned over, sat up, looked at him steadily, and smiled: “Fine, if you can’t sleep in the west wing, why not read some poetry? There’s one very good poem—”

He immediately sat back down, grinning as he asked: “Oh, what poem?”

I stared at him, reciting word by word: “There is a beautiful person, graceful as a willow, with charming gestures and captivating smile, pleasing and…”

Before I could finish, he burst out laughing.

I smiled coldly: “Very funny, isn’t it?”

He laughed uncontrollably, nodding repeatedly.

I kept a straight face, saying coldly: “Then go to the west wing and read it thoroughly now.”

He sat motionless, gazing at me, his eyes deep and clear, with mirth flowing from them. I couldn’t help sighing, reaching out to touch his face, trying to smooth away the fine laugh lines at the corners of his eyes—life is short, and using it to hold grudges is truly a sin.

He caught my hand, kissed it lightly, called me a fool in a husky voice, and then leaned down to kiss my lips.

After a while, he released me, saying irritably: “These buttons are indeed troublesome.”

I suppressed a laugh, deliberately saying: “With your martial skills, can you be defeated by a few buttons?”

He snorted lightly and kissed me hard, his fingers dexterous and wicked. In a moment, I was repeatedly begging for mercy, quickly sending that damn night-walking outfit to hell.

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“Is it true?”

“Of course it’s true.”

“This doesn’t make sense!”

I turned from the dressing table to glare at him, asking: “Why would she give you the treasure map?”

He smiled at me, noncommittally saying: “Perhaps she knew this was the only choice she could make.”

“What about conditions?” I continued to ask. “Did she just offer it up without any conditions?”

“She had one request.”

“What request?”

“She requested that you continue to be the master of Yu Chi Manor.”

I was stunned, a lock of black hair sliding from my hand, laughing in disbelief: “Are there such good things in the world? A free treasure map, plus a position as manor master.”

He came over to help me arrange my long hair, looking at me silently through the mirror.

I asked doubtfully: “Could this treasure map be fake?”

He rapped his knuckles on my head, smiling: “You—in some ways too clever, in others, utterly foolish. If the treasure map were fake, why would she make this request?”

I still didn’t understand, staring at him with bright dark eyes through the bronze mirror.

His face was bathed in the morning sunlight, looking quite energetic, though his tone was rather helpless as he explained: “Lin Wan Ci made this request because she knows you are crucial to me—”

“Wait!” I turned around, looking up with a smile: “Am I crucial to you?”

He smiled without speaking, leaning down to kiss my forehead before saying: “Yes, you are crucial to me.”

“In what way?” I persisted, continuing to question.

He pondered: “Very important.”

“How important is ‘very important’?”

He remained silent, pretending to glare at me angrily. I smiled, pecking his lips, saying: “Continue.”

He raised his head to look out the window, sighing: “Her asking you to be the manor master again puts herself in a position with no retreat, while also giving me something to be mindful of. Haha! If you are Yu Chi Manor’s master, on the surface, it appears Yu Chi Manor has submitted to the Prince of Han, but in reality, it adds another layer of constraint and concern for me. In the matter of the Prince of Han, I must act with caution…”

He suddenly laughed, turning to look at me: “Come to think of it, her purpose is the same as yours.”

I didn’t understand for a moment. “My purpose?”

He smiled. “Haven’t you always hoped I wouldn’t help the Prince of Han?”

I stood up, grinning: “If that’s the case, then taking the position of manor master again wouldn’t be so bad.”

He looked at me, with a half-smile: “Does this count as being abandoned by everyone?”

Just then, Hong Yu’s voice suddenly came from the back courtyard: “This move is wrong, it should be like this… hmm, then like this…” After that, there was no more sound, probably demonstrating moves.

I suddenly remembered yesterday’s question. Now, comparing it with Yan Shao’s recent words, I had a flash of insight: he was planning to rebel. Naturally, he wouldn’t want Hong Yu and others to be associated with him—it turned out that despite his apparent indifference, he had early on prepared escape routes for those around him.

Now, if I were to become the manor master, it would be inconvenient for him to drag Yu Chi Manor into the rebellion. Regardless of the outcome, Yu-Chi Manor would first be morally untenable, and whoever became the master would have only one result: bearing responsibility and infamy. Therefore, Lin Wan Ci’s move was engaging in a gamble, betting on Yan Shao’s feelings for me.

Although I desperately hoped Yan Shao would not participate in the rebellion, I dared not wager on our relationship. This was equivalent to a form of coercion. I didn’t want to do this, and I didn’t want to give Yan Shao that feeling… Now, Lin Wan Ci had torn away this layer of pretense, putting the issue on the table…

The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became!