Xiaodu heard the continuous cheers around him, but he felt inexplicably irritated. He walked forward with his hands behind his back, striding quickly, while Yuanxi silently followed, holding up her skirt. After just a few steps, a large group of laughing and noisy commoners suddenly surged forward, separating the two of them. Stopping in his tracks, Xiao Du turned back to see Yuanxi lowering her head, cautiously weaving through the crowd. Suddenly, a sense of guilt washed over him: he had been so preoccupied with his own anger that he had forgotten her fear of strangers. He quickly turned back and strode towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd.
Feeling her hand firmly enveloped by his, Yuanxi sensed warmth and a slightly rough texture, yet it didn’t repulse her. His broad arm shielded her from the surging crowd, dispelling her earlier fear and making her inexplicably feel at ease. Yuanxi let him lead her, allowing herself to be guided through the bustling crowd until they reached a small hill.
Unbeknownst to them, a figure trailed behind them, neither near nor far, carrying a sense of loneliness and solitude that seemed out of place amidst the surrounding bustle.
Looking out over the lake from the hill, Yuanxi saw the colorful dragon heads bobbing in the shimmering waves, banners and umbrellas fluttering in the wind. The boats chased each other amidst the waves, presenting a picturesque scene different from the one nearby. Yuanxi couldn’t help but silently admire the view. Seeing that the boatmen were too far to be clearly seen, Xiao Du felt satisfied. He casually sat down, lifting his robe. Yuanxi widened her eyes in surprise, thinking he was usually so meticulous and particular, yet here he was, sitting so casually. Xiao Du seemed to read her mind and said, “During military campaigns, I’ve experienced eating and sleeping outdoors. What’s there to fuss about?” Yuanxi found his reasoning valid and sat down beside him. Seeing her relaxed attitude, Xiao Du couldn’t help but smile.
Unnoticed by anyone, on the small hill, the Marquis and his wife sat casually on the ground, like any ordinary couple, enjoying the lively scene below. The gentle breeze swayed the willow trees behind them, adding to the tranquility of the moment.
Suddenly, a cry of alarm shattered the peaceful scene: “Marquis, watch out!”
Xiao Du’s expression changed, and he swiftly grabbed Yuanxi and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a flying knife that embedded itself into a tree trunk.
Following that, several black-clad figures jumped out from behind the trees, heading straight for Xiao Du. Xiao Du quickly regained his composure and handled the situation calmly. However, considering the person beside him, he couldn’t muster the strength to fight back and could only evade while pulling Yuanxi away from danger. It seemed they were at a disadvantage.
Anxiously, he turned his head to where the warning had come from and saw Luo Yuan standing not far away, his face full of anxiety, but unsure of how to help. Seeing the assailants growing more aggressive, Xiao Du reluctantly pushed Yuanxi towards Luo Yuan’s direction, shouting, “Take her away!”
Yuanxi, suddenly caught up in this dramatic turn of events and dragged around by him, only began to regain her senses now. Seeing Xiao Du surrounded, her heart filled with fear and confusion. At this moment, one of the black-clad men had already turned and was chasing after them. Luo Yuan grabbed her arm and said urgently, “Run!”
Gritting her teeth, Yuanxi knew that if something happened to her, it would only bring more trouble to Xiao Du. So, summoning all her strength, she let Luo Yuan pull her towards the crowded area, fleeing for their lives.
As the black-clad man followed them into the crowd, he suddenly lost track of them. In a panic, Yuanxi crouched down and grabbed hold of a seemingly straightforward man, removing her hairpin and handing it to him, saying, “Please, help me find the pavilion with the flag of the Marquis and tell them that the Marquis is in trouble on the western hill!” Before the man could react, Yuanxi felt her arm tighten, and looking up, she saw the black-clad man had discovered their trail and was charging towards them with his knife drawn. Acting quickly, she and Luo Yuan ran in the opposite direction. She could only hope that the man she had asked for help wasn’t the type to abandon others in need and would bring reinforcements to rescue Xiao Du.
The two of them exerted themselves, running towards the lake, but being a scholarly type and a mentally challenged woman, they were no match for the well-trained assassins. Seeing their pursuer getting closer, Luo Yuan had a sudden idea. Seeing a dragon boat just untethered and preparing for the next round of racing, he quickly pushed Yuanxi onto the boat, saying, “Quick, jump on!”
Yuanxi looked at the churning lake and felt her legs go weak. Urged on by Luo Yuan’s urgency, she made a split-second decision and leaped onto the boat. Turning back, she saw the black-clad man aiming his knife at Luo Yuan’s right leg!
She broke into a cold sweat, feeling dizzy. Fortunately, Luo Yuan made a final effort, leaping forward and barely managing to grab onto the edge of the boat. The boatmen quickly pulled him up, and seeing the boat now filled with tall, strong men, the black-clad man hesitated for a moment. But in that moment of hesitation, the boat had already swiftly sailed away from the shore.
At this moment, the setting sun stained the layered clouds red, casting its light into the shimmering water. On the swiftly moving dragon boat, Yuexi caught sight of Luo Yuan’s leg and couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re bleeding!” She quickly found a worker on the boat and had him bandage the wound. The worker frowned as he looked at the wound, saying, “I’m afraid the blade might be poisoned. It’s not safe to go ashore now. If the poison spreads throughout the body, it will be troublesome.”
Yuexi’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. She quickly pulled out some white silk from her pocket and said to the worker, “Wrap this around his wound to slow down the poison even if it’s there.” The oarsman hurriedly wound the silk tightly around the wound, and Yuexi, worried about the situation on the hillside and Luo Yuan’s condition, couldn’t help but shed tears.
Luo Yuan’s face had already turned pale with pain, but he still wore a gentle smile as he comforted her, “You’re all grown up now, but you still cry easily. Look towards the shore.” Yuexi blankly raised her eyes and saw several figures walking towards them from the direction of the Marquis’ Mansion, one of whom was tall and elegant—a sight that confirmed it was Xiao Du.
“Is he okay?” Yuexi finally felt relieved, her tears not yet dried as she smiled.
Seeing her tearful yet smiling face, Luo Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head with a light laugh, saying, “Three years have passed, and you haven’t changed a bit.” He paused, but ultimately didn’t utter that name.
Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Yuexi looked at Luo Yuan’s still bleeding wound with concern, asking, “Does it still hurt?”
Luo Yuan quickly shook his head, fearing to worry her. He then looked at the dragon boat chasing behind them and said, “Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. I’ve never experienced dragon boat racing before.”
Yuexi finally couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “I used to think that with all the books you’ve read and places you’ve been, there’s nothing you couldn’t do.”
Luo Yuan turned to look at her profile, remaining silent for a while before finally speaking, “Have you read the books I sent you?”
Yuexi nodded quickly, “I’ve read every one of them many times. I really like them.”
A hint of bitterness flashed in Luo Yuan’s eyes. After a while, as if making a big decision, he asked, “Have you read the notes inside?”
“Yes, I’ve carefully read every annotation. They are interesting and insightful,” Yuexi replied.
Luo Yuan’s eyes took on a hint of bitterness, and he remained silent, leaning against the edge of the boat with his gaze drifting somewhere unknown, letting the lake breeze tousle his hair. Seeing him silent, Yuexi also sat quietly, hugging her knees, feeling that the sunset at the bow of the boat was particularly beautiful, making her forget about the present moment.
After a while, the dragon boat finally reached the shore. While the oarsman called out to disembark, both Yuexi and Luo Yuan felt a bit dazed, feeling that the journey had passed too quickly. Luo Yuan suddenly stood up, his body suddenly unstable, almost falling to the ground. Yuexi wanted to help him up, but suddenly remembered her identity. Her outstretched hand stiffened in the air. It was as if Luo Yuan could see through her thoughts. He said softly, “It’s okay, I can walk by myself.” Then he limped to the shore with the help of the rope.
They had only taken a few steps when a group of people ran over anxiously. Seeing Yuexi, Xiaozhi threw herself at her, saying, “Sister-in-law, are you okay?” Yuexi shook her head and said, “Don’t worry, it’s thanks to the young master.” However, Xiao Du stared fixedly at the honeysuckle rope tied to Luo Yuan’s leg, his eyes seeming to burn with fire.
Following his gaze, Yuexi quickly explained, “I was afraid the blade might be poisoned, so I used this rope to tie his meridians to prevent the poison from spreading throughout his body.”
Xiao Du’s face darkened as he walked towards Luo Yuan, who was a little scared by his gaze but resisted the urge to step back, forcing a smile. At this moment, Xiao Du slowly said, “Blood is bright red; the blade couldn’t have been poisoned.” Then, with his eyes, he signaled: be sensible and take off the honeysuckle rope to return it to me.
However, Luo Yuan seemed to completely misunderstand. He just let out a sigh and said, “In that case, I can rest assured. I’ll take my leave now.” He paused and then suddenly said, “The conversation I had with the Marquis last time, please think about it carefully after today.” Then he turned around and limped away quickly.
Xiao Du’s face was full of resentment as he stared at his retreating figure, with only one thought in his mind: how dare he leave like this, still carrying the honeysuckle rope I made for my wife!
Yuexi didn’t understand what had happened, only seeing Xiao Du’s face turn pale. He turned around and said, “Get in the carriage, let’s go back to the mansion.” As Yuexi and Xiaozhi were about to follow, Xiao Du turned around and ordered, “You, change to another carriage!” Xiaozhi gave Yuexi a helpless look and obediently ran to sit in another carriage.
The carriage jolted along, and Yuexi looked at her solemn-faced husband beside her, feeling uncertain. Suddenly, she remembered something, feeling a bit embarrassed as she pulled out a sachet from her pocket and handed it to Xiao Du, saying, “I… I made a sachet for you, but I’ve never been good at handicrafts. It doesn’t look very nice. I originally thought of making some simple white silk for you, but who knew…”
Xiao Du’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the sachet. He saw that even the simplest lotus leaf was embroidered crookedly, and the edges were uneven. It was clear she wasn’t good at embroidery. Xiao Du covered his mouth, trying to hide his smile, and deliberately said, “As the Marquis of Xuan Yuan, I have to carry such an ugly sachet.”
Yuexi blushed, knowing that the mansion’s embroiderers were all skilled, even the maids could do a good job. Her sachet was indeed not very presentable. Feeling embarrassed, she tried to retract her hand, but Xiao Du snatched it away. When she looked again, the sachet had been tied to his waist. Xiao Du looked innocent, saying casually, “Since it’s made by my wife herself, I’ll reluctantly accept it.”
Yuexi felt a sense of joy seeing him wearing it and added, “Although this sachet isn’t well embroidered, the fragrant ingredients inside were carefully selected by me—cyperus, vetiver, mountain lavender, and Japanese knotweed. I looked them up in the Compendium of Materia Medica, and when combined, they can refresh the mind, calm the nerves, ward off evil spirits, and even dispel corpse odor…”
Xiao Du’s face had been brightening as he listened, but suddenly he felt something was amiss and asked suspiciously, “Corpse odor?”
Yuexi, carried away by her enthusiasm, blurted out all the effects. Now feeling a bit dumbfounded, she stammered to explain, “I meant just in case… just in case you have to examine a corpse again, this sachet…” She trailed off, feeling increasingly lost in her words, her mind a jumble. With a look of near tears, Xiao Du could imagine her continuing with her eccentric train of thought, which would surely ruin the good mood they had just built. So, he simply pulled her into his embrace, silencing her with a kiss.