Cheers continuously reached his ears, but Xiao Du felt inexplicably irritated. With his hands behind his back, he strode forward quickly, while Yuanxi could only lift her skirt hem and follow silently. After just a few steps, a large group of laughing and chattering common people suddenly surged over, separating the two. Xiao Du stopped, turned around to see Yuanxi with her head lowered, carefully dodging back and forth through the crowd. His heart suddenly filled with guilt – he had only been sulking and forgot that she had always been afraid of strangers. So he quickly walked back, grabbed her hand, and pushed through the crowd to lead her out.
Yuanxi felt her hand firmly wrapped in his, warmth transmitting from his palm along with a slightly rough texture, but it didn’t make her feel averse. His broad shoulders shielded her from the surging crowd before her, making her earlier fear immediately dissipate and inexplicably bringing her peace of mind. So Yuanxi let him lead her through the bustling crowd to the top of a small hill.
Behind them, someone followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far, carrying loneliness and solitude that seemed out of place with their surroundings.
Looking down at the lake from the slope, Yuanxi saw painted dragon heads bobbing in the rippling light, banners and embroidered umbrellas swaying in the wind, and large boats chasing each other through the waves. Compared to the close-up view from before, this presented an entirely different magnificent scene. Yuanxi couldn’t help but silently marvel in her heart. Seeing that the rowers on the boats were too distant to see clearly, Xiao Du felt very satisfied and casually sat down, lifting his robes. Yuanxi couldn’t help but stare at him wide-eyed – she had always thought he was particular and fastidious about everything, never expecting him to sit so boldly on the ground. Xiao Du seemed to see through her thoughts, “During military campaigns, I’ve tried sleeping under the stars and in the open – this is nothing.” Yuanxi found this reasonable and sat down beside him. Seeing her natural attitude without any affectation, Xiao Du couldn’t help but smile slightly.
No one noticed that on the small earthen slope, Marquis Xuanyuan and his wife sat so casually on the ground like any ordinary couple, watching the lively scene below with great interest. The breeze gently swayed the willow trees behind them, adding even more comfort to the moment.
Suddenly, a sharp shout broke this tranquil scene: “Marquis, be careful!”
Xiao Du’s expression changed as he quickly rolled to the side while holding Yuanxi. A flying dagger embedded itself in a tree trunk.
Then, several men in black jumped out from behind the trees, charging straight at Xiao Du. Xiao Du quickly regained his composure and responded calmly, but concerned about the person beside him, he couldn’t free up enough strength to counterattack and could only pull Yuanxi to keep dodging. It was clear they were falling into a disadvantageous position.
He anxiously turned his head toward where the warning had come from and saw Luo Yuan standing not far away with an anxious expression, not knowing how to come forward to help. Seeing those men in black attacking more and more fiercely, though extremely reluctant, Xiao Du could only push Yuanxi toward Luo Yuan, shouting loudly, “Quickly take her away!”
Yuanxi, suddenly encountering this dramatic change and being pulled around dizzily by him, only now slowly came to her senses. Seeing Xiao Du surrounded in the middle, her heart was both chaotic and fearful. At this time, a man in black had already turned to chase after them. Luo Yuan grabbed her arm, “Run quickly!”
Yuanxi bit her lip, knowing that if something happened to her, it would only bring more trouble to Xiao Du. So she used all her strength and was pulled by Luo Yuan as they fled toward the crowded area.
The man in black lost his bearings when he reached the crowd. Just as he was searching everywhere, Yuanxi had already crouched down, randomly grabbing an honest-looking man and placing a gold hairpin in his hands, “Please, help me find the pavilion with the Xiao flag and tell them the Marquis is in trouble on the western slope!”
Before the man could react, Yuanxi felt her arm tighten – looking up, she discovered the man in black had spotted their traces and was chasing them with a sharp knife drawn. Yuanxi hurriedly ran with Luo Yuan in the opposite direction, hoping in her heart that the man from earlier wasn’t someone who would forget righteousness for profit and could help find reinforcements for Xiao Du.
The two used all their skills to run toward the lakeside, but one was a weak scholar and the other a frail woman – they couldn’t match a well-trained assassin after all. Seeing the pursuer getting closer, Luo Yuan had a sudden inspiration. Seeing a dragon boat in front of them untying its ropes, preparing to begin the next round of racing, he quickly pushed Yuanxi toward the boat, “Jump on quickly!”
Yuanxi looked at the rolling lake water, her legs immediately felt weak. Luo Yuan urged anxiously beside her, “Quickly! It’ll be too late if you wait!” So Yuanxi steeled her heart and leaped onto the boat. Turning back, she saw the man in black slashing his knife at Luo Yuan’s right leg!
She felt cold sweat all over her body and dizziness before her eyes. Fortunately, Luo Yuan used his last bit of strength to leap forward desperately, barely grabbing onto the boat’s edge. The rowers on the boat quickly pulled him up. The man in black, seeing the boat full of tall, sturdy men, felt somewhat intimidated. In this brief moment of hesitation, the boat had already swiftly departed from the shore.
At this moment, the setting sun had dyed the clouds red and cast its reflection into the shimmering water. On the dragon boat speeding through the water, Yuanxi, still shaken, glanced at Luo Yuan’s leg and couldn’t help crying out, “You’re bleeding!” She quickly found a young worker on the boat to help bandage his wound. The worker frowned at his wound, “I’m afraid the blade was poisoned. We can’t get to shore now – if poison spreads through his whole body, it’ll be trouble.”
Yuanxi’s heart jumped at these words. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly pulled out several colorful silk cords from her bosom and said to the worker, “Tie these around his wound to constrict the meridians. Even if there’s poison, it will spread more slowly.” The rower quickly wrapped the silk cords tightly above the wound. Yuanxi was worried about both the situation on the slope and Little Master’s injury, and finally couldn’t help but shed tears.
Luo Yuan’s face had already turned pale from pain, but he still wore a gentle smile as he comforted her, “You’re all grown up but still love to cry. Look toward the shore.” Yuanxi blankly raised her eyes and saw several figures walking in this direction from the Marquis residence’s pavilion on the shore. One of them had an elegant bearing and imposing stature – clearly Xiao Du.
“Is he alright now?” Yuanxi’s worried heart finally relaxed, and she smiled even before her tears had dried.
Seeing her appearance of laughing through tears, Luo Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head with a light laugh, “Three years of not seeing you, and you haven’t changed at all.” He paused, but ultimately didn’t speak that name aloud.
Yuanxi wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, then looked worriedly at his still-bleeding wound, “Does it still hurt a lot?”
Luo Yuan quickly shook his head, afraid she would worry, then looked at the dragon boats chasing each other behind them, “Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise – I’ve never tried sitting on a dragon boat and personally experiencing a race.”
Yuanxi finally couldn’t help but laugh, “I always used to think that Little Master had read so many books and been to so many places, there shouldn’t be anything in this world that Little Master couldn’t do.”
Luo Yuan turned to look at her profile, not speaking for a long while, then suddenly asked, “The books I sent you – did you read them all?”
Yuanxi quickly nodded, “I read every one many times. I liked them very much.”
A trace of hesitation flashed in Luo Yuan’s eyes. After a while, as if making a great decision, he asked, “The writing inside – you read all of that too.”
“Yes, I carefully read every annotation. Little Master’s comments were both interesting and comprehensive – I benefited greatly from reading them.”
Luo Yuan’s eyes took on a bitter tinge. He said nothing more, only leaning against the boat’s edge, his gaze drifting somewhere unknown, letting the lake wind dishevel his hair at the temples. Seeing him silent, Yuanxi also hugged her legs and sat quietly, only feeling that the sunset from the boat’s prow was particularly beautiful – so beautiful it made her forget what evening it was.
After sailing for a while, the dragon boat finally reached shore. The rowers called out as they walked off the boat. Both Yuanxi and Luo Yuan felt somewhat dazed, feeling this journey had passed too quickly. When Luo Yuan suddenly stood up, his body became unsteady and he nearly fell to the ground. Yuanxi quickly wanted to go support him, but suddenly remembered her status and her outstretched hand froze stiffly in the air. Luo Yuan seemed to see through her thoughts and said gently, “It’s fine, I can walk by myself.” Then he limped along, supporting himself on the mooring rope as he went ashore.
The two had only walked a few steps when they saw a group of people running over anxiously. As soon as Xiao Zhixuan saw Yuanxi, she rushed over, “Sister-in-law, are you alright?” Yuanxi shook her head, “Don’t worry, it’s all thanks to Little Master.” But Xiao Du stared fixedly at the silk love knots tied around Luo Yuan’s leg, his eyes seeming to burn with fire.
Yuanxi followed his gaze and quickly explained, “I was afraid the blade was poisoned, so I used these cords to tie off his meridians to prevent poison from spreading through his whole body.”
Xiao Du walked toward Luo Yuan step by step with a dark expression. Luo Yuan felt somewhat intimidated by his stare, suppressing the urge to step back and forcing a smile. Then he heard Xiao Du say slowly, “The blood is bright red – the blade wouldn’t be poisoned.” Then, glaring at him meaningfully, “If you’re sensible, take off the silk knots and return them to me.”
But Luo Yuan seemed completely unable to understand, only breathing out lightly, “Then I can rest assured. I’ll take my leave first.” He paused, then suddenly added, “What I said to the Marquis last time – after today, please think it over carefully, Marquis.” Then he turned and limped away quickly.
Xiao Du stared resentfully at his retreating figure, only one thought filling his mind: He actually dared to run away like that, still wearing the silk love knots my wife made!
Yuanxi didn’t understand what had happened, only seeing Xiao Du’s iron-gray expression as he turned and said, “Get in the carriage, we’re going home.” Xiao Zhixuan was pulling Yuanxi to follow when Xiao Du turned back to command, “You take a different carriage!” Xiao Zhixuan gave Yuanxi a look that said “you’re on your own” and obediently ran to sit in another carriage.
The carriage jolted along. Yuanxi looked at her husband’s stern face beside her, feeling anxious. She suddenly remembered something and somewhat shyly pulled out a sachet from her bosom, offering it to Xiao Du, “I… I made you a sachet, but I’ve never been good at handicrafts since childhood, so it doesn’t look very nice. I originally thought I’d just weave some simple silk cords for you, but who knew…”
Xiao Du’s heart stirred as he shifted his gaze to the sachet. He saw the simplest lotus leaf embroidered completely out of shape, and the edges sewn crookedly – clearly she truly wasn’t skilled at needlework. Xiao Du suppressed a smile at the corner of his mouth and deliberately snorted lightly, “I’m the dignified Marquis Xuanyuan – you want me to wear such an ugly sachet?”
Yuanxi’s face reddened, knowing that the embroiderers in the Marquis residence were all highly skilled, and even the maids did excellent work. Her sachet was indeed not presentable, so she dejectedly tried to withdraw her hand, but Xiao Du snatched it away. When she looked again, the sachet was already tied at his waist. Xiao Du looked innocent and said casually, “However, since it was made by my wife’s own hands, I’ll reluctantly accept it.”
Seeing him wear it, Yuanxi felt somewhat pleased and continued, “Though this sachet isn’t embroidered very well, the aromatics inside were all carefully selected by me – there’s scutellaria, patchouli, kaempferia, nardostachys. I consulted the Compendium of Materia Medica, and these ingredients together can refresh the mind, calm the spirit, ward off evil, and eliminate corpse odor…”
Xiao Du had been listening with a spring-like expression, but suddenly felt something was wrong and asked suspiciously, “Corpse odor?”
Yuanxi, caught up in her explanation, had blurted out all the effects. Now she was also somewhat stunned and stammered to explain, “I meant just in case… in case you have to examine corpses again in the future, this sachet…” The more she spoke, the less she knew what she was saying. Her mind was in complete chaos as she showed an expression on the verge of tears. Xiao Du felt that with her consistently strange way of thinking, if he let her continue, his good mood would definitely be completely ruined. So he simply pulled her into his arms and lowered his head to seal her lips.