The door opened.

Jing Hengbo looked in with one glance and froze at the threshold, unable to make a sound.

It was clearly already deep night, the time when everyone should be sleeping, yet at this moment the entire courtyard was filled with people.

But what kind of people were they?

At first glance, she thought she saw a group of ghosts – all empty, floating white robes, all thin as bamboo poles, with eerie green eyes glowing in the darkness. They floated, hung, crouched, and dangled under corridors, in wall corners, behind trees, beside stones, staring at people with an uncanny gaze.

At second glance, she saw those people’s faces. When she saw their faces, she suddenly understood they weren’t ghosts, but people. Sick people. Some covered in broken scales, some with twisted joints, some with peeling skin, some with half white and half black faces, some whose facial skin seemed missing – only showing a writhing mass of slightly red, gnarled flesh. The dim candlelight in the houses spread a sallow background, making this scene like a painting of night-wandering ghosts. Only the pale white vapor exhaled from their noses let people realize these were living beings.

Suddenly that bit of lamplight began moving, emerging from a doorway and wandering for quite a while before Jing Hengbo realized it was a black-clothed youth carrying a lamp, walking steadily toward them.

All the ghost-like people in the courtyard wore white, only he wore black. Only his face was white – not as disgusting as the others, just particularly white, so much so that his face was almost dissolved by the lamplight, making his features unclear.

The lamp-carrier walked to the old servant, and before the old servant could retreat, he stopped first and said: “New arrivals?”

The old servant pointed at Jing Hengbo: “She stays with you people.”

The black-clothed youth nodded: “Follow me.” Just as he was about to turn, he suddenly paused, holding the lamp up to Jing Hengbo’s face. Jing Hengbo raised her hand to block her eyes, avoiding the flame.

“She doesn’t have this disease,” the youth said. “She can’t stay here.”

“Young master’s orders.” The old servant shook his head.

The youth was stunned again, his lips revealing a cold, sharp smile. He nodded indifferently: “Fine.” Looking at Yelu Qi: “He’s coming too?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

The first response was Yelu Qi’s, the second was from the old servant and Jing Hengbo in unison.

“My young master’s word is final,” the old servant said. “If you want to stay here, he won’t treat this woman at all.”

Jing Hengbo also said: “If you move in, I’ll leave immediately. No one should stay here to be humiliated.”

Looking at this group of people, she kept thinking of mental hospitals or leper colonies. Since she had contracted epidemic disease anyway, she could bear being thrown in here, but dragging Yelu Qi in too wasn’t worth it.

“Can I stay anywhere I want?” Yelu Qi asked the old servant.

The old servant thought for a moment and nodded.

Yelu Qi smiled and stepped back himself. Jing Hengbo exhaled a long breath and stepped through the door.

Almost immediately, the old servant shut the door tightly. Hearing the sound of locks being fastened one by one, Jing Hengbo felt quite depressed.

This was obviously a terminal care facility for infectious diseases, wasn’t it?

No, there wasn’t even care – the main gate was locked tight, the atmosphere on all sides was like a ghost realm, and across from her stood a cold, black-clothed fellow like the Black Impermanence, staring at her expressionlessly.

Seeing her gaze turn toward him, the black-clothed youth casually pointed to a house at the easternmost end: “That one’s empty, you go live there. Three meals a day and medicinal soup will be delivered by someone. If Qiu Jinfeng needs to, he’ll come examine you himself. There’s a latrine over there – go clean it, it’ll be yours to use alone from now on. Don’t come disturbing us unless necessary, though I don’t think you’d dare.”

His eyes held slight mockery, then he suddenly said: “Actually you needn’t fear us – we don’t infect people. Rather, we should fear you. You’ve contracted epidemic disease, right? Looking at these symptoms, though not severe, they’re similar to the black plague that killed seven thousand people in Luoyun seven years ago. You’d better stay away from us.”

Jing Hengbo felt even more depressed – to actually be disdained by a group of people who looked like ghosts covered in sores!

The black-clothed youth finished his instructions and ignored her, carrying his lamp back to his room. Those ghost-like people still floated around the courtyard. Their figures seemed particularly light, and Jing Hengbo kept hearing strange gurgling sounds that seemed familiar. She looked around, thinking there might be frogs calling in a nearby pond, but there wasn’t one.

To reach her assigned room, she had to first pass through a courtyard full of wandering “ghosts.” This scene was quite a test of psychological endurance – midnight, lonely cliff, a courtyard full of eerie green gazes, a courtyard full of ghost-like people, a courtyard full of ghost-like people with eerie green eyes staring at you silently in deathly stillness… It created the illusion that at any moment she’d fall among hungry ghosts and be torn apart and eaten alive.

Jing Hengbo had to keep her gaze on the ground, not looking at those people’s faces. Looking down like this, she immediately made a new discovery.

Those people’s white robes were all very long, now dragging on the ground. Though dirty and worn, she – being very proficient in clothing and cosmetics – immediately noticed that all the fabric was luxurious and exquisite: silk brocade gleaming with hidden light, heavenly silk brocade with gorgeous patterns, thick and profound feather satin, rich and refined figured silk… Almost all were fabrics that only top-level nobles in Dahuang could afford. A considerable portion couldn’t even be produced in Dahuang – they had to be traded with precious stones from swamps and neighboring countries, making them unimaginably expensive.

Even in Jing Hengbo’s shop, clothing made from such fabrics was basically only supplied to high-level VIPs – that is, royal families from various regions.

A desolate island in the lake center, a group of confined, seemingly dying patients – how could they use such fabrics?

She even saw a thumb-sized pearl on a woman’s embroidered shoes under her skirt. If half the pearl weren’t clean, she would have thought it was a lump of yellow mud.

Looking at these robe hems and skirt edges, Jing Hengbo could barely move her feet, her curiosity growing stronger. She pointed at the pearl on the embroidered shoe, just wanting to strike up a conversation with the shoe’s owner, but as soon as she raised her head and opened her mouth, those “ghosts” who had been silently staring at her suddenly started chuckling and ran away in a flash. In an instant, white shadows flew chaotically around the courtyard – it really looked like a pack of ghosts rushing about at night.

The ones running were a pack of ghosts, and what scared those ghosts was a young, beautiful queen…

Jing Hengbo touched her face, feeling even more depressed, almost thinking she was the one with a face full of broken sores, flowing pus, and peeling skin…

She felt several pimples on her forehead and suddenly shivered, thinking about what if she became like that…

She’d rather be dead!

This thought immediately drained all her strength. After struggling for most of the night and still running a low fever, she dragged her feet to find that room. She vaguely saw the bed and other furnishings were quite clean, didn’t care about much else, and fell on the bed fully clothed to sleep.

She dreamed all night.

The dreams were exhausting.

Running, chasing, endless fighting and conflicts. In all the chaos, there was also a white-clothed figure swaying around like a ghost, chattering by her ear like a ghost: Why didn’t you tell me, why did you hide it from me, why did you run away without saying anything to me…

In the dream she was extremely annoyed and cursed: “Isn’t this exactly what you used to do! I’m just returning the favor!”

In the dream he fell silent, actually looking at her with melancholy eyes, making her hair stand on end. She backed away step by step, when suddenly flowers bloomed between them. A tiny child crawled out of the flowers and without a word crawled toward him, babbling “daddy.”

She exploded with a bang, rushed forward to snatch the baby and run, grabbing its ear and scolding loudly: “You damn thing, you crawled out of my belly and dare to turn your elbow outward…” After scolding for a while, she suddenly remembered an important question – was the baby male or female? She quickly lifted that little belly-covering cloth—

“Smack!”

Something made a crisp sound right by her ear. She opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a bright room, with golden light shining at the edge of her vision, brilliantly radiant like pearls on someone’s collar. She raised her hand to block her eyes, and only after a while remembered that she hadn’t closed the door when sleeping last night. Now the sun was hanging flashingly above the door lintel.

Then she smelled a very refreshing fragrance, like fresh, tender fish meat accompanied by the scent of fragrant, crystalline rice, or perhaps also the astringent fragrance of pine needles and the rich aroma of chicken…

Eyes closed, a smile played at the corner of her mouth as she murmured: “Yelu Qi, if you lived in modern times, you’d definitely be a warm man that everyone would fight over…”

As if not far above her head, Yelu Qi’s voice sounded: “What’s a warm man?”

“Someone like you…” Jing Hengbo said lazily. “Can handle the parlor and the kitchen, gentle and considerate, careful and reliable, suitable for home and family, lovable and admirable, like a warm ray of sunshine bathing one’s entire body…”

“Your description suddenly gives me some expectations I’m not sure I should have,” Yelu Qi said thoughtfully from above.

Jing Hengbo immediately said: “It’s better not to have expectations.” Hearing what sounded like Yelu Qi half-laughing, half-sighing from above, a tuft of down floated down and landed on her nose tip, tickling her. “Get up and eat breakfast.”

Jing Hengbo made an “mm” sound, her nasal tone soft and sweet. She thought how nice it would be if it were Gong Yin asking this question, and suddenly imagined Gong Yin wearing an apron and chef’s hat, expressionlessly wielding a spatula, placing a perfectly round fried egg (more perfect than one drawn with a compass) on a plate and calling: “Time to eat!”

Thinking this was quite amusing, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

This laugh was bathed in the golden light of morning sun – warm, beautiful, with longing and expectation for happiness filling her brows and eyes. Her lips curved upward like a happy acacia flower blooming, brilliant in the transparent golden wind and sunlight of early morning.

Watching her from above, Yelu Qi’s heart suddenly trembled.

He had always loved her smile most – usually charming, and when charming it made one feel that flowers gained color in an instant, while sunlight became splendid and magnificent – a kind of dazzling, unforgettable beauty. But this kind of warm, soft smile moved him most deeply: part tender, part soft, part loving. Heaven and earth seemed to become soft and transparent in such a curved arc.

He felt his heart had also become transparent, like a complete crystal where every facet reflected only her image.

Yet it was already full – her life had already been filled by another, leaving no place for anyone else to stand…

His lips curved as he turned to look at the distant scenery.

When Jing Hengbo opened her eyes, she discovered there was actually a slanted skylight directly above the bed, through which half of Yelu Qi’s face was visible.

She squinted and reached for food on the table beside the bed.

But her hand touched empty air.

Stunned, she sat up and turned to look. The table was right beside the bed but now completely empty. Yet she had clearly smelled fragrance just now, and Yelu Qi had called her to eat breakfast!

Jing Hengbo got out of bed and walked to the window. Well, good grief – a steaming lotus leaf package and a verdant bamboo tube of rice were now in someone else’s hands!

Below the window, several white-robed men and women were fighting over her breakfast. A woman hugging the bamboo rice tube was dodging here and there, constantly shouting: “Hey! You dare steal this palace’s food!”

A large hand suddenly reached down from a tree, grabbing her hair: “Ha! Princess of Dingcheng, quickly present the food to this king!”

Several people pounced over, some pulling at trouser legs, others tugging at skirts, their mouths full of gibberish.

“The Assistant General has the right to eat a bite!”

“The Marquis gets to share a chicken leg!”

“This palace is an Imperial Consort! This palace is the sovereign, you are subjects – none of you may eat, all must present it to this palace!”

…

Jing Hengbo giggled with laughter – these lunatics playing house was too entertaining!

As soon as she laughed, those people immediately stopped fighting and turned to stare at her in unison, shouting: “Hey! What commoner dares to laugh at us!”

“Yes, yes, yes – Princess of Dingcheng, Assistant General, Lord Marquis, Imperial Consorts – have you finished playing house? Next time you want to play house, please use grass roots and mud, okay? This is my breakfast, thank you.” Jing Hengbo rested her hands on the windowsill, smiling pleasantly.

Those ghost-like princesses, generals, marquises, and consorts stared wide-eyed, then suddenly raised their hands and threw everything at her in unison.

“Hey! What scoundrel dares show such disrespect to us!”

Jing Hengbo ducked her head as mud mixed with rice crashed against her window frame. Outside, the group continued shouting – the princess giving orders to the general, the consort commanding the marquis, the prince ordering the duke, all demanding to “drag this audacious, royal-insulting slave girl out and beat her to death with rods!” Unfortunately, after shouting for ages while Jing Hengbo’s head collected a pile of mud, those generals, princes, and marquises were still competing to command subordinates. No one moved, just yelling at the top of their lungs. Finally they chorused: “New slave girl, come out and serve us!”

Jing Hengbo raised her head. Crystalline rice mixed with disgusting yellow mud covered the wall, chicken meat buried in black ash. She raised an eyebrow, thinking this was food Yelu Qi had worked hard on all morning, now completely wasted by this damn group of neurotic marquises, princesses, consorts, and generals – what a fucking waste.

She stood up: “Who are the slave girls talking about?”

“The slave girls are talking about you!” they chorused from outside.

“Why should I serve slave girls?” Jing Hengbo asked.

“Because your status is lowest.” The group outside raised their heads, some lifting skirts, others brushing robe hems, and someone pulled out a broken little mirror, looked at their scale-covered face, and swept a lock of greasy, thick-layered bangs behind their head. “Here we go by rank and seniority. Your status is lowest, you came latest, so we’ve decided – from now on you serve us all!”

“Is that so?” Jing Hengbo smiled with curved lips. The group outside all froze as Jing Hengbo suddenly waved her hand, and with a clattering sound, a shower of stones rained down on those “nobles.”

Amid the chaos of people covering their heads and scurrying about with cries of pain, Jing Hengbo’s voice rang clear: “Rank your ass! Senior your balls! Whoever has the biggest fist makes the rules! I came late, so you should take care of the newcomer! I’m the queen, so you should respect Her Majesty! From now on, you all serve me!”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re the newcomer, you’re the queen!” The marquises, consorts, princesses, and generals fled far away. Jing Hengbo chuckled and was about to close the door when she suddenly saw the black-clothed youth standing in the corridor not far away, watching her coldly.

This one’s different, she told herself.

Unlike that group of unreliable “nobles,” this one truly seemed like nobility. He wore coarse black cloth, but his gaze was like one ruling the world. He lived in the most central room of this courtyard, and his room was obviously cleaner than others’.

His condition also seemed less severe than others’ – only particularly pale, plus having lost quite a few eyebrows. Overall, he had a very special kind of stern handsomeness.

Jing Hengbo smiled at him, intuitively feeling this was someone who needed careful handling. But her smile was only half-formed when the black-clothed youth suddenly turned around and shut his door with a “creak.”

Jing Hengbo was rebuffed but persisted in completing that half-smile. Not everyone in this world would respond to your goodwill, but good mood belonged to yourself.

Then she turned and looked up. Yelu Qi’s face was no longer at the skylight. She walked out of the room and saw that beside the courtyard wall near her room, a bamboo tower had been erected at some point. The bamboo tower was very tall – tall enough to overlook her room. Though very simple, it was built exquisitely and verdantly, with its only window facing her direction. A medicinal fragrance drifted from the bamboo tower – a scent she knew well. It was what Yelu Qi had been taking recently, Si Rong Ming’s prescription to control the poison.

Jing Hengbo stared blankly at the bamboo tower for a while, then smiled and shook her head. Yelu Qi wasn’t just a warm man – he was like Ultraman, building bamboo towers overnight.

He wasn’t there now – probably seeing the breakfast had been wasted and gone to find food again.

Jing Hengbo went to find water for washing. Suddenly the main room door opened again and the black-clothed youth walked straight out. Jing Hengbo thought he wanted to talk to her and was considering whether to show a smile, but the youth had already walked past her without a sideways glance, straight to the wall of her room, looking up at the bamboo tower.

Jing Hengbo thought he had objections to the bamboo tower – it was tall enough to overlook most of the courtyard’s situation. Just as she was about to explain, she suddenly saw the black-clothed youth close his eyes and twitch his nose, as if smelling the medicinal scent.

Then the black-clothed youth opened his eyes, his face frosty, sneered twice, glanced again at the bamboo tower, and turned to leave.

He came suddenly and left strangely. Jing Hengbo didn’t have a chance to ask what was wrong, only feeling that fellow’s gaze was unfriendly, yet impossible to fathom.

Looking at the tightly shut door over there, she sighed, hastily washed her face with well water, found a bucket, and carried water to clean the latrine.

Running a low fever and feeling weak all over, she sloshed along with half a bucket of water to the simple latrine door, preparing to face a dirty, disgusting toilet. But pushing open that half wooden door, she couldn’t help but freeze.

The latrine was still simple with just one squat toilet, but it was clean and tidy. The footrest board was new, the soil freshly turned, and the walls were actually lined with a layer of original wood boards.

Jing Hengbo stood stunned for a long time, then leaned softly against the wall.

Half a bucket of water reflected her slightly haggard face. She touched her cheek and smiled bitterly.

The toilet couldn’t possibly be this clean, and couldn’t possibly have been cleaned by those marquises, princes, consorts, and generals. Only Yelu Qi.

She just hadn’t expected that even this kind of work – cleaning a women’s toilet – he had also done.

Hadn’t he slept all night last night?

There was a kind of affection as deep and solid as mountains, towering and dependable; as delicate as water, constantly embracing.

Yet she felt unable to bear it, ashamed to accept it.

She stood dazed at the latrine door for a long time before sighing helplessly and lazily returning to lie on the bed in a stupor. Sure enough, before long Yelu Qi air-dropped another bamboo tube of rice containing fresh fish and shrimp mixed with fragrant rice. The fish meat had even had all the bones picked out – indescribably plump and delicious. But holding the steaming bamboo rice tube, she felt her throat blocked and couldn’t swallow.

Soon after, “Princess of Dingcheng” knocked on her door, placed a bowl of medicinal soup on her table, then hurried away without daring to linger – the bumps on her head from the earlier beating were still there.

Jing Hengbo picked up the medicinal soup and drank it, not bothering to ask if it was improper for Qiu Jinfeng to prescribe medicine without taking her pulse. That fellow had X-ray vision – taking her pulse or not made no difference. But after finishing the medicine, at the bottom of the bowl she could see half a centipede’s glossy black shell. She felt nauseated and almost vomited, forcibly restraining her throat to keep it down, knowing this was probably Qiu Jinfeng’s petty revenge – that guy was really small-minded.

While drinking the medicine, sunlight fell on the table in a golden, glossy patch. She was stunned, recognizing this as top-quality yellow rosewood.

She put down the bowl and walked around in a circle. The room was small with only a bed, cabinet, and table. But looking carefully revealed something wrong – all three pieces of furniture were made of precious wood with fine craftsmanship and decorated with flowers, birds, and mother-of-pearl inlay. At a glance, one could tell they weren’t ordinary items from common households.

This furniture was like the clothing of those “princesses, princes, consorts, and generals” she’d discovered – luxury items beyond what this place should actually have.

Deep curiosity arose in Jing Hengbo’s heart. This place like a leper colony had many suspicious points: a person who didn’t seem like a patient but acted mysteriously as the person in charge, a simple courtyard with luxurious interior decorations, a group of people claiming noble status but fighting over food, that eccentric Qiu Jinfeng, this lake island’s location between Luoyun and Fushui territories, the island’s confinement and mystery…

She had a bad premonition.

Even avoiding the world and hiding on this isolated island to treat illness, trouble would eventually come.