Pei Ruheng had been listening thoughtfully up until the last sentence, when his expression turned cold once more: “Who is mutually devoted to you.”

Chen Baoxiang seemed not to have heard him, and continued speaking on her own: “Although the authorities have already cleared my name, I am still willing to go stand vigil for your uncle, so as to prove I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Stand vigil for what.” He pressed a hand to his chest and glared at her. “Don’t you dare curse my uncle.”

“It’s not a curse — I saw it with my own eyes—”

“Yesterday at noon, my uncle was attacked. When he was brought to the Pei residence, his injuries were indeed critical and his life was hanging by a thread.” Pei Ruheng said, at the end of his patience. “But our household has a master physician. He is now out of danger.”

“Out of danger?” Chen Baoxiang and Zhang Zhixu asked aloud at the same time.

Pei Ruheng could only hear one voice. He glanced at her and replied without patience: “Otherwise, how would my sister still have the heart to host a full-moon banquet?”

Zhang Zhixu’s brow knitted deeply. He said nothing more. Chen Baoxiang, for reasons unclear, also fell into silence.

A deathlike stillness settled over the pavilion, making the atmosphere feel strangely heavy.

Pei Ruheng narrowed his eyes at her: “You weren’t actually hoping he’d die, were you.”

Chen Baoxiang startled at that, staring blankly back at him. After a moment, tears actually welled in her eyes: “You — from the very first time we met, you’ve spoken to me without any courtesy. Normally you ignore me. I was nearly frightened to death over something this serious, my life hanging by a thread, and not only do you not comfort me, you mock me.”

As she spoke, real tears fell, landing on his knee with a soft splash.

The fingers resting on his knee shifted slightly.

Zhang Zhixu also came back to himself, thinking — is this what it means to be moved by someone? One sentence from him, and she cries like this?

But wait — why don’t I feel any sadness?

Just as he was thinking that, he heard Chen Baoxiang call out in her mind: Immortal, Immortal — things have come to this point, quick, think of something, what do we do next!

Zhang Zhixu: ……

A woman’s mouth is truly a deceiving thing.

Composing himself, he thought briefly: Go stand behind him.

Chen Baoxiang did as told, crying as she rose, mimicking the motion of stomping her foot as she maneuvered around to Pei Ruheng’s back—

Then what?—

Then raise your hand—

Like this? Then what?—

Then use that ox-like strength you used to support him earlier, and bring a knife-hand strike down on the back of his neck.

???

Chen Baoxiang was stunned. She wanted to question this but there was no time — her strange movement had already made Pei Ruheng inclined to turn around.

With no room to back out, she squeezed her eyes shut and struck. The force was tremendous. Pei Ruheng immediately slumped sideways.

“Wait, wait, wait!” She hurriedly reached out to catch him, caught between laughter and exasperation: “Immortal, what is the meaning of this?”

“Didn’t you want to get closer to him?” Zhang Zhixu said. “Now you have a perfectly good reason to escort him home and stay by his side until he wakes up.”

Ah, I see.

Chen Baoxiang was suddenly enlightened and stuck up a big thumbs-up: “The Immortal is truly clever.”

Zhang Zhixu thought to himself — fortunately he was clever and she was foolish. Anyone else probably wouldn’t have done exactly as he said so readily.

Cheng Huaili didn’t die. That arrow struck him straight in the chest — how is it possible he didn’t die?

He would have to go to the Pei family and see for himself.

Chen Baoxiang supported Pei Ruheng as she walked him outside. Pei Rumei spotted them from a distance and came running over, taking his other side, puzzled: “What happened?”

“I don’t know either,” Chen Baoxiang said with some unease. “We were just talking, and then he collapsed.”

Fortunately, Pei Rumei had always been on warm terms with her and didn’t suspect a thing. She called for a servant, and the two of them got into the Pei family carriage together.

“Don’t worry, Sister — our family’s master physician is incredibly skilled. There’s surely nothing seriously wrong with my brother.” She even turned around to reassure Chen Baoxiang. “If you’re worried, you can wait until he wakes up before leaving.”

Chen Baoxiang felt very guilty about the whole thing. As soon as they arrived at the Pei residence, she wanted to help fetch water and make the bed — anything to atone a little.

But the Immortal stopped her: “That’s the servants’ work. If you do it, it won’t earn you any admiration — on the contrary, it’ll make everyone in his household look down on you.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Go with Pei Rumei to fetch the physician.”

Fair enough.

Chen Baoxiang rose to her feet immediately.

“Sister, you’re welcome to rest here in the courtyard,” Pei Rumei said. “Our family doesn’t come from a very high station, so naturally the rules aren’t that strict.”

“This is still not considered a high station?” Chen Baoxiang said in astonishment.

Pei Rumei looked at her unabashedly exaggerated expression and couldn’t help but laugh softly, taking her hand and walking alongside her: “We were originally a merchant family. It was only after our uncle received the Emperor’s favor that we settled our household in Shangjing.”

“I know about that,” Chen Baoxiang said. “General Cheng Huaili achieved great merit guarding the border, and his blessings extended to his family.”

“That’s right. My mother is his sister who married out, yet he has always treated our family well — he even sent my brother to sit the imperial examinations.”

“How wonderful,” Chen Baoxiang said with a warm smile. “I’d love to have a family member like General Cheng.”

Zhang Zhixu listened in silence, feeling a simmering resentment rise within him.

Cheng Huaili came from a humble background and was an arrogant man by nature. Trading on the merit he had accumulated in Liangzhou, he entered the capital and showed disrespect to the new Emperor, presumptuously addressing him as a brother. He oppressed his colleagues and filed false accusations against anyone who displeased him. His treatment of those beneath him was even worse — he routinely seized farmland and had commoners beaten to death.

Just a few months ago, he had compelled the new Emperor to issue a decree forcing the Zhang family to marry off a girl from the fourth branch — barely of marriageable age — to him as a second wife.

The Zhang family elders were torn, too wary to act rashly. But Zhang Zhixu had been someone with nothing to lose. He laid his plans at the Roasted Tail Banquet, intending to drag Cheng Huaili down with him in mutual destruction. When it was over, the blame would not fall on the Zhang family — who had already lost a beloved son — and Cheng Huaili would no longer be able to bring harm to the world.

It was a good plan. He simply hadn’t anticipated that the Pei family harbored a master physician.

“Oh, Physician Wang — how fortunate to find you in the medicine room,” Pei Rumei said as she entered and bowed in greeting. “My brother collapsed from drinking at the banquet — we were hoping to ask you to take a look.”

Chen Baoxiang looked up and saw an old man with a white beard bustling about in the medicine room, calling out: “I’m a bit occupied, Third Miss — the guest courtyard has an urgent case.”

Several pots of medicine were simmering on a small stove, the smell bitter even from the doorway. The medical apprentices were in a state of frenzied activity — one sorting herbs, one grinding them, and one rushing about frantically: “Where’s the dry-fried white atractylodes? I just saw it a moment ago.”

Pei Rumei didn’t know her way around medicinal herbs, and thought it best to leave without adding to the confusion.

But beside her, Chen Baoxiang suddenly spoke: “Isn’t that it on the low table by the grinder?”

The apprentice looked — and immediately rushed over to retrieve it, bowing to her repeatedly: “Thank you, thank you so much.”

Physician Wang spared a glance toward the doorway, intrigued: “You know your herbs?”

Chen Baoxiang certainly did not — but Zhang Zhixu replied: “I’ve read a little of the Materia Medica.”

“Oh?” Physician Wang continued sorting herbs while glancing at her. “The edition published during the Baoqing reign?”

“No, the one from the Tianfu reign,” Zhang Zhixu said. “I was planning to find time to transcribe it from memory again.”

Chen Baoxiang kept speaking while her eyes went wide, thinking — Immortal, don’t drag me into your boasting — I can’t even read, how could I possibly recite the Materia Medica from memory?

Physician Wang across the way also found it absurd. He furrowed his brow, gave her a skeptical once-over, and said dismissively: “In that case, I invite the young lady to transcribe a volume for us. If it is genuine, you shall be handsomely rewarded.”