“You can’t do it, so how would I?” Shen Che replied.
“How do you know I can’t?” Ji Cheng countered.
“You’ve been married to me for so many years, and I’ve never seen you touch a needle or thread. My undergarments and shoes are still made by Ni Chang,” Shen Che said.
“Are you complaining?” Ji Cheng pouted.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Shen Che said, a hint of flattery in his tone. “I don’t like you sewing either; it’s bad for your eyes. As long as you’re with me every day, I’m content.”
With what was he keeping her company? They both knew the truth; Ji Cheng felt she might as well be sewing.
In the mountains, where there was no sense of day or night, after finishing her meal, Ji Cheng felt sleepy again. She leaned against the pillow and said, “Can you play me a tune?”
Shen Che responded with a soft “Mm,” picking up the flute and playing gently. The notes seemed to carry the essence of spring, and Ji Cheng could only see the peach blossoms before her slowly blooming, gradually forming a beautiful cloud, radiant and bright, occasionally accompanied by the sound of a stream flowing through the forest and the chirping of birds.
Spring slumber was the most intoxicating; Ji Cheng’s eyelids quickly drooped, and she fell into a deep sleep. Later that night, she was jolted awake, groggy, and saw Shen Che leaning over her.
Ji Cheng pushed Shen Che away, mumbling, “I’m tired.” She felt utterly drained, her body aching as if she had been beaten. She had held back from arguing with Shen Che for a long time.
Shen Che gently pecked Ji Cheng’s lips. “You don’t need to move; just sleep.”
Ji Cheng rolled her eyes internally. How could she sleep like this? “Can’t you just let me be?”
“It’s not that I won’t let you; it’s that he won’t let you,” Shen Che said, gesturing.
As expected, Shen Che’s words were true; Old Luo didn’t get to eat hot pot until the day after the day after tomorrow. The lamb was sliced by Shen Che, and the sauce was prepared by Ji Cheng. One sheep wasn’t enough for the two men to eat. If Shen Che hadn’t been considerate of Ji Cheng and snatched food from Old Luo’s mouth, Ji Cheng probably wouldn’t have gotten even a slice.
When leaving Sanhao Residence, Old Luo nearly wished to keep Ji Cheng as his wife; with her excellent cooking skills, he didn’t want to remain a bachelor any longer.
Ji Cheng was taken aback by Old Luo’s enthusiasm. On the way back to the city, she said to Shen Che, “Old Luo is quite easy to get along with.”
Shen Che smiled and replied, “He used to be known as the Living King of Hell in the martial world; only you would think he’s easy to get along with. He just has a greedy mouth.”
On their way back, they passed by Fahong Temple on the outskirts of the capital. Ji Cheng and Shen Che stopped to partake in a vegetarian meal, and the temple’s attendant was particularly warm when he saw Ji Cheng.
“Madam, the golden statue you donated silver for last year will be completed by the end of the month. The abbot said he wants to hold a ceremony, and we hope you can find time to attend,” the attendant said.
Ji Cheng replied, “Sure, just let me know the specific date when it’s decided.”
After the attendant left, Shen Che asked, “When did you donate silver? What made you think of having the golden statue remade?”
This wish was something Ji Cheng had made while in the Western Turkic region. At that time, she prayed to the Buddha, promising to donate silver to remake the statue if Shen Che could return safely. After returning from the Western Turkic region, despite the tension between them, she remained grateful. However, she didn’t donate money to a large temple in the capital, fearing it would draw too much attention, so she chose the Fahong Temple on the outskirts instead.
“So it was for me?” Shen Che smiled and then whispered in Ji Cheng’s ear, “I’ll accompany you there in a few days.”
Ji Cheng nodded.
Unfortunately, plans often go awry. On the day of the ceremony at Fahong Temple, news arrived from the palace that Emperor Jianping had fallen into a coma. Shen Che hurried into the palace, leaving Ji Cheng to go alone.
Fahong Temple was quite popular, and during the ceremony, the street in front of the temple was bustling with vendors and visitors, creating a lively atmosphere.
As Ji Cheng’s carriage entered the street in front of the temple, it was nearly startled by an old woman who rushed out.
The coachman jumped down to chase after the old woman, but Ji Cheng heard her say from the carriage, “I wonder if the Second Young Madam still remembers me?”
Ji Cheng lifted the curtain and looked out, having no recollection of the old woman. The woman didn’t look like a native of the Central Plains; she resembled a Turkic person. Ji Cheng truly couldn’t remember where she had seen her, though the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had heard it.
“You are…” Ji Cheng questioned.
The old woman lowered her voice and said, “I am Zhai Na.”
Ji Cheng was taken aback. “How did you…”
“May I have a word with you?” Zhai Na asked.
Despite Zhai Na now being a white-haired old woman, Ji Cheng didn’t dare let her guard down. “We have nothing to talk about,” Ji Cheng said, lowering the curtain.
Zhai Na smiled. “Do you know who leaked Ling Ziyun’s whereabouts to me back then?”
Ji Cheng remained silent.
“Now that I’m in this state, with my martial arts gone and unable to harm even a chicken, why should you fear me?” Zhai Na said.
Ji Cheng initially didn’t want to engage with Zhai Na; her appearance surely meant no good. However, Zhai Na’s words struck a chord in Ji Cheng’s heart.
Ji Cheng had once suspected that Ling Ziyun, being in the Great Qin army as a grain officer, shouldn’t have been so easily tracked by Zhai Na. She had thought Zhai Na had deep roots in the grasslands and an extensive network, so although she had her doubts, she didn’t take them to heart.
Now, hearing Zhai Na bring it up, it was clear there was more to the story. Ji Cheng knew she shouldn’t listen, but she still stepped out of the carriage, hooded.
“Madam, you’re looking younger and younger, while I’m growing old,” Zhai Na lamented.
Ji Cheng coldly regarded her. “Just say what you need to say; I don’t have time for idle chatter.”
Zhai Na smiled. “I used to be as beautiful as you, Madam. Do you know who caused me to become like this?” Zhai Na didn’t need Ji Cheng to answer her. “That person was truly ruthless; not only did he ruin my martial arts, but he also poisoned me with ‘Time’s Passage,’ turning me into this.”
Ji Cheng felt no sympathy for Zhai Na’s plight and merely looked at her coldly.
“However, don’t be too pleased, Madam. Your husband has schemed against more than just me,” Zhai Na said, twisting her mouth into a smile at Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng didn’t even notice when Zhai Na slipped away. It wasn’t until Gui Yuan came in to call her, saying the ceremony was about to start, that Ji Cheng snapped back to reality and got back into the carriage.
Ji Cheng knew she shouldn’t trust Zhai Na’s words, but they echoed in her mind, repeating incessantly.
Was it Shen Che who leaked Ling Ziyun’s whereabouts to Zhai Na? Did he also lure Ling Ziyun out of the Northern Expedition army camp?
Though Ji Cheng was reluctant to believe it, it was indeed something Shen Che could do. Many coincidences had come together; just when she obtained the antidote, Zhai Na captured Ling Ziyun, and the subsequent events were even more coincidental.
According to Zhai Na, Shen Che wanted to use her hand to eliminate Ling Ziyun, to get rid of his rival. However, Ji Cheng thought otherwise. Shen Che was so clever; he surely knew that if Ling Ziyun died, she would always remember him and feel guilty for the rest of her life. What he wanted was merely to completely remove Ling Ziyun from her heart.
So, at the moment when Ling Ziyun was poisoned and gravely injured, it was such a coincidence that Ji Cheng and the others quickly encountered Physician Ma.
Even though Physician Ma scolded her harshly, Ji Cheng merely threatened him a little, a threat without any basis, and he did save Ling Ziyun.
At that time, Ji Cheng thought Physician Ma was simply a compassionate healer who wouldn’t let someone die without help. But as she learned more, she realized that Physician Ma wasn’t someone who would casually intervene to save a life.
However, Ji Cheng had never doubted Shen Che because she had never imagined he would be so bold. Not only was his life at stake, but the fate of the nation also rested on that battle, yet he took the biggest gamble.
If it weren’t for Zhai Na’s later explanation, Ji Cheng wouldn’t have guessed Shen Che’s motives and wouldn’t have doubted him.
But Zhai Na had started by asking Ji Cheng if she was living as a widow. It turned out that the martial arts Shen Che practiced were the same as Zheli’s, which wasn’t surprising since they were from the same school.
Men who practiced this martial art could not approach women but needed the allure of women to draw out desires and ambitions, conquer those desires, and cultivate themselves. When they reached a high level, they would see beautiful women as mere bones, achieving a clear mind that was untainted by the mundane—this was the Nine Turns Ascension.
This made Ji Cheng think of the old Shen Che. In her memory, Shen Che was very pure and focused on self-cultivation, showing little interest in marital matters. Back then, before they were married, Shen Che mostly just watched her quietly. Every time Ji Cheng thought he would lose control, he unexpectedly withdrew, which was completely different from now. At that time, Ji Cheng was naive, but now, after Zhai Na’s words, she suddenly understood.
So why didn’t Shen Che need to restrain his desires now? Ji Cheng naturally didn’t ask Zhai Na.
Zhai Na then spoke of Huo De and Zheli’s tragic fates before their deaths.
“I secretly went to see their corpses; they died from depleted internal energy. At that time, I was certain that everything was Shen Che’s scheme, and we all fell into his trap. Normally, Huo De and Zheli wouldn’t dare to target him, but once they learned that he had lost half of his martial arts, they would naturally pursue him relentlessly, allowing him to lure them out from the depths of the grasslands to kill them. Moreover, he drained their internal energy. You’re not a martial artist, so you wouldn’t understand their pursuit of martial arts. Do you think your husband truly cares for you? You’re merely a tool for him to practice.”
Zhai Na’s words were not without possibility. The grasslands were Huo De and Zheli’s stronghold; even with Shen Che’s abilities, it wouldn’t be easy to capture them all. This ploy of self-harm could indeed yield great results.
Ji Cheng could hardly bear to think deeper. If this was truly Shen Che’s self-harm tactic, and he had also plotted against Ling Ziyun, then had he also calculated her half-day of scattered thoughts?
Ji Cheng felt a chill in her heart, with too many questions needing answers from Shen Che, but she feared he wouldn’t tell the truth. He had spun so many lies to deceive her that she didn’t know what to believe anymore.
Ji Cheng felt guilty and tormented over this matter, willing to self-exile, while Shen Che harbored resentment towards her, having tormented her for so long. If it turned out that everything was Shen Che’s scheme, how would she cope?
—