Reluctant to face Shen Che, Ji Cheng did not hurry back to the residence after the ritual. Instead, she went to the guest room behind the temple, sitting quietly alone in the room, lost in thought.
However, Shen Che arrived quickly. Ji Cheng had not sat for long before she saw him enter through the curtain. Ji Cheng knew that he must have someone nearby, ready to report any movement. Otherwise, he should be busy with matters in the palace; with Emperor Jianping gravely ill, he needed to oversee the situation with the Jing Shi Army, ensuring that no one took advantage of the emperor’s unconsciousness.
The moment Ji Cheng saw Shen Che, she realized he must be feeling guilty and had likely guessed what Zai Na had told her.
Ji Cheng kept a cold expression, refusing to speak or look at Shen Che. Yet, Shen Che acted as if nothing was wrong, gently pinching Ji Cheng’s cheek. “What’s wrong? You look unhappy. Who bullied our Ji Cheng? I’ll go teach them a lesson.”
Ji Cheng swatted Shen Che’s hand away and said, “You know very well.”
“What do I know?” Shen Che asked, amused, as he sat down beside her.
Ji Cheng turned to look into Shen Che’s eyes and asked, “Can you tell me if what Zai Na said is true?”
Shen Che blinked in imitation of Ji Cheng. “How would I know what Zai Na told you?”
Ji Cheng raised her voice, “You wouldn’t know? Is there anything in this world you can’t figure out?”
Shen Che made a “shh” gesture, indicating that her voice was too loud.
Ji Cheng understood they were in the temple, not at home, so she restrained her temper and sat back down in silence.
“Ah Cheng, you are so clever; you should know that Zai Na harbors resentment towards us. How much of her words can you believe?” Shen Che said softly.
“I don’t believe her, which is why I’m waiting for you to answer me directly,” Ji Cheng replied slowly.
Shen Che looked into Ji Cheng’s eyes and said, “Alright, ask me, and I will answer.”
“Absolutely no falsehood?” Ji Cheng inquired.
“No falsehood,” Shen Che nodded.
Seeing Shen Che so open, Ji Cheng found it difficult to voice her next question. She turned her head away, avoiding Shen Che’s gaze, and lowered her eyes. “Zai Na said that you intentionally leaked Zi Yun’s whereabouts to her. Is that true?”
In truth, so much time had passed that all traces had vanished. Even if Shen Che denied it, Ji Cheng could find no evidence.
“Yes.”
Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che in disbelief. He admitted it, just like that!
“Even if I said no, you would have already doubted my words, wouldn’t you?” Shen Che looked into Ji Cheng’s eyes.
Ji Cheng turned her head away, responding softly, “Yes. I had my suspicions long ago; Zai Na merely confirmed my guess. But why did you do that?”
“What do you think?” Shen Che countered with a question.
“You are truly terrifying,” Ji Cheng said.
Perhaps feeling a bit angry at Ji Cheng’s words, Shen Che replied, “It’s unfair for you to say that. You won’t allow me to have even a trace of lingering feelings for Fang Xuan, yet you expect me to tolerate your constant thoughts of Ling Zi Yun? You two grew up together, sharing sweet moments. What were you doing when I caught you that time? Not to mention all the times I didn’t catch you. I can’t let go of you, so I can only force you to let go of him.”
Ji Cheng immediately recalled the incident in Jinbei when Shen Che caught her with Ling Zi Yun in the temple. This matter had remained in Shen Che’s heart, unresolved.
“I indeed cannot accept you having Fang Xuan in your heart, but have I done anything to her? And what about you?” Ji Cheng retorted.
In response, Shen Che could only scratch his nose. “Because you are a kind little fairy.”
Ji Cheng shot him a glare.
Shen Che took Ji Cheng’s hand and said, “Ah Cheng, I am very grateful that you went through so much trouble to get the antidote for me. However, if I had taken the antidote at that time, Huo De and Zhe Li would not have come out in full force, so I set a trap.”
“Just right to kill two birds with one stone, huh?” Ji Cheng scoffed. “So you anticipated that I would save Zi Yun, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Shen Che nodded. “I told you, you could never bear to watch Ling Zi Yun die in front of you.”
Tears streamed down Ji Cheng’s face. “So you took the opportunity to make me repay Zi Yun’s kindness with an antidote you didn’t need, and then used that as an excuse to torment me?”
Just thinking about the pain she endured during those months made Ji Cheng hate Shen Che even more. “Weren’t you afraid I might die?”
“I was afraid, so I had people searching for you everywhere. I regretted it long ago; you have no idea how grateful I am to the Sai Ya family,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng laughed coldly. “Then why did you treat me that way after you found me?”
Shen Che let out a bitter laugh. “Ah Cheng, I am human too; I have emotions I can’t control. I did all those things because I wanted to be with you harmoniously. But I never expected you would choose to leave instead of coming to my side after that incident. We both know the reason, don’t we?”
Ji Cheng remained silent.
Shen Che would not allow Ji Cheng to evade the topic. “All those reasons you explained last time were just excuses. The real reason you avoided me was to send Zai Na to my side, wasn’t it? Perhaps you truly didn’t want to see me with her, but more importantly, you were afraid that if you appeared, I would reject Zai Na, right?”
Ji Cheng had to admit that Shen Che was right. She was indeed afraid that Shen Che would act impulsively and reject Zai Na’s help. Looking back now, it seemed naive; Shen Che didn’t need Zai Na’s assistance at all. She had acted like a petty person.
“I feel terrible inside; I can never push you onto another man,” Shen Che said. “I hate that you are so indifferent to me, so I wanted to force you to acknowledge how important I am to you.”
“So, if one day my life is in danger and I need another man to save me, you would rather watch me die, wouldn’t you?” Ji Cheng asked sharply.
This question caught Shen Che off guard. He had never thought about it. After a moment of reflection, he understood Ji Cheng’s meaning: as long as Ji Cheng was alive, nothing else mattered to him.
Shen Che forcibly pulled Ji Cheng into his embrace, ignoring her resistance, and pressed his cheek against hers. “You are right; you are right. But at that time, I was afraid something would happen to you, and I was angry that you pushed me towards other women. Every time there was a disturbance between us, I was the one who bowed my head first. I never found my place in my heart; I just wanted you to notice me and value me. I regretted it long ago, and I regretted it immensely.”
Thinking of Ji Cheng’s serious illness made Shen Che tremble.
“Good morning, military and political darling.” When he went to seize the golden silverfish, those in the know advised him against it. Chu even threatened to sever ties with him. But at that moment, Shen Che had only one thought: if Ji Cheng were gone, what meaning would his life have? So even if it meant risking his life, he had to obtain the legendary golden silverfish that was said to be impossible to catch.
Ji Cheng did not believe that Shen Che would regret it and had no desire to speak with him any further. She simply closed her eyes and said, “I’m tired.”
Shen Che helped Ji Cheng into the carriage and sat beside her, feigning a pitiful expression. “Ah Cheng, don’t ignore me.”
This man was eloquent, adaptable, and more cunning than anyone else. Ji Cheng would not be deceived by his pitiful act. Suddenly, she recalled one of Shen Che’s transgressions. “Zai Na said that your training requires you to suppress desires for self-cultivation. Did you use me as a pawn in your martial arts practice?”
“Yes.” Since the most disgraceful things had already been revealed, Shen Che had nothing left to hide from Ji Cheng. “The heart method I practice is called the Nine Transformations of Mysterious Origin, which suppresses desires to strengthen resolve. So although I linger in flower gardens, I have never truly touched those women. Because once I release my desires, my power will diminish.”
Ji Cheng scoffed. “So I should praise your chastity, right? If so, why didn’t you let me go back then at Phoenix Terrace? If that had happened, perhaps Zi Yun and I would be well and good now, and I wouldn’t have to suffer so much.”
Shen Che smiled bitterly. “Ah Cheng, don’t say things out of anger. I vaguely realized my feelings for you at Phoenix Terrace; I couldn’t bear to watch other men save you.” Shen Che quickly added, “This just proves my sincerity towards you, doesn’t it?”
Ji Cheng snorted. “I can tell whether a man has feelings for me or not. You’re still trying to deceive me at this point. Do you think I’m a fool?”
Shen Che scratched his nose. “I’m not deceiving you; I was just deceiving myself back then. I admit, at first, I did have ulterior motives. My first impression of you was truly terrible.”
Ji Cheng turned to glare at Shen Che. “Did I provoke you the first time we met?”
“I first saw you when you jumped into the water to save Qi Hua,” Shen Che replied.
Ji Cheng suddenly remembered that day Shen Che mentioned. She had saved Qi Hua, and they had been caught in the act by Shen Yu and Shen Jing. This incident had always been hidden in her heart, known only to Shen Yuan. Could it be that Shen Che was there too?
Shen Che nodded at Ji Cheng’s questioning gaze. “I was standing on the mountain top at that time, thinking, here’s another cousin who shamelessly uses tricks to marry into a wealthy family.”
“You, you are simply despicable,” Ji Cheng exclaimed angrily.
Shen Che quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I know I misunderstood; it’s all my fault.”
Looking at Shen Che’s fearful expression, Ji Cheng felt a mix of anger and amusement, so she turned her head away and ignored him.
“Since you look at me like that, why did you later…” Ji Cheng asked.
“Although I initially had a poor impression of you, I must admit that you are truly beautiful, making it impossible to genuinely harbor any ill feelings. Then there was that time you got drunk and were in the garden, sipping dew from the bamboo leaves. I accidentally saw your little pink tongue sticking out, and that was it,” Shen Che said, grabbing Ji Cheng’s hand and placing it on himself.
Ji Cheng quickly pulled her hand back as if bitten. “You, you, we’re arguing, and you can still…”
Shen Che, feeling wronged, said, “I can’t help it. Just looking at you makes me feel this way. Sometimes, just thinking about you and smelling your fragrance makes me unable to resist.” He leaned in and nibbled on Ji Cheng’s ear.
Ji Cheng pushed the shameless Shen Che away. “Enough! We can’t just let this go. You won’t get close to me again this year.”
“Please don’t!” Shen Che said urgently. “You can punish me however you want; make me kneel on a washboard if you like, just don’t keep me away from you.”
Ji Cheng snorted repeatedly, pushing away Shen Che, who was trying to get close again. “Continue; you still haven’t explained your lecherous behavior. So you had improper thoughts about me back then, thinking of using me to practice your skills, right? No wonder you swore you wanted to marry me during that bet. You were just thinking that marrying me would be like marrying a living widow, right? Rather than harming others, you’d rather harm me, the person you dislike.”
Shen Che laughed. “Indeed, no one understands me better than you, Ah Cheng. But you know what happened later; I ended up slapping myself in the face. I thought I could use you, but instead, I fell head over heels for you, and even Lao Luo mocked me.”
“No smiling! I’m angry!” Ji Cheng said. Though she was angry, Shen Che didn’t take it seriously, which only made her more furious.
Shen Che immediately wiped the smile off his face. “I’ll listen to you, Young Madam.”
Ji Cheng asked again, “Since you practice that kind of martial arts, why is it different now?”
Shen Che replied, “That brings us to why I was so eager to draw out Huo De and Zhe Li.”
He cleared his throat lightly before continuing, “The so-called Nine Transformations of Mysterious Origin requires reaching the ninth transformation at the peak. When I met you, I had been stuck at the eighth transformation for a long time. I hadn’t encountered a girl who could make my heart race and desire to kiss her in ages. Without a strong resolve, my power stagnated, and Chu De often mocked me, saying I was worse than a eunuch.”
Hearing that Chu De mocked Shen Che as a eunuch made Ji Cheng unable to hold back her laughter.
“Until that day in the garden when I saw you. I thought I could use you to achieve the ninth transformation, but it all fell apart. I only wanted to be close to you, so I couldn’t continue practicing the Nine Transformations of Mysterious Origin. However, I had been training since I was a child for over twenty years; it’s not something I could just give up. I have too many enemies and can’t afford to abandon all my martial arts, so I had to take risks and use Huo De and Zhe Li’s inner strength to help me break through and switch to the Nine Transformations of the Liuyang Technique passed down from the Shen family.”
“The technique is called Nine Transformations, and the Mysterious Origin Technique is derived from the Liuyang Technique. So as long as I practice correctly, I can switch to the Liuyang Technique without losing my power. Huo De and Zhe Li happen to be from the same lineage as me, making them perfect allies. Without them, I would have had to abandon all my martial arts, and then you would have to live as a widow.” Shen Che explained.
“So you went to great lengths to lure out Huo De and Zhe Li, didn’t you?” Ji Cheng asked softly, trying to lower Shen Che’s guard.
“No,” Shen Che replied. “When Huo De kidnapped you, I transferred the poison from you to myself, losing half of my power. Once they learned of this, they would come after me, so I used their plan against them to draw them out.”
Ji Cheng shook her head with a smile. “That’s not right. You didn’t use their plan against them; this was all your arrangement. I suspected from the beginning that the situation on the grasslands was so dangerous that you shouldn’t have brought me, a burden. If I were captured by Huo De and the others, it would only drag you down. Moreover, you wanted to win over Zai Na, and having me around would only complicate things. So why did you insist on bringing me along?”
“I couldn’t figure it out at the time, but now it’s clear. You used me as bait, knowing that Huo De and the others would capture me to threaten you. As soon as they moved, you could track their whereabouts.” Ji Cheng said coldly. “Since you keep claiming your feelings for me, why did you turn around and disregard my safety, using me as bait?”
“What if Huo De had used a different poison, one that could kill?” Ji Cheng asked, then added, “Oh right, Huo De wouldn’t kill me because I would be useless to him if I were dead. So you were sure he would use poison. Even if it wasn’t poison, it would be something else, and you could still manipulate the situation to make it seem like you were severely weakened, drawing them all out. Am I right?”
Shen Che looked at Ji Cheng, thinking that sometimes a woman being too clever is not a good thing. “Yes, but I didn’t risk your life. Everything was under my control; I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“You’re always so confident. You think this time you can be sure that once I know the truth, I will forgive you?” Ji Cheng’s voice became sharp, and she refused to acknowledge Shen Che any longer, not wanting to say another word to him.
When they returned to Jiuli Courtyard, Ji Cheng ignored Shen Che. That night, when she went to sleep, she rolled up her bedding and moved to the outer room to sleep.
“You should sleep in the bed; I’ll sleep here,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng shot him a sidelong glance, implying that he was quite self-aware. She didn’t bother to be polite and turned to enter the bedroom.
In the middle of the night, Ji Cheng felt as if someone was watching her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Shen Che’s face, nearly screaming in fright. She had already gasped, but fortunately, Shen Che was quick to cover her mouth, preventing her from waking the servants below.
“What are you doing?” Ji Cheng demanded angrily.
Shen Che didn’t speak, lowering himself again. Ji Cheng leaned out to see that Shen Che was kneeling by her bed, and in the moonlight, she noticed that he was kneeling on a washboard.
Ji Cheng was taken aback, not expecting Shen Che to go to such lengths. But then she steeled her heart; she wouldn’t forgive him so easily. He had martial arts skills, and kneeling on a washboard was nothing to him. She wanted to see how long he could endure.
Ji Cheng huffed, too lazy to look at Shen Che, turned over, and continued to sleep.
The next morning, when Ji Cheng got up, Shen Che was already standing. She coldly snorted, knowing he was just putting on a show. How long could he have knelt? Not even the time it takes to burn a stick of incense!
Shen Che knew Ji Cheng’s thoughts well. He said softly, “I’m afraid the maids will see me in the morning and spread rumors, which would be bad for your reputation. I’ll continue kneeling tonight, okay, Ah Cheng?”
Ji Cheng replied coldly, “What do you want? Why do you need my permission?”
As a result, Shen Che kept his word. That night, when they settled down, he indeed took the washboard and knelt by Ji Cheng’s bed again.
Ji Cheng mocked, “Don’t try that with me. You’re just trying to make me feel sorry for you, right? Since you sincerely want to apologize, go kneel in the corner facing the wall, and don’t turn around.”
Shen Che smiled bitterly but obediently went to kneel in the corner as Ji Cheng instructed.
This continued for half a month, and Ji Cheng’s resentment had nearly worn off. It was all Shen Che’s cunning; he first used tricks to make her sever ties with Ling Zi Yun, and then he became infatuated with her. Now that she knew everything was his design from the beginning, her feelings had already been invested, and it wasn’t something that could be easily retracted.
One day, Shen Che eagerly offered to help her with her hair, which Ji Cheng usually ignored. If he wanted to do her hair, she would just stand up and walk away. But today, her attitude softened slightly, and she remained silent.
Shen Che, sensing her change in mood, took all his bedding back that night and shamelessly stayed in bed, enduring Ji Cheng’s punches and kicks.
In the middle of the night, someone suddenly knocked on the window. Shen Che woke up immediately, walked to the window, and whispered a few words to the person outside. When he turned back, he saw Ji Cheng sitting up, wrapped in her blanket.
“Is something wrong in the palace?” Ji Cheng asked. At this time, if a secret agent came to Jiuli Courtyard, it must be a big deal.
Shen Che was putting on his clothes as he replied, “Yes. The emperor has been ousted, and the capital is under martial law.”
Ji Cheng pushed the blanket aside and hugged Shen Che’s waist. Although he said nothing, Ji Cheng could see from his expression that he was in a very bad mood. After all, that was his uncle, who trusted him and entrusted him with important responsibilities; their bond was different from that of ordinary uncles and nephews.
Shen Che gently wrapped his arms around Ji Cheng. “From now on, I’ll have plenty of time to accompany you.”
Ji Cheng said softly, “If you don’t want to tell jokes, then don’t. I will always be with you.”
Shen Che replied with a soft “Mm.”
At this moment, the sky was beginning to lighten, and Ji Cheng and Shen Che both looked out the window. A new era was about to begin, and no one could predict where everyone’s fate would lead.
But as long as they walked hand in hand, no matter how difficult the future might be, they would not be defeated.