The carriage stopped abruptly, causing Yu Lingxi to sway and nearly hit her head.

She frowned, lifting the curtain to ask, “What happened?”

“Miss, someone is lying in the middle of the road,” the coachman’s voice struggled to reach her through the bitter north wind.

Yu Lingxi looked up, following the dim light of the lantern, and indeed saw an undulating black silhouette not far ahead. A thin layer of snow had already fallen on the body. If not for the sharp-eyed coachman, the person would have been trampled into a bloody pulp by the carriage.

Probably a drunk, Yu Lingxi guessed.

In previous years in the capital, drunkards who passed out in the snow would freeze to death if not discovered in time.

A human life is still a human life. Yu Lingxi said, “Wake him up and move him to a sheltered, warmer place.”

The guard obeyed and carried a lantern toward the person lying in the snow.

Before long, the guard came running back, his steps noticeably more hurried and disorderly.

“Miss! It’s not a drunk, but a young man with severe injuries!”

Thanks to Ning Yin, Yu Lingxi now instinctively tensed whenever she heard the words “young man.”

But thinking it couldn’t possibly be such a coincidence, she relaxed slightly and bent down to exit the carriage.

The snow whirled around her, nearly blowing off the hood of her cloak.

The guard quickly came over with an umbrella to shield her from the wind and snow.

After just a few steps, Yu Lingxi sensed something wasn’t right.

The warm three-foot glow spread across the ground, illuminating the young man’s familiar yet pale face. The swaying light flashed across his pitch-black eyes, reflecting no warmth at all.

Only the beautiful and noble young woman stepping into the light amid the heavy snow created a scene in his dim vision more beautiful than snow and moonlight.

The lantern fell to the snowy ground with a soft hiss and was extinguished.

Yu Lingxi and Ning Yin awkwardly met each other’s gaze on this snowstorm night once again.

Encountering Ning Yin in such a miserable state for the third or fourth time, she didn’t know if heaven was punishing Ning Yin or punishing her.

A thousand words condensed into two: fateful entanglement.

Had he escaped from the Realm of Desire, or was he being hunted down?

The details no longer mattered, and Yu Lingxi had no mind to guess.

She only wanted to resolve the immediate problem, and asked with furrowed brows, “How far is the nearest medical clinic? Carry him there, quickly.”

“Miss, it’s about two li away,” the guard answered. “However, this person seems to have internal injuries affecting his organs. He shouldn’t be moved carelessly.”

Unable to send him away or move him, was he supposed to just lie there and wait for death?

Just as she was wondering if they could take another route, the guard urgently said, “Miss, he’s lost consciousness.”

…

Ning Yin hadn’t dreamed of that woman for a very long time.

He walked through a damp, dark dreamscape until a familiar palace gate appeared before him. A warm light shone through the crack in the door, illuminating the spattered bloodstains on the steps.

Ignoring those bloodstains, he walked up the stone steps. The palace doors slowly opened before him, and in the dazzling orange-gold sea of light sat a woman in imperial robes with flowing long hair.

Seeing Ning Yin, the woman turned her blurry face toward him, opened her arms, and said weakly with a smile, “Yin’er, come to Mother. Mother will take you away.”

For someone whose body temperature was rapidly dropping, that warm light and embrace were undoubtedly a fatal attraction.

But Ning Yin remained motionless and even gave a mocking smile. “No.”

“Why not?” The woman’s voice held a hint of resentment.

“Because,” his thin lips parted, almost self-torturingly, “you’re already dead.”

The smile on the woman’s lips instantly froze.

A dagger appeared in her chest, and fresh blood quickly spread along her exquisitely embroidered clothes, looking exactly like a blooming double-flowered Chinese crabapple…

Ning Yin woke up from this bloodstained dream, first seeing the slightly shaking roof of a carriage.

His first reaction was to reach for the short blade in his sleeve, but instead, he touched a soft bedding. He was covered with a small, delicate moon-white cloak that belonged to a young woman.

The bleeding had stopped, and the broken bones in his chest had been set and wrapped with thick bandages.

The small space was filled with a warm fragrance, completely at odds with the heavy smell of blood on his body.

The sweet, soft scent of a young woman—a scent he had smelled twice before.

Ning Yin recalled the stunning sight he had seen before losing consciousness. He turned his head slightly and indeed saw a slender, graceful figure sitting against the carriage wall, keeping far away from him.

Her eyelashes were half-lowered, and behind the gently swaying face veil, a pair of beautiful autumn-water eyes were faintly visible, showing extreme warmth in the lamplight.

Behind the veil must be hidden a face of incomparable beauty and charm.

The owner of those eyes noticed he was awake and started.

Yu Lingxi hadn’t expected Ning Yin to wake up so quickly. Ordinary people with such injuries would either die or be permanently disabled, or at the very least remain unconscious for a day or two.

But Ning Yin had woken up after less than a quarter of an hour, his beautiful dark eyes gleaming with light that made one’s heart go numb.

Yu Lingxi frowned, her gentleness turning into slight annoyance.

“Awake?” Her voice was slightly nasal, as if angry with someone.

Truly a contradictory and interesting woman. Every time he saw her, she was either shocked or angry.

But each time, she was also the one who came to his rescue.

Moreover, the surname Yu was uncommon, and in the entire capital, only one household could afford such high-ranking military guards…

Whether by fate or human design, she harbored secrets unknown to him.

Thoughts flashed through his mind as Ning Yin’s pale thin lips moved slightly, hoarsely saying, “You recognize me.”

It was the first time in their life that she had heard him speak, and it gave Yu Lingxi a shock.

She almost thought Ning Yin also carried memories from his previous life and had seen through her clumsy disguise.

But then, Ning Yin continued with difficulty, “Otherwise, why save me twice?”

Yu Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief. Judging by his reaction, he didn’t seem to have memories of his previous life.

Besides, shouldn’t a normal person’s first words after being rescued be a thank you? Who talks about such things?

Yu Lingxi couldn’t help but laugh from anger, and once her stubborn temper flared up, she flatly denied it: “Who saved you? I merely saw you blocking the road and found you a nuisance.”

Ning Yin looked at her without speaking, but Yu Lingxi always felt that those eyes of his could see through everything.

It was the same in her previous life. Nothing could be hidden from him, and Yu Lingxi most feared looking directly into his eyes.

She somewhat regretted sharing a carriage with him, or perhaps it would have been better if he had remained unconscious for another quarter of an hour.

Fortunately, the carriage stopped, and the guard reported, “Miss, we’ve arrived at the medical clinic.”

Yu Lingxi felt relieved and composed herself, saying, “Since you’re awake, hurry up and get out. Go back to wherever you came from.”

Ning Yin’s lips moved, his voice much lower: “I can’t go back.”

Yu Lingxi’s tangled thoughts were completely blocked. She thought to herself: Did he escape from the Realm of Desire?

“Whatever your plans are, they have nothing to do with me,” Yu Lingxi slightly raised her chin. “Get out.”

Seeing her resolute attitude, Ning Yin had no choice but to struggle to his feet, carefully folding the fragrant cloak and placing it aside before painfully and slowly standing up, supporting himself against the carriage wall.

He had a chest wound, and the action of bending to exit the carriage was nothing short of torture for him.

In just a moment, his lips turned even paler, and fine cold sweat seeped from the tip of his nose.

Yu Lingxi simply turned her head away, pretending not to see.

It was late at night, and the medical clinic was already closed.

Under the snow-covered eaves, the remaining light stretched Ning Yin’s lonely, thin shadow very long.

“Wait,” Yu Lingxi called to him impatiently.

Ning Yin turned around to find that Yu Lingxi had somehow gotten out of the carriage, holding a red plum paper umbrella in one hand and the cloak he had been covered within the other.

He blinked very slowly, revealing a confused expression.

Yu Lingxi’s heart softened, and when she spoke again, she had regained her composure: “This cloak is stained with blood. I don’t want it anymore.”

She pushed the cloak into Ning Yin’s hands.

After thinking for a moment, she also left the umbrella, gently placing it at his feet.

The umbrella opened in the vast whiteness, its painted red plums bright and vibrant.

A thought brewed and surged in his mind, finally overcoming his terrible rationality.

Ning Yin’s eyes flickered, and he almost blurted out: “Take me with you.”

Yu Lingxi stomped her foot and turned back to look at him in disbelief.

Ning Yin appeared weak but serious, his eyes unfathomable.

His Adam’s apple moved slightly as he repeated hoarsely: “Take me with you. I’m willing to do anything.”

The lantern swayed east and west in the wind, and the two stood about ten feet apart, hearing only the whimpering sound of the wind and snow passing by.

After a long while, Yu Lingxi collected her surprise, her gaze warm yet firm: “Unfortunately, I don’t need you.”

She turned toward the carriage, and Ning Yin pressed his lips together, immediately following a few steps.

Hearing the stumbling footsteps behind her, Yu Lingxi couldn’t bear it anymore and turned back, shouting: “Stop following me!”

So Ning Yin stopped, standing like a broken sword in the snow.

However, when Yu Lingxi boarded the carriage and set off toward the Yu residence, she heard the guard alertly say: “That person is still following. Could he be trying to extort us?”

Again! Was Ning Yin born in the Year of the Dog as a youth? Both crazy and stubborn?

Yu Lingxi lifted the curtain to look back and saw a red plum paper umbrella moving laboriously through the vast, confusing snowstorm in the pitch-black night.

Indeed, his madness wasn’t developed overnight—he didn’t even care about his own life.

Fine, let him be.

Yu Lingxi thought that with tonight’s unexpected encounter, she had already done what she should have, with a clear conscience.

It was very late when they returned to the Yu residence, and servants came out with lanterns to welcome them.

As Yu Lingxi alighted from the carriage, she deliberately looked back but didn’t see the stumbling figure with the umbrella.

The snow-covered street extended darkly into the distance, and she couldn’t tell whether she felt relieved or heavy-hearted.

After standing for a while, she instructed the coachman: “Clean the blood stains in the carriage thoroughly and replace the bedding with new ones. Don’t let anyone notice anything unusual.”

Just as she entered the main gate, she saw Madam Yu coming toward her with an anxious face, worrying: “Suisui, why are you back so late? I heard there was a fire on Yongning Street. Were you frightened?”

“I’m fine, Mother. I just took a bit of a detour,” Yu Lingxi couldn’t help but smile as she basked in the bright lights of the Yu residence and the warm, reassuring hand of her mother. “You shouldn’t be exposed to the wind. Please go back to your room and rest.”

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the snow stopped.

Yu Lingxi came out from her bath, wrapping her cloak around herself and holding a hand warmer, yet still feeling bone-chilling cold.

She couldn’t help but think of the young man’s figure left behind the carriage.

Could his internal injuries have worsened, causing him to collapse on the way?

But that would be his fault!

Yu Lingxi lay on her bed, turned over, and thought: I’ve already been as kind as possible to him.

The north wind howled, rattling the window panels, and commotion came from outside the courtyard.

Yu Lingxi, who hadn’t been asleep for long, was awakened by the noise. She rubbed her temples and asked the outer room: “What’s the commotion about?”

The night maid entered, drowsy-eyed with a candle, and reported: “Miss, a beggar has come to the door, and the guards are trying to send him elsewhere.”

A beggar?

Wait…

A subtle thought flashed through her mind, and Yu Lingxi simply got out of bed, grabbed a cloak from the wooden rack, and put it on, saying quietly: “Bring a light. I want to go out for a moment.”

In the bitter cold, Yu Lingxi walked hurriedly. The servant followed crookedly with the lamp, constantly saying: “Miss, it’s cold and slippery. Please slow down!”

Yu Lingxi seemed not to notice and ordered someone to open the side door.

Just as she stepped out, she froze.

On the stone steps outside the door was a familiar red plum paper umbrella, and beside it, a black-clothed young man curled up with his arms wrapped around himself in the corner’s shadow.

Frost flowers had formed on his eyelashes, and his pale complexion nearly blended with the ice and snow on the ground, showing no signs of life.

The guard at the door hesitated: “Miss, this person can’t be woken up no matter what. He’s probably frozen to death. It’s unlucky…”

Yu Lingxi raised her hand, stopping the guard’s words.

No matter who died, it wouldn’t be Ning Yin.

Because three years later, this man would become the nightmare of the Imperial City.

She crouched down, her black hair softly cascading from her shoulders, and reached out to check Ning Yin’s breathing.

Just as her index finger approached Ning Yin’s handsome nose tip, she saw him open his eyes, his dark gaze falling on her, flashing with a trace of shallow amazement.

Though weak, he was indeed still alive.

As their eyes met, a furry creature emerged from his arms, trembling as it let out a “meow.”

Yu Lingxi followed his gaze and saw that it was a dirty, injured little stray cat that he had been holding in his arms, using what little body heat he had to keep it warm…

Yu Lingxi’s emotions became complex, her thoughts uncontrollably pulled back to her distant previous life.

She remembered that in her previous life, Ning Yin had kept a wolf-dog that he would take hunting every time.

Once, after returning from an autumn hunt, the wolf-dog had fought with some wild beast, been severely injured, and lay on the ground barely breathing, appearing very painful.

Ning Yin had walked over and gently stroked his beloved dog’s head.

Just when Yu Lingxi thought Ning Yin would do everything possible to save the wolf-dog, she heard a soft crack. Without hesitation, he had crushed the wolf-dog’s neck bone.

The poor dog hadn’t even had time to whimper.

Yu Lingxi found it terrifying and incomprehensible, and asked with trembling breath: “Didn’t Your Highness love this hunting dog the most? How could you bear to…”

Ning Yin closed the hunting dog’s eyes and leisurely wiped his fingers, saying: “It couldn’t survive anyway. Prolonging its life would only cause more suffering.”

Despite knowing Ning Yin’s twisted mind and lack of reverence for life, Yu Lingxi still couldn’t hide her compassion.

Being so weak and sickly herself, living each day carrying the wishes of deceased relatives, she was essentially no different from that injured hunting dog.

Many times she wanted to ask Ning Yin why he didn’t kill her—useless and frail as she was—just as he had killed his dying hunting dog.

This question remained unanswered until her actual death.

Now, seeing all this before her, Yu Lingxi vaguely began to understand.

The madman who could coldheartedly kill his beloved dog had once desperately tried to protect a stray cat.

Yu Lingxi, shrouded in a layer of warm orange-gold lamplight, pressed her lips together and asked: “Was it for this cat that you couldn’t keep up with my carriage?”

Ning Yin lowered his eyes, silently acknowledging it.

Yu Lingxi was speechless for a long while. She walked two steps inward, then stopped again.

Without turning around, she ordered the guard: “Carry this person in for me!”

From an angle she couldn’t see, the pale lips of the young man curved slightly upward.