Jiang Yi’s concern made Jiang Si smile. “Elder Sister, how strong do you think your little sister is? Those few strikes wouldn’t kill anyone.”

That night she had been able to deal with Yang Shengcai without batting an eye, but faced with two strangers, even knowing they might pose a threat to her in the future, she couldn’t bring herself to kill so callously. At least not yet.

She was still too soft-hearted after all.

Jiang Si lowered her gaze to stare at her slender fingers, smiling self-mockingly.

Of course, there was another important reason for not dealing a fatal blow: the two men looked like shady characters. Once they woke up, they wouldn’t dare make a fuss about being knocked out in the temple. But if someone ended up dead, she might have to face Magistrate Zhen again.

Jiang Si sincerely felt it was best to have fewer encounters with Magistrate Zhen lately.

Hearing that no one would die, Jiang Yi started worrying again, “Won’t those two men be able to track us down?”

Jiang Si smiled and held Jiang Yi’s arm, “Don’t worry, Elder Sister. White Cloud Temple is so big, and there were many worshippers offering incense today. People like them would be more concerned with hiding themselves. How could they openly investigate? They’ll just have to swallow this loss.”

“But they’re looking into your identity. If they find out you came to White Cloud Temple, wouldn’t that cause trouble…” Jiang Yi furrowed her brows, unable to feel at ease.

For a sheltered young lady like her who rarely left home, today’s events were truly nerve-wracking. Her legs still felt weak.

“Don’t worry, Elder Sister. I came by rented carriage. Besides, even if they know I came, so what? Would they suspect that a young girl like me knocked them out with two strikes?”

Jiang Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

Hearing her sister put it that way, she realized she might have been overreacting.

“Elder Sister, as long as you make sure A’ya doesn’t talk, there won’t be any problems.”

Jiang Yi nodded gently.

Although she usually had a gentle disposition, she could distinguish between important and trivial matters. She certainly wouldn’t let a little maid ruin things.

Thinking of how her sister had just frightened A’ya pale, Jiang Yi felt conflicted.

It seemed that without her noticing, her Fourth Sister was no longer the proud and stubborn little girl in her memories, but had developed a decisiveness that many women lacked.

This realization made Jiang Yi’s heartache.

In the end, it was because their mother had passed away early, and she, as the elder sister, had been useless, forcing Fourth Sister to become strong on her own.

“Fourth Sister, weren’t you afraid then? How did that man’s eyes suddenly become unable to open?” Recalling the scene, Jiang Yi still felt a lingering fear.

Jiang Si gave the explanation she had prepared beforehand, “Of course his eyes couldn’t open with chili powder in them.”

Jiang Yi vaguely felt something was odd, but the fear she had just experienced made her thoughts sluggish, and she couldn’t pinpoint what was strange.

At this moment, a gentle male voice came from outside the door, “Yi’niang, are you in there?”

Jiang Si called out softly, “Elder Sister—”

Jiang Yi nodded in understanding, “I know, I won’t mention it to your brother-in-law.”

The little girl was really thoughtful. Even without the later events, getting caught in the rain and encountering strange men wasn’t a pleasant experience. Of course, she wouldn’t speak of it unnecessarily.

Jiang Yi straightened her clothes and quickly walked to the door to open it. She smiled slightly at Zhu Ziyu, “I’m here, and Fourth Sister is here too.”

Zhu Ziyu stood in the corridor outside, his gaze sweeping inside.

Jiang Si curtsied slightly, “Elder Brother-in-law.”

Zhu Ziyu nodded with a smile and said to Jiang Yi, “Since Fourth Sister is here, you two should have a good talk. I’ll go to the guest room next door.”

His clothes were half wet, and his hair and face were damp. Jiang Yi looked at him with concern.

Jiang Si was very tactful and quickly walked towards the door, “I won’t disturb Sister and Brother-in-law. I’ll join Sister again at mealtime.”

Seeing Jiang Si leave quickly, Jiang Yi’s fair face flushed slightly. She said softly to Zhu Ziyu, “I’m afraid Fourth Sister saw something amusing.”

Zhu Ziyu smiled and glanced at the young girl’s retreating figure before quickly turning his gaze back to Jiang Yi, examining her as he asked, “Did you get caught in the rain?”

Jiang Yi, who had always been completely open with Zhu Ziyu, rarely lied, “Yes, Fourth Sister and I were almost there when we didn’t expect the rain to come so suddenly. Our clothes still got wet.”

“I had instructed the servant earlier to find A’zhu to bring umbrellas, but I heard A’ya had come before him,” Zhu Ziyu said casually.

Jiang Yi’s heart sank, and she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yi smiled, “Yes, the little maid has quick feet. As soon as the wind started, we sent them back to fetch umbrellas. But the rain was too heavy, and even with umbrellas, our clothes still got half wet. Husband, let me help you change. You might catch a cold wearing wet clothes.”

As Jiang Yi reached to undo Zhu Ziyu’s clothes, he suddenly asked, “You and Fourth Sister had planned to meet today, right?”

Jiang Yi’s hand paused, then she quickly nodded, “Yes, Fourth Sister sent a letter asking about my recent situation, and since I was going out, I told her.”

“I see.” Zhu Ziyu cooperated by lifting one arm. “It’s good that you sisters are close. If you miss Fourth Sister, just invite her to our home as a guest. Don’t worry about Mother; she won’t say anything about normal family visits.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes welled up, and she nodded silently.

She had been married into the Zhu family for several years, and everything was satisfactory except for one thing that made her feel like she was walking on thin ice: her mother-in-law’s attitude towards her.

To be fair, her mother-in-law wasn’t targeting her specifically but was generally strict with the younger generation. However, as the eldest daughter-in-law married the most promising son of the Zhu family, she bore the brunt of that strictness.

Jiang Yi was naturally gentle, and feeling insecure about not having children yet, she rarely even visited her maiden home. It was impossible not to feel heartache.

Of course, compared to the good husband she had, any grievances or heartache became insignificant.

Seeing Jiang Yi’s reddened eyes, Zhu Ziyu’s lips curved into a smile.

When Jiang Si walked out, she found that the rain had lessened. A cool breeze carrying the fresh scent of wet earth blew against her face, particularly strong at the tip of her nose.

Back in her guest room, Jiang Si finally relaxed and pondered repeatedly about the background of the two men.

After thinking for a while, she made a decision: she needed to inform Yu Jin about the two men as soon as she returned.

In a pavilion deep in the mountain temple, the bearded man finally woke up the man in the long robe.

Enduring his splitting headache, the man in the long robe asked, “What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” The man in the long robe felt like he was going crazy.

He had been hit on the head and couldn’t see anything clearly, but this guy was telling him he didn’t know anything.

The bearded man was equally frustrated, “Yes, I had just walked over there when I felt something prick me. Then my eyes started burning, and I couldn’t open them. I didn’t see anything.”

“Then why didn’t you warn me?”

The bearded man’s face darkened, “I couldn’t make a sound or move at the time. There might have been poison on whatever pricked me.”

The man in the long robe carefully examined where the bearded man had been pricked, seeing only a tiny wound on his arm. His expression suddenly became grave, “Such a small injury could make you unable to move or speak. Our opponent is not simple.”

He looked at the faint red marks left on the bearded man’s face after the tears had washed over it, reached out to wipe some off, and tasted it. His eyes immediately widened.

Chili powder?