Chapter 8

He gazed at her, something flickering in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to be a bit clever!"

Hanyan had been busy for most of the day without finding anything.

The hand covering her mouth slowly released.

But it felt as if all the strength in her body had been drained away.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Fu Tingjun turned over again.

Fu Tingjun felt uneasy and quickly said, "This is the 'Four Herbs Pill' I brought from home." Afraid he wouldn't understand, she explained, "It's the Four Herbs Decoction made into pills for easy carrying."

In the darkness, his eyes gleamed brightly, like a cat she had once kept—no, a cat's eyes were gentler. His eyes were cold, indifferent, without a trace of warmth, frightening.

Lü'e was startled awake.

Clutching at a sliver of hope, Fu Tingjun steadied herself slightly.

Come back tomorrow?

She wished she could grab hold of his sleeve.

What Fu Tingjun feared most was him killing her without a word.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes: "Ninth Miss, why did you get up yourself? If you need anything, just call for this servant."

Fu Tingjun was stunned for a long while.

One moment sinister and fierce, the next crisp and decisive, and then "I'll come back tomorrow"—Fu Tingjun felt she was going mad.

Watching the sun set in the west, she had no other recourse. With a sense of making amends for her mistakes, she had Hanyan order thirty more vegetarian buns.

A flash of inspiration struck her.

Lü'e glanced at the tightly shut gate and flew toward the main room where Fu Tingjun resided.

Neither the dog outside nor Lü'e on night duty made a single sound.

He must be looking for food!

Then who was he?

Medicine shouldn't be taken carelessly, or it could lead to disaster.

He was truly formidable.

He silently tucked the pair of small porcelain bottles into his bosom, as if the things in this cabinet were his own.

Knowing that she had prepared thirty vegetarian buns for him and that she had sent her capable maidservant to search all day without finding where the grain was stored, he didn't lose his temper, nor did he stare at her with those icy eyes. Instead, he simply said, "Then I'll come back tomorrow," and left carrying the thirty buns.

Nanny Chen sat silently drinking tea, the oppressive atmosphere before a storm making her calves tremble.

Fu Tingjun's mind went blank, and it was a long while before she came to her senses.

Fu Tingjun was greatly alarmed.

"It's nothing!" Fu Tingjun mumbled a few words, drank half a cup of tea, and lay down to rest, but her heart was like water droplets in a hot oil pan—exploding.

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, the less she understood.

He had already picked up his bundle: "I'll come back tomorrow."

A thought flashed through her mind, and suddenly the image of Lü'e lying in a pool of blood surfaced in her thoughts.

She stared at him, a hint of fear in her eyes.

If she had known, she should have told Master Guohui about this.

Agree to him quickly, nod quickly... or her life would be in danger.

How had he found her?

She thought for a moment, then said, "That's for replenishing qi and nourishing blood."

"N-no, I don't know!" Fu Tingjun said nervously, her voice stammering.

Everyone knew of her anxiety, so naturally no one asked.

The thought that he would come again at night made Fu Tingjun restless and uneasy.

Fu Tingjun's heart was filled with trepidation.

Yet early in the morning, Nanny Chen called for Lü'e: "Where did all those vegetarian buns go?"

What was this?

He had already lightly pushed open the window lattice, and like a swallow, he disappeared into the willow grove in a few bounds.

There was a dog outside, and a maidservant on night duty inside—how had he slipped in without a sound?

The bright blue coarse cloth in her hand was the one used to wrap herbs when Xiuzhu's family came last time. When she was looking for wrapping cloth just now, she had also turned out several bottles of pills.

With a family to support, in the scorching heat, with circumstances changing rapidly, without food or drink, some people couldn't bear it and fell ill—that's why so much food could only sustain them for two or three days. Upon hearing it was a pill for replenishing qi and nourishing blood, he immediately tucked it into his bosom.

"Not long after I woke up, Master Guozhi at the nunnery discovered that the food in the kitchen and the rice vat were gone," she said tactfully. "Everyone thought it was the work of a starving young nun. But Master Guozhi said that if it were a starving young nun, she would at most steal a flatbread or a steamed bun. Feeling something was amiss, she reported it to Master Guohui, the abbess. Master Guohui said that these days Qingyang and Gongchang prefectures have been suffering severe drought, and large numbers of refugees have already flooded into Shangzhou and Tongzhou. Since Shangzhou and Tongzhou are only a few hundred li from our Huayin, refugees must have fled here and, taking advantage of the midday rest when everyone in the nunnery was sleeping, stole the food from the kitchen. As for the granary, they've probably already made thorough arrangements."

Having taken the buns, he should be leaving now, right?

What use was there in thinking about this now? Who knew he would come looking for her again? If she told Master Guohui now, setting aside the matter of the back courtyard, if Master Guohui only asked, "Why are you only telling me now?"—how would she answer?

"Is there no food in the kitchen?" she asked softly.

Was she really going to help him find out where the granary was, becoming an accomplice to his wrongdoing?

What should she do?

He didn't speak, only looked at her with a determined gaze, as if asking what she meant.

Praise? Sarcasm?

As long as he was willing to listen to her, there was hope.

Refugees?

What to do now?

"Didn't you say there were vegetarian buns?" He showed no hesitation, his voice not loud but not lowered either. "I'll take some with me."

Such people were usually alone.

A lone man and woman, in the dead of night—if anyone discovered him in her room, she wouldn't be able to clear her name even with a hundred mouths. And with Zuo Junjie already in the picture, she'd be left to be stabbed in the back by gossip.

Nanny Chen had said this morning that those refugees were roaming around, snatching whatever food they saw, willing to lose their lives over it. What if he gathered the refugees to raid Biyun Nunnery's granary? After all, the nunnery was full of women—if they lost their lives because of this, wouldn't it be her fault?

After hesitating all morning, Fu Tingjun finally summoned Hanyan and had her help inquire about the granary—her throat still hadn't healed, and she didn't dare speak.

Her tone was light, as if tinged with a hint of teasing.

She turned over restlessly.

Fu Tingjun was overjoyed.

Fu Tingjun let out an "oh," staring at her expressionlessly for a long while, then drifted to the bed as if in a dream.

What if she couldn't find out anything?

"If I suddenly went and asked, Master Guohui and Master Guozhi would definitely grow suspicious." Even so, she didn't dare push him, maintaining her proper attentiveness. "I still have thirty vegetarian buns left from this evening's meal. If you don't mind, sir, you could use them to stave off hunger for now, and I'll slowly make inquiries about where the nunnery's grain is stored."

He commanded.

When she woke the next morning, Fu Tingjun's eyelids were tinged with dark circles.

Before Nanny Fan could speak, Nanny Chen signaled her to stop, saying a few words like "The price of rice in Huayin has risen to three taels and two mace of silver per dan now. Don't let Ninth Miss have her way—you should still advise her when needed," and sent Lü'e away.

A wanted bandit, or a fugitive who had killed people in the countryside?

In the distance, a few dogs barked.

She lay awake until midnight, and he arrived as promised.

Fu Tingjun was stunned.

Though standing before Nanny Chen, Nanny Fan's voice was too low—she only caught fragments like "a letter from the household," "First Madame said," "will return in a few days," and "be cautious and careful."

The dog in her courtyard heard the commotion and started barking along.

"Do you know where the nunnery's grain is stored?" He sat quietly by her bedside.

He had stolen so much food, yet after only two or three days of separation, he came looking for more. Instead of rifling through the dressing case on her table, he had taken the two bottles of medicine pills as his own... Could it be that he wasn't alone?

But did refugees have such skills?

As if a nightmare was recurring.

He said he'd come again tomorrow!

She was frantic with worry.

"What did you do to my maid?" She urgently pushed aside the bed curtain.

He sat motionless, silent as the night.

He nodded, looking as if he understood.

Her heart burned with anxiety, yet her body lay limp and powerless on the bed.

They were so close that she could even feel his breath.

The rustling sounds were especially clear and loud in the silent, deserted night.

Lü'e didn't know either, but she defended Fu Tingjun: "Ninth Miss had us feed the dogs."

Fu Tingjun felt as if doused with cold water—she shivered, and her mind cleared considerably.

Was he talking about her?

"What is this?" His deep voice suddenly came from behind.

Fu Tingjun's eyes widened, and a bold idea surfaced in her mind.

Lü'e couldn't help but prick up her ears.

Fu Tingjun was stunned.

Fu Tingjun grew even more fearful.

If she was useful to him, then he probably wouldn't take her life so easily!

"I sealed her acupoint." He said it casually. "If it's not unsealed in time, she'll die just the same."

The scenes of chivalrous heroes from legends appeared vividly before her eyes.

No wonder he didn't take her seriously.

Relying on mere brute strength wouldn't have allowed him to slip silently into Jingyue Hall.

Just as she felt she couldn't hold on any longer, Nanny Fan came in and whispered something into Nanny Chen's ear.

The terror of his hand gripping her neck surged up from her memory.

Thinking she could get rid of him, she quietly got out of bed and found a piece of bright blue coarse cloth in the cabinet for wrapping things.

In a daze, he had already stood up.

Tonight's watch was Lü'e, who slept on the cool couch by the bed. She...

Her anger at Lü'e's harm outweighed her fear of him.

He slowly sat up straight... as if somewhat disappointed... his body gradually merging into the darkness... she couldn't make out his expression, couldn't sense his demeanor... those eyes in the darkness, as if suddenly coated with a layer of frost, were even brighter and more gleaming than before, and also colder than before, sending a chill through her heart.

"Ninth Miss, what's wrong with you?" Lü'e asked worriedly.

Wouldn't that mean she was stuck with him?

Lü'e, not knowing what had happened, scratched her head and poured a cup of tea for Fu Tingjun. She had just reached the bedside when Fu Tingjun suddenly sat up bolt upright, her expression grim.

Fu Tingjun stood frozen as if struck by a divine anchor.

She reminded him that the two masters at the nunnery were both calm and composed, sharp-witted, and by no means ordinary people. She also hinted that he should not act rashly—if he took her life, he would not escape easily either.

Moonlight fell quietly upon the window lattice. Lü'e lay curled on her side on the cool bamboo bed facing her, her expression peaceful and serene.

Fu Tingjun was dumbfounded.

He had come in without harming a soul.

She let out a long breath, her back soaked through with sweat.