“Senior Brother…”
Gu Ning paused her movements, her smile somewhat awkward.
“I… I was just combing my hair, not going anywhere.”
Chi Yan stood where he was, still smiling, but the mirth in his phoenix eyes gradually faded. The candlelight stretched his shadow long and dark behind him. In the air, only the occasional rustle of leaves stirred by the evening breeze could be heard.
“Not going anywhere, yet Ah Ning is changing clothes too?”
Chi Yan’s gaze fell on the dress Hong Yao had just retrieved. A lotus-blue narrow-sleeved ruqun, with no patterns on the skirt hem or cuffs—worn in places without light at night, it would be like a black cat hiding in the darkness.
Come to think of it, this dress was bought for her by him. On the very night he brought it back, she secretly wore it down the mountain to attend the lantern festival in the town, nearly driving everyone in Spring Return Valley mad with worry. For that, their master had given him a thorough scolding.
“Moreover, clothes bought when you were ten,” Chi Yan chuckled softly, “given Ah Ning’s current figure, they probably won’t fit anymore.”
“I…” Gu Ning was at a loss for words, racking her brains, “I just dreamed about things from when I was ten and wanted to take this dress out to reminisce. Yes, that’s right, exactly that.” After speaking, she gave Hong Yao a meaningful glance.
Hong Yao hurriedly chimed in, “Yes, yes, exactly as the young lady said.”
The mistress and servant exchanged a look, both swallowing nervously in unison.
“Ah Ning,” Chi Yan sighed, his smile tinged with helplessness, “do you know that ever since you were little, you’ve never been able to look me in the eye when lying? And after telling a lie, you always double-check.”
“Senior Brother…”
“You want to go to the ancestral residence of the Zhenyuan General’s Manor.”
He used a definitive tone.
Gu Ning knew she couldn’t hide it any longer and decided to be frank: “Senior Brother, Shen Jinyan’s hysteria started because of me. I can’t just stand by and do nothing. Whether you agree or not, I will go to the ancestral residence of the Zhenyuan General’s Manor.”
“Ah Ning can try,” Chi Yan placed the medicine bowl in his hand on the table, smiling calmly, “whether you can leave this room tonight.”
The corners of his eyes tilted slightly upward, his pupils large and jet-black, appearing somewhat unsettling when he wasn’t smiling. Yet, in the flickering candlelight, even with his smile, Gu Ning felt an inexplicable, rope-like chill, soft yet binding, wrapping around her body.
“Senior Brother, must you force me?”
“It is Ah Ning who is forcing me.”
The wick emitted a faint crackling sound.
Several clusters of candlelight failed to illuminate the silence filling the room.
In the dim light and shadow, her thin undergarments outlined her slender frame, like a delicate flower—fragile, precious. Only when placed in a warm room, carefully nurtured, could it avoid withering under the ravages of wind and snow.
In Chi Yan’s eyes, Shen Jinyan, or rather the entire Zhenyuan General’s Manor, were the wind and snow that knew no bounds, insistently blowing into that warm room.
His Ah Ning was wholly devoted to the clinic’s herbs and healing the sick—how could she understand the filth beneath the hands of those powerful figures?
Taoling Pass was easy to defend and hard to attack. Shen Xun had been stationed there for many years and knew the terrain like the back of his hand—it was simply impossible for him to be missing for so long. Moreover, his disappearance happened to occur just as victory was within reach. Even more coincidentally, a reckless man like Cui Mingde somehow managed to “turn the tide.”
Chi Yan did not believe such coincidences could happen one after another without that person’s approval.
Before the dressing table, Gu Ning sat quietly, twisting her fingers, her eyes lowered. She seemed to be thinking about how to persuade him.
Chi Yan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. In truth, no matter what A’ning said, he would not let her go.
A few days ago, he had received a secret letter—within three months, Shen Xun would surely die.
The Zhenyuan General’s estate was a sinking ship of mud. Anyone could be on that ship, but his A’ning could not.
Moreover…
His gaze fell upon the back of her hand, where there was a pale pink scar the size of a little fingernail. It was from three years ago, when A’ning had accidentally scalded herself while personally preparing soup for Shen Jinyan.
That pale pink scar seemed to deepen in color under the candlelight, like a speck of crimson, piercing his eyes, impossible to erase.
An indescribable jealousy grew wildly in his heart, like raging flames, or like entwining vines.
He lowered his eyes, concealing the darkness and madness within them.
He wished this jealousy would truly transform into boundless vines, trapping only him and A’ning within. For all eternity, never to part, even in death.
Yet…
A familiar taste of blood surged in his throat. He pressed his lips tightly together, the bright red lip rouge faintly tinged with a hint of purple in the candlelight.
He could die within a cage made of vines.
But A’ning should be beneath the sky, bathed in sunlight, gentle rain, and clear breezes.
Even so, even if it were called unreasonable selfishness, he did not want her to see Shen Jinyan again.
Not a single meeting, not a single glance, not a single exchange of looks—none were allowed.
“But didn’t you once tell me that in life, one should act with a clear conscience before heaven and without shame before others?” Gu Ning suddenly spoke, looking into his eyes. “Senior Brother, Shen Jinyan’s illness began because of me. General Shen is now missing, and the general’s estate is in turmoil, needing him to step forward and take charge. If I don’t cure him, causing the estate to decline, or even leading to him and Madam Shen meeting a tragic end, my conscience would never be at peace for the rest of my life!”
Chi Yan remained silent.
“Moreover,” Gu Ning lowered her eyes, her tone somewhat somber, “when you had your last episode, I took your pulse. You have less than a year left. The Moon-silk Flower from the Jiang estate has been delayed for so long… Now that Madam Shen can offer it as a reward for treating Shen Jinyan, I have every reason to go to the Zhenyuan General’s estate.”
Chi Yan was still silent.
But this silence was like a fragile balance achieved after a desperate struggle between light and shadow.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse: “But A’ning, have you ever considered? There are those who do not wish for Shen Jinyan to regain his clarity.”
Shen Jinyan possessed formidable martial arts skills and was heavily guarded.
Thus, the best way to prevent his recovery would be…
He placed his hands on her shoulders: “A’ning, you cannot come to harm.”
“I…” Gu Ning knew that someone might target her, but thinking of the general’s estate and the Moon-silk Flower, she insisted, “Senior Brother, I will be careful at all times. Nothing will happen.”
“But A’ning, there is always the possibility of the unexpected,” Chi Yan looked into her eyes, his voice trembling slightly. “Have you ever thought about what I would do if something happened to you?”
Perhaps it was the dim candlelight, but his eyes seemed slightly red.
Gu Ning could no longer offer any pale, feeble assurances.
“But… Senior Brother,” a thought that she couldn’t even bear to consider before suddenly flashed through her mind. Gu Ning’s eyes gradually reddened, her voice choked with emotion, “If I don’t go, and there’s no Moon-silk Flower, and something happens to you, what would I do?”
The candlelight flickered in the evening breeze.
In the silent stillness, someone finally shed tears.
As his fingers brushed away the tears rolling down her cheek, Chi Yan felt as if his heart had been tightly clenched.
Finally, he let out a deep sigh and conceded, “If A-Ning wants to go, then go. But before you leave, you must promise me three things…”