Jiang Yu had no choice but to return to her room, sealing the doors and windows tightly.
After several days of anxious waiting, no one came to kill her.
But Pei Xiao seldom visited her either.
Even when he did come, it was mostly to inquire about her daily meals and the condition of her foot injury, rarely speaking of anything else.
With their adjacent rooms and Pei Xiao maintaining such a measured distance, Jiang Yu found no opportunity to escape.
However, Jiang Yu managed to learn from the young monks that Meng Qingyao had already ascended the mountain and was recuperating in the meditation quarters at the back hills of the temple.
Seeing that her foot was nearly healed, if she didn’t seize the chance to meet Meng Qingyao now,
once they returned to the capital, it would become impossible!
Jiang Yu sat on the couch with her knees drawn to her chest, heaving a frustrated sigh, accidentally knocking over the medicine bottle beside her.
Clatter—
The bottle rolled to the doorstep.
Just as Jiang Yu was about to retrieve it, a young monk happened to pass by and hurriedly picked it up, handing it back to her as if it were a treasure. “Please be careful, benefactor. This is the only bottle of medicine for your foot injury. If it breaks, you might suffer.”
Jiang Yu uttered an “Oh.” Her foot had mostly recovered, so it wasn’t a big concern anymore. She politely replied, “It was truly my carelessness. I nearly ruined Great Master Huijue’s miraculous medicine.”
The young monk shook his head. “It’s not that the ointment is particularly valuable, but it contains a type of tree tongue ganoderma, which the temple has run out of. With heavy rains approaching, it’s difficult to ascend the mountain to gather more, making it hard to prepare the medicine again.”
“Can tree tongue ganoderma be found near Azure Cloud Temple?” Jiang Yu asked.
The young monk nodded. “There are plenty halfway down the mountain, but with the continuous rain, it’s not easy to locate.”
“Halfway down the mountain?” Jiang Yu repeated the young monk’s words, when suddenly, inspiration struck.
She had thought of a way to send Pei Xiao away.
But Pei Xiao had always been like a statue of Buddha—devoid of emotion and desire—so that wouldn’t do.
She needed to stir some mortal desires in him…
By evening, Pei Xiao arrived as usual with the evening meal to look for Jiang Yu.
But Jiang Yu’s meditation room was empty.
At this time of day, she would always be brewing a pot of Biluo Chun tea, waiting for him.
The two would exchange a few words, however brief.
Where could she have gone so late?
Pei Xiao frowned and stopped a passing young monk. “May I ask if you’ve seen my wife, young master?”
“Oh, Benefactor Jiang went to the mountainside with some fellow disciples.” The young monk pointed toward the deep forest shrouded in mist.
As dusk deepened, occasional beastly cries echoed from the wild mountains.
Pei Xiao narrowed his eyes, gazing at the cloud-covered horizon, his expression dark and unreadable.
He had only taken his eyes off her for a short while, and she had run off again?
She was becoming increasingly disobedient…
Pei Xiao flicked his sleeve and descended the steps.
Just as he reached the courtyard, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, followed by a torrential downpour.
Pei Xiao retreated under the eaves.
At that moment, several young monks hurried past, carrying ropes and rain gear.
“Junior brother, bring a straw mat! It seems a devotee has fallen off the cliff!”
“Why would a young lady venture into the mountains in such weather? I heard only an embroidered slipper was left at the cliff’s edge.”
…
Under the eaves, the rain poured down in sheets, obscuring Pei Xiao’s view.
Pei Xiao’s brow furrowed even tighter, his hands clenched behind his back, nails digging into his palms.
Noticing this, the young monk bowed and said, “Are you worried that the devotee might be your wife, Benefactor Pei? This humble monk will go inquire about the situation.”
Worried?
Where did he get that idea?
Pei Xiao glanced suspiciously at the young monk, his thin lips parting slightly before he finally replied calmly, “Go ahead.”
Pei Xiao returned to his room alone, his eyes downcast, silent and lost in thought, not even noticing that he had accidentally knocked over the white porcelain Guanyin statue on the windowsill.The serene and ascetic statue of Buddha lay shattered into disarray behind him.
He stepped silently toward the meditation chamber, just as a fierce gust of wind blew the wooden door open.
Inside, sheets of rice paper swirled like snowflakes, filling the entire room.
Pei Xiao felt inexplicably irritated. He swept his sleeve to block the fluttering papers, but amidst the chaotic scene, his gaze fell upon a woman in pink robes, lying prone over the desk, using her body to weigh down the scattering pages.
“Yu’er?” Pei Xiao’s furrowed brow relaxed. “What are you doing here?”
Jiang Yu remained crouched like a kitten, tilting her head upward. “I’ve always been in your chamber, husband. Where did you think I was?”
“I…” Pei Xiao’s words caught in his throat. “It’s nothing.”
He averted his eyes from Jiang Yu and bent down to gather the fallen rice papers.
In a flash, Jiang Yu darted to his side, snatched the paper from his hands, and hid it behind her back. “Don’t look, husband!”
But there were too many scattered sheets on the floor, and Pei Xiao had already seen them clearly.
Each page bore three lines of delicate regular script: “First, I wish my lord a thousand years; second, I wish myself constant health; third, I wish we like swallows on the beam, may meet year after year in sight.” (From “Charming Girl. Spring Banquet”)
Every character and phrase was written by Jiang Yu’s own hand, yet the brushstrokes strikingly resembled Pei Xiao’s style.
Pei Xiao lifted his gaze, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Jiang Yu immediately crumpled the paper in her palm. “Husband, my practice is still poor—I haven’t grasped the essence yet.”