“Where have you been?”
Three words that sent goosebumps prickling all over Su Tan’s skin, her heart pounding wildly.
The tone and cadence were all too familiar; she was merely startled by the suddenness.
Turning to face the man lounging on the bed, Su Tan barely restrained herself from drawing the blade at her waist.
She blurted out, “Military Governor, what brings you here?”
She hadn’t even had time to send the signal yet!
Under the flickering candlelight, the man’s strikingly handsome and arrogant face appeared even more vivid and three-dimensional.
He toyed with the pale pink begonia between his fingertips, its trembling bud resembling a young lady startled by a libertine visiting her fragrant boudoir at night.
Shen Xiuwang lifted his eyelids, displeased, and looked at her.
His wine-tinged eyes seemed to say: I’m asking you a question, and you dare answer with another?
The young lady wore a pristine moon-white dress, now smudged with dust from who knows where.
Though she wasn’t smiling, a restrained, charming mirth lingered at the corners of her eyes and brows.
She had been quite merry just moments ago.
Setting aside the seven-day agreement, she had sneaked out in the dead of night and returned in high spirits.
Such merriment was no different from when she had been exchanging flirtatious glances with that qin master in the afternoon.
On the final day, there was still no movement, forcing him—the employer who had paid a fortune—to personally pay a visit.
Quite bold.
Grand Commandant Shen’s gaze, though languid, held a sharp edge.
Sensing the hostility radiating from him, Su Tan moistened her dry lips and bowed respectfully. “In reply to the Military Governor, I just went to…”
Before she could finish, Shen Xiuwang lost patience. “Come here.”
So domineering again.
Su Tan hesitated for a moment before finally yielding to the pressure and slowly approached him.
What madness is this now? Had she offended him somehow?
No matter. Better to finish the task and be done with it.
Su Tan reached for the Buddha Ball in her sleeve but hadn’t yet retrieved it when a force pulled at her wrist. Shen Xiuwang grabbed her and yanked her forward.
Propelled by inertia, Su Tan fell heavily to her knees before the bed, a dull pain shooting through them as her delicate brows furrowed.
Shen Xiuwang looked down at the jade-like right arm he held. Some of the dark-colored powder had rubbed off, faintly revealing the vermilion Chastity Seal beneath.
The man’s frown suddenly eased, the earlier displeasure dissipating.
The smoothness of her skin in his palm stirred a ticklish sensation within him.
Up close, Su Tan caught the scent of wine; he seemed to have drunk quite a bit.
Today was the Hundred Flowers Banquet at the Jingning Marquis Estate. The feast must have been filled with clinking cups and beautiful women aplenty.
Had the Military Governor been overwhelmed by choice, and thus come to take his frustration out on her?
Best not to argue with someone drunk; survival was the priority.
She sighed softly, enduring the pain in her knees, and whispered, “Military Governor, I’ve just found the item. Could you please let go first?”
Shen Xiuwang was momentarily stunned before releasing her hand.
“Truly?”
Su Tan retrieved the Buddha Ball from her sleeve and presented it on her open palm.
The man who had been lounging indolently on the bed suddenly sharpened his gaze, sitting up straight to take the Buddha Ball.
The surface of the dark brown agarwood was infused with a layer of crimson. At first glance, the carved Guanyin statue appeared lifelike, though the craftsmanship fell slightly short.
Shen Xiuwang traced a subtle protrusion on it, his heart pounding like a drum.
Indeed, this was truly the one he had personally made and given to his father before he set off on the campaign years ago!
In his youth, Shen Xiuwang had a particular fondness for carving and crafting intricate objects.
Two days before Father Shen led the troops to war, father and son had argued fiercely over the son’s penchant for frivolous pursuits.
A son defying his father—it was somewhat akin to defying the natural order.
However, Shen Xiuwang was not one to bow his head easily, so he devised a compromise.
He wrote an apology note and hid it inside the mechanism of the Buddha Ball.
On the day of the expedition, he rode out of the city to see them off.
Before the eighty thousand mighty troops, Father Shen dismounted and walked toward his beloved eldest son, whom he often lamented as failing to live up to his expectations.
Marquis Shen, clad in armor with a fiery red cape billowing behind him, patted the young man’s shoulder heavily.
“You rascal, study and practice martial arts diligently! If you show no improvement by the time I return, you’d better prepare your own birch rod!”
In his youth, Young Master Shen was reckless and carefree. He grinned broadly and said, “Don’t worry, Father. When you return victorious, I’ll let you have three moves during our spar!”
Father Shen pulled back his strength and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “You little rascal.”
Shen Xiuwang laughed heartily, then solemnly presented the Buddha Ball pendant to his father with both hands, saying earnestly, “Return safely and victorious.”
Father Shen took it, examined it briefly, and then casually tied it around his waist with a tight knot.
“I’m off now. Go back and take good care of your grandparents and your mother. Listen to your elder sister.”
That day was the winter solstice. The bitter north wind cut like a knife, yet not a single snowflake fell.
Shen Xiuwang watched as his father’s tall, imposing figure gradually disappeared into the gray-black road stretching into the distance.
Later, urgent news arrived that the entire army had been annihilated.
The Jingning Marquis Estate fell into decline overnight, growing weaker with each passing day.
Shen Xiuwang voluntarily took on his father’s guilt and resolutely headed north to Yong City to reclaim the lost territory.
He did his best to collect his father’s remains and belongings, but the Buddha Ball was nowhere to be found.
During his lonely vigil in the harsh, cold borderlands, he stubbornly clung to the thought that perhaps his father had also left a message for him inside it.
In the room, the lamplight flickered, and the wick crackled softly.
Shen Xiuwang still stared at the Buddha Ball, his expression calm, yet a barely perceptible sorrow flickered in his eyes.
Sensing the shift in his emotions, Su Tan said nothing more. She rose and retreated behind the screen to wash off the dust from her body.
Leaving him ample space to gather his thoughts.
After gathering his emotions, Shen Xiuwang pressed his fingertip against the hidden mechanism, which was nearly impossible for others to detect.
With a faint, almost inaudible click, a small gap opened in the Buddha Ball, revealing a yellowed note tucked inside.
Shen Xiuwang’s brow twitched. Pinching a corner of the note with his fingertips, he slowly pulled it out. A dark red bloodstained fingerprint was smudged across it.
He exhaled sharply twice, his hands trembling as he unfolded it.
A line of messy, blood-written characters leaped into view…
Shen Xiuwang’s chest heaved violently. It was indeed his father’s handwriting!
He couldn’t help but feel his eyes grow hot.
After a long while.
Leaning against the bedpost, he let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, suppressing the turbulent emotions surging within him.
Back then, Father Shen had led eighty thousand soldiers into battle against the Northern Desert Hu People at Fengcheng Pass, where the entire army was annihilated in the natural chasm beyond the pass.
The Buddha Ball was lost on the battlefield. After years of searching and investigation, Shen Xiuwang finally stumbled upon a faint clue.
It was said that Hu soldiers had scavenged many valuables from the Han people during the cleanup of the battlefield, selling them to local Hu merchants in exchange for money.
Coincidentally, two years later, when the Shen family’s spies located that Hu merchant, he had already died of a sudden illness, severing the trail to the Buddha Ball completely.
It wasn’t until just before returning to the capital that Shen Xiuwang obtained another faint clue.
Like searching for a needle in a haystack, he spent eight years chasing leads, guessing in the dark, until finally stumbling upon the right one.
Amidst the opulence and extravagance, the dazzling dens of temptation, it had been hidden right under his nose all along.
Shen Xiuwang’s fingertips trembled as he unconsciously tightened his grip on the Buddha Ball once more.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. All that remained in his ears was the gentle, rhythmic sound of dripping water, filling the room with a soft, lingering fragrance.
It seemed to silently smooth the wrinkles and ripples that had stirred in the sea of his heart.
Su Tan washed away the dust, changed into clean sleeping garments, and put on her outer robe before emerging from behind the screen.
The man leaning against the bedside still rested with his eyes closed, his jawline taut and smooth, his thin lips slightly pursed, devoid of joy or sorrow.
Su Tan had seen his unrestrained, dissolute side and his cold, merciless demeanor when taking lives, but she never expected the arrogant Military Governor Shen to also show such vulnerability.
Which side of such a man was truly real?
She tugged at the corner of her lips—what did it matter to her?
All she wanted was her reward.
Approaching softly, Su Tan called to him gently, “Military Governor.”
Shen Xiuwang slowly opened his eyes, his voice slightly hoarse. “You handled the matter well.”
Rarely did she ever hear a word of praise from him.
Su Tan nodded slightly. “Mei Wu does not deserve such praise.”
Seeing her hesitant, wanting to speak but holding back, she resembled a clever, ingratiating cat.
Shen Xiuwang straightened his posture, wearily pressing his fingers to his temples. “The conditions I promised you will certainly be fulfilled. This Military Governor’s word is as good as gold.”
Hearing this,
Su Tan’s lips curved upward, her captivating eyes brimming with joy, like clouds parting to reveal the moon, or a lotus blooming in radiant beauty.
“Thank you, Military Governor! You are most generous!”
Shen Xiuwang lowered his gaze to the girl kneeling on the footstool, expressing her gratitude.
Her waterfall-like black hair cascaded over her delicate shoulders, slipping down slowly as she bowed her head, revealing a small stretch of fair, tender nape.
Her petite frame seemed to curl into a small bundle, with waves of soft fragrance emanating from within.
What was she truly made of?
A month ago, shortly after Shen Xiuwang returned to the capital, he was on his way back from a night of drinking with friends.
As he passed by the Fragrant Pavilion, a pot of spring begonias suddenly fell.
With a “thud,” the horse startled, and the young master grew angry.
Military Governor Shen reined in his horse and looked back, catching sight of a graceful, moving figure by the carved window.
The night breeze blew away the light veil covering her face, revealing a beauty as fleeting as a startled swan, like an immortal descending to the mortal world.
The girl was utterly astonished, her eyes shimmering like autumn waters as she hurriedly apologized.
A barely passable beauty piece on the chessboard, yet just days later, she had accomplished a great task for him.
Clever and charming, and knowledgeable about the Buddha Ball—should he really let her go so easily?
Shen Xiuwang’s thoughts drifted, and when he refocused, he cleared his throat lightly to excuse his lapse in manners.
“Rise. You’ve knelt eighteen times in one evening.”
Su Tan was in high spirits and automatically ignored his sarcastic tone.
To earn her freedom—this was the most exhilarating day she had experienced so far!
Shen Xiuwang raised his arm, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
The girl immediately understood, stepping forward to support his right arm as she asked softly, “Military Governor, are you returning to the residence? Shall I escort—”
Grand Commandant Shen curled his lips, seemingly reverting to his usual playful, irreverent demeanor.
His gaze held an ambiguous, inscrutable warmth as he said, “Who said I’m returning to the residence? Prepare water for a bath.”