Song Jiyun did not recognize this man.
However, due to her father's funeral, there had been a constant stream of people coming and going at home these past few days, and many of them she did not know.
Song Jiyun lowered her head.
Hiding her face within the Xiaomao.
The Strange Man and Zheng Quan clashed again, swift and fierce.
The flower trellis swayed precariously, wisteria blossoms danced wildly in the air, flowers and plants were trampled into fragments, leaving a scene of utter chaos.
There was no loud noise, but if this went on for too long, it would surely attract attention.
Zheng Quan grew anxious.
He struck out with heavy punches, even neglecting to guard his exposed chest and back.
The Strange Man immediately seized this opportunity, delivering a ruthless elbow strike to his chest.
Zheng Quan had no time to dodge. Clutching his chest, he staggered back several steps before barely managing to steady himself.
Instead of pressing his advantage, the Strange Man stood leisurely in place, his tone carrying a note of surprise as he said, "Not bad skills!"
Zheng Quan clenched his fists tightly.
The Strange Man, however, brushed the dust from his clothes, adopting an air of "the matter settled, brushing off his sleeves as he leaves."
Seeing this, Zheng Quan let out a fierce roar and charged at the man with the ferocious momentum of a tiger descending the mountain.
Song Jiyun's heart tightened with urgency, and she involuntarily stepped forward a few paces.
It was clear Zheng Quan was no match for the Strange Man. If he continued to fight with all his might, he would likely end up worse off for his efforts.
Sure enough.
The Strange Man stepped forward to meet him and, with lightning speed, struck Zheng Quan's neck with a hand chop.
This time, Zheng Quan was powerless to defend himself. He grunted and collapsed to the ground.
Just as the Strange Man raised his leg to stomp on Zheng Quan's chest,
In her desperation, Song Jiyun could think of nothing else and rushed out directly: "Sir, please show mercy!"
The Strange Man turned to look at her.
The afternoon sunlight shone directly on his face, and the chill in his eyes spilled forth, impossible to conceal.
Song Jiyun's heart turned cold, but she still said, "This is entirely a misunderstanding! My servant is honest and loyal, but inflexible. Seeing a stranger in the study, he assumed the person had ill intentions. He was merely acting out of loyalty to protect his master. I beg you, sir, to be magnanimous and not hold it against him."
The Strange Man did not speak. He scoffed, the sound dripping with sarcasm, yet he refrained from attacking Zheng Quan further.
Song Jiyun breathed a sigh of relief.
Zheng Quan was like an elder brother to her. Since childhood, he had carried her on his back to visit markets and see lantern festivals. Every time he returned from Longhushan, whether it was a bamboo dragonfly or malt candy, he always brought gifts for her.
As she grew older, he helped her knead clay, drove the carriage, carried account books—whatever she said, he did, never once uttering a word of refusal.
She could not let anything happen to him.
But she dared not show the slightest hint of this in front of this man. Instead, she maintained a calm expression and spoke politely, "May I ask how to address you, sir? How did you come to be here? Apart from some valuable items, this study also contains account books. Usually, no one comes here."
The Strange Man replied nonchalantly, "I got lost!"
…
And then there was nothing more.
Song Jiyun still strained her ears, hoping to glean something from his words.
Seeing him like this, alarm bells rang loudly in her mind.
The simplest words are often the most powerful response, the one with the fewest flaws.
This man was indeed, as she had thought, not someone easy to deal with.
She discreetly observed the Strange Man.
He wore no ornaments whatsoever; the cross-collar of his Daopao was made of fine cloth in the same color.
He wore a very ordinary pair of round-toed, dark blue coarse cloth shoes with Qianchengdi soles.
His fingers were pale and delicate, slender like bamboo.
The fingers were plump and clean, tinged with a healthy pink.
They didn't seem to belong to someone from a wealthy merchant family, yet they showed no signs of hardship either. The household likely had some means, but they were also quite frugal with money.
It was more like someone from a scholarly family that valued both farming and education.
Song Jiyun's mind raced, but her tone grew even more polite: "My apologies for earlier! If you don't mind, sir, please come inside for a cup of tea. I'll also call for a steward to show you the way."
"No need!" The Strange Man didn't even glance at her, turning to leave.
Song Jiyun followed him and said, "Sir, I should still help you find a steward to guide you, shouldn't I? After all, this is the inner residence.
"I see you're wearing a Daopao—are you a Taoist priest?
"However, scholars in our dynasty also love wearing Daopao. Sometimes when I see them on the street, I can't tell who's a Taoist priest and who's a scholar!"
The Strange Man suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Caught off guard, Song Jiyun nearly bumped into him.
Only then did she notice a red mole on his left earlobe, about the size of a small fingertip, like a love pea.
Song Jiyun was momentarily stunned, but she quickly regained her composure and continued, "Is there something you need? Or perhaps you're trying to get somewhere? This area is quite complicated. Old Lady Song lives with the second branch, so the mansions of the first and third branches are built close together…"
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to!" The Strange Man shot her a sidelong glance, abruptly cutting her off.
Song Jiyun widened her eyes, looking puzzled. "Why would you say that, sir? I don't understand."
"Hah!" The Strange Man sneered, about to say something, when his expression suddenly changed drastically. Pointing at her, he exclaimed, "You—"
Song Jiyun looked utterly bewildered and called out, "Sir?"
Just then, the Strange Man swayed slightly and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Startling a few butterflies from the nearby flower bushes.
Zheng Quan stood there dumbfounded.
From among the flowering shrubs, a flower-bud hairstyle popped up.
Round eyes and a round face, about eight or nine years old, wearing a green floral dress, resembling the Wuxi clay dolls sold by street vendors.
"Miss," she said, holding a Chuiguan, her face full of excitement. "I did as you said—anyone who comes in besides Brother Quan gets knocked out."
"Well done!" Song Jiyun praised her little maid Xiang Zan without reservation. "When we get back, I'll have Nanny Zheng make you some osmanthus rice cakes!"
Xiang Zan's face flushed with joy. She carefully stepped around the unconscious Strange Man, ran to Song Jiyun's side, then asked with a hint of fear, "Miss, is he… is he alright?"
This was Song Jiyun's first time doing something like this.
The path was paved entirely with bluestone bricks. Falling straight down like that could indeed lead to serious injury.
However, she was more worried about Zheng Quan.
"How badly are you hurt?" Song Jiyun asked Zheng Quan. "We should find a doctor right away!"
Zheng Quan's mind was already a jumbled mess, and he rambled incoherently: "I'm fine! When I spar with my master and senior brothers, I often get hurt. I know a little about treating bruises and sprains, so I know how bad it is. I'll just apply some safflower oil when I get back."
Song Jiyun still felt he should see a doctor for a proper examination.
Zheng Quan pointed at the strange man and said, "I'd better take a look at him! His nose is scraped and all red. It wouldn't be good if his nose bridge were broken."
Song Jiyun didn't think it was a big deal.
It wasn't like his back was broken.
Zheng Quan still helped the strange man feel his bones and examined him. Seeing that he wasn't seriously injured, he looked up and asked Song Jiyun, "What should we do next?"