Tang Zhou stood in the courtyard. After nearly half a month, he had become very familiar with the surroundings of the bamboo house.
Hearing Yuanyang’s anxious questioning, he couldn’t hide his worry either. “What do you mean? Didn’t you leave together this morning?”
“I… we did…”
Yuanyang was so frantic she seemed unable to speak properly, stumbling over her words as soon as she opened her mouth.
“I did leave with my sister, but we separated along the way. We agreed to meet back at a set time, but I waited and searched for so long. Now it’s dark, and I still haven’t seen her. I thought she might have already returned, so I rushed back to check, but… she’s not home either. What should I do? Could something have happened to my sister?”
“Don’t panic yet. Where exactly did you go today, and what were you doing?”
When they left in the morning, they had only told him they had something to attend to, without mentioning what it was.
“I… we…”
Despite her obvious anxiety, Yuanyang still hesitated, unwilling to speak.
Tang Zhou took a step forward, his concern deepening.
“What exactly happened?”
“My sister told me not to say, not to tell you.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhou froze, momentarily speechless.
He had initially wondered if it might be related to their aunt—whether she had kidnapped and taken them away, or perhaps that drunken hunter. But now it seemed that whatever they had gone to do was likely connected to him.
“Don’t you want to find your sister?”
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
“Of course I do! She’s my only family. If something happens to her, then I…”
“Then tell me, what exactly happened today?”
Yuanyang, standing opposite him, twisted her fingers nervously, barely able to keep up the act. When it came to acting, she was no match for her mistress. Just looking at Tang Zhou a few more times made her fear she might give herself away.
Everything she said to Tang Zhou—how to say it, what tone to use—had been taught to her by Shen Zhixi.
Unable to withstand Tang Zhou’s anxious expression, she took a step back. “My sister… my sister and I went into the mountains to gather herbs. We haven’t been setting up our stall lately, so we haven’t had much income, and the money at home is already… But my sister kept worrying that your injuries haven’t fully healed. The doctor said there’s a type of herb in the mountains called Madness-Curing Herb that’s good for treating your eyes. If we couldn’t afford to buy it, we could gather it ourselves, dry it, and use it for brewing medicine. So…”
Before she could finish, Tang Zhou interjected, “Take me there.”
While Yuanyang was still thinking of how to respond, Tang Zhou had already begun to move, slowly heading toward the kitchen.
“Don’t just stand there. Bring torches, and let’s go find her.”
“…Oh, right.”
Yuanyang followed him inside, and they each took a torch before heading out of the courtyard.
“Be careful.”
Yuanyang opened the fence gate, reminding Tang Zhou to watch his step. This was, in a way, Tang Zhou’s first time stepping outside the courtyard.
“It’s fine. You lead the way. I can keep up.”
Having been blind for so long, Tang Zhou had grown accustomed to moving in the dark. At first, he had walked cautiously indoors, unsure of his footing, but now he had adapted well.
Still, Yuanyang remained mindful of his blindness and walked at a slow pace.
After nearly half an hour, the sky had grown completely dark. Although it was late spring, nearing summer, the deep mountains were much colder than the outside world. The calls of insects and birds grew increasingly strange, the kind of sounds unique to deep forests and rugged mountains, unheard in the outside world.
Yuanyang stopped by a mountain spring lake, her voice choked with emotion as she spoke to Tang Zhou.
“At that time, my sister and I split up to search for herbs, agreeing to meet back at this lake at a set time to return together. But later, I waited here for my sister for a long time and never saw her. I even went in the direction she had gone, calling out all the way, but there was no response at all.”
Yuanyang’s choked voice wasn’t due to worry about Shen Zhixi—Shen Zhixi was fine. What she feared was this pitch-black, deep forest, which looked terrifying. Fortunately, Shen Zhixi had someone with her.
“Don’t be afraid. The soil around here is soft, wet, and slippery, with many rocks. It’s possible she slipped and got injured. Let’s search carefully. A person can’t just vanish into thin air.”
“Okay, okay…”
“Take me in the direction she went.”
“This way.”
Perhaps because of the mountain spring, the nearby ground was indeed wet and soft, making it difficult to walk. Tang Zhou, being blind, naturally found it even more strenuous and had to be extra cautious. If he got injured again, he would only become more of a burden.
Therefore, each step he took was steady and deliberate.
“Sister! Sister!”
The two searched and called out as they went, their two torches appearing particularly small in the forest.
“Sister!”
“Lily!”
“Bai Linglan!”
“…”
“Herb, check if there are any obvious cliffs or steep precipices nearby.”
“Okay. When it was still light, I came here once to search. Further in, the terrain slopes upward. My sister probably wouldn’t…”
As Yuanyang was speaking, Tang Zhou behind her suddenly paused.
He stopped walking, lifting his eyelids as if he had sensed something.
“Don’t speak,” he said.
“Huh? What?”
“Don’t speak for now.”
Tang Zhou closed his eyes, blocking out the crackling sound of the torches beside him, and strained his ears to listen carefully. Since losing his sight, his hearing had indeed improved significantly. He could often accurately pick out the sounds he wanted amidst multiple noises.
Yuanyang raised her torch to shine it on him, puzzled.
“Over there, there’s a sound over there.”
Tang Zhou pointed to the left, his expression firm.
Yuanyang couldn’t help but cover her mouth. Indeed, her young mistress was in that direction, but that was only because she already knew in advance. Yet, with the sky so dark now, she had only just managed to determine her young mistress’s location after a long while and had almost lost track of it.
How did this Tang Zhou discover it? How did he hear it?
They were still some distance away from Shen Zhixi. She had been about to guide Tang Zhou in that direction, but unexpectedly, he had noticed it first and even said he heard a sound. She couldn’t help but feel astonished, as she hadn’t heard anything at all.
“What did you hear?” she asked Tang Zhou.
But Tang Zhou had already started walking in that direction, leaving only three words behind: “A cry for help.”
“Huh?” Yuanyang grew even more confused. How had she not heard a cry for help?
Before she could think further, Tang Zhou had already walked quite far ahead.
At the end, there was a broken cliff, and Shen Zhixi’s voice came from below.
The cliff wasn’t very high, only about two or three people’s height.
Below the cliff, Shen Zhixi sat still, wondering why they hadn’t arrived yet.
“Bai Linglan!”
Hearing the voice, she trembled all over and immediately stood up.
Tang Zhou’s voice grew closer, and she quickly called out to guide him, “Tang Zhou, I’m here. Be careful—there’s a small cliff ahead. Don’t fall down.”
Seeing Tang Zhou appear at the edge of the cliff, Shen Zhixi looked up, a wild smile spreading across her face.
His laughter carried the exhilaration of a game won.
“Lily…”
Tang Zhou leaned forward slightly, eager to confirm her presence.
“Be careful, don’t slip.”
The voice, clear and unmistakable right beside his ear, made Tang Zhou release a heavy sigh of relief. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll come down and bring you up.”
With his mastery of qinggong, such a low cliff posed no challenge to him.
Judging by the sound of her voice, he could estimate the approximate height of the cliff. With a light leap, he effortlessly landed beside her. Shen Zhixi stepped forward to steady him, but he instead grabbed her wrist.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt?” he asked.
“It’s nothing serious. I just twisted my ankle and bumped my head, which knocked me out. I only woke up a short while ago. But I gathered quite a few medicinal herbs—all good for your injuries. Look…”
She turned to retrieve her basket but was held back, unable to move.
“Tang Zhou, let go first.”
“Tang Zhou?”
Tang Zhou gripped her tightly, his face tense and unspeaking, which was somewhat frightening.
“Tang…”
“Do you realize that if I had missed you just now, you might have had to spend the night here alone?”
“…I.” Shen Zhixi kept trying to pull her hand back, as his grip was genuinely painful. “But nothing happened, right? Even if I had to spend the night, as long as the herbs are still here, it wouldn’t be a loss. As for the rest, my ankle is sprained, so the wedding banquet in a few days might be a bit inconvenient. But it doesn’t hurt as much now, so I think it should be fine. I… I’m all right. Let me get the basket first…”
As she turned, Tang Zhou’s heart-stopping voice suddenly rang out.
“I’ll marry you.”