Under the bright moon, the two walked hand in hand out of the village. It wasn’t too late, and a few farmhouses still had their lights on, twinkling like scattered fireflies.
Luo Yan was suddenly inspired: “Goodbye, grandma, tonight I’m sailing far away.”
Zhu Yun: “…”
“Don’t laugh.” She lightly scratched his palm as punishment and asked, “What did you and Grandmother talk about?”
“I said I’d take you back to Cangxi to pay respects at the graves.”
Paying respects at the graves meant visiting the tombs. The Jia family did have memorial tablets for Luo Yan’s parents, but personally visiting their graves would show greater sincerity. Jia Yufang not only didn’t stop them but even gave them some silver for travel expenses.
Luo Yan gave him a thumbs-up: “You’re quite good at making up stories.”
“It’s not a story.” Zhu Yun used the lantern to push aside branches, holding her hand as they slowly descended the steep slope, and explained, “As your husband, I should take the time to pay respects to your late parents.”
She nodded in understanding, “Oh, then should I pay respects to your parents?”
“…”
Zhu Yun paused for a moment before replying calmly, “They’re still alive.”
Luo Yan was stunned into silence, mentally sorting through her memories before finally recalling that he had never revealed where his parents were from, why they were separated from him, or whether they were still alive.
Those imagined tragic or complicated backstories were all her own fabrications.
When Zhu Yun first arrived in Qingyuan Village, he wore a perpetually sour expression. Luo Yan was afraid of asking the wrong questions and angering him, and she also tried to avoid prying into painful memories out of humanitarian concern.
By the time they became familiar, she had forgotten to verify the details.
Seizing the moment, she was about to ask directly when Zhu Yun whistled, and in the quiet night, the sound of horses snorting could be heard.
Soon, Tiramisu appeared, leading Yun Gao.
Seeing Zhu Yun tie the bundle onto Yun Gao’s back, she knew they would be riding together again and asked curiously, “We have two horses, why do I have to squeeze in with you?”
Zhu Yun replied coolly, “Then let Yun Gao return to the stable.”
“…” Luo Yan was momentarily speechless. Only when Tiramisu started moving did she manage to retort, “You’re just too clingy.”
He chuckled softly, “Say whatever you want.”
The cool breeze brushed against their faces, carrying away their worries. Luo Yan took a deep breath, feeling utterly refreshed: “Ah, the taste of freedom.”
To avoid the plot, she had hidden in Qingyuan Village for two years and eight months. Aside from meeting a strange old man with Zhu Yun, the farthest she had ever gone was to the nearby town.
Now that the system had finally arrived, Luo Yan thought of running away again, far away, to buy herself another month or so. If that didn’t work, she could at least treat it as a trip to clear her mind.
She was truly tired of living in seclusion.
However, Luo Yan looked up and asked, “Where are we going? Really to Cangxi?”
Zhu Yun denied it: “You said before you wanted to see the lantern festival-”
“Wait.”
She pressed a finger to his lips, “Don’t tell me.”
That way, even if the system could peek into her mind, at least it wouldn’t learn their exact location from her.
“Alright.” Zhu Yun gently held her wrist, rubbing it slowly as he agreed, “Tomorrow we’ll buy a carriage and take you to a few more places.”
Luo Yan had no objections. She glanced at the bundle and asked, “Why did I bring all the things?”
His entire luggage consisted of just a sword, a dagger, and a few bottles of tonic, and even those were for Luo Yan to take.
“There’s a money shop,” Zhu Yun said succinctly.
When traveling, having silver on hand solves all problems; anything needed could be bought along the way. As for reminding Luo Yan to bring a few everyday clothes, it was because the fabrics outside were coarser and of poorer quality, touching them would cause her to break out in red rashes.
Luo Yan marveled at his thoroughness, her eyes sparkling: “You must have traveled alone often before; you sound very experienced.”
“I forgot.”
“…”
Seeing Luo Yan lower her head in a sulk, revealing a pair of delicate, translucent ears, Zhu Yun leaned down and kissed them, coaxing her: “It’s been a long time since I traveled far; I really did forget.”
A tickling sensation spread from the tips of her ears, along with faint warm breaths that made her shudder violently, causing her to shift forward in embarrassment.
Zhu Yun exerted force to pull her back, noticing the girl in his arms was stiff all over, clearly shy to the extreme. His gaze softened as he offered an out: “There’s an inn up ahead; occasionally, you might run into people from the jianghu.”
“Really?” Her interest was indeed piqued. “What do jianghu people look like?”
“Like people carrying weapons.”
Luo Yan’s shoulders shook slightly: “That’s quite a funny cold joke.”
After chuckling to herself for a moment, she leaned back curiously and asked, “Don’t we need travel permits or official documents to leave the city?”
Worried she might fall, Zhu Yun changed from lightly resting his palm on her abdomen to wrapping his arm tightly around her. He noticed how astonishingly slender her waist was, as if it could bend like a willow branch with the slightest pressure, or like the elegant curve of a jade spring vase displayed in a room, graceful, narrow at the top and wider at the bottom…
“A-Yun?”
He snapped back to reality, his voice hoarse: “I have them.”
Luo Yan looked up at him curiously: “Do I have one too? Why have I never heard Grandmother mention it?”
“Of course, they’re fake.”
He had arranged for a few to be made when he sent someone to Long County to buy horses.
If they traveled without conspicuous luggage, those skilled in qinggong could come and go freely. But he and Luo Yan had two horses and would soon add a carriage, so using official documents was more convenient.
She guessed Zhu Yun kept the documents in an inner pocket of his robe, so she reached back to feel for them. Her cool fingertips seemed to brush over his collarbone, and he immediately grabbed her hand.
“?”
Zhu Yun turned his face away, breathing rapidly twice: “Can’t you wait until we get to the inn to look?”
Luo Yan pouted: “You’re scolding me.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“…” He softened his tone. “Fine, I am.”
Having gained the upper hand, Luo Yan relaxed her expression and leaned forward to gaze at the distant city gate.
Judging by the sky, it was past the hour of Xu. The flow of people was much greater than in Hanmei Town, mingled with the rhythmic clatter of hooves, creating a somewhat lively atmosphere.
They were still within Linchuan County; after passing one more city, they would border Yunxi Prefecture. Yunxi Prefecture was a gathering place for martial arts families, known in the jianghu as the “Lower Capital.”
The surrounding towns, under its influence, gradually gave rise to small sects and factions, with the streets quiet during the day and coming alive at night.
Remembering her earlier instructions, Zhu Yun swallowed his explanation and headed straight for the largest inn in the city.
After unloading their baggage and having the stable boy take the horses to feed, a child of about seven or eight came out to lead the way.
The innkeeper straightened his posture, discreetly observing them out of the corner of his eye. The “young couple” were strikingly handsome; standing before him, they seemed to brighten the entire room.
However, they had no maids or servants with them, likely a pair of passionate, runaway lovers.
“Three upper rooms.”
“Three rooms?” The innkeeper’s eyes shifted thoughtfully as he plucked a single key from the cash drawer. He personally led the distinguished guest upstairs, offering an ingratiating smile. “You’ve come at just the right time. The rooms on the left side are all vacant, so you and your lady won’t be disturbed in the least.”
He opened the second room from the end of the long corridor, bowed, and withdrew.
The furnishings inside were passable, and the space was sufficiently spacious. Zhu Yun closed the door behind him, placed the bundle on the table, and retrieved the heavy lotus-patterned bed sheet, deftly making the bed.
Luo Yan stood to the side with her arms crossed, looking quite intrigued. “You know how to do these things?”
“What did you think?” He turned to set up the screen, deliberately teasing her. “Did you imagine I’d wait for Grandmother to arrange everything for me too?”
“…” She raised her voice in protest. “I usually do my own sweeping and dusting. I can even cook. Making a bed isn’t difficult either, you just insisted on doing it first.”
Zhu Yun pinched the soft flesh of her cheek, his eyes full of playful mockery. “Bathe first, or eat?”
“Bathe.”
The attendant had already brought hot water. Zhu Yun took it and poured it into the bathtub. After Luo Yan tested the temperature, he retreated behind the screen and said, “I’ll come back in a quarter of an hour.”
Luo Yan nodded, then realized Zhu Yun couldn’t see her and shyly murmured, “Mm-hmm.”
After locking the door, Zhu Yun leaped from the window, avoiding the crowds as he entered a shop specializing in jade rabbit lanterns. He found what he wanted at the shrine, then went to the market to buy a steaming hot pastry.
The round trip took less than half a quarter of an hour. Inside the room, the sound of splashing water still lingered. He pulled out a thick stack of papers and began reading from the top.
The first page recorded the identity of the mastermind behind the extermination of the Luo family. Recalling Luo Yan’s attitude, Zhu Yun raised an eyebrow, so she had known all along who the culprit was.
His gaze continued downward, quickly scanning the information about the Ye family’s movements. He could largely guess what had been mentioned in the letter Luo Yan received a few days ago.
For a moment, his disgust for Cui Wuyang deepened.
“Child of Fortune,” Zhu Yun sneered, curling his lip.
He did not believe in gods or ghosts, nor did he believe in fate, but he agreed with what Luo Yan had said: those who drew close to Cui Wuyang met with no good end.
Otherwise, how could this man, thousands of miles away, through a mere letter and a few lines of text, cause his betrothed to lose sleep at night?
With a grim expression, Zhu Yun burned the secret report, all the while pondering, once Luo Yan was in better spirits, should he leave for a month or so and go to the capital himself to kill that bastard Cui?
And then there was the Medicine King.
Although the people from Moon Embracing Pavilion had found traces of him, they were from ten days ago. Who knew how much more effort it would take to truly capture him? If he sent a letter asking that family for help, it might force Old Man Sun to show himself voluntarily.
“Splash.”
Luo Yan emerged from the bathtub. He returned the lantern robe to its place and pushed the door open.
Hearing footsteps, she tilted her head. “A-Yun?”
“It’s me.”
Luo Yan relaxed, wrapping her damp hair as she carefully dried it, chatting idly with him. “I originally thought we’d have dinner before heading out, so I shouldn’t be hungry. Who knew I’d be this exhausted after a bath?”
The girl’s silhouette was cast onto the screen by the candlelight, hazy and evocative in its own way.
Zhu Yun turned away in disarray, fixing his gaze on the shy, budding flower branches in the vase. After calming his breathing for a few moments, he remembered to step outside and instructed the attendant stationed at the staircase to bring some light fare.
“I brought storybooks too,” Luo Yan said as she emerged in her nightclothes, sounding pleased with herself. “While you go in to bathe, I can read in the outer room.”
He took the towel and began drying the ends of her hair for her, keeping his head lowered the entire time, his expression inscrutable.
Fortunately, Luo Yan was distracted by the aroma of the pastries and didn’t notice his unusual behavior. Unwrapping the oiled paper, she smiled and said, “The molds are so pretty. It seems this place is much more prosperous than our Plum Blossom Town.”
Zhu Yun didn’t respond. After drying his hair halfway, he went to the bathing room to change the water.
Seeing this, Luo Yan spread open her storybook, pretending to be calm, but her peripheral vision couldn’t help but drift toward the inner room.
Wow!
He had actually blown out several candles and draped his outer robe over the screen, leaving not even a silhouette visible.
“Is that really necessary?” Luo Yan withdrew her gaze, but her thoughts began to wander.
Young men grow up fast. In the past, when he changed clothes bare-chested, Luo Yan wouldn’t even blink, after all, though his muscles were well-defined, he was still too lean.
Now, however, things were different. He had grown taller, his shoulders broader and more solid.
But she couldn’t remember when it started, Zhu Yun had begun locking the doors and windows whenever he bathed or changed clothes, so her memory of what lay beneath his collar remained stuck in its childhood version.
Wait a minute!
Luo Yan glanced around the inner room. There was only one canopy bed, and though the bathing room had a narrow couch, half of it had been accidentally splashed with water earlier.
Covering her rapidly warming face, she belatedly realized, could it be that tonight, they were about to fast-forward from holding hands to sharing a bed?