The setting sun melted into gold, the horizon stained with a rouge hue, casting two silhouettes within the room.
The room was utterly still—so still that every breath could be clearly heard.
Eyes narrowed slightly, Pei Yunheng studied Jiang Weiyao with an inscrutable expression, yet his furrowed brow betrayed the turmoil within him.
"You didn't poison it."
After what felt like an eternity, Pei Yunheng finally spoke: "Neither the plain congee nor those two bowls of hot soup."
"Of course not!" Jiang Weiyao was already sobbing uncontrollably. "You are my husband—why would I poison you? I only…"
"Why didn't you poison it?"
Though phrased as a question, it didn't seem directed at Jiang Weiyao: "First you deliberately destroyed the kitchen, then you tested me with buns and candied hawthorn—wasn't that to poison me?"
Her hand tightened slightly, strands of hair falling by her cheeks drifting with the thin breeze, concealing a trace of barely perceptible darkness in Jiang Weiyao's eyes.
When she raised her gaze again, her eyes were filled with nothing but grievance.
Standing up, Pei Yunheng's tall, imposing figure was like a cold blade drawn from its sheath, standing in the twilight like a statue of unyielding black iron. He walked to Jiang Weiyao and crouched before her, his large frame casting a heavy shadow: "Since it's not poison, it means your aim lies elsewhere…"
His eyes were dark as ink as he gazed quietly at Jiang Weiyao, his voice low, as if asking: "What is it you seek?"
"…"
Her almond-shaped eyes shimmering with tears, Jiang Weiyao wept sorrowfully once more: "Why would my husband suspect me to such a degree? I have devoted myself entirely to your well-being—what have I done wrong…"
"You laid so much groundwork, yet took an unexpected turn…"
Rubbing two fingers together, Pei Yunheng pondered for a moment before asking: "You wanted me to misunderstand you—but what benefit would that bring you?"
Before Jiang Weiyao could speak, he looked up at her again: "Going against the grain—you did this deliberately, hoping to earn my trust?"
"Husband!"
Jiang Weiyao's voice trembled noticeably: "Ever since you lost your memory, it's as if you've become a different person. I've thought day and night, unable to understand why you are this way. You don't trust me—you truly don't trust me…"
Her eyes swollen and red, her heart as good as dead, Jiang Weiyao could no longer shed tears. But before she could finish her words of utter despair, her expression suddenly changed. Her hand flew to her abdomen, her brow twisting in pain.
A flicker passed through his eyes. Pei Yunheng's brow furrowed as he regarded her with scrutiny.
"Hus… husband…" A fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, her fingertips turning white as she clutched her stomach. Jiang Weiyao's complexion visibly paled. "It hurts… it hurts so much… save… save me…"
Her body had begun to sway unsteadily, and soon, a trickle of blood-flecked foam seeped from the corner of her lips.
His eyelid twitched. Pei Yunheng raised his arm to steady her swaying form, a hint of alarm surfacing in his usually impassive eyes: "You really did poison it?"
"I… I didn't…"
Her lashes fluttered violently, wet with teardrops the size of beans. Jiang Weiyao seemed panicked as well, her eyes struggling to look toward the sachet at her waist: "It's… it's from the abbot of Ming'an Temple… something to… to make you change your mind…"
In the span of just a few words, she could barely catch her breath. She tried to reach for the sachet to show Pei Yunheng, but each time she raised her hand, even her fingertips refused to obey: "I… I didn't poison it, husband. I wouldn't… wouldn't… Am I really… going to die…"
Before the weak words could be fully spoken, a large hand suddenly covered her lips, pressing down slightly, sealing her voice back.
The moment the sounds inside the room ceased, the movements outside the courtyard became especially conspicuous.
Rustling footsteps crept cautiously along the base of the wall, stopping by the window.
A small hole was poked through the paper window, and immediately after, a pair of yellowed pupils pressed against it, peering in silently.
Gathering Jiang Weiyao around the waist and carrying her behind the cloth curtain, Pei Yunheng's palm was slightly cool with thin, hard calluses. Pressed over her warm lips, the force was heavy and inescapable, not a breath could leak out.
A thin bamboo tube extended in from outside.
White smoke drifted silently in through the bamboo tube.
Holding his breath, Pei Yunheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Just as he was about to lift a corner of the cloth curtain to check, he discovered that the person in his arms was trembling violently. He had no choice but to lower his gaze and look.
Her pale face was covered in sweat. Jiang Weiyao's body had already gone limp from weakness—if she weren't leaning entirely against him, she likely would have collapsed to the ground again.
Her eyes were filled with panic. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, and especially when the footsteps sounded again, approaching the door, she was so frightened that her teeth chattered, nearly fainting.
Worried that she might make a sound from fear and alert the enemy, Pei Yunheng pressed his palm down again to signal silence.
Jiang Weiyao's gaze was frantic—it was unclear whether she understood.
Helpless, Pei Yunheng could only bow his head and bend down, wanting to whisper in Jiang Weiyao's ear.
But he forgot that the two of them were pressed too close together now—so close that merely lowering his head, his thin lips brushed down along Jiang Weiyao's ear bone.
Those lips were not as cold and hard as expected.
Instead, they were surprisingly soft.
Both bodies visibly stiffened.
It wasn't just the lingering warmth on his lips—only now did Pei Yunheng belatedly realize where the softness beneath his palm came from.
He abruptly withdrew his hand.
His breathing faltered for a moment. Pei Yunheng's thin lips involuntarily pressed together. After a few breaths, he finally whispered by Jiang Weiyao's ear: "Hold your breath. Hide here and don't make a sound."
Hearing this, Jiang Weiyao seemed to sense what he was about to do. Her fingertips suddenly gripped his clothes more tightly. Her small face had already lost all color as she looked up at him in panic.
Her trembling body silently told Pei Yunheng that she was afraid.
But Pei Yunheng no longer looked at her. He brushed her cold hand from his clothes and, using the dimness of the room, cautiously moved toward the door.
But just as he took a step, a faint sound came from behind.
The person behind him stumbled over, and his clothes were caught again. That soft body pressed tightly against his back. Jiang Weiyao's other hand rested on his arm as she strained to stand on tiptoe.
Warm breath fell on his earlobe, and then a hot tear dropped.
Pei Yunheng's body involuntarily stiffened again. His breath caught—he could even clearly feel the moisture of that tear sliding down along his ear bone.
Jiang Weiyao choked out: "Whoever comes is not friendly—you must, must be careful."
It wasn't fear of being abandoned.
She was actually worried about him.
His long lashes trembled slightly. Pei Yunheng said nothing.
The footsteps had already stopped. A burly shadow fell upon the door. Pei Yunheng came back to his senses and paid no more attention to Jiang Weiyao behind him. He picked up the porcelain bottle beside him, weighed it in his hand, and then his figure flashed like a ghost to behind the door.
Hand braced against the wall, Jiang Weiyao's body was powerless as she slowly sank to the ground.
Cold sweat soaked the stray hairs on her forehead. She kept her breathing shallow, peering through the indistinct curtain at the movements outside.
A sudden gust of east wind poured into the room. The last trace of dusk sank into the mountains, leaving only a heavy ink-blue shroud over heaven and earth.
A figure slipped inside.
Even with most of his face covered, Jiang Weiyao recognized him at a glance—the butcher Zhang Da!
Zhang Da shut the door behind him.
Confusion Smoke spread through the room. This drug had been developed at great expense by Li Anbo's people, and its potency was extreme. It was designed specifically to deal with disobedient Flower Maidens. A single wisp was enough to cloud the mind, and no matter how skilled a woman's martial arts might be, it was useless against it.
Having witnessed this woman's ferocity, he had originally not wanted to cross blades with her again. But Li Anbo was pressing him hard, and since he had put down roots in Hedong Village, he naturally could not defy the man.
Besides, the antidote had to be on her. Once he had her under control, what difficulty would there be in finding out where the antidote was?
When that time came, he would chop her husband into minced meat right before her eyes, then drag her off to become a Flower Maiden, to vent the hatred in his heart!
A savage light gleamed in his small eyes, squeezed between layers of fat. Zhang Da gripped the cleaver in his hand and lunged toward the bed in the room.
The wind lifted the bed curtain. The blankets were bulging. He rushed forward, the cleaver reeking of blood flashing with a cold glint in the dim light as he brought it down—fast, accurate, and vicious!
With a "pfft," the blanket was slashed open.
Zhang Da sensed something was wrong and immediately threw back the curtain to look—no one.
His heart gave a violent lurch. He spun around and came face to face with a pair of dark, heavy eyes.
Before he could even feel fear, Zhang Da immediately charged forward with his cleaver!
With a "clang," the cleaver hit the ground.
Pei Yunheng caught Zhang Da's wrist with ease. Under his shocked gaze, Pei Yunheng's fingers tightened and bent his wrist backward until it snapped.
The bone broke clean through. Before Zhang Da could scream, Pei Yunheng stuffed the half-eaten steamed bun Jiang Weiyao had left into his mouth, muffling the sound.
A single chop of the hand, and Zhang Da's body slid limply to the floor.
He had not even needed the porcelain bottle he had prepared in advance.
Pei Yunheng had originally planned to hide behind the door and kill him with a single strike, but seeing Zhang Da's unsteady steps and crude, disordered attacks, he knew the man was a useless showpiece. Better to keep him alive for interrogation.
After binding the man with hemp rope, Pei Yunheng thought of Jiang Weiyao hiding behind the curtain: "You can come out now."
Since the enemy had already come for them, they had to leave quickly, just in case.
Yet after he spoke, there was still no answer from Jiang Weiyao. Pei Yunheng suddenly thought of something and immediately turned to look.
The curtain was lifted at one corner by the wind still pouring in, revealing that figure slumped sideways on the ground, not knowing whether she was alive or dead.
His brow furrowed sharply. Pei Yunheng's eyes darkened as he strode over.
Her hair bun had come half undone, strands hanging quietly down along her cheeks. That face, once so delicate and radiant, was now ashen and cold. Jiang Weiyao's eyes were lightly closed, and not a trace of her former vitality could be seen.
Pei Yunheng reached out to check her breath.
Only when that faint wisp of air fell upon his fingertips did his tightly drawn shoulders slowly relax.
When Jiang Weiyao woke, she was lying in a mountain cave.
She sat up, clutching her still-aching belly, and the figure lying beside her immediately sat up as well.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Erya said in delight, "Lady Jiang, you're awake! That's wonderful!"
Before she could ask, Erya chattered away: "When Brother Pei carried you up the mountain, you gave me such a fright. Luckily my elder sister knows medicine well—she picked a few herbs to induce vomiting, boiled them up, and poured them down your throat. Otherwise, your life would have been in danger!"
Jiang Weiyao followed the direction Erya pointed. Daya was already approaching with a bowl of freshly warmed medicinal broth, followed by a young girl of tender years.
That girl was shy. Seeing Jiang Weiyao look her way, she hastily covered her face and ducked off to the side.
Erya lowered her voice: "This is the sister from the Wang family I told you about. She's been hiding in this cave all this time."
Jiang Weiyao understood. She tried to rise and give thanks, but Daya pressed her back down. "Thank you both for saving me. I will repay you in the future."
"You've just vomited, but there's still residual poison in your body that hasn't been purged. You need to finish this bowl of medicine." Handing the bowl to Jiang Weiyao, Daya shook her head. "Repay us for what? It was no trouble at all."
Jiang Weiyao thanked her again and drained the medicine in one go. Then something occurred to her, and her tone grew slightly urgent: "Where is my husband?"
Erya was about to answer when footsteps sounded at the mouth of the cave.
Jiang Weiyao immediately looked up.
Torches blazed inside the cave, illuminating Pei Yunheng's deep, cold brows and eyes clearly even before he stepped through the entrance.
He dragged in the unconscious Zhang Da.
The moment she saw him, Jiang Weiyao struggled to her feet and ran toward him.
Her eyes were red, all her usual composure lost, and she threw herself into his arms!
Before that soft body reached his embrace, the faint floral fragrance that always lingered on her drifted into his senses.
Her warm, soft form pressed close against him, Jiang Weiyao wrapped her arms around his waist, joyful and terrified at once. Her voice could not hide her relief: "Thank goodness—you're safe!"
She was still worried about him.
Even though she herself had just stepped back from death's door.
His Adam's apple rolled slightly. The hand Pei Yunheng had been about to use to push Jiang Weiyao away paused mid-motion.