This medical clinic was not large, and the rear courtyard normally did not permit patients to lodge overnight. It was only because Aunt Zhou's late husband had some connection with the clinic's proprietor that a room had been spared for their use.
But when they pushed open the door and entered, Aunt Zhou was nowhere to be seen.
The attendant explained in a low voice, "She may have stepped out to buy food. Please make yourselves comfortable for a moment."
With that, the attendant withdrew, and the door gently closed again.
Taking out a flint, Pei Yunheng lit the candle stands one by one, the flickering flames dispelling the oppressive gloom within the room.
Erya lay quietly on the bed. Though her wounds had been bandaged, her complexion remained pale, and her tightly shut eyes betrayed a hint of fragility.
Even in sleep, her brows were furrowed, as if troubled by something.
Jiang Weiyao sat on the only round stool in the room, her gaze slowly shifting from Erya's thin frame to the bed curtain.
"Husband, do you think there really are gods and Buddhas in this world?" Jiang Weiyao suddenly asked.
Though Erya was young, Pei Yunheng remained circumspect, standing by the door with his body turned to the side out of propriety.
Only then did he follow Jiang Weiyao's gaze.
A jade peace pendant carved with Buddhist patterns hung from the plain blue bed curtain—clearly just brought back from a temple.
He said flatly, "If gods and Buddhas truly existed, there would not be so many natural disasters, man-made calamities, and suffering in this world."
"That's true."
Jiang Weiyao rose, her fingertips reaching toward the peace pendant, but for some reason, she withdrew them: "But I feel that precisely because there is so much suffering in this world—suffering that human strength alone cannot withstand—gods and Buddhas must exist."
His dark eyes stirred slightly as Pei Yunheng looked at her.
The dim lamplight fell upon her brows and eyes as she said softly, "After all, sometimes people survive by holding onto hope."
His long lashes trembled faintly. Pei Yunheng pressed his thin lips together imperceptibly, lost in thought.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Weiyao noticed keenly. "Husband, do you have something to say?"
After a moment of silence, Pei Yunheng finally spoke: "Nothing. It's just that those words feel vaguely familiar, as if someone once said them to me before, yet I cannot recall it clearly now."
"R-really?"
Jiang Weiyao's eyelid twitched. She thought to herself, Don't let this conversation accidentally jog Pei Yunheng's memory.
She quickly brushed it off: "Perhaps I said it to you before… Ah, right—I need to hurry and put the camellia I picked for Erya into a vase, or it will wilt."
She searched the room back and forth before finding a white vase that would barely do. Filling it with some clean water, Jiang Weiyao stole glances at Pei Yunheng as she arranged the flowers.
After a moment's thought, she probed cautiously: "Husband, after taking medicine for so many days, have you remembered anything?"
Pei Yunheng was highly perceptive: "You seem reluctant for me to remember."
"How could that be…"
Jiang Weiyao gave an awkward laugh: "Husband, why are you so suspicious? What I meant was simply that perhaps Doctor Wang's skills are lacking. Since we're at the clinic tonight anyway, why not have another physician take your pulse?"
His gaze fixed on Jiang Weiyao's face for a moment, Pei Yunheng said flatly, "No need."
Jiang Weiyao was about to urge him further to show her sincerity when footsteps sounded from outside the door.
Aunt Zhou pushed the door open and walked in: "The clinic attendant said a young couple had arrived—I guessed it was you two right away."
She carried two bundles of pastries and a package of meat in her hands, stepped forward to clasp Jiang Weiyao's hand, and smiled at Pei Yunheng: "The journey was long, so you must not have had your evening meal yet. I went back and bought two ounces of pork head meat to whet your appetite."
Handing the packed bundle to Aunt Zhou, Jiang Weiyao looked at the dark circles under Aunt Zhou's eyes and asked in a low voice: "How is Erya? Why not wake her up to eat with us?"
Aunt Zhou let out a sigh: "Her injuries are no longer serious, but she keeps making a fuss, and I don't dare bring her back… Ah, never mind, no need to mention it. Don't wake her—let her sleep a while longer. Little Pei, come sit down and eat together."
Caring for the sick is always exhausting, and Aunt Zhou had perhaps been enduring for too long. After a simple evening meal, her spirits were already wandering.
Jiang Weiyao poured a bowl of hot water and handed it to Aunt Zhou: "It's getting late, and since we can't set out back to the village tonight anyway, let me keep watch for Auntie through the night."
Lowering her head to take a sip of hot water, Aunt Zhou was dazed for a moment before she reacted: "How could I impose like this…"
"In the village, Auntie has always looked after me—surely you must let me repay that kindness?" Jiang Weiyao said. "Besides, if you fall ill from exhaustion, how will you take care of Erya?"
So Aunt Zhou accepted Jiang Weiyao's offer.
There was nothing for Pei Yunheng to do staying there either. The Ming'an Temple, adjacent to the medical hall, had spare rooms for lodging. Aunt Zhou added a bit more oil money for the temple, and obtained two rooms to rest in.
The night deepened, the moon climbed to its zenith, and a gentle breeze drifted by. Both inside and outside the medical hall, all was quiet.
The candle had burned down to its end. With a wisp of blue smoke rising, the room fell back into darkness.
Jiang Weiyao propped her chin on the edge of the bed, dozing off.
Erya slowly opened her eyes, glanced at the slumbering Jiang Weiyao, and carefully slipped on her shoes, heading outside.
"Where are you going?"
Jiang Weiyao asked without lifting her head.
Erya's body stiffened. She was just about to run, but Jiang Weiyao's next words pinned her to the ground.
"It's springtime."
Jiang Weiyao said leisurely: "Grass grows, orioles fly, and beasts roam wild."
She mimicked Pei Yunheng's tone: "Tigers and wolves come out at night, you know."
Having turned back and hidden in the shadows under the eaves, Pei Yunheng's body also stiffened involuntarily.
Wanting to flee yet afraid, Erya wiped her tears and looked at Jiang Weiyao: "But my sister…"
Jiang Weiyao quietly watched her cry for a while, until the sobbing gradually faded. Only then did she stand up and lead Erya back to sit on the bed.
Jiang Weiyao got straight to the point: "What exactly did you see at Longquan?"
Erya jerked her head up, startled: "How do you know?"
"The village is only this big—what can really be hidden?"
Erya immediately panicked: "No, no, I have to go back."
"You can't get back on your own." Jiang Weiyao pressed down on her shoulder. "Why not try trusting me?"
Erya pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes watching Jiang Weiyao warily. After a long moment, she asked: "Why should I trust you?"
Jiang Weiyao furrowed her brow in feigned distress. Under Erya's uneasy glare, she couldn't help but let out a laugh, dropping the act: "Because I'm an outsider with no ties to you, and because you have no other choice left."
Lowering her head in deep thought for a long while, Erya finally spoke up nervously: "I… that day at the mountain spring, I saw… Sister Wang."
Jiang Weiyao repeated after her: "Sister Wang?"
"She's Uncle Wang's daughter. Like my sister, she had a very gentle temper and would often give me fruit to eat…"
She was, after all, just a child—as she spoke, she drifted off track. Jiang Weiyao gave a soft cough, and only then did Erya come back to herself. She paused, then said in a trembling voice: "She was also chosen as a Flower Maiden three months ago."
"The elders all said that marrying the Mountain God is a blessing, that it can protect the whole family. On the day Sister Wang was married off, I happily saw her out the door. Who would have thought that half a month later I'd see her near Longquan…"
Tears slid down in strings. Erya wept: "She was covered in wounds, her hair a tangled mess, and that beautiful wedding dress could no longer cover her body. When I saw her, she was drinking from the spring. When she heard the noise, she was so startled—she kept clutching her head and shouting. I couldn't understand what she was shouting…"
"Only when she saw it was me did she start crying. I wanted to take her back to the village, but she started cursing instead. In the end, she hugged me and said—said…"
"'Choosing Flower Maidens to marry the Mountain God is all a lie! It's Uncle Li and the others deceiving people. In truth, they're locking people up and mistreating them…'"
Gazing at Jiang Weiyao through tear-blurred eyes, Erya clutched the hem of her clothes and asked helplessly: "Lady Jiang, what does 'mistreating' mean? I don't understand… I've only ever heard my mother scold me with that word, saying I mistreat food. I—I…"
Her body trembling uncontrollably, Jiang Weiyao drew a deep breath and gently pulled Erya into her arms.
Erya burst into loud sobs against her.
The childish crying whimpered on without end, like the frailest wind of late winter—not loud, yet chilling to the bone.
"Erya."
After who knew how long, Jiang Weiyao spoke: "You want to go back to the village, don't you?"
Erya nodded hurriedly: "Sister Wang is still hiding on the mountain waiting for me to find her. And there's my sister—I want to save my sister, save Sister Wang!"
"But you're too weak," Jiang Weiyao said.
Erya's eyes dimmed instantly: "I know, but I…"
"I'm not trying to persuade you to give up. I'm saying that being weak has its advantages."
Crouching down, Jiang Weiyao wiped the tear stains from her face: "Being weak makes enemies underestimate you. Being weak makes people lower their guard. You must learn to feign weakness."
Erya was stunned.
"When you cannot bring down an enemy in a single blow, when you are not yet strong enough yourself, feigning weakness is our weapon. If you want to go back to the village to save them, you must satisfy them, make them lower their guard."
Jiang Weiyao looked into her eyes: "I believe you already know what to do, don't you?"
The evening wind blew in gusts, swaying the lanterns beneath the eaves. Outside the window, that crabapple tree stood quietly in the candlelight, unbowed by wind or rain.
Erya nodded firmly.
A figure crept stealthily away from beneath the window.
Running to the front courtyard, the medicine shop assistant who had earlier guided Jiang Weiyao and her companion cursed under his breath, his face filled with malice: "That wretched woman, still trying to ruin things!"
He hurried back to his room, wanting to write a letter to inform Li Anbo.
The bright moon shone clearly, illuminating his departing figure for all to see.
"When you cannot bring down an enemy in a single blow, when you are not yet strong enough yourself, feigning weakness is our weapon."
On the rooftop, Pei Yunheng's expression was indifferent, a cold, sharp light flashing through his dark eyes.
Only one who knows the way deeply can teach it to others.
She must be quite adept at it by now.
So then—who was her enemy?
…It seemed obvious.
His thin lips curved slightly. Pei Yunheng let out an ambiguous laugh, yet there was no mirth in his eyes.
He rose to his feet, but did not leave the clinic directly. Instead, he chased after the clinic assistant who had leaked the information.