Beside the long bench near the cabin door stood two men of vastly different builds.
One wore blue robes broad-shouldered and thick-set, with dark skin and knuckles as rugged as boulders. The other wore red—slender and upright, with sharp brows and a wolf-hair writing brush suspended from his waist.
The two were locked in a heated debate, completely unaware that someone had joined them.
Lou Tingxue cast his gaze down at the rough hemp paper on the ground, which bore a drawing of the “Three Elders Asking the Way” riddle puzzle.
His eyes lingered briefly on the key phrases “borrowing light” and “door unopened.” A faint smile curved his lips as he broke the deadlock, saying, “You both have only looked at the surface. This riddle conceals the wisdom of time-telling from the Central Plains countryside.”
Both men turned around simultaneously, seeing Lou Tingxue standing framed in the morning light.
Lou Tingxue tapped his slender finger lightly on the paper and continued, “‘The door remains unopened at midnight’ indicates that it is still early and the host has not yet awoken. ‘The road brightens after the cock crows thrice’ means dawn has just broken, but one still needs to travel by starlight. Thus, the riddle’s answer is neither ‘Early Journey’ nor ‘Returning Late’—it is ‘Setting Out’!”
He paused, stroking his chin before adding, “If I recall, this is a high-frequency exam topic. It mainly tests one’s ability to ‘assess the situation and adapt,’ rather than whether the time is early or late.”
Lou Tingxue hailed from a family of prominent merchants, famous ever since his great-grandfather’s time.
He merely suffered from poor health; there was nothing wrong with his head. Over the past eighteen years, he had heard all about his ancestors’ glorious deeds and read every book related to business. Simple riddles like these were child’s play to him.
As his words fell, both men came to a sudden realization.
The red-robed man slapped his own forehead first, then cupped his hands in a deeply respectful bow. “Young Master Lou speaks with great insight!” he said, his eyes filled with admiration. “I got caught up in a dead end and completely forgot the riddle’s everyday, street-wise intent!”
He quickly added, “My name is Wen Xiao, the Master’s left hand.”
The blue-robed man beside him spoke up, “My name is Lin Shi, the Master’s right hand.”
Lin Shi scratched his head and chimed in with a rough, honest tone, a simple praise plain on his face. “I always said scholars are amazing! Young Master Lou is not only handsome, but his mind is sharp too far better than us unrefined folk!”
Lou Tingxue looked at the pair.
One called himself the “left hand” and the other the “right hand.” It was his first time hearing anyone introduce themselves like that; he found it quite novel.
Lou Tingxue nodded. “Greetings, brave gentlemen. My name is Lou Tingxue.”
Lin Shi chuckled modestly. “Young Master Lou is far too polite.”
Noticing that Lou Tingxue was drenched in sweat, Wen Xiao asked, “May I ask what Young Master Lou was doing just now? Why are you dripping with sweat?”
Lou Tingxue began running in place, his feet moving like the wind. “I’m exercising! See you next time!”
Before the words had even fully faded, Lou Tingxue sprinted off like an unleashed hound, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Wen Xiao: “???”
Lin Shi: “???”
Nevertheless, Lou Tingxue’s clever puzzle-solving caused Lin Shi and Wen Xiao to view this newly arrived “peerless beauty” in a whole new light.
The two exchanged a glance, mutual approval evident in their eyes. Every person saved by the Master himself was indeed extraordinary!
As night fell, the ocean breeze swept past, rustling the ship’s sails.
Lou Tingxue had just finished bathing. Dressed in his thin inner garments, he replaced the bandage around his neck. Just as he was about to blow out the lamp and rest, a few gentle knocks sounded at the door.
“Who is it?”
“It is I, Zhu Dongfeng.”
Lou Tingxue started slightly, but still walked over to open the door.
As the door swung open, Zhu Dongfeng stood outside.
Dressed in dark, close-fitting attire, he stood tall and straight like a pine tree. His gaze fell upon Lou Tingxue, and he suddenly froze for a brief moment.
Lou Tingxue stepped aside to make room, speaking in a calm tone. “Come in and take a seat.”
Yet Zhu Dongfeng remained motionless. His feet stayed firmly planted outside the threshold, refusing to step inside even by half an inch.
Night drifted over the deck of the Ten-Thousand-Dan Vessel, while gentle waves tapped against the hull, causing the massive ship to sway with a touch of lazy rhythm.
Zhu Dongfeng looked at Lou Tingxue and smiled. “Today, you were very impressive.”
Lou Tingxue blinked, puzzled. “Which matter is Boss Zhu referring to?”
“The riddle that Lin Shi and Wen Xiao argued over for half the day was solved by you in a single sentence,” Zhu Dongfeng chuckled. “Many aboard the ship are praising your exceptional intelligence.”
Only then did Lou Tingxue understand.
Not thinking much of it, he simply said in a matter-of-fact way, “It was just a simple riddle. Nothing particularly impressive.”
The faint smile at the corners of Zhu Dongfeng’s lips deepened, as though concealing some unsaid thought. Yet after a long moment, he merely murmured softly, “Young Master Lou is overly modest.”
A sliver of suspicion arose in Lou Tingxue’s heart.
He opened his mouth to ask further, but Zhu Dongfeng had already stepped back half a pace.
“I won’t disturb your rest. Your injuries haven’t fully healed, so turn in early.” With those words, Zhu Dongfeng turned and departed, his robe vanishing into the shadows of the corridor.
Lou Tingxue stood rooted to the spot, feeling utterly baffled.
Knocking on his door in the middle of the night, refusing to come in, saying very little, and all just to deliver one line: You were very impressive today.
And so?
How bizarre.
Early the next morning, Lou Tingxue was still in a light sleep.
Before his consciousness had fully cleared, he felt a shadow lingering beside his bed. He snapped his eyes open, only to see Yuwei sitting right at the head of his bed, resting her chin on her hand and smiling down at him brightly.
“Eek!” Lou Tingxue sat bolt upright in shock, his heart pounding wildly as all sleepiness evaporated instantly.
He clearly remembered locking the doors and windows before going to sleep last night. The cabin door had been firmly shut and the window latched—how on earth had she entered without a sound?
Seeing him startled, Yuwei smiled even more cheerfully. “Young Master Lou, you’re awake?”
Suppressing his shock, Lou Tingxue frowned. “How did you get in? I locked the door last night!”
As he spoke, he glanced at both the door and the window—both were indeed locked from the inside! How in the world had Miss Yuwei gotten in?!
Yuwei blinked, suddenly leaning closer to ask, “Young Master, did Master come to see you last night?”
Recalling the strange incident from the previous night, Lou Tingxue remained perplexed. “Yes, he did.”
“Then did Master… ask to enter your room?” Yuwei’s eyes instantly widened.
“No,” Lou Tingxue answered truthfully. “I invited him in to sit down, but he refused. He just stood at the doorway, said a few words, and left. Don’t you think he’s weird?”
He spoke with complete openness, but the smile on Yuwei’s face froze in an instant. Her eyes went round as saucers, as if she had just heard something earth-shattering.
“Young Master! You—you—you! You let Master come to the door while dressed only in an inner robe?!” Yuwei’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
Lou Tingxue looked utterly bewildered.
He looked down at the thin inner garment covering his chest, asking in confusion, “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
Yuwei clapped a hand over her mouth, nearly shrieking out loud.
Her voice trembled as she cried, “Oh, my naive Young Master! You are a Kunze, and Master is a Qianyuan! A solitary man and… no, a solitary Kunze and a solitary Qianyuan sharing a room is already a huge taboo! And you invited him in while wearing only your undergarments… If word of this gets out, what will people think?!”
Lou Tingxue froze, his mind going blank. “We’re both men. What taboo could there possibly be?”
“Men are different too!” Yuwei stomped her foot in frustration.
“When a Kunze and a Qianyuan are together, they… they can give” She lowered her voice for the last few words, yet spoke them with crystal clarity, “—they can give birth to children!”
Lou Tingxue: “…”
The air suddenly turned to ice.
The confusion on Lou Tingxue’s face drained away inch by inch, replaced by a flush that rushed up his cheeks at a visible pace. The heat burned from the tips of his ears all the way down his neck, turning his face bright red instantly. He froze on the bed, utterly dumbfounded.
Give birth to children?
He had never imagined that this was the reason.
A surge of intense embarrassment and irritation rushed straight to his chest.
Lou Tingxue clutched the bedding tightly, his fingertips burning hot.
He was a man—a real, proper man—not some delicate woman, and certainly not meant for bearing children!
Anger, embarrassment, and mortification tangled together, leaving him suffocatingly flustered.
Lou Tingxue opened his mouth, and only after a long silence managed to choke out a single, raspy sentence: “I’m a man! I’m not giving birth to any children!”
Yuwei, however, grabbed his hand. “Young Master Lou, since he saw you completely bare last night anyway, you have no choice but to marry Master now! Why not settle the wedding date sooner?”
Lou Tingxue went wild with rage. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, “I’m straight! I am NOT marrying anyone!”
After that incident, Lou Tingxue and Zhu Dongfeng never saw each other again.
It was just as well—avoiding each other saved them from the awkwardness of that night. Lou Tingxue hadn’t cared much initially, but with Yuwei nagging in his ear every single day, he felt awkward even if he originally hadn’t.
One day, the Ten-Thousand-Dan Vessel gradually drifted to a stop at a shore.
The ship docked securely at the pier, the water swaying gently beneath it, reflecting the dense cluster of lights and bustling voices along the riverbank.
Lou Tingxue stood on the deck, staring blankly at the sea of lit lanterns.
Didn’t they say it would take a month to dock? Why does it feel like far less time has passed? I’ve been going for a morning run every single day, and by my count, only fifteen days have passed—nowhere near the month Zhu Dongfeng claimed!
“This place is Huainan in the Great Zhou,” Zhu Dongfeng said, suddenly stepping out from the cabin. “Huainan is not only a prosperous land in Great Zhou, but one of the wealthiest regions under heaven. Commerce flourishes here. If Young Master Lou is interested, you may go ashore and look around.”
Lou Tingxue glanced at him, showing not an ounce of awkwardness over past events. “Sure, I was just thinking of going.”
Zhu Dongfeng let out a low chuckle, adding, “In that case Yuwei, Lin Shi, Wen Xiao all of you go with Young Master Lou. Make sure you protect him well.”
Lou Tingxue disliked being followed.
Before he could object, Yuwei had already slid her arm through his. “Understood!”
The moment Lou Tingxue stepped off the ship, the three immediately fell into step beside him.
Yuwei held his arm, appearing intimate and affectionate, while Lin Shi and Wen Xiao flanked him from behind, keeping a firm watch on him.
Each of them stood tall and walked with steady strides. Though they claimed to be providing protection, their subtle glances remained locked onto him without a moment’s lapse, never leaving him out of sight.
Lou Tingxue felt immensely uncomfortable.
How is this protection? This is surveillance!
Still, being under someone else’s roof forced him to play along.
Keeping a cool composure, Lou Tingxue simply followed the flow of the crowd toward the bustling market streets.
Tonight happened to be the Huainan Lantern Festival. Lanterns hung high on both sides of the street, radiating brilliant streams of light. The clamor of voices was deafening, and the vibrant warmth of ordinary life washed over them.
Just as they turned a corner packed with colorful floral lanterns, a series of rushed footsteps and startled cries suddenly pierced through the commotion.
“Catch them! Don’t let them get away!”
Lou Tingxue raised his eyes to look.
He saw two small, slender figures stumbling and sprinting in their direction.
Running in front was a slightly older youth with exquisite facial features, wearing a blue silk robe. Though his hair was in disarray, he fiercely shielded the young girl behind him. The girl’s face was pale, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes filled with terror.
Behind the pair, a band of men pursued them relentlessly, knocking over several market stalls in their furious chase without slowing down.