Yan Wuyou pointed at the basket with his sword: “Leave it here, you go.”
Lin Yao obediently placed the basket on the stone table: “Senior brother, I plan to try again tonight and would like to ask for your guidance.”
“Not a chance—”
“Senior brother, that Osmanthus Wine…”
Yan Wuyou sprang up, pulling a talisman from his sleeve to seal her mouth: “No nonsense!” Lin Yao blinked and nodded obediently. He removed the talisman, smirking slightly, and stared at her as he enunciated each word: “You’re not… falling for me, are you?”
Lin Yao looked stunned: Am I that shallow?
Tao Wu: You are.
Lin Yao wiped the corner of her mouth: “This isn’t drool, it’s Ampear Juice…”
It really is pear juice!
“Don’t worry, senior brother. The line of people who like me stretches from Yidu to Jinling—you wouldn’t even make the waiting list.”
“Good. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—I’m someone you could never flirt with in this lifetime! Hmph!” With that, he crossed his arms and looked down arrogantly at Lin Yao.
“Ah, yes, yes, senior brother is always right!”
Yan Wuyou twitched his lips: “Let me be clear—if you faint tonight, I won’t help you!”
Lin Yao patted her chest: “I definitely won’t faint!”
For several days in a row, Lin Yao indeed did not faint again. Instead, she grew more excited with practice. Ever since absorbing Jing Yang’s True Energy, she felt full of vitality, as if she had an endless supply of strength! When sparring with Yan Wuyou, she became increasingly adept. Though she couldn’t completely suppress the influence of his zither music, it was no longer as strenuous as before, and she could barely hold her own against him.
It was Yan Wuyou who couldn’t take it anymore—
“Junior sister, please act like a normal person—look at these dark circles under our eyes! I’m not doing anything tonight, no matter what!” Yan Wuyou lay collapsed on the low couch, breathing weakly.
Lin Yao leaned over, looking down at him pleadingly: “Senior brother, one last time, just this once, okay?”
“No, really, I can’t do it anymore. You should leave now.”
Lin Yao had no choice but to leave the cottage dejectedly and return to the Quiet Bamboo Residence.
He Lian Mingche hid behind a rock, trembling: How terrifying… What did junior sister do to third brother?
A few days later, after morning lessons, Li Chengyang asked Yan Wuyou and the others to stay. He took out an invitation, his face beaming with joy.
“Shaoyan is getting married! Since the three of you were closest to him before, go together to congratulate him. Xiao Yao, you should go too. You’re Jing Yang’s only disciple—see if the bride needs any help.” Li Chengyang added finally, “Dress nicely, all of you. Let’s give Shaoyan a grand presence.”
They replied in unison: “Yes, Abbot.”
After leaving the classroom, Xiao Yuanzi was the first to contain his excitement: “Eldest brother is getting married!”
“Indeed! It’s been half a year—I’ve been waiting eagerly, and it’s finally happening!” He Lian Mingche was also overjoyed. He glanced at Lin Yao and clicked his tongue a few times. “Junior sister picked the perfect time to join us!”
Hearing the good news, Lin Yao was quite happy too. She noticed Yan Wuyou didn’t seem as relaxed and grew puzzled, looking at He Lian Mingche and then Xiao Yuanzi. Understanding her unspoken question, Xiao Yuanzi whispered: “He might be thinking of fourth brother.”
“Fourth brother died so tragically, alas…” He Lian Mingche also lowered his voice, shaking his head with a sigh. “Third brother and fourth brother were the closest. We never dare mention fourth brother in front of him.”
Lin Yao understood somewhat and nodded, remaining silent.
Bai Shaoyan’s hometown was Qilu Ridge Village. Traveling from Yidu to Maoling via the main road would take five days. With the wedding scheduled just seven days later, the group set out for Maoling on the second day. Pushing hard, they finally arrived at the foot of the ridge village on the evening before the wedding day. At the village entrance, a chilling wind swept through, making them shiver uncontrollably.
“Senior Brother, isn’t this cold a bit unusual?” Xiao Yuanzi chattered through clattering teeth.
“Perhaps it’s just colder at the foot of the mountain,” He Lian Mingche replied, pulling his collar tighter. “Why hasn’t the boss come out to greet us?”
Yan Wuyou remained silent, standing atop a haystack to survey the surroundings before heading into the village on his own. The others quickly followed.
“Strange. Why is the village so quiet when our senior brother is getting married?” Xiao Yuanzi’s teeth continued to chatter from the cold.
It was indeed peculiar! Lin Yao also sensed something amiss. Normally, a village wedding should be filled with festive music and noise. At the very least, firecrackers should line the main path to welcome the bride.
Yet as they walked deeper into the village, though night hadn’t fallen, every household had their doors tightly shut, with not a single sound to be heard. The entire village felt desolate and lifeless—
The group stopped before a courtyard adorned with large red lanterns. Two oversized red double happiness characters were pasted on the gate—this had to be the place.
Xiao Yuanzi knocked on the door and called out, “Is anyone there?”
A unfamiliar woman emerged from the house. Petite in stature, she had slender, expressive eyes, with a tear mole at the corner that accentuated her delicate charm. She glided gracefully into the courtyard, gave a slight bow, and nodded to welcome them inside.
Upon entering, they saw Bai Shaoyan seated at a table, cutting red paper.
“Please, have a seat. The house is humble—I hope my junior brothers and sister won’t mind,” Bai Shaoyan said, then turned to the woman. “Yun Niang, thank you for your trouble.” Yun Niang obediently shook her head and retreated to the kitchen to busy herself.
“Is that our sister-in-law? Senior Brother is truly blessed!” He Lian Mingche chuckled warmly. “Indeed, joy brings radiance—just look at Senior Brother’s glowing face! It makes the rest of us quite envious!”
Yan Wuyou chimed in, “Yes, after half a year apart, Senior Brother’s complexion is far better than it was at Jade Capital Pavilion! But—” His tone shifted abruptly as he frowned at Bai Shaoyan. “But something about your overall demeanor feels off.”
He Lian Mingche, hearing this, nodded in agreement and stared at Bai Shaoyan with a click of his tongue.
Bai Shaoyan, noticing their odd expressions, gave a bitter laugh. “I had a conflict with some villagers when I returned and injured my leg.” He gestured toward his trousers.
They looked and saw that the left pant leg hung empty—the pain of a severed leg had clearly worn down his former vigor…
“How did this happen?” Lin Yao, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
Bai Shaoyan waved a hand dismissively. “Let’s not dwell on it.”
Lin Yao then asked softly, “Senior Brother, is your wife also from the village?”
“Not exactly. Yun Niang is an orphan who came here seeking refuge. Seeing this house empty, she asked to stay. She visited Jade Capital Pavilion a few times during that period,” Bai Shaoyan coughed lightly and continued slowly, “Over time, we developed feelings for each other. Half a year ago, I explained the situation to the Abbot and returned to prepare for the wedding.”
The group nodded in understanding.
“Why was the wedding delayed for so long? Was it because of your leg?”
Bai Shaoyan nodded and said no more. After a period of silence, he finally spoke: “Yun Niang originally advised me that given my current physical condition, we should forgo the wedding ceremony—just bow to heaven and earth and live simply as husband and wife. She doesn’t care about these formalities.”
“Sister-in-law isn’t wrong,” He Lian Mingche nodded in agreement.
But Bai Shaoyan looked steadily at the group and shook his head: “But I don’t want that.”
“Let’s eat first,” Yun Niang emerged from the kitchen carrying dishes. “He just wanted to see you all—he’s being stubborn.”
This was the first time the group had heard Yun Niang speak. Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying the delicate lilt of the Wu region, suggesting she was a tender woman. Xiao Yuanzi and He Lian Mingche were genuinely happy for their senior brother and felt Yun Niang’s unwavering devotion was particularly precious.
Though the table wasn’t lavishly spread, it was complete with various dishes. As everyone chatted and laughed, the earlier gloom dissipated completely. After dinner, Bai Shaoyan and the others reminisced about their past days at the Jade Capital Pavilion, sharing hearty conversation and great joy. Finally, Bai Shaoyan looked at Yan Wuyou: “Are you still investigating the matter of Old Fourth?”
The group was taken aback that Bai Shaoyan would bring up Wu Xin. Yan Wuyou lightly tapped the table, lowered his eyes, and nodded.
“With your intelligence, the truth will come out one day.”
Yan Wuyou let out a soft scoff and stated firmly: “Whoever harms our martial brothers will not be spared.”
Bai Shaoyan froze at these words, his hand holding the cup stiffening mid-air. Then he gave an awkward smile, raised the cup, and drank it all in one go.
“When you were in trouble, why didn’t you send a letter to the temple?” Yan Wuyou asked casually, tapping the table.
But Yun Niang sneered: “What good would telling you do? Could you demon hunters actually take action against these villagers?”
Xiao Yuanzi looked somewhat embarrassed at this and murmured: “At least we could have brainstormed together to see if his leg could be treated…”
“His leg bones were completely shattered!” Yun Niang said bitterly.
“But why exactly?” He Lian Mingche also grew angry, raising his voice slightly. “Senior brother has always been kind to others. What deep-seated hatred could drive someone to treat him like this!”
“It’s getting late. We have work to do tomorrow morning, so let’s all rest early,” Bai Shaoyan said calmly.
“But senior brother…”
He Lian Mingche wanted to press further, but Bai Shaoyan waved his hand. Seeing his reluctance to reveal the reason, the others assumed he must have some unspeakable difficulty and decided not to question further.
Yun Niang looked at the group, her expression softening as she smiled gently: “We only have two rooms at home. I’m afraid you martial brothers will have to squeeze in together, and little junior sister can rest with me.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Due to his leg inconvenience, Bai Shaoyan rested in the downstairs guest room with Yan Wuyou and the others, while Lin Yao went upstairs with Yun Niang. Reaching the top of the stairs, as if sensing something, she suddenly glanced back. Yan Wuyou was looking up at her, and in that moment their eyes met, both understanding the same thought from each other’s gaze: Something’s strange.
Back in the room, Yun Niang prepared the side couch and laid out a quilt. Turning around, she took Lin Yao’s hand warmly and said: “The mountains aren’t like the outside world—it gets very cold at night. Little junior sister, you look like you’ve been raised delicately. Tonight, you should sleep in the bed.”
Lin Yao quickly withdrew her hand: “This won’t do. You’re the bride tomorrow, sister-in-law. You need proper rest tonight.” But Yun Niang insisted, so Lin Yao stopped refusing. After both had washed up, they extinguished the lamp and retired for the night.
Lying in bed, Lin Yao felt a faint warmth in her chest. She knew Tao Tao was warning her, so she gently patted her chest to reassure it.
That night, Lin Yao slept with unusual alertness. Around midnight, hovering between sleep and wakefulness, Yun Niang suddenly sat up from the adjacent bed. The moonlight elongated her shadow, casting it upon the white wall in an eerily sinister manner.