The pain in the wound was not what troubled him.
Gong Yue’s brows were tightly drawn, the veins along his arm faintly raised. What unsettled him was the girl leaning so close to him, the soft breaths brushing across his back.
They felt like feathers gliding over his skin, leaving behind an unfamiliar itch.
“Are you finished?” he asked, his voice slightly rougher than usual.
An Jin tore apart a clean inner garment she had never worn before and used the strips to secure the bandage around his wound.
“Finished.”
Gong Yue rose to his feet.
As he stood, his lean, powerful waist was suddenly exposed before her eyes.
An Jin immediately lowered her head, her face turning crimson.
“Y-you should put your clothes back on.”
“Mm.”
The rustling of fabric filled the room.
A moment later, his voice sounded again.
“Thank you.”
Only then did An Jin dare look up.
To her surprise, he had already dressed himself completely. The black mask was back over his face, concealing all traces of expression. Sword in hand, he had already reached the small window.
Her heart tightened.
“You’re leaving already?”
There was a trace of grievance in her voice that she herself did not notice.
She had waited so long to meet him again.
How could he leave just like that?
If he disappeared once more, who knew when she would see him again? What would happen to her mission? More importantly, she was terrified of the endless silence inside this embroidery tower.
Gong Yue paused.
For a long while, he said nothing.
His gaze rested on her face, as though searching for something.
Behind the mask, An Jin could not read his expression, nor the emotions hidden in his eyes.
The girl tilted her face slightly upward. Her crystal-like eyes shimmered beneath the moonlight filtering through the window. Silver light scattered across her features, making the plea in her eyes impossible to miss.
“Could you stay and talk with me for a while?” she asked softly.
“I’m all alone in this tower. It’s very boring.”
It was a strange request.
An inappropriate one.
As she spoke, her voice grew quieter and quieter.
By the end, she had buried her face against her chest, too embarrassed to look at him.
He must think she was shameless.
“Alright.”
What?
He agreed?
An Jin’s eyes widened.
Her naturally enchanting eyes rounded with surprise, their clear depths reflecting his figure.
Perhaps she did not realize how pitifully endearing she looked at that moment.
A flicker of darkness crossed Gong Yue’s eyes.
He looked away immediately and took another step toward the window.
Seeing him still preparing to leave, An Jin panicked.
She hurried forward.
“If you agreed, then why are you still going?”
For the first time, there was a hint of helplessness on his sharp, stern face.
“If I don’t leave,” he said, “where am I supposed to sleep tonight?”
An Jin’s face instantly burned.
Right.
He had just completed an assassination mission. He was injured, exhausted, and in desperate need of rest.
There was only one bed in the tower.
The two of them certainly couldn’t share it.
At least, she wasn’t bold enough for that.
Lifting her moist eyes toward him, she asked hopefully,
“Then… will you come tomorrow?”
“Mm.”
“What time?”
“I don’t know.”
A trace of disappointment flashed through her heart.
Still, she didn’t press him further.
“Alright.”
The next day, An Jin waited inside the embroidery tower from morning until evening.
The sun gradually sank toward the horizon.
Golden light painted the sky.
Yet Gong Yue never appeared.
She sat quietly at the table, fingers brushing across the unfinished wedding dress.
The embroidered design depicted dragons and phoenixes in harmony, an auspicious symbol of marriage. Most of it had already been completed.
The original Yao Wei possessed extraordinary embroidery skills. Every stitch was vivid and lifelike. Even the threads were made from tribute-quality gold silk, luxurious beyond compare.
With Yao Wei’s status, she could easily have hired the finest embroiderers in the capital. Most noble ladies merely added a few symbolic stitches before claiming the dress as their own work.
But Minister Yao wanted to build his daughter’s reputation.
The wedding dress had to be entirely embroidered by Yao Wei herself.
No substitutes.
An Jin had never learned embroidery.
Yet after arriving in this world, she somehow seemed to have inherited the original owner’s skills.
Since she had nothing else to do, she worked on the dress.
The sun had not fully set yet, but the room was already dim.
She lit a candle.
Warm light filled the tower.
Sitting beneath the candle stand, she placed the wedding dress across her lap and carefully separated the embroidery threads.
To make the designs appear lifelike, the silk threads needed to be split into incredibly fine strands.
It was painstaking work that strained the eyes.
This was the scene Gong Yue encountered when he arrived.
Bathed in candlelight, the girl’s features appeared exceptionally gentle.
The warm glow enhanced her beauty.
As she lowered her head, a slender stretch of fair neck became visible.
Soon, she noticed him.
She looked up.
Joy instantly bloomed across her face.
“You’re here.”
It felt strangely domestic.
Like a wife waiting at home for her husband to return.
The image fulfilled every forbidden fantasy a man might possess.
Gong Yue’s throat tightened.
“Mm.”
Today, he was not carrying his sword.
Instead, a small bundle rested over his shoulder.
Curious, An Jin tilted her head.
“What’s in there?”
Gong Yue removed the bundle.
“For you.”
“For me?”
She was genuinely surprised.
Yesterday he had looked so reluctant to stay.
Yet today he had brought her a gift?
She set down the threads in her hand and accepted the bundle.
Opening it, she discovered nine-linked rings, Luban locks, and all sorts of interesting trinkets.
Several storybooks rested in one corner.
An Jin froze.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her heart pounded.
With pink fingertips, she picked up a children’s rattle from the pile and gently shook it in front of him.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Like the first rays of sunlight emerging through morning mist, warm and understated.
“Do you think I’m a child?”
Mindful of the guards outside, she shook it softly, producing only a faint rattling sound.
She knew now that this man was thoughtful.
Last night she had merely mentioned feeling bored.
Today he had gone out of his way to find things that might entertain her.
Her eyes sparkled beneath the candlelight.
“Thank you.”
“I really like them.”
These were things Yao Wei had never possessed.
And things An Jin desperately needed right now.
Gong Yue’s hand twitched upward involuntarily.
He quickly restrained himself.
Calmly rubbing his fingertips together, he replied,
“As long as you like them.”
An Jin set the gifts aside.
Now that someone was here to talk with her, she cared less about the toys themselves.
“How is your injury?”
“The bandaging you did last night helped.”
“I’m feeling much better.”
An Jin laughed softly.
She doubted she had truly helped much.
A man capable of infiltrating heavily guarded mansions and carrying out assassinations was hardly someone who depended on her first-aid skills.
Even this embroidery tower, which had imprisoned Yao Wei for years, seemed no obstacle to him.
The moment the officials left, he could easily have found a physician elsewhere.
The greatest swordsman in the world.
Possessing unmatched martial prowess.
Exceptionally handsome.
Free-spirited.
Uninterested in wealth.
Dressed in nothing more than coarse cloth and a simple hair tie.
Nothing seemed capable of catching his interest.
Nothing seemed capable of binding him.
Thinking of this, An Jin gazed at the man before her.
Her heart stirred.
“Could you tell me about your past?”
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
“My life isn’t very interesting.”
Disappointment crossed her face.
“I knew it.”
“No one wants to talk to me.”
“You’re the same.”
Gong Yue fell silent.
After a while, he asked,
“What do you want to hear?”
“Stories of the jianghu?”
“Heroic adventures?”
“Or…” she hesitated, “have you ever married? Is there a girl you like?”
It was a dangerous question.
The kind unmarried men and women weren’t supposed to ask each other.
“The jianghu isn’t like the stories,” he said quietly.
“It’s not filled with righteous heroes and noble outlaws.”
“There are far more vicious criminals hiding from the imperial court.”
“And as for me…”
He seemed to understand what she truly wanted to know.
Looking directly into her eyes, he said,
“I’m alone.”
An Jin’s heartbeat skipped.
After that conversation, something subtly changed between them.
Or perhaps nothing changed at all.
Neither of them exposed the thin, fragile layer separating them.
Yet Gong Yue began visiting the embroidery tower every day.
Each time, he brought something different.
Sometimes it was the famous roast duck from the eastern district of the capital.
Sometimes it was a newly published storybook.
The tower was no longer silent.
“…In the end, Liu Sanhua forgave the scholar, accepted the noble lady, and believed herself unworthy of a successful scholar. She willingly stepped down to become a concubine. The three of them lived together harmoniously, creating a celebrated tale.”
Gong Yue read aloud in his naturally cold voice.
His expression remained completely blank.
The absurdly sentimental ending sounded unintentionally hilarious coming from him.
After finally hearing the conclusion of the storybook she had followed for months, Liu Sanhua Sues Her Husband for Bigamy, An Jin felt utterly betrayed.
She snatched the book from his hands.
Flipping straight to the final page, she discovered it was exactly as he described.
A painful pressure rose in her chest.
“Yue’er, I don’t like this story.”
This era constantly taught women to obey their husbands and place them above all else.
When she first saw the title, she thought it might be a rebellious story.
Instead, the ending perfectly reflected mainstream values.
“Mm.”
“I don’t like it either.”
Indignant, she declared,
“The scholar abandoned his wife and married another woman.”
“Liu Sanhua shouldn’t have withdrawn the case.”
“She should’ve ruined his career.”
Gong Yue watched her quietly.
Warmth flowed through his eyes.
Following her train of thought, he nodded.
“Mm.”
“I think so too.”
“Wei’er, are you asleep?”
Madam Yao’s voice suddenly sounded from outside.
An Jin jumped.
“It’s my mother!”
Madam Yao had not visited for a long time.
The tower had effectively become hers alone.
The toys Gong Yue brought were scattered openly across the table.
Several storybooks still lay on the floor.
If Madam Yao saw them, the consequences would be disastrous.
“Yue’er!”
“Hurry and help me hide these.”
“Put them under my blanket!”
Gong Yue moved swiftly.
Gathering everything from the floor into his arms, he searched for a hiding place.
The tower offered very few options.
He did not want the items soiling her bed.
Glancing toward the window, he prepared to leave.
“Wei’er?”
The sound of embroidered shoes climbing the wooden stairs echoed outside.
An Jin’s heart leapt into her throat.
“There’s no time!”
“Yue’er, get in there too!”
Before he could react, she pushed him toward the bed.
Then she lowered the thick curtains around it.
After quickly scanning the room and confirming nothing looked suspicious, she smoothed her messy hair.
At that exact moment, a crisp metallic click sounded.
The door unlocked.
The door opened.
“Mother.”
An Jin stepped forward.
Madam Yao frowned slightly.
“Wei’er, why didn’t you answer me earlier?”
“Hm?”
An Jin blinked innocently.
“Did you call me? I was preparing to sleep and didn’t hear you.”
Madam Yao accepted the explanation without further suspicion.
After all, opportunities to visit her daughter were rare.
She didn’t want to waste them on trivial matters.
Taking An Jin’s hand, she led her to the table.
“Wei’er, don’t resent me.”
“Your second brother’s engagement has just been arranged.”
“Both families have been exchanging birth records and discussing wedding dates.”
“I’ve truly been too busy.”
“Oh, and your eldest sister-in-law has given birth.”
“It’s a boy.”
“The first grandson of the Yao family.”
“Your father is overjoyed.”
An Jin listened obediently.
A proper amount of happiness appeared on her face.
“Then congratulations to Eldest Brother and Second Brother.”
By now, she understood how to deal with Madam Yao.
The woman loved her daughter.
But in her heart, many things still ranked above that love.
Seeing her daughter’s healthy complexion, Madam Yao assumed she had finally accepted her situation.
The thought relieved her.
She signaled to a maid standing behind her.
“I had these made specially for you.”
The maid stepped forward carrying an exquisite jewelry box.
“Wei’er is beautiful.”
“Only the finest jade and gold can complement you.”
“And the phoenix crown for your matchmaking ceremony is still being crafted.”
“By the time your wedding dress is finished, it should be nearly…”
Her voice suddenly stopped.
Her gaze settled on the wedding dress lying on the table.
Then she looked at An Jin.
A trace of questioning appeared in her eyes.
“Wei’er.”
“What have you been doing lately?”
“Have you become lazy?”
“Why does this wedding dress look almost unchanged from the last time I visited?”