The first thing Xie Tinglan did upon waking was to check if his clothes were still on.
Standing by the bed, Liu Zhiheng was not surprised by Xie Tinglan’s reaction.
She knew her own reputation—after all, she had a history of undressing others.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t touch you. I called Uncle Li from next door to carry you in.”
Liu Zhiheng was well aware of her own nature. If she had touched Xie Tinglan, how could she have controlled herself? She would have taken him right then and there. It seemed she would have to stay far away from him from now on.
Xie Tinglan felt somewhat uneasy. This woman hadn’t tried to climb into his bed? It was truly unbelievable.
Xie Tinglan glanced at Liu Zhiheng standing nearby and, for some reason, felt she had changed. Though she still looked as enchanting as peach blossoms, delicate and frail, her eyes were as clear as mountain snow, keeping others at a distance.
Liu Zhiheng’s gaze was filled with one message: stay away.
While waiting for him to wake up, she had recited the Great Compassion Mantra over a dozen times to suppress the restless heat in her heart. Now, her heart was as steady as a rock.
“Young Master Xie, the doctor has been here and prescribed medicine. He said you’ve been overwhelmed by anger recently, which built up until today and made you ill. Your fever has subsided now. As long as you relax and rest for a few days, you’ll be fine.”
Xie Tinglan looked coldly at Liu Zhiheng, his eyes filled with disdain.
What was she pretending to be a good person for? Wasn’t his anger caused by this shameless woman?
Liu Zhiheng picked up the medicine bowl, intending to feed Xie Tinglan, but he pressed his lips tightly together, refusing to drink.
Well, she had given him post-traumatic stress disorder.
She remembered that she had once tried to drug Xie Tinglan with an aphrodisiac. Fortunately, his childhood sweetheart discovered it in time, preventing her from succeeding.
Liu Zhiheng put down the medicine and said helplessly, “If you don’t want to drink it, then don’t. I’ve left the medicine on the table. If you don’t trust it, you can brew it yourself after I leave. Don’t take it out on your own health.”
Liu Zhiheng’s tone was so indifferent that Xie Tinglan felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Seeing that Xie Tinglan refused to speak to her, Liu Zhiheng bowed to him.
With all the acting skills she could muster, Liu Zhiheng put on a look of deep remorse.
“Today, I finally realized how much I’ve forced you into this situation. I was wrong. Rest assured, Young Master Xie, forcing you into this engagement was never my intention. My father has already spoken to the county magistrate, and our marriage will be postponed for a while. When the time is right, I will find an opportunity for my father to formally break off the engagement. I won’t put you in a difficult position.”
Xie Tinglan looked at Liu Zhiheng with mockery in his eyes. If it weren’t for her pestering him, how could he have ended up entangled in a lawsuit, nearly ruining his entire life?
Now she was pretending to be the good person.
“You don’t want to marry me anymore?” Xie Tinglan asked coldly.
Liu Zhiheng could see what Xie Tinglan was thinking and said helplessly, “Young Master Xie, you possess unparalleled talent and shouldn’t be confined to this small village because of me. Everything that happened before was my own arrogance, trying to reach for the moon in the sky. I don’t expect you to forgive me and my father now, but I hope you’ll give me some time. You will surely see my sincerity.”Xie Tinglan looked thoughtfully at Liu Zhiheng, seemingly unable to believe that those words had come from her mouth.
When had she ever been able to speak so much at once?
In Xie Tinglan’s memory, Liu Zhiheng only ever babbled nonsense, whimpered, and said things that made people blush.
Liu Zhiheng didn’t bother explaining further. She hadn’t expected Xie Tinglan to believe her so quickly anyway. Without waiting for his response, she turned and left.
Xie Tinglan watched Liu Zhiheng’s retreating figure, his eyes filled with indifference and a hint of confusion.
Xie Tinglan had already begun to consider temporarily yielding to the Liu family. For now, he was a dragon lying low in the depths, forced to bow his head. Once he eventually rose from this mire, he could take his revenge.
But now, he was unexpectedly surprised. This Liu Zhiheng, who had pestered him for years, was actually letting him go?
After spending nearly half a day at the Xie household, by the time she stepped outside, the sky had long since darkened. Every household had closed their doors, and heavy snow fell along the deserted, silent road.
A thick layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground. Liu Zhiheng walked alone toward the Liu family’s courtyard.
The Liu family were hunters, so their house was built at the foot of North Lao Mountain. Although it was still within the boundaries of Peach Blossom Village, it was on the outskirts of Peach Blossom Hamlet, a very remote location.
The closer she got to the Liu house, the fewer farmhouses there were, until gradually, not a single dwelling was in sight.
As she neared the wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain, Liu Zhiheng suddenly tripped over something underfoot and fell into the snow. Fortunately, the snow was thick, so she wasn’t hurt.
She looked down and saw that she had tripped over a dark, shadowy object.
Against the surrounding expanse of white, this pitch-black thing stood out starkly. Curious, Liu Zhiheng leaned closer and brushed away the thin layer of snow covering it, only to discover it was a person.
The man wasn’t dead—he was still breathing. But on such a cold night, lying outside would surely freeze him to death.
Judging by the fabric of the man’s clothes, Liu Zhiheng deduced that he must be of noble birth. For someone of such status to be lying injured in the snow in this remote, impoverished place—it was anything but simple.
He was likely either being pursued by enemies or had attempted murder himself. In any case, it was trouble she, a village girl, couldn’t afford to get involved in.
Liu Zhiheng stood up, intending to pretend she hadn’t seen anything. But after taking a few steps, she remembered something and turned back. She flipped the man over and, sure enough, found a jade pendant carved with a dragon pattern at his waist.
She had guessed correctly!
This man was the greatest antagonist in the original story, Xie Tinglan’s lifelong rival and occasional ally, the future ruler of the entire Yan Territory—the Prince of Yan, Duan Wujiu!
Without hesitation, Liu Zhiheng hurried home, found a rope, looped it under the man’s armpits, and dragged him toward her small wooden cabin.
In the original story, after Xie Tinglan saved the Prince of Yan, Duan Wujiu, the two swore brotherhood.
But after living in Peach Blossom Hamlet for two months with amnesia, the Prince of Yan suddenly woke up one day with his memories restored.
Along with his memories, he also forgot everything that had happened during his time in Peach Blossom Village, including his sworn brotherhood with Xie Tinglan.
Nevertheless, out of gratitude for saving his life, the Prince of Yan still rewarded Xie Tinglan with a hundred taels of gold. As for their sworn brotherhood, no one was allowed to mention it, and he regarded Xie Tinglan with nothing but disdain.Who was Xie Tinglan? He could never tolerate such humiliation. He had refused the Prince of Yan’s gold and silver to his face, unwilling to be insulted in this way, and severed ties with him on the spot.
But Liu Zhiheng didn’t feel insulted at all—she wished she could be insulted like this!
With this money, would she have to worry for the next two years?
Even if she and her younger brother lived extravagantly every day, they could never spend this much money. And once her father returned with his fortune, she would never have to suffer hardship again in her life.
Couldn’t she just lie back and enjoy life from then on?
Thinking of this, Liu Zhiheng, who had almost run out of strength dragging the man, suddenly erupted with boundless energy.
Finally, Liu Zhiheng dragged Duan Wujiu into her small wooden cabin.
Closing the courtyard gate, the snow outside fell heavier and heavier, soon covering all traces…