The fake bandit leader looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, “Our master has admired the madam for a long time. Today’s actions are merely to rescue you from Chenjing. We have prepared horses and travel funds, and we will safely escort you to the Su Kingdom. Once there, a residence and servants have been arranged to ensure you a worry-free life.”
This made You Yuji frown. This approach was too much like a wealthy man keeping a mistress.
The fake bandit leader hastily added, “Madam, please do not misunderstand. Our master is a gentleman with no intention of taking advantage of you. He doesn’t even wish for you to know his name and will not follow you to the Su Kingdom. Additionally… you need not worry about your family; our master will arrange for them to be sent to the Su Kingdom to reunite with you soon.”
As You Yuji listened to the fake bandit leader’s words, her mind worked quickly.
She had already recognized these people were disguised bandits. Initially, she speculated they might be servants of a household, hired mercenaries, or possibly military personnel.
Listening to this man’s tone now, You Yuji again scanned the lineup of fake bandits and became convinced they were soldiers in disguise.
In the territory of Chenjing, the ability to mobilize soldiers was significant. Reflecting on the fake bandit leader’s words, even if only half true, You Yuji had an answer.
A name floated in You Yuji’s mind.
“Heh, your master is truly devoted and deeply affectionate,” Si Que suddenly spoke with a chilling, sinister tone that was colder than the winter wind.
You Yuji looked at the Poison Pavilion master’s back in surprise, sensing an anger in his ghostly voice. His previous tone, though still sinister, had a playful edge. His hoarse, shadowy voice was already terrifying, but now, with anger, it was even more chilling.
If the fake bandit leader’s words were all true, and their master was indeed the person You Yuji suspected…
Although she did not approve of his actions, it was a clumsy gesture of goodwill.
“Go back and tell your master that I appreciate his kindness, but I will not follow his arrangements,” You Yuji said gently.
Si Que, with his eyes half-closed, listened to You Yuji’s gentle tone and, for the first time, found her gentleness repugnant. More specifically, he detested her gentle way of dealing with others and other matters.
The Poison Pavilion master in his dark robes stood there, making the fake bandits increasingly uneasy. Hearing You Yuji’s words, they even forgot their master’s instructions to persuade her, hastily saying, “I will relay the message,” and quickly left with their group, fearing that the Poison Pavilion master might release his poisonous fog and kill them on the spot…
You Yuji glanced at the Poison Pavilion master. For a moment, she shared the same concern as the fake bandits.
The fake bandits were already out of sight, yet the Poison Pavilion master remained standing there, motionless and silent.
You Yuji carefully chose her words and said, “Thank you, Master. The main road is not far ahead, and they are unlikely to appear again. There is no need for you to accompany us further.”
No response.
After waiting a moment, You Yuji, knowing the Poison Pavilion master was usually taciturn, instructed Zhuo Wen to drive the carriage.
The carriage started moving again, passing by the Poison Pavilion master.
As they reached the main road, You Yuji felt something was amiss. She shifted and leaned to one side of the carriage, opened the small window, and looked back.
At first glance, she did not see the Poison Pavilion master and thought he had already left. But the next moment, she finally saw him collapsed on the ground.
“Zhuo Wen, turn back!”
The carriage turned around and headed back. You Yuji didn’t wait for the footstool to be set up and hurriedly jumped off the carriage, rushing to the Poison Pavilion master’s side.
A chill emanated from him. Standing next to him, You Yuji immediately felt the coldness envelop her.
You Yuji crouched down. “Master?”
The Poison Pavilion master did not respond, lying there silently. The cold around him intensified. In an instant, You Yuji watched in shock as a layer of thin ice formed on his exposed neck. The ice thickened, and his body began to emit a mist of frost.
“Quick, bring the fox fur from the carriage!” You Yuji ordered urgently.
She also instructed Zhuo Wen to start a fire immediately.
Zhenxu quickly found You Yuji’s spare fox fur from the trunk and covered the Poison Pavilion master with it.
A fire was soon burning, with occasional crackling sounds from the dry branches. The flickering firelight reflected on You Yuji’s worried face. She gazed intently at the Poison Pavilion master, the concern in her eyes deepening.
Despite the warm fox fur and the fire, the coldness from the Poison Pavilion master did not diminish. On the contrary, the freezing speed increased.
The ice covering his body was already an inch thick.
This strange condition was something You Yuji had never seen before.
She ordered more fires to be built and sent Zhuo Wen to buy some blankets and warm clothes. Another guard was sent to find a doctor.
“Madam, this man is very strange… They say his whole body is full of poison. Maybe this ice is also poison… Madam should stay away from him,” Zhenxu said worriedly. “Or… should we leave? We’ve prepared warm clothes, blankets, and fires for him. The doctor will be here soon…”
Zhenxu remembered the rumors she had heard and felt a bit scared.
You Yuji answered Zhenxu with silence.
She disliked owing anyone anything. If not for the Poison Pavilion master appearing today, she might have already been taken away by those fake bandits. Regardless of whether the people behind the fake bandits had malicious intent, being taken away was not what You Yuji wanted. Since the Poison Pavilion master had helped her, she couldn’t just leave him in this state.
The guard sent to find a doctor took a long time to return. The blankets on the Poison Pavilion master were already soaking wet. After wrapping him in three more blankets for warmth, the ice on his body finally melted completely, though his dark robe was drenched.
Si Que did not expect the cold poison to flare up at this time. It had been nearly three years since his last episode.
When the poison acted up, others saw him as a frozen, insensible ice figure. In reality, he was fully aware of everything happening around him.
Si Que opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was You Yuji’s worried gaze. Her eyes were filled with concern.
A look of weariness slowly surfaced in his eyes.
Si Que thought to himself, seeing how she was kind to everyone, even to a notorious master of the Poison Pavilion. It made her kindness towards him, her Ah Que, seem less special.
“You’re awake?” You Yuji sighed with relief, the worry in her eyes fading slightly, replaced with a faint smile.
Si Que closed his eyes, unwilling to speak. The medicine had worn off, and if he spoke, his original voice would return.
Though they hadn’t interacted much, You Yuji was accustomed to his reticent nature. She spoke again, “How are you feeling? I sent a guard to find a doctor, but he hasn’t returned yet… Do you need me to take you somewhere?”
Si Que kept his eyes closed, remaining silent.
You Yuji was in a dilemma. She didn’t know where the Poison Pavilion master lived and didn’t want to leave him here in his current state, soaked through.
After hesitating for a moment, she instructed two guards to help lift the Poison Pavilion master into the carriage and took him to the nearest inn.
By the time You Yuji had settled him in, it was already getting dark.
“I have to return to the residence. If you need anything, just call the innkeeper,” You Yuji said.
She glanced at the Poison Pavilion master lying on the bed, his clothes still wet, then looked away. She hesitated, then exited the room, instructing the innkeeper before returning to the carriage to head back to Jinnan Prince’s residence.
Inside the carriage, she used a handkerchief to gently wipe away the cold dampness from her palms, which she had gotten from touching the Poison Pavilion master’s clothes.
— Fortunately, the Poison Pavilion master wasn’t as poisonous as the rumors claimed.
Zhenxu, beside her, remarked, “That scared me! I never thought the Poison Pavilion master could poison himself from playing with poison too much!”
You Yuji leaned back slightly against the carriage wall. The jostling of the carriage made her body sway gently.
She tried to think of other things to distract herself and push the image of the Poison Pavilion master out of her mind.
When the carriage passed a street near Jinnan Prince’s residence, You Yuji asked a guard to buy a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts. She held the large bag of chestnuts in her arms, the warmth from the paper bag spreading to her hands, thoroughly driving away the cold—the cold brought by the Poison Pavilion master.
Ah Que loved roasted chestnuts.
The image of Ah Que’s long eyelashes fluttering as he smiled at her appeared in her mind, making her heart soften and completely dispelling the shadow of the Poison Pavilion master.
Back at the residence, You Yuji noticed that Si Que was not in her room and assumed he had gone to his eastern chamber to get something. She took the sugar-roasted chestnuts to the eastern chamber to find him.
“Ah Que, I bought you some sugar-roasted chestnuts,” You Yuji said as she pushed the door open.
Si Que wasn’t in the room; only Tingyun was there, sitting at the table, playing with a spider.
“A spider…” You Yuji stepped back in shock, her previous bad memories flooding back.
Tingyun immediately put the lid on the porcelain jar, stood up, and greeted You Yuji with a smile. “Does the spider have a name? I just caught it in the corner while cleaning. I was about to kill it so it wouldn’t disturb the princess.”
“Perhaps I was mistaken,” You Yuji forced a smile. Was she overreacting? Yes, that kind of spider wouldn’t appear here; it must have been an ordinary spider.
“Where is Ah Que?” She calmed herself and asked gently.
“The princess said she wanted to take a walk alone in the plum grove and didn’t allow us to follow,” Tingyun answered respectfully.
You Yuji nodded, smiling. “When he returns, tell him to come see me.”
Tingyun agreed.
You Yuji returned to her room and placed the bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts on the small table by the chaise lounge, leaving it for Si Que. She then went to the washroom to bathe and change. When she came out in her loose nightwear, she saw the bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts had tipped over, and the chestnuts were scattered all over the floor.
Baisui was lying on the ground, holding a chestnut in his arms and nibbling on it.
“Baisui…” You Yuji sighed in exasperation. She picked up the bag, finding only a few chestnuts left inside.
And they were already cold.
She tapped Baisui’s head lightly as a punishment. Baisui quickly dropped the chestnut and darted under the chaise lounge.
You Yuji shook her head helplessly, leaning against the chaise lounge and picking up a medical book to read. She became increasingly absorbed in her reading, losing track of time. When she looked up again, it was very late.
She glanced toward the door.
Why hadn’t Ah Que come yet?
Was he feeling unwell again?
Frowning, You Yuji put down her book, grabbed a cloak from the stand, and stepped out of her room.
Snow had started to fall at some point, and now it was coming down heavily.
Standing under the eaves, You Yuji was about to head to the eastern chamber when she saw Si Que entering the courtyard.
Si Que also saw her.
The lanterns hanging from the eaves swayed in the wind, their flickering light casting alternating shadows on her gentle silhouette.
You Yuji ran out into the snow, the edges of her cloak flying up. She hurried to Si Que and placed her hand on his forearm, asking anxiously, “In such heavy snow, where have you been?”
Si Que’s face, cold for the entire day, gradually broke into a smile. He pulled out a paper bag he had kept hidden in his coat.
“I went to buy you some hot sugar-roasted chestnuts, sister.”
The forced smile on his face grew brighter and more genuine.
Zhenxu, holding an umbrella, started to follow them out, but Baohe, seeing the two in the snow, stopped her.
