Xianglan was still trembling with fear, stealing a glance to see Lin Jinlou's face covered in an icy frost, twisted with a venomous ferocity. His neck was stiff, his chest heaving as if trying to force down the rage boiling inside him, yet his tightly clenched fists trembled slightly.
Xianglan shrank further into the corner, her mind in turmoil and unable to form any coherent thought. Her head felt heavy and muddled, unable to comprehend how Lin Jinlou had appeared so suddenly like a divine soldier descending from heaven. Shaken and terrified, her entire body felt as stiff as a block of wood, yet she couldn't stop trembling, her face cold and wet with tears.
Lin Jinlou gritted his teeth, turning his face away stiffly without even a glance in Xianglan's direction, afraid that if he looked at her, the fury burning in his ribs would erupt from his throat, mingled with a bitterness he couldn't name. This feeling was even more unbearable, like pouring oil on a raging fire, searing his heart and lungs.
The carriage was silent except for the creaking of the wheels.
After a short while, the carriage stopped, followed by the sound of a gate opening. It moved forward a short distance before halting again. Someone outside the curtain said respectfully, "Master, we've arrived."
Lin Jinlou slowly exhaled, lifted the curtain, and stepped down. He then turned back, holding the curtain aside with one hand, his eyes fixed on Xianglan. Under his gaze, she felt a chill run through her body. Her limbs were still weak, so she obediently bowed her head and slowly crawled over. Lin Jinlou, his face cold, reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close. He adjusted the cloak wrapped around her, roughly covering her head, and carried her out.
Once inside, he crossed the main hall and entered the inner chamber before setting Xianglan down.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Xianglan hurriedly uncovered her face. She saw that it was a bedroom, simply furnished. Though not as luxurious and extravagant as the Knowing Spring Pavilion, the curios and furniture were all of fine quality. She didn't have time to examine it closely, fearing that Lin Jinlou would settle accounts with her. Keeping her head down, she quietly slipped to the door, pressing herself against the wall with her eyes fixed on the floor.
Seeing her look like a mouse cornered by a cat, Lin Jinlou's anger subsided slightly, though resentment still simmered in his heart. He said coldly, "Look at your foolish state! You deserve to be selling flesh in a brothel. If you hadn't saved Taitai, I'd have been blind to rescue you!"
Xianglan flinched slightly, a string of teardrops falling and dampening the hem of the cloak dragging on the floor.
Lin Jinlou felt his chest tighten and his breath shorten. He snarled, "What are you crying for? You have no right to cry!" With a flick of his sleeve, he strode further inside, tugging at his collar to loosen it. He didn't want to scold her, but the thought of her running away and nearly losing her virtue, coupled with her disheveled appearance, made him unable to hold back. Yet after his outburst, he saw Xianglan grow even more fearful, as if she would shrink into a tiny ball if she weren't standing. Lin Jinlou closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and let out another long sigh.
This was a residence Lin Jinlou had acquired in Yangzhou, with only two young maids, two old women, and two servant boys, along with an elderly man to watch the courtyard. The two young maids, seeing their master return, had initially intended to attend to him, but upon seeing Lin Jinlou carrying someone in angrily, they all shrank back, afraid to provoke his wrath. Now, as Lin Jinlou emerged from the bedroom, they had no choice but to brace themselves and step forward to offer tea and arrange fruits.Lin Jinlou said, "Go heat more bathwater. Ask Ji Xiang for that calming prescription, brew it into a liquid and bring it in." The maids acknowledged the order.
Lin Jinlou sat on a chair outside and drank a cup of tea, waiting until his emotions had settled before returning to the room. He saw Xianglan curled up against the wall with her knees drawn to her chest. His clothes were too large for her, and she had her head covered, resembling a silkworm cocoon, as if wholeheartedly isolating herself from the world. Lin Jinlou frowned, strode forward in two steps, and pulled Xianglan up, saying, "What are you doing sitting on the ground? Are you thinking that if you catch a cold, I won’t punish you? Huh?" But he met Xianglan’s terrified gaze as she flinched in panic, raising a hand to shield her head and face.
Lin Jinlou was taken aback, not understanding what was happening, and his heart softened instantly. He stared at her without speaking.
Xianglan saw the flicker in Lin Jinlou’s eyes and thought he still looked furious, making her apprehensive. Only now did she realize what Lin Jinlou looked like when his anger erupted. Compared to this, his previous harshness toward her seemed almost saintly. By this reckoning, given his temperament, he had actually treated her quite well, holding back considerably. He had smashed Du Bin’s face with a single punch, and the memory of the "crack, crack" sound of breaking bones still made her scalp tingle. She feared that in his rage, Lin Bawang might strike her as well.
Xianglan’s head throbbed with pain, her body felt waves of chill, and she was nauseous and dizzy. Hoarsely, she murmured, "I beg Master to remember that I once saved Taitai… please don’t punish me…"
Lin Jinlou looked at her swollen, red face beneath her disheveled hair and caught a glimpse of her tattered clothes under the cloak. The fury within him flared up again. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I’d hit you? Count on your fingers how many times I’ve hit you! Which of your injuries now were inflicted by me? So, in your heart, I’ll never be anything but a villain who only knows how to beat you, is that it? Then I’ll give you a thrashing, so I don’t bear this wicked reputation for nothing!"
Having spent some time with Lin Jinlou, Xianglan had gained some insight into his temper. Although he was impervious to both soft and hard approaches, confronting him head-on was surely self-destruction. Though Xianglan was strong-willed and stubborn, she was also clever and had learned to adapt through her hardships. Obediently, she said softly, "That’s not what I meant… I know Master came to rescue me. I’m just very afraid…"
Seeing Xianglan wipe her tears, Lin Jinlou’s anger subsided a little more. He gazed at her for a long moment, then suddenly pulled her into his arms and ruffled her hair, saying, "Very afraid? Are you fooling me? You’re bold as brass, daring to slip away from the mountain in the chaos. No wonder I turned Jinling upside down and couldn’t find you—you ran off to Yangzhou for fun and pleasure. These days away from me, were you happy? Did you think that by saving Taitai and Fourth Miss, you and I were even?" His voice was light and gentle, yet carried a sinister chill.
Xianglan hadn’t expected Lin Jinlou to settle accounts with her now, nor had she anticipated that he would guess she had slipped away during the chaos. Her heart leaped into her throat again, and she hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "No, no, I didn’t mean to run away…"Lin Jinlou pressed his index finger against Xianglan’s lips and said, “You didn’t have a good time? But you lived quite comfortably in that little temple, even painting. I had no idea our little Xianglan was such a skilled painter.” He stared into her eyes with a half-smile and added, “Don’t try to play tricks with me. I’ve told you before, your little schemes won’t work on me. If you truly intended to stay, you should have hidden somewhere when the guards stormed the temple to rescue you, or returned to the Lin Family or the Chen Family after escaping. Instead, you ran off without a word. I’ll settle the score with you, you ungrateful wretch, later. For now, tell me: who helped you?”
Xianglan’s heart sank, fearing she might implicate Abbess Dingsu. She bit her lip and dared not speak further, burying her face in Lin Jinlou’s chest as tears streamed down. A chill ran through her body, and she grew increasingly distressed. Lin Jinlou’s voice seemed to drift in and out of her consciousness as her mind began to blur.
Lin Jinlou pressed her a few more times, but after a moment, he noticed she remained silent and was trembling violently. Only then did he realize something was wrong. He carried her to the bed and sat her down, reaching out to feel her forehead—it was burning hot. He cursed under his breath, wrapped her in the floral-patterned quilt from the bed, and stood up to summon a physician.
Lin Jinlou was robust, his body always radiating warmth like a furnace. The moment he moved away, Xianglan felt even colder. In her daze, she clung to his neck and murmured, “Don’t go…”
Lin Jinlou had been about to pull her arms away, but hearing this, he paused. He stared at Xianglan’s face for a moment, then slowly lowered his hand.
Xianglan, lost in a feverish sleep, only sensed a source of warmth beside her and clung to it tightly, sinking into chaotic dreams. In her dreams, countless people were chasing her. She fled in panic but couldn’t run fast enough. Then, someone saved her, though his face remained blurred. Someone spoke softly in her ear, and after a while, it grew quiet. Then, she was forced to drink a bitter medicinal brew. Perhaps the medicine was too bitter, or her heart was too full of anxiety and despair—a tear trickled from the corner of her eye. It was wiped away by a finger, and someone patted her back clumsily, likely intending to comfort her. But the patting was too heavy, making her even more uncomfortable. She struggled instinctively, only to be held firmly by a pair of arms, unable to move. Overwhelmed with grievance and sorrow, she felt that even in sleep, she found no peace. Yet, she was utterly exhausted, and with tears still on her cheeks, she fell into a deep slumber.
Seeing that she had fallen into a sound sleep, Lin Jinlou gently moved her arms aside, got out of bed, and covered her with another quilt. Xianglan’s face was swollen, tears still streaking her cheeks, and the tip of her nose was red, making her look utterly pitiable. Lin Jinlou stared at her sleeping face and sneered, “Ungrateful wretch, heartless woman. And here you are, acting as if you’re the one who’s been wronged!”After cursing a few times, he found it pointless and sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. Only then did the joy of finding Xianglan truly emerge from the depths of his heart. Three months of endless days and nights—each passing day had deepened his despair. It wasn’t until Han Guangye came running excitedly to report having seen Xianglan at a temple in Yangzhou that he dared to believe it. Immediately, he packed lightly and set off, traveling day and night, changing horses frequently until he reached Yangzhou. Along the way, he kept thinking: what if it wasn’t Xianglan? And if it was her, why was she in Yangzhou? The more he pondered, the angrier he grew, but he had no time to dwell on it—finding her was all that mattered. Now that he had found her, his heart was filled with indescribable emotions. He felt like shouting a few times or hitting something to vent his frustration. Yet, gazing at Xianglan’s sleeping face with its furrowed brow, he thought that as long as she was back in his arms, there was nothing left to hold against her.
He stared at Xianglan’s face, his expression complex and inscrutable.
Suddenly, a timid voice from the maid broke the silence: "Master, the hot towel is here."
Lin Jinlou snapped back to reality, uttered an "oh," took the hot towel, and wiped Xianglan’s face carelessly. He then ordered someone to bring a small box. Unscrewing the lid, he found a milky-white ointment inside. Scooping some out, he applied it to Xianglan’s swollen, reddened face. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "This time, I saved you. You still owe me. Thinking you can settle accounts with me? Dream on."
Apologies for the delay in updating. I needed some time to get back into the flow, and this chapter, being a confrontation scene, required extra care. Thank you for your understanding. To those who have rewarded, I’ll express my gratitude collectively in the next chapter. Thanks for your support! ^_^
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