At that moment, he suddenly began trembling violently, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. The convulsions tore at his wounds, making his suffering increasingly unbearable, evoking a sensation of being trapped between life and death that nearly made him grind his teeth to dust. Xianglan leaned over him, holding him tightly while murmuring softly in his ear, though he couldn't distinguish her words. Soon, the trembling gradually subsided, only for another wave of spasms to seize him shortly after. Gritting his teeth, he endured it, feeling utterly drained and helpless. Only Xianglan remained, cradling him in her arms, rubbing his face and hands, continuously breathing warm air onto him while chanting "Amitabha Buddha" and "Guanyin Bodhisattva" as if reciting scriptures for him. Focusing on her voice, he grasped a thread of vitality. After several such episodes, he was completely exhausted, yet his innate toughness remained—he refused to utter a single moan.
At some point, he finally managed to speak, his voice hoarse and broken as he comforted her: "No... it's nothing. When Master fought in Liaodong before—after freezing stiff, when the body warmed up again, it would shiver like this—"
He seemed to hear Xianglan release a sigh of relief, sobbing out, "Bodhisattva be praised." Summoning all his strength, he pulled Xianglan down to lie beside him. She was too exhausted to resist, only hearing Lin Jinlou's raspy voice say, "What's done is done. No use dwelling on it. Life and death are fated." After a pause, he added, "Rest awhile. You've suffered greatly today, I—" He squeezed her shoulder but couldn't continue, painfully shifting to wrap Xianglan in the cloak covering him. Xianglan carefully arranged the clothing over them both and draped the thin blanket over their faces. Just then, Lin Jinlou's hand covered her ears as he whispered, "Sleep. I'll keep watch for an hour, then you take over." Xianglan mumbled an acknowledgment and fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
Lin Jinlou pulled the blanket from his face and lay gazing at the sky. The reeds above swayed gently, and the moon at the horizon flickered in and out of view. With the sounds of battle absent from his ears, this small reed marsh seemed to encompass the entire world. His body ached too much for sleep, so he preferred to let Xianglan rest properly. He glanced down at the woman nestled against his side. Though he prided himself on his discernment and vast experience with people, he couldn't quite fathom this Xianglan. In the Lin Family mansion, he had worn down her sharpness and pride bit by bit, like taming a hawk. She gradually quieted from her initial defiance, yet an obstinate core remained within her. Slowly, even that stubbornness seemed to dissolve, as if she could swallow any hardship or humiliation. But in her silence, she transformed differently from before—her defiance and pride vanished, replaced by a composed and resilient maturity. On this stormy, freezing night of repeated crises, it was she who single-handedly sustained half his life, proving more courageous and steadfast than any man.
Lin Jinlou lay there with eyes open, staring at the sky, lost in unfathomable thoughts.
As dawn tinged the horizon with pale light, Lin Jinlou woke Xianglan. She sat up, rubbing her eyes vigorously, then untied the brocade pouch from her waist. Opening it, she retrieved a misshapen piece of pastry and nudged Lin Jinlou, saying, "Master, eat something before sleeping again." She held the pastry to his lips. Lin Jinlou took a bite with closed eyes, chewing extremely slowly as if forcing down the nausea, then weakly muttered, "Damn it, it's dry and hard, cloyingly sweet—worse than yesterday's stale steamed bun."Xianglan said, "It's so cold, something sweet would be better. Have a few more bites."
Lin Jinlou frowned and took another bite, swallowing slowly before opening his eyes and saying, "Where did these pastries come from? You should have some too—" He froze upon seeing Xianglan's face, reaching out to gently touch her cheek as he asked, "Does it hurt?"
Xianglan was taken aback. She touched her face and only then realized it was swollen. The touch sent sharp, needle-like pain through her, suddenly reminding her of the slap she'd received from the tall, thin man last night. At the time, she had been too panicked and numb from the freezing cold to feel anything. She shook her head and said, "It doesn't hurt."
Just as Lin Jinlou was about to speak, he suddenly raised his crossbow bolt, his eyes fixed intently on the reed marsh beside them. From within the reeds emerged Zhao Yuechan's face. Her hair was disheveled, she wore a cloak, and she looked utterly wretched and miserable, a far cry from her former heavily made-up, charming appearance. Yet she could not conceal her stunningly beautiful face, though her eyes were red and swollen, her expression icy, her lips pale from the cold, exuding an indescribable despair.
Lin Jinlou was startled, furrowing his brows in surprise as he asked, "Zhao Yuechan?"
Zhao Yuechan said calmly, "It's me." After a pause, she added, "Fate plays cruel tricks. I never thought I'd meet an old acquaintance here. I recognized you both last night."
Lin Jinlou asked Xianglan, "Why is she here?"
Xianglan whispered, "Last night, someone robbed their carriage and horses. Her brother died, and she—" She glanced at Zhao Yuechan and trailed off vaguely.
Zhao Yuechan suddenly let out a sharp laugh, saying, "I'm doing just fine! Just fine!" She laughed a few times but couldn't hide her sobs, then began crying and cursing intermittently: "What am I afraid of? What am I afraid of? At worst, it's just like I've been with a man—pah! Beasts, all of them!—Those who bullied me, those who owe me, I'll make them pay a hundred, a thousand times over! Pah! Beasts! May they be torn to pieces and die without a burial! Die without a burial!" She cried and cursed, occasionally breaking into giggles, her weeping growing more intense.
Lin Jinlou seemed to understand. After a long silence, he said calmly, "You know very well how Furong died. This is your retribution."
Zhao Yuechan trembled all over, tears streaming down her face as she laughed hysterically, like a madwoman, and asked Lin Jinlou, "Are you satisfied now?"
Lin Jinlou didn't respond, retracting the crossbow bolt in his hand and turning his face away, ignoring her.
Zhao Yuechan covered her face with her hands, her cries eventually turning into muffled sobs. She trembled, her weeping faint and intermittent, barely audible.
Xianglan sighed. She loathed Zhao Yuechan to the core and had never thought of revenge. Seeing her again, she only wanted to stay far away. But now, witnessing her in this state, Xianglan felt her heart soften slightly, finding Zhao Yuechan both detestable and pitiable, even tragic.
After crying for a while, Zhao Yuechan suddenly wiped her face and stared at the pastry in Xianglan's hand, her voice hoarse as she said, "Could you—give me something to eat—I—"
Without hesitation, Xianglan took a piece of pastry from her brocade pouch and handed it to her. Lin Jinlou frowned. The situation was still unclear, and they didn't know how long they would be trapped here. Every bite of food was as precious as pearls. By then, Xianglan had already lowered her head and fed the remaining half of the pastry to Lin Jinlou. Lin Jinlou stared at Xianglan's face but ultimately said nothing, only gently squeezing her hand.Zhao Yuechan held the pastries for a long while without speaking, as if murmuring some words of thanks, but her voice was too faint, caught and lost in the whirl of the northwest wind.
Lin Jinlou ate the pastries and, unable to stay awake any longer, fell into a deep sleep. Xianglan reapplied the ointment to Lin Jinlou's wounds, noticing that the injuries on his shoulders had stopped bleeding, but the arrow wound on his chest was extremely severe, causing genuine concern.
Zhao Yuechan sat with her back to the two of them, just a few steps away, and none of them had anything to say to each other.
(End of excerpt. For updates, search 'He Yanshan' on Weibo to follow Xiao He's account, where notifications are posted to save everyone from constantly refreshing.)
This year has been incredibly busy with various commitments, work changes, and attending classes in my spare time—it felt like I was scrambling through each day. Especially toward the end of the year, I could only sit down at the computer to write after 10:30 p.m., often working until around 3 a.m. The plot may seem straightforward, but it went through numerous drafts, deletions, and revisions. I'm someone with limited abilities and a slow writing pace, and what I've posted represents my utmost effort. I apologize once again for the slow updates. I originally intended to finish this scene, but there's more to the subsequent plot, including parts I consider highlights that require careful refinement, so I had to stop here for now. Next time, I'll strive to complete this segment. Thank you, everyone.
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