Chapter 1: Azure Cloud Temple
On a windless midsummer noon, the sunlight was always so bright and glaring. Everyone either curled up in their rooms for an afternoon nap or sought shade to escape the heat. The vast Azure Cloud Temple was eerily quiet, with hardly a sound to be heard.
Fu Tingyun, dressed in a moon-white cotton blouse and wearing a bamboo hat, slowly made her way westward along the overgrown, thorn-covered wall of the temple's backyard.
The sun-scorched ground shimmered with heat waves, roasting her until sweat poured down her body. Her clothes were soon soaked through, clinging to her skin damply and uncomfortably. The low thorn bushes snagged her skirt repeatedly, and every few steps through the tangled weeds, a swarm of tiny black insects would buzz out. She had to crouch down to free her skirt from the thorns one moment and wave her handkerchief at the nameless pests the next—her appearance was utterly disheveled.
Fu Tingyun paid no mind to her state, scanning her surroundings until her steps finally halted beneath a large locust tree.
The tree was thick enough to require two arms to encircle, but whether due to a violent storm or a lightning strike, it had snapped in the middle. The treetop had collapsed against the wall, withering and rotting into a nest for insects and ants. From the roots, new branches had sprouted, now as thick as a bowl's mouth, their lush foliage slanting over the wall.
This was the tree she had spotted from the second floor of the Scripture Depository!
A flicker of joy crossed Fu Tingyun's face, easing the tension that had been etched there.
She gave the new branches a few firm kicks.
The leaves rustled loudly, but the branches remained steadfastly lodged against the wall.
Satisfied, Fu Tingyun smiled, removed her bamboo hat, and revealed her thick, jet-black hair.
Tucking a corner of her skirt into the sash at her waist, she carefully stepped onto the branches and climbed the tree.
The glaring sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face, hands, and dress.
Fu Tingyun focused intently, soon reaching the top of the wall.
She pushed aside the leaves obstructing her view.
Without warning, the face of a young man suddenly appeared from behind the foliage.
They were so close—face to face, nose to nose. She could even smell the sweat on him and feel the heat of his breath against her lips.
"Ah—" After a moment of stunned silence, Fu Tingyun gasped in horror, instinctively recoiling. But she forgot she was standing on a precarious tree branch—her foot slipped, and she tumbled into the grass below.
The wall was so high—how could anyone be up there?
Dazed, she tried to get up, her vision swimming with black spots. Suddenly, her neck tightened, and she was yanked up and slammed against the wall.
Fu Tingyun's breath caught instantly, the rough surface scraping her back painfully.
"Let me go!" She wanted to scream, but only a muffled whimper escaped. She tried to kick and struggle, but her strength seemed to drain away, her limbs limp and powerless.
This is it, this is it… A silent, deserted afternoon, a remote and desolate backyard, a man climbing the temple's rear wall—she was doomed!
Her mind was crystal clear, yet her body refused to move.
The grip on her neck loosened slightly, allowing thin streams of air to rush in.
Fu Tingyun gulped greedily at the breath.
The man's low, sinister voice hissed coldly in her ear, "Make even the slightest sound, and I'll snap your neck right here."His voice was neither loud nor soft, monotonous and flat without the slightest fluctuation, yet it carried more intimidation and coercion than any loud roar or sharp rebuke.
Fu Tingyun's entire body went weak. She nodded vigorously, afraid the man wouldn't believe her, though to an observer it would have appeared as merely a slight inclination of her head.
The hand at her neck slowly loosened its grip, with a hint of testing in its movement.
Her limbs gave way as she collapsed to the ground, hands clutching her throat as she coughed painfully. Remembering the man's words, she quickly suppressed her cough and looked up at him in terror.
The man before her appeared to be just over twenty years old. Though tall in stature, he was painfully thin, wearing a tattered, faded short robe that hung loosely on his frame. His deeply sunken eyes were unusually bright and sharp, his cracked lips pressed tightly together. His gaze, fixed upon her, was as cold and ruthless as an eagle eyeing its prey.
Fu Tingyun's heart sank.
She quickly glanced at his feet.
He wore no shoes, his trouser legs rolled unevenly, revealing skin bronzed by the sun.
Her heart continued to plummet.
A man as cruel and ruthless as him, even if born into poverty, would have been employed by debt-collecting freelance gangs or wealthy merchants. Yet he was so destitute he couldn't even afford straw sandals... unless he couldn't be seen in public!
She couldn't stop trembling!
Was he a wanted outlaw? Or a fugitive murderer?
Whether the former or the latter, she had stumbled upon his whereabouts... would he silence her permanently?
Her body went weak again, her gaze involuntarily falling on those bony, iron-like hands.
Fu Tingyun still remembered how they had felt around her throat!
Wait—if he had wanted to kill her, he could have simply strangled her then. Why threaten her with words instead?
Thinking of how he had tentatively loosened his grip, a realization struck her.
Perhaps he had his own concerns too!
Fu Tingyun's heart slowly revived, strength returning to her limbs as she quickly considered her options.
If her guess was correct—since he was someone who couldn't be exposed—he likely wouldn't hesitate to take another life... but he probably feared that a corpse would be discovered or the victim's relatives would report to authorities, drawing attention that might reveal his whereabouts...
In such a situation, hesitation only increased the danger!
"Brave sir," she said without delay, enduring the discomfort in her throat, her voice hoarse, "I am a daughter of the Fu Family of Huayin. The Azure Cloud Temple is our family temple. Due to the hot weather, I brought my maids here to escape the heat. I'd heard there were stone tablets inscribed by famous calligraphers of previous dynasties in the back courtyard and wished to see them, but never had the chance during brief visits. This time, staying at the temple, I thought I'd finally have the opportunity, but my nurse feared the heat might cause me sunstroke and wouldn't let me come. So I sneaked here when no one was around..."
His expression remained impassive, though a flicker of hesitation seemed to pass through his eyes.
Fu Tingyun felt a secret thrill, softening her voice further: "Men and women should not touch when giving or receiving things. If my nurse discovered me alone with a man, she would surely reprimand me..." She lowered her eyelids, feigning dejection while stealing glances at his expression from the corner of her eye. "If she told my mother, it might implicate you as well..."
He curled his lip and abruptly interrupted her: "You say you're a daughter of the Huayin Fu family?" His tone was flat, revealing neither anger nor pleasure."Yes!" Fu Tingyun quickly straightened her posture, kneeling with her hands clasped on her knees. "I'm the ninth in my family."
He let out an "Oh," the rising inflection laced with an indescribable mockery: "The Fu family with five memorial arches at their gate—aside from the honorary titles of Crown Prince's Guardian and the Number One Scholar, the other three are all Chastity Memorial Arches?"
Fu Tingyun immediately sensed his disdain for the Fu family.
Her brow twitched slightly.
Though the Fu family hadn’t produced any high-ranking officials in recent generations, their upright and rigorous family traditions still commanded the same respect as before.
How dare he look down on the Fu family!
She hesitated, biting back her words.
Arguing with him now would clearly be unwise.
If someone like him understood propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, how could he have ended up in such a state? Talking to him about loyalty, filial piety, and virtue would be like playing the lute to a cow. It’d be better to offer him money if he let her go—quietly, without alerting anyone... Fortunately, she had brought some jewelry with her... If exchanged for silver, it might amount to a hundred or two hundred taels... Not enough for him to live lavishly, but at least it could resolve his immediate predicament... Would he demand more if she made the offer?... She had left in a hurry and couldn’t possibly offer more...
Fu Tingyun was uncertain.
The man spoke again: "You said this is the Fu family’s family temple?"
She quickly refocused. "Yes."
"Then you must know where the kitchen is?" he said flatly. "Find a secluded path to avoid the nuns and take me there."
To... the kitchen?
Fu Tingyun was startled but didn’t dare ask further. She steadied herself against the old locust stump and stood up.
Perhaps she had risen too quickly, or maybe she had hit her head earlier—stars danced before her eyes. She closed them briefly to recover before slowly heading east.
He followed in silence as they left the backyard and entered a narrow alley.
The alley had no trees, and the sun beat down directly, casting a blinding glare. Fu Tingyun felt dizzy, but the man’s gaze behind her was even more scorching, as if burning a hole through her back. Fearful, she didn’t dare think too much or take a single wrong step.
Luckily, they encountered no one. The kitchen in the southeast corner was dim and deserted.
He rummaged around, gathering steamed buns, wheat cakes, pickles, and even a half-eaten bowl of leftover rice, bundling them all in his outer garment.
Fu Tingyun lowered her head when he removed his robe.
Her face burned.
Never in her life had she seen a man undress in front of her.
A vulgar country brute, indeed!
"Let’s go." In the blink of an eye, he stood before her, one hand holding the bundle of food wrapped in his robe, the other gripping a rice jar the size of a bucket.
Go? Where? Her quarters were just a courtyard away...
The realization drained the color from her face.
He wanted her to return to the backyard with him!
No, no, no... He no longer needed her. Going back with him would be suicide—she couldn’t possibly follow him... The adjacent courtyard housed several nuns who cooked; they were likely resting at this hour... How foolish of her... She should have fled when he was searching for food..."Brave warrior!" Fu Tingyun said, retreating step by step while trying to keep her tone gentle and compliant. "You already know the way out. The sun is so strong outside, and I've been baking in the backyard for so long that I can hardly bear it. I won't see you out..."
Her heel touched the threshold.
"Help!" She turned and bolted.
But before the word "help" could fully escape her lips, her throat constricted again. She was hoisted up by the neck and dragged back inside, then slammed against the central pillar in the kitchen.
Pain radiated through her body as if every bone had shattered.
She desperately clawed at the hand choking her, glaring at his face with all the hatred she could muster.
He watched her calmly, with the indifference of someone crushing an ant. To him, this act of violence seemed as ordinary and mundane as eating or drinking!
Fu Tingyun trembled as if plunged into an icy abyss... thrashing like a fish stranded on shore... gradually losing the ability to breathe... sinking into darkness...
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(End of Chapter)
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