Chapter 8: Reunion
It was like a nightmare repeating itself.
Fu Tingyun's mind went blank, and it took her an unknown amount of time to regain her senses.
How had he found her?
Her heart burned with anxiety, yet her body lay limp on the bed, unable to move.
The terror of him choking her spilled over from her memories.
Agree quickly, nod quickly... or her life would be in danger.
Yet all her strength seemed to have drained away, leaving her powerless.
She was frantic.
Then, the hand covering her mouth slowly loosened.
She exhaled deeply, her back drenched in cold sweat.
"Do you know where the temple's food is stored?" He sat quietly by her bedside.
In the darkness, his eyes gleamed like those of a cat she had once kept—no, a cat's eyes were gentler. His were icy, indifferent, devoid of warmth, chilling her to the bone.
"N-no, I don’t!" Fu Tingyun stammered nervously.
He slowly straightened his posture... as if disappointed... his figure gradually blending into the darkness... She could no longer see his expression, could no longer sense his mood... Those eyes in the dark seemed to have frozen over, brighter and sharper than before, yet even more detached, sending a shiver down her spine.
Fu Tingyun shuddered as if doused in cold water, her mind clearing slightly.
He must be here for food!
There were dogs outside and maids on night watch inside—how had he slipped in without a sound?
Tonight, it was Lü'e keeping watch, sleeping on the cooling bed beside her. She—
The thought flashed through her mind, and suddenly, an image of Lü'e lying in a pool of blood surfaced.
"What did you do to my maid?" She pushed him away in a panic and lifted the bed curtain.
Her fury at Lü'e’s possible harm momentarily outweighed her fear of him.
Moonlight spilled quietly over the windowsill, revealing Lü'e curled on her side on the cooling bed, facing her, her expression peaceful and serene.
Fu Tingyun was stunned.
"I sealed her pressure points," he said casually, as if discussing the weather. "If they aren’t released in time, she’ll die all the same."
She glared at him, her eyes filled with dread.
He had entered without taking a life.
He was truly formidable.
No wonder he didn’t see her as a threat.
What should she do now?
Fu Tingyun’s heart pounded uneasily.
He sat motionless, silent as the night.
Then, inspiration struck.
If she could be useful to him, perhaps he wouldn’t kill her so easily.
Clutching at this sliver of hope, Fu Tingyun steadied herself slightly.
"Was there no food in the kitchen?" she asked softly.
He remained silent, only fixing her with a steady gaze, as if questioning her meaning.
As long as he was willing to listen, there was hope.
Fu Tingyun feared nothing more than him killing her without a word."I hadn't been awake long when Master Guo Zhi from the nunnery noticed the food in the kitchen and the rice vat were missing," she said tactfully. "Everyone assumed it was the work of starving young nuns. But Master Guo Zhi insisted that if it were hungry nuns, they would have stolen at most a pancake or a bun. Finding it suspicious, she reported it to the abbess, Master Guohui. Master Guohui then explained that with the severe drought in Qingyang and Gongchang prefectures, many refugees had already flooded into Shangzhou and Tongzhou. Since those places are only a few hundred miles from Huayin, it was likely refugees had come here and taken advantage of the midday rest period to steal the food from the kitchen. As for the grain storage, it had probably been secured long ago."
She was reminding him that the two masters of the nunnery were composed, steady, and quick-witted—far from ordinary. She was also hinting that if he acted recklessly and took her life, he wouldn't escape easily either.
"If I suddenly go asking around, Masters Guohui and Guo Zhi will surely grow suspicious." Even so, she didn't dare push him too hard and maintained her courteous demeanor. "I still have thirty vegetarian buns left from dinner. If you don't mind, you could have them to stave off your hunger for now while I slowly find out where the nunnery's food is stored."
He stared at her, something flickering in his eyes. "Didn't expect you to be quite clever!"
His tone was light, almost teasing.
Fu Tingyun froze.
Was he talking about her?
What was this?
Praise? Sarcasm?
Lost in thought, she didn't notice him stand up.
The rustling sound was especially loud in the silent, empty night.
Fu Tingyun panicked.
A man and a woman alone in the middle of the night—if anyone discovered him in her room, she wouldn't be able to explain herself even with a hundred mouths. And with Zuo Junjie's incident still fresh, she'd be the talk of the town!
She wanted nothing more than to grab the hem of his clothes.
"Didn't you say you had vegetarian buns?" he asked, his voice neither loud nor hushed, as if he had no concerns at all. "I'll take them."
It was an order.
But Fu Tingyun was overjoyed.
Once he took the buns, he should leave, right?
Thinking she could finally get rid of him, she quietly got out of bed and searched the Menthut Cabinet for a piece of indigo-blue coarse cloth to wrap them in.
"What's this?" His deep voice suddenly came from behind her.
They were so close she could feel his breath.
Fu Tingyun stiffened uncomfortably. "It's 'Siwu Pills' I brought from home," she explained quickly, then added, fearing he wouldn't understand, "They're pills made from Siwu Decoction—easier to carry."
The indigo-blue cloth had been used by Xiu Zhu's family to wrap herbs the last time they visited. While searching for wrapping cloth, she had also uncovered a few bottles of pills.
Without a word, he tucked the small porcelain bottles into his robe as if everything in the Menthut Cabinet belonged to him.
Fu Tingyun stared in bewilderment.
Medicine shouldn't be taken indiscriminately—it could lead to disaster.
After a moment's hesitation, she added, "Those are for replenishing qi and blood."
He nodded as if he already knew.
Fu Tingyun's eyes widened as a bold thought struck her.
He had stolen so much food, yet here he was again just two or three days later, looking for more. He hadn't rummaged through the mirror case on her table but had taken the two bottles of pills for himself... Could it be he wasn't alone?
Then who—or what—was he?A wanted notorious bandit or a fugitive murderer fleeing from local justice?
Such people usually acted alone.
Migrant Bandits?
They traveled with their families. In the sweltering heat, forced to relocate constantly, without food or drink, some fell ill from the hardship. That's why so much food could only last two or three days. Upon hearing about the qi-nourishing blood-tonifying pills, he immediately tucked them away.
But would Migrant Bandits possess such exceptional martial skills?
Merely relying on brute strength wouldn't allow someone to silently infiltrate Tranquil Moon Hall.
The more she thought, the more confused she became.
He had already picked up his bundle: "I'll come again tomorrow."
Come again tomorrow?
Fu Tingyun stood frozen as if struck by a immobilizing spell.
With effortless grace, he pushed open the window lattice and, light as a swallow, disappeared into the willow grove after a few leaps.
A scene straight out of legendary tales of chivalrous heroes had unfolded before her eyes.
Fu Tingyun was dumbstruck.
In the distance, dogs barked.
The hounds in her courtyard, stirred by the commotion, joined in the chorus.
Lü'e was startled awake.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked, "Ninth Miss, why are you up by yourself? You should have called for me if you needed anything."
Fu Tingyun uttered an absent-minded "Oh," staring blankly at her for a long moment before sleepwalking back to bed.
Unaware of what had transpired, Lü'e scratched her head, poured a cup of tea for Fu Tingyun, and approached the bed—only for Fu Tingyun to suddenly sit up, her face ashen.
"Ninth Miss, what's wrong?" Lü'e asked with concern.
"Nothing!" Fu Tingyun mumbled a few incoherent words, drank half the tea, and lay back down, though her mind was in turmoil like water splashed into hot oil—exploding with agitation.
He said he'd come again tomorrow!
Did that mean he intended to impose on her?
What if she couldn't find out anything?
Restlessly, she turned over.
Was she really supposed to abet his wrongdoing by helping him locate the granary?
Just this morning, Housekeeper Chen had mentioned how the Migrant Bandits roamed everywhere, seizing food at any opportunity, even at the cost of their lives. What if he rallied them to raid Azure Cloud Temple's granary? The temple was populated entirely by women—if lives were lost because of this, wouldn't it be her fault?
If she had known this would happen, she should have reported it to Master Guohui.
The thought flashed through her mind as she turned over again.
What use was it to dwell on this now? Who could have predicted he'd seek her out again? If she told Master Guohui now, not only would the matter of the rear courtyard come to light, but the master would surely ask, "Why are you only mentioning this now?" How could she answer?
When she woke the next morning, dark circles shadowed Fu Tingyun's eyes.
Everyone noticed her anxiety, though no one questioned her about it.
After hesitating all morning, Fu Tingyun finally summoned Hanyan and tasked her with gathering information about the granary—her own throat still hadn't healed, making it impossible for her to speak up herself.
Hanyan spent most of the day searching but found nothing.
What now?
The thought of his return that evening left Fu Tingyun unable to sit still.
As the sun set behind the western hills, with no solution in sight and driven by a desire to atone, she instructed Hanyan to prepare another thirty vegetarian buns.
She lay awake until midnight when, true to his word, he arrived.
Neither the dogs nor the night-watch Lü'e made a single sound.
Fu Tingyun's fear deepened.When he learned that she had prepared thirty vegetarian buns for him and that even after sending capable maids to investigate all day, they still couldn't locate the grain storage, he didn't lose his temper. Nor did he fix her with that icy stare. Instead, he simply said, "Then I'll come again tomorrow," before taking the thirty buns and leaving.
One moment sinister and menacing, the next decisive and straightforward—and now threatening to "come again tomorrow"—Fu Tingyun felt she was about to lose her mind.
To make matters worse, early the next morning, Housekeeper Chen summoned Lü'e: "Where did all those vegetarian buns go?"
Lü'e didn't know either but defended Fu Tingyun: "The Ninth Young Miss had us feed them to the dogs."
Housekeeper Chen sat silently sipping tea, the oppressive atmosphere like the calm before a storm making Lü'e's legs tremble.
Just as she felt she couldn't hold out any longer, Housekeeper Fan entered and whispered something into Housekeeper Chen's ear.
Lü'e couldn't help but prick up her ears to listen.
Though standing right before Housekeeper Chen, Housekeeper Fan's voice was too soft. She only vaguely caught phrases like "a letter from the mansion," "the First Madam says," "returning in a few days," and "urges you to be cautious."
Before Housekeeper Fan could finish, Housekeeper Chen signaled her to stop. After saying a few words like "Now the price of rice in Huayin has risen to three taels and two mace per dan—you mustn't indulge the Ninth Young Miss's whims. Advise her when necessary," she dismissed Lü'e.
Glancing at the tightly shut door, Lü'e dashed toward the main chamber where Fu Tingyun resided.
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This time, I'm writing about a local heroine with a growth story... but it won't be too long before the female lead becomes strong.
(End of Chapter)
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