From a young age, Shao Shang had adhered to the principle of "out of sight, out of mind." For those who might cause her trouble yet were beyond her means to confront, she always kept her distance—because no one could be invincible in this world.
For instance, she barely kept in touch with her childhood neighbors who knew her parents and her past after leaving for schooling elsewhere. Or take Lou Yao, who had witnessed her removing the bridge planks—she hoped her furious outburst that day would scare him off for good. Then there was Lord Ling, who had seen her fumbling beneath the bridge for half a day—heaven forbid he would connect it to the bridge collapse incident during the Wan Residence banquet!
However, as Shao Shang tallied the casualties at the Cheng Residence, she felt that even if it meant reducing that number by just a little, she wouldn’t mind seeing Ling Buyi a few more times—heck, she’d even swear sisterhood with him if necessary.
Injuries in the era of cold weapons might not be as instantly fatal as in later times, but they were no less horrifying. Beyond the common sword and arrow wounds, there were those with large patches of flesh torn away, limbs severed, or even intestines ruptured by horse kicks. The most gruesome were two guards whose faces had been slashed—one had his nose sheared off but would survive, while the other bore a deep gash from his left eye down to his jaw, the wound penetrating his skull, leaving him barely clinging to life.
Sang Shi, wounded and distraught, eventually developed a low fever. Fortunately, Li Wulang had been thorough in his preparations, bringing along the finest physician from the village, who immediately set up a pot to brew medicine after diagnosis. Watching Sang Shi murmur incoherently in her unconscious state, surrounded by a growing crowd of family generals, stewards, and maidservants coming to report, Shao Shang suddenly realized she had to temporarily assume the role of the Cheng family head.
Children had the privilege of throwing tantrums because there were all-powerful adults shielding them. Once those adults could no longer step forward, one naturally had to learn to grow up.
Shao Shang steeled herself and took up the duties of the household head—
First, she dispatched a few seasoned maidservants to interrogate the captured bandits about the whereabouts of the abducted servant girls. Next, she sent family generals back along their route to retrieve the dozens of abandoned luggage carts—the bandits had been too busy chasing them to divide the spoils yet.
Those uninjured were to rest in tents set up outside, while the wounded were moved indoors. Trees were felled to make charcoal for braziers to warm every corner. The maidservants were divided into two groups—one to prepare meals, the other to boil water for cleaning wounds and burn straw ashes to staunch bleeding.
She then took out most of the pocket money Old Man Cheng had given her and handed it to the physician, instructing him to send someone galloping back to the village for pre-made medicine to brew. In this bitter cold, with blood loss and external injuries, everyone—wounded or not—would likely need several bowls of herbal decoction to ward off cold, stop bleeding, and reduce inflammation.
Next came emotional comfort.
Shao Shang had to go from place to place, consoling the injured and commending those who had performed meritoriously. Facing nearly a hundred family generals and household troops who had fought bloodily for a full day and night, she wished she could deliver a rousing speech like an inspiring leader, moving the warriors to tears, filling them with fervor, and making them vow to fight to the death.
Alas, she couldn’t. Her verbal skills were entirely honed in the negative arts of sarcasm and mockery. All she could do was repeatedly promise things like "the families of the deceased and disabled will be cared for, and the wounded will be compensated."However, she had her strengths—her heart was tough. The family generals and guards had many tasks, from setting up tents and collecting bodies to scouting for news, while the maidservants managed the kitchens. Thus, it often fell to the female attendants to tend to the wounded. Some of the younger ones burst into tears at the sight of bloodied injuries, unable to act no matter how loudly the physicians shouted instructions. Passing by, Shao Shang saw this and had a martial maid tie up her sleeves before stepping in without hesitation.
Following the physicians’ directions, she pulled out arrows without flinching even as blood splattered, and applied cauterizing irons despite the sizzling flesh and agonized screams. Seeing their Young Lady act this way, the maidservants could no longer afford to be timid or afraid.
After a busy half-day, it wasn’t until Li Taigong called from outside, "Lord Ling has arrived and requests an audience with the Young Lady," that Shao Shang hurriedly emerged from the house. Her robe was stained with blood, and her hands were drenched as if she had just stepped out of a murder scene.
Under the cold sunlight, Ling Buyi stood tall and slender like a winter cypress, his skin pale as snow. Cloaked in a black fur mantle, he waited quietly in the open space before the house with six sword-bearing guards at his side, exuding an ancient, profound beauty akin to snow in a forest. Shao Shang stood before him, flustered and awkward, feeling like a butcher’s daughter hastily finishing her work with a fierce expression.
The women in the infirmary came alive—girls paused their tasks to peek through the windows, and whispers of admiration rose clearly behind Shao Shang: "So handsome," "Which general is he?" "Like an immortal from a painting..."
Suppressing her embarrassment, Shao Shang pretended not to hear and stepped forward, bowing respectfully with clasped hands. "I was unaware Your Excellency had finished pursuing the fleeing bandits. My apologies for the delayed greeting." After the formalities, she straightened and continued, "Had it not been for Lord Ling’s righteous rescue, who knows what fate might have befallen us? Such a great kindness cannot be repaid with mere words. Henceforth, whatever Lord Ling commands, the Cheng family shall not dare refuse!" She made sure to keep her words appropriately deferential, avoiding any openings for dispute.
Hearing "great kindness cannot be repaid with mere words," Ling Buyi smiled faintly. "Young Lady is too courteous."
Determined to act like a composed adult rather than a petulant child—especially since she still had many requests and questions—Shao Shang tempered her tone with even greater respect. "Though my strength is meager and I can offer little else, I noticed Lord Ling’s men also bear injuries. To avoid delaying your march, perhaps the wounded soldiers could remain here. The Cheng family will ensure they receive the utmost care. I’ve just prepared two of the largest empty rooms, furnished with braziers, hot water, medicine, and attendants, ready for their use." She gestured toward the two rooms behind her to the left—the most thoughtful way she could think of to repay his kindness.
Li Taigong nodded repeatedly. "The Young Lady’s suggestion is excellent. What does Lord Ling think...?"
Before Ling Buyi could respond, a square-jawed young guard beside him interjected, "Young Master, the injuries can’t wait any longer. We should enter and treat them first..." Before he finished, another slightly older guard added, "Young Master, though Liang Qiu Fei spoke rashly, he isn’t wrong. The wounds must not be delayed further."Shao Shang only then noticed that the older guard had an arrow embedded in his left arm, likely stuck deep in the bone and impossible to remove immediately. She quickly said with concern, "This guard's injury looks serious. He should go inside for treatment right away."
The older guard, who had been looking worried, turned to Shao Shang in surprise. Ling Buyi pondered for a moment before finally nodding and stepping toward the empty house.
Shao Shang was taken aback. Did he not trust the Cheng family to take care of the wounded? Did he need to inspect it personally? She turned around with an apologetic smile. "My lord, rest assured, the Cheng family will take good care of all the injured soldiers!"
The young man named Liang Qiu Fei grew anxious. "You—!"
Without a word, Ling Buyi lifted his left arm and pulled aside his beast fur cloak, revealing a broken arrow shaft protruding from beneath the black, gold-threaded brocade under his dark shoulder armor shaped like tiger teeth and lion heads. The bloodstains had already dried.
Shao Shang choked on her words.
Beside them, Li Wulang seized the moment to exclaim, "Ah! Lord Ling, you're injured too! How long has it been? Quick, go fetch Physician Cheng who just arrived—he's the best in our village at treating sword and arrow wounds!"
Shao Shang silently turned away and gestured for them to proceed—fine, you count as a wounded man too.
Ling Buyi paused slightly, glancing sideways at the girl. Her sleeves were tied high with armbands, revealing plump, snow-white forearms as she gestured. Her wrists were barely two inches wide, her skin delicate and soft, quite adorable.
After a brief thought, he strode into the house.
By the time Ling Buyi and the Li father and son had entered, Shao Shang was still hesitating outside, thinking she still needed to inquire about her Uncle Zhuti Cheng Zhi's whereabouts. Summoning her courage, she finally stepped inside.
The two martial maids beside her could no longer stand it. One said, "Young Lady, you should wash up before going in." The other quickly brought hot water and soap pods.
Shao Shang sighed inwardly, realizing she had been so busy her mind had gone numb. She washed her hands with a bitter smile and hurried inside, the two martial maids swiftly following.
The empty house was warm and dry from the heating. Everyone removed their outer fur coats, while another guard with a scarred face led several soldiers inside to inspect the area and set up four folding stools. Ling Buyi took the seat at the head, the Li father and son sat on the left, and the stool on the right was clearly reserved for Shao Shang as the temporary head of the household.
When Shao Shang entered, she saw Physician Cheng and the scarred guard standing behind Ling Buyi, carefully removing his cloak and shoulder armor, followed by his chest plate and outer robe, then his underwear, exposing his pale shoulder...
Shao Shang felt slightly embarrassed and almost turned to leave, but no one else—from her martial maids to the Li father and son—seemed to find it inappropriate. Then again, she had already seen at least eighteen or twenty bare arms and legs in the treatment room earlier.
If no one else minded, why should she? She'd seen worse.
The Li father and son had already left their seats to examine Ling Buyi's arrow wound up close. Shao Shang shamelessly followed behind Li Taigong, craning her neck for a look. When the physician removed the bandage covering the wound, everyone gasped in unison—
A large, rusted arrowhead was lodged two inches left of his shoulder blade, the wound surrounded by a ring of dark red, clearly having been there for some time.
The ever-dramatic Li Wulang exclaimed, "Goodness, Lord Ling, how long has this injury been untreated?! Why didn't you tend to it immediately? The longer it's left, the worse it gets!"The young guard named Liang Qiu Fei said with both pride and indignation, "We've been fighting bandits nonstop for two days and nights without rest—who had time to tend to wounds?! We finally got a brief respite today, but then we ran into you, crying and begging our Young Master to save your father, and here we are, fighting again!"
The scarred guard said sternly, "A Fei, mind your manners."
Understanding the implication, Shao Shang's ears twitched, and she slowly inched further behind Li Taigong. However, the old man, moved by the words, stepped forward excitedly, completely exposing the girl behind him.
The elderly man clasped his fists and declared loudly, "Lord Ling, your righteousness is unmatched! This old man thanks you deeply! From now on, whatever you command, our village will obey without question!"
His words echoed Shao Shang's earlier plea, but as the head of the household, clan leader, and respected elder of the village, his promise carried far more weight than hers.
Shao Shang lowered her head even further, hoping no one would notice her.
Ling Buyi glanced subtly at the girl and smiled faintly. "Elder, there's no need for such words. If we speak of righteousness, yours is truly vast. For the sake of a single promise, you stayed with Lady Cheng and her children through such peril."
Shao Shang first felt displeased, then realized his words seemed... not entirely wrong. Li Taigong could have sent someone to seek help while fleeing himself, yet he had stubbornly refused to leave.
Grateful for Li Taigong's loyalty to the Cheng family but unwilling to humbly admit she was a burden, she stammered, "Well... Uncle said Li Taigong is family. The debt of gratitude can be repaid slowly—our families have a long future together..."
Her words were perfectly tactful, and Li Taigong laughed heartily. "Well spoken, Young Lady! Between close families, what need is there to speak of debts or favors?"
Shao Shang kept her head down, silently praising her own quick wit.
Ling Buyi gave her a sidelong glance and said coolly, "Remove the arrow."
At his command, Li Taigong, his son, and Shao Shang all held their breaths and craned their necks to watch. Yet despite sweating profusely, the physician still couldn't extract the broken arrow.
It turned out that when Ling Buyi was struck, the situation was urgent. To avoid unsettling the troops, he had snapped off the arrow's shaft himself, leaving only a palm's width protruding, concealed beneath his armor and cloak, intending to deal with it later.
But the arrowhead, having pierced through his shoulder, barely extended half an inch from his skin, with even the shaft embedded deep in the flesh. There was no leverage to pull it out, and as time had passed, the shaft had partially fused with the surrounding tissue, making extraction impossible for the physician.
"Why not use pliers?" Li Wulang suggested.
The physician sighed and held up a small pair of iron pliers, already broken. As a rural healer, he was used to removing small nails or splinters—such a formidable iron arrow was beyond his tools' grip.
Only two options remained:
Either return swiftly to the military camp to fetch a specialized long-handled arrow extractor, or use another arrow to push the broken one out. The first option, whether returning to camp or sending for a military physician, would take too long. The second would subject Ling Buyi to double the pain.
Without hesitation, Ling Buyi ordered, "A Fei, give your brother an arrow."
Liang Qiu Fei tremblingly drew an arrow from his quiver and handed it to the scarred guard beside him. "Young Master, please... endure the pain!"Ling Buyi ignored him, his gaze fixed steadily to the side where the young girl in bloodstained hemp clothes stood dazedly. Her right hand cradled her left elbow, while her left palm supported her delicate, pale chin. With a childlike tilt of her head and a bite of her lip, she seemed lost in thought.
He watched the girl for a long moment, so long that the Li father and son, along with all the guards, fell silent. Only then did Shao Shang realize everyone was staring at her. She offered an awkward smile. "I have an idea, though I'm not sure if it'll work."
As she spoke, she retrieved a string of hidden shell beads from around her neck.
Dozens of shell beads dangled from the neck cord, shimmering with myriad colors when they swayed. Each tiny shell had been polished into unique shapes—round, oval, floral, even clover-like. Their gentle jingling was crisp and bright.
Shao Shang then took out a dagger to cut the neck cord, carefully pouring the shell beads into her brocade pouch and keeping only the cord in hand as she approached Ling Buyi. Only then did the others notice the cord seemed to be woven from several fine strands.
While the rest were still puzzled, Ling Buyi had already grasped her intention and smiled. "Is the cord sturdy enough?"
Shao Shang quickly replied, "I wove it myself—it's very, very strong!"
That day, heavy rain had fallen, leaving the outside damp and cold. She and Wan Qiqi, bored out of their minds, had taken shelter under the eaves and dug out an assortment of colorful brocade threads, silk threads, gold threads, and even metal wires from the bottom of their trunks. She had taught Wan Qiqi to weave bracelets and cross knots, and with the leftovers, they had braided a long neck cord to string the shell beads.
She remembered clearly: three resilient vermilion brocade threads, three black metal wires, and one gleaming gold thread—strong enough to lift even heavy scales and tables.
Shao Shang stepped behind Ling Buyi, using her slender fingers to carefully thread the cord into his flesh, hooking it beneath the rusted arrowhead. She dared not use force, embedding it bit by bit. Standing so close, the stench of blood and rust from the arrowhead was unavoidable, and her gaze inevitably wandered.
Ling Buyi’s frame was tall and well-proportioned, his bones long and powerful. His shoulders were broad like an eagle’s wings, yet his waist was slender and firm, his spine straight. His muscles were lean and restrained, not overly bulky, but Shao Shang knew his strength was astonishing—those arms, reminiscent of a male model’s, had just cleaved a bandit leader in half, sword and all.
After a moment, Shao Shang belatedly realized her face felt slightly warm and hurriedly averted her gaze. Two-dimensional fantasies truly couldn’t compare to the vivid allure of the real thing.
Ling Buyi felt the tickle of her breath on the back of his neck and suddenly turned his head. "Were those shell beads a gift from a sweetheart?" His tone was amiable, as if casually inquiring about a friend’s young daughter.
To his surprise, Shao Shang sighed. "I wish they were."
Ling Buyi studied her for a moment before turning back with a quiet "Hmm."
The shell beads had been collected by Wan Qiqi during her outings. The two girls had polished them into various whimsical shapes and strung them into necklaces—one for each. Looking back, if Wan Qiqi had been a man, Shao Shang would have married her without hesitation. They might not have been a match made in heaven, but they’d have made a perfectly wicked pair—more than enough to be content. How perfect that would have been!
"It’s hooked..." Shao Shang exhaled in relief. She felt the cord was secure; now they only needed to pull it to extract the broken arrow.
Liang Qiu Fei couldn’t resist asking, "What if the arrowhead detaches from the shaft and only the tip comes out?"
The others burst into laughter. Only then did Liang Qiu Fei realize that if the arrowhead were removed, the shaft could simply be pulled out from the front. His ears burned crimson with embarrassment.Shao Shang was also in high spirits when she suddenly felt a chill on her right hand. She looked down to see Ling Buyi taking her palm and wrapping it with a snow-white silk handkerchief. Liang Qiu Fei had initially stepped forward to pull out the arrow but was yanked back by his elder brother.
Ling Buyi gazed at the girl with a faint smile. "Be careful not to hurt your hand," he said.
Shao Shang was momentarily stunned, then nodded woodenly. In truth, she hadn't planned to pull the arrow out herself—she was more of a technical specialist, not one for manual labor. But seeing Teacher Li's still-confused expression, she realized others might not understand, so she decided to see the task through to the end.
She wound the neck rope several times around her silk-wrapped right hand, pressed her left hand against the man's pale and firm shoulder, held her breath, and mustered all her strength to pull. With a sticky, tearing sound, the arrow—now stained dark red—was finally extracted. The man's strong back muscles contracted instantly, reopening the wound, and a thin stream of blood trickled down his fair, slender spine.
Startled by the amount of blood, Shao Shang let out a soft gasp.
Ling Buyi turned his head to look at her. "Does your hand hurt?" he asked.
Shao Shang quickly shook her head. "My hand's fine. Does yours?" That wound on your back is practically a bloody hole now!
Ling Buyi smiled, his beauty radiant like melting winter snow. "It doesn't hurt," he replied.
They were so close that Shao Shang was momentarily dazzled by his striking features. Only then did she notice his eyes were a translucent, deep amber, like exquisite amber encased in crystal.
She thought to herself that she had been too sharp toward this world. In truth, there were still many good people—like this man who had come to her rescue despite his injury. She shouldn't always assume the worst of others.
Next time she saw Yuan Shen and Lou Yao, she would be more polite too. Just look how much friendlier Lord Ling became after she showed a little warmth. Building good relationships was essential in the martial world—it would benefit both her and the Cheng family!
Physician Cheng, standing below, moved forward to treat the wound now that the arrow was out. But before he could act, Ling Buyi slightly raised his right hand from his knee and shook it subtly. Immediately, two guards flanked the physician, immobilizing him.
All the guards, including the usually lively Liang Qiu Fei, stood silently waiting.
Though the exchange between Ling Buyi and Young Lady Cheng had been simple and perfectly ordinary, Li Wulang couldn't shake the feeling that the atmosphere in the room had taken on a strange, almost tender quality.
He glanced at his father, his eyes asking, Father, don’t you think... it feels like...?
Li Taigong shot him a look: Shut up and pretend you didn’t notice.
The old man was quite open-minded. Both were unmarried, and with so many people present, what harm was there in exchanging a few glances? Moreover—Li Taigong studied the pair at the head of the room.
Ling Buyi was as inscrutable as the ocean; the old man couldn’t read him. But as for Young Lady Cheng... he chuckled inwardly. Either she was completely oblivious or had entirely misinterpreted the situation.
Author's Note:
This chapter's word count is fantastic—giving myself a pat on the back!
I’ve been reading all your comments, though I haven’t had time to reply to each one. Please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts!
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