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Perhaps only the biting cold wind on the deck knew…
The moment Yu Mingyao let out a scream, Xie Zhuoguang twisted his body, dodging the blade that was swung directly at him. Yet inevitably, the knife grazed his arm, leaving a gash two or three inches long.
Yu Mingyao heard Xie Zhuoguang’s breath hitch, and immediately, blood began dripping from his arm.
“Pretty boy, trying to die?”
Xie Zhuoguang’s resistance only fueled the aggression of the two men in black. The one who had earlier been wounded by Xie Zhuoguang charged again.
Faced with attacks from both sides, Xie Zhuoguang stayed composed.
After a flurry of flashing blades, the two assailants collapsed to the ground.
He had seized one of their knives and swiftly counterattacked, killing both men cleanly and decisively.
The two men on the ground only managed a few muffled groans before breathing their last.
“Are you alright?”
Having dealt with the attackers, Xie Zhuoguang immediately turned to Yu Mingyao.
Her face still bore traces of fear. Eyes wide with alarm, she shook her head.
The scene of Xie Zhuoguang lunging with the blade to strike down the two black-clad men lingered vividly in her mind. She had never expected that someone like him— a young master born into wealth and privilege, not a wandering swordsman—could kill so cleanly.
Without a shred of hesitation, every strike precise and lethal. No wasted moves.
Though they had been husband and wife in their past life, she had always felt Xie Zhuoguang didn’t understand her. But perhaps… she had never truly understood him either.
Shaking her head, she noticed the lantern she had been holding earlier had fallen when she panicked and was now starting to catch fire.
She didn’t bother retrieving it, instead listening carefully to the wails and chaos around them.
“I’m fine,” she replied coolly.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the bloodied forearm of Xie Zhuoguang. Coldly, she said, “Take care of yourself first—tend to your wound. I’m going to find Grandmother.”
With that, she lifted her skirt and walked off without looking back.
Her figure looked slender and hazy under the night sky. Xie Zhuoguang stared at her retreating back. Only now did the pain in his wound flare up. He stood dazed for a long moment before finally remembering to use his uninjured left hand to press against it.
How could it be like this?
Not even a shred of tenderness left?
In their past life, when a flower pot had accidentally fallen on the back of his hand, leaving a small bruise, she had fretted over it for half a month—applying hot towels, and rolling warm eggs over it to relieve the swelling.
Let alone such a wound— even when he had lost his appetite in the summer heat, she would toil in the small kitchen for days to make the perfect plum soup to stimulate his appetite.
When affection fades, is a person truly so cold and indifferent?
Though the wound was on his arm, Xie Zhuoguang inexplicably felt a growing ache in his chest.
—
The shrieks around her grew louder; her heart pounded ever faster.
Yu Mingyao felt as though her heart was about to leap from her throat. Lifting her skirt, she ran frantically toward the nearest cabin— the one belonging to Yu Jinnian.
Good— the door was wide open.
Half her worry eased and a surge of relief rushed in. But now wasn’t the time to relax. Grandmother was still unaccounted for. She quickened her pace, darting past panicked crowds fleeing in all directions.
Three steps, two steps, one step—
Summoning all her strength, she rammed open the door to Shi Luo-shi’s cabin. With a loud bang, Pei Shang and Yu Jinnian appeared before her, standing protectively like fierce eagles in front of Yan Yue and Shi Luo-shi.
Thank goodness— they were safe.
Her skirt fluttered down like ripples. She sprinted forward, almost catapulting into Pei Shang’s embrace.
The fear she had been suppressing all this time surged up and spread through her entire body.
“What are you doing here? Do you have any idea… you really scared me!”
As she spoke, her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears and her voice quivered.
Pei Shang lowered his gaze to her pure, delicate profile and felt his heart melt completely. The jealousy he had felt earlier, knowing she had gone to see Xie Zhuoguang, vanished without a trace.
As long as she was safe, nothing else mattered.
Tightening his arms around Yu Mingyao, he kissed the crown of her head as tears shimmered in his eyes.
Behind them, Shi Luo-shi watched the scene quietly without comment.
“Jinnian, close the door,” the elder said calmly.
Only then did Pei Shang release Yu Mingyao, smoothing her hair gently.
“Don’t cry, dear sister.”
Leaning down, he clumsily wiped her tears, his usually awkward hands surprisingly tender for her.
At that moment, Xie Zhuoguang arrived at the door—and saw the scene before him.
The tall, burly Yu Jinnian, brows furrowed, was just about to shut the door. Looking past him, in the dimly lit room, a man and a woman clung tightly together like a pair of doomed lovers.
And what about him? What was he to her now?
Xie Zhuoguang’s face froze, his heart aching worse than ever.
As he withdrew his gaze, his eyes met Yu Jinnian’s pitying stare. His ever-kindhearted brother-in-law didn’t even bother to ask if he wanted to come inside.
Lowering his eyes, his emotions tangled, Xie Zhuoguang was just about to turn away when hurried footsteps approached.
Both he and Yu Jinnian instinctively turned toward the sound.
It was Cheng Qing— with Li Qing trailing behind him, sobbing and sniffling.
Seeing Xie Zhuoguang there, Cheng Qing ignored Li Qing and quickly strode over.
“My lord, it’s just a bunch of petty thieves. After the summer locust plague wiped out their food, they heard that the passengers aboard the Shen family’s merchant ship from Jiangnan were wealthy. They disguised themselves as dockworkers and sneaked aboard hoping for a big score.”
“Nothing serious. Within an hour, this commotion should be settled.”
Xie Zhuoguang nodded.
Yu Jinnian glanced at the breathless Li Qing, then turned to Xie Zhuoguang. “My lord, why don’t you come inside to wait? If you run into a desperate thief willing to risk it all, it could be troublesome.”
Everyone nodded. Yu Jinnian stepped aside to let them in.
With women present, they didn’t go in too deep. Cheng Qing and Xie Zhuoguang stayed by the doorway, backs to the group.
Li Qing edged closer inside and glanced toward Pei Shang.
Pei Shang huffed coldly. “What are you looking at?”
Hearing his strong voice, Li Qing finally relaxed.
Xie Zhuoguang hung his head, letting his injured arm hang limply. Cheng Qing, noticing, wanted to speak but stopped after Xie Zhuoguang shot him a cold look.
Behind Xie Zhuoguang, Pei Shang’s exaggerated voice rang out:
“Mingyao, look at my head— is it swollen? Ow, ow, ow— it hurts so much.”
“You don’t even know how worried I was when I found out there were thieves outside. I didn’t even change my clothes— I ran straight to find you, but your room was empty.”
“Good thing I was smart enough to come look for Grandmother here. Heh, look— I’m still wearing Jinnian’s clothes. With family like you, I must have accumulated blessings over many lifetimes.”
His animated storytelling made everyone around him smile.
Only Xie Zhuoguang felt more bitter the longer he listened.
The stab wound in his forearm had gone an inch deep. Earlier, he had only focused on protecting Yu Mingyao, neglecting his own injury entirely.
Now, in this stillness, the pain was unbearable.
Fortunately, the screaming outside gradually quieted, replaced by silence.
There’s an old rule in the martial world: no matter how noisy it gets outside, if it doesn’t reach your room, pretend you didn’t see it.
Even though they guessed the ship guards had dealt with the thieves, no one in the room let their guard down.
Yu Mingyao was the first to break the silence.
Turning to the weary Shi Luo-shi, she said, “Grandmother, you’re too old to bear such fright. Please rest well. My brother, Yan Yue, and I will stay outside to protect you.”
Shi Luo-shi didn’t respond immediately but turned her gaze to Xie Zhuoguang. “What about you, my lord?”
Xie Zhuoguang turned to meet her eyes.
“I…”
Before he could finish, Li Qing, having noticed the bloodstained sleeve as Xie Zhuoguang turned, cried out, “My lord, what happened to your arm? You’re bleeding so much!”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to him.
Pei Shang tensed beside Yu Mingyao.
Sure enough, before Xie Zhuoguang could answer, Yu Mingyao’s voice rang out in the empty room.
“The lord was wounded while protecting me. I haven’t had the chance to thank him yet. That was my fault.”
“No… it’s not your fault.”
Xie Zhuoguang’s reply felt like a blade twisting in his heart. She wasn’t just anyone— she was his wife. How could protecting her be wrong?
Sensing the sudden awkwardness, Yu Jinnian quickly suggested, “My lord, why don’t you come to my cabin? Our luggage is there too— we brought excellent medicine for wounds. Treating your injury should come first.”
Cheng Qing nodded vigorously.
Only Yu Mingyao and Xie Zhuoguang, their backs to each other, remained silent. The air grew heavier.
Seeing this, Pei Shang forced a casual smile. “Sixth Brother, why don’t I accompany you? It’s been a long time since we’ve had a chance to talk.”
They hadn’t spoken much since Yu Mingyao’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Everyone turned to Xie Zhuoguang again. His body stiffened, and after a long pause, he finally nodded.
He had agreed.
Though it should have been a good thing for all, Yu Mingyao felt a deep, inexplicable bitterness. She didn’t like Pei Shang lowering himself for her sake, nor did she want him to risk danger.
Grabbing his sleeve, she scolded, “If you want to chat, can’t you do it later? It’s still dangerous outside. My brother can go with him. You stay here and don’t cause trouble.”
Though her words were harsh, everyone could hear the deep affection within them.
Pei Shang glanced at Xie Zhuoguang. After a few breaths, seeing his usually tactless friend finally speak up, he heard him say—with unmistakable bitterness—
“This is my first time visiting Suzhou, to see you, Mingyao. You must properly fulfill your duty as hostess and not send me back to the capital too soon.”
Even several dozen feet away from the cabin, Xie Zhuoguang could still hear Pei Shang’s affectedly playful tone.
A grown man acting like that— wasn’t he ashamed?
Suppressing the rage in his heart, Xie Zhuoguang unconsciously slowed his steps. From behind came Yu Jinnian’s booming, cheerful voice:
“My lord, why did you stop?”
He tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Nothing.”
Perhaps only the biting cold wind on the deck knew— that he was truly unharmed.