Chapter 99

Xie Tingzhou half-lowered his eyes and glanced at her. Shen Yu felt extremely uneasy under his gaze. She initially intended to confront him directly, but instead, she turned her face away involuntarily.

“Why do you look like you’ve done something guilty?”

Shen Yu turned back to look at him. “Where have I been guilty? The moonlight is particularly beautiful. Can’t I go over and take a look?”

Xie Tingzhou’s lips curved slightly. “Follow me.”

Tonight’s moonlight was indeed beautiful. The shadows of the two fell one after the other on the forest floor, covered with dead branches and leaves.

The further they walked, the more Shen Yu forgot to remind him, gazing in a trance at Xie Tingzhou’s tall and straight back.

Such a rare man in the world, she wondered what kind of girl he would marry in the future. She would likely be unparalleled as well, a lady skilled in all the arts, the perfect match for him.

As they passed through the forest, the sound of flowing water suddenly reached them.

“We’re here.” Xie Tingzhou’s tone relaxed slightly. “I didn’t remember wrong after all.”

The stream was not wide, about a zhang across, with shimmering water reflecting the broken moonlight into countless pieces, the clear fragmented moon floating on the surface.

“Have you been here before?” Shen Yu walked to the edge of the stream.

“I have.”

“When?”

Xie Tingzhou looked down at the water, his gaze deepening. “Many, many years ago.”

Shen Yu didn’t notice the unusual tone in his voice. She crouched down and dipped her hands in the water.

The stream was very cold, the icy sensation seeping through her fingers.

“There’s fish!” Shen Yu suddenly lifted her head.

“Feeling hungry?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

Shen Yu nodded, took out the dagger from her waist, and stared intently at the water’s surface.

“It’s still too cold. Don’t go into the water,” Xie Tingzhou said from behind her.

She was momentarily distracted by this subtle concern, and a fish slipped past from the bottom of the water.

The moonlight was beautiful, but for some reason, it blurred her vision, making it hard to see anything clearly. She could only see fragments of the moon, unsure if it was her eyes or her heart that were dazed.

She quickly sheathed the dagger with a disappointed look. “Forget it, I can’t see clearly at night.”

Xie Tingzhou pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and whistled.

A moment later, a sharp cry pierced the sky, and a white-feathered bird swooped down through the night.

It brushed past Xie Tingzhou, circled, and landed on his arm.

Xie Tingzhou stroked its feathers and said, “Whether we have something to eat tonight depends on you.”

The white-feathered bird seemed to understand him, suddenly flapping its wings and taking off.

It circled half the sky, its sharp eyes locking onto the water’s surface for a moment before it dove down, skimming over the water and snatching a fish.

Its movements were as quick as lightning. As it flew back, its claws grasped a fish.

The bird dropped the fish on the grass by the shore and immediately returned to the river.

Shen Yu picked up the still-flopping fish. “Look.”

The fish’s tail splashed water onto her face. She wrinkled her nose and turned away, laughing with eyes that curved like crescent moons.

Xie Tingzhou stared at her smiling face. The scattered moonlight fell on her face, and for a moment, he felt a pang of pain in his heart from such a smile.

So beautiful. How could he make her smile like this forever?

They lit a fire by the riverbank, roasting four palm-sized fish over the flames. The aroma wafted into the air.

As Shen Yu watched the fish cook, she said, “These fish taste great even without seasoning. It would be even better if we could make a pot of fish soup with tofu.”

She looked up, expecting to see Xie Tingzhou admiring the moon or watching the fire, but instead, she met his eyes.

Xie Tingzhou was sitting across from her.

He was watching her.

His deep black eyes reflected the firelight, burning in the depths of his pupils, as if they could turn a person to ashes.

Shen Yu quickly averted her gaze, staring blankly at the fish.

She had lost her focus too many times tonight. Why?

“If you don’t turn it over, it will burn,” Xie Tingzhou reminded her.

Shen Yu hurriedly flipped the fish over and said, “Where is that black panther? I haven’t seen it for a long time.”

Xie Tingzhou withdrew his gaze, added a piece of wood to the fire, and said, “Cang is different from Bai Yu. It still retains some wild animal habits. There are too many people coming in and out of the yard, so I’m worried it might attack someone.”

“Oh.” He suddenly laughed. “If I let it out, your dog would be its first target.”

A black panther’s territorial instincts are strong. It often uses its scent to mark its territory. If it detects the scent of a different animal, it becomes aggressive.

Shen Yu nodded, noticing that one of the fish was done. She picked it up and handed it to Xie Tingzhou.

Xie Tingzhou paused for a moment before accepting the roasted fish on the stick.

It seemed that being with her made him continually lower his standards, living in a thatched cottage he had never stayed in, wearing coarse clothes he had never worn, eating the hardest buns, and now a roasted fish without even salt.

Xie Tingzhou smiled self-deprecatingly, tore off a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth.

“How is it? Tastes good, right?”

Xie Tingzhou looked at her bright eyes and slowly nodded.

Four roasted fish, one eaten by Xie Tingzhou, the remaining three were devoured by Shen Yu.

Bai Yu also cleaned up two fish on the side, its claws and beak stained with blood.

Xie Tingzhou took out a handkerchief, dipped it in the water, and wiped Bai Yu’s beak and claws.

Shen Yu watched and asked, “Can I touch it?”

Xie Tingzhou reached out his hand. “Give me your hand.”

Shen Yu cautiously placed her hand in his palm.

At the moment their hands touched, Xie Tingzhou recalled what Feng Yang had said, her hands were slender and soft, with calluses on her palms and the base of her thumb, the marks left from years of wielding a knife.

Xie Tingzhou was momentarily lost, then moved his fingers to her wrist, guiding her hand to Bai Yu.

As her hand approached, Bai Yu immediately looked over, its eagle eyes sharp and cold as frost.

Shen Yu instinctively pulled back, but Xie Tingzhou’s hand tightened, not letting go, guiding her hand to touch Bai Yu’s feathers.

The feathers on its back were thick, layered like fish scales, and felt good to the touch.

It was Shen Yu’s first time touching a gyrfalcon. Her eyes were full of delight. “I often see you petting its head and chest. Why am I only allowed to touch its back?”

Expecting no answer, she was surprised when Xie Tingzhou explained softly:

“Falconers stroke its head and chest to strengthen the bond and trust between the eagle and its handler. It has become a habit.”

Shen Yu nodded, slowly withdrawing her hand as she felt Xie Tingzhou’s grip loosen.

Freed from his grasp, her wrist felt hot where he had held it.

Shen Yu hid her hand behind her back, rubbing it as if it were burning.

She crouched down and submerged both hands in the icy stream.

The temperature lowered, and she pressed down on the pebbles underwater, remaining still. In the water’s reflection, she saw Xie Tingzhou raise his hand, Bai Yu spreading its wings.

Shen Yu moved slightly, and the ripples distorted the image.

He crouched down beside her, also extending his hand into the water.

Their pinkies unexpectedly touched underwater.

Uncertain if it was intentional or accidental, Xie Tingzhou’s pinkie lightly pressed on hers.

Neither of them moved, the water gradually calming down.

In the reflection, they saw each other’s faces.