067 The Night Was Pitch Black

After his initial shock, Xu Jin quickly regained his composure and asked again, “Did my father say anything else?”

The servant in blue replied, “No, sir. The master wants you to return immediately.”

“Jinlang, are you leaving already?” A woman dressed in a pale pink gown stepped out. Her features were delicately drawn, her fragrant shoulders half exposed as she affectionately leaned on Xu Jin’s arm, her voice tender and sweet. She was Xiang Yu, Xu Jin’s confidante at the Windshadow Pavilion. As everyone knew of their relationship, Xiang Yu never received other guests; serving Xu Jin alone was enough for her.

Xu Jin cupped Xiang Yu’s cheek, lowered his head, and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips—a fleeting touch, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water. Xiang Yu melted entirely into his embrace.

Chen Yage kept her head bowed low, so Xu Jin naturally paid no attention to the servant at his side. “Wait for me,” he whispered softly in Xiang Yu’s ear before letting her go and striding out of the Windshadow Pavilion.

With Xu Jin gone, there was no reason for Chen Yage to remain. She could not follow him outside, so she had no choice but to retrace her steps. After much effort, she once again climbed over the high wall, glancing back at the rear courtyard shrouded in a gentle moonlight—a hazy, dreamlike beauty.

Chen Yage was entirely unfamiliar with Xiangyang City, and as night deepened, the streets became even less recognizable. But recalling that Xu Jin had arrived by sedan chair along the broad, level road, she decided to follow it, hoping it would lead straight to the Xu residence. Xu Jin’s hurried departure surely meant something urgent had happened.

She pressed onward, but the crowd grew thinner and thinner until only her own shadow remained under the moonlight. Only then did she begin to suspect she had lost her way, or perhaps chosen the wrong direction. Yet, having come so far, she was determined to find out where she was, so she continued forward.

About an hour later, the houses on either side of the road grew sparse. Chen Yage became more vigilant. In places like this, dark and deserted under the moon, it was not uncommon for robbers or worse to prey on the unwary. She admitted she possessed neither riches nor beauty, but she was still a woman alone.

“Who’s there?” Just as Chen Yage’s nerves were stretched taut, a shadow flickered ahead. She stopped and scanned the surroundings warily, but all was still. “Stop playing tricks and come out!” she called again, but still there was no response. She began to wonder if she had imagined it, or if her nerves were simply getting the best of her.

After a while, with nothing amiss, she resumed her walk. Suddenly, a shadow darted to the left. Startled, Chen Yage froze in place, but quickly regained her composure and moved toward where the shadow had vanished. As she walked, a sense of familiarity crept over her—then she realized, not far ahead, stood the old ruined temple.

She felt as if she had searched high and low only to stumble upon it effortlessly.

Eager, she entered the ruined temple. Inside, all was quiet; she could hear only her own steady breathing.

Suddenly, a strip of cloth looped around her neck and tightened. Someone was strangling her, and Chen Yage grasped the fabric with all her strength, not daring to loosen her grip, lest she be sent to the afterlife.

Whoever held the cloth was incredibly strong. Chen Yage felt herself suffocating. Fortunately, she kept her wits; bending low, she flung the attacker over her shoulder. With a cry of pain, he crashed to the ground.

The assailant released his grip, and Chen Yage gasped for air, painfully drawing in each breath. “Yihu, what are you trying to do?” she demanded.

At the sound of her voice, Yihu replied in delight, “Yage, is that you?” It turned out it had been Yihu who had just tried to strangle her. From the moment she stepped into the ruined temple, he had been on high alert—ready to strike down anyone who entered.

“Why shouldn’t it be me? It’s the dead of night, and instead of sleeping, you try to kill me the moment I arrive. Am I so unwelcome?”

“No, you’re mistaken,” Yihu hastily explained. “We were just worried about strangers breaking in and causing unnecessary trouble, that’s all.”