Yun Ran snapped out of her shock.
She looked again at the jade-like gentleman before her, who wore a serious expression.
Blinking, she took a step back. “Cui Family brother, I know you mean well. I also know your younger sister passed away suddenly and you must be grieving, but my marriage with the Jing Prince was decreed by the Empress Dowager, and the Shengzhi has already been issued. If I dare defy it, it would be a grave crime of disrespect…”
“Yes, which is why we have to think of a way to escape…”
“What way? And where could I possibly escape to?”
Yun Ran tilted her face up, her jet-black eyes clearly reflecting Cui Boxu’s moment of speechlessness at her question. “Cui Family brother, you entered officialdom through your studies. Your knowledge and experience are surely far beyond that of a country girl like me. Even someone like me, who never properly attended a school, knows the saying: ‘All under heaven belongs to the emperor; all who dwell on the land are his subjects.’ How could you not know this?”
Cui Boxu’s thin lips moved slightly. “I…”
Yun Ran said, “My life and death alone are a small matter, but I still have my parents, elder brother and sister-in-law, and little nephew at home. In Yangzhou, I also have my Master and Senior Sister. As the saying goes, ‘A monk may run, but the temple stays.’ If I run, what about them? I can’t drag them all into disaster just because of me.”
How could Cui Boxu not understand the gravity of the situation?
But thinking of someone as innocent and pure as her being forced to die because of a sinister marriage made it impossible not to feel heartache.
Ever since he witnessed her being bestowed the marriage on Mid-Autumn night, he had tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
In his heart, a voice kept questioning him: How could he just stand by and watch? Was he really going to watch another innocent person go to their death?
When Sixth Miss was bestowed a marriage, she cried every day and grew more and more despondent.
She had even come to him in private, pleading tearfully, “Brother, I don’t want to marry. Help me escape.”
At that time, just like Yun Ran now, though his heart ached for his sister, he had to consider the bigger picture and persuaded her not to have such thoughts.
Later, Sixth Miss died. Facing her coffin, the scene of her begging him to help her escape flashed through his mind countless times. Overwhelming guilt threatened to drown him—
He truly was a terrible brother.
He was not worthy of being her brother.
He had let Sixth Miss down.
Her tears and pleas still echoed in his ears. He knew it was improper to come here so rashly, but if he did nothing, his conscience would never be at peace.
“If Fifth Miss Yun wishes to escape, perhaps you could try…”
Cui Boxu bent forward slightly and lowered his voice, “Feign your death.”
Yun Ran’s eyelids twitched violently. “Feign my death?”
Cui Boxu nodded. “Stage an accident. Slip away like a cicada shedding its shell.”
Yun Ran had never thought so far or so deep. Her mind went blank for a while before she finally reacted.
“No.”
She refused almost without hesitation. “Not to mention how risky this is— if there’s even the slightest mistake, the whole Yun Family could lose their heads. Besides, I finally managed to come home and reunite with my family. If I have to leave them again and wander in hiding, what was the point of coming all the way to Changan?”
Cui Boxu frowned, thinking she still did not realize how terrifying this marriage was. “Even if it means you will die? Even if you have less than three months to live? You’re still willing?”
Yun Ran: “……”
Well, not exactly.
The world was so interesting—she could never get enough of living, so how could she be willing to die?
“Cui Family brother, I truly appreciate your kindness, but this marriage… or rather, the Jing Prince himself, may not be as frightening as you all imagine.”
Yun Ran looked at Cui Boxu with utter sincerity. “The fact that you came to talk to me about this today proves you’re a good, warm-hearted person. So I’ll be honest with you. I secretly looked at the Bazi the palace sent over. The Jing Prince doesn’t have the so-called Heavenly Fiend Fate that people outside are gossiping about.”
“Though he does have calamities in his fate, he also has Food and Injury Generate Wealth, Official and Killing Controlled. His destiny is bright. Even among common people, it’s considered an excellent fate.”
Meeting Cui Boxu’s astonished gaze, Yun Ran emphasized, “Really. Even though my talisman writing isn’t great, when it comes to Bazi and fate, I’m the best in our temple!”
“Besides, Bazi can’t determine a person’s whole life. Some people have good Bazi, blessed with wealth stars, but if they laze about and squander everything, they won’t get rich. Some have bad Bazi, but if they’re diligent and accumulate good deeds, they can still live safely and prosperously. As the saying goes, ‘Fate is Decreed by Heaven, Fortune is Created by Oneself.’ That’s how it is.”
Yun Ran had always been talkative, and when it came to her own field, she was even more eloquent.
Cui Boxu stared at the young girl before him, her cherry-red lips moving non-stop as she rattled off all this. He was dazed for a moment.
It wasn’t until five slender, fair fingers waved in front of his eyes that he realized he’d been staring at her lips the whole time.
His refined face flushed red, and he hurriedly took a step back. “Fifth Miss Yun, I was rude.”
Yun Ran: “……?”
How was that rude? Was it because he was distracted while talking?
“Hey, it’s nothing.”
She shook her head generously, then suddenly remembered something and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “By the way, don’t repeat what I just said to anyone else. I’m only telling you because you risked so much today to persuade me to run.”
A person’s Bazi was a highly confidential matter, never to be revealed lightly, lest someone use it for evil.
Yun Ran hadn’t revealed the Jing Prince’s Bazi, but even mentioning his fate to outsiders was truly unprofessional in their line of work.
Her mind was filled with “the situation is special, may the Patriarch forgive this disciple for revealing Heaven’s secrets,” while Cui Boxu, watching the blue-skirted girl suddenly draw near, could only think, “She’s so close, she smells so nice, what did she just say?”
“Cui Family brother? Cui Family brother?”
Her crisp voice finally pulled Cui Boxu back to his senses.
His face burned, and his heart raced out of rhythm. “I… I understand, Fifth Miss Yun. Rest assured, I won’t breathe a word of our conversation today.”
“That’s good.”
Yun Ran let out a sigh of relief, stepped back again, and smiled at him. “No matter what, thank you. I’ve just arrived in Changan and have few friends. Besides my family, you’re the only one who cares about my life. I won’t forget your kindness. If you ever need help, I’ll do my best to assist you.”
With that, she looked up at the sky, cupped her hands to Cui Boxu, and said, “I have an appointment with the Abbot at the hour of Shen. I need to hurry and find that Old Master Laozi Stele. Cui Family brother, until next time.”
“Un… until next time.”
Cui Boxu stood where he was, watching the lively blue figure flit deeper into the Bamboo Grove like a butterfly, his gaze turning absentminded.
A strange, indescribable feeling welled up in his heart—there was joy, sorrow, and a faint, restless melancholy.
……
In the Long Pavilion hidden among the green bamboo, Sima Jing stood quietly, his eyes dark as he watched the blue silhouette drawing nearer.
Beside him, Chang Chun was all smiles. “Your Highness, did you hear? The Princess Consort said you don’t have Heaven’s Curse, your fate is bright!”
As soon as he finished, his master shot him a cold glare.
“If a single word of what happened today gets out, I will have you chopped into eight pieces and thrown into the Snake Den. Do you understand?”
“Y-Your Highness…”
Chang Chun had no idea which word had brought bad luck.
He’d meant to flatter, but ended up hitting a sore spot. He hurriedly knelt to beg for mercy. “Yes, yes, this servant will never speak a word of it.”
Sima Jing didn’t want to alert anyone else either. He looked down imperiously at the trembling servant kneeling on the ground. “Get up.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Chang Chun kowtowed in terror and rose halfway, then suddenly stared at Sima Jing’s hand and cried out, “Your Highness, where is Cui Bao’er?”
Sima Jing looked down to find his wrist empty, and his brows furrowed.
That mischievous creature must have slipped away while he was distracted just now.
“Go find it.” he ordered in a low voice.
“Y-Yes, yes.” Chang Chun wiped his cold sweat and rushed to search every corner of the pavilion. He had barely made half a round when he suddenly heard his master say, “No need.”
Chang Chun: “……?”
He turned his head and saw His Highness standing at the steps, facing forward. Not far away, in his line of sight—
The Future Princess Consort was frowning, holding a long branch stiffly, and at the end of the branch was a splash of green— none other than the little snake, Cui Bao’er!
The autumn wind rustled, and the bamboo leaves whispered.
“So you suddenly jumped out to scare someone, huh?”
Yun Ran stared speechlessly at the lazily coiled green snake at the end of the branch. “Still acting cute? If you hadn’t met me today, you’d have ended up as snake soup!”
She glanced left and right, and out of the corner of her eye, seemed to catch a glimpse of a figure.
Looking more closely, the dense green bamboo swayed in the wind, and the fleeting shadow seemed just a trick of her eyes.
Yun Ran frowned, but didn’t think much of it. Looking at the little snake with its round black eyes staring at her, she sighed helplessly. “Forget it, meeting you today is fate. I’ll help you out.”
With that, she held up the branch with the little snake and continued walking deeper into the Bamboo Grove.
After about a hundred steps, there was a sudden noise behind her.
Thinking of the shadow she’d glimpsed earlier, Yun Ran instantly went on high alert, spinning around with the branch raised. “Who’s there?!”
She turned so abruptly that the little snake almost fell off.
But Yun Ran couldn’t care about such details. She stared at the man approaching slowly, backlit by the dappled autumn light, and her breath caught—
The newcomer wore a wide, dark brocade robe with a bamboo-patterned belt.
His black hair was half tied with a white jade hairpin, the rest left to fall freely behind him. Such loose hair would be considered unkempt and improper these days.
Yet with that elegant, refined face, even a messy topknot couldn’t diminish his looks— if anything, it made him seem even more extraordinary, like a god come to earth.
As Yun Ran marveled at how there could be such a handsome man in the world, he lifted his eyes and looked straight at her.
How could she describe those eyes?
With his lashes lowered, it was as if he was gathering half-melted snow.
When he looked up, his eyes were deep and dark, like a bottomless ravine filled with cold, poisonous liquid.
Though the afternoon sun was warm, that look seemed to turn all the light around them cold as ink. Yun Ran felt a chill run from head to toe, and she couldn’t help shivering—
The little snake, startled, slipped and fell with a “plop.”
She snapped out of it, quickly used the branch to pick up the snake again, and hurriedly said, “Don’t be afraid, this snake isn’t venomous. I’ll just get it out of the way!”
He shouldn’t be afraid?
Sima Jing watched as the blue-skirted girl awkwardly tried to move the snake— clearly afraid herself, but worried he might be scared too, and even more afraid he might harm the snake. He frowned slightly.
He said nothing, just walked to within a branch’s distance of Yun Ran. Under her shocked gaze, he reached out to the little green snake coiled on the branch. “Stupid thing, come back.”
As if sensing its master’s presence, the little green snake immediately slithered up his long, jointed fingers and expertly coiled itself around the man’s wrist.
Yun Ran froze, her eyes wide with shock—
Heavens, this man actually let a snake climb up him, and didn’t even flinch!
She swallowed hard and looked at the man again, her heart pounding.
Bamboo Grove, green snake, stunning looks, a mysterious man who appeared out of nowhere…
Could he be—!
Yun Ran’s eyes widened slightly. Was this the True Martial Patriarch manifesting? Or maybe the Snake General under the True Martial Patriarch?
But the thought only lasted a moment. When she saw the man’s shadow on the ground, she quietly let out a sigh of relief and relaxed a little.
“This… this gentleman, is this snake yours?”
Yun Ran asked softly, forcing herself not to imagine what it felt like to have a snake wrapped around her wrist, and instead fixed her gaze on the man’s pleasing face.
Sima Jing gave a brief “Mm,” then asked, “Where were you planning to take it?”
Seeing his frown and cold tone, Yun Ran quickly waved her hands to explain. “Don’t misunderstand, I had no intention of hurting it. I just saw it in the middle of the path and was afraid other pilgrims might see it and hurt it, so I planned to take it deeper into the forest and release it somewhere safe.”
As she spoke, her eyes were clear and her words fluent, showing not the slightest hint of a lie.
A strange look flashed in Sima Jing’s eyes as he gazed at her. “You’re not afraid of snakes?”
Yun Ran: “Of course I’m afraid, who isn’t afraid of snakes…”
She choked on her words, since clearly the man in front of her wasn’t afraid.
“Ahem, what I mean is, most people are afraid of snakes, but there are a few with unusual preferences. As long as it doesn’t bother anyone, it’s fine.”
She awkwardly tried to patch up her words.
Seeing the man before her showed no change in expression, she gave up. “Mainly, the one on your hand is a green bamboo snake— it’s not venomous, so I dared to pick it up with a branch. If it were a bamboo viper, I wouldn’t even try— I’d be running for my life.”
Sima Jing: “………”
At least she was honest.
“By the way, this gentleman, are you also a pilgrim here at Xuan Du Temple?”
Yun Ran asked curiously, her eyes fixed intently on the young man before her.
Sima Jing frowned under her unabashed gaze, his tone growing colder. “Why are you staring at me?”
Yun Ran blinked. Of course she had to look— didn’t his house have a bronze mirror? Even a washbasin would do.
With a face like that, who could blame others for staring?
Of course, she wouldn’t dare say that out loud. What if he thought she was a lecher and set his snake on her?
“I just thought you looked a little familiar…”
Yun Ran narrowed her eyes, deliberately blurring his features and focusing on his silhouette. “Have we met somewhere before?”
“………”
Remembering the things she’d said to Cui Boxu under the ginkgo tree, Sima Jing was silent for a moment before replying, “I don’t know you.”
“Really?”
Yun Ran frowned, studying him even more intently. “But I feel like it’s not just your figure, even your voice sounds familiar…”
His long fingers, hidden in his sleeve, twitched.
Sima Jing restrained the urge to turn her head away, giving her a sidelong glance. “If that’s how you strike up conversations with men, it’s a bit old-fashioned.”
With that, he didn’t wait for Yun Ran to reply, and turned to leave.
Watching the tall figure quickly disappear among the green bamboo, Yun Ran was left utterly baffled. “What was that!”
Who was trying to strike up a conversation with him? He couldn’t even keep track of his own snake!
So what if he was good-looking? With such a strange temper, surely no one would like him!