BOUND IN MARRIAGE - CHAPTER 26

The journey back to Qinglong from Weiping Prefecture’s Qingzhou County was not considered long.

Yang Zhen, rarely getting a chance to travel, seized the opportunity to enjoy the scenery along the way. Initially, she sat in the carriage with Xiang Yi, but seeing Tan Jian riding so joyfully on horseback, she insisted on riding as well.

However, the number of horses was limited. If Yang Zhen wanted to ride, someone had to give up their mount for the carriage. Since all the riders were men, it was inconvenient for any of them to sit inside with Xiang Yi.

But Yang Zhen knew what she was doing. While Tan Jian was still waffling, she turned to Eldest brother, Tan Ting, who was mounted on a magnificent black steed.

"Eldest Brother, could I borrow your horse for a while?"

Tan Jian would never have dared to utter those words even if he were beaten to death.

But he watched as Tan Ting’s gaze flickered toward the carriage before he simply nodded in agreement.

Tan Jian blinked rapidly, a realization dawning on him.

Does Eldest Brother also want to sit in the carriage with Sister-in-law?

He suddenly felt his wife was far more reliable than himself.

Tan Jian watched his brother dismount, preparing to switch places with Yang Zhen, when she called out to the woman inside the carriage.

"Sister-in-law, why don't you come out and ride too? We can swap Tan Jian out as well."

Tan Jian nearly fell off his horse.

He saw his brother’s hand pause as it reached for the carriage curtain. Fortunately, Xiang Yi did not accept. Her voice came softly from within:

"I am not very skilled at riding. You all go ahead."

Yang Zhen could only promise to teach her next time before she hopped onto the black horse.

Tan Ting lifted the curtain. Just as he entered, he saw the person already seated inside attempting to move to the other side to give him space.

"No need to move," he said, those four words clipped as he sat directly opposite her.

The space inside the carriage was narrow; the warm air felt slightly stifling. Once he entered, Xiang Yi sat perfectly still, her gaze fixed downward, watching her nose, and her nose watching her heart.

Tan Ting did not speak either, sitting silently across from her.

Outside, Yang Zhen’s cheerful voice rang out as she rode, and Tan Jian grew increasingly talkative beside her. Their liveliness only served to make the silence within the carriage feel more profound.

In the past, they were both accustomed to this atmosphere. Now, however, Tan Ting found himself wanting to say something, anything, to break the quiet.

But what? Should he ask if she fared well at her natal home? Ask about her plans once they returned to the Tan estate? Or suddenly inquire about her personal preferences?

None felt appropriate.

Tan Ting realized, with a start, that he could find no topic of conversation with his own wife.

He let out a soft sigh.

The group continued steadily toward Qinglong. The area around Qingzhou and Qinglong lacked high mountains, but the road was dotted with small hills. Because prestigious families resided nearby, the routes had been peaceful for years, free from mountain bandits or river pirates.

As they traveled, the wind picked up. The horses struggled against the cold gale, and Tan Ting ordered the party to rest in a sheltered spot between the hills.

No one objected, though Yang Zhen asked, "Will we run into bandits resting in the mountains like this?"

Tan Jian laughed and shook his head.

"No bandits camp on these hills. If any thieves were lying in ambush here, the sheer lack of resources would exhaust them before they could even rob anyone. Who would be so foolish?"

Yang Zhen found his reasoning sound. She was just about to praise him—So the Second Young Master isn't entirely useless after all—when a sharp, sudden whistle echoed through the hills.

In the next breath, over a dozen men lunged from the thickets on both slopes, shouting as they charged down with blades and spears.

Inside the carriage, Xiang Yi had taken the opportunity of the halt to drink some water.

Tan Ting froze for a fraction of a second at the sudden commotion outside. Then, the sound of wind being sliced hissed toward them.

The man lunged forward, his hand clamping firmly around Xiang Yi’s arm to pull her aside.

The water in her cup splashed out. At that exact moment, a sharp arrow tore through the carriage window behind Tan Ting, grazing his arm before thudding into the wooden frame on the opposite side.

It was exactly where Xiang Yi had been leaning a moment ago.

Breathless and shaken, Xiang Yi found herself half-circled within his arms. She looked up and met his heavy, darkened gaze.

In that instant of contact, their breaths mingled in the sudden, forced intimacy.

Outside, chaos erupted fully.

Tan Ting’s expression was grim. He uttered only four words: "Stay inside the carriage."

He drew the sword kept beneath the seat and leapt out.

The Tan family had sent many guards to fetch Xiang Yi. Though the bandits had the advantage of surprise, they were quickly suppressed.

Fifteen minutes later, seeing they were no match for the Tan guards, the leader blew a sharp whistle. The bandits retreated in a panicked scramble.

The guards moved to pursue, but Tan Ting stopped them.

The origin of these attackers was unknown. Pursuing them might lead to an ambush, or drive the wounded thieves into a desperate, final stand. Their goal was a safe return, not a total slaughter.

He immediately ordered the caravan to reorganize and checked for casualties.

The bandits were poorly trained. Aside from a few light wounds sustained during the initial ambush, the Tan party was largely unharmed. Tan Jian had protected Yang Zhen and received a minor flesh wound; Yang Zhen, having traded a few blows with the attackers, was still buzzing with excitement.

"Those bandits were truly strange. Several grown men couldn't even handle a few moves from me. They looked fierce, but they ran off just like that."

Tan Jian thought to himself: With all the rules in aristocratic families, even a man like me, forced to practice martial arts, might not last a few rounds against my own wife, let alone those men.

"They didn't look like professional bandits," Tan Jian mused.

Tan Ting agreed, but his first instinct after the skirmish was to return to the carriage.

As he approached, the curtain lifted.

Xiang Yi appeared unharmed. Instead of showing fear, she looked at him with concern.

"Is the Master alright?"

It was rare for her to speak first, breaking her usual formal script. Tan Ting felt his heart soften involuntarily, and his voice turned gentle without him even realizing it.

"I am fine. And you?"

She nodded slightly but said no more, turning instead to inquire about Tan Jian and Yang Zhen.

Since no one was seriously hurt but the location was unsafe, Tan Ting ordered an immediate departure.

Unfortunately, the heavens were not kind. A cold wind whipped up dust and debris, blowing directly against them. After traveling for some time, they had made little progress, and the sky turned a leaden gray, signaling imminent rain or snow.

Xiang Yi spoke up. "Perhaps we should find a village to rest in temporarily."

If the wind died down, they could continue; if the snow fell, they would stay the night.

Her thoughts mirrored Tan Ting’s. He nodded and sent a scout ahead. Soon, word came back of a small settlement five miles away called Liuyang Village.

At the village entrance stood three great willow trees. When they arrived, Tan Ting’s men knocked on several doors, but no one answered. They eventually found some children, who explained that the adults were at the village head’s house for a meeting.

The children didn't know much, occupied as they were with drawing in the dirt. Xiang Yi watched them for a moment, then produced a bag of sweets for them.

Tan Ting sent men to the village head’s house to ask for shelter. The village head did not refuse, directing them to a spacious, unoccupied courtyard.

By late afternoon, the wind grew fierce. When it finally subsided, sleet began to fall. The group gave up all hope of reaching Qinglong that day.

Xiang Yi had Qiao Xing borrow some medicinal herbs from the villagers, claiming someone had fallen from a horse due to the wind. The villagers were obliging.

Tan Ting watched as she carefully inspected everyone's injuries, distributing the herbs one by one. Finally, she held one portion back.

"The Master was also grazed by an arrow, were you not? Do you require me to apply the medicine?"

Tan Ting had assumed she hadn't noticed his wound. Hearing her words, his gaze softened further.

"Very well."

They occupied the east wing of the small courtyard. Inside, Xiang Yi pulled back Tan Ting’s sleeve to reveal the scratch. She ground the herbs finely, cleaned the wound of any grime, and then gently applied the poultice.

The herbs were stinging on a fresh wound, but Tan Ting neither hissed nor frowned. He simply watched her hands—so light, so steady—as she treated him and finally bound it with a white silk handkerchief.

There was no clumsiness in her movements. She was as gentle as the wind moving the distant white clouds.

There was something about her that put one at peace. Tan Ting didn't snap out of his daze until she had finished and moved away to wash her hands.

He watched her from beneath lowered lids. She was wearing the lotus-root-colored jacket he had seen her in at the market that day. But compared to the slight spark of joy she had shown then, she seemed far more subdued today.

Naturally, the vibrant sprig of red plum was missing from her hair.

Tan Ting pursed his lips. Qiao Xing’s voice came from outside, reporting that Yang Zhen couldn't manage Tan Jian’s wounds and was asking for the Eldest Madam’s help.

As she spoke, Tan Jian’s cry of pain echoed across the yard.

Xiang Yi, only halfway through washing her hands, dried them hurriedly and rushed over.

In the west wing, Tan Jian was nearly in tears. "Wife, I beg of you, could you please not try to kill me?"

Yang Zhen was frantic. "I’m being as light as I can! Why are you so sensitive to pain?"

Tan Jian felt wronged. He truly couldn't compare to the martial artists of the Yang family, but if his wife hadn't been so heavy-handed, it wouldn't have hurt this much.

When Xiang Yi entered, Tan Jian looked at her like a savior. Yang Zhen wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Sister-in-law, thank goodness you're here. I can't handle him."

Xiang Yi looked at Tan Jian’s wound; it was indeed more complicated than his brother’s. Her younger brother, Xiang Yu, had been a prickly and combative child who got into plenty of fights. Even after he started his studies, he often came home with injuries because of his temper. Xiang Yi had treated his wounds so often that Tan Jian’s injury seemed like nothing in comparison.

However, Tan Jian was still smarting from Yang Zhen’s ministrations. If she applied the herbs now, he would surely scream.

Xiang Yi had Qiao Xing bring a bag of sweets. She told Tan Jian to count them as he ate, he could only have one every time he reached ten.

While Tan Jian was distracted by the counting and the sugar, her hands moved with clinical efficiency. She cleaned the wound and applied the herbs before he could react.

Tan Jian, still chewing, nearly yelped at the final sting, but with a mouth full of candy, he didn't dare for fear of choking.

Xiang Yi saw this and quickly signaled Yang Zhen to feed him the remaining pieces, coaxing him gently, "There, there. It’s over. It won't hurt anymore."

Tan Jian took a long moment to catch his breath. "Thank goodness for Sister-in-law..."

Yang Zhen huffed dismissively from the side.

Xiang Yi found their bickering so childish and amusing, but when she turned around, she saw her husband standing at the door.

Tan Ting’s gaze rested briefly on her face before fixing on Tan Jian. He had been drawn over by his brother’s undignified wailing.

But he had arrived just in time to see...

Tan Jian saw his brother and scrambled to stand and bow.

His brother only gave a cold snort and a sharp look. "Crying out like that... utterly improper."

Tan Jian shut his mouth instantly. His brother didn't say another word, simply turned with his hands behind his back and returned to the east wing.

Though his brother hadn't scolded him further, Tan Jian inexplicably felt like he was in trouble.

"Sister-in-law..."

"What is it?" Xiang Yi was packing up the herbs and giving Yang Zhen a few instructions.

Tan Jian didn't quite know how to explain it. He just felt that he couldn't let his sister-in-law treat his wounds anymore. Even if his wife's hands were like lead, he couldn't trouble the Eldest Madam again.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister-in-law. Please, go back and rest."

Xiang Yi didn't quite grasp his meaning, but as the hour was late, she returned to the east wing.

---

Inside, the man had poured himself a cup of water and was drinking silently by the window. The room was shallow; Xiang Yi reached his side in just a few steps.

She did nothing more than refill his tea before going to the bed to tidy the linens for the night.

Tan Ting couldn't help but think of how she had coaxed Tan Jian, even bringing out sweets to soothe him.

Yet with him, there wasn't a single extra word.

He watched his wife’s back, pursed his lips in silence, and finally stood to go outside and organize the night watch for the guards.

--

In Liuyang Village, at the village head’s house.

A group of men supported each other as they stumbled back through the dusty wind. As soon as they appeared, the village head had them pulled into his courtyard.

Looking at their bedraggled state and the bloodstains on several of them, the village head was horrified.

"Did you truly go through with that banditry?! Did you run into the Chen family's people?"

These dozen or so men were, coincidentally, the "bandits" Tan Ting had encountered on the road.

The leader shook his head. "We encountered a group, but they didn't look like the Chen family from Fengling. They were dressed in silks and satins, though. We thought to rob them, but they were more formidable than we imagined. We couldn't win."

The village head was terrified. "Why were you so impulsive? If they aren't the Chens, you shouldn't have risked it!"

The leader, blood still drying on his face, gave a cold snort.

"Even if they aren't the Chens, they are from some other great family. Are they not all the same? Using a year like this to suppress prices and hoard land. When we refuse to sell, they use their connections in the government to extort us, forcing us to sell our fields. Do they leave even a path to life for us commoners?"

The Chen and Qiu families were heartless and greedy. Since it was so, it was only right to "rob the rich to help the poor!"

The village head knew the people were harborring a fire in their hearts; there was no stopping it. He could only persuade them to go home and rest, urging them not to act so rashly again.

Tan Ting had just finished assigning the patrol. The bandits from earlier were of unknown origin, and he couldn't rule out a nighttime attack on the village.

Just then, he heard a flurry of footsteps coming from the direction of the village head’s house, then scattering.

He remembered that when they arrived, many houses were empty because the adults were meeting. His eyelid twitched. Just as he was about to send someone to investigate quietly, voices came from around the corner.

In the next breath, the people rounding the corner came face-to-face with Tan Ting.

The man with the blood on his face saw Tan Ting and immediately called out to the others. On the Tan side, the guards behind Tan Ting drew their blades in unison.

The two groups had collided again.

Clashing steel was only a moment away. The wind grew violent.

Xiang Yi heard the commotion and ran out to see Tan Ting already ordering the courtyard to be secured, his men standing in a tense standoff with the villagers outside.

Yang Zhen and Tan Jian also rushed out and were soon embroiled in the fight.

Yang Zhen’s pair of short swords moved like flowing water. She did not take lives, instead using precise strikes to drive back men much larger than herself.

Tan Jian watched her, his eyes wide. She looked even more like a "soaring dragon" now than she had in the mountains that afternoon. Every beautiful move she made was etched into his vision.

He found himself unable to look away, his heart thumping wildly. He even forgot to step forward with his own blade until his brother kicked his leg.

"Blades have no eyes! Why are you dazing off now?!"

Tan Jian snapped back to reality.

How could he explain to his brother that he had simply been mesmerized? That his heart was racing and everything else had vanished? Such "romantic sentiments" were not things he dared mention to a brother of such stern character. He raised his sword and joined the fray.

The bandits outside shouted, calling more and more villagers to them. Those who arrived later didn't even know the cause; they simply saw their neighbors fighting and raised their clubs and staves against the Tan group.

Soon, even Tan Jian and Yang Zhen were struggling. In her haste, Yang Zhen’s defense slipped, and a spear nearly caught her shoulder. Tan Jian lunged to block it, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow.

"Eldest Brother, if this continues, we will lose our advantage! What do we do?"

Tan Ting saw it too. But before he could speak, following his brother’s frantic cry, a remarkably calm voice rang out.

"Fighting like this is not the solution. We should negotiate with the villagers before our strength wanes."

Tan Ting turned. In the swirling cold wind, he saw the woman behind him. She had changed into a simple, light-colored robe, and the wind tossed her half-pinned hair. She showed no sign of fear at the violence before her; instead, her expression was settled and resolute.

In that moment, Tan Ting’s gaze met hers; the gaze that usually avoided his.

Her suggestion was exactly what he was thinking.

"The Madam is correct," he said.

He turned back, parrying a spear thrust as he whispered a few words to the lead guard. Within a few breaths, the guard seized an opening and dragged a slender young villager into the courtyard.

With a hostage in hand, the fighting slowed immediately.

Tan Ting spotted an elderly man hurrying toward them.

"We were forced to seek shelter in your village due to the wind and snow. We have no intention of causing trouble. Why must we fight to the death?"

He looked directly at the old man. "Village Head, what do you say?"

He had correctly identified the leader. The old Village Head was stunned to realize that the travelers he had sheltered were the very same "Chen family" the villagers had accidentally attacked.

The Village Head had no desire for bloodshed. He understood Tan Ting’s intent immediately. However, with blood already spilled on both sides, stopping was no simple matter—especially with a young villager held captive.

But because of the hostage, the villagers dared not move. The Village Head called out to the lead man.

"Bingyong! They don't want to fight, which is why they took a hostage to talk to us. Tell everyone to stop! Must we wait for someone to die before you're satisfied?"

Zhang Bingyong was the one who had proposed robbing the Chen and Qiu families. He hated his lack of power, feeling only the weight of the aristocratic families' bullying. Many families had sold their land this year just to survive, and from now on, they could only serve as tenant farmers for the great clans. Though they wouldn't have to pay taxes, they would have less grain and be treated like slaves.

He was anxious, angry, and unwilling. "What if they are from the Chen or Qiu families? Look at them, clad in silks and satins, traveling right when the clans are buying up land. You can't be sure..."

"That is nothing but your own guess!" Yang Zhen cut in, stepping forward. "Let me tell you, we are not Chens or Qius. We are the Tan family of Qinglong!"

The name made the villagers gasp. Who hadn't heard of the prestigious Tan family? When the guards flashed their waist-tokens, clearly carved with the character for "Tan," the crowd was shaken.

If the local Qius or the branch families of the Fengling Chens were giants they couldn't hope to oppose, then the Tan family of Ningnan Prefecture was a titan, older and more exalted.

As the villagers wavered, Tan Ting’s gaze swept over them.

"We are indeed the Tans of Qinglong. We are not here to buy land at suppressed prices. I am merely escorting my wife back from her visit to her natal home."

He focused on Zhang Bingyong. "We travel with little coin. Whether you wish to rob the rich or seek revenge, is it worth throwing your lives away against us?"

Tan Ting was a man of few words, but his words always struck the heart of the matter. Zhang Bingyong and the others were not desperate outlaws; they were ordinary farmers. However angry they were, there was no reason to die fighting an unrelated party.

The villagers hesitated, glancing at one another. Tan Ting signaled his men to hold their ground.

Yet Zhang Bingyong remained aggressive. "So you're the Tans of Qinglong, even more powerful than the others. Doesn't that just mean you can exploit us even more?" He gave a cold laugh. "It’s a bitter winter. Are you telling me the Tan family hasn't been buying up land at low prices? You’re all the same breed."

The villagers’ resolve hardened again. "The great families are all the same! Has your Tan family truly not bought a single acre?!"

Once again, the spears were leveled at the Tans.

Before anyone else could speak, Tan Jian declared, "Our Tan family truly has not bought land at suppressed prices!"

He glanced at his brother, remembering the grumbling within the clan when the Eldest Brother had forbidden the use of clan funds for land acquisition. Under his authority as the Clan Head, no one had dared challenge him.

Now, he saw that his brother’s decision had been far-sighted.

"Have you heard any rumors of the Tan clan acting like the Chens or the Qius?" Tan Jian challenged.

Tan Ting nodded inwardly at his brother’s quick thinking. Xiang Yi watched as the villagers began to whisper among themselves. They asked one another, and indeed, no one had heard of the Tan family exploiting the current crisis.

But Zhang Bingyong refused to be swayed. "Just because we haven't heard of it doesn't mean they haven't done it, or won't do it later. They are aristocrats; we are commoners!"

The rift between the classes was deep, a fire that had been smoldering for a long time.

Tan Ting took a step forward. His figure was tall, his voice clear and powerful.

"I can guarantee that the Tan family of Qinglong will not engage in such exploitation or bullying of the common people."

His voice remained steady despite the gale. Xiang Yi looked at him. In an age where nearly every aristocratic family was seizing the chance to hoard land, he was willing to make such a public promise.

The old Village Head looked at Tan Ting. He did not know the man’s exact identity, but his aura made it clear he was no ordinary person. To speak such words, he had to be the one in power.

The Village Head turned to Zhang Bingyong. "Think clearly! We shouldn't blame the Tan family for what other clans have done. We cannot afford to make an enemy of the Tans!"

If the Tans could make such a promise, what benefit was there in stubborn hostility? Many villagers nodded in agreement. The Tan party began to relax.

Suddenly, Zhang Bingyong murmured the name "Tan family of Qinglong" to himself. He asked the Village Head:

"Can we really trust the words of these aristocrats? How can we be sure they won't go back on their word? What I fear most is that they are saying one thing now but will send the officials and soldiers to wipe us out the moment they return home. How will we survive then?"

This hypothetical scenario terrified the villagers. In these times, could they really trust an aristocrat’s promise? Even the Village Head grew wary, no longer daring to offer a guarantee.

Tan Ting’s brow furrowed. Yang Zhen and Tan Jian tried to argue, but their words only made the villagers more defensive. The collapse of trust between the gentry and the commoners was not something that could be fixed in a day.

To these villagers, it might seem safer to silence the Tan party here than to risk them "returning with a tiger." Though they were peaceful farmers, a cornered man might do anything.

The snow began to fall harder, lashing against the standoff. Tan Ting prepared for the worst; a failure of the negotiation.

---

At that moment, someone stepped forward through the wind and snow.

Her white hem was dampened, and her hair whipped about her face. Her voice rose, calm and steady.

"If I can find someone to stand as a guarantor, will you then believe the Tan family’s promise?"

Everyone turned to look at her. A guarantor? In this weather, where would she find one?

The villagers sneered. "If we let you out, you'll just go find reinforcements! Don't play tricks!"

Tan Jian was also skeptical. "Sister-in-law, can you really find someone they will trust?"

Tan Ting’s gaze fell upon her once more. She did not waver. Instead, a tiny, faint smile touched her lips.

"I believe... I may have a guarantor right here in this village."

Surprise rippled through both groups. The Tans were baffled, and the villagers looked at one another, searching for anyone who might know these strangers.

Zhang Bingyong grew impatient. "Stop talking in riddles! Who is it? If someone can truly vouch for you, we will let you go!"

Xiang Yi’s eyes remained clear. In the dim light, Tan Ting saw the orange glow of the villagers' torches reflected in her face.

"Could you please bring the 'Teacher Chu' who teaches the village children to read?"

The Tan family had no idea who she was talking about, but the villagers were stunned.

Before anyone could ask how she knew about their teacher, footsteps sounded in the distance. A lantern bobbed through the snow, and someone hurried toward them.

"Madam Xiang!"

The Tan family looked over and gasped. It was none other than Chu Xinggu and her mother, who had once lived in the Tan family's Benevolent Hall!

Chu Xinggu’s shout identified Xiang Yi immediately. The villagers were in disbelief, asking how she knew these people.

Chu Xinggu never imagined that after leaving the Tans to spend the winter with her aunt and uncle, she would encounter such a riot. She had stayed inside until she heard the name "Tan family of Qinglong." Hearing the details, she had run all the way here.

The Village Head and Zhang Bingyong looked at her expectantly. Since Chu Xinggu was the daughter of a xiucai, she was the only literate person in the village after the previous old teacher had passed away. She taught the children and read letters for the villagers without taking a single coin. The children loved her, and the villagers respected her, calling her "Teacher Chu."

"Teacher Chu, you know them?" the Village Head asked.

Chu Xinggu, still catching her breath, nodded. "The people in this courtyard are the main branch of the Tan family!" She looked at Xiang Yi. "This is the Madam I told you about, the one who helped my mother and me time and again!"

Zhang Bingyong lived right next door to Chu Xinggu’s relatives. He had heard about their ordeal. While some Tan clan members were indeed detestable, those people had been punished. More importantly, this Madam had gone against the clan’s pressure to help them, not with empty words, but with genuine kindness.

And she, too, was of commoner origin!

Zhang Bingyong looked at the Tan party, then at the woman standing in the center. So this was the "Madam of commoner origin" they had heard about.

His heart was nearly convinced. He asked Chu Xinggu, "Can you vouch for them? Vouch that they won't seek revenge?"

Chu Xinggu looked at Xiang Yi, who gave her a small nod. Chu Xinggu took a deep breath.

"If you all trust me, I will vouch for the Tan family!"

The wind and snow seemed to pause. The threat of a bloodbath vanished like snow falling into water.

---

Tan Ting ordered his men to release the hostage. He turned to look at Xiang Yi.

Her hair was messy from the wind, resting on her shoulders. She let out a long, slow sigh of relief and nodded her thanks to Chu Xinggu.

The Tan family members all exhaled in unison. Yang Zhen rushed forward. "Heavens, Sister-in-law, how did you know she was here?"

Tan Jian was equally amazed. "Did you ask about her beforehand?"

Xiang Yi had indeed sent Qiao Xing to check on the Chu mother and daughter after the audit, but they hadn't learned their exact location.

She shook her head and gave a small, modest smile.

"When we entered the village, I saw several children writing in the dirt with sticks. When I gave them sweets, I heard them mention a new 'female teacher' whose surname happened to be Chu. I simply kept it in mind..."

She explained her incredible attentiveness and the way she had averted disaster with such casual grace.

As she spoke, her eyes were bright, reflecting the torchlight like a winter hearth.

Tan Ting stared at her. That light, for some reason, seemed brighter to him than any daybreak. He felt his own heart; much like the flickering of the torches, begin to thump rapidly and without rhythm.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

[TN: The scene shifts to the Tan family farm where Tan Rong is staying.]

At the Tan farm, the young man who had been escorted in was quite seriously injured. Fortunately, his servant was capable and only needed to borrow some medicinal herbs.

Tan Rong had decided not to return to the city due to the weather. Hearing the servant asking for herbs, she called him over.

"Is Master Sheng’s injury very serious? Are herbs enough?"

The servant, named Qiu Ying, sighed. He said the tiger they encountered was incredibly fierce. "If my master weren't skilled in martial arts, he would have been torn apart. Even so, the wound is deep. In this frozen weather, where else can we find proper ointments?"

Tan Rong’s maid, Xiao Xi, laughed. "Our Miss has the finest medicinal pastes right here."

Tan Rong gave a small cough, and at Qiu Ying’s hopeful look, she nodded. She had Xiao Xi bring out several premium ointments and gave them to him.

"I don't know if this is enough. If Master Sheng needs anything else, come back and ask."

Qiu Ying bowed in gratitude. Before leaving, he scratched his head. "Actually, my master is a scholar. He says he doesn't deserve titles like 'hero' or 'warrior.' The Miss need not be so formal."

After he left, Tan Rong sat in her chair, clutching her hand-warmer in silence.

So, he was a scholar who knew martial arts. Likely a young master from some prestigious family. She wasn't usually interested in the affairs of other clans and didn't recognize the surname "Sheng."

She bit her lip, the image of him walking down the slope burned into her mind. He was tall and elegant, much like her eldest brother. Even wounded and slightly hunched, he looked like a "tree of jade standing in the wind."

His looks... were far more striking than those of the young masters her mother had picked out for her.

That evening, Qiu Ying returned to say that Master Sheng wished to thank her in person. Tan Rong tidied her dress and met him.

The man was indeed pale from his injuries, but his expression was warm and his manners impeccable. After thanking her, he said:

"The tiger attack was sudden. I fear I cannot travel tomorrow. Would it be possible to stay at this farm for a few more days?"

Tan Rong agreed immediately.

The man’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Thank you for your kindness. However, you are an unmarried young lady. It would be improper for me to stay on your farm without proper notice." He paused, his peach-blossom eyes lifting slightly, glowing like fine wine as they rested on her. "I am not a rake. I believe it would be best to inform the Madam who manages your household's affairs, lest gossip harms your reputation."

Tan Rong was stunned by his consideration. Under the weight of his gaze, her heart began to race. Without a second thought, she nodded.

"Rest assured, Master. Tomorrow, I will send word to my Eldest Sister-in-law."

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