Chapter 46: Moonlight Like Water, Water Slightly Cool

"Giddyup... Giddyup! Why is it running so slowly..."

The fallen leaves in the mountains looked like a blazing fire, spreading out like a crimson carpet connecting to the edge of the sky. Lin Jiangyue led the donkey cart in front, while Yan Kuang held Cheng Ruyi in the back. Yan Kuang had fed him some painkillers, and Cheng had long since fallen into a deep sleep.

"Slow down. They have no time to chase us."

Thinking it over carefully, Lin Jiangyue realized he was right. Not only did they have to rescue people, clear the scene, and take testimonies, but the culprits were also imperial officials involving many active personnel—what an enormous, messy aftermath that would be...

Understanding dawned on her as Lin Jiangyue asked, "Did you summon the Commissioner of the Town Suppression Directorate and Prime Minister Han precisely to handle the aftermath?"

Yan Kuang pressed two fingers against Cheng Ruyi's forehead and replied in a deep voice, "Otherwise? Do you think I missed them?"

Lin Jiangyue nodded, but then let out a sudden sigh. She turned around to face a view drenched in deep crimson, resembling distant mountains consumed by fire.

Knowing the knot in her heart, Yan Kuang spoke up, "It is not your fault."

Lin Jiangyue rubbed her almond-shaped eyes, swollen from crying. "What... Senior Brother, what did you say?"

"The matter with Tang Shuangling cannot be blamed on you," Yan Kuang said. "Luo Shaofeng spoke that way simply to protect her life."

How could Lin Jiangyue fail to understand that underlying meaning? Yet she still hesitated, saying, "But—"

"She is a victim, and so are you. If we refuse to pursue the true culprit and instead harbor resentment toward the surviving victim, that would be truly foolish."

With a resolute expression, Yan Kuang added, "I believe neither Tang Shuangling nor Luo Shaofeng are such people."

Lin Jiangyue fell silent, though tears began to well up again a moment later.

She murmured dazedly, "I don't understand... I still don't understand why things turned out this way..."

Afflicted by a chronic illness and with little time left, Yan Kuang deeply empathized, yet he, too, could not comprehend Luo Shaofeng's choice.

After a moment of reflection, Yan Kuang said, "Perhaps, as he put it, it was simply fate."

Lin Jiangyue said nothing more, lowering her head to bury her face in her red sleeves. A sudden gust of wind blew by, sweeping a string of maple leaves right onto her shoulder.

...

The night had grown deep. When Cheng Ruyi awoke, he found himself lying in the small cottage in Danhua Village.

An oil lamp was burning brightly on the table; he didn't even need to guess who had lit it. He tried moving his fingers and realized his arm had already been reset by Yan Kuang, though his wrist throbbed fiercely from being hung up for too long, and his ankle was temporarily immobile.

He tentatively called out, "Commander Yan? Master Yan? Yan Kuang... Yan... hound?"

The sound of approaching footsteps prompted Cheng Ruyi to instantly close his eyes. Yan Kuang had already leaned over him, saying in a deep voice, "Awake?"

"No... I'm sleep-talking," Cheng Ruyi replied in a low murmur, trying to edge further inward to make space for the King of Hell.

Without a word, Yan Kuang smoothly climbed onto the bed.

Thinking Yan Kuang intended to sleep as well, Cheng Ruyi suddenly felt his waist tighten. His back instantly pressed against a firm, sturdy chest. The burning warmth of circulating blood seeped through his clothes and straight into his heart, sending a flurry of panic through him.

Cheng Ruyi bit his lip, his voice trembling slightly, "What are you doing? Miss Lin, she—"

"She is staying at Xiaohong's place."

Far from letting go, Yan Kuang hugged him even tighter, wrapping both arms around him to encircle his entire body within his embrace.

Beads of sweat instantly formed on Cheng Ruyi's forehead. He stammered repeatedly, "Stop, stop... You... You... aren't you going to keep her company?"

Yan Kuang stated bluntly, "She isn't injured. She doesn't need my company."

Hearing this, Cheng Ruyi was left speechless between laughter and tears. Just how dense could this blockhead Yan Kuang be? Pausing, he sighed, "Seeing things stirs memories; the night brings the deepest sorrow—"

"She is not a child."

Yan Kuang spoke softly. Holding Cheng Ruyi, he realized that the person in his arms felt slender and fragile, seemingly a size smaller than himself. Yet he had long since noticed that Cheng Ruyi's body was remarkably soft, and holding him in his arms felt wonderfully comfortable, finally giving a place to rest to hands that otherwise had nowhere to go during sleep.

Usually, he wouldn't dare be so flagrant, but now that he had an excuse, how could he let it slip away?

Hearing Cheng Ruyi stammer, Yan Kuang said, "It's too cold at night, and when I went to borrow a blanket just now, I couldn't get one. I was afraid you'd catch a chill and run a fever, so I'm putting myself out a bit. What, are you unhappy about it?"

Cheng Ruyi accepted the reality in silence. How could he possibly reply to that? It would make him look entirely ungrateful... Besides, it was undeniably warm.

Having figured it out and letting go of his awkwardness, Cheng Ruyi simply relaxed to enjoy Commander Yan's attentive care. Hoping to adjust to a more comfortable posture, he accidentally brushed against the crook of the other man's neck.

The tactile sensation at his neck and shoulder pierced straight to the bottom of Yan Kuang's heart. In an instant, a fire of desire ignited within Yan Kuang's chest.

Lowering his gaze through the moonlight, he stared at Cheng Ruyi's profile in a daze.

"Lord Yan," Cheng Ruyi suddenly spoke, pulling him back to his senses.

"Thank you."

Cheng Ruyi's voice was light and low, sounding in Yan Kuang's ear as if someone had blown a breath into his auricle, making his entire body tingle with numbness.

Yan Kuang gave a perfunctory response, but Cheng Ruyi continued, "Without you, I truly don't know how many times I would have died... And I truly don't know how to thank you."

"You saved my life once, too," Yan Kuang replied casually, though his heart was burning as if an oil lamp had been knocked over.

He could not understand where this current emotion came from or what had triggered it. During his years as an official, many had tried to arrange matches for him or even sent beauties to his neglected courtyard, all of which he had firmly refused. He had told himself he was too busy with official duties and burdened by a deep blood-feud, leaving him no mood for romance. But right now... what kind of reaction was this?

No, he couldn't keep thinking like this.

Unaware of any abnormality, Cheng Ruyi raised an eyebrow and continued, "You said it yourself, only once... But I sincerely hope there is only ever this one time... First, I hope Lord Yan encounters no more disasters, and second, you are really heavy..."

His bantering remark coaxed a soft laugh out of Yan Kuang, easing his tension. The warm breath Yan Kuang exhaled brushed against the crook of Cheng Ruyi's neck, instantly turning the scholarly beauty's cheeks red. Shifting his body slightly, Cheng Ruyi said, "Lord Yan is laughing so happily—have you thought of a way for me to repay this debt of gratitude?"

"No, there's no need." Yan Kuang refused outright and directly.

He was not Luo Shaofeng, and Cheng Ruyi was not Tang Shuangling. As long as Cheng Ruyi lived a good life, it would outweigh everything else.

"There is still plenty of time, Lord Yan can take his time thinking." Having said that, Cheng Ruyi suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, how did you find the secret passage?"

Back then, the incident had happened so abruptly that although Tang Shuangling had pushed Cheng Ruyi into the secret passage, he had still managed to leave a hasty mark for Yan Kuang at the very last moment. He had no idea if Yan Kuang would see it or understand it...

Instead, Yan Kuang replied, "It was hard *not* to find it." With that, he reached into his robes, pulled out an object, and pressed it into Cheng Ruyi's hand.

The moment it touched his skin, Cheng Ruyi knew what it was.

"The situation was critical... I didn't have anything else to use as a marker, so I fished out this double-fish jade pendant and carved one into the floor while pretending to pick up my bamboo hat..." Cheng Ruyi gave a light cough. "It seems Lord Yan really likes this mark, then? Shall we use it as our sign from now on?"

Yan Kuang did not answer him. At the time, when they failed to wait for anyone and rushed in out of concern for his safety, they searched everywhere in vain. Finally, beneath the bamboo hat in the corner of the study, they had discovered this jade pendant along with half of an unfinished... dog head.

Seeing that Yan Kuang remained silent, Cheng Ruyi tucked the jade pendant back into his robes and asked, "What about the young master? Did he return to the capital with his father?"

"Most likely," Yan Kuang said. "Having been through this ordeal, he should grow up a bit."

"So..." Observing Yan Kuang's care for Han Ning over these past few days and hearing this tone of lingering gratification, a wave of curiosity stirred in Cheng Ruyi. He paused and continued, "Is he... really your younger brother? He..."

"Yes." Knowing what Cheng Ruyi wanted to ask, Yan Kuang did not evade the question this time, stating flatly, "Not biological brothers. Hanshaozhen is my paternal uncle."

"Yet he... truly seemed to treat you even better than his own son." Although Cheng Ruyi's mind had been somewhat muddled at the time, he had still vaguely heard Hanshaozhen's voice and recognized the preferential treatment.

Treating a nephew better than one's biological son—anyone would be curious about that.

Yan Kuang frowned slightly at this, intentionally tightening his grip on Cheng Ruyi's waist. Cheng Ruyi shuddered and babbled repeatedly, "No, no, no... I'm ticklish...! I won't ask anymore, I won't ask..."

Instant silence fell over the room. After a long while, just as Cheng Ruyi was about to fall asleep, Yan Kuang suddenly spoke up, "He simply values my worth."

"Ah...?" Cheng Ruyi instantly snapped awake. "You mean... he's using you."

"I am not returning to the capital." Yan Kuang's tone was resolute. He raised a hand to tuck the blanket around Cheng Ruyi and said, "Sleep. You've been put through quite a lot this time. Rest well here and recover fully before leaving."

"Just now I was almost asleep..." Cheng Ruyi muttered softly, a sudden thought growing exceptionally strong in his mind.

As if possessed by some whim, he reached out and grasped the hand resting at his waist.

Yan Kuang was startled and instantly opened his eyes. He heard Cheng Ruyi's voice, as enchanting as hazy moonlight, falling lightly against his ear—

"Mm... I'm afraid of encountering vengeful ghosts demanding my life again, so I must trouble Lord Yan to stay and protect me."

Yan Kuang let out a soft acknowledgment. Bringing his other hand up, he firmly interlaced his fingers with Cheng Ruyi's palm, just as he had done before.

The moonlight was like frost, coating the maple leaves, flowing along the cold water, fleeting like a dream.

...

Six days slipped by in a flash. Cheng Ruyi had recovered greatly and was even able to get out of bed to stir-fry a few small dishes for the martial brother and sister.

Fortunately, Yan Kuang and the others had arrived in time back then, preventing the second iron ball from being triggered; otherwise, even immortals would have been powerless to save them.

Cheng Ruyi had just finished kneading the dough to steam some buns and went to wash the day lily blossoms he had bought. Seeing that Cheng Ruyi's injuries had only recently healed, Yan Kuang was reluctant to let him overexert himself and advised, "Why don't you continue resting and buy some food from next door to save the trouble?"

Waving his hand in refusal, Cheng Ruyi said, "Oh... If I lie down any longer, you won't even need to buy vegetables." With that, he pointed a finger at the shiitake mushrooms in the basket.

"Besides..." Cheng Ruyi sighed helplessly, "Miss Lin has been in low spirits all this time. I don't have any other skills, so I can only cook some food and send it over to her."

During these past few days, apart from coming to check on Cheng Ruyi a few times, Lin Jiangyue had kept herself secluded behind closed doors at Xiaohong's house. She still could not accept the loss of that child; being surrounded by a room full of old belongings that stirred up memories bit by bit was enough to torture any survivor like this.

"Then I'll help you." Yan Kuang took over washing the day lilies. Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi turned back to pluck the stems off the shiitake mushrooms and said, "You went to see Miss Lin this morning. Is she still the same?"

Yan Kuang nodded. "Sitting blankly in a daze, occasionally drinking some water or eating a few bites. She doesn't allow anyone to move any of the furnishings in the room."

"This can't go on... Once the food is ready, I'll go over with you to try and persuade her."

"Mn."

With hot oil at the bottom of the wok, Cheng Ruyi first poured in the beaten eggs. Accompanied by the sizzling sound of popping oil, the golden egg liquid bubbled and took shape in the blink of an eye. Then he added the day lilies, stir-fried them for a moment, added a little water, and covered the lid to let it simmer.

A faint aroma of food already began to drift out. Though Yan Kuang's sense of taste was gone, his sense of smell remained keen, and he couldn't help saying, "Smells good."

Smugly, Cheng Ruyi said, "Of course. Back then, I even thought that if I failed the exams this time, I would stay in the capital and become a chef, and at worst retake..."