As dusk fell, wild grass overran the roadside. The new year had only just begun, yet the roads were already sparsely populated, with few carriages and even fewer travelers in sight.
At a crossroads stood an inn.
A few Mongolian horses lowered their heads, devouring their feed, their necks practically covering the entire manger. Sparse lamps were lit inside the inn for illumination, and soone inside called out a few tis,
"Is anyone here?"
"Here." An old man, frail and hunched, descended the stairs slowly with the aid of a walking stick.
"We're from the Pingyuan Escort Agency," the middle-aged man at the front introduced himself before asking, "Elder, may I ask your na?"
"My humble surna is Shen. I hail from Taiyuan."
"Elder Shen, does this inn belong to you?"
"rely passing through. This place has been abandoned for who knows how long."
The old man's words prompted the mbers of the Pingyuan Escort Agency to glance at the inn's hanging signboard, which was entangled in dark green ivy.
The young lad standing beside the leader leaned in and whispered, "Uncle Du, staying one night won't hurt."
Du Sheng—addressed as Uncle Du—was the leader of this escort mission. Veteran and experienced within the Pingyuan Escort Agency, he held the third highest position.
Du Sheng frowned and deliberated before replying, "Caiying… better safe than sorry."
Lu Caiying chuckled and said, "The horses are already tied up in the stable, and the brothers are exhausted. Besides, an abandoned inn is safer than one filled with people. With people, they might harm you; what's the fear of ghosts in an empty inn?"
As he spoke, a clear, delicate voice suddenly erged from behind the old man.
"Father, what's going on downstairs?"
That lilting voice, as if striking a chord within one's being, caught Lu Caiying's attention. He turned his head and imdiately lit up with interest.
Under the dim lighting, the first thing to catch the eye was a slender, willowy waist, easily encircled by a single hand. With an upward gaze, he saw long, jet-black hair, damp as if freshly washed. The young woman descended the stairs with a faint smile, her face lighting up with a bashful redness as she noticed the room full of n. That blush struck right at his heart.
Lu Caiying's emotions surged uncontrollably as he involuntarily took two steps forward.
"What are you doing down here? Go back upstairs imdiately." The old man hastily barked at the young woman.
Seeing that it was a frail young woman behind the elder, Du Sheng asked, "Elder Shen, is it just the two of you here?"
"…Yes, we're rely on our way to attend a gathering with relatives…" The old man's voice grew quieter, his gaze filled with suspicion.
That very suspicion reassured Du Sheng, who told the elder not to worry and assured him they were decent folks. He then ordered his n to move their luggage into the abandoned inn.
As for Lu Caiying, he was still savoring the young Shen woman's earlier look of shy redness, his lips unconsciously dry.
...…
Once the group of travelers had settled in, the night deepened. The crescent moon hung coldly in the sky, casting an icy chill.
Lu Caiying couldn't shake the mory of the young woman's fleeting shyness. His heart itched unbearably, even drinking with a few brothers to distract himself proved futile.
He thought about his background: as the eldest son of the Pingyuan Escort Agency's head, it was certain he would inherit the business in the future. Moreover, he was not a crude Martial Artist but cultivated in both refinent and charm. Surely he wouldn't be unworthy of this Miss Shen.
If only he could let that old man know of his virtues—how wonderful that would be!
Perhaps they could forge a fated union.
As he mused over his own excellence, he restrained himself from expressing it openly, fearing it would co off graceless.
Even if marriage wasn't possible…
Just spending one night together—he'd die without regret.
"They say the White Lotus Saint Mother in the south is exceptionally beautiful…"
"Shh, don't speak of such things and invite trouble."
"As if I don't know that. The White Lotus Sect hasn't spread chaos here yet. What's there to fear? If we were in the south, I wouldn't be talking…"
Words of admiration floated through the hall. Lu Caiying heard them but remained disinterested. No matter how beautiful she might be, it couldn't compare to the stirring he had felt earlier.
"I'm going upstairs to rest, too."
A slight intoxication rose within him. He had no desire to linger.
......
Soon after, a commotion erupted next door. That father and daughter seed to be quarreling, neither willing to yield.
"Once we arrive, I have to leave imdiately—your aunt won't tolerate staying longer."
"What aunt? What aunt? Father, you're just selling off there."
"It's not selling—I can't afford to raise you!"
"Father, I'd rather die than go!"
Smack.
The sound of a door being shoved open.
Lu Caiying's heart leapt.
It seed as though fate itself had guided the cords of love. Distraught, he had returned to his room to rest but never imagined the father and daughter would be staying in the room next to his. Through a thin wall, he had overheard half of their argunt.
With that abrupt departure, where could she be going?
Lu Caiying couldn't help but let his mind wander. Clenching his hands tightly and pounding his fists lightly against his thighs, he suppressed the urge to step out and follow her.
For a long ti, an eternity perhaps, the night remained utterly silent.
"Just one night together—that would already be worth dying for…" he murmured, regretting that he hadn't gone after her.
Knock, knock, knock…
Just as his thoughts began to settle, a sudden knocking startled him. He hurried to open the door and saw, in the dim moonlight, the slender silhouette of a woman.
Her eyes were red and swollen, tears clinging to her face like pear blossoms in the rain. As he approached, she forced a smile and said, "Young Master, my father and I had a terrible argunt, and I have no place to go. Could I stay with you for a while?"
Lu Caiying's heart leapt into his throat. For a mont, his face flushed, and he was rendered speechless.
"Does Young Master not wish for that? Have I overstepped?" Her voice trembled as she wiped away the crystalline tears from her eyes.
The faint sound of stifled sobs seed to pierce directly into his heart.
Flustered, Lu Caiying hurriedly said, "Please co in, co in."
The young woman smiled through her tears and stepped inside his room. Lu Caiying glanced down the hallway, then promptly closed the door behind her.
His emotions surged wildly. A young man's tender heart, struck by lightning, coursed with a sharp, electric thrill that left half his body tingling.
Inside his room, the young woman looked uneasy, shrinking into herself with a pitiable air. She didn't sit but rather stood awkwardly. "Young Master, could you light a lamp?" she asked softly.
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