Chapter 14: Removing Clothing

The so-called insect-attracting powder was actually meant to lure snakes.

At Liu Fuying’s insistence, Jin Li fetched the insect-attracting powder and sprinkled it behind the wooden door near the back mountain, scattering it bit by bit along the path into the courtyard. There was a gap beneath the dilapidated wooden door, just large enough for snakes to slip through.

This time of year was precisely when snakes and insects were most active.

With the mountain right behind, it wouldn’t take long to attract them.

When Jin Li knocked and entered, her face was pale, and Liu Fuying knew the snakes had arrived.

“Madam, Miss, it’s time for dinner.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyuan immediately stood up and walked out. Having been cooped up inside all afternoon, she had long grown restless. Her irritation made her oblivious to Jin Li’s pallor and the faint tremor in her voice.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps into the courtyard before a scream pierced the air.

Liu Fuying smiled inwardly, waiting for Liu Shiyuan to scare herself witless. After this, even if begged to stay, she likely wouldn’t agree.

By the time Liu Fuying stepped outside, everyone in the courtyard had already fled without a trace.

The snakes in the yard, frightened by the commotion, had slithered back the way they came and escaped.

Liu Fuying pretended to search for Liu Shiyuan for a long time. When she finally found her, the girl was huddled in the carriage in front of the Taoist temple, refusing to come down, shouting and demanding that the coachman immediately take her down the mountain.

Now, Jin Li was relieved as well.

Before going out to search, the insect-attracting powder in the courtyard had already been cleaned up. Returning to her room, Liu Fuying waited a while longer until the Taoist priests, alerted by the screams, had come to investigate, confirmed nothing was amiss, and left. Only then did she change her clothes.

After all the commotion, the sky had completely darkened.

After hastily finishing the vegetarian meal, Liu Fuying pushed open the wooden door and stepped outside.

“M-Madam, aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid of what? People or ghosts?”

“Of snakes.”

“If you’re afraid of this and that, you might as well not go at all.”

Suppressing her pounding heart, Liu Fuying finally stepped into the grass.

Meanwhile, in the bamboo house under the cliff, Pei Zhouwu was nowhere to be seen in any direction. From afar, only the splashing of water from the deep pool behind the house could be heard.

Indeed, Pei Zhouwu was currently in the pool.

His open collar indicated he was bathing for purification.

Moonlight slanted across his body, casting a dazzling silver glow over his water-drenched, moon-white robe. Droplets of water on his chest glistened like crystal, a sight of striking allure.

He tilted his head back, gazing up at the bright moon.

The expression on his face was even more desolate than the moonlight itself.

Though his eyes were fixed on the moon, his thoughts had long drifted elsewhere.

Lost in contemplation, he failed to notice the shadow swimming toward him in the water.

Liu Fuying passed through the underwater passage, on the verge of surfacing and reaching the shore. The closer she got, the clearer the shimmering white silhouette became.

Shocked yet understanding, she realized that if anyone was there, it must be Pei Zhouwu.

Vaguely, she could even see his exposed chest.

Last time, she had wondered how Pei Zhouwu usually bathed, even fantasizing about it. She never expected to witness it firsthand today.

If so, she owed it to Liu Shiyuan.

If not for Liu Shiyuan’s delays, she wouldn’t have arrived so late and missed this captivating scene.

She emerged from the water, gasping for breath, still feigning as though she had nearly suffocated underwater.

Though she was shaken, Pei Zhouwu across from her was even more astonished.

The phrase “stricken with terror” was rarely used to describe a man, yet it fit him perfectly without any sense of incongruity.

“You…”

Today was neither the first nor the fifteenth day of the month.

He hadn’t expected her to come.

Liu Fuying barely steadied herself, as if unaware that Pei Zhouwu was in the water. Now, upon seeing him clearly, she immediately covered her eyes, feigning shock.

“Marquis Pei, why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”

Her tone carried a hint of embarrassment, prompting Pei Zhouwu to look down. However, he wasn’t actually unclothed—he had merely loosened his garments to wash himself more easily.

“Miss Su, I sincerely apologize for my impropriety.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t blame her for intruding. If anyone had been improper, it was her.

Soon after, the sound of splashing water reached her ears. Pei Zhouwu turned around and began making his way toward the shore.

She lowered her hands, raised her eyebrows, and started scheming again.

Then…

A loud splash echoed through the air.

Hearing the noise, Pei Zhouwu swiftly turned back, only to see Liu Fuying’s figure vanish beneath the water’s surface.

Frowning, he waded back toward her. The water rippled incessantly, but Liu Fuying showed no further movement.

Through the shimmering surface, he reached down, grasped her, and pulled her up. Immediately, he heard her violent coughing—clearly, she had choked badly underwater.

“Miss Su, what happened?”

“I… cough…” Liu Fuying coughed while trying to catch her breath, her words fragmented. “I suddenly felt dizzy and somehow fell in. I couldn’t even stand steadily.”

As she spoke, her eyelids drooped again.

Without further thought, Pei Zhouwu scooped her up into his arms.

He hadn’t even had time to fasten his clothes properly. His chest, still glistening with water droplets, was partially exposed, inviting further imagination.

Liu Fuying lay limply in his embrace as he carried her into the house.

Pei Zhouwu placed her on the bamboo bed. The thin blanket seemed both necessary and unnecessary—she was completely soaked, and covering her would only dampen the bedding and worsen the chill.

“Why did you suddenly feel dizzy, Miss Su?”

He worried she might be ill. Moreover, her timing was unusual. It was already dark, and she should have been at the Qi Prince’s Mansion, not appearing in this pitch-black mountain.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s due to exhaustion these past few days.”

Liu Fuying seemed unable to lift her eyelids, her voice soft and delicate, like the mewling of a kitten.

“Did something happen at the Prince’s Mansion?”

Pei Zhouwu wanted to ask more, but Liu Fuying drifted into a daze as if she hadn’t heard him, murmuring only the word “cold.”

Seeing this, Pei Zhouwu knew that if he did nothing, she would surely fall ill.

He rose from the bedside, the heavy sound of chains dragging as he left the room.

Once he was gone, Liu Fuying immediately opened her eyes.

In the past, she never imagined she would resort to such tricks—almost employing every stratagem in the book just to conceive a child.

Pei Zhouwu had likely gone to fetch something to warm her.

But to warm up, she would first have to remove her wet clothes.

She wondered what Pei Zhouwu’s reaction would be if he accidentally saw something he shouldn’t.

Before long, Pei Zhouwu returned with a basin of charcoal embers.

The leftover charcoal from burning firewood was smoky, white fumes drifting out the window with the breeze.

“Cough… cough.”

Liu Fuying turned her head away, only to hear Pei Zhouwu say, “Miss Su, the mountain nights are colder than outside. Your sudden fainting must be due to your weak constitution. If you’re exposed to such heavy dampness, you’ll surely fall ill. So…”

He paused, lowering his gaze before continuing.

“So, you should first remove your clothes to dry them.”

Only after he had spoken for a long while did Liu Fuying hesitantly respond, “But, but…”