Chapter 5: I Miss You

Concubine Zhao was Liu Fuying’s birth mother.

After marrying into the Shen Family, Liu Fuying moved her birth mother’s memorial tablet to Changmingguan, donating a large sum of incense money to secure a separate room for her mother’s worship.

It was perfectly reasonable for her to visit Changmingguan to fulfill a vow and, while there, add incense offerings for her mother.

“Miss, the Taoist priests are chanting scriptures in the front hall. Everywhere is empty now, and usually no one comes to this room. You can rest assured.”

Jin Li helped Liu Fuying change her clothes, her voice trembling with nervousness.

“Miss, you must be careful this time. Don’t fall off any cliffs and get hurt again.”

Liu Fuying gently touched her cheek and said with a smile, “I thought you were going to say, ‘Be careful not to be discovered.’”

“If we’re discovered, so be it. At worst, we’ll be laughed at a little, or maybe we’ll have to endure hardship later. Jin Li will stay by your side no matter what. As long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters.”

How could Liu Fuying not be moved by such words?

After a deep embrace, she opened the door.

Behind the outer wall of the room was a small door. Perhaps because no one had come here for years, the wooden door was so rotten it was almost collapsing. But this also meant the place was safe enough.

“Miss, you must be careful.”

Jin Li would not accompany her further; she would stay outside to keep watch.

“Don’t worry. Close the door properly.”

Liu Fuying lifted her skirt and stepped into the tall grass. Within a few steps, her skirt was covered in grass seeds. Though overgrown with weeds, the path at least led downhill. Avoiding the main road, she circled around and, relying on her memory from that day, finally reached her destination after what felt like an eternity, with the sun growing increasingly scorching.

By the time she found the place, she was panting heavily from exhaustion.

But having made the journey once, she would be more familiar with it next time.

Though sneaking around like this was tiring, it was also thrilling, intensifying her eagerness to see Pei Zhouwu as soon as possible and deepening her understanding of the peculiar pleasures some men sought.

She didn’t bother tidying her attire, leaving her skirt disheveled.

Step by step, she waded into the water, her emotions rippling outward like the splashing waves.

Once submerged, she swam like a fish toward the depths.

Having gone through such great effort to get here, she was determined to achieve something today.

…

Xiangshan Forbidden Area.

Pei Zhouwu sat on a stone stool in the courtyard. The clear tea on the round table had long lost its warmth. He stared at the teacup, motionless for a long time.

A gentle breeze swept by, tousling his hair.

He lowered his gaze, his eyelashes not even fluttering.

Just as Liu Fuying had imagined, being confined alone in such a place for too long could drive a person mad. At this moment, Pei Zhouwu was merely breathing, resembling a living corpse.

Suddenly.

His long eyelashes lifted, and a flicker of vitality returned to his eyes.

There was movement from the deep pool in the backyard.

Occasionally, rocks would tumble into the pool, but today’s disturbance was unmistakably not caused by rocks. It sounded as if someone who wasn’t a strong swimmer was floundering in the water.

A person—there was someone.

Frowning, he stood up, his long sleeve accidentally knocking over the teacup on the table.

The iron chains dragged across the stone ground, emitting a muffled, crisp sound as he slowly approached the deep pool. From a distance, he could see a figure lying by the poolside, gasping for breath and recovering.

Judging by the attire, it was a woman.

A woman who had emerged from underwater.

Pei Zhouwu’s brows furrowed tightly. Apart from the woman he had saved last time, no one knew the secret of this underwater passage.

He stood still at a distance, not moving closer to confirm.

Perhaps it was just an illusion conjured by his own imagination.

After all, it had been so long. Apart from the guards outside, the only person he had seen was that woman from that day. When one is lonely for too long, they inevitably start imagining someone to keep them company.

Liu Fuying seemed to notice his gaze.

Of course she knew.

The bedroom wasn’t far from the pond, and such a commotion would surely have caught his attention.

Her heavy panting was also a deliberate act, meant to create the illusion that she had struggled to swim all the way from underwater.

She stood up, her steps still unsteady.

Her clothes, soaked through, dragged on the ground, and she occasionally stepped on the hem of her skirt. The short distance was a stumbling, faltering journey for her.

Finally, she stood before Pei Zhouwu.

“Marquis Pei, it’s been a long time. You… you still remember me, right?”

Her reality shattered the illusion in Pei Zhouwu’s mind.

Her voice, her appearance, the heavy dampness clinging to her, and her smile, brighter than sunlight—all felt so real that it unsettled him.

Yet, the lifelessness in his eyes began to fade, bit by bit.

Then, little by little, life returned to them.

“Why have you come?”

His voice sounded strange, the kind of strange that comes from not having spoken for a very, very long time.

“Because I missed you,” Liu Fuying said, straightforward and fervent.

Pei Zhouwu, however, furrowed his brows, looking utterly perplexed. Given their relationship, such words were far too ambiguous.

Liu Fuying’s smile grew even brighter as she tilted her head, adopting a playful expression.

“I’m joking. What I meant to say is, because I want to repay you.”

“Not funny,” Pei Zhouwu replied sternly.

He turned his back to her and began walking step by step back the way he had come.

“If it’s about repayment, there’s no need. This is no place for sightseeing. You should leave.”

Lies.

Liu Fuying knew he had his reservations, but the genuine surprise in his eyes just moments ago was unmistakable.

Of course, she didn’t obey and leave. Instead, she followed closely by his side, trailing him all the way to the bedroom.

At the doorway, Pei Zhouwu suddenly stopped.

He turned back, his attitude resolute as he addressed her again, “Miss, I saved you not for any repayment.”

“I know.”

Liu Fuying’s tone was even more determined.

In her quest for a child, she was willing to say anything, no matter how bold.

“But a life-saving debt is something that even risking one’s life to repay is not too much.”

“Risking your life?” Pei Zhouwu pointed toward the front room and the guards stationed outside. “They come in multiple times a day to inspect. If they find you, the consequences won’t be as simple as just risking your life.”

“Hmm… then I’ll hide under the bed.”

Liu Fuying glanced at the Bamboo Bed in the room. It was low enough to hide beneath.

When she looked back, she noticed Pei Zhouwu’s expression growing increasingly grim as he pressed her sternly, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

Liu Fuying’s smile faded, and she pretended to be frightened by him.

Then, lowering her head, her tone turned plaintive.

“What could I possibly do? To come find you, I nearly drowned in the water. What else could I want besides repaying you? All these days, I’ve been practicing holding my breath in a basin, hoping to last a little longer underwater.”

Hearing this, Pei Zhouwu’s expression softened slightly.

He hadn’t thought much of it before—just an ordinary act of saving someone by sharing breath. He hadn’t even recalled it during these days. But now, the memory of that day, when he had saved her by sharing breath underwater, suddenly resurfaced in his mind.

What had not been a deliberate gesture at the time now seemed to take on a subtle, lingering charm in his recollection.

He averted his gaze somewhat awkwardly, the coldness on his face softening considerably.

“Perhaps there really isn’t much I can do, but even just keeping you company and talking to help pass the time would be good enough.”