Chapter 006: Love at First Sight

Late that night, nearing the end of the Xu hour.

Zhou Chiye was hurrying back to Changping Fang.

The sky was filled with stars, the moon hung faintly in the night sky, eaves stood silent over the lanes and alleys, and in the profound stillness, Chang’an City slept.

On the long street, moonlight bathed the stone steps like clouds. A young man dressed in dark riding attire galloped past on horseback, the thunderous clatter of hooves echoing in the air. The cool moonlight cast a silvery frost over him. The young man’s features were sharp and striking, with fox-like eyes and crimson lips, his expression bearing the same sharp, dazzling arrogance as Qin Chanyue, yet tinged with a hint of the carefree, unrestrained spirit unique to the young nobles of the capital.

He resembled an eagle soaring through the vast sky; even from a distance, one could sense the vigorous, restless martial energy emanating from him.

Dachen implemented the ward system, dividing the city into wards with strict classifications for residences. A curfew was enforced every night at the Hai hour, and unless one held an official position, no one was allowed to roam freely within Chang’an City. Those caught by the patrolling Yulin Guards faced light punishments such as imprisonment and flogging, or in severe cases, execution on the spot.

Zhou Chiye had been training for years at the Chang’an Longlin Martial Arts Hall in preparation for the upcoming Martial Examination. He was only allowed to return home to visit his parents for a few days at the end of each month. This day marked his return.

As a martial artist accustomed to coming and going like the wind, he was used to traveling alone and did not bother with carriages. He simply rode his horse to the back gate, dismounted, and entered the estate. As he stepped inside, he spotted a servant waiting for him at the inner gate from afar.

Zhou Chiye raised his thick brows, dismounted with agile movements, his lean waist twisting powerfully as he landed steadily on the ground. His iron boots thudded heavily against the ground. He tossed his riding whip to the servant and asked in a clear, crisp voice, “Where is Mother?”

Mother doted on him the most. Every month when he returned from the martial arts hall, she would wait at the estate gate to welcome him, a tradition that had lasted for ten years. Why was she absent today?

“Replying to Second Young Master,” the servant hurriedly caught the whip and took hold of the horse, letting out a bitter laugh before lowering his voice to recount the recent turmoil within the estate.

“Shiziye brought back his former fiancée, the eldest daughter of the Bai family, whom he had previously broken off the engagement with. He even declared his intention to divorce Shizi Furen and marry Miss Bai, which angered Madam. As a result, Shiziye has been confined to the Ancestral Hall.”

“Miss Bai fell ill and is being cared for in the estate. Out of consideration for past ties, Madam did not drive her out but is attending to her properly, saying she will send her away once she recovers.”

“Marquis has been preoccupied with court affairs and recently caught a chill after being caught in the rain. He is now seriously ill, bedridden, and seeking renowned physicians for treatment. Madam has been tending to him day and night, looking noticeably thinner. She truly cannot attend to Second Young Master at the moment.”

In just a few words, the servant summarized the events that had occurred during Zhou Chiye’s absence from the estate, then sighed and added, “Lately, nothing has been going smoothly in the estate.”

Hearing the servant’s account, Zhou Chiye felt a surge of resentment toward the unseen Miss Bai. If it weren’t for her arrival at the estate, how could so much trouble have arisen?

Frowning, Zhou Chiye said, “In that case, I’ll go pay my respects to Mother first.”

Matters concerning his elder brother and sister-in-law were not for him, as the younger brother, to interfere with. His father was ill, and it was too late in the evening to disturb him. The only person he could see now was his mother.

The servant nodded in agreement.

At that moment, they were passing by a tall wall. Once they rounded it, they would enter the Inner Residence. As they walked alongside the wall, Zhou Chiye’s sharp senses caught a faint sound from atop the wall—someone was climbing over it!

Zhou Chiye thought it was some clueless petty thief who had stumbled into their Houfu. He immediately growled a low “Who’s there?” as his handsome, sharp-featured face abruptly lifted.

The next moment, the young man below the wall grasped the treasured sword at his waist, leaped fiercely onto the wall, and crouched halfway on the parapet.

In that swift motion, the person climbing the wall was startled and began to fall, only to be seized by the jaw and pinned against the parapet as if clamped in place.

The person on the wall, held by an iron-like grip on their jaw, was forced to tilt their head back. A cascade of dark hair fell backward, revealing a face as pale and delicate as pear blossoms under moonlight. As their eyes lifted, peach-blossom eyes brimmed with fear and pain. Held firmly in Zhou Chiye’s grasp, their delicate frame involuntarily pressed closer to him.

Soft fragrance and warm jade thus collided against Zhou Chiye’s chest.

At the sight of them, the surrounding noises seemed to fade away, leaving only the faint scent of flowers drifting from their person. For a moment, Zhou Chiye’s gaze grew dazed.

In the deep stillness of the clear night, spring wine stirred, as fine rain before the moon dripped from the eaves.

The moonlight at that moment fell through the clouds, illuminating the two figures on the wall. The tall young man’s arm tensed with the curve of muscle, his surging vitality carrying the uniquely masculine aura of aggression. The Young Lady’s slender fingers clung to his arm as if pleading for mercy, her upturned face filled with entreaty. Her tender pink lips parted slightly, releasing muffled groans of pain.

“It hurts—” she pleaded, gazing at him.

Like a pear blossom trembling uncontrollably in his grasp.

At this moment, the wheel of fate crashed into its destined person with a “boom”—like colliding with a snowy mountain. The young man’s heart was in turmoil like swirling snow, brushing it off only to find it covering him once more.

When the Young Lady spoke, the young man seemed scalded for an instant, abruptly withdrawing his hand. He looked at her with a strange expression, as if he had never seen her before—a mix of novelty and sharp, almost aggressive intensity that pierced directly toward her face. “You—who are you?” he demanded.

His deep voice fell upon her ears, and the next moment, the servant below the wall exclaimed in alarm: “Second Young Master! This is Miss Bai!”

Miss Bai. Second Young Master.

Just the mention of these titles made each aware of the other’s identity. Though they had never met, they had heard of each other many times. Like two people who existed only in hearsay suddenly seeing each other’s true faces, they instinctively wondered: Was this person the same as the one they had heard about?

Bai Yuning looked up at him.

This was Bai Yuning’s first time seeing Zhou Chiye.

Though the two Zhou sons were born of the same mother, they bore little resemblance. The eldest took after his father—dignified, solemn, gentle, and tolerant, devoted to literary studies, and set to enter officialdom this year. The second resembled his mother—sharp, aloof, arrogant, and formidable, trained in martial arts. It was said he would soon pass the Martial Examination and later serve as a general on the frontier.

These two sons of the Houfu, one excelling in letters and the other in martial prowess, were both extraordinary talents. Not only were their abilities and knowledge not to be underestimated, but they were also exceptionally handsome.

Gazing at Zhou Chiye’s face, Bai Yuning thought, He looks like Qin Chanyue. And his temperament seems just as sharp and unyielding. Merely being near him makes it hard to breathe.

As she observed Zhou Chiye, he too studied her. The Young Lady, pale as jade, had just been gripped by the neck, and now a patch of red marks had risen on her skin, clearly revealing the imprint of a man’s hand.

Thick, reddened finger marks, a slender and pale neck, and tear-filled eyes pieced together a girl as gentle as water—her gaze a flowing stream, her brows like distant hills, lifting her eyes to reveal faraway mountain hues and long moonlit waves. With just one glance, he felt his throat grow dry.

“Bai—” As he spoke, his voice inexplicably carried a hint of hoarseness: “Miss Bai, why are you climbing over my family’s wall at night?”

The girl, barely perched on the wall, lowered her head in embarrassment, first glancing at the servant on the ground, then at Zhou Chiye.

Zhou Chiye swept a cold gaze over the servant on the ground, his tightly clenched jaw tilting slightly to the side, and the servant scrambled away in a panic. With only the two of them left on the wall, Zhou Chiye heard Miss Bai whisper softly: “I heard your eldest brother was injured and wanted to see him, but I was worried it would sound improper if word got out, so I thought to go secretly. I climbed the wall to avoid the maids here.”

The young man sitting on the wall inexplicably sensed a trace of anger in her words. Climbing walls in the dead of night—truly heartfelt and sincere. His gaze pierced her coldly as he said discontentedly, “My eldest brother is already married. You shouldn’t go.”

The girl on the wall looked even more sorrowful. She said, “I know. I’ve read books and learned proper etiquette. I won’t overstep with Shiziye. Please, Second Young Master, don’t tell Lady Qin about this. My illness is almost cured, and I’ll be leaving here in a few days. Tonight is also my farewell to Shiziye.”

Seeing her so meek and submissive, Zhou Chiye’s anger suddenly dissipated, replaced inexplicably by a pang of pity. He pursed his lips and, after a long pause, said, “In that case, I’ll take you there.”

“Really?” Bai Yuning looked up at him in surprise, but in the next moment, the young man suddenly drew close, scooping her up and carrying her horizontally in his arms as he strode toward the Ancestral Hall.

The unfamiliar closeness of a man made Bai Yuning let out a startled cry, only to hear Zhou Chiye tease, “Keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone hear. There are private soldiers patrolling ahead. You won’t make it over the wall—only I can take you there.”

Bai Yuning tilted her head slightly to look at him, catching sight of his sharp jawline. The distant moon hung above them, casting a faint lunar glow over his raven-feather-like eyelashes.

The bright moon rested upon the pear blossoms, a solitary crescent hanging in the sky like water.

Bai Yuning was not a girl ignorant of love. Nestled in Zhou Chiye’s embrace, she lowered her head and thought: Zhou Chiye’s attitude toward her was too frivolous, carrying a hint of encroaching warmth, as if curiosity mingled with disdain, yet he couldn’t help but glance at her frequently—it was all very strange.

Had they met before?

She found no answer. She was simply carried, delivered to the Ancestral Hall.

When she entered the Ancestral Hall through the window, Zhou Yuanting was lying prostrate on the ground, his back covered in wounds from a beating. In the midst of his grief, he saw his Xinshang Ren arrive through the window.

At that moment, the pale moon flowed across the sky, and the Ancestral Hall was silent. Her arrival was like a piece of honey, sweetening Zhou Yuanting’s heart.

With her there, Zhou Yuanting felt as if all his wounds had healed. Hearing that Bai Yuning had climbed the wall alone to come to him, his heart ached unbearably. Holding Bai Yuning’s hand, he whispered many sweet words and promises.

“How did you come—you’ve done so much for me, and I remember it all.”

“My mother has been blinded by that Liu Yandai! Don’t worry, in the future, I will definitely divorce Liu Yandai and marry you.”

Yet Bai Yuning gently stroked his head, gazing at his face filled with pain and desire, while thinking to herself that for now, the second young master seemed more useful than him.

At the very least, the second young master could move freely around the mansion, while he could not.

Moreover, the second young master’s attitude toward her…

Bai Yuning looked at Zhou Yuanting’s face, listened to his sweet words, but her thoughts were on his younger brother.

How should she make use of that second young master?