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In March, the weather in Luoyang was exceptionally bright and warm. Peonies were in bloom, and willow catkins were flying everywhere. Because of the Peony Festival, merchants from other places and people enjoying the spring outings crowded the main streets.

The sedan chair left Yuchun Tower and went straight into a secluded courtyard. Chuxue stepped out of the sedan chair, and a maid led her through the front yard, saying apologetically, "My young lady has gone to Baima Temple and will be back this afternoon. Please rest here for a while, Miss Chuxue."

Chu Xue smiled and said, "It's alright. I promised Young Master Di that I would stay here for a few days."

At the same time, the side door of the small house opened, and a girl dressed in very ordinary clothes walked out with light steps. She did not ride in a sedan chair or on horseback, but walked all the way to the east of the city.

Baima Temple is the most famous temple in Luoyang, named after the legend of "a white horse carrying Buddhist scriptures." It has produced many eminent monks throughout history and enjoys immense popularity. Taking the side paths instead of the main road saves time, and the young woman seemed very familiar with these routes, quickly finding her way in. The fields were picturesque, with lush green grass and a slightly moist, fresh air. Occasionally, a few farmers could be seen working in the fields, and in the distance, the incense smoke from Baima Temple rose gently, bringing a sense of peace to the heart.

After walking for about half an hour, the young woman, along with several pilgrims, went straight into the main hall. She respectfully knelt on the prayer mat before the Buddha, her hands clasped together. She had been sweating profusely from walking, but now, in the clear and somber atmosphere of the hall, the sweat seemed to evaporate silently, leaving no trace.

In the center of the hall stood a statue of a monk preaching at Lingshan, with monks in plain clothes striking wooden fish drums, the rhythmic sound filling the air. The young woman finished her prayers, stood up, and silently walked away. She was very slender, a thin shadow trailing behind her; if one ignored her rather plain face, her silhouette was incredibly endearing.

White Horse Temple was once a royal temple with a vast layout. Passing through the main hall, one finds side halls and monks' quarters, surrounded by ancient cypress and golden osmanthus trees, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere. In the temple's Cool Terrace, offering lamps are placed, each bearing a name written beneath it. However, there are only a few lamps, indicating that they were not placed here by ordinary donors.

The girl walked to the table on the left, gazed at the ever-burning oil lamp, added oil with her own hands, knelt down for a long time, her thin lips moved slightly, as if she were murmuring something, before she got up and went out.

The moment she stepped outside the threshold, she felt a gust of wind sweep past her, as if something had brushed against her. Looking back in confusion, she saw nothing. Somewhat bewildered, the girl withdrew her gaze and left the White Horse Temple.

Unbeknownst to her, a dark figure stood silently on the cool terrace, gazing at the unmarked oil lamp with a somber expression.

As she left Baima Temple, the girl's expression changed; she seemed to recall something from the past, her face clouded with melancholy, and her steps slowed. This time, she still walked along the country path. The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was slowly descending. The farmers in the fields had all finished their work, and the surroundings were quite desolate.

She took a few steps, glanced back in confusion, bit her lip slightly, and quickened her pace.

Several dark figures darted out, and before she could even cry out, one of them struck her on the back of the neck with a palm strike, then hoisted her onto his shoulder and sped away into the distance.

The field remained deserted, except for a figure who slowly took half a step behind a mulberry tree. It was a handsome young man, tall and straight, the twilight casting shadows on his profile, highlighting his sharp features.

May you have a peaceful night.

He gazed in the direction where the group had disappeared, a moment of confusion passing through his mind. Should he chase after them? If he did, he could surely catch up.

But why did he chase after her? A fleeting glimpse at the Di family's villa—he only saw her back, yet he couldn't help but follow—was it her? The back view did bear some resemblance. If it really was her…why would she stoop to be a maid in the Di family? But if it wasn't…then he'd consider it doing Di Yinhai a favor.

Having made up his mind, he followed the group of people at a leisurely pace toward Mangshan Mountain outside Luoyang City.

That night, in a dilapidated little temple outside Mangshan.

The girl was still unconscious. A man in black examined her closely by the flickering candlelight, then asked hesitantly, "Boss, did we kidnap the wrong person?"

The girl's nose was slightly flat and her mouth appeared rather large; her appearance was quite ordinary.

"How could someone like her possibly catch Di Yinhai's eye?" someone else asked, puzzled. "What kind of beauties hasn't Di Yinhai seen? Besides, how could the future young mistress of the Di family go out without even a servant?"

"Ha, I didn't believe it at first either. But after following her for half a year, I discovered that the future Madam Di had a habit: when she went to the White Horse Temple to burn incense, she never brought anyone with her. She was plain-looking and dressed ordinaryly; no one would give her a second glance if she were left on the street. What was there to worry about?"

That makes sense.

"Has the letter been sent to the Di residence?"

"We'll send them in a couple of days, after we've hidden ourselves in Mangshan."

The leader nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "I don't believe Di Yinhai would marry such a woman. There are people in the martial arts world who can change their faces. Let's try and see if this woman is disguised."

How do we test it?

Is there any water?

"There's no water," one man said with a crude grin, revealing yellow teeth. "But there's urine."

The leader thought for a moment, but didn't ask any further questions. He flipped his hand, revealing a gleaming dagger in his palm, and slashed it across the girl's cheek.

This stroke, however, was executed with exceptional skill.

Several onlookers exclaimed in surprise, "No blood! He really was in disguise."

The man discarded the dagger and roughly rubbed it a few times, revealing a completely different face behind the skin.

"Coo coo..."

Someone swallowed hard, his eyes widening in fascination, and muttered, "Damn, this woman is so beautiful."

Chapter Thirty-Seven (Part 1)

The girl slowly awoke. Her eyes were clear and bright, contrasting with her half-drooping face, creating an indescribable strangeness. Her vision gradually cleared, and there was little panic or fear in her eyes. She simply stared steadily at the leader and calmly said, "Don't hurt me. Whatever you want, the Di family will give it to you."

The man grinned and said, "She's definitely not an ordinary woman."

The girl closed her eyes again, remaining silent. Suddenly, someone pinched her waist hard. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. She tried to shrink away, but was held firmly in place.

"Brother, let me have some fun first..." the man said coyly, "No one will know."

The leader fell silent. Seeing that he seemed somewhat tempted, the other man quickly said, "Why don't you go first, brother—"

The girl suddenly opened her eyes, her breath trembling slightly, and said, "Don't touch me! The Di family will give you as much money as you want!"

"Money is easy to come by, but beauties are hard to find." The man smiled rather lewdly, reaching out to stroke the girl's cheek. It was warm and soft, and his heart stirred again. He looked at the leader with a sense of restlessness.

The leader was also hesitant and had not yet spoken when a gust of wind suddenly blew in from outside the dilapidated temple, extinguishing the torch.

Who is it?

There was a rustling sound outside, and the leader shouted, "Who goes there?" He brandished his long sword and turned around, saying, "Third brother, stay here. The rest of you, come out with me!"

Several dark figures quickly disappeared outside the temple. After about half an incense stick's time, they groped their way back, saying, "Damn it, it's an old crow."

Upon entering the temple, they were greeted by a faint smell of blood. The group was startled to see a severed arm lying on the ground, while the third brother, whose speech had been silenced, could only writhe in pain.

The leader rushed forward and released his speech-impairing pressure point, his expression a mixture of shock and anger: "Who? Who did this?"

The third brother broke out in a cold sweat, enduring the excruciating pain, but his eyes revealed fear: "That person's kung fu... it's not human, not human! It must be a ghost!"

The girl had been carried forward by hand the whole way, and in her dazed state, she was put down on the ground again. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look at the man in front of her despite her discomfort, and said in a hoarse voice, "You and them...aren't you together?"

The man sat down quietly, and after a long while, he said, "No. I'll take you back to the Di residence to receive your reward."

By the starlight, she could see a rather tall young man, like an ordinary wanderer. Seeing that he didn't approach her, the girl felt slightly reassured and couldn't help but whisper, "Could you let go of me first?"

The young man did not answer; he leaned against the tree trunk as if he had suddenly fallen asleep.

The girl shifted her body, seemingly in great distress. After a while, she whispered, "Hey, could you please untie me first... I won't run away. When we get back to Luoyang, you'll get your reward just as much."

The man turned slightly to the side, remaining silent.

She had been holding her breath the whole time she was about to be raped, but now, her voice trembled with tears, she said, "I need to pee..."

The man kept his eyes closed, hesitatingly holding a small pebble in his hand. Without making any apparent movement, a whooshing sound was heard, and the girl's wrist suddenly loosened. She hurriedly untied the rope binding her feet and then plunged into the rice paddy.

Once the rustling sounds had faded away, Jun Ye'an opened his eyes and gazed into the darkness, his gaze sharp and clear.

A moment later, the girl returned. She smiled at Jun Ye'an, sat down with her knees drawn up, and said, "Great hero, thank you for saving me."

He simply gave a faint "hmm" and didn't say anything more.

The girl immediately noticed that he was wearing an extremely exquisite human skin mask, probably because he didn't want to reveal his true face. She didn't press him, and simply asked, "Did Yin Hai send you to follow me?"

He neither confirmed nor denied it.

The girl glanced at him a few times, but saw that he remained expressionless and aloof. Yet, she felt inexplicably at ease, as if she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"Who are those people?"

“Mangshan is rife with bandits,” he said slowly. “The Di family has been under surveillance for a long time.”

"Oh..." She wanted to say more, but she saw his expression change slightly. He gestured for her to be quiet, then bent down and put his ear to the ground.

"Someone's there," he whispered, extending his right hand to push her onto a tree by the roadside, while he crouched down and waited quietly.

There were no stars or moon at that moment, and it was so dark that one could hardly make out their own fingers. Yet the girl sat blankly on the tree, unaware that her palms were bleeding profusely from the splinters of wood.

He didn't want to rush forward carrying her burden, he didn't want to show his true face, his push and throw... She bit her lower lip tightly. In fact, from the very beginning, from the moment he jumped into the dilapidated temple to save her, she had been suspicious. Yet she dared not believe, did not want to believe, that he was so close to her, so close that she wasn't even ready, and he had already returned.

Jun Ye'an suddenly let out a long sigh of relief, leaped up, and caught her back to the ground, saying, "They are people from the Di family."

He touched it and found it sticky and slippery. He frowned and asked, "Are you injured?"

She simply hid her hands behind her back and shook her head without saying a word.

Jun Ye'an slightly curled the corners of her lips: "In that case, I'll be leaving now—the Di family has already arrived."

"What? You don't want the reward anymore?" she said subconsciously, raising her voice slightly.

Jun Ye'an paused, then heard the girl's voice tremble slightly behind him: "Why don't you look at my face? Don't you recognize me... or are you unwilling?"

He didn't turn around, the corner of his lips curving indifferently: "We are complete strangers, young lady, you must have mistaken me for someone else."

The sound of horses' hooves was rapid, the torchlight flickered wildly, and someone tumbled off the horse, shouting, "The girl is here!"

Despite the noise around them, they stood quietly, as if everything outside was irrelevant to them.

"Ah Hui, are you alright?" The young master of the Di family arrived in person, grabbed the girl's arm, and asked hurriedly.

"It's alright." She smiled reassuringly at him, then pointed to Jun Ye'an and said, "Thanks to this great hero for saving us."

Di Yinhai recognized him, and seeing that he was unwilling to turn around, he understood. He simply thanked him, took half a step forward, and lowered his voice to say, "I'll thank you properly when we get back."

Jun Ye'an remained with his back to the crowd, only nodding slightly.

"Can you ride a horse?" Di Yinhai asked Ahui in a low voice, but before she could answer, he lifted her onto his saddle, then climbed up and held her in front of him, scolding her in a low voice, "You must never go out alone again."

His voice was soft, but his tone was extremely intimate. She leaned forward uncomfortably, glancing to her side—but he was long gone, leaving only an empty, desolate field.

Chapter Thirty-Seven (Part Two)

At dawn, the urgent sound of horses' hooves roused the still-sleeping city. The Di family steward and his men were waiting at the gate of the villa. Upon seeing the group galloping towards them, he hurriedly greeted them, "Young master, have you found Miss Bai?"

Di Yinhai dismounted without a word and was about to reach out to help Bai Hui when she lightly leaped off the horse and smiled at him, saying, "I can do it myself."

Di Yinhai turned around and glared at her, his face turning ashen. He flicked his sleeve and went inside without looking back.

Bai Hui was somewhat confused, and the steward quickly followed up, saying, "Young Master was almost frantic with worry. The entire city of Luoyang was searched several times. Fortunately, Miss, you are alright."

She watched as Di Yinhai's figure quickly disappeared into the corridor, paused for a moment, and whispered, "I'll go check on him."

She followed him into the study, watched as he sat down in a chair, his face grim, and said to her, "Pack your things, and come with me today to move into the Di residence."

Bai Hui smiled faintly and said softly, "But this doesn't make sense..."

"Let's see who dares to say anything out of line!" Di Yinhai roared. "Do you want me to live in fear again?!"