Don’t touch me
Shi Li paused for a moment as she looked at him, then nodded with difficulty after a while: “More or less.”
Zhou Hong responded with an “oh,” dared not look again, and lowered his head to continue eating.
Every year on this night, it was supposed to be a cold and lonely day. Ci Ke always spent it alone. Sometimes, even with Zhou Ziqiu around, no one would mention anything due to the taboo.
Ci Ke could only eat a bowl of longevity noodles during the day and secretly burn paper offerings at night, worshiping the wronged spirits.
But tonight was different. The courtyard was filled with the glow of candlelight, the fragrance was pervasive, and there was laughter and cheer. Shi Li gave Ci Ke a small knife she had polished herself, which could be used as a pendant. Ci Ke loved it so much that she couldn’t let it go.
After dinner, Ma Da cooked longevity noodles. A single, chewy noodle occupied the bowl, filling it to the brim, making Ci Ke so full that she couldn’t move.
Ye Youqing accompanied her in worshipping her relatives. After that, everyone returned to the house to sleep, with only the lights still on and the messy cups and plates stacked up, showing how lively it had been earlier.
Ci Ke stood by the window, reluctantly closing it, feeling both relaxed and happy.
She felt that no matter how many years would pass, she would always remember tonight.
The courtyard full of lights, burning until dawn.
The overcast weather lasted for three days. On the morning of the third day, the heavy clouds finally dispersed, revealing a bright red sun, and half of the sky was filled with the glow of the sunrise.
The people were overjoyed. With ample rainfall and sunlight this year, it was sure to be a bountiful harvest.
As soon as the sun came out, Ye Youqing was awakened by the rustling sounds in the courtyard. She got dressed and went out, only to see Shi Li jumping down from a tree on one foot, landing steadily with Qinggong.
She looked up at Zhou Hong, who was also squatting on the tree trunk, and said, “See? Just like that. All other techniques remain the same, but you just need to adjust your center of gravity to one foot to stand firm.”
Zhou Hong nervously looked at the ground, which was more than twice the height of a person, then saw Ye Youqing watching with arms crossed, becoming even more flustered and swaying with the wind.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s no different from usual,” Shi Li comforted him.
“But since my leg broke, I haven’t used my martial arts in five years. I’m afraid…” Zhou Hong clung to the tree trunk, his voice trembling.
“No problem,” Shi Li reassured again.
Only then did Zhou Hong calm down, staring at the ground intently. Suddenly, he leaped down, his robe fluttering like a bird spreading its wings.
He landed on one foot, his tall and thin body swaying significantly but not falling. Finally, he put down his injured leg and stood firm, his face covered with joy.
“Shi Li, I did it! Big brother, look!” He seemed so happy that he couldn’t find his bearings, and if his leg allowed, he might have jumped up on the spot.
Ye Youqing and Shi Li exchanged a smile.
Shi Li walked up and helped him sit on a stone bench: “The same principle applies to all other martial arts, apart from Qinggong. You may have one leg that can’t exert force, but that’s no reason to neglect your martial arts training. Don’t forget you are a child of the Zhou family, which has been a family of generals for generations.”
Zhou Hong nodded.
Ye Youqing silently tied up her wide sleeves, then tied her long hair into a ponytail, grabbed a sword lying on the ground in the courtyard, and pointed it at Zhou Hong.
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Zhou Hong was startled and quickly ducked under the table, looking back at her in panic: “Big brother, what are you doing?”
Ye Youqing stood straight, holding the sword towards him, raised her eyebrows, and smiled: “Come, let’s spar. I haven’t practiced for a long time and have plenty of free time now. I was just worried about having no one to accompany me.”
Before Zhou Hong could speak, Shi Li happily handed him his treasured sword.
Seeing this, Ye Youqing twirled her sword, creating a breeze that brushed past Zhou Hong’s face. Zhou Hong, seeing no way to avoid it, quickly got up and blocked her next attack.
When the swords clashed, Ye Youqing could clearly feel his internal strength, knowing that Zhou Hong’s foundation was not mediocre, just wasted over the years. This made her even more interested, attacking with vigor, and the courtyard rang with the sounds of swords clashing and falling leaves flying.
Shi Li sat cross-legged on the side, occasionally offering suggestions. Ye Youqing understood them, feeling lighter and lighter as she fought, without sweating a drop.
Until Zhou Hong called for a stop, it was almost noon.
Ye Youqing caught the sword thrown into the air, reached out to support the somewhat shaky Zhou Hong, and helped him to a stone bench.
“What’s wrong, is your leg hurting again?” Shi Li asked.
Zhou Hong’s expression was a bit restrained, and he nodded: “But thanks to the doctor big brother invited who treats me with acupuncture every day, it’s much better. Now I can sleep well at night.”
“That’s good,” Shi Li felt relieved.
Ye Youqing also sat down and poured tea for Zhou Hong and herself.
“You seem to have made some progress,” Shi Li said to Ye Youqing.
“In my spare time, I still ask Master to teach me more,” Ye Youqing smiled and sipped her tea.
As Shi Li was speaking, there was a knock on the door. She went to open it, and in came Ding Cheng, sweating profusely and with a flushed face, clearly having rushed over.
“What’s the matter?” Ye Youqing quickly stood up.
“Don’t worry, miss. It’s good news,” Ding Cheng said, leading his horse and bowing to accept the tea she poured, smiling, “As you instructed, we tied up two craftsmen and took them to the mountains, made them draw up the plans and processes, then braved the rain to buy materials, and found a spacious and secluded location. With today’s clear weather, we started building the blast furnace.”
“Old Liu was worried you’d be anxious, so he sent me to inform you,” Ding Cheng said, finishing the tea in one gulp, and asked, “May I have another cup?”
“Of course,” Ye Youqing handed him the teapot, feeling slightly relieved after days of uncertainty, and smiled.
“But while making money, also tell Old Liu not to neglect training,” Ye Youqing reminded gently.
“Don’t worry, miss. Even if you don’t say it, we wouldn’t delay it. But Old Liu wanted me to ask if you are so insistent on training because you know something?” Ding Cheng lowered his voice.
Ye Youqing shook her head: “No, just worried.”
“That’s good,” Ding Cheng smiled, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hurry back?”
Ye Youqing stopped him, thought for a moment, and said: “Come to me when the iron is produced, I have something for you. In the future, selling it must also follow my instructions, don’t rush, understand?”
“Old Liu said we know nothing about this, so we’ll follow your arrangements,” Ding Cheng replied.
“Then go, thank you for your hard work,” Ye Youqing said with a smile.
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Watching Ding Cheng leave in a hurry, Ye Youqing stood there for a while before sitting down again.
The three of them sat idly for a while. Ci Ke, who had been cooped up in the house, also came out. It was noon, and Ma Da started cooking. Soon, the aroma of noodles filled the courtyard, mixing with the cooking smoke from every household.
Before eating, Ma Da first went into the house to bring food to Lian’er. Soon after, there was a loud bang, and Ma Da rushed out, exclaiming: “Miss, that woman seems to have committed suicide!”
The words startled everyone in the courtyard, and they all stood up in shock.
Only Ye Youqing remained seated, calmly putting down her chopsticks, turning around, and looking at the panicked Ma Da with phoenix eyes: “Don’t panic, what happened?”
Seeing her calm, Ma Da’s fright eased a bit. He exhaled and pointed inside: “I went in and saw her lying on the ground, her forehead covered in blood, but she’s not dead, still breathing.”
“As long as she’s not dead, treat her wound,” Ye Youqing said calmly, tapping her finger on the stone table. After a while, she suddenly stood up.
Ci Ke hurriedly grabbed her sleeve: “Ye Youqing…”
“It’s okay, I’ll go check,” Ye Youqing said softly, “You all eat first.”
Ci Ke looked at her, then at the door, and let go: “Be careful.”
Ye Youqing patted her hand soothingly, then walked into the house. In stark contrast to the bright sun outside, the room was dark with locked doors and windows, damp and gloomy.
Ye Youqing took a small bottle of medicine, unlocked the inner room, went in, and closed the door.
The inner room was even darker, with the only window nailed shut from the outside and only a small skylight overhead letting in some light. The woman was curled up in that light, her face pale, with blood dripping from her forehead as Ma Da had said.
Her hands and feet were bound with strange, unbreakable knots, likely used by the escort agency, making escape impossible.
There were also bloodstains on the walls, likely from her jumping and hitting her head.
Ye Youqing frowned slightly, knelt on one knee, and lifted the limp woman, propping her against the bed. The woman’s sharp chin was noticeably thinner, seemingly fragile.
Her eyelids weakly lifted, and she opened her mouth: “You finally came to see me.”
“How many days has it been, how long are you going to keep me locked up?” Her pale lips moved, she seemed very sad and angry, but had no strength to speak loudly.
“I said, as long as you don’t harm us, I won’t kill you,” Ye Youqing said, removing the cap of the medicine, and using her fingertip to apply it to her forehead.
The woman didn’t move, tears slid down her face. She stared at Ye Youqing: “It really is you. I felt you looked familiar when I saw you in Shancheng, and it really is you!”
“You already reported it, so you must have been sure it was me. Why be surprised now?” Ye Youqing remained unmoved, focused on applying the medicine.
The woman cried silently, her body trembling and weak, beautiful but broken.
“Training in the imperial city must be very tough. I’m just tying you up, why so fragile?” Ye Youqing said.
“You know?” Lian’er glared.
“Guessed,” Ye Youqing replied.
Lian’er’s throat moved, then she seemed to give up completely, lowering her head: “I didn’t train long, the shadow guards took in women for the first time.”
No wonder. Ye Youqing raised an eyebrow, then lifted her chin with her ring finger, continuing to apply the medicine.
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“I didn’t harm you, can you let me go?” she pleaded softly.
“Yes, but you have to wait until we leave here. I need to make sure he (emperor) can’t find us,” Ye Youqing put away the bottle, tucked it into her clothes, “Until then, you’ll have to bear with it.”
Lian’er turned her head to hide her breakdown.
“Don’t worry, I don’t kill the innocent,” Ye Youqing said expressionlessly, lifting her wrist and wiping away her tears, looking at her for a few moments, then leaving.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw a white corner of a robe piled up by the door. Ye Youqing stopped abruptly, smiling unconsciously, turned and squatted in front of Ci Ke, seeing her leaning against the wall, drawing circles on the ground.
“What are you doing here?” Ye Youqing reached to touch her head, but Ci Ke dodged, her fox-like eyes mixed with anger, frowning at her.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Youqing was puzzled, looking at her hand.
Ci Ke pushed her away and got up to leave, but Ye Youqing quickly stopped her, grabbing her sleeve.
“Ci Ke, what’s wrong?” Ye Youqing softened her voice, tugging at her sleeve.
“The hand you used to wipe her tears, don’t touch me,” she said sullenly.
