Their hair got even more entangled due to Cang Xuan's actions. The young girl was forced to raise her chin and completely lost the ability to breathe.
In a daze, she seemed to be imbued with the scent of alcohol on him. Her eyes involuntarily welled up with a thin layer of tears, and her clear consciousness gradually turned into a mess.
She felt as if she was about to be devoured by him.
Swallowed whole, with even the bones gnawed clean.
But he suddenly stopped.
When he let go of her, a chill hit her. An inexplicable sense of disappointment welled up in the young girl's heart. Involuntarily, she grabbed the front of his robe and looked up at him with hazy eyes.
The innocent and natural dependence in her eyes almost made him lose his self - control.
But he knew it had to end here.
He pulled her up, and they sat on the couch. The young girl slumped softly into his arms, her hand still unconsciously clutching his clothes. He gently wiped the blushing cheeks of the young girl with his broad palm and said with a smile,
"Why does it seem that now you're the one who's drunk?"
Su Yuanyuan twitched her nose. The sandalwood scent on him smelled so good that she couldn't get enough of it. Moreover, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Brother Yun Jian, where did you bury my body?"
"Violet Sandalwood Mountain."
"Violet Sandalwood Mountain? Where is that? Why did you bury me there?" Su Yuanyuan blinked curiously. "Is the whole mountain planted with violet sandalwood trees?"
"You're right. It's named after the violet sandalwood trees that cover the mountain." Cang Xuan said, "There's a Violet Extreme Taoist Temple on the mountain. That's where I grew up. The abbot is called the Violet Extreme Immortal. He's the master who raised me."
Su Yuanyuan remembered the dream she had a few days ago.
She dreamed that she was in a Taoist temple and "saw" Cang Xuan living there. So, was that the Violet Extreme Taoist Temple?
"Your body is buried behind the Violet Extreme Taoist Temple. The view there is vast, and you can overlook the beautiful scenery. There's also a flying waterfall on the side. It's an excellent geomantic treasure land."
Gently rubbing the young girl's flushed cheek with his thumb, Cang Xuan said with a smile, "I originally prepared that burial plot for myself, but unexpectedly, you got the first chance."
No wonder she was so fond of the pleasant sandalwood scent on him and couldn't get enough of it. It was because her burial place was full of violet sandalwood trees.
"Won't the Violet Extreme Immortal be dissatisfied that you buried my body there?" Su Yuanyuan asked curiously.
"Of course not. It was the master himself who recited the scriptures for your soul's salvation. You're able to come back to life. I'm afraid the old master has contributed a lot behind the scenes."
"I want to go to Violet Sandalwood Mountain to pay a visit to the Violet Extreme Immortal and thank him." Su Yuanyuan said, "I also want to offer incense to myself."
Cang Xuan said, "When I'm free, I'll take you there."
Their eyes met. Cang Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the urge to ravish her further. Su Yuanyuan, on the other hand, shyly averted her gaze.
"Brother Yun Jian, I have a gift for you." She suddenly remembered something, took out an object from her sleeve, and held it out to Cang Xuan with both hands.
On the young girl's fair and delicate palm lay a sachet. The patterns on the sachet were vaguely recognizable as auspicious clouds and cranes, with excellent meanings. However, the stitches were messy, and the colors of the embroidery threads were uneven. It looked rather unsightly.
When Su Yuanyuan took out the sachet, she was observing Cang Xuan's expression and even held her breath nervously.
Would Brother Yun Jian like the sachet she embroidered? Would he dislike how ugly it was?
In her eyes, Cang Xuan's eyes were full of surprise, without a trace of disgust.
Since he never had a mother since childhood, no one had ever sewn such things for him.
His light - colored pupils sparkled brightly, as if they had captured a handful of starlight. He held her hands and ran his fingers across her fingertips. He asked hoarsely, "Does it hurt?"
Su Yuanyuan's hanging heart finally settled. Her nose felt sour, and her eyes were inexplicably moist. She said softly, "It hurt. I don't know how many times I pricked my finger while embroidering this sachet. Look, there are still needle holes here."
Cang Xuan looked in the direction she pointed, but he couldn't see any needle holes at all.
Although he felt heart - ache, he wouldn't say something like "Don't do it again if it hurts." With her personality, being able to do these things for him meant that she had him in her heart. This was her affection and her hard - earned effort.
He wrapped her hands in his and blew on them twice. Cang Xuan asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Su Yuanyuan curled her toes and blushed as she shook her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Cang Xuan said with a smile, "Will you tie it on for me?"
The young girl blushed and lowered her head, concentrating on tying the extremely unique sachet around his waist. The man looked down at the figure nestled in his arms, his eyes filled with unspoken love.
...
In Mingzhu Courtyard, not long after Su Yuanyuan left, Qin Wanrong also opened her eyes.
Fifteen days had passed, and the poison in her body had been completely cleared. During these days, the medicine Su Yuanyuan had her drink was all for nourishing qi and blood and replenishing vitality. Now she didn't feel any discomfort at all. Her body was incredibly light, and she could run and jump like a normal person.
Only those who had been seriously ill and had one foot in the coffin knew how precious it was to have a healthy body.
She couldn't help but think of Su Yuanyuan that Zhang Yingxue and others had mentioned a few days ago.
For some reason, this young lady from the Marquis's Mansion, whose name sounded very similar to Yuanbao's, always lingered in her mind.
Su Yuanyuan's situation was different from hers, but she inexplicably felt that they were somewhat similar.
Both were framed by their relatives. Su Yuanyuan was caught in the rumor of losing her virginity and couldn't defend herself. If Yuanbao hadn't helped her, she wouldn't have been able to find the fault of the young Lady Qin. She might have died in obscurity, carrying the stigma of being a mother - killer and a bad - luck star for the rest of her life.
But what about Su Yuanyuan?
Until her death, in the eyes of the world, she carried the reputation of being disrespectful to her sister, disobedient to her parents, and unchaste. She didn't know if the truth was as the rumor said. But what if Su Yuanyuan was framed like her?
Yingxue was right. As long as Su Yuanyuan's reputation wasn't cleared, Yuanbao couldn't show her talents in front of the world.
Neither Su Yuanyuan nor Su Yuanyuan should be burdened by their reputation.
In the special imperial examination five days later, she would strive to be the top scorer, enter the court as a female official, and clear the names of Su Yuanyuan - and those women who had been deliberately framed and slandered!
Just as Qin Wanrong was thinking about the future, she suddenly heard a sound from the window.
At first, Qin Wanrong thought it was an illusion, but unexpectedly, the window sounded again after a while.
Was someone knocking on the window? Was it a maid?
Qin Wanrong was confused for a moment, then got up and walked towards the window. She pushed it open, and the moonlight poured in. Then she saw Su Huaiyuan standing there blankly. Suddenly seeing Qin Wanrong behind the window, Su Huaiyuan instantly tensed up. He scratched the back of his head and stammered,
"Miss Qin, I'd like to invite you to enjoy the moon and practice sword - dancing with me. Would you like to?"