The sun dipped westward once more, its light dimming another shade.
Qin Shaozong stood outside the simple hut. The warm orange light of the setting sun slanted across, falling on his sharply defined face. His high-bridged nose served as a dividing line, casting one side in light and the other in shadow. Even his brown eyes seemed altered—one turned as dark as ink, while the other remained the tawny hue of a large feline's iris.
Daili instinctively stepped back. Yet, she had barely taken a single step when a powerful hand shot out, gripping her upper arm tightly.
"Still thinking of running?" Qin Shaozong looked at Daili's face, seeing it smeared with black, gray, and yellow pigments layered with a certain artistry, almost convincingly natural.
If one didn't look closely, she truly could have fooled anyone.
The fire in his heart flared up again, a surge of blood burning his very core with a dull ache.
Daili was by now too startled to speak, only shaking her head repeatedly. The iron-like arm encircling her pulled back, and she crashed into the solid wall of his chest.
This man always ran hot, but today he seemed even more so. Daili pressed a hand against his chest; the scorching heat penetrated his thin clothing, making her feel as if she were standing before a furnace.
Before Daili could even gather her words, he suddenly seized both her wrists. His large hand closed easily around them, binding them together in his grip. Then, producing a silk ribbon from somewhere, he wound it three times around her wrists and tied it tight.
"Qin Shaozong, let me explain!" Daili cried out in desperation.
Qin Shaozong gave a cold snort, offering no reply. After securing her hands, he swept her up by the waist, turned, and strode purposefully toward the mouth of the alley.
Mo Yanyun and the others quickly followed. Hearing that "Qin Shaozong," their temples throbbed in unison.
Good heavens, after a few days apart, Lady Dai's ability to provoke had not diminished in the slightest. Calling the Marquis by his full name like that—she truly wasn't afraid of making him even angrier.
Lin Erniang's home was at the easternmost edge of this "urban village," quite close to the alley entrance. Qin Shaozong was tall and his strides were long and fast. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, he had already emerged from the alley with Daili in his arms.
A carriage, its origins unknown, stood waiting there. The door to the rear compartment was wide open. Hu Bao sat on the driver's seat. As soon as Qin Shaozong boarded, he flicked the reins. The horses, stung, began to trot.
...
Inside the carriage.
Qin Shaozong shoved Daili into the corner of a cushioned seat and did not retreat. Instead, he pressed closer, his knee thrusting between her legs, one hand braced against the tightly shut window frame. Using the carriage wall behind him and his own formidable physique, he effectively trapped her in the small corner.
"You said you wanted to explain. Then speak properly. Why all the lies before? What was your aim?" His brown eyes were heavy, smoldering, almost spitting fire.
Yet, at this moment, Daili's fear was somewhat less than when she had first seen him standing outside the door.
Because she realized he didn't seem intent on killing her—at least not right now. Otherwise, the blade at his waist would have already tasted blood the moment he saw her at the hut's entrance.
Since that was the case...
Daili's eyelashes fluttered violently. She pressed her lips together and remained silent.
Qin Shaozong reached out, gripping her chin and tilting it up slightly. "Speak! Silent when you should talk, full of lies when you shouldn't. Do you not want that mouth anymore?"
"There's no explanation. I was lying to you just now." Daili's voice was very low.
Qin Shaozong almost thought he had misheard. His anger, having reached its peak, cooled into a deadly calm. "You were still thinking of lying just now?"
Daili's gaze drifted lightly, cautiously, to his face, touching it briefly before skittering away. She didn't speak, but her eyes clearly carried a hint of "You're unhappy when I tell the truth."
A vein throbbed on Qin Shaozong's forehead.
Fine. She was certainly something else!
And just then, the carriage stopped.
Qin Shaozong withdrew his hand, his rough palm now smeared with black and gray pigment. He paid it no mind, dug the woman out of the corner, clamped her against his chest, and carried her out of the carriage.
As her view expanded from the confined space, Daili realized with a start that the carriage had stopped before a hostel.
The hostel's facade was clean, with an elegant plaque hanging high. Vines crept beside the windows of the second-floor rooms, their intertwined stems dotted with delicate little flowers, adding a touch of bright color.
Based on Daili's street-wandering experience today, this place could be considered the equivalent of the Bright Moon Inn in Nankang Commandery. At this moment, two sturdy soldiers stood guard at the entrance. Looking inside from the doorway, the manager and servants were nowhere to be seen, as if the place had been cleared.
But Daili had no mind for any of that now.
Dusk had ended. The last vestiges of daylight had been swallowed by darkness, leaving a heavy night sky that seemed ready to collapse at any moment. Lanterns hung in the hostel's main hall and corridors, their fiery glow stretching inward like a path. The night and the lamplight mingled, blending into shadows that were startlingly intense.
Daili twisted her bound hands slightly, her heart filled with anxiety. Her earlier small test had confirmed her life was temporarily safe, but something else felt perilously precarious...
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have deceived you before."
Thud.
Qin Shaozong pushed the door open with his foot.
The two sounds collided—the former muffled and almost inaudible.
Qin Shaozong's gaze slanted downward, his face expressionless, his imposing aura heavy, still the very picture of an impending storm.
Daili had been watching him. Seeing this, she hurriedly added, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you. You are magnanimous, a true pillar of heaven and earth, a great man. Could you please not hold it against a mere woman like me?"
"You certainly know how to bend with the wind," Qin Shaozong mocked. He set her down on a cushioned chair by a low table and untied the ribbon from her wrists. "Wash your face."
The black, gray, yellow, and the patch of white revealed where he had smudged the pigments earlier—all mixed on her palm-sized face—was an eyesore.
Several pottery basins were placed on the table, with a silk cloth laid beside them. Clearly, this step had been anticipated.
Daili raised her hands. Her wide sleeves slipped down slightly, revealing the bandage wrapped around her left hand.
Qin Shaozong's gaze fell upon it. He had noticed the scent of medicine in the tea room earlier and the bandage when apprehending her. But considering past precedent, he thought it likely Lin Erniang had been deceived once again, eight or nine times out of ten.
Daili unwound the bandage from her hand layer by layer, finally revealing a perfectly smooth, uninjured left hand.
The corner of Qin Shaozong's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Daili began washing her face. The water in the basin immediately turned murky as the silk cloth soaked. As she cleansed her face, Qin Shaozong sat opposite, watching her unblinkingly.
It had to be said, the scene held a certain aesthetic.
The black paste was gradually wiped away, the charcoal powder washed off by the water, the lead-based cosmetics cleansed, revealing luminous, fair skin and a vivid vermilion beauty mark. The gentle lamplight brushed her face. The faintly gathered brows and eyes held a landscape of striking beauty, like the interplay of light and shadow in an oil painting, captivating and soul-stirring.
Daili did not wash quickly, and throughout, the gaze from opposite her never wavered.
It was intensely invasive, like flames wrapped in pine resin, or like a gleaming blade reflecting cold light.
Daili showed nothing on her face, but her heart grew increasingly frantic.
She realized that, having come this far, she truly couldn't think of any reason to delay him, let alone escape.
It took four basins of water, turning clear into murky, before Daili managed to wash her face clean. Setting down the silk handkerchief, she straightened her stiff spine and said softly, "My lord, there's an old saying: 'Don't contend with petty people, don't get entangled in trivial matters.' You hold a high position, your time is as precious as gold..."
"Hand over the tally." Qin Shaozong interrupted her coldly.
Daili paused, then obediently took the small bamboo tally from her sleeve and placed it on the low table, pushing it toward him.
Qin Shaozong picked up the small bamboo tally. On it was written "Daili"—the one she had originally tricked out of Madam Yun's hands.
It was also the last one.
Snap. The small bamboo tally broke in the man's hand, one becoming two, two becoming many more.
Daili's eyelids twitched slightly.
Qin Shaozong opened his hand, and bamboo fragments of various sizes clattered down from his palm. "Next, I'll ask, you answer. If you utter even half a lie, after I finish my business tonight, I guarantee you will be broken into exactly as many pieces as this tally split into. Not a single piece less."
Daili: "..."
Though not entirely convinced, she knew the proper attitude was required. Daili promptly composed herself. "Please ask, my lord."
Qin Shaozong: "Was someone behind you, instructing you?"
This question was easy to answer. Daili shook her head immediately. "No. If there were, why would I have had no one to receive me?"
Qin Shaozong gave an "Mm" of acknowledgment, seemingly neither surprised nor suspicious. "Qin Yi, Qin Huali. Does this person exist?"
Daili: "...He does not exist."
Qin Shaozong continued, "So from the very beginning, you were not from Jiaozhou, nor did you wander north from the south. The so-called five former husbands and the old residence in the west of the city were all your fabrications, is that not so?"
Daili lowered her eyes submissively. "Yes."
Although he had long anticipated that her lies might be rotten to the core, hearing her admit it with her own mouth still caused Qin Shaozong's anger to churn.
He would settle accounts with her later; there would be plenty of time for her to suffer. Qin Shaozong suppressed the fire in his heart. "Where is your ancestral home?"
Daili: "Qiantang."
Qin Shaozong tapped his long fingers lightly on the low table twice.
This matched what the carriage driver had said. Ancestral home Qiantang, she wanted to go to Qiantang—it seemed she wanted to return to her native place. He pressed on, "Why did you appear in the Jiang residence? What was your intention?"
This time, Daili fell silent, her delicate brows knitted in prolonged contemplation, so long that Qin Shaozong curled his knuckles and rapped heavily on the low table as a warning.
"Speak."
Daili spoke softly, her tone helpless: "If I tell the truth, you will only find it utterly absurd and certainly won't believe it. Yet if I weave another lie to deceive you, you will hold me accountable. Neither choice seems right. I am truly caught between a rock and a hard place."
Qin Shaozong: "Just tell the truth."
Daili pondered for a long moment, carefully choosing her words. "Let me tell you a story. There is a place called the Peach Blossom Spring. It is cut off from the world. Everyone can read, every household has surplus grain, and the elderly and children alike are content and happy. A woman lived there with her young son, but one day, the child suddenly vanished. The woman searched as she traveled, and unexpectedly fell into a river. When she awoke again, she had arrived at a completely new place. The master of that place... was surnamed Jiang."
Qin Shaozong stared fixedly at the person before him, not missing the slightest change in her expression.
Daili knew he didn't believe her. Changing someone's beliefs was extremely difficult. Just as it was nearly impossible to make a devout Christian, convinced of entering heaven and being with God after death, renounce their faith with a few words.
Similarly, it was equally impossible to make an atheist believe in a paradise existing separately from the world, or that someone could simply fall into a river and appear elsewhere.
"You initially knew I was in the side room because you heard the sound of water, right? It was because my shoes were wet that I was exposed." Daili left it at that.
Whether he believed it or not, she had told the truth.
In reality, given the current situation, it seemed she couldn't extricate herself for now. If she fabricated another story now, it would be easily exposed and would further enrage this already furious tiger.
She was different from a young girl just come of age. She no longer felt much shyness about sex, nor would she make a life-or-death fuss over such matters.
Now there were only two choices left: be bitten by the dog once, or be bitten by the dog once and then have him help her find her son.
Since arriving here, she had never again had those bizarre, fantastical dreams. Zhou Zhou must be here. She had to survive, survive to find Zhou Zhou!
Silence spread through the room. No one spoke.
The candle flame, teased by the night wind slipping through the window, flickered slightly, causing the boundary between light and shadow to sway. A small moth fluttered its wings and crashed into the wick. With a soft sizzle, only a speck of ash remained by the lamp.
Watching that falling speck of ash, Daili's heartbeat uncontrollably quickened.
She had said all there was to say. If he still didn't believe her, if he thought she was weaving lies to deceive him again, and pressed her for the "truth"...
Daili suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Suddenly, the lamplight on the low table swayed violently, and the shadow cast on the floor from the side rose and lengthened like a mountain.
Qin Shaozong had risen from his seat.
Regarding Daili's earlier account, he offered no comment, leaving it unclear whether he believed it or not. The man walked around the low table, reached out a long arm, scooped the woman from the soft chair into his embrace, and carried her toward the bed.
Daili's hands rested on his shoulders, unconsciously crumpling the fabric over his shoulder blades.
She knew what he intended to do.
When placed on the bed, Daili did not shrink back nor avoid his intensely predatory gaze. Matters having come to this, she decided to negotiate terms with him. "My lord, I must find my son."
Fearing he wouldn't take it seriously, as he leaned closer, Daili raised a hand to press against his chest, looked directly into his eyes, and repeated, "You must help me find my son. You must find him!"
The fire within Qin Shaozong was burning fiercely. It hadn't diminished since the day she fled, and as the days of searching passed, the already impure anger had increasingly transformed into something else.
He watched her lips part. This mouth was truly beautiful—naturally red lips, a rich color like the vibrant crimson at the heart of a red peony, full lip peaks, with corners slightly upturned. It was just that the words it spoke were never pleasant.
Qin Shaozong raised his hand, reached around Daili's neck, and placed his large palm on the back of her neck. Like a tiger seizing its prey, his long fingers spread, holding the woman before him in an absolute posture of control.
Daili was thoroughly startled by this move.
She had previously thought he wouldn't kill her. Could those two slightly commanding sentences have angered him?
Her breath hitched. The large palm on her nape was scorching and rough, like a red-hot iron clamp holding her, making it impossible for Daili to turn her head or move. However, she quickly realized she had misjudged; this man currently had no intention of snapping her neck.
The man leaned in, and the distance between them vanished in an instant. The hand Dai Li had initially pressed against his chest ended up with its back pressed against herself.
Even with some mental preparation, when this moment arrived, a shiver still ran down Dai Li's spine.
He was too fierce, his kiss too savage, conquering and plundering as he pleased. It was as if he had brought a raging, scorching wildfire, or was dragging her down into a boiling sea.
The transition from shallow to deep preliminaries was fleeting. The rising, searing heat engulfed her. The innermost nerve was teased and toyed with relentlessly. Dai Li trembled with a muffled sob. The hand pressed against his chest slowly curled into a fist, clutching and crumpling the man's robe until the entire front was a mess of wrinkles.
Qin Shao Zong originally had one arm wrapped around her waist and the other gripping the nape of her neck. As the kiss deepened, the hand at her waist loosened, then moved to untie the sash at her waist. His large, dark hand slipped inside like a swimming fish.
Dai Li trembled even more violently, but her tongue was held captive, sucked and entangled with such force that she couldn't even turn her head away, let alone do anything else.
The grey-black sash came loose, the robe fell open, vaguely revealing the porcelain-like fairness within.
However, right at that moment...
"Knock, knock!" Someone was at the door.
The force was heavy, clearly from a military man's hand, and the knocker's mood seemed quite urgent.
Qin Shao Zong paused but ignored it.
The person outside, hearing no movement from within, knocked heavily again.
"My Lord, scouts report that Li Zan's troops are approaching. They come with great force, estimated at over a thousand. We must retreat immediately." It was Mo Yan Yun's voice.
Qin Shao Zong's breathing was rough. The veins on the side of his neck bulged, throbbed, and subsided, repeating this several times.
Dai Li also heard the words from outside the door. She was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a sudden turn of events. Feeling Qin Shao Zong clearly release her, she turned on her side, burying her face in the quilt.
Qin Shao Zong panted heavily. He had intended to get up—leaving Taiping County was now imperative, an arrow already on the bowstring. But seeing Dai Li's little action, he halted his movement, reached out, and nudged her slightly outward.
Dai Li, caught off guard, inadvertently exposed half her face.
Thus, completely unobstructed, Qin Shao Zong saw the corner of her mouth curled upward.
Here he was, pent up and burning with frustration, while she was over there secretly delighted.
It had been a long time since Qin Shao Zong had felt such uncontrollable rage. Ever since the Qin family made him clan leader, ever since he beat the northern jackals into submission until they were as docile as puppies, if not everything went exactly as he wished, at least major matters proceeded smoothly, and he hadn't suffered any significant setbacks.
—Until now!
Dai Li was startled, her heart sinking. This was bad, trouble was coming. "My Lord, I wasn't..."
Before she could finish, she was flipped over, her waist gripped and lifted, until she was lying face down across his lap.
Immediately after, "Smack—"
Not heavy, but loud enough.
Dai Li's pupils constricted sharply. The smile that hadn't completely faded from her face froze solid.
Shock, disbelief, shame, anger, chagrin.
Each of these unmistakable emotions flashed across Dai Li's face one by one.
Watching her rapidly changing expressions, the stifling anger in Qin Shao Zong's chest inexplicably dissipated quite a bit. Not only did his hand not move away, it spread open and gripped the soft, rounded flesh, giving it a fierce squeeze. "We will set off to leave Taiping County shortly. Behave yourself on the journey. Tuck away all that craftiness brewing in your belly. Otherwise, when we get back, I'll make sure both sides bloom red."
"Creak." The door opened, and the two inside emerged one after the other.
Mo Yan Yun heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Good thing the Lord came out, otherwise he really would have had to commit the great disrespect of barging in.
"My Lord, everything is ready. We can depart at any time." Mo Yan Yun's gaze drifted around, looking here and there, his mind buzzing with questions.
The Lord's condition clearly indicated he hadn't gotten what he wanted, yet strangely, he seemed to be in a rather decent mood. In contrast, Madame Dai behind him wore a cold expression, looking very displeased.
In the short time inside—less than half an hour—their moods seemed to have completely swapped.
What on earth had happened in that room?
Regardless, Madame Dai's skills were truly impressive. To extinguish such a raging, sky-threatening wildfire so abruptly and retreat completely unscathed.
"Keep up."
The two heavy words thrown from ahead snapped Mo Yan Yun out of his thoughts.
On his very first day in Taiping County, Qin Shao Zong had demanded several dozen good horses from Prefect Deng Tuo, one for each soldier, assembling a cavalry unit.
Now, for the retreat, Qin Shao Zong decided to head south first. They would exit through Taiping County's south gate, then turn west, taking a detour back to Nankang County.
Dai Li didn't know what scheme this man was plotting. She only knew she was helped onto a horse, and then Qin Shao Zong swung up behind her.
The whip rose and fell, the steed neighed and reared before galloping off swiftly, carrying them away. Under the cover of night, the troop moved quickly south and soon exited the southern city gate.
Not long after their departure, another large force entered the city from the east. They rushed straight to Deng Tuo's prefectural office and dragged him out.
After intense questioning, learning that Qin Shao Zong had taken many horses, the leader, Feng Liang, said furiously, "How could you give him horses?"
Deng Tuo, his white beard trembling, dared not speak, his heart filled with bitterness, lamenting his ill fortune.
When Qin Shao Zong asked for horses, how could he refuse? How dared he refuse? He was just a minor prefect waiting to retire; how could he oppose a major warlord?
"Commander, they went south," a soldier reported.
Feng Liang frowned, puzzled. "South? Why would they go south? Exiting west would get them back to Nankang County faster. Why would Qin Shao Zong take the longer route?"
Before he could figure it out, another soldier said, "Commander, the city guards say they left less than half an hour ago."
Feng Liang's eyes immediately gleamed with ferocity. "Never mind why. Pursue them directly! They came by boat. What good horses could a small place like Taiping County have? They can't have gotten far."
Dai Li had thought she'd have to spend at least the whole night on horseback. Surprisingly, only an hour after leaving the city, Qin Shao Zong reined in his horse.
"Dismount."
At his command, all the soldiers swiftly dismounted.
The sturdy chest that had been pressed against Dai Li's back vanished. Sitting on the horse, she gripped the front pommel tightly, looking down and wondering how to get off.
Although he had put her up here, after what happened in the room earlier, she really didn't want to speak to him first.
Qin Shao Zong somehow produced several silk ribbons from somewhere. Standing beside the horse, he first lifted the hem of Dai Li's skirt, then tucked the legs of her trousers into her socks. Using the ribbons, he deftly tied the tops of her socks securely.
After both her legs were bound with the ribbons, he lifted her down from the horse. "What are you staring at with those big eyes? If you don't want to be drained dry by mountain bugs, lift your arms."