Chapter Sixty-Four: That Gentle Touch

"Xiao Lang, Xiao Lang..."

Xu You was awakened from a nightmare by the call. He turned over and sat up, leaning against the headboard. Cold sweat poured silently from him like water breaching a dam.

Qiufen, dressed in a snug garment and holding a candle, stood nearby. The frail flicker of the flame half-shrouded her delicate face in shadow. With a worried voice, she asked, "Xiao Lang, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing. Just a dream," Xu You replied.

He lifted his head and glanced out the window. The night was as dark as ink, devoid of even a single star. Apart from the mountain wind howling intermittently, the silence was unsettling.

"Is something the matter?"

"Mm, Wan Qi is waiting outside. She said Madam Guo has returned and wants to see you immediately."

Xu You was accustomed to meeting Zhan Wenjun at night. Washing his face with water from a prepared copper basin, Qiufen helped him dress and arrange his hair. Once ready, he stepped outside and saw Wan Qi, who said, "Madam has returned."

Wan Qi nodded. "Sir, please follow me."

Zhan Wenjun sat cross-legged on the floor. Before her was a finely carved ebony table, upon which were several simple yet elegant vegetarian dishes—clearly prepared in haste, as no dinner had been served. Xu You entered and took a seat opposite her. By now, the two were familiar enough to forgo formalities.

"Have you eaten, Sir?"

"It’s almost midnight."

Xu You smiled, "Of course, I had my dinner earlier. But seeing such delicacies here, my stomach suddenly feels empty..."

"I happened to prepare an extra set of bowls and chopsticks. If you don’t mind, would you join me for a meal?"

"I would be honored."

He picked up his chopsticks and selected a black vegetable dish, its texture silky and tender. "Exquisite! If Madam would grant me a cup of wine, that would be perfect."

A smile curved Zhan Wenjun’s lips. She lifted the wine ladle and poured a full cup of snow-melt wine for Xu You. Her sleeves rolled up slightly, revealing arms as fair as frost and snow, the delicate porcelain skin contrasting with the crystal-clear cup—she appeared like a celestial being.

"Sir, earlier today at the guest hall—"

"No rush! First, let’s eat. Haven’t you heard the saying? ‘Man is iron, food is steel; skip a meal and hunger strikes hard.’ No matter how great the matter, an empty stomach takes precedence. Wait until I finish eating; then we can talk."

As he spoke, his chopsticks moved swiftly like falling rain, clearing the plate of black vegetables in moments. Xu You was not truly hungry, but he knew how lonely it could be to eat alone. He deliberately ate with such abandon to ease the weary spirit he saw in Zhan Wenjun.

She rested her cheek on her hand, observing him with interest. In her experience, whether men were magnanimous or hypocritical, they always put on some semblance of decorum before a woman—whether genuine or feigned. Men as free and easy as Xu You were rare, and she had never seen one like him.

"Hurry up! If you don’t eat, I’ll finish it all myself!"

Xu You casually picked another dish and placed it in Zhan Wenjun’s bowl, suddenly realizing how improper—indeed, how boldly flirtatious—this act was. Even with his quick wit, he was momentarily at a loss.

She was neither a relative nor a wife. Even without romantic feelings, or if there were a slight fondness, which respectable woman would dare eat food picked up with chopsticks used by another?

But Xu You could hardly be blamed. In his previous life, sharing dishes among friends was trivial; true camaraderie sometimes meant even sharing a single wine cup. His two lifetimes often blurred past and present, and Zhan Wenjun’s natural ease had lulled him into dropping his guard.

Zhan Wenjun, though frank, would not be so brazen. She looked at Xu You in surprise and, seeing his embarrassed expression, knew it was unintentional. Smiling, she said, "Thank you, Sir. This dish is a bit greasy; I don’t usually like such fare. Please, enjoy it yourself."

Xu You stepped back down the social ladder, "Then I won’t refuse." He pretended to be cautious as he pulled the plate toward himself, his miserly, stingy demeanor amusing even the nearby maidservants.

Zhan Wenjun chuckled, mimicking his gesture by pulling another plate towards her side. "Then this dish is yours, but this one is mine..."

Xu You looked over, frowning, "I guess I chose the wrong dish... Yours must be the truly delicious one, right?"

Zhan Wenjun laughed heartily, her usual resolute yet graceful face softening with a girlish charm. She shielded the plate with her elbow. "Too late to regret now. You chose first."

Xu You thumped his chest and stamped his feet, complaining, "As they say, ‘strike after the enemy,’ Madam, you truly understand the art of war."

Her bright eyes sparkled as she fixed Xu You with a gaze. "Strike after, arrive first—that is the essence of strategy. No wonder you are a scion of the righteous Xu family of Yixing. I’m impressed. You’ve read Xunzi and studied military tactics as well."

This came from Xunzi’s "Discussions on Warfare." Zhan Wenjun’s teaching of the musicians and the staff at the guest hall was peppered with classical allusions. Her erudition was unquestionable.

Xu You pointed to her dish teasingly. "Studying books can be lifeless, but to live and apply knowledge as you do—that is true understanding."

Zhan Wenjun laughed again.

Those experienced knew that dining with a foodie was the most delightful. After laughing, Zhan Wenjun’s appetite grew unexpectedly. She finished a small bowl of crispy rice, two dishes, and half a cup of snow-melt wine, breaking her long-held record.

Setting down her utensils, she felt slightly full but did not dare touch her belly. A maid brought water for rinsing mouth and hands. After washing, Zhan Wenjun smiled, "It seems you haven’t eaten all day and were truly famished."

Xu You rinsed as well, then stood. "Shall we take a walk in the mountains?"

He had always opposed sitting cross-legged to eat, as it compressed the stomach and was bad for digestion. Though Chu had folding stools and high tables, many still preferred low tables and cushions. Walking after meals helped digestion and was healthy.

"Good idea! Bai Hua, fetch the cloak..." Zhan Wenjun hesitated, her expression briefly tinged with sadness before vanishing. She said to a maid, "It’s cold tonight. Bring Sir a cloak."

"Yes!" The maid replied and soon returned with a black deerskin cloak trimmed with white fox fur, neither too big nor too small—just right for Xu You.

Zhan Wenjun wore a plain blue cloak, with no ornamentation, but the sight of her long, flawless jade legs, delicate shoulders, and slender waist dazzled Xu You, who momentarily lost himself in admiration.

The two walked side by side, followed at a distance by a dozen or so maidservants and attendants. Not fearing eavesdropping, Zhan Wenjun spoke of the earlier conflict at the guest hall. "With Zhu Rui present, Magistrate Gu naturally sided with us. But to accuse Zhan Ting of ‘taking hostages’ is not that simple..."

"‘Taking hostages’?"

"I didn’t understand at first either. After asking Chief Bao, I learned Chu law distinguishes ‘taking hostages’ and ‘abducting hostages’ as two crimes. Anyone who holds or abducts a person as hostage shall be executed!"

This was a harsh penalty compared to Xu You’s previous world, where kidnapping was punishable by a minimum of ten years’ imprisonment, with death penalty only if the victim died, and even then, redemption was possible. But in Chu, whether or not someone died, kidnapping meant one thing: execution.

"Zhan Yun was personally rescued by Wan Qi. Although several were killed, two captives were sent alive to the county office. Under the three wooden planks—what confessions could they withhold? How could they fail to implicate Zhan Ting?"

Zhan Wenjun ducked under a branch, her cloak wrapping her body and perfectly revealing the round firmness of her hips. Xu You followed closely, nearly within reach, but his mind remained pure. He quickly averted his gaze and lifted the branch. "Careful!"

Zhan Wenjun turned, smiling in gratitude. Once they walked side by side again, she continued, "Those two must have been compromised by Zhan Ting, so they hardened their resolve to die. No matter what the authorities do, they insist it’s all about their own greed, trying to extort money from Seventh Uncle, with no connection to Zhan Ting..."

"They claim no connection? Investigate their backgrounds thoroughly and you’ll surely find some trace linking them to Zhan Ting!"

"But these two seem to have appeared out of nowhere. Their identities, origins, and names are all unknown," Zhan Wenjun sighed. "Without the Celestial Master Sect, no matter how stubborn they are, we could pin a crime on Zhan Ting. But the Celestial Master Sect has made a grand move. Not only have they sent a ghost-catching spirit official, but also Xi Yuanda, the disaster-relieving spirit official, whom Du Jing trusts most. With two spirit officials overseeing the case, without solid evidence or a conclusive verdict, Gu Yun won’t dare show favoritism."

The path ahead narrowed. Xu You lifted his robe and stepped ahead. "If that’s so, these two must have been transferred secretly by the Celestial Master Sect. Their actions are covert, showing extreme caution. What did you say? Disaster-relieving spirit official?"

Suddenly, he stopped. Zhan Wenjun faltered, unable to stop in time, and collided into him. His warm yet powerful back radiated a strong masculine aura. In that instant, she seemed to hear the beating of his heart and the rushing of blood beneath his skin.

So close, yet so distant.

It felt as if reaching out would grasp the long-lost sensation of life itself!