Chapter 9: An Unexpected Encounter at Home

Just two steps away, Ye Jingtang was already by the bedside.

He observed cautiously—the woman lay still as a sculpture, her breathing barely perceptible, like a finely carved jade figure, yet he could sense a faint warmth and fragrance.

In such a humble dwelling, the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman inevitably evoked tales of fox spirits or magical maidens.

Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment, then reached out toward her nose to detect breath—her breathing was faint but rhythmic, not that of the dead.

Seeing this, Birdie mustered courage and hopped onto the woman’s shoulder, tilting its head to observe and gently pecked her cheek. Unexpectedly, this roused her.

Her eyes opened, revealing deep, peach blossom-shaped pupils as cold and profound as a frozen pond, gazing intently at the man and bird before her.

“Chirp!”

Startled, Birdie quickly darted behind Ye Jingtang.

Feeling the oppressive force in her gaze, Ye Jingtang swiftly withdrew his hand and took two steps back.

“Lady warrior, you…”

The woman remained silent and closed her eyes again.

Ye Jingtang grew more puzzled, wondering inwardly—could she be practicing some technique? Or perhaps she had been struck with a pressure point?

Dragon knight…

For some reason, this phrase surfaced in Ye Jingtang’s mind as he studied the woman carefully.

Judging by her demeanor, she seemed unwilling to be disturbed, and pressing further might be inappropriate.

But this was his home; how could he tolerate a stranger occupying it while he merely looked on?

As Ye Jingtang hesitated, urgent footsteps echoed from the street outside the alleyway:

Tread, tread, tread...

“Go check over there...”

The voices belonged to officials, two of whom were heading down the alley.

Ye Jingtang furrowed his brow, wanting to investigate, but as he turned, a voice rang out:

“Close the door.”

The voice was light and clear, the refined tone of a commanding woman, tinged with coldness yet naturally graceful.

It sounded familiar—likely the elder from the pair of wandering women encountered that morning.

Suddenly enlightened, Ye Jingtang instinctively stopped, but his brow tightened.

“Are you a fugitive?”

The woman’s peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, calm as still water.

“I am cleansing poison, not unable to move, merely unwilling to act rashly and risk injury. You divert the soldiers; there will be generous reward afterward.”

Ye Jingtang asked, “What crime has brought the imperial pursuit upon you?”

Footsteps drew nearer inside the alley.

After a brief pause, the woman spoke:

“I am a righteous person; I came to the capital only to save someone. Help me distract them, and afterward, I will teach you martial skills.”

Ye Jingtang weighed the situation carefully—being hunted by the officials clearly meant serious trouble; harboring thieves was no light offense.

But just as he prepared to act, the woman extended her pale right hand from beneath her cloak and flicked two copper coins with her fingers.

Whizz, whizz—

One struck the door, the other rebounded off the wall and also hit the door, effectively shutting it.

A heavy weight settled in Ye Jingtang’s heart—the precision and force revealed profound martial skill; if she could close a door with coins, she could certainly kill with hidden weapons.

If provoked, the approaching two officers might meet death, and whether Ye Jingtang could escape unscathed was uncertain.

As he hesitated, the footsteps in the alley ceased; the pursuers were experienced and had quietly stopped to approach the courtyard stealthily.

The woman looked at Ye Jingtang, her tone still calm:

“I do not wish to kill innocents, but if they enter, death is certain. My companion waits outside; if the commotion attracts the soldiers and I am captured, she will seek revenge on you. Think carefully.”

Ye Jingtang, hearing this, realized the woman had allies, complicating matters further.

Tread, tread—

Suddenly, faint sounds came from the rooftop of the neighboring courtyard—the officers clearly did not intend to knock.

So much for creating a diversion to lure them away.

The woman’s brows knitted slightly, as if preparing to rise and fight.

If the two officers entered, death was likely, and Ye Jingtang would be implicated. After weighing his options, he spoke:

“Don’t be impulsive. I’ll help you distract the soldiers; you teach me martial arts for free. How about that?”

The woman’s gaze flickered; after a moment’s thought, she nodded.

“Teach me one move... you!”

Before she finished, she was startled to find the remarkably handsome young man now standing before her.

Realizing Ye Jingtang’s intent, she hurriedly said:

“Wait, young master... you scoundrel!”

Noticing Ye Jingtang pressing on her, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

Though Ye Jingtang bore no ill intent, he tried to support her body to avoid contact that might embarrass her. He covered them both with a blanket and began shaking the bed to signal her.

But unexpectedly, despite understanding his meaning, the woman showed no cooperation. Facing the crisis, she donned the expression of a “dishonored heroine,” glaring fiercely and trying to push him away.

“Are you crazy? I’m not taking advantage of you!”

Ye Jingtang found himself in a predicament. After risking his neck to help, the woman repaid him with ungratefulness. Frustrated and angry, he pinched her lightly.

Caught off guard, her body jolted, eyes wide with surprise, and she let out a panicked low cry:

“Ah~!”

Outside, the approaching footsteps suddenly stopped.

Ye Jingtang breathed a sigh of relief, shot the woman a glare to encourage her to keep making noise, then said:

“Isn’t your husband impressive? Hmm?”

Yet, to Ye Jingtang’s dismay, tears welled in her eyes as she stared at him, weakly twisting his fingers but refusing to make a sound.

Ye Jingtang wished he could throw her out, but the scene was set; there was no turning back to explain to the officers. Despite his anger, he had to continue alone.

“Not strong enough?…”

While speaking, he kept signaling with his eyes, hoping she would cooperate.

But she was stubborn, gritting her teeth and refusing to utter a sound; two tears slipped from her eyes.

Though uncooperative, Ye Jingtang’s acting was excellent. After some effort, he successfully deceived the officers outside, causing low murmurs:

“Doing this in broad daylight, really... The bed’s shaking like it’s going to fall apart, and with such force.”

“The woman’s really patient, hasn’t even called out once.”

“No one dares shout at this hour... What now?”

“Hm... Must be a ruse by the thieves! Let’s go in and see...”

“Move, move!”

The footsteps quickened.

Both inside froze!

Ye Jingtang had just relaxed but heard this and almost spat blood in anger. He couldn’t tell if the officers were too clever or shameless to come in and inspect so thoroughly.

Fortunately, Ye Jingtang had taken off his outer robe and quickly wrapped the woman beneath it.

Seeing the officers enter, the woman’s resistance lessened slightly but she remained reluctant, nervously curling her hands in front of her, supporting Ye Jingtang as best she could.

Earlier, Ye Jingtang thought her ungrateful, but now he felt she truly didn’t know how to cooperate. He had no chance to probe further, so he shielded her face with his and kept up the act.

Bang—

The door was kicked open.

Two officers wielding official blades strode in with stern authority, eyes widening at the bed.

“Ah!”

This time, the woman was clever enough to scream quietly by Ye Jingtang’s ear, though it nearly deafened him.

“Why scream so loudly now?!”

Ye Jingtang’s ears throbbed painfully; his anger flared, but the expression fit the occasion. He hugged her tightly, turning his head to glare at the doorway:

“Who?!… Ah? Honorable sirs, what brings you here?”

The officers scrutinized the scene; the blanket covered everything except hair, leaving them clearly disappointed.

Still, their expressions remained stern:

“This afternoon, thieves trespassed the Black Bureau. Routine patrol—why are you two hiding here? Earlier, suspicious figures were seen.”

Trespassing the Black Bureau?

Ye Jingtang was startled; he hadn’t expected the woman’s skills to be so formidable.

But there was no time to ponder. Carefully, he pulled over his outer robe, searched his sleeve, and produced the landlord’s lease contract, tossing it to the officers with an expression of feigned helplessness.

“Sirs, I just moved in yesterday. Do I look like someone who could spot thieves?”

The officers doubted him. One took the lease to verify he was a legitimate tenant, then, finding no grounds, berated:

“It’s broad daylight, doing this kind of thing at home...”

The other raised a hand:

“Forget it. Heavy rain, bare walls—what else can you do? Let’s go.”

With that, they tossed their belongings on the bed, turned, and left, closing the door behind them.

Ye Jingtang wanted to rise but noticed the two stopped after several steps, standing motionless.

Clearly, these officers were no fools—lustful yet cautious.

The woman noticed too, glancing at Ye Jingtang; her icy face showed some complexity. Though she said nothing, her look clearly meant—keep going.

Ye Jingtang felt uneasy but mimicked a casual tone:

“What a damn disappointment. Wife, did I scare you?”

“No, husband… you…”

The woman opened her mouth, eyes filled with confusion, seemingly at a loss for words.