Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Luo Qianyu's pupils constricted. The white veil was abruptly swept away, his vision suddenly clearing. When he looked up again, his gaze locked directly with Wen Yu's.

Since they last met, the phoenix mark between the other's brows had grown even more vivid.

Like a cluster of crimson flames in the midst of nirvana, melting gold and jade, blazing as if about to ignite.

Luo Qianyu was utterly flustered. His fingers instantly tightened on his lapel and sleeve. Still held in the other's arms, his heart hammered in his chest, threatening to leap out.

...

Did Wen Yu... know it was him?

Had Wen Yu recognized him as that Mysterious Guest?

Calm down... calm down! The first time was in the dimly lit Zhaixian Pavilion, the second was a guest on the eaves on a moonless, windy night. Wen Yu had never clearly seen his face. At the Zhaixian Pavilion, he had even deliberately altered his voice. Wen Yu hadn't even glimpsed his true appearance, so how could he possibly recognize him?

"How long are you going to keep staring?"

Luo Qianyu pressed his lips together, his innate nobility and arrogance burning as fiercely as the color in his eyes. He said coldly, "Keep looking, and this Young Master will gouge your eyes out."

Wen Yu was taken aback, lifting his head to avert his gaze.

Although he was still being carried by him, the young master who had just been discussing the hidden arrow with him now seemed like a completely different person.

Not only had his face turned cold in an instant, but his tone could also freeze one to the bone.

Sensing the person in his arms stiffen momentarily before gradually relaxing, the dignified, pampered air that hadn't been shown to him earlier began to reveal itself bit by bit. The young master frowned, glancing elsewhere, and said, "From now on, hold me steady. Dare to look again, and beware your eyeballs. Utter another half-sentence, and mind your tongue."

While issuing these fierce threats, the Young Marquis discovered that the culprit, the Little Bird, had somehow landed on his finger—no wonder it felt so heavy.

"Take me back to the manor."

Luo Qianyu couldn't be bothered to shoo it away, simply letting his voice drop coldly. "Dare to be even half a moment late, and the charge of firing that hidden arrow will fall on you."

At these words, the Little Beauty's expression indeed shifted slightly.

Having successfully turned the tables and stirred trouble, Luo Qianyu felt a twinge of guilt and pity in his heart. But since his face was exposed, he had to play the part of the wastrel to the end, not letting any flaws show. With no other choice at the moment, he could only wrong the Little Beauty.

The arm around his waist tightened slightly. Wen Yu continued walking without a change in expression. The two remained silent, no longer speaking.

Seizing this opportunity, Zhao Nian had already summoned some strong servants from the Marquis's estate. Several of them hurried back, carrying a palanquin towards them. Sharp-eyed, Zhao Nian spotted his young master immediately and called out, "Young Master, hold on! Endure the pain a little longer. The Doctor is already waiting at Jinlin Courtyard."

Embarrassed by such a grand display, the Young Marquis felt his face couldn't bear it. The finger that had hosted the little bird for so long curled into a fist, which he thumped against Wen Yu's chest, urging, "Put me down."

He thought the Little Beauty would obediently comply, but unexpectedly, the other didn't move.

Not only did he not move, but he also, as requested, remained silent. Instead, as Zhao Nian approached, he steadily lifted Luo Qianyu onto the palanquin in front of everyone.

Luo Qianyu burned with shame and annoyance.

He thought to himself, wasn't the original protagonist shou supposed to be righteous? If so righteous, he could have fearlessly defied authority and dumped him in the middle of the road. Yet, he had remained expressionless the entire way, only going against his wishes at parting... Was this considered settling a personal score under the guise of duty?

Luo Qianyu knew he was probably overthinking it, but he still felt somewhat indignant. As he pondered, he suddenly remembered this part of the original plot—

After this initial encounter, the Young Marquis did not let Wen Yu off easily. He looked coldly at the celestial beauty, a hidden thrill stirring in his heart, and opened his mouth to say: "Men! Bind this ungrateful commoner and take him to the manor. This Young Master will personally teach him what rules are!"

Seeing Wen Yu resist, and with his formidable skills, the few personal guards combined were no match, unable to even get close. During the stalemate, reminded by those around him, the Young Marquis finally recognized this as the once-famous, dismissed top scholar.

So, with a shift in thinking, he chuckled lightly: "Unwilling? Do you not wish to treat your pitiful old mother anymore? With just one word from this Young Master, guess which physician in the capital would dare step over your threshold in the future?"

Wen Yu's face turned ashen, his fingers gripping the hilt of the Jade Spirit Sword until they turned white.

What followed was the Young Marquis using his power to pressure him, abducting the protagonist shou into the Marquis's estate, forcing him to become his Personal Guard, thus embarking on the path of no return involving coercion and plunder...

Stop!

The plot of snatching someone off the street was impossible.

As for keeping the beauty shou by his side as a personal guard, taking advantage of the proximity to harass the protagonist... the current him would avoid Wen Yu like the plague.

Based on current experience, even if he couldn't evade the original plot, the Young Marquis was quite adept at muddling through.

"Men!"

Everyone was stunned.

"Bind this ungrateful... wretched bird and take it to the manor. This Young Master will personally teach it what rules are!" the Young Marquis commanded.

The guard beside him doubted his hearing and hesitated, "...Young Master means that fat bird?"

"What, do you have an objection?"

The guard quickly lowered his head. "This subordinate wouldn't dare."

He then produced a coil of thin rope, looped it, and tied a knot. With a single toss, he successfully lassoed the little bird that had been circling in the air, just about to land.

The Little Bird: "?"

As for the fat bird's owner, only after his Young Master gave the order did a slight ripple appear in his eyes. He did not intervene even when the guard reeled in the rope and took hold of the bird.

One could call it abandoning it to its fate.

"Regarding today's events, dare to speak a word of it." Luo Qianyu glanced sidelong at Wen Yu, his voice icy. "And you'll share the same fate as your little pet."

The palanquin was lifted. Seeing Wen Yu still standing there, the Young Marquis pondered for a moment, as if still unsatisfied. He casually pulled something from his robe and threw it at Wen Yu: "You scoundrel, you've soiled my brocade robe. Are you waiting for a reward? Get lost!"

Zhao Nian supported the Young Marquis, his expression somewhat puzzled.

It had been a long time since he'd seen the young master so furious. After being carried for only a short while, how exactly had this exceptionally handsome gentleman provoked his young lord?

The palanquin disappeared around the corner.

That unknown object, resembling a small piece of jade, a miniature blue-glazed porcelain bottle, rolled to a stop at Wen Yu's feet.

Wen Yu bent down, his palm still stained with blood, and picked up the small ceramic jar, no larger than his palm.

Removing the stopper, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted to his nose, mixed with the refreshing scent of medicinal herbs. The noble in his arms earlier seemed to have carried this same scent.

...

It was wound medicine.

-

Marquis's Estate.

The Young Marquis had acquired another injury, breaking Madam Sun's heart.

After applying medicine, supplemented by massage to unblock the meridians, fortunately, no tendons or bones were damaged, and it wasn't serious. The Young Marquis's taut nerves finally snapped. He lay prone on the couch, letting them do as they pleased.

“Aren’t you the one I snatched?”

A day later, Luo Qianyu tilted his head, glancing at the dazed little puffball perched on his shoulder, and sighed for the third time. “…Why are you so clingy?”

The little puffball clung to him like glue—so much so that when the Young Marquis inadvertently lifted his brocade robe, he discovered faint red marks pressed into his pale shoulder beneath his undershirt.

It seemed this bird landed only on clothes he’d worn the night Wen Yu held him. Could it be… because of Wen Yu’s scent?

Others might not know, but he remembered clearly—the original novel frequently described the captivating male lead’s fragrance, often written as “a blend of sandalwood and orchid, like night-blooming lotuses swaying, stirring the heart.” This so-called pure, cool, and elegant scent—utterly natural—left countless suitors and side characters longing for it.

Because Wen Yu had held him, had that scent transferred onto him… lingering even now? Did this bird crave fragrance?

After several tests, this theory seemed increasingly plausible. The Young Marquis felt conflicted, wondering where Wen Yu had found such a peculiar bird.

Yet, even after changing every item that might carry Wen Yu’s scent—his fox-fur outer robe, undershirt, boots, belt, jade pendant, hair ribbon—the red-tailed bird still wouldn’t leave him alone.

Before long, red marks appeared on his other shoulder as well.

Leaning an elbow on the table, he propped his head in his hand and sighed, “We only hugged for a moment—it’s not like we kissed or slept together. Where exactly is this lingering scent? Give me a hint, and I’ll throw it all away, alright?”

The little bird tilted its head, preened its feathers, and yawned.

…Could it be his hair?

Luo Qianyu suddenly sat upright. That night in Wen Yu’s embrace, they had indeed been extremely close—it wasn’t impossible.

“Someone—draw my bath!”

The little bird spread its wings, fluttered twice, and hurriedly chased after him into the hot spring pool.

Within the Marquis’s estate, only one private hot spring pool existed—deep inside the Jinlin Courtyard, reserved solely for the Young Marquis. No one else was permitted to enter. Just how much the Marquis and his wife doted on their son was evident from this privilege alone.

The maids prepared the water and, upon hearing the Young Marquis’s order—“No need to attend”—withdrew one by one.

Steam rose above the hot spring pool. The walls of the jade pool were smooth and pure white, carved with cloud patterns. Beside the pool stood a sandalwood daybed draped with a soft, thin brocade blanket.

Luo Qianyu removed his clothes and stepped into the pool. The warm spring water instantly enveloped his body, and he drew a soft breath.

Earlier, his knees had ached from kneeling as punishment; later, he’d accompanied Lou Xian to the training grounds, riding a horse for nearly an hour—rubbing the insides of his thighs raw. His bruised skin stung upon contact with the water. Now, his lower back hurt, his knees ached, and the insides of his thighs were sore…

“With this weak body, how am I supposed to run away in the future?” the Young Marquis sighed leisurely.

If the original plot had unfolded, by now he would have forcibly abducted Wen Yu back to the estate. He would have watched as the Little Beauty’s palms bore traces of blood, his snow-white outer robe stained with dust kicked up while reining in the horse—looking somewhat disheveled.

After admiring the scene for a while, the Young Marquis would have graciously permitted the male lead to bathe in his own hot spring pool.

Unexpectedly, delayed by other matters, he failed to successfully peek at the beauty bathing. Instead, a thief who had infiltrated the estate got an eyeful.

Furious, the Young Marquis ordered a thorough search of the entire estate. In the end, not only did they fail to capture the thief, but they also alarmed the Marquis and Sun Shi—earning himself a severe scolding and nearly landing him in the ancestral hall.

What a chaotic turn of events that would have been.

Unfortunately, having just released Wen Yu the previous night, none of these events that should have occurred actually happened.

Having soaked for a while, Luo Qianyu suddenly remembered something. He retrieved the blood-stained short arrow from his undershirt on the bank and began examining it carefully in his hand.

His gaze fell on the engraved design, studying it intently—

One end was an arrowhead, with two hollow openings… The more he looked, the more it resembled the character *zhōu* (boat).

Luo Qianyu’s brow furrowed slightly. It looked familiar—yet upon recalling the original novel, there didn’t seem to be any character with *zhōu* in their name. Could it be that, unbeknownst to him, he had other enemies elsewhere?

Turning it over in his mind without finding an answer, he felt dejected. He grabbed the red-tailed bird, ruffling the feathers on its neck, venting to it. “Who else has this Young Marquis offended? Even a simple trip to the night market draws enemies with deep-seated grudges. If it’s like this now, will anything be safe in the future?”

“Should I really find a highly skilled personal guard?”

“…As long as he doesn’t fall in love with Wen Yu.”

The little bird narrowed its eyes, drowsy—only to be awakened again by someone stroking its feathers. It listened as the young heir muttered, “Since I’ve time-traveled, why couldn’t I have become a great general, a martial arts master, an assassin, or a death warrior?… At least then I could experience what it feels like to be unrivaled under heaven—even just for the thrill.”

Just then, a small cluster of bubbles surfaced on the water not far away.

Extremely faint, they vanished as soon as they broke the surface.

Luo Qianyu hadn’t heard it clearly, but the red-tailed bird seemed startled. It fluttered up and landed on the Young Marquis’s head.

Luo Qianyu froze, his attention drawn. He stood up abruptly, grabbing his undershirt. “Who’s there!?”

He surveyed the entire pool—but the water’s surface remained calm and still.

Amid the white mist, there was no movement whatsoever.