Chapter 3: Danyang

The young man in white smiled slightly, raising his hand to brush a leaf from his shoulder.

Such a simple gesture, when performed by him, seemed as graceful as playing the zither, as elegant and refined as snow resting upon green bamboo. He possessed an aura that invited one to admire from afar, yet forbade any form of desecration.

"Miss, this is our Young Master," Xiao Shi said, chattering away with enthusiasm. "Our Young Master is kind-hearted. When he saw the carriage crash, he insisted we come over to see if we could help..."

"..." Gu Yanfei stood frozen, as if she hadn't heard a word, her expression dazed.

She had spent two hundred years in the Yaoling Realm. At eighteen, she had drawn Qi into her body and had since practiced *bigu*, no longer needing to consume grains or food. After all these years, she had long forgotten the sensation of hunger.

Just moments ago, she had felt a discomfort in her abdomen and assumed she had suffered some internal injury; she never imagined it was simply hunger.

Is this what "hunger" feels like?

"Gurgle..."

As if answering the question in her heart, her stomach let out another series of rumblings.

The young man in white inside the carriage curled his lips, a hint of a smile appearing in his dark eyes.

The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, and a crimson tear mole beneath his right eye made his phoenix eyes all the more captivating.

"Miss, does your family reside in Danyang City?" The young man in white bowed elegantly toward Gu Yanfei. "We happen to be heading to Danyang City; we can give you a ride."

Gu Yanfei asked with interest, "How did you know, Young Master?"

The young man in white pointed to the sachet hanging at her waist. "This is a sachet from the Yipin Fragrance Shop in Danyang City, released only every autumn."

Yipin Fragrance Shop was the most famous incense store in Danyang City. Besides various incenses, they also sold sachets, incense burners, and the like.

The sachet embroidered with osmanthus flowers that Gu Yanfei wore was only available for sale in the ninth and tenth lunar months.

"You have a keen eye, Young Master." Gu Yanfei smiled and cupped her hands in thanks. "I will trouble you to take us to the Gu residence on Hua'an Street in Danyang City."

"It is no trouble at all." The young man in white smoothed his sleeves and smiled faintly. "Miss Gu need not worry."

This smile was as radiant as clouds and mist, adding a touch of brilliance to his appearance.

Xiao Shi immediately set up the footstool. Juanbi bit her lip in hesitation and quietly tugged at Gu Yanfei’s sleeve.

*It’s fine.* Gu Yanfei smiled at Juanbi with a candid expression and stepped onto the stool.

If it were the her of her past life, in order to be a qualified daughter of the Gu family, she would have been cautious and reserved, living only to gain the approval of the Gu family. But the current her, having walked through the Yaoling Realm and witnessed a vast and profound world, had long since been reborn.

The boundaries between men and women were of no concern to her whatsoever.

The carriage looked ordinary from the outside, but the interior was exquisitely furnished. The seats were covered with fox-fur cushions, a small carved rosewood table with intertwined patterns was fixed in the center, and the floor was covered with a soft Persian rug. There was also a tea stove, a teapot, teacups, a chessboard, and everything else one might need.

Once Gu Yanfei and Juanbi were seated, the carriage began to move slowly, swaying rhythmically.

"These pastries are still warm; please try them, Miss." The young man in white deftly took a small plate of osmanthus millet cakes from the food box beside him, pushed them gently toward Gu Yanfei, and gestured for her to help herself.

His right hand was as beautiful as the man himself—his fingers were well-defined, fair, and slender, each one like jade, with full, crystalline, and neat nails.

The young man in his flawless white robes was elegant and refined, his appearance transcendently handsome. In contrast, Gu Yanfei’s hair was disheveled, her skirt was muddy, and she looked utterly disheveled.

Any other young lady might have felt ashamed of her appearance, but under his gaze, Gu Yanfei showed not a hint of awkwardness. She calmly reached out and picked up a piece of osmanthus millet cake.

A sweet fragrance drifted into her nose, and the enticing scent of food made her involuntarily salivate, making her feel even more famished.

Gu Yanfei took a slow bite. The millet cake was soft and sweet, with a rich rice flavor; both the sweetness and the texture were just right.

She savored the taste in her mouth slowly, as if she were eating some rare delicacy.

The young man in white picked up the teapot nearby and poured two cups of flower tea.

Gu Yanfei took another bite of the cake and, following the movement of his raised elbow, glanced at the sword hanging at his waist.

It was a short sword with a simple, rustic scabbard and a hilt carved from Hetian green jade.

Taking the teacup he offered, Gu Yanfei sipped it and asked casually, "May I ask your surname, Young Master?"

"My surname is Chu."

No sooner had he spoken than the young man in white showed signs of discomfort. He turned his head, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and began to cough softly.

"Cough, cough..."

Outside the carriage, Xiao Shi heard the coughing and hurriedly lifted the curtain at the front, asking anxiously, "Young Master..."

He stopped abruptly after only two words, staring in shock as he saw the young lady, Gu, holding his master's left hand, her expression of stunned disbelief identical to Juanbi's.

The coughing gradually subsided.

Gu Yanfei calmly pressed two points beneath the thumb of Young Master Chu’s left hand. The skin beneath her touch was as delicate as fine mutton-fat jade, with a slight coolness to it.

In just a few breaths, Young Master Chu stopped coughing, and his breathing became noticeably steady.

"It's fine now." Gu Yanfei smiled as she withdrew her hand.

Since she had intervened, the effect was immediate; she guaranteed he wouldn't have another episode for a month.

"I did not expect you to be well-versed in the medical arts, Miss." Young Master Chu cleared his throat, his smile as refreshing as a spring breeze. "Since we have time on the road, would you care to play a game of chess with me?"

Since playing chess wouldn't stop her from eating, Gu Yanfei nodded readily.

Before long, the crisp sound of chess pieces hitting the board echoed through the carriage.

Gu Yanfei held the black pieces, and Young Master Chu held the white. Both played with great decisiveness, placing piece after piece with almost no time for thought.

The black and white pieces engaged in a bloodless battle on the board, each expanding their own territory...

The carriage arrived at Danyang City at the hour of the Rooster (5:00–7:00 PM).

"Young Master, we've arrived at Danyang City!" Xiao Shi shouted at the top of his lungs, full of energy.

The sounds of the main road mingled together—conversations, hawking, the clatter of hooves, the wind—it was very noisy.

Juanbi eagerly lifted the curtain to look out and saw the familiar city gate directly ahead. The words "Danyang City" were written clearly above the gate, though they looked somewhat mottled from years of wind and rain.

It was dusk, and the commoners were rushing to enter the city before dark. Two long lines snaked from the gate, stretching for a hundred yards, moving at a snail's pace.

Seven or eight yamen runners stood at the gate, bossing the people around, inspecting them one by one—searching carriages, frisking people, and checking goods. The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

After waiting for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, their carriage finally reached the gate.

Outside, a rough, rude male voice shouted impatiently, "Who's in the carriage? Get out now!"

"Officer, this is our Young Master in the carriage..."

The coachman replied politely, but before he could finish, a yamen runner rudely threw open the carriage door, letting in the evening chill.

There were no screens inside the carriage. The stout runner saw Gu Yanfei, her maid, and Young Master Chu at a glance. His gaze swept lightly over the two young ladies and settled on Young Master Chu, looking him up and down.

The duck-voiced youth didn't have time to stop him and said with frustration, "Officer, we are law-abiding citizens, you..."

"Xiao Shi!" Young Master Chu interrupted him in a calm tone. Xiao Shi had to shut his mouth, his lips pressed tightly together, clearly unconvinced.

"My apologies, Officer." Young Master Chu then bowed politely to the runner. "I have caught a cold these past few days and cannot handle the wind... *cough, cough*."

As he spoke, he turned his face slightly, pressed his fist to his lips, and coughed violently. A rouge-like flush bloomed on his pale cheeks, giving him a weak, sickly appearance.

Gu Yanfei raised a willow eyebrow with interest, her gaze landing on his face.

*He puts on quite a convincing act...*