Chapter 11: Waited for You All Night

Du Wan sat cross-legged on her bed, practicing, her head drenched in sweat.

*Plop!*

A faint sound came from the window.

Du Wan froze.

Is this... someone throwing small pebbles at the window?

Sure enough, there was another "plop."

Du Wan didn't rush to check. She waited until the pain in her body subsided before getting up. She cautiously moved to the window, carefully opened a crack, and peered outside.

Downstairs, in the empty street, stood a lone figure in white.

The man in white was holding a lantern.

Inside the lantern, the orange flame flickered and swayed in an eerie manner.

Perhaps noticing Du Wan looking out, the man in white intentionally raised the lantern a bit higher.

In the night, his hazy features became slightly clearer.

The male lead?!

He beckoned to Du Wan, signaling for her to come down.

Du Wan’s teeth ached.

Is there something wrong with this guy’s brain?

He swindled the original owner out of her mine, and he still has the nerve to show his face?

Her bright, lively eyes darted around the room, landing on a wooden rack in the corner. On the rack sat a large basin of clear water, which she had specifically asked Chun Tao to prepare for washing her face and body after her evening practice.

So, she excitedly went over, took a towel, soaked it, and quickly washed her face.

Then, she wiped the sweat off her body.

Feeling that this wasn't enough to vent her frustration, she picked up the wooden basin, placed it on the floor, soaked her feet in it, and scrubbed them a few times. Only then did she pick up the foot-washing water.

She walked cautiously to the window, threw it wide open, and splashed the water down toward the street!

*Splash!*

*Drip, drip, drip.*

The small sounds of the water falling were exceptionally clear in the silent night.

"Hey, Miss Du, why aren't you asleep yet?" Mu Si'an from the next room stuck his head out of his window and shouted loudly on purpose.

Du Wan rolled her eyes. "Nothing. It's late at night, and there are always wild cats making a racket."

"Haha! Wild cats, hahaha..."

"Shut up, you're disturbing people's sleep."

"Alright, alright."

"..."

Down on the street, the figure was already gone.

What a weirdo!

Du Wan slammed the window shut with a *bang*.

Don't think that just because she smiles and acts optimistic in front of others, she is actually happy.

Deep down, she felt no sense of belonging in this strange world, let alone any mood to play games of flirtation. The male lead's actions tonight had only annoyed her further, making her impression of him even worse.

A grown man, running over in the middle of the night to hit on a young girl—is he trying to reach the heavens? Is that something a decent person would do?

Never mind that this is ancient times; even in the modern era, not many people would pull a stunt like that!

...

For the next three days, Du Wan was extremely well-behaved.

Except for sleeping at night, she stayed in the carriage almost the entire time.

In fact, Du Wan was very busy; she was constantly practicing.

Once, she fell asleep while practicing, and when she woke up, she was still in the same position, but her body didn't hurt as much as usual. Later, she discovered that every time she practiced, the pain would lessen just a little bit.

The jolting of the carriage couldn't dampen her enthusiasm for cultivation.

Du Wan turned a deaf ear to everything outside.

Outside, the teams of the Pei and Xie families seemed to be competing, fighting to take the lead.

After three days of competing, Xie Zhang personally came over to have a cup of tea with Pei Hao.

Pei Hao maintained a facade of politeness and exchanged a few perfunctory words.

After that, the Xie family's caravan followed right behind the Pei family's.

To outsiders who didn't know the situation, it would look as if the two caravans were traveling together.

At noon, they passed a mountain stream.

The Pei family's team stopped to cook on the spot.

The Xie family's team, following behind, actually stopped as well.

"This Xie Qi is like a dog-skin plaster; no matter how we try to shake him off, he won't leave," Mu Si'an glanced backward.

Pei Hao was wiping his sword with a handkerchief. "Let him be."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"He might just be doing it to bother you."

"Pfft, what am I in his eyes? If he wants to bother someone, he's bothering you."

"..." Pei Hao’s hand paused in its wiping.

Xie Qi’s intentions were not about the wine.

He glanced toward Du Wan’s side and continued wiping his sword.

Mu Si'an looked over as well and exclaimed in surprise, "The eldest miss has gotten out of the carriage!"

"Is there any need to make such a fuss?" Pei Hao glanced over there.

"There is! She’s stayed in the carriage almost the whole time these past few days." Mu Si'an stroked his chin. "This person really has changed. She hasn't complained of hardship or fatigue, she eats whatever is given to her—she doesn't look like a pampered young lady at all."

"Perhaps she suffered quite a bit during the time she was missing."

"You really think so?"

"That is the best explanation." Pei Hao had his doubts, but he wouldn't voice them. The sense of dissonance about the young girl—strangers might not notice anything, but those who were familiar with her...

On the other side.

Du Wan stretched a little and looked left and right.

Just as she was about to speak to Chun Tao—

"Wanwan."

A voice called out from behind her.

Du Wan shuddered upon hearing it.

She turned around and saw Xie Zhang standing a yard behind her. She had tried her best to avoid him for the past three days, yet he had still managed to find her?

Du Wan blinked, instantly playing dumb. "Are you calling me?"

"Is Wanwan angry with me?"

"How could I be?" Du Wan was bewildered inside.

Xie Zhang took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them.

Du Wan almost jumped back in fright, but she held herself back!

Xie Zhang’s voice was exceptionally clear. "Wanwan, I waited for you all night that day."

"Which day?" Du Wan’s large eyes were filled with confusion.

Xie Zhang’s gaze flickered. "At the third quarter of the Xu hour, under the banyan tree east of the village."

Upon hearing this, Du Wan let out an "Ah!" "So it was you! There was no signature, so I thought it was someone's prank."

Xie Zhang:...

Should he believe her?

However, her reaction didn't seem fake in the slightest.

Of course, it wasn't fake; Du Wan had only just realized that the male lead had actually asked her out. Did she... miss out on some grand annual drama?

Xie Zhang was silent for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "That night at the inn, I asked you to come downstairs, you also..."

Du Wan let out another "Ah." "So that was you that night."

"If it wasn't me, who did you think it was?"

"A ghost!"

Du Wan blurted out, then raised her hand to point at his clothes, adding with a strange expression, "White robe, white lantern, in the middle of the night..."

Xie Zhang:...

Beside them, Chun Tao lowered her head, her shoulders shaking.

She wanted to laugh, but she couldn't!

The smile on Xie Zhang’s handsome face remained unchanged, but his heart was anything but calm.

Now he could be certain: the young girl had changed.

In the past, whenever the young girl saw him, her eyes would always sparkle. Now, that was gone; she had become strange and distant, which made Xie Zhang’s mood very complicated.

Could it be that she knows something?

"Du Wanwan! Come here."

Pei Hao’s shout interrupted Xie Zhang’s thoughts.

Du Wan turned back as if pleasantly surprised. Seeing Pei Hao was like seeing her own brother; she immediately took off running toward him, leaving the poor male lead behind just like that.

Yes, she did it on purpose.

The male lead looked like he was up to no good!

She would stay as far away as possible so he couldn't scheme against her!

Xie Zhang frowned as he watched their retreating figures.

After Du Wan had walked far away, she secretly looked back.

Seeing that he had turned and left, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

~

(End of chapter)