Chapter 118: Uproarious Public Opinion

Yuwen Mo reluctantly withdrew his gaze, stood up, and left the small courtyard. The tenderness in his eyes was instantly replaced by a chill as he addressed Steward Guan, who was waiting at the door, “Follow him, and remind him of his status. Even without him, the Yuwen family and the Temple of Rakshasa will always have another Yuwen Lingxi and another Anming. And make it quick for Nineteen.”

With those words, he flicked his sleeve and vanished in a flash.

Steward Guan stood where he was, watching the two figures disappear, a complicated look on his face. He sighed inwardly and hurried after Yuwen Lingxi. From the bits and pieces he had just overheard, the rift between the two was growing ever wider.

Yuwen Lingxi stormed out of the Temple of Rakshasa, his heart ablaze with anger. He paused and turned to Steward Guan behind him, “You know everything, and so do I. Everyone has their own untouchable scales. I understand that for both an assassin and a sect leader, having such a weakness is dangerous. But this weakness, I accept it willingly. I want to protect it with all that I am.”

He turned and looked seriously at Steward Guan. “This time, I’ve already lied to her. I don’t want to keep going down this path.”

Steward Guan simply listened intently, offering no opinion of his own. At this moment, his advice was of little consequence. He had watched Yuwen Lingxi grow up, but this was only the second time he had seen such a determined look on his face.

This child had been forced to shoulder too much. Steward Guan did not wish to burden him any further; some things, he would bear himself, with what remained of his old bones.

Life on the boat was more comfortable, but even more monotonous. All around was the endlessly flowing river, without bustling streets or pleasant scenery. Lian Yue had now fully adapted to life aboard, though the initial novelty of fishing or watching the sunrise had gradually faded into absentmindedly staring at the deck.

Now, whenever she left her cabin, a shadow of a companion would appear at her side. This shadow never spoke unless spoken to, simply trailing behind her quietly. At first, Lian Yue had found it awkward and had gently expressed her discomfort, but every time she saw his shy, troubled expression, her heart would soften.

There was no helping it. If she refused his company, it wouldn’t be long before Zhou Man’s booming voice would echo across the entire ship, accompanied by all manner of earth-shattering remarks.

After one or two such incidents, Lian Yue genuinely sympathized with this bashful youth and allowed him to follow her. Two days passed and she gradually got used to it, treating him as little more than an invisible presence. Fortunately, the boat would reach Nanping by tomorrow morning. Once off the ship, she would have thousands of excuses to avoid these bothersome situations.

As for that nuisance Qiao Zhi, he was as persistent as ever. Wherever Lian Yue appeared, he would soon arrive, gracefully fanning himself. He still talked incessantly, but would rather go thirsty than touch a drop of water near Lian Yue. Even so, he had fallen for her tricks twice.

Yuwen Lingxi, usually as cold as ice, also appeared from time to time under the guise of a physician. Even Zizhu had noticed the change and loved to tease Lian Yue about the trio whenever they were alone.

Lian Yue found all this quite exasperating. Each of them had perfectly reasonable excuses for their constant presence—especially Qiao Zhi, who would list in great detail his efforts and hardships during the days Lian Yue was missing whenever she tried to send him away.

Zhou Man, for his part, would make up all manner of reasons to send Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen away from Lian Yue. By now, even the lowest deckhand knew that the little heiress of the Yue family was being courted by a prince, a young master, and a gentleman—and the versions of the story were as numerous as they were varied.

Lian Yue herself had heard at least a dozen versions in the last few days. According to Zizhu, the ship’s crew had even started a betting pool on who would win the young lady’s heart. Each of the three gentlemen had their supporters, with Yuwen Lingxi and Qiao Zhi running neck and neck, while Zhou Ziwen lagged behind.

The boredom on the boat could drive anyone mad, and Lian Yue’s affairs provided the perfect distraction for everyone.

One idle tale was quickly followed by several more. Now, every move, every expression, every smile of Lian Yue’s was under constant scrutiny.

She found it all rather overwhelming. After lunch and a nap, she stayed in her room, listening to Zizhu recount the latest version of the story.

“Who’s the favorite in this version? Come on, tell us!” Yaoyao, ever the troublemaker, was an avid supporter of such gossip. Lian Yue even suspected she was fanning the flames herself.

Clearing her throat, Zizhu began, “The latest version is this: someone got up in the night and, while passing the deck, sleepily saw two figures standing there. He quickly hid, and though he was upwind and at some distance, it seemed the two were arguing. He vaguely heard the word ‘moon’. Then, as the quarrel escalated, the two embraced. After that—” Zizhu glanced at the eager faces of Lian Yue and Yaoyao and swallowed, “We’ll skip the next two hundred words. Please use your imagination to fill in the rest.”

Yaoyao’s eyes lit up with excitement as she blurted out, “You mean they kissed?”

Zizhu nodded awkwardly. She was about the same age as Lian Yue and Yaoyao, and had no experience in such matters, so talking about it made her a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t expected Yaoyao to get straight to the point. Thankfully, Sister Lan wasn’t here.

Lian Yue, upon hearing this, immediately recalled the scene she had accidentally witnessed that night and looked at Yaoyao in disbelief. “Could it have been you and Second Brother?”

“Of course not!” Yaoyao retorted guiltily. “We weren’t even there last night!” Then she clapped a hand over her mouth, looking at the knowing expressions on Lian Yue and Zizhu, and hurriedly added, “I didn’t say anything! You heard nothing!”

Worried that Yaoyao might ask how she knew, and thus discover what happened that night, Lian Yue quickly changed the subject. “Zizhu, go on.”

Zizhu had expected her mistress to press for details about Second Young Master, but was surprised to be let off so easily. She continued, “According to the eyewitness, he became very alert, thinking he’d stumbled upon a secret. He crept closer, and from their clothes, he could just make out that they were two men. He tried to get even closer, but accidentally made a noise. The two quickly separated and disappeared in an instant.”

Yaoyao and Lian Yue were both astounded by this account—how could anyone possibly make up such a story? Two men, embracing?

Zizhu was very pleased with their reactions; she’d felt the same way when she first heard it. The analysis that followed was the real highlight.

She waved her hand to get their attention, grinning. “Want to hear what everyone guessed next?”

“Tell us! Quickly!” This time, it was Lian Yue who couldn’t wait. She was dying to know who the two men were.

Zizhu chuckled before continuing under their expectant gazes. “According to everyone’s analysis, one of the men must be Young Master Yuwen. The other is either the prince or Young Master Zhou, with most people favoring the prince.”

Yaoyao immediately interrupted, “Why couldn’t it be the Nuisance or the Shadow?”—using Lian Yue’s pet names for them when no one else was around.

This time, Lian Yue herself explained with a sly smile, “Because the Nuisance already looks like a girl, and the Shadow is so shy. Only the Doctor is cold and cool enough, right?”

Zizhu gave a thumbs-up. “That’s precisely what they’re saying. Since the prince and Young Master Yuwen are close, suspicion falls mostly on them.”

“What does this have to do with the betting pool?” That was what really concerned Yaoyao.

Suppressing her laughter, Zizhu continued, “It’s very relevant! Now there’s a new theory on board. The reason there are three suitors is because Young Master Yuwen and Miss Lian Yue are engaged, but as star-crossed lovers who can’t be together, they’ve staged this whole pursuit to break off the engagement. Of course, some say Young Master Yuwen has fallen for someone else, and there’s a love rival determined to steal Miss Lian Yue away as revenge. So, the betting pool has shifted—Young Master Zhou now has far more supporters than the prince or Young Master Yuwen.”