Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 5

Of course, if she actually voiced this idea about horse thieves fighting among themselves, it would sound far too frightening.

So Zhen Tingyun merely smiled at the inn servant and said nothing more. She turned and went downstairs instead, separately giving Steward Lin some instructions regarding the man in black.

Naturally, she also mentioned her idea of taking the opportunity to learn horsemanship from him.

Steward Lin was not as stingy and calculative as Old Old Lady Zhen. Instead, he said, “If miss wishes to learn horsemanship, it would be more proper to wait until we return to the capital, report it to master, and have master personally invite a renowned teacher… How could you possibly learn from a horse thief?!”

“Though I don’t know how to ride myself, I do know how to judge what I see. This man’s riding skill is truly the most remarkable I’ve ever witnessed in my life. It would be a pity to let such an opportunity pass.” As she spoke, Zhen Tingyun waved her hand grandly, looking as though her mind was already made up, and added, “Besides, I already asked Grandmother for permission, and she agreed.”

Steward Lin was practically worried sick over this bizarre grandmother-and-granddaughter pair. Afterward, he inevitably went to take another look at this so-called horse thief. Once he saw the man’s face, he could not help thinking inwardly: Since when do thieves look like this?! Could they have mistaken some flower thief for a horse thief instead?

Thinking about how his young miss still intended to learn horsemanship from this man, Steward Lin slept poorly the entire night, even ending up resenting the endless rain outside.

Fortunately, that drizzling rain finally stopped sometime in the middle of the night.

Zhen Tingyun had always been an early riser. The next morning, upon waking, she slipped on her shoes and first went to open the window.

Outside, the sky still carried a grayish-white hue, only barely brightening. The rain had already stopped, however, and the morning air was exceptionally moist and fresh, cool with traces of grass and earth lingering within it. She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. Seeing her breath instantly condense into pale white mist, she could not help but smile again.

After smiling, Zhen Tingyun washed up and changed clothes, preparing to go downstairs for a stroll before Old Old Lady Zhen and the others awoke. She wanted to breathe in the fresh morning air outside the inn before returning for breakfast.

Unexpectedly, just as Zhen Tingyun stepped out of her room, she heard movement from the neighboring room. Her gaze flickered slightly, and she subconsciously pressed her lips together, thinking: Looks like that horse thief has already woken up?

Since she had heard movement, Zhen Tingyun was no longer in a hurry to go downstairs. Instead, she turned and pushed open the neighboring room’s door.

Ordinarily, the inn room doors had bolts that could be latched from the inside. But the man had been unconscious yesterday, and with the inn servants and physician constantly going in and out, the door was only loosely shut. Zhen Tingyun pushed lightly, and it opened.

When she opened the door, she saw the man leaning against the bed. One hand pressed against the blanket while the other rested against his temple, his brows faintly furrowed as though deep in thought.

Hearing the door open, the man lifted his eyes to look at her.

Yesterday, when the man’s eyes had been closed and he looked disheveled, one could already tell that his features were sharply defined and extraordinarily handsome.

Now, he opened his eyes.

The morning sunlight shone across the side of his face. Half of his bloodless face appeared excessively pale and cold, yet possessed the fine, jade-like texture of something hard and flawless. As he looked toward Zhen Tingyun entering through the door, there was none of the confusion typical of someone newly awakened. Instead, his gaze was deep and heavy.

Even though he was merely leaning against the bed and had to tilt his head upward to look at her, his bearing, expression, and gaze made one forget, for a moment, the crude surroundings of the inn. Even his pale complexion and rough clothing faded into insignificance.

All one could see were eyes like a dark abyss, a gaze sharp as blades, as though he held a naked saber across another person’s throat, cold, piercing, and bone-deep. It forced people to halt involuntarily, cold sweat rising along their backs.

Even Zhen Tingyun paused, frowning slightly: Since when are horse thieves this imposing?

Of course, Zhen Tingyun had grown up in the countryside, and before coming to the capital she had also experienced that great dream. She considered herself well-traveled and well-tested. Though she had been startled for a moment, once she recovered she refused to back down and glared right back at him, huffing, “What are you staring at?”

At her words, the man withdrew his gaze. Instead, he raised his brows and smiled at Zhen Tingyun.

When he smiled, the corners of his eyes lifted slightly, and the harsh lines of his face softened as his lips curved upward. It was like snow and ice melting away, or dawnlight piercing through clouds into the mortal world, clouds glowing like brocade, flowing with dazzling brilliance, enough to leave one utterly spellbound.

Everyone loved beauty, and Zhen Tingyun was no exception. She could not help stepping forward a few paces before suddenly coming back to herself. Coughing lightly, she prepared to properly settle accounts with this horse thief, from him stealing someone else’s beloved horse for no reason, to how she had magnanimously saved his life despite everything, paid for his room, hired a physician, and bought medicine for him…

In any case, she absolutely had to firmly establish this life-saving debt first.

Just as Zhen Tingyun was mentally rehearsing what to say, the man casually lifted a hand and pointed toward the edge of the bed.

Zhen Tingyun hesitated briefly, but still sat down with an air of reserved dignity.

However, the instant she sat down, the man, who had looked relaxed moments earlier, suddenly curved his eyes slightly. His gaze shifted, and his arm shot upward as fast as lightning. He seized Zhen Tingyun by the throat, forcibly making her lift her head to look at him.

His movements were like those of a hunting leopard, fast, precise, ruthless, yet graceful and powerful.

So much so that Zhen Tingyun did not even have time to cry out before she was restrained.

Zhen Tingyun: “……”

“Don’t speak yet.” The man’s voice was slightly hoarse, as though carefully choosing his words, but his enunciation was clear. “I’ll ask one question, and you answer one question. If anything is wrong…” He applied the slightest pressure with his fingers. “I’m afraid your neck will be snapped.”

As he spoke, the corners of his lips lifted slightly. There was not a trace of color in them, they were pale to the extreme, only vaguely forming the shape of a smile.

But because they were so close, Zhen Tingyun could clearly see the darkness hidden deep within his pupils, carrying a chilling viciousness that made one shudder in fear. She involuntarily trembled. Facing such a smile now, she no longer felt the dazzled fascination from before. She even forgot to admire that unbelievably handsome face of his, feeling only terror in her heart.

It was like standing face-to-face with a ferocious beast baring its fangs. The fear of having one’s throat torn open and body ripped apart surged from deep inside her, enough to make her hair stand on end and her scalp go numb. Zhen Tingyun even forgot to push away the arm restraining her neck and merely nodded blankly.

Only then did the man speak, asking, “Who are you?”

After asking, he loosened his grip slightly so that Zhen Tingyun could answer, though two fingers still rested against her throat, capable of snapping her neck at any moment as easily as breaking a flower stem.

Just as the inn servant had said the night before, the man was feverish. Even the two fingers pressing against Zhen Tingyun’s neck were burning hot, like iron tongs heated until red-hot and softened. Yet despite this, he still sat with his back straight, posture upright and perfectly composed, as though he had undergone some special kind of training. His arm was as solid and forceful as cast iron, impossible to resist, nothing like someone suffering from illness and fever.

Zhen Tingyun took a deep breath, steadied herself, softened her voice, and answered gently, “My surname is Zhen, given name Tingyun. You probably don’t know me. Actually, I…”

Before she could finish, the man grew impatient and tightened his grip on her neck again. Calmly, he said, “I ask one question. You answer one question.”

Zhen Tingyun: Screw your mother! Am I some dog you raised, bark once every time you ask a question?!

The man paid her expression no mind and immediately asked another question: “Why am I here?”

Zhen Tingyun looked at him, hesitated, and ultimately decided to tell the truth. “Last night, my horse carried you back. I saw you were soaked through and unconscious. If I’d just left you there, something bad probably would’ve happened. I couldn’t very well leave someone to die, so I had people carry you upstairs.”

The man stared fixedly at Zhen Tingyun, as though determining whether she was lying. After a moment, he asked, “Why did you save me?”

Zhen Tingyun displayed a false yet gentle smile. “I already said, I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die. I was simply doing a good deed.”

The hand gripping her neck tightened slightly.

“All right, all right, I’ll tell the truth!” Zhen Tingyun had no choice but to confess honestly. “Yesterday afternoon, when you stole my horse, I saw your riding skills were extraordinary, so I thought I’d save your life and then have you teach me horsemanship.”

At those words, the man’s brows twitched slightly, and his expression changed. Looking at Zhen Tingyun as though he found this unbelievable, he repeated, “I stole your horse?”

Even with her neck still being held, Zhen Tingyun could not disregard the facts. So she answered softly and tactfully, “Well… it’s also possible you accidentally rode the wrong horse. But it really was my horse. I personally saw you riding away on it, and last night it was also the one that carried you back.”

The man said nothing. His gaze was like two nails driven into Zhen Tingyun’s face. After a while, he gave a brief laugh and finally released the hand gripping her throat.

Zhen Tingyun gasped for air, then immediately clutched her neck and began coughing, her face flushed red.

Watching her cough, the man actually reached over, poured a cup of tea that had already gone cold, and handed it to her.

Zhen Tingyun was so startled by this favor that she hurriedly accepted the cup but did not dare drink from it, merely holding it in both hands while staring at him with wide eyes.

The man did not insist. Still smiling faintly, he suddenly said, “Fine.”

Zhen Tingyun blinked, confused. She did not understand what he meant by “fine.”

The man then explained, “Didn’t you say you wanted me to teach you horsemanship? I agree.”

Zhen Tingyun: “…Y-you really don’t have to force yourself.” After witnessing how ruthless this man was, she was already beginning to regret her earlier absurd idea.

However, the man seemed to have already made up his mind. His tone remained casual and lazy as he said, “Earlier, I was overly cautious. My apologies. But a life-saving favor ought to be repaid with one’s own body. Teaching a little horsemanship is hardly anything. Whatever you wish to learn, I’ll teach you.”

The more Zhen Tingyun listened, the more alarmed she became. She hurriedly said, “No, no, no, I thought it over just now and realized I was being too narrow-minded! As the saying goes, ‘One should not think of repayment after doing a good deed.’ Once you recover, you should hurry home. There’s really no need for you to stay and repay me.”

“Go back?” The man repeated the words with amusement. Then he raised his brows and smiled casually. “I don’t remember anything. How am I supposed to go back?”

Zhen Tingyun swallowed hard and repeated blankly, “You don’t remember anything?”

“Mm.” The man nodded calmly, his expression so calm that it was impossible to tell whether he was lying or being serious.

Zhen Tingyun suddenly remembered that back in her village, there had once been a family whose son had developed a fever so severe it damaged his brain, leaving him a fool. This man had a head injury and a fever too, could it be that he had also burned his brain?

Thinking this, Zhen Tingyun cautiously raised two fingers and probed, “Do you know what number this is?”

As she spoke, she waved the two fingers slightly.

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