Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After that day, Yun Jian’s attitude toward me underwent a subtle shift.

Before, he would look straight ahead as he passed, as if I were nothing more than a pebble on the side of the road.

Now… it was strange.

When he passed by and saw me get cut while pruning the flowers and plants, he would have the steward give me the highest-grade gold-wound ointment.

I was deeply moved.

He would only give a cold snort. “Grimacing in pain like that-it’s hideous.”

In the winter, I followed the carriage on foot. My hands and feet would grow numb with cold until I could hardly walk.

He would show a rare bit of mercy and let me sit by the carriage door to catch some warmth.

Gradually, the carriage door would open wider and wider. I wasn’t sure if it was just the wind blowing it.

Regardless, my whole body would slowly warm up.

After sitting for a long while, I shifted my body to look at the scenery behind the carriage, only for Yun Jian’s cool voice to drift out.

“Are you peeking?”

Startled, I immediately sat up straight and pulled the carriage door shut tight.

“No, no! I was just looking at the old man selling roasted sweet potatoes. I definitely didn’t steal a single glance at you, Young Master!”

A cold, teeth-gritting sneer came from inside the carriage.

“Get out!”

I scrambled off the carriage dejectedly. Fortunately, we weren’t far from our destination.

One day, the steward led back a silver foal, saying it was a gift for Yun Jian from an old friend.

The horse was silver-white all over with a shimmering coat; one look was enough to tell it was a rare, precious steed.

However, the horse had quite a fiery temperament. When the estate’s groom tried to lead it, he was nearly kicked and injured.

Perhaps it was the bumpy journey or the touch of a strange groom that made the horse lose its cool. It let out a roar, struggling to break free from its reins.

The large tree it was tied to shook, shedding leaves with every violent tug.

After several repetitions, the trunk finally snapped. The horse ran toward the crowd in the courtyard like it had gone mad.

Amidst the chaos, a young maid couldn’t dodge in time. She was pushed to the ground by the crowd, and it looked as though the horse’s hooves were about to trample her chest.

Suddenly, a handful of green powder was thrown through the air from out of nowhere.

The horse’s eyes were clouded by the powder, causing it to halt. When the powder entered its mouth, the animal actually seemed dazed for a moment.

At that exact moment, a green figure flashed out, grabbing the maid and pulling her back to safety.

After inhaling the powder, the horse’s originally frantic expression suddenly froze. Its hind legs went weak, and it collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, the steward looked somewhat worried.

I kept one arm around the trembling girl and met his questioning gaze.

“It’s just an ordinary sedative powder. It will return to normal in fifteen minutes.”

“Don’t panic. Take this chance to tie it up again. Remove its horseshoes and check if any foreign object has pierced them.”

The steward followed my advice and indeed found a tiny wooden splinter lodged in a loose horseshoe. It seemed to have been driven in during the journey here.

It wasn’t sharp, but it was incredibly hard, having slowly and deeply ground into the flesh.

The horse had been enduring the pain, and no one had noticed.

It wasn’t until it arrived here that the horse reached its limit. The sudden touch of a stranger had finally caused it to snap.

“Jiang Rui, you’re truly incredible. To think you even knew about that.”

The steward praised me sincerely.

The maid I had saved clung tightly to my hand, tears like shimmering pearls hanging from the corners of her eyes.

“Jiang Rui, you’re amazing. Thank goodness you were there.”

She looked at me with adoration, as if my face were glowing.

A group of people surrounded me, showering me with compliments until I actually started to feel a bit embarrassed.

It was just knowledge from books, combined with the experience I’d gained back when I used to wash horses at courier stations to earn a few coins.

When I finally managed to break away from the crowd, I realized Yun Jian had returned from outside at some point.

He was just standing at the entrance, looking over.

In his hand, he held a deluxe edition of Yanbei Ouji.

At the moment, he had it rolled up and pressed against the tip of his nose. His usually cold and pale, beautiful face was hidden, leaving only his eyes visible.

His light-colored pupils held a hint of daze and contemplation.

In those eyes, the arrogance had faded, replaced by a look like a gentle, clear pool beneath pear blossoms.

When the silver steed woke up, it had calmed down, but it was exceptionally affectionate toward me. When I reached out, it proactively rested its head in my palm.

It didn’t even acknowledge Yun Jian’s hand nearby.

He gave a cold laugh. “Idiot. I wasted my effort taking you back and raising you on the best food and drink. Now, just because you stayed at Tao Jiu’s manor for six months, you’ve turned your back on me.”

So this had been Yun Jian’s horse all along.

The horse flicked its tail. Though it had no facial expression, I could see annoyance and disdain in its eyes.

Every movement it made was deathly elegant and proud.

“Like master, like horse,” I sighed softly, thinking Yun Jian had already left.

“What did you say?”

It was a voice through gritted teeth.

My neck stiffened, and I didn’t dare turn around, instead focusing all my effort on brushing Xue Yu’s coat.

“So white, so well-behaved, so beautiful.”

I coaxed Xue Yu until the horse raised its head and shook its mane.

Suddenly, it felt as if the top of my head was lightly tapped by the pages of a book.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

The voice paused, seemingly struggling for a moment, before another sentence was squeezed out through gritted teeth.

“At least… keep it down.”

With that, the man turned and walked away.

Usually, the silver bells and fine jade hanging from his waist would chime with a light, rhythmic melody as he walked slowly.

Today, however, the ringing was erratic and hurried, lacking its usual order.

?

What was it this time?

I was completely bewildered.