Chapter 83: Through the Window
The night watchman’s drum could be heard on this spring night. It was the time when roosters crowed—the perfect time for the likes of thieves to sneak about.
A shadow lightly fell from the back wall of Fan Manor like a leaf. It hit the ground without making any noise and dusted itself off before disappearing into the darkness. That shadow was none other than Fan Xian. As he prodded along in the dark, he inwardly lamented that there wasn’t any true qinggong in this world which would let him jump ten meters in one leap; every time he climbed a wall he got himself covered in dust.
As prosperous as the capital was, not many places were illuminated at night. Areas that were lit included places such as Wanong Alley, where there was a night market as well as various street performers, and the areas around the river pond which were lit so customers could board boats. Most other streets were dark, only sparingly dotted by dim lights from private residences, some of which shone through cracks in door and onto the stone-paved streets, forming bright lines.
Fan Xian navigated between those lines, running in the night. The cool night wind brushed against his slightly burning cheeks, giving him a very refreshing feeling. After only a short while, he had already arrived at the royal complex, at the same alleyway he’d visited during the day. Seeing the building in the courtyard a distance away, he frowned—there must be palace guards roaming about. In Wu Zhu’s words, his neigong was level seven, and his control of it was level three. If he wished to get inside without alarming those very skilled guards, he had to be extra cautious.
He had to see Lady Lin no matter what, even though he still did not know her full name. He had to tell her who he was, who she was going to marry, and most importantly, what disease she had.
Everything was quiet in the night. The night watchmen’s drums had just sounded and would not sound again anytime soon. Only some frog calls carried over from the distance. Fan Xian stood quietly behind the alley walls, adjusting his zhenqi, letting it slowly course through his entire body. Using xueshan behind his waist at the control center, Fan Xian could perfectly control his every muscle and his awareness.
He didn’t know if Wu Zhu was around, but he did know he couldn’t rely on Wu Zhu his entire life. Regardless of how strong Wu Zhu was, the blind man couldn’t protect him at all times, or else his mother wouldn’t have suffered the fate she had all those years ago. Vigorously wiping away any sweat from his palms, Fan Xian aimed at an inconspicuous spot on the wall. Zhenqi slowly seeped out from the center of his palms and miraculously flowed back along the outer edges, forming a dip. Just as he had climbed the cliffs back in Danzhou, his hands easily adhered to the wall. Fan Xian began to slowly climb.
That wall was over six meters high; an ordinary person, no matter how skilled, could not have jumped over it. Furthermore, the wall was smooth, lacking any footholds in order to discourage climbing. For those reasons, this spot was the least heavily guarded. No one would expect that a Spider-Man would come visit tonight.
Having scaled to the top, Fan Xian anch.o.r.ed one hand on the wall while wiping away his sweat with the other. Why did he have to take so much risk just to see his future wife? But now was not the moment to back down. He raised his head and watched as the crescent became obscured by the clouds. This opportunity excited him.
With the sudden darkening of the moonlight, Fan Xian dropped down to the courtyard and squeezed into the dense bushes like a leopard cat. With the vegetation hiding his presence, he darted straightforward. And yet, he did all of that without making a single sound, all thanks to Wu Zhu’s harsh training back in Danzhou.
He was even more fortunate that there weren’t that many guards in the courtyard. It was close to midnight now, and the security was even laxer. From the sound of it, there were still people awake at the front gate, but there were basically no patrols in the courtyard. Fan Xian let out a sigh of relief. Carefully making his way to that building, he discovered all the lights were out. He wondered if she had already gone to sleep.
The door was locked. Furthermore, there was the chance the laxative from earlier was still working, which meant that old nanny could get up at any moment. Grinning at the possibility, he gave up on the initial path and walked around. Putting his strength into his hands, he held on firmly to the wooden corridor and climbed up. Once on top of the corridor, the second level projected horizontally about half a meter outward. Fan Xian lightly breathed out and started feeling the framework with his hands. Finding a small crack, he hooked onto it with his index and middle fingers. His body then hung in the air. Using the strength in his abdomen, he swayed and lurched upwards like a bat, sticking closely against the window.
Fan Xian believed the Lady inside must have understood his words earlier that day, so he pulled on the window with a confident smile… It didn’t budge. He used more strength and pulled it again… The window still didn’t budge!
Lin Wan’er had gone to bed early, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She gripped the corners of her blanket, eyes wide open in the darkness, staring at the canopy of her bed, thinking of something.
She immediately heard the sound from outside. Suddenly nervous, she didn’t know what to do; she wasn’t expecting that youth to be so bold, sneaking into the royal complex in the middle of the night. She thought about calling someone over but stopped herself. If guards really came, that handsome youth would surely get the death penalty. Unable to bear the thought, Lady Lin could only bite at her bottom lip in frustration.
She offered herself some consolation by thinking it was good that she had shut the windows. She thought that if the young man couldn’t get in, he would eventually realize the futility of the situation and leave on his own. In that case, she wouldn’t have to deal with an undesirable situation, and he wouldn’t have to atone for a capital crime.
Unfortunately, things did not go as she had hoped. The window was pushed open with a creak. A young man dressed in all black vaulted in wielding a thin dagger, also painted all black. Seeing this scene through the veil, Lin Wan’er nearly screamed out, but upon seeing his face— that face she once saw in the temple under the incense table— she forcibly stopped herself.
Fan Xian acted quickly, without the shyness one would expect from a boy experiencing his first love. He closed the window and walked to the bed. Lifting the veil, a faint fragrance began to drift throughout the room.
Lin Wan’er had been feeling drowsy earlier, but smelling that fragrance made her immediately alert. Now she realized this youth had deployed some sleeping incense earlier. Startled, she wondered if he was one of "those" she often heard about… Could he be a rapist?
As her heart began to fill with deep regret, she opened her mouth, ready to scream!
Fan Xian wasn’t prepared for this, he was about to happily awaken the sleeping lady. Seeing her awake with a terrified expression and her mouth ready to scream out, he immediately came back to his senses. As if floating, he put one knee on the bed and put a hand to Lin Wan’er’s mouth.
Her soft lips touched his palm. It tickled.
"Don’t scream." This was Fan Xian’s first time sneaking into a girl’s room at night in the name of love. His lack of experience was not surprising. He said in an uneasy way, "It’s me, me. It’s me."
She seemed to be able to tell that he didn’t have any malicious intent. Lin Wan’er gradually relaxed. Fan Xian removed his hand and said lightly, "No need to scream."
Lin Wan’er suddenly remembered the incense and asked in a panic, "What did you do to my maidservant?" The maidservant was sleeping close by. Despite the current scene, she did not wake up. Fan Xian explained quietly, "It’s nothing. That incense soothes the mind. It does no harm to the body. She’s merely sleeping."
Lin Wan’er was slightly relieved. Seeing this smiling face before her, she was happy, but also very afraid. Who exactly was he? Seeing the fear in her eyes, Fan Xian said, "Don’t be afraid, I’m the doctor from earlier today. Didn’t I say I’d stop by tonight?"
Lin Wan’er suddenly gave him a sly smile, "Didn’t you tell me to shut the window tight?" Seeing this beauty’s smile, Fan Xian’s heart quivered; seeing her lips, Fan Xian started to have some ideas. At that moment, he felt something cold on his neck.
A short sword. It gave off a cold gleam. Its hilt was in Lin Wan’er’s hand, while its blade was on Fan Xian’s neck!
Lin Wan’er stared at her intruder. Suddenly, with a change of heart, she said, "I don’t care who you are, if you leave immediately, I shall not pursue this matter."
With a blade on his neck, Fan Xian was still smiling. He said softly, "I’m going to leave in a little bit. I just came tonight to see you." After he said that, he reached into his shirt and pulled out an oilpaper package, completely oblivious to the sharp sword. Ironically, Lin Wan’er didn’t want to cut him accidently, so she moved the blade away a little bit.
Ripping open the package, Fan Xian took out a delicious-smelling chicken leg, raising it to her lips. He said with a grin, "You were eating one at the temple the other day. I know it’s your favorite, so I specially came to bring you this."
Lin Wan’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How was he still messing around at a time like this? If the guards discovered a strange man in her room, both of them would be doomed. With a shaky voice, she beseeched him, "I’m begging you, please leave."
Fan Xian had planned on teasing her for a bit longer, but upon seeing how worried she was, he gave in and tried to offer her some consolation. "Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you." That sounded somewhat wrong. Why did that sound like something a rapist in a wuxia novel from his past life would say?
Unsurprisingly, Lin Wan’er’s expression changed. The sword’s edge was once again on his neck. In a trembling voice, she told him, "I don’t care who you are, if you continue to belittle me, I will make this cut."
Only now did Fan Xian realize sneaking into a girl’s bedroom at night really was something which could destroy the girl’s reputation. But seeing her adamant expression, he couldn’t help but wonder, "Are you really prepared to murder your own husband?"