A-Tian was already regretting it. She really shouldn’t have rushed forward so eagerly just now to curry favor.
“May I ask, Hall Master, what three tasks this servant is to do for you?”
Yanhong only smiled without answering. She lifted her hand, nails dyed with bright red lacquer, and lightly waved it beside her cheek, half-lidding her eyes as she asked in a charming tone,
“Well? How is it? Does this color look pretty?”
“…”
A-Tian honestly had no idea what Yanhong was trying to pull, so she could only nod and go along with her.
“It looks very nice.”
“Really?”
Yanhong’s smile deepened. She slowly stood up and gently stroked A-Tian’s face with her slender white hand, the vivid red of her nail lacquer especially striking.
Her fingertips lightly wandered across A-Tian’s skin as if caressing her most treasured possession. Her voice softened.
“Then tell me, A-Tian… who do you think is prettier, me or your mistress?”
A-Tian froze for a moment, instinctively lowering her head and dropping her gaze, keeping silent.
Yanhong let out a light laugh. Her fingertip slid down along A-Tian’s cheek, then hooked under her chin and tilted it up, forcing her to look straight at her.
“Why’ve you gone quiet all of a sudden?”
A-Tian steadied her thoughts, not daring to overstep.
“Hall Master and Protector are both renowned great beauties, each with their own charm. This servant does not dare make careless judgments.”
“So much pointless nonsense.”
Yanhong gave a soft snort and withdrew her hand.
“I’m only asking you one thing. Compared to your mistress, who’s prettier, me or her?”
“…This servant does not dare speak rashly.”
“Fine.”
Yanhong spun lightly on her heel and sat back down in the seat of honor, her robes flaring as she moved.
“The first task I want you to do is to tell me, between me and your mistress, who is prettier. Go on.”
A-Tian lifted her head and snuck a glance at Yanhong, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how to answer this execution-level question.
“Oh, right.”
Yanhong was admiring her nails as she waited for A-Tian’s reply, when she suddenly spoke again.
“If you lie, I’ll kill you.”
“…”
Seeing A-Tian’s speechless, choked expression, Yanhong’s eyes crinkled with a smiling squint.
“Does Hall Master truly want this servant to speak the truth?” A-Tian shot her a quick look, sounding uncertain.
“Of course. Go on.”
Yanhong lazily crossed one leg over the other, completely at ease as she waited for A-Tian’s answer.
“In this servant’s opinion… Protector is still better-looking.”
A-Tian steeled herself and blurted the words out like she was marching to her death.
“Oh~?”
Yanhong dragged out the sound, giving A-Tian an inscrutable look, the corners of her lips curling in a faint smile.
“So that’s what you really think, A-Tian?”
“…”
A-Tian felt she might very well be carried out of the Punishment Hall on a stretcher today. This really was a death question!
Yanhong couldn’t help laughing at her expression. She lifted a sleeve to cover her mouth and chuckled softly.
“Don’t be afraid, A-Tian. Do I look like the petty, small-hearted type who holds grudges?”
You do. Very much so.
A-Tian forced a faintly fawning smile and flattered her along her own words.
“Of course not. Hall Master is magnanimous. How could you stoop to fussing with a lowly servant like me?”
“Isn’t that right.”
Yanhong rose from the main seat and walked over to A-Tian’s side.
“All right, you’ve already finished the first task for me. Now let’s talk about the second one.”
Hearing that, A-Tian finally let out a silent breath of relief.
“Please instruct me, Hall Master.”
“Hm…”
Yanhong circled A-Tian once, her gaze running slowly up and down her body. Under that scrutiny, A-Tian’s skin broke out in goosebumps.
“I’ve thought of it.”
Yanhong stopped in front of her. A pair of beautiful eyes gleamed with mischief.
“The second task: tonight, you’ll stay in the Punishment Hall and attend to me.”
The next morning.
Guan Fusha was used to waking up early. On normal days, by the time she got up, A-Tian had already prepared wash water and breakfast and was quietly standing by to serve her.
But for some reason, today was oddly different. There was no sign of her.
She pushed open the bedroom door and stepped into the courtyard. Early birds had already landed on the branches, chirping noisily. Afraid they would wake Peach Blossom, who was still sound asleep, Guan Fusha hurriedly shut the door behind her.
She took a turn around the courtyard, but still didn’t see A-Tian anywhere, and couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
A-Tian had waited on her for a long time and knew her daily routine inside and out. There was simply no way she would oversleep—such an absurd thing would never happen. And if she were feeling unwell and couldn’t come, she would certainly send another maid to stand in for her. She would never just disappear like this.
“Protector.”
Xiaozhu had just come out of her room when she saw Guan Fusha standing in the courtyard, still dressed only in a sleep robe.
“You’re just in time.”
Guan Fusha’s brows drew together slightly.
“Do you know where A-Tian has gone?”
“Sister Tian?”
Xiaozhu blinked, clearly not understanding why Guan Fusha would ask about A-Tian’s whereabouts.
“This servant isn’t sure.”
“Have you seen her at all today?” Guan Fusha asked again.
Xiaozhu shook her head.
“No. This servant just woke up. The moment I stepped out, I saw you, Protector.”
Peach Blossom did not wake as early as Guan Fusha, and naturally did not need to rise at dawn to attend her the way A-Tian did.
“I see.”
A faint unease stirred in Guan Fusha’s heart.
“Go fetch a basin of water for me to wash my face first.”
“Yes, this servant understands.”
After Xiaozhu left to fetch water, Guan Fusha was just about to turn back to her room when she caught sight of a petite figure running toward her from afar.
Martial practitioners had sharper eyesight than ordinary people. With a single glance, Guan Fusha recognized that it was A-Tian.
“Pro–Protector.”
A-Tian stopped beside her, panting heavily, her small face flushed red, a few strands of hair still in slight disarray.
“Where were you?”
Seeing that A-Tian had returned safe and sound, Guan Fusha finally relaxed. But then her gaze inadvertently fell on A-Tian’s neck, where several patches of reddened skin stood out, like marks from insect bites.
Noticing where Guan Fusha was looking, A-Tian hastily tugged her collar up to hide them.
“I’m sorry, Protector. This servant is late today.”
Those who specialized in poisons were generally skilled in medicine as well. Guan Fusha was no exception. One look was enough to tell those marks were definitely not mosquito bites.
As for what had bitten her… that, she could not say.
A-Tian was a person who knew her place. Precisely because of that, Guan Fusha trusted her so much. She had no intention of prying further. She only offered a mild reminder.
“Be more careful next time.”
Then she let it go.
Though she had long known Guan Fusha felt nothing for her beyond the bond of mistress and servant, A-Tian still couldn’t help the faint bitterness that swept through her heart.
“This servant will be more careful next time.”
Just then, Xiaozhu returned with the water. She stared blankly at the two of them, completely confused by the awkward air between them.
“Xiaozhu, come in and help me wash and dress,” Guan Fusha said to the dazed girl.
“Ah… y–yes, this servant understands.”
Xiaozhu’s eyes darted between them once, then she hurriedly followed behind Guan Fusha, carefully carrying the basin.
In the spacious courtyard, only A-Tian was left standing alone. A light breeze carried over the scent of peach blossoms, but today, it seemed especially harsh to her nose.
A-Tian lifted a hand to cover the red marks on her neck. A flood of emotions surged up at once—heartache, grievance, sorrow, disappointment…
Suddenly, her eyes stung with heat.
Last night, Yanhong had made A-Tian stay behind. First, she had her clean the Punishment Hall inside and out. Then she sent her to tidy her own boudoir in the central courtyard. After finally finishing all that work, A-Tian had been just about to return to her room to rest, when Yanhong pulled out a thin booklet, saying she wanted to study some acupoint techniques.
And then she proceeded to torment A-Tian all over again.
The heavy workload had already pushed A-Tian beyond her limit. She was completely exhausted. But Yanhong was still engrossed in her study of pressure points, and at some point A-Tian had dozed off with her head on the table.
When she woke the next morning and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yanhong lying right beside her, wide awake, a pair of beautiful eyes staring fixedly at her. Her expression was like a cat that had just stolen cream as she smiled.
“You’re awake? You’ve already finished the second task for me, so you can leave now.”
A-Tian was utterly dumbfounded. Before her brain could even catch up, Yanhong had already tossed her—shoes, clothes and all—right out of the room.
Seeing the sun already beginning to rise, A-Tian was afraid she wouldn’t make it back in time for Guan Fusha’s usual waking hour. She didn’t dare go back to her own room to fix herself up. Instead, she rushed straight to the well, drew a basin of water, and squatted down to give herself a hasty wash.
It was only while washing that she discovered those ambiguous red marks on her neck.
She could only sigh helplessly. Aside from those red marks, her body felt perfectly normal, and there were no signs that her underclothes had been removed.
There was no need to think about it—this was clearly one of Yanhong’s pranks.
