Tao Hua had no idea how she made it back to the Peach Garden.
The whole way she’d been dazed, her mind blank—except for that searing, lingering kiss from earlier, the one that left her whole body burning.
“Protector, Protector!”
Xiao Zhu called her several times, but Tao Hua didn’t respond.
In the end, Xiao Zhu had no choice but to raise her voice.
“Protector!”
“…Huh?”
Only then did Tao Hua snap out of her thoughts, staring blankly at Xiao Zhu.
“Will Protector be bathing first, or eating first?” Xiao Zhu sighed inwardly. This was already the third time she’d asked.
These last few days, Tao Hua always came back from weapons practice drenched in sweat, so Xiao Zhu had prepared warm water ahead of time so she could bathe whenever she wished.
Tao Hua leaned toward the window and looked outside.
The sun was sinking in the west, its warm light spilling into the courtyard and stretching the shadows of the peach trees long, long across the ground.
It was already dinnertime.
But that familiar figure hadn’t appeared in the courtyard as usual.
Tao Hua’s heart sank a little.
“Where’s Senior Sister? Isn’t she coming over to eat with us tonight?”
“This…” Xiao Zhu hesitated. “This servant hasn’t heard that the Right Protector will be coming over this evening.”
“Then… did she send someone to invite me over to Hibiscus Courtyard to eat?” Tao Hua pressed, unwilling to give up.
“No, no one came with a message today.” Xiao Zhu answered, though she herself was curious. After all, lately the two Protectors were practically glued together; the Right Protector all but lived in the Peach Garden at this point.
“Oh… I see.”
Tao Hua’s head drooped, her face unable to hide her disappointment.
Senior Sister didn’t come today… was it because she confessed, and Tao Hua didn’t accept, so she felt humiliated?
Or was she angry because Tao Hua pushed her away?
Would she stay mad for a long time?
Would she stop coming to the Peach Garden to see her altogether?
The more she thought about it, the more hollow Tao Hua’s chest felt, an ache spreading through the emptiness.
Xiao Zhu studied Tao Hua’s expression carefully, then ventured in a cautious voice,
“How about… this servant goes to Hibiscus Courtyard and invites the Right Protector over?”
“No!”
The word burst out of Tao Hua reflexively. She immediately bit her lip in regret.
“…Yes. Forgive me, Protector, this servant was overstepping.”
Xiao Zhu was embarrassed and quickly bowed in apology.
“It’s not that…”
Tao Hua scrubbed at her face with both hands, utterly flustered.
“Sorry, I wasted your good intentions. You can go for now. I want to be alone for a while.”
“Then… this servant will withdraw first.”
She didn’t know exactly what was wrong, but Xiao Zhu could tell Tao Hua was in a bad mood. She didn’t dare disturb her any further and left her alone to think.
Tao Hua sat down by the bed, drew her knees up, wrapped her arms tightly around her legs, and buried her face in them.
She didn’t know what was wrong with her.
She both wanted to see Guan Fusha and was afraid to see her because of what had happened that afternoon.
Should she accept her?
But what if, once An Xianli appeared, Guan Fusha still fell in love with him the way she did in the original plot?
In the end, she would still wind up as cannon fodder, wouldn’t she?
What Tao Hua didn’t know was that, up on the eaves outside her window, Guan Fusha was watching her with the exact same tangle of feelings.
How she wished it could be like yesterday—sharing a meal with her junior sister, chatting and laughing, then sleeping at her side at night, breathing in the faint fragrance from her body.
That unruly black hair of hers would always brush past her face and neck when she wasn’t paying attention.
She wanted to hear that soft, wheedling “Senior Sister…” again.
But before Tao Hua answered her, all of that had turned into reflections in a mirror, flowers in the water—beautiful, but untouchable.
Thinking of this, Guan Fusha clenched her fists.
She had to prove her sincerity to her junior sister through her actions.
Her promise was real.
Her feelings for her were real.
And this affection would not change for a lifetime.
Night deepened.
Tao Hua still didn’t see any sign of Guan Fusha.
She blew out the oil lamp and lay down, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Her head was filled with what had happened that afternoon and with Guan Fusha’s confession.
Utterly vexed, Tao Hua yanked the quilt over her head, determined not to think about any of it anymore.
But even so, she didn’t sleep a wink the whole night.
As a result, when she got up at dawn the next day, the dark circles under her eyes were so heavy they might as well have dropped onto the floor.
Xiao Zhu came in carrying a basin and was almost frightened out of her wits when she saw her.
“Protector? What happened to you?”
Tao Hua squinted, exhausted, and yawned lazily.
“Didn’t sleep well last night…”
Xiao Zhu was a smart girl. She’d guessed a few things and didn’t ask too much. She simply served Tao Hua in washing and dressing as usual.
After breakfast, Tao Hua was just about to head to the training grounds when A Tian suddenly arrived—with another person in tow.
“You’re…!”
The moment Tao Hua and Xiao Zhu saw who it was, they both froze in shock.
Especially Tao Hua—she almost instinctively ducked behind Xiao Zhu.
She couldn’t help it. That memory was far too terrifying.
This was the woman who had once tried to kill her.
A Tian smiled gently at Tao Hua, then motioned the maid behind her to step forward and made the introduction.
“Allow this servant to introduce her to Protector. This is Xiao Yuan. Starting today, she will be serving you here in the Peach Garden.”
“This servant greets Protector.”
Xiao Yuan’s face was icy, but she still bowed with proper decorum.
“W–Wait a second!”
Tao Hua’s eyes went round, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
“A Tian, did you get something wrong? Xiao Yuan is coming to the Peach Garden… to serve me?”
“Yes.” A Tian’s smile deepened, clearly unconvinced she’d made any mistake. “This is by order of the Right Protector.”
Tao Hua was even more stunned.
Xiao Yuan had once tried to kill her.
Why would Guan Fusha transfer her to Tao Hua’s side?
Could it be… that after having her confession rejected, she now wanted to have her killed?
Xiao Zhu also looked dumbfounded.
“Sister Tian, then… what about me?”
“Since the Left Protector already has Xiao Yuan to serve her, of course you’ll be coming back to Hibiscus Courtyard with me,” A Tian said with an easy smile.
“What?! No way!”
Tao Hua immediately grabbed hold of Xiao Zhu.
What a joke.
Xiao Yuan had literally tried to murder her. If Xiao Zhu left and she had to share a room alone with her, wasn’t that just asking to die?
Xiao Yuan’s expression stayed frosty. She didn’t say a word, showing no inclination whatsoever to explain herself.
Xiao Zhu’s gaze flickered between Tao Hua and Xiao Yuan.
No one knew better than she did what had happened that day. Honestly speaking, she didn’t feel at ease about leaving the two of them alone either. It felt like something terrible was bound to happen…
A Tian looked a little troubled. On one hand, this was her Protector’s command. On the other, she genuinely understood Tao Hua’s concerns.
“Protector, there is no need to worry. Xiao Yuan already knows the gravity of her mistake and has been repenting for a long time. She will not repeat it. The Right Protector surely had her reasons for making this decision.”
Tao Hua glanced at Xiao Yuan. No matter how she looked at her, she couldn’t see a shred of remorse.
“A Tian, can I talk to Senior Sister myself?”
For Xiao Zhu’s sake—and for her own future safety—no matter how reluctant she was, she had to meet Guan Fusha face-to-face.
“Well…”
A Tian looked even more awkward than before.
“Protector… she is busy with sect affairs. She may not be able to see you.”
Tao Hua’s expression darkened instantly.
That kind of excuse was obviously perfunctory.
So… Guan Fusha really didn’t want to see her?
She took a deep breath and forced her mood down.
“Then what about at lunchtime? Senior Sister has to eat, doesn’t she? If I go find her then, I won’t be getting in the way.”
“After finishing sect affairs, Protector goes into the alchemy room at noon to refine pills in seclusion. She probably won’t be coming out for the next few days.”
Watching Tao Hua’s face grow uglier by the second, A Tian still braced herself and delivered the prepared excuse.
After hearing all that, Tao Hua was even more certain Guan Fusha was deliberately avoiding her.
What the fuck.
Why did it feel like their roles had reversed?
She was the one who’d been confessed to, so why did she have to be the one chasing after Guan Fusha?
At this point, dragging things out would solve nothing.
A Tian made a snap decision and beckoned to Xiao Zhu.
“Xiao Zhu, come here!”
Xiao Zhu shot Tao Hua a furtive, troubled look, but in the end still walked over to A Tian’s side.
She had no choice. A Tian was her direct superior.
“Xiao Zhu!”
Tao Hua stared at her in disbelief, then felt a stab of grief.
Even Xiao Zhu had betrayed her!
Now reassured, A Tian finally relaxed and let a genuine, delighted smile show. She bowed to Tao Hua in farewell.
“Then this servant won’t disturb Protector further. I’ll take my leave.”
Xiao Zhu didn’t dare look up to see Tao Hua’s expression. She bowed as well, then followed A Tian out of Tao Hua’s bedchamber.
“Xiao Zhu!”
Tao Hua made to chase after them, but Xiao Yuan just “happened” to step in her way.
Xiao Yuan glanced at Tao Hua’s training clothes and the longsword lying on the table.
“Is Protector heading to the training grounds?”
Tao Hua snatched up the sword from the table and clutched it to her chest like a talisman, glaring at Xiao Yuan warily.
“And if I am?”
“Nothing,” Xiao Yuan said coolly, folding her arms across her chest.
“I heard Protector has been practicing the Flying Dragon Sword Technique lately. This servant is a little curious as to how your training has gone.”
Tao Hua was taken aback.
She hadn’t expected Xiao Yuan to even know she was practicing the Flying Dragon Sword Technique. Had Guan Fusha told her as well?
But why would she tell her that?
“It’s… so-so. Not good, not bad.”
Seeing Xiao Yuan acting all high and mighty put Tao Hua in a foul mood too, and her tone was anything but pleasant.
Still, it was the truth.
Guan Fusha had guided her sword practice, but had never commented on her talent. Since she’d always been training alone and had no one to compare herself with, she honestly had no idea if she was doing well or not.
Xiao Yuan fell silent for a moment, then asked,
“Then when does Protector plan to head out to the training grounds?”
Tao Hua studied her carefully.
Only after confirming several times that Xiao Yuan didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking her did she finally rise up on her toes and edge out of the bedchamber, all the while on guard for a sneak attack from behind.
You could never be too careful around people.
