Chapter 54 Inside the Dilapidated Temple

Her skin was smoother than snow and her beauty was matchless; her appearance was transcendent and peerless, and she looked even more stunning when asleep than awake.

Although her eyes, bright as autumn waters, were closed, her long lashes rested upon her eyelids, and the delicate features of her snow-white face were unimaginably pure, seeming so ethereal and dreamlike that she belonged to another world altogether.

When Shen Bijun woke up, the first thing she saw was a man's face.

This face was not extraordinarily handsome; in fact, it was quite ordinary. Yet his eyes were large and bright, seeming to radiate light—a light of pure curiosity, as if those eyes existed solely to seek out something miraculous and fascinating. The corners of his lips turned upward slightly in a faint smile...

It was a mischievous smile, or at least that was what Shen Bijun thought.

She jolted awake instantly, sat straight up, and then recoiled in apprehension.

"What did you do?"

Ren Yi replied calmly, "Nothing at all, just watched you sleep... I never imagined you could be so cold and unfeeling. Your grandmother has been captured, yet you could sleep so soundly!"

Warm sunlight slanted into the room from outside, spilling a golden radiance across the window and door threshold. Startled, she realized it was already the next day. She had no idea why she had fallen asleep; she had clearly intended to rescue her grandmother through the night.

Shen Bijun said with a hint of grievance, "I... I didn't!"

Ren Yi nodded placidly and said, "True, you indeed didn't. It was I who pressed your acupoints last night and let you fall asleep."

Shen Bijun protested indignantly, "You wronged me!"

Ren Yi nodded with a smile, "Correct, I deliberately said that to wrong you. Once you've washed up, it's time for us to go." With that, he stood up from the bedside and walked out the door...

Hearing him speak thus, Shen Bijun, who ought to have been even angrier, suddenly felt her anger dissipate. Knowing that he had done this for her own good, a faint sweetness welled up in her heart—a sensation Bijun had never experienced before.

Yet, recalling that this scoundrel had been teasing her, and remembering that mischievous smile, she could not help but grumble resentfully, "What a wretch!"

...

After stepping out of the boudoir, Ren Yi brought her along to rescue her grandmother. They neither rode horses nor drove a carriage, but instead...

The sound of the wind rushed past. Shen Bijun felt herself growing as light as a feather, as if drifting upon the clouds or riding the crest of a wave. Though not truly in the clouds, she was suspended high in mid-air.

An arm was wrapped around her waist, and her entire body leaned against the man. His lightness skill was simply unfathomable; relying on no external objects, he cradled her as he soared five zhang high in a single leap and spanned ten zhang in a single bound.

The more Shen Bijun looked at him, the less wicked he seemed, and the more pleasing to the eye he became, no longer as detestable as before. Then, an aged and benevolent face gradually emerged in her mind's eye—that head of silvery-white hair, accompanied by a smile containing three parts majesty and seven parts warmth...

Unwittingly, she tightened her embrace around him.

After leaving the city, the two of them sped across the mountain forests with a swiftness that even a soaring swallow could not hope to match.

Before even half an hour had passed, the pair suspended in mid-air caught sight of a dilapidated temple, whereupon Ren Yi cradled the beauty and drifted gracefully downward.

As they touched the ground, his arm released her waist. Shen Bijun asked, "Are we just going to walk in like this?"

Ren Yi strode forward and said matter-of-factly, "I prefer to use the front entrance. Vaulting over walls only shows a lack of confidence, and that would wound my pride."

She could not comprehend these words at all, and merely worried, "You said so yourself, that person will surely have laid traps waiting for us. In truth, we ought to be much more cautious."

Ren Yi said indifferently, "A proud person is invariably reliable, because he will never do anything disgraceful, especially not in front of a woman."

Hearing this, Shen Bijun could neither laugh nor cry, unsure whether to call him arrogant or foolish. She stammered, "I... I only want you to be a little more careful."

As her voice trailed off, the two of them already stood before the doors of the dilapidated temple.

Ren Yi strode inside, and she had no choice but to follow, her beautiful eyes scanning her surroundings cautiously... The temple was not only exceptionally dilapidated, but also exceptionally small. Inside the tiny, ruined shrine, a mountain god was worshipped, and the wind whistling from outside echoed loudly within.

Shen Bijun's heart was in her throat; she even began silently pleading with the heavens that there were no traps or mechanisms here, and that everything was merely a scare tactic.

Suddenly, someone clapped their hands and giggled, "Ren Brother has truly come after all."

A figure descended from the rafters.

At first, Shen Bijun thought she was just a child, but upon closer inspection, she realized the person was a full-grown woman. Though her stature was petite, with her charming face and curvaceous figure, she was not only a woman, but also the very person who had disguised herself as Xiaocui.

The woman stared at Shen Bijun and suddenly sighed, murmuring, "Elder Sister Shen is indeed a beauty. No wonder so many men are infatuated with you, to the point that even Ren Brother likes you so much."

Shen Bijun asked anxiously, "Where is my grandmother?"

The woman smiled faintly and clapped her hands. From behind the divine altar emerged seven figures...

Wan Chongshan, the "Swordsman of Xiangyang," was thrown to the ground covered in blood. Wind Four Sister was shoved out with a sword held against her neck, and finally, Dowager Shen was carried out by two people.

"Grandmother! Uncle Wan!" After crying out in alarm, she looked at the other four individuals in disbelief: "It was you!"

Shen Bijun trembled from head to toe. Those four people were Shen Tiansong, Shen Tianzhu, Shen Tianbai, and Shen Tianju! She had seen them come to offer birthday congratulations at the Shen family estate during the Dowager's grand eighty-banquet!

The woman said gently, "Elder Sister Shen, rest assured, the Dowager has merely fainted. However, this Hero Wan is not faring quite as well. I pierced him with seven swords and slashed him with three sabers, though I did spare his life!"

Gritting her teeth, Shen Bijun demanded loudly, "What on earth do you want?"

The woman did not reply further. The Four Heroes of Ludong stood behind her in absolute submissive silence.

Ren Yi spoke, "You must be Young Master, right?"

"You actually know who I am?" Hearing this, the woman's expression changed instantly.

Upon seeing Ren Yi, Wind Four Sister's alluring and amorous eyes instantly lit up. She interjected, "Hey, what are you still staring for? Why aren't you coming over to rescue people!"

With a hint of oddness on his face, Ren Yi glanced at Wind Four Sister before asking again, "Wan Chongshan was pierced by seven swords and slashed by three sabers at your hands, but why is this old hag completely unharmed? Did you not mistreat her at all? At the very least, you should have smashed a few of her bones!"

Wind Four Sister glared and cursed furiously, "You little bastard, you little son of a bitch, do you want me dead that badly? Am I living too comfortably for your liking?"

Ren Yi sighed lightly, "Judging by how full of vigor you sound, not only did they not mistreat you, but it seems you've been living quite well indeed!"

Wind Four Sister raged, "Are you unhappy that I'm doing well?"

Ren Yi nodded.

With her pretty face flushed with anger and her apricot eyes seeming to breathe fire, Wind Four Sister shrieked, "Back then when this lady married you, even my farts smelled sweet. Now that you little bastard has taken a fancy to someone else, you want me dead sooner rather than later, don't you? Don't you?!"

Every pair of eyes stared at the old hag. No one else spoke, yet her cries only grew louder.

Shen Bijun stood frozen. She noticed that every time Wind Four Sister spoke to him, it was like a lover's quarrel. Even though she knew Wind Four Sister's words were sheer nonsense, she inexplicably felt a sourness in her heart, wishing only that he would ignore her altogether.

Young Master giggled delightfully and said, "Four Sister is truly fascinating. No wonder she can drink with me, chat with me, and play with me."

Pointing a finger directly at Ren Yi, Wind Four Sister glared and said, "Let me tell you, if you want me to die, I won't let you off easily either." With that, she turned to Young Master and urged, "Quickly, quickly, tell the men you've ambushed to deal with him properly."

"Alright, release them."