After that day, the panic in Yunzhou City over the Flower-Picking Bandit was abruptly cut off, as if strangled by an invisible hand, ending just like that. The authorities posted a notice claiming the criminal had been apprehended, but that due to the complexity of the case, details were inconvenient to disclose. Though the common people found it somewhat suspicious, seeing that no more young men went missing, they gradually put their minds at ease and simply assumed that the authorities had finally acted with decisive force for once.
Because of Su Wenjin's abduction, I remained gloomy for several days. It was not until Su Wenyu came to inform me, his eyes red but carrying the relief of surviving a disaster, that Su Wenjin had already been rescued by a mysterious person. Though he had suffered some fright, his body was unharmed. He merely needed to recuperate quietly and could not receive visitors. Only then did I feel slightly relieved. Though it was a pity that I could not visit him personally, it was enough that he was safe.
The moment I truly learned the inside story came a few days later, one afternoon.
While Chunyu poured me a cup of warm medicinal tea, he could hardly suppress his excitement and lowered his voice as he said, "Young Master, do you know how that Flower-Picking Bandit was caught?"
I had been staring out the window in a daze. Hearing this, I drew back my gaze, raised an eyebrow, and motioned for him to continue. Moyu also pricked up his ears.
"I heard it from Sister Ziyuan!" The Ziyuan Chunyu mentioned was precisely the taciturn yet highly skilled maid by Xiao Fenghuang's side. They were close in age, and over these days they had become quite familiar. "She said that not long after we came back and rested that night, the Flower-Picking Bandit made a bit of a commotion, but it quickly went quiet. Turns out the thief actually walked right into a trap!"
"Walked into a trap?" I was somewhat surprised.
"Isn't that so!" Chunyu leaned in closer, his voice carrying a trace of lingering fear mixed with proud excitement. "Sister Ziyuan said that the Flower-Picking Bandit was actually coming straight for you, Young Master!"
It turned out that on that day, when I was exchanging words with Su Wenjin and the others in the Wenyuan Pavilion, a gust of wind happened to blow by, inadvertently lifting a corner of the light gauze hanging from my veiled hat. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, the outline of my profile hidden behind the veil and my refined bearing were clearly seen by the Flower-Picking Bandit who had been lurking nearby, secretly planning to seize Su Wenjin.
With just that single glance, she fell into obsession.
She had always acted recklessly, her lust emboldened beyond all restraint. Upon seeing such beauty as mine, how could she possibly hold herself back? Even though the authorities were on high alert after Su Wenjin was taken and the net was closing in, she cast all of that aside. That very night, she took the risk and attempted to sneak into the guest lodge, her target aimed directly at the upper room where I was staying.
But how could she have known that the plump lamb in her eyes was in fact guarded by the most ferocious dragon?
Even the outermost hidden sentries had been deliberately arranged.
According to Ziyuan, the moment the thief crept near the guest lodge, she was discovered.
As for me, because strolling through the streets during the day had truly exhausted my mind and spirit, I slept especially soundly that night. Of this attempted abduction aimed at me, and the swift countermeasure that followed, I was completely unaware.
Feng Linyue naturally had no intention of letting me know of such a filthy matter. In her view, it was nothing more than an insignificant ant trying to covet her treasure. Crushing it to death was enough. Even mentioning it would soil her ears, and she feared even more that speaking of it might frighten me and cause my condition to relapse.
It was not until Chunyu recounted it now as a piece of gossip that I suddenly understood why Feng Linyue had been so composed that morning, and why a single look from her had been enough to mobilize forces and solve the case so swiftly. Only then did I belatedly realize that, without meaning to, I had become the "bait" used to lure that vile thief.
For a moment, I did not know what I was feeling. There was disgust toward that criminal, a deeper awareness of the power under Feng Linyue's command, and also a faint trace of something I was unwilling even to admit myself, a sense of reassurance at being protected so thoroughly.
I lowered my head and took a sip of the slightly bitter medicinal tea, pressing all those emotions down.
Outside the window, Yunzhou City basked in bright sunshine, as if the turmoil of that night had never happened. Only I knew that beneath this seemingly peaceful journey, undercurrents had never ceased, and that by my side there would always be an existence capable of stirring up terrifying waves for my sake, and also of instantly smoothing away every ripple.