Did Miss become a nun today?

When Xie Yun Chu came out of the nun's meditation room, it was already quite dark.

The lights under the eaves hadn't been turned on yet. She stood on the stone steps and looked up at the horizon, and her disappointment didn't feel so heavy anymore.

So be it. The nun will come back eventually. She can wait.

Whether you shave your head or not, life is the same. Some people have to do odd jobs for two or three years, so just consider it an extension of the odd job period.

Back at their lodgings, they could see a light shining from afar at the gate of the courtyard. As they got closer, they could see Hui Niang squatting at the gate.

Seeing her return, he quickly stood up. "Why are you only coming back now? I've been waiting for you for ages."

Hui Niang shoved the lantern into her hand and picked up the food box from the ground. "I heard you haven't eaten today, so I brought you some, along with some pickled radishes that I made myself."

As she spoke, she peered into the courtyard, asking, "Where are those three young masters? Did they leave?"

"Are you going to stay instead of leave?"

"That's hard to say. I think they'd love to put down roots here."

Xie Yun Chu carried the lamp and food box into the house. The lamp oil was full, the wick was neatly trimmed, and even the quilt had been replaced with a new one and was laid out flat.

"..."

Hui Niang smiled meaningfully, but didn't say anything more. "Alright, I've brought you the food. I'll head back now. Aren't you afraid living here alone?"

"I'm not afraid."

Since we're all at Qingyun Nunnery anyway, what's there to be afraid of?

Hui Niang chuckled, waved, and left.

Xie Yun Chu glanced around the room, her expression unchanged, assuming it was just some kind of fairy godmother appearing.

After having dinner, I recited scriptures for a while and then went to bed early.

I woke up in the middle of the night without any warning.

It was still dark outside, and I turned over to go back to sleep. Then I heard a "thump" outside, as if something had fallen off the wall.

She quickly got dressed, turned on the light, opened the door, and shone the light towards the wall, but saw nothing.

Bricks fell off the wall?

The courtyard was quiet. She took a few steps forward and stood in the corner of the wall. There was indeed a brick there, and there was a gap in the wall.

He chuckled to himself, realizing he had only scared himself.

As soon as he turned around, the oil lamp in his hand flickered and almost went out.

She stopped, her lips trembled, and she froze on the spot, her face deathly pale.

In the darkness, a warm breath pressed against her from behind, trapping her in his arms.

Before she could speak, a large hand covered her lips, the voice weak, "Don't make a sound."

A gust of wind blew from my sleeve, carrying with it a strong smell of blood.

She nodded slowly, fearing that this person might have malicious intentions and want to kill her.

The person behind her seemed to chuckle, released her grip, swayed, and fell behind her.

Xie Yun Chu broke out in a cold sweat. Only after a long silence behind her did she dare to turn around and look at the person by the light of the oil lamp.

He was dressed in prison clothes, covered in blood, and his hair was a mess. Only his eyes were smiling as he looked at her.

He moved his hand, trembling as he grasped the hem of her clothes, his lips moved, but he didn't utter a single word.

He released his grip, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate.

Xie Yun Chu nearly dropped the lamp in her hand. "Pei... Pei Changyu?"

The man on the ground squinted, the bloodstains on his head sliding down his eyes, already dried, like a scar, grotesque and terrifying.

"You... what are you doing here?"

Pei Changyu should be in prison right now.

When she left the capital, the case involving the Marquis's mansion was still unresolved.

How did Pei Changyu get out?

Xie Yun Chu took a few steps back. If the escapee was discovered, he would be killed on the spot, with no chance of survival.

What exactly is he doing?

"Yun Chu..." Pei Changyu had just opened his mouth when he coughed up a mouthful of blood and could no longer utter a word before completely losing consciousness.

In this situation, she should have stood by and let him fend for himself.

He's dead, so he'll never go mad again; that's the end of it.

He stood there for a long time with the oil lamp, cursing himself severely, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do it and gritted his teeth to drag the person into the house.

After treating his wounds and pouring out the blood, they burned the blood-stained cloths clean.

"Since I saved you, stay away from me from now on and don't bother me again. Let's live in peace, okay?"

The person on the bed couldn't hear anything, so she continued, "If you don't speak, I'll take that as a yes."

As dawn broke outside, she yawned, quickly washed up, and went out.

Hui Niang ran into her in front of the main hall, sniffed her, and said, "Why do you smell so strange?"

Xie Yun Chu lowered her head and sniffed. "It's probably because I didn't shower last night, and I smell bad from sweat."

Hui Niang did not suspect anything and believed her.

Around noon, she asked the kitchen for food, along with two small stoves and a clay pot, before returning to her lodgings.

She went back and closed the courtyard gate. She was still lying in bed, just as she had been when she left that morning.

"You're back?"

The person on the bed suddenly spoke, startling Xie Yun Chu. She looked up and met those dark eyes.

She didn't expect the person to wake up so quickly.

With those injuries, it would take at least a day and a night before he could open his eyes again.

She placed the porridge on the table, scooped out a bowl, and put it down without the slightest panic.

Pei Changyu just stared at her without blinking.

Xie Yun Chu divided the food into portions. "Let's eat first."

She stood by the bedside with a bowl of porridge in her hand, and asked matter-of-factly, "Can you eat this yourself?"

"Can."

I handed him the bowl of porridge, and in the blink of an eye, "crash!" the porridge spilled and the bowl shattered.

Pei Changyu looked completely innocent. "Sorry, I didn't hold it properly."

The porridge was still very hot, so he pulled his hand away and hid his scalded fingertips.

Xie Yun Chu only felt sorry for the grain.

He silently murmured "Amitabha" a few times and then served him another bowl.

She stood before the bed, motionless, and said calmly, "The food at Qingyun Nunnery is all dug out by the nuns themselves. I hope you understand how hard it is to come by."

"I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you."

He struggled to hold the bowl; his hands must have been tortured, with little healthy skin and little strength, and he almost dropped it again.

Xie Yun Chu reacted quickly and caught it. She then sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and brought it to his lips.

Pei Changyu probably didn't expect that she would still be willing to feed him porridge. He was stunned for a moment before opening his mouth to drink it.

A slight smile played on his lips as he ate his porridge, but his eyes remained fixed on her.

Xie Yun Chu pretended not to see it, fed him the porridge, and placed the steamed bun in front of him, saying, "Eat it yourself."

Thank you.

She sat alone at the table, her back to him, ate her meal by herself, and then looked at him after clearing away the dishes.

"Your injuries are too severe, and there is no medicine in the nunnery. If you wish to live, you should leave as soon as possible."

She's hiding a fugitive in her courtyard. If she's discovered... not only will she not survive, but she'll also implicate Qingyun Nunnery.

Why did he have to enter her yard? It's bad luck.

Pei Changyu didn't reply, but instead looked at the strips of cloth covering his body. "Did you bandage yourself?"

"Hmm." She said in a flat tone, "If you, benefactor, were to fall and die in the courtyard, both this humble nun and Qingyun Nunnery would be held responsible."

Perhaps due to his injury and inconvenience in moving, Pei Changyu now looks the same as he always does at the Marquis's residence, without that mad look in his eyes.

He smiled. "I understand, but..."

"When I escaped up the mountain yesterday, I had already exhausted all my strength, and now I have no strength left to leave."

"Or, you can go to the government and have them take me away."

If we had really reported it to the authorities, why would we have saved someone last night?

Is he deliberately saying this to gain sympathy?

But staying here indefinitely isn't a solution; what if they're discovered...?

"Yun Chu, we've come to see you."

Wei Lin's voice suddenly came from outside, and Xie Yun Chu's expression changed slightly. It was exactly what she feared.