Zhan Xinjia's illness caused her to become delirious from the fever.

She has always had a relatively good constitution since childhood, being tough and resilient, but once she gets sick, she gets extremely ill.

She chatted with Master Shen for a while in the middle of the night and then drifted off to sleep. She could vaguely feel a damp cloth being placed over her burning forehead. The cloth was cool and comfortable because it was soaked in water.

The people who stayed by her side patiently took off the handkerchief that had been warmed by her body heat and replaced it with a new one, repeating this process over and over again.

Although he was unconscious, Zhan Xinjia's mind was still functioning normally.

As dawn approached, Lord Shen tiptoed out of the cabin, and soon after, the sound of deliberately hushed conversation could be heard outside.

"Today is the thirteenth day since we set off from the capital. If we can reach the ferry at noon and enter the city by evening, we will have less than two days left."

The voice seemed to be Fu Shou'an.

After a moment of silence, another voice rang out; it was Lord Shen.

“Since the people from Lanjiang deliberately used information to lure us to Yaozhou, they will definitely try to deal with us. There is still room for maneuver in this matter. If their target is only Yaozhou, why would they go to such lengths?”

"Sigh, Old Shen..."

Fu Shouan sighed bitterly.

“I’m under a lot of psychological pressure. If this matter can’t be resolved, hundreds of thousands of innocent people in the entire city will be buried with it. I can’t bear such a huge sin.”

"Don't worry, things will work out in the end. Oh, and there's one more thing..."

...

She couldn't hear anything else.

plague.

Are the people of Lanjiang going to release a plague in Yaozhou?

Zhan Xinjia frowned. No wonder Lord Shen and his entourage were in such a hurry. But it seemed there were no physicians with them. Since it was an epidemic, shouldn't they have brought some imperial physicians from the capital?

Judging from the heavy tone in Fu Shou'an's and Lord Shen's voices, this matter is probably quite troublesome.

Zhan Xinjia really wanted to do something to help, but she was currently so sickly that she could hardly even sit up. She was weak, pitiful, and helpless, and might even become a burden to Lord Shen.

Thinking about this, she felt a little discouraged.

When footsteps sounded again at the hatch, Zhan Xinjia quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

The young man stopped at her bedside.

He didn't speak, and there was no more movement in the dimly lit room, as if time had stood still.

For a moment, there was only deathly silence, except for the sound of raindrops falling outside the cabin.

Zhan Xinjia felt a little horrified.

She kept her eyes closed, not daring to open them, but she knew that Lord Shen was standing right in front of her bed, staring at her.

A full half-cup of tea's time passed before the footsteps sounded again. But instead of heading out, they were getting closer.

A soft sash brushed against her arm, which was hanging outside the covers, and then the bed beside her sank in. The faint scent of ink emanating from him grew clearer, and she could even feel his slightly unsteady breathing on her cheek, causing a ticklish sensation.

He sat on the edge of her bed, leaning over to look at her.

In a horror story, such a terrifying scene would surely frighten Zhan Xinjia so much that she would run out of the house, jump off the boat, and swim back to Jiangyuan County overnight. But this was Lord Shen, and she knew very well that he would never hurt her.

Nevertheless, she remained highly tense.

The raindrops pattered on and on, and Zhan Xinjia felt it was difficult to maintain his pretense of sleep in this eerie atmosphere. But the moment her breathing became uneven, he would know she was faking it.

Just when she was about to break down, he left.

? ? ? ? ?

What?! Zhan Xinjia was completely bewildered.

She even wondered if she was hallucinating from being scared.

The bed slumped and bounced back, and the faint fragrance gradually faded away. Only when she was sure that Lord Shen was no longer watching her did Zhan Xinjia let out a soft "hmm" and pretend to slowly wake up.

She opened her eyes, and the young man was standing by the only window in the cabin.

The cool light of dawn fell on him, casting a grayish-white hue over him.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his back straight, like a crane crossing a pond in the cold, his silhouette revealing a sense of loneliness and desolation.

At that moment, he gazed at the water outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.

"Master Xiao Shen...?"

"You're awake."

Shen Suqing turned around, stunned.

Perhaps it was Zhan Xinjia's imagination, but she always felt that Lord Shen's expression was somewhat stern. He was always approachable, gentle and refined, and rarely showed such a "detached" and aloof expression.

"Is it daylight outside, Lord Shen?"

"Yes, the rain has stopped."

For a moment, the two looked at each other in silence.

In the end, Shen Suqing sighed and walked to her side, taking the handkerchief off her forehead.

Are you feeling better?

Zhan Xinjia reached out and touched her forehead. "It seems the fever has subsided, and my throat doesn't hurt anymore. By the way, Lord Shen."

She stared at him longingly.

"Aren't you going to rest for a while?"

It seems that Master Shen stayed up all night watching over her.

His face looked tired, and he didn't seem to be in good spirits.

The young man pinched his sore nose, then smiled and stroked the hair on her head. Although he tried his best to raise the corners of his lips, his haggard and pale face always had a fragile feeling of trying to hold on.

“Our Azhi has learned to care about people now.”

What does it mean to be caring? She has always been caring towards him, okay?

Otherwise, she wouldn't have given up her life of idleness and traveled thousands of miles to this remote state.

Zhan Xinjia was fuming, but being sick, she had no time to argue, so in the end she could only pull the blanket up to cover her face and pretend to be a corpse.

Normally, in situations like this, Master Shen would patiently coax her for a few words, or scold her with a stern face for not sleeping properly and not covering her face with the blanket. But Zhan Xinjia waited for a long time, and he didn't say anything more.

Has he already left?

She secretly lifted a corner of the blanket to peek, and saw that Master Shen was still standing in front of her.

He lowered his eyes, his expression complex.

"Ah Zhi... if your family doesn't want you, would you like to be my sister?"

These words seemed to carry a thousand weights, yet he spoke them softly, each word clear and distinct, clearly spoken after careful consideration.

"..."

Zhan Xinjia fell silent.

We lovers have ended up as siblings!

Good news: Lord Shen doesn't treat her like a daughter, and his "fatherly love" hasn't changed. Bad news: Lord Shen wants to be her older brother.

Without even thinking, Zhan Xinjia had already subconsciously decided to refuse. On the one hand, she didn't want to be Lord Shen's sister, and on the other hand, subconsciously she was inexplicably resistant to calling others "brother".

Perhaps sensing her reluctance, the light in Shen Suqing's eyes dimmed, yet he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

His hand, which had been resting on her head, gently stroked her hair again before finally withdrawing it with restraint.

"good."

He left the cabin after leaving behind just that one word.

Zhan Xinjia hadn't seen Lord Shen all morning. She sensed something was off about him, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Lord Shen, however, clearly seemed preoccupied.

Perhaps Fu Shou'an knows? I need to find a way to ask him privately.

It was almost noon when the boat docked at the pier.

Having mustered some strength, Zhan Xinjia put on her shoes, got out of bed, and walked onto the deck. The rain had stopped, and the sky and water blended into one. The wind that swept across the hills carried the fragrance of gardenias.

The warm sunshine dispelled the illness, and Zhan Xinjia raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glare.

As she gazed at the distant scenery, she suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulder—an extra coat had been placed on her.

The young man didn't speak to her or even glance at her. After draping his coat over her shoulders, he calmly and without looking to the side boarded the carriage arranged by Zhao Jiu.

Originally, Zhan Xinjia wanted to catch up with the carriage and get close to Lord Shen, but this time Zhao Jiu arranged two carriages, so Zhan Xinjia had no reason to bother Lord Shen anymore.

She was already the redundant person in the team, and since the other person was there to do something important, she didn't want to cause them any more trouble.

Theoretically, the carriage should be heading towards Yaozhou City, but after bumping along for more than half an hour, Zhan Xinjia looked out through the curtain and found that they had entered a place called Qin County.

She vaguely remembered that Qin County was some distance from Yaozhou City, and that the river branched off in between, with only one stone bridge connecting them.

Aren't Lord Shen and his group in a hurry? What are they doing in Qin County?