Xie Changjing was taken aback. He had never been looked at with such a cold gaze by Xin Xiyao before. At first, he panicked, but then he became somewhat distracted.

His inherent arrogance did not truly disappear because of Xin Xiyao's talent. It was as if he was both pursuing Xin Xiyao and opposing her sister, even leaving her alone in the dangerous rainy night.

Xin Xiyao knew this well. Not wanting to get entangled with Xie Changjing, she took a lantern and set off with her servants to find him.

Upon receiving the news, Xin Yunzhou hurriedly came out of his courtyard and found Qi Huaiyu being helped in by the servants. Xin's father was also there.

"What happened? Where's my sister?"

Qi Huaiyu was so weak that he could no longer stand, and suddenly knelt down in front of Xin's father with a thud.

"Uncle, it's all my fault for not holding Jiuwei back. Please punish me! But please let me go and find her first..."

"Who else is to blame but you!" Xin Yunzhou said angrily. "She went up the mountain with you all, how come she was left behind when she came back? Qi Huaiyu, are you even a man?!"

Qi Huaiyu was pale and walked out without paying attention, looking determined to find Xin Jiuwei. The servants couldn't stop him.

"Alright, come back first." Father Xin waved his hand. "You're injured too, so don't go and cause trouble. Uncle Xin, take more people with you."

Manager Xin hurriedly went to count the people. Xin Yunzhou was worried about her younger sister and also afraid that her older sister might encounter some accident when she went out. She glared at Qi Huaiyu and then went out.

The chaos and commotion at the foot of the mountain did not reach Chongwu Mountain.

The next morning, the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth after the rain, and Xin Jiuwei woke up to the faint chirping of birds.

She was still in pain, with many bruises from the fall, but her body was dry, her hair had been cleaned, and she had changed her clothes.

She sat up and looked down. She was wearing a clean, old linen outfit, a bit too big. Her own clothes were gone.

Xin Jiuwei blinked, a rare moment of panic flashing through her heart. She looked up and glanced around, but it didn't seem to be the guest room at Lingyin Temple.

Someone pushed the door open and came in. It was a kind-looking middle-aged woman, followed by a tall, slender girl.

Xin Jiuwei's gaze paused; she had seen this girl before, in her past life.

"Miss Xin, you're awake." The auntie smiled and brought over a bowl of medicine. "Perfect timing, this is a decoction for treating colds. You got caught in the rain last night, so drink a cup first."

Xin Jiuwei took the bowl of medicine, thanked her, and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman said, “I’m a hunter who lives here. Just call me Aunt Liu. Master Jueming brought you here last night. You’re a young girl, and you’re injured and caught in the rain. It’s inconvenient for him to take you back to the temple. If you want to thank him, wait until you feel better before you go.”

Xin Jiuwei nodded, watching Anjing drink her medicine, but she was actually still thinking about it.

She took a huge gamble, but she never expected that there would be a female hunter on the mountain, and that Jueming would abandon her here.

Xin Jiuwei sighed inwardly and secretly glanced at the girl behind the aunt.

"Aunt Liu, who is this?"

Aunt Liu pulled the girl over and said with a smile, "This is my daughter, Xiaoya."

The little girl wore a simple cloth dress, and her exposed neck and fingers were long and slender, and her wrists looked very flexible.

She tried her best to appear gentle and friendly, but her eyes held a sharpness born from years of killing.

In her previous life, Xin Jiuwei only saw Qi Huaiyu once, behind her back. At that time, they encountered an assassination attempt on their way back to the capital with Xiao Xun.

She killed a giant-sized assassin who charged at them, plunging her curved blade straight into his neck, killing him instantly.

Xin Jiuwei was terrified at that moment. Qi Huaiyu let go of her hand at the critical moment of life and death. If it weren't for this young woman's appearance, she would have been the most innocent victim in this assassination.

After that, Xin Jiuwei had nightmares, often dreaming of the woman's cold face under the moonlight after she was saved.

She wasn't called Xiao Ya; she was a bodyguard and assassin who had been by Xiao Xun's side since before he gained power.

Raven.

Xin Jiuwei took the opportunity of finishing her medicine and handing the bowl back to Aunt Liu, while secretly sizing up both of them.

None of Xiao Xun's bodyguards have parents or relatives, so this Aunt Liu is probably one of his people.

This is also Xiao Xun's territory.

Xin Jiuwei felt relieved, then coughed lightly twice, clutching her chest, "I'm really sorry to have bothered Aunt Liu."

As Aunt Liu stood up with a smile, carrying her bowl, Xin Jiuwei noticed that she was stronger than the average woman from a farming family.

"Not at all. You're a young woman, and you got injured in the rain. How could we just sit by and do nothing?"

She asked with apparent concern, "Why are you all alone on the mountain? Did you run into some trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Xin Jiuwei's face turned even paler, her eyes reddened, and she was on the verge of tears.

"My fiancé and I went hiking in the mountains, but on the way back we were caught in a downpour. The horse suddenly went berserk, and the carriage became uncontrollable. My fiancé..."

She seemed unable to continue speaking, covered her face and began to sob, terrified.

Aunt Liu immediately understood what was going on. She exchanged a glance with Liu Ya and then comforted Xin Jiuwei, saying, "He really is awful! Don't be afraid. Rest here and when you feel better, I'll take you down the mountain and you'll be home."

Xin Jiuwei wiped away her tears and thanked them profusely.

She injured her foot and can't get out of bed easily; she probably won't be able to go back for a while.

Xin Jiuwei leaned against the headboard, pondering. She watched Aunt Liu and Liu Ya leave the room, their figures flashing briefly outside the window before faint voices could be heard.

She couldn't hear clearly, but she could tell that there were more than two people talking, and there was another person who seemed to be listening to their report.

Xin Jiuwei felt relieved, closed her eyes and fell asleep again. When she woke up again, it was already afternoon.

She carefully got out of bed, limped out the door while holding onto the wall, and discovered that although the house looked simple inside, the yard outside was very large, with houses on three sides.

Outside the courtyard stands a weeping crabapple tree. When the wind blows, the crabapple petals are blown down and fall onto Jueming's snow-white monk's robe.

It seems like there are always crabapple blossoms when I meet him. Xin Jiuwei thought.

A slender shadow fell down, and Jueming opened his eyes, calmly looking at the pale-faced but smiling girl in front of him.

“Master Jueming, you are here too.”