Intervene

In the quiet backyard, three people crouched low and crept stealthily toward a room. As soon as they opened the door, a stench of blood assaulted their nostrils, making Jiang Yi feel nauseous.

Ziyun somehow produced a tinderbox and lit it, allowing Jiang Yi and Xia Zhi to barely make out the person lying on the dilapidated wooden bed.

She lay there motionless, breathing weakly, covered in wounds, her clothes torn and stained with blood. A red cloak barely covered her body, and there was a clear mark on her neck, which looked like it had been deliberately strangled with something, the mark now bluish-purple...

Jiang Yi was stunned. Was this still the same woman she had seen performing the Flying Drum Dance? In just a few days, she had been tortured into this state! What kind of world is this?!

Ziyun lit a candle next to her and placed it on the dilapidated low table for lighting. She then poured a bowl of water and fed it to the injured woman.

Jiang Yi asked incredulously, "She's your sister, Hongdie?"

Ziyun nodded, her voice choked with emotion, "Yes."

Jiang Yi felt a surge of anger slowly brewing within her. She took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress it, then couldn't help but ask, "Isn't she the most famous dancer in your brothel? She's so badly injured, why didn't Aunt Liu call a doctor for her? If the wound gets infected, it could be fatal!"

Ziyun held Hongdie's upper body, her eyes brimming with tears, and chuckled softly, "Girl, this is our fate."

Jiang Yi was furious. If she wasn't worried about calling someone over, she would have already started cursing.

"What fate? Just waiting to die?! Are you going to do nothing and just watch your sister lie here waiting to die?"

“What can I do? I can’t even go out to buy her medicine. I’m so useless. I’ve let her down…”

As she spoke, Ziyun began to sob softly. She suppressed her sobs, not daring to cry unrestrainedly. Tears streamed down her face, landing on the forehead of the person in her arms.

Hongdie seemed to sense something in her sleep. She opened her eyes groggily, her hands trembling, and with all her might, she wiped away Ziyun's tears. Her lips were cracked and bleeding. She said in a low, hoarse voice, "Sister, don't worry, I'm fine."

"Red Butterfly, I'm sorry, it's all because my sister is useless."

"..."

At this moment, Xia Zhi glanced at Hong Die a few more times, then leaned closer to Jiang Yi and whispered, "Miss, doesn't this Hong Die look like the woman we bumped into on the street last time?"

After hearing Xia Zhi's words, Jiang Yi carefully examined the girl named Hongdie by the dim candlelight. It was indeed her. The bright red butterfly pattern on her right cheek lay on her pale face, as if it too had lost its vitality.

Her current weak and miserable appearance makes it hard to associate her with the woman who was once as beautiful as an angel. You know, when Jiang Yi accidentally bumped into her on the street, she was truly amazed by her beauty. No wonder there was a sense of déjà vu in Zi Yun's eyes and brows.

"Miss Ziyun, how can I help you?"

It wasn't until Jiang Yi spoke that Hongdie noticed someone was beside her, and she involuntarily shrank back, looking very nervous and scared.

"Sister, who are they?"

"Don't be afraid, this girl is a good person. She's the one who bought the wound medicine for me."

Jiang Yi tried her best to appear normal, forcing a gentle smile: "Miss Hongdie, we met briefly on the long street before, you may not remember."

To blend into the Mirror Flower Water Moon, she didn't dress as a man tonight, but instead wore women's makeup and a seductive red dress. She wondered if Red Butterfly still remembered her.

Hongdie coughed a few times, glanced at Jiang Yi and frowned slightly, then slowly relaxed her eyebrows a few seconds later.

"I remember now. Last time I went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, I accidentally bumped into a lady on my way back. It was you."

Jiang Yi was slightly delighted; hey, she had actually been remembered by the beautiful woman.

"Yes, it's me. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Perhaps it was a habit she had developed over the years in the Mirror Flower Water Moon, but Ziyun always wore a veil on her face. Only now did she slowly remove it to reveal her true face. She and her sister did indeed look very similar.

Red Butterfly's face bears a red butterfly poised to take flight, while Purple Cloud's face bears a tranquil and serene purple auspicious cloud. They are roughly the same size and are both imprinted on the right side of their faces.

It seems that Granny Liu tattooed names on the faces of the girls in the Mirror Flower Water Moon to prevent them from escaping. She was truly cruel and vicious.

Ziyun chuckled softly, but Jiang Yi could hear helplessness and bitterness in her laughter.

"There is still one way now."

The three looked at Ziyun, who said, "I'll go tell Aunt Liu that I'll marry in place of Hongdie. We sisters look alike, so Master Zhou probably won't recognize us. Besides, Hongdie is the best dancer in our area. With her there, we don't need to worry about the guests being empty. Aunt Liu will agree."

Red Butterfly's eyes reddened with anxiety: "No! Sister, Master Zhou is no good man! You can't do this! Have you forgotten how he treated me?"

"It is precisely because I know this that I must go in your place. Before Father passed away, he repeatedly told me to take good care of you, and I cannot break my promise."

"No, I won't let you go..."

She struggled to get up from Ziyun's arms, walked shakily to Jiang Yi, and knelt down before her without warning.

"Red Butterfly, what are you doing? Get up!"

"No, young lady, I beg you, please save us!" With tears in her eyes, she tore open her collar, revealing a purplish-blue ligature mark. "Master Zhou likes to torture people in his room. If I really marry him as a concubine, I'll surely die! Young lady, please have pity on us sisters. In our next life, we'll repay your kindness with a butterfly's wings..."

Jiang Yi felt extremely conflicted and heavy-hearted. She never expected to encounter such a thing, but since she had already taken charge, she couldn't just stand by and watch someone jump into a fire pit. She frowned, bent down, and helped her up.

"Red Butterfly, please get up. I... I'll think of something."

...

In Luoying Courtyard, Qinglian had already brought over the nourishing soup as usual.

Jiang Yi ate spoonful after spoonful, seemingly without tasting anything. Qinglian noticed that Jiang Yi's complexion was not good and asked with concern, "Is the young mistress feeling unwell? Why does she look so pale?"

"No," Jiang Yi forced a smile, her mind preoccupied. "I'm not feeling unwell. By the way, Aunt Qinglian, do you know where He Lin went?"

Qinglian shook her head: "I'm not too sure either. I didn't see the young master when I came. I guess he must have gone out."

I originally wanted to discuss Hongdie and Ziyun's matter with He Lin, but if He Lin is unemotional and unwilling to help, then I'll just have to shamelessly ask him for more money.

She had a plan, but unfortunately, she didn't have the money to make it happen.

It's dark and there's not a sound in the yard. It's really strange. Where did that person go?

After Jiang Yi finished her dinner and washed up, she was only wearing white underwear. Her long hair, like a waterfall, cascaded down to her waist. Her hair was of excellent quality, smooth and silky, and felt cool and comfortable to the touch.

The only downside is that it's too long and too much, which is a bit difficult for Jiang Yi, a modern person, to manage. Luckily, Xia Zhi was there, otherwise, such beautiful long black hair would have been ruined into a bird's nest by her.

Without a clock, Jiang Yi had no idea how long she had been waiting or what time it was. She yawned more than a dozen times but He Lin still hadn't returned.

Finally, I was so sleepy that I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I simply closed my eyes, nodded, and fell asleep on the table, completely drifting into a dream. Gradually, snoring filled the room.

When He Lin returned, he was dressed in a black night suit, which he hadn't had time to change out of yet. He had a murderous look on his face. Fortunately, Jiang Yi was asleep and didn't see him, otherwise she would have definitely interrogated him thoroughly.

After quickly changing back into his everyday clothes, he slowly walked to Jiang Yi's side and nudged her arm.

"Hey, wake up!"

Jiang Yi was sleeping soundly and was clearly annoyed by being disturbed. Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper. She slapped He Lin's large hand away and muttered under her breath, "What are you doing? Can't a person get any sleep?"

He Lin: "..."

Since she was happy to sleep on the table, He Lin let her be. He turned around and deftly blew out all the lights in the room, then stepped back to his bed in the moonlight streaming in from the window.

Although the room was warm, it was still a bit chilly late at night. If left unattended, she would probably catch a cold first thing in the morning...

After thinking it over and over, He Lin suddenly sat up. Tsk, troublesome.

A shadow covered most of Jiang Yi's face. He Lin scooped her up by her knees, carried her around the screen, and went straight inside. He laid her down on the bed and pulled a corner of the blanket over her.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yi kicked the blanket to the inside. Helpless, He Lin had to bend over and reach for the blanket. He couldn't reach it, and just as Jiang Yi was about to lie down in a "spread-eagle" position, she rolled over and pressed down on He Lin's hair.

He Lin nudged her, trying to free his hair from under her, but she was sleeping like a log and wouldn't wake up no matter how much he nudged her.

With no other choice, He Lin stretched out an arm through Jiang Yi's neck and pressed all the weight of her upper body onto himself. He managed to get her hair out, but Jiang Yi's hands clung tightly to his arm.

With a sudden yank, she held on even tighter, pulling He Lin down with his face unexpectedly pressed against a soft spot.

A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils. When he realized what those two soft mounds were, He Lin gasped and gritted his teeth, saying, "Jiang Yi! Did you do this on purpose?!"

There was no movement; only his breathing could be clearly heard in the air.

He Lin pressed one hand against the edge of the bed, creating a slight distance between himself and her. He then tried to pry her arms open, but couldn't. He then tried to pull away the arms she was tightly holding, but still couldn't.

He exhaled a breath of warm air, took off his shoes, and lay down on the outside.

Since that's the case, you can't blame him. Anyway, it's been a long time since I slept in this bed. I have to say, this big bed is still the most comfortable to sleep in...

After a while, Jiang Yi seemed to be dreaming about something, and she made some soft humming noises in her throat. He Lin had one arm around her, and with the other hand, he reached over her waist and pulled the blanket over her.

After doing all this, he rested his head on his forearm, stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking he wouldn't be able to sleep, but gradually he became sleepy and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.