Chapter 61 No Light, No Hope

d her lips but didn’t say anything more."The three of you, come here..." The old emperor looked at the trio with what seemed to be an unending rage."Your Majesty, they are still children and will inev...Chapter 61: Dark as Night

Rong Jing's study was not too far from his main house. Qing Quan soon brought Yun Qianmo to the study.

He stopped at the entrance of the study, bowed respectfully towards Yun Qianmo and said, "Miss Yun Qianmo, this is my lord's study. You can go in yourself."

"Hmm!" Yun Qianmo nodded her head and pushed open the door to walk inside.

Qing Quan closed the door behind him and turned around to leave.

Gazing at this study, Yun Qianmo saw row after row of books lined up on bookshelves that had over a hundred rows. If she hadn't seen no one waiting for her by the entrance to collect payment for the books, she would have thought she was in a bookstore or library. Even a library wouldn't be as large as this place. She walked inside and followed row after row of bookshelves. On these shelves were all kinds of books—classics, history, poetry, biographies, tales of martial arts heroes, geography, illustrations, medical texts, martial arts manuals, poison-making techniques, even small stories about common people in the market. Truly, this place contained everything under the sun.

Yun Qianmo couldn't help but marvel at what she saw as she walked inside. It took her two cups of tea to reach the end, where instead of a wall was a crystal curtain blocking off this part of the bookshelves. Through the crystal curtain, she could see an inner room. She pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the room. The moment she entered, everything became bright in front of her eyes—there was nothing inside except for two large stone columns standing tall in the middle. She looked up from the bottom of these stone columns to the ceiling above them, which was embedded with night pearls. The distance between the ground and the ceiling was several floors high. Between the two huge stone columns was a white jade staircase that led upwards.

Yun Qianmo turned her gaze away, looked back, and raised an eyebrow in disdain. She wondered what kind of secrets this study held. So she walked up the steps to go up there.

It took Yun Qianmo an entire incense stick's worth of time to climb all the way to the top. When she got there, she didn't care about looking around but instead sat down on the ground and wiped her sweat. She thought that this body was truly in a terrible state. In the past, these few dozen steps were nothing!

After some time passed and she regained her strength, Yun Qianmo stood up again. Above her was an octagonal pavilion. This pavilion had two rooms' worth of space; it was enclosed on all sides by translucent walls. In the middle sat a white jade table with tea utensils and pastries set upon it, along with two soft armchairs and two soft couches beside them. By the door stood a row of bookshelves holding about a hundred books neatly arranged. There were no other items in sight.

Yun Qianmo swept her gaze around once and walked over to touch one of the transparent walls. Her fingers felt warm and smooth as she touched it; she couldn't help but curse inwardly at how rich this man was, using so much crystal for walls like glass, truly luxurious.

Looking out through the translucent wall, she could see everything that went on in Cloud Prince Manor beyond the Purple Bamboo Grove.

Yun Qianmo couldn't help but marvel again. No wonder this black-hearted fellow hadn't been taken down from his position as Crown Prince after his parents died and he had pretended to be sick for a decade! It was because of this place's blessings, watching and sitting here meant that anything that happened in the Glory Manor wouldn't escape him. How could someone take him off his throne

After looking around for a while, she raised her eyebrows disdainfully and turned back to lie down on one of the soft couches next to the white jade table. She closed her eyes; with the breeze coming through the skylight above, it was so refreshing that she couldn't help but yawn contently. She thought this place would be a good spot for sleeping.

Just as Yun Qianmo was about to fall asleep, the door outside creaked open and someone walked in. The footsteps were familiarly light and soft—Yun Qianmo acted like she didn't hear them at all.

A short while later, that person's steps echoed up here. He saw Yun Qianmo lying on the couch sleeping immediately. His eyebrows rose as his voice was warm when he spoke, "I forgot I left two soft couches for you to sleep on."

Yun Qianmo was extremely drowsy and ignored him.

"Qing Quan didn't tell you just now that the books downstairs are limited to being read within a fortnight" Rong Jing flicked his robe elegantly as he sat down opposite Yun Qianmo.

"What Downstairs there's over one thousand books, I don’t even know how to recognize them. How could I possibly finish reading in half a month" Yun Qianmo was no longer sleepy and stared at Rong Jing like she was looking at a monster.

Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianmo, his voice extremely soft as he said, "Whether or not you know how to recognize them is something only you and I know. The words outside the Purple Bamboo Grove weren’t written by someone who doesn't know characters. Moreover, they even helped me come up with 'Those who enter unlawfully shall be put to death.' So, you should understand."

Yun Qianmo narrowed her eyes as she stared at Rong Jing; he raised his eyebrows in response. She gave an indifferent snort and said, "I know that's what you're saying. Miss Yun already said I'm a prodigy who doesn't need to learn anything because I was born with talent. Recognizing characters is nothing for me; there's no way it can stump me. So now I know everything without having to study."

"Hmm, not only do you recognize characters, but you also have an extraordinary memory," Rong Jing no longer looked at her as he directed his gaze outside the crystal wall, "So if you're a prodigy who doesn't need to learn anything and can know everything, then wouldn’t one thousand books be nothing"

Yun Qianmo choked and angrily said, "That's not how it works! A thousand books in just half a month Are you trying to kill me with exhaustion"

"You only have half a month under my tutelage. Half a month later is the martial arts champion competition; I will probably attend as an observer. After that, who knows what changes will happen. It's likely you won't be able to come back to Glory Manor again for further study. So I don’t want you coming here still uneducated and leaving the same way after half a month—being called someone with no knowledge of characters would not only hurt your pride but also mine. People would think that even someone like me can't teach someone like you, making me seem pretentious about my supposed talent. It wouldn't be good for me to be dragged down by you. So, regardless of how exhausted it makes you, you have to finish reading all the books," Rong Jing spoke a long sentence but his voice remained calm and unflappable as usual.

Yun Qianmo snorted in disdain and said, "Do you care what others think"

"I'm afraid that Grandpa Yun will be disappointed if I fail to teach you how to read characters. You have to know that he has great expectations of me teaching you how to write with talent. Of course, I can't make him upset," Rong Jing sighed.

"Anyway, I won't finish reading them in half a month; let whoever be disappointed." Yun Qianmo glared at Rong Jing.

"Here’s another option: there are one hundred books here. If you can memorize all these books within three days, then you don’t have to read the other books," Rong Jing pointed towards the bookshelf behind Yun Qianmo and said, "This should be easy for you."

Yun Qianmo turned around to look at the bookshelf. She hadn't paid attention earlier but now that she looked closely, she realized these bookshelves held only one type of book: The Women's Precepts! Various versions of this ancient women’s handbook—compiled by the first woman a few millennia ago and revised over time up until recent decades…

She felt a chill in her heart, withdrew her gaze, and her face turned completely dark. "I don’t want to look at this!"

"Then look at the books below!" Rong Jing said.

"Rong Jing, are you still human In which life did I offend you that you always oppose me everywhere Do you think it’s okay to bully me" Yun Qianyue stared fiercely at Rong Jing. Seeing his delicate brows and warm eyes looking back at her made her want to punch him.

"Do you really think someone who has a grudge against me could enter the Purple Bamboo Grove, enter my house, and come into my study" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly at Yun Qianyue’s angry little face. "I’ll give you two choices: finish reading these women's rules in three days or read all those books below within half a month. Choose one!"

"Neither," Yun Qianyue said decisively.

Rong Jing sighed, rubbed his temples with his hand, and helplessly said, "It seems I can’t teach you properly. In that case, let Ye Tianqing instruct you then." With that, he called out to someone outside, "Qing Quan, take all the items sent over by Yun Wangfu from earlier and deliver them to Taizi Manor! Also, escort Miss Qianyue to Taizi Manor and make sure to hand it personally to His Highness."

"Yes!" Qing Quan responded outside. It was rare for Rong Jing’s voice to be so light yet his hearing was still acute.

After Rong Jing spoke, he didn’t look at Yun Qianyue and waved his hand at her, "I believe you’ll be very happy to go to Taizi Manor. Go!"

Yun Qianyue remained seated and gritted her teeth in resentment.

Rong Jing waited for a while but seeing she didn’t move, he raised his head with an arched eyebrow and looked at her, "Do you not want to go"

Yun Qianyue took a deep breath. Seeing Ye Tianqing’s face was even worse than staring at these books! Finishing one thousand books within half a month was indeed difficult, but she did have the ability to memorize once seen. She didn’t know how this guy figured it out. Besides, she knew nothing about this world and couldn’t ask anyone else for help; she could only learn from the books. Since Rong Jing’s collection of books was comprehensive here, reading them would be beneficial to her brain even if they were tiring. Let her see how many she can read in half a month!

Although she thought this way, it still didn’t sit well with her and she asked, "How did you know I can memorize things once seen"

Rong Jing blinked his phoenix eyes, “Do you remember the chess game at Fragrant Spring Mountain If you hadn’t had the ability to memorize after seeing once, how would you have won me a drink”

So that’s where she made her mistake! Damned wine, indeed drinking leads to trouble. Yun Qianyue snorted and said, "Half a month then! I agree. But I can’t promise to read them all. I’ll just see how much I can get through. Worst case scenario, I’ll leave without tarnishing your reputation."

"Good! If you slack off and deliberately don’t finish reading them, I will know too. In that case, those twelve golden Buddha statues would be mine. If you feel sorry for them, better not slack off," Rong Jing nodded happily this time with a slight smile without any reservations as he stood up to say to her, "Start reading then! Call Qing Cang or Qing Quan if you need anything."

"Hmph!" Yun Qianyue humphed. What was the landlord class This was it!

Rong Jing slowly descended the jade steps and left without turning back, leaving the study shortly after.

Yun Qianyue still lay on the soft couch staring at the ceiling. After a while, she sat up helplessly. As an orphan in her previous life with no parents to rely on, studying diligently for twenty years was understandable. Who knew that this lifetime she had the body of a lady and the fate of a maid and had to start studying again Was there anyone as unlucky as her After pondering in her heart for a while, she still descended the jade steps. Those twelve Buddha statues were hidden with great effort; it couldn’t be left to the clutches of this black-hearted guy.

When Yun Qianyue arrived at the room full of books, Rong Jing had already left. She picked up the first book from the first row and shook it slightly. It was a Heavenly Saint’s Annals; she held it in her hand and called out to those outside, "Bring me a soft couch!"

"Yes, Miss Qianyue!" Qing Quan responded outside as his footsteps receded.

Yun Qianyue opened the first page of the book and started flipping through it.

Soon after, Qing Quan opened the door, placed a soft couch by the window, glanced at Yun Qianyue, saw that she was reading upside down, and silently retreated.

Yun Qianyue read two pages and found that her brain automatically displayed the content of the next page even before she turned it. She flipped to the next page and discovered its contents were indeed identical to what she had in mind. Surprised by this, she rapidly turned the pages only for her mind to display each one’s content without delay. With a closed book and eyes shut, the entire text was already in her brain.

It seemed it wasn’t just this single book; like an unlocked dam, memories of poems, songs, history, literature, folklore, martial arts, medicine, toxicology... various categories flooded into her mind.

Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, she sat on the floor靠著書架，閉著眼睛靜靜地接受湧入腦中的這些知識，一行行一頁頁，彷彿她曾經背過的這些東西一樣。

時間靜靜而過，她腦海裡的東西依然涓涓如細流，不停地湧出。

雲淺月靜靜地接收，她清楚的知道這怕是這個身體曾經所學，她人雖然離開了，但是腦中這些東西確是留了下來，從她來到這個世界一直抗拒學習識字，所以這些東西就被她給封存了。如今她願意學習，有了這個突破口，這些東西自然而然就湧出來了。

一邊吸收，雲淺月心裡一邊默默感歎，這個身體主人到底學了多少東西？看了多少書？大約不次於這裡這一千多本吧！她想著她的猜測果然是對的。這個身體主人果然不如傳言一般，那些傳言她大字不識什麼都不懂隻不過是表象而已。她其實是才華滿腹，飽讀詩書。

雲淺月不停地歎息，原來這個女子和她前世那個身體一樣苦，居然都擺脫不了苦苦學習的命。或許比她還苦，因為這個身體似乎隱忍很久，也藏了很多秘密。她希望她此番得了這些知識，還能得到她這個身體留下的記憶。那麼她就能明白她到底為了什麼而如此隱忍偽裝了。

The moments passed by, and Yun Qianyue, with her eyes closed, seemed to have forgotten everything around her, leaving only the contents of her mind replaying like a movie.

This study was undisturbed, silent. Even the entire Purple Bamboo Courtyard was quiet without any noise.

She didn’t know how long it had been until she no longer received anything in her thoughts. Yun Qianyue then opened her eyes, disappointment written all over her small face. She could only recall the books that this body had read these years; other memories were blank regardless of how hard she tried.

She sighed and thought to herself that she must have found this opportunity because when she wanted to read a book, it brought out the memory stored in her mind about what this body learned. Whether there are more memories or not, it might still depend on an opportunity. Nonetheless, this was already enough for her to be delighted. She originally thought that Rong Jing gave her half a month to finish reading all these books, but now she could probably manage it.

She lowered her head and looked at the book in her hand; everything she saw was pitch black, causing her to be taken aback—had it gotten dark She stood up and moved around, feeling an intense pain from her buttocks and numbness in her legs. It took a long time for them to move again. She seemed to have been stiffened by the long period of sitting; she could only rub her leg with her hand before gradually recovering her strength but still not being able to stand up. Thus, she shouted towards the outside, "Qingshang! Qingquan, who is there"

"Miss Yun Qianyue, I am here!" A voice full of surprise came from the outside.

“What time is it now Is it midnight” Yun Qianyue asked.

No sound came back as if she had left them speechless.

"You come in first and help me up!" said Yun Qianyue.

The door to the study was pushed open, and Qingshang walked in holding a lantern. The room instantly lit up. She saw Yun Qianyue sitting on the ground and hurriedly put down the lantern before rushing forward to assist her up. Her body had been chilled by the night air, causing Yun Qianyue to shiver.

"I’m sorry, Miss Yun Qianyue! I was standing outside for too long, so I got this cold. First, I’ll help you sit down on the soft couch," Qingshang quickly apologized.

Yun Qianyue looked at Qingshang with some guilt and nodded her head in agreement, "You waited here for me Actually, it wasn’t necessary; thank you."

"Yes, I’ll help you to the couch!" Qingshang nodded while supporting Yun Qianyue as she walked towards the soft couch. She said at the same time, “It’s not just that you sat too long, but really way too long You’ve been in this study for three days now since you came in. I wanted to come and call you several times, but our young master instructed us not to disturb you unless you called for us first.”

"What" Yun Qianyue was shocked. "You said I have been here for three days already"

“Yes! I wouldn’t dare lie to Miss. You are indeed in the study for three days now. Today is your third night. To be precise, you’ve been here for three day and nights.” Qingshang nodded her head, “Miss must have been reading books so engrossedly that she forgot time.”

Heavens! Yun Qianyue sighed.

Qingshang stopped talking. She helped Yun Qianyue sit down on the soft couch and squatted down to say, "Let me help you massage your legs, Miss; it will heal faster this way."

"Okay, thank you," nodded Yun Qianyue, still in disbelief about those three day and nights.

“Miss is being too polite! It’s what I should do, no need to thank me,” said Qingshang with a smile while kneading her hands. Her strength was neither too light nor too heavy; Yun Qianyue found it very comforting and felt less numbness instantly.

Yun Qianyue still couldn’t believe what she had heard, "I really went through three days like this"

"Miss has indeed been here for these three day and nights! You didn't eat or drink water; I wanted to come in several times to call you but was afraid of disturbing you. So, I waited outside until you called me. If you hadn’t shouted yesterday morning, I would have rushed into your study," Qingshang said.

"You haven’t slept the past three nights" Yun Qianyue’s guilt deepened.

“I did sleep; Qingquan and I took turns to guard outside. He went down for a rest at night, then it was my turn.” Qingshang shook her head.

Yun Qianyue nodded, then asked, “Where is Rong Jing”

"Our young master has gone out of the residence on business. Since he left from this study that day, I have no idea where he went. He told me to wait for your call before coming," said Qingshang softly.

Yun Qianyue nodded her head and did not say anything more.

Qingshang also remained silent.

Awhile later, Yun Qianyue waved a hand. "I’m alright now; you can stop," she said.

Qingshang stood up but saw that Yun Qianyue had not moved to eat anything yet and softly asked, “Miss, I’ve kept the Old Medicine in the kitchen warming your food for you all this while. Shall we go back to your quarters for a meal”

"Good!" Yun Qianyue nodded and stood up.

Qingsang hurriedly led the way, and the two of them left the study room.

The outside was tranquil with a gentle breeze blowing. The night was deep. Yun Qianyue looked up; the sky was dark and starless. She then turned her gaze away and followed Cai Lian towards her bedroom.

"Miss Yun Qianyue finally came out. I will get your medicinal cuisine right away." Old Medicine heard their voices and emerged from his house, clearly not having gone to bed yet, waiting for Yun Qianyue as well.

"I trouble you." Yun Qianyue smiled apologetically.

Old Medicine laughed heartily and went off to the kitchen.

"Miss Yun Qianyue, there's no need for formality. Our young master made arrangements before he left. We should take care of you." Qingsang turned her head back towards Yun Qianyue with a smile. She found that Miss Yun was very approachable and easy to talk to without any airs of being a lady from an aristocratic family, making it easy for people to like her.

"That young master is afraid I'll tire myself out and bring shame upon him!" Yun Qianyue harrumphed. She wondered what could be important enough for that fellow to personally go out and do.

Qingsang chuckled lightly, without saying anything.

Yun Qianyue looked at Qingsang and found that this maid of Rong Jing was much better than Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu. She neither bowed nor spoke unnecessarily, let alone talk excessively. Smiling, she asked, "Qingsang, have you married yet"

Qingsang's steps paused; the lamp light made her face slightly flushed as she shook her head at Yun Qianyue, "Not yet."

Yun Qianyue nodded and did not ask any further. No matter how good another person was, they were not hers, moreover, she could not take someone who had not married.

The two fell silent again and soon arrived at the warm pavilion in the eastern wing. Qingsang pulled open the curtain, bowed, and said to Yun Qianyue, "Miss Yun Qianyue, here it is."

Yun Qianyue followed Qingsang's lead and stepped into the room. The interior was elegantly decorated with pearl curtains and green drapes; sheer white curtains were drawn over the windows, but it did not seem luxurious, similar to her room in the Yun王府. She took a quick glance around and sat down at the table, asking nonchalantly, "Has your young master ever had women live in this courtyard Otherwise, how could there be such a room"

Qingsang extinguished the lantern with a smile, shaking her head: "This is because our young master found out that Miss Yun Qianyue was going to stay here a few days ago and ordered me to prepare it! Before this, this room used to be his study. When he didn't want to go there, he would come here."

"Oh, I see!" Yun Qianyue slumped onto the table as if she had no bones.

Footsteps and the smell of food came from outside; Qingsang immediately went out to welcome them. Soon after, various dishes were laid out on a full table. Although Yun Qianyue wasn't originally hungry, upon seeing these dishes, her appetite returned. She quickly picked up chopsticks and ate two bites before asking Qingsang, "Are all of these made by Old Medicine"

"Yes, Old Medicine not only knows how to cultivate herbs and grow flowers but also has medical skills and can cook delicious meals." Qingsang pointed at the dishes on the table and smiled: "This is a menu that our young master prepared based on what Miss Yun Qianyue likes."

"Does this mean he made the lotus-flower-stewed-fish too" Yun Qianyue's eyes lit up. Could it be that as long as she kept Old Medicine around, she could have lotus-flower-stewed-fish whenever she wanted

"Replying to Miss, no! Although Old Medicine is accustomed to making many delicious dishes, he cannot make the lotus-flower-stewed-fish." Qingsang smiled and shook her head.

Yun Qianyue's face fell: "Do you know who can cook good lotus-flower-stewed-fish Who made it that day"

"Replying to Miss, I cannot tell you this; our young master instructed us to keep this a secret." Qingsang shook her head.

Yun Qianyue snorted and continued eating while muttering under her breath: "He just knows about my weakness. Wait until one day when I get rid of all these lazy habits, let's see what he can use to threaten me."

Qingsang smiled but remained silent. She thought Miss Yun was truly adorable. How rare nowadays were women with such pure and sincere natures

Af ter eating, Yun Qianyue yawned and lay down on the table lazily.

Qingsang tidied up and came back in to see her still lying there; she worriedly said, "Miss has probably been tired these few days. Please rest quickly! If you need anything just call out to me, I'll be right here."

"Okay!" Yun Qianyue headed towards bed.

Qingsang closed the door and withdrew.

She had thought she could sleep for a long time; unexpectedly, she woke up early the next day with no more desire to sleep. Yun Qianyue then got up, practiced Tai Chi once in her room and stretched out some martial arts moves before opening the door.

Qing Shang had just gotten up as well and seemed to have not expected that Cloud Qianyue hadn’t slept for long. She greeted her and then came inside the room to serve her with washing, grooming, and breakfast.

After eating breakfast, Cloud Qianyue thought about taking what she remembered from yesterday and comparing it against the books in Rong Jing’s study to see if they were exactly the same. Therefore, she went to the study very enthusiastically.

Qing Shang sent her off at the door and instructed: "Miss Qianyue, you must take care of your body and remember to call for me."

"Okay!" Cloud Qianyue waved her hand and closed the study’s door behind her.

Qing Shang stood staring blankly at the study while thinking: Who said that Miss Qianyue didn’t know a single Chinese character How could someone who doesn't recognize a single character become engrossed in reading books for three days straight without sleeping Moreover, the young master’s cold poison and chronic disease were cured by Miss Qianyue as well! Therefore, Miss Qianyue must not be as rumored.

"Qing Shang, Young Master sent a letter just now asking about how Miss Qianyue is doing," Qing Quan walked over, glanced at the study and said in a low voice.

"Miss Qianyue left the study late last night. She got up very early this morning and went back inside. I wonder why our young master’s so heartless! I think Miss Qianyue won’t gain weight but might even lose weight staying here for these few days! " Qing Shang murmured indignantly: "There are over a thousand books. How could Miss Qianyue finish reading them in just half a month Even Young Master took one whole month to read them all, didn’t he"

"I also think that our young master is too heartless. However, if Young Master has instructed so, then there must be his reason for it. We only need to tell him about Miss Qianyue’s situation," said Qing Quan.

"Mm-hmm!" Qing Shang nodded and asked again in a low voice: "Where did Young Master go In the past, he didn’t hide from us when leaving. Why is it that this time even we are kept in the dark"

"Young Master only took Brother Xuan Ge with him. I believe only Brother Xuan Ge knows where Young Master went," said Qing Quan while sighing and adding enviously: "I really envy Brother Xuan Ge for being able to travel with Young Master every year whereas we have to stay here."

"You should be happy that you don’t have Xuan Ge’s martial arts skills. You should continue practicing! Once you defeat Xuan Ge, he’ll bring you along too," said Qing Shang smilingly.

Qing Quan snorted: "I’m sure I can definitely beat him!"

Qing Shang looked at Qing Quan and smiled before sighing: "In the past, all I wanted was for Young Master to be well. We didn’t ask for anything else. Now that heaven has blessed us and Young Master is finally okay, we don’t have to worry every day about him leaving us."

"Mm-hmm, it’s thanks to Miss Qianyue," said Qing Quan nodding.

“Unfortunately, Miss Qianyue has that sort of identity. If she weren’t the only legitimate daughter of the Cloud Prince Manor, I would hope for her to marry our Young Master. Although their words and personalities are different, I feel that they look most suitable when standing or sitting together,” said Qing Shang in a low voice.

“I wish so too! Don’t think about it anymore. If the young master likes Miss Qianyue, he can definitely find a way to marry her. If he doesn't like her, us liking them is useless," laughed Qing Quan at Qing Shang: "Sis, you’ll just age from worrying if you keep thinking of these things. Brother Xuan Ge won’t want you."

"Go away! You brat, the more I see you, the less I like you!" said Qing Shang blushing and feigning to hit Qing Quan.

Qing Quan immediately dodged. The sister-brother pair laughed and left from the study.

Cloud Qianyue had long been immersed in the books on the bookshelf in the study, going through them one by one while comparing against what she remembered. Some of the books that her mind hadn’t picked up were pulled out separately whereas those that she could recall were skipped over.

She was lost in the books and didn't realize it when night had fallen once more. She continued reading until there was no light left to see by but still showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she called out: "Qing Shang, bring a lamp for me!"

"Miss Qianyue, would you like some food" asked Qing Shang.

“Bring the food here,” said Cloud Qianyue hesitantly.

"Okay," Qing Shang immediately left to do as instructed.

In no time, Qing Shang brought a night pearl over. The study was instantly illuminated and looked like daybreak. Cloud Qianyue glanced at the fist-sized night pearl before making an unhappy face: Rong Jing had plenty of good stuff. She got used to these things since she spent her days in them.

"This night pearl is left behind by Young Miss. Young Master hasn’t used it and now he’s afraid that Miss Qianyue might damage her eyes from reading late into the night, so he kept this one," said Qing Shang as she made sure everything was ready for use: "Miss Qianyue, do you want me to serve your food"

"No need. I’ll take care of it myself. You go rest! There’s no need for you to keep guard outside," said Cloud Qianyue as she walked over and sat down at the table.

Qing Shang responded before leaving.

Cloud Qianyue ate while reading books. After finishing her meal, she immersed herself in the bookshelf again until she felt tired. She then slept on the soft couch that Qing Quan had brought over. It seemed like she was back to the previous days when all she did were reading and sleeping without doing anything else.

Over the next few days, it went from daybreak to dark and from dark to daybreak again as Cloud Qianyue read books tirelessly. She only had a small number of bookshelves left after reading dozens of them in such short time. She didn’t even know how many days she’d been there or what day it was now.

Qingquan and Qingchang were worried about Yun Qianyue's health while also putting great effort into improving her diet.

This day, Yun Qianyue finally went through the dozens of bookshelves in Rong Jing’s study. She put down the last book she had glanced over and looked at the hundred or so books that she hadn’t read yet. Among them were a few ancient classic collections, some rare records dating back hundreds of years ago, several medical and poison-related books with extremely old pages turning yellow, and a couple of bamboo-bound books. These seemed to be the ones that had not been seen in the market or found by this body’s previous owner, while the rest were just random news stories and tales about commoners. After glancing through these hundred plus books, she stretched her stiff limbs and called out to Qingchang, "Qingchang, how many days have passed since I got here"

She wanted to see if there was enough time left for her to memorize the remaining books. At least she deserved that much after all this effort! She had gone through those books just to find these unread ones. Now that she found them, of course she would finish reading them. If there wasn’t enough time, she would take them with her.

"Miss Yun Qianyue, today is the fourteenth day since you came here. It’s past noon now." Qingchang replied from outside.

Yun Qianyue frowned and wondered what Rong Jing was up to. He hadn’t come back for nearly two weeks! She didn't want to think about it anymore, so she got into a proper posture and started practicing Tai Chi in order to loosen her stiff limbs.

Not hearing Yun Qianyue's voice, Qingchang went down to prepare lunch.

After finishing the meal, Yun Qianyue continued reading the remaining books. Naturally, she picked up those rare collections and ancient classics first. She could tell that her brain was clearly slower in absorbing information this time, but with her photographic memory, plus all of the previous memories absorbed over these days, it wasn’t too difficult for her to understand even the more complicated content.

As the sky darkened, Yun Qianyue had finished reading all the medical and poison-related books as well as those rare collections and ancient classics. Seeing that it was still early in the evening and she wasn't tired at all, she started reading some news stories about commoners and fairy tales. She remembered seeing such small books being sold on streets back when she came from her world a very long time ago. But they were becoming rarer as times changed. To her surprise, Rong Jing had so many of them in his study! After finishing one book, she picked up another which led to yet another, and before she knew it she couldn't put the books down.

Just when darkness fell upon the sky, Yun Qianyue was about to call for Qingchang to light a lamp. She heard someone approaching outside the door and then the study's door opened with a creak. With her eyes still on the book, she asked if he had finally come back. "You’re just in time! Light me a lamp!"

The footsteps paused as he looked at her without making any move.

"Oh right, I forgot that you don't need to light a lamp since you have the night pearl. Qingchang said your mother left it for you and told him where to put it in case of an emergency like this. I didn’t dare mess with it." Yun Qianyue added.

The person behind her still made no move, but his gaze focused entirely on her.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me You’ve been gone for half a month now! Are you deaf or mute" Yun Qianyue’s eyes stayed glued to the book. She didn’t want to miss even one interesting detail so she forced them open wide.

There was some disarray in his breathing, but he quickly calmed down and remained still.

"Rong Jing! What are you doing standing outside like a fool Get over here!" Yun Qianyue got annoyed by the delay and urged him to act. "Light me a lamp this instant! Didn’t you hear me"

After her words, he finally moved. He walked in lightly and quietly, retrieved the night pearl from its box on the left wall corner, and lit it up, immediately brightening the room as if it was daytime. Then he placed the night pearl down and slowly approached Yun Qianyue.

"What did you do while I was gone for half a month You didn’t say anything about being away! Did something bad happen" The sudden brightness made Yun Qianyue uncomfortable; she closed her eyes briefly before opening them again to ask the question.

The man remained silent and stopped behind her.

Only then did Yun Qianyue realize that there was something wrong. She must have been too engrossed in reading these days, because this person's steps and aura were clearly not Rong Jing’s. Rong Jing moved quietly yet elegantly; even without seeing him, the sound of his footsteps made one feel like a scroll was slowly unfolding before their eyes. But this man’s footsteps were quiet but steady, similar to snowflakes falling in winter. While Rong Jing’s aura was as clean and delicate as snow and lotus flowers, this person simply exuded purity.

When she thought of these differences, Yun Qianyue turned around suddenly and saw that the man standing behind her truly wasn’t Rong Jing.

The young man looked slightly younger than Rong Jing. His clean features were somewhat similar to Rong Jing’s but he wore a plain white robe instead of fine silk robes. The quality of the material was not top-tier, yet it was spotless and made him look untainted by dust. A translucent jade pendant hung from his waist without any other ornamentation.

As Yun Qianyue looked at the man, he stared back at her. Yun Qianyue’s eyes were filled with confusion while his gaze was hazy as a fog, making it difficult to read what he felt. It seemed like there was much emotion in his eyes but also none at all.

She didn’t feel comfortable under his gaze and wondered if he knew her somehow. She pursed her lips and asked tentatively, "I’m Yun Qianyue! Who are you"

The man’s body shook violently upon hearing that name.

——Interlude——

I can see the votes for my novel are in a precarious position. Dear readers who still have some votes left, how about giving me another push You know I’m trying hard to maintain daily updates and need your support. Votes won’t generate power when being reserved; this new character is going to be an important one, so stay tuned! (⊙＿⊙)

Thank you to those who have sent diamonds, gifts, and flowers!eedn't force things; that would be its due time. We should順應the times. Do you understand"Yun Li pursed his lips and nodded, surprised by Yun Qianyue's perceptiveness. Even though she had only glanced...