Chapter 15

The Art of Taming

Upon returning to the Xie residence, Nan Yi became an awkward presence.

In terms of status, Nan Yi was the young mistress of the Xie family’s eldest son’s branch, but in terms of origin, she was a commoner, even lower than the household maids.

If she had obediently died, this mistake might have been tolerable, but not only did she not die, she had now brazenly returned to the Xie residence.

How to handle this mistake? It was a tricky matter, but not that tricky.

Lu Jinxiu simply instructed the maids to take Nan Yi to the Huai Xu Courtyard, where Xie Heng had lived before his death, and have her wait for Aunt Qiao’s arrangements. This way, no matter what Aunt Qiao decided, it would have nothing to do with her.

Nan Yi sat on a stone bench in the courtyard. She thought that Aunt Qiao, who had chatted with her before the spirit tablet, was a kind person. She waited from daybreak until dusk, not daring to wander around, afraid that Aunt Qiao would come and not find her. She watched the sun set, sinking below the eaves, but Aunt Qiao’s arrangements, or even her appearance, never came.

She spent the entire day cautiously, humbly, and anxiously on this stone bench, and when she saw the warm candlelight illuminating the houses not far away, she finally understood that Aunt Qiao would not be coming.

Not intentionally mistreating her was the proper conduct of a noble family, but the people of the noble family could not tolerate this commoner being on equal footing with them. So everyone chose silence.

Everyone tacitly ignored her, treating her like an invisible person, out of sight, out of mind. This way, they would neither be tainted by bad luck nor gain the stigma of mistreating female relatives.

In this vast Wangxue Villa, there were twelve courtyards and houses, large and small, named after the elegant names of the twelve months, with pavilions, terraces, and painted beams. But within this mansion, there was no place for Nan Yi.

Qiao Yinzhi was not a harsh person. She had shown kindness to Nan Yi, but that kindness only existed on the premise that Nan Yi would be buried with Xie Heng.

Nan Yi could understand everything. She had used any means to survive, disrupting the order of the noble family. But so what? She just wanted to live. Since no one cared for her, she would find a place to sleep herself. The courtyard was so cold; she couldn’t just sit there all night.

But she also didn’t want to attract attention. She avoided the brightly lit rooms and walked along the base of the wall, finally finding an empty side room in the Huai Xu Courtyard. When she pushed open the door, dust rushed out, causing her to cough a few times.

The room was dark, without even a candle to be found. There were no bedding on the bed frame, only hard wooden planks, chillingly cold.

Nan Yi was hungry, cold, and thirsty, but fortunately, the clothes she wore were thick, so she simply fell asleep on the wooden planks with her clothes on. Once asleep, she couldn’t feel any suffering.

…

Nan Yi thought she would sleep well. When she used to be a street urchin, she had slept in worse conditions. Now that this room had tiles to shelter her from wind and rain, it was already considered good.

But Nan Yi only slept lightly for half an hour before she vaguely woke up from the cold. Tossing and turning, the wooden planks beneath her made her back ache.

She should find some straw to lay on the planks tomorrow.

Thinking this, Nan Yi tried to fall asleep again, but she became more and more awake.

She remembered Zhang Yuehui. One year when winter came, he didn’t know where he got a pile of cotton from and wanted to make a quilt for her.

Neither of them was good at this work, and the quilt they made was thick on one end and thin on the other, very uneven. But this didn’t stop the quilt from being very warm, only it was later slashed to pieces by an evil official with a knife, the cotton wadding scattering like cold snow, floating in the air for a long time before falling.

She failed to keep that quilt, and after that, she rarely felt warm.

Nan Yi turned over again. Although her eyes were closed, she vaguely sensed that there was light in the room. She squinted open a crack and saw the scene in the room. She sat up with a jolt, all sleepiness gone.

Xie Queshan was sitting in the room, a lantern he had brought placed by the table. The dim candlelight enveloped the silent room, the light and shadow flickering on his face. His injuries from the beating had not healed, and his face was slightly pale.

If Nan Yi wasn’t sure she was awake at this moment, given the time and the scene, she would have really thought it was a nightmare.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Nan Yi almost instinctively rolled off the bed and knelt on the ground with a thud.

“How did you come like a ghost, so silently...”

Her voice trembled, shivering, partly from the cold and partly from genuine fear. But as soon as the words came out, Nan Yi regretted it. It sounded like she was scolding him.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind, his face expressionless as he looked down at her.

“Sleeping here, are you cold?” His tone couldn’t be called caring.

“...Cold.” She hesitated for a moment, but still answered truthfully.

“You caused such a big commotion to survive, but you still live like a weed.”

Nan Yi thought this was Xie Queshan’s reproach and quickly explained, “Young Master, as you know, the scene during the day was just my delaying tactic. I didn’t really intend to hurt you. I’m sorry, Young Master. If I said anything offensive… please be magnanimous and don’t take it to heart.”

Xie Queshan didn’t answer for a long time. Nan Yi waited on the ground for a while and hesitantly raised her head a little, observing his expression.

Meeting her tentative gaze, he suddenly laughed.

“During the day, you called me a traitorous subject, and at night, you put on a different face. You really know how to adapt.”

“That… that was just part of the act. Otherwise, even if you gave me a hundred courage, I wouldn’t dare to scold you.”

Nan Yi knew her defense was very weak. In the dark, with an uninvited guest, who knew if he would suddenly decide to kill her.

He seemed to be able to see through her little thoughts: “Get up, I won’t kill you.”

Nan Yi still didn’t dare to get up: “Then why… are you here?”

Nan Yi looked at the silent Xie Queshan, feeling that there was some loneliness in his expression.

Xie Queshan looked out the window. The thin window paper let in the light outside, a faint afterglow spreading on the window frame. In fact, Xie Queshan didn’t know why he came here. He just thought that in this vast Wangxue Villa, the lights were brightly lit everywhere, except for this dark place. Perhaps only she and he were abandoned in the darkness.

The thought lingered in her mind, and her steps unconsciously led her closer.

But that fleeting feeling could never be spoken aloud.

Xie Que Shan took a wooden box from his sleeve and said, “Do me a favor.”

The box emitted a strong smell of ointment. Seeing Xie Que Shan’s still pale face, Nan Yi understood immediately.

She mumbled in confusion, “Don’t you have a personal attendant?”

He had sent He Ping out late at night to handle some matters, and there was no one he could call upon at the moment. As for the female servants and young boys around the Baiyue residence, he wouldn’t allow them near. Among all the people in the mansion, the only one he trusted to turn his back to was her.

It wasn’t trust; he knew she owed him her life, and she was the only one who wouldn’t dare to kill him.

Xie Que Shan didn’t bother explaining further, glancing sideways at Nan Yi. She dared not speak more, thinking that perhaps this was just another whim of a powerful figure. She quietly stood up and took the ointment.

The strong scent of the ointment filled her nose, and Nan Yi suddenly thought of something. His injury was on his back—wouldn’t he need to take off his outer robes to apply the medicine? She froze for a moment.

Xie Que Shan, without any concern, untied his belt and removed his outer robe.

In the dim light of the lantern on the table, his scarred back was fully exposed to her, delivering a stark impact.

Several days had passed, and some smaller wounds had started to scab over, but many larger wounds were still oozing blood.

Nan Yi couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.

People are first of the same kind, then divided into enemies and friends. Her heart wasn’t yet hardened enough to be immune to all emotions, and it was impossible not to empathize with those she shouldn’t. She took the ointment and carefully applied it to Xie Que Shan’s wounds.

Her cool fingers applied the thick ointment, and the sensation of touching the wounds was equally chilling and sharp.

It felt like she was writing on his back with a brush—horizontal, vertical, slashes, hooks, and dots. Together, it became a series of indecipherable symbols, blending the secret of this unspoken night into the scars.

It hurt. Xie Que Shan gripped the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Seeing the tension in his hand, Nan Yi couldn’t help but feel nervous. Her hand involuntarily applied more pressure, causing Xie Que Shan to let out a muffled groan.

“Continue.”

Before Nan Yi could instinctively pull her hand back, Xie Que Shan calmly gave her an unquestionable command.

Nan Yi could only continue applying the medicine, her movements becoming even more careful.

After a long silence, Xie Que Shan suddenly spoke, “Though our positions are different, I deeply respect my elder brother, so I won’t mistreat his old acquaintances.”

“But I... am not really one of his old acquaintances,” she replied while continuing her task.

“Name is more important than reality,” he said firmly. “However, you are a bit different from the others.”

“How am I different?”

“Your life was given to you by me.”

These words carried a heavy weight, making Nan Yi feel a little breathless.

Finally, after finishing applying the medicine, Nan Yi obediently moved in front of him and knelt again, not daring to look him in the eye. “Sir, the medicine has been applied.”

Xie Que Shan put on his robe and looked at her. “What’s your name?”

“Nan Yi. Nan from the south, Yi from clothes.”

“Nan Yi, do you know which kind of wild beast the nobles like to buy from the gladiator arena?”

Nan Yi thought for a moment, then hesitantly answered, “The strongest?”

Xie Que Shan shook his head. “Not necessarily the strongest, but definitely the one with the strongest will to survive. To stay alive, they will unleash endless potential to turn the tide. That’s the most exciting moment in a gladiator match.”

Nan Yi looked up at him, shivering involuntarily.

“You are the wild beast I bought,” Xie Que Shan said as he stood up, his shadow looming over her. “So, you must strive to live in my arena.”

He bent down to help Nan Yi up. She could only rely on his strength to rise. Once she was standing, she tried to pull her arm away, but realized it was still firmly held by him.

“Remember your place, Nan Yi. You are now the legitimate young madam of the Xie family. You don’t need to kneel to anyone except your elders. From today on, learn how to be a mistress, don’t think about running away or stealing anymore.”

“My current situation— I have nothing, how can I be a mistress?” Nan Yi was a bit irritated, thinking he was mocking her.

“In a noble family, if others won’t give you something, you have to learn to take it. You’ve already taken your life back, what else is there you can’t get?”

The wind began to rise, banging against the windows and squeezing through the cracks into the already chilly room. For a moment, only the sharp sound of the wind echoed, and the room fell silent.

Deep down, he pitied her. Indeed, he now had enough power to easily give her wealth and status, but in the chaos of the world, she wouldn’t be able to hold onto it, and would only fall harder. That wouldn’t help. He had to teach her how to fight for her survival with dignity. But he wouldn’t lecture her, nor did he expect her to understand immediately.

After a long while, Nan Yi finally lifted her head to meet his gaze. She understood some of his words but was still half in doubt.

“Then... can you leave the flame from the lantern for me?”

She asked cautiously, as though testing or verifying something.

He didn’t answer, only loosened his grip. Her arm dropped, her cold fingers brushing against his palm.

They both paused.

His hand was so warm that, in the face of such warmth, she momentarily forgot about propriety or who he was—this great devil. Her hand instinctively lingered in his palm for a moment.

Then, she regained her composure and reluctantly withdrew her hand.

“Fine,” he said.

He left the room without taking the lantern with him.

Nan Yi, in a daze, moved to the table and placed her hand on the lantern’s side. The lantern had warmed up nicely from the flame, just the right temperature to warm her hands.

She was merely a drifting reed in a chaotic world, wherever he took her, that was where she would take root, with no choice of her own.

Could she really survive?

Xie Que Shan returned to his room, which was empty. The cold moonlight streamed through the window, clearly illuminating the black and white chess pieces on the desk.

The game was halfway through, and victory or defeat seemed already decided. Xie Que Shan, under the moonlight, picked up a black piece and placed it in a corner of the board.

With a sharp “clack,” the move was made without regret.

The black piece was almost certain to lose, but now, with one more piece in the upper right corner... the black had suddenly gained several breaths of life.

One chess piece could turn the tide of the game.

“Whether I can win in the end, it’s still too early to say,” Xie Que Shan muttered softly to himself.