The Moon Falls into the Galaxy - Chapter 4

Shishi’s pupils contracted sharply like a cat’s, and her fingernails dug deep into her palms.

She turned her head to look at the short arrow embedded in the wooden door; at the tip of the snow-white feathers was a trace of crimson.

A guard in the distance hurriedly leaped down from a high point and ran over. “Swords and arrows have no eyes. It was my carelessness just now. I must have frightened Miss Xie.”

With this explanation, Shishi breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought the assassins had already fought their way here. In her confusion, she didn’t even have time to wonder how a guard knew she was “Miss Xie.”

She gathered her disheveled hair and used a hair tie to bind the falling ebony locks.

“Where is… where is His Highness the Prince of Yong?” Shishi looked around, asking with mounting anxiety.

The guard scratched his head, looking equally bewildered. “I do not know either. Usually, His Highness spends his afternoons in the pavilion…”

Before he could finish, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air. The guard’s expression changed instantly. He gathered his gear and prepared to follow the others.

“Miss Xie, you should go back and rest quickly,” he said hurriedly before departing. “Nothing will happen.”

Her heart grew even more frantic. The torches in the temple had all been lit, and the clashing of swords was sharp and grating. The once peaceful and harmonious temple now felt as chaotic as a military camp. But these men were only guards, and their numbers couldn’t be that great.

In the nightmare, Seventh Uncle truly was injured. And judging by the tone of those people, they had likely been enemies for a long time. Shishi didn’t understand politics, and she couldn’t fathom who would want to assassinate him.

Because of his eye condition, Li Yan, the Prince of Yong, never made high-profile appearances at important events. He spent most of his time in quiet recuperation, appearing even more like a reclusive hermit than a prince of the realm. Currently, he was still just a prince without real power, not yet the Regent who would later dominate the court. Being watched by so many wolves and tigers, he was in a far more vulnerable position than a young girl like her.

For the first time in her life, Shishi found the courage she had to find Li Yan.

A man with an eye condition, even if protected by a thousand troops, would inevitably face moments of direct crisis. She knew he would have a powerful personal army in the future, but right now, he was merely a low-profile prince with very few guards by his side. Furthermore, in the nightmare, he was stabbed; it was highly probable that he was betrayed by someone close to him.

The thought made her even more nervous.

Shishi took a torch and ran in the opposite direction of the whistle. The wound on her palm had already scabbed over. She touched the jade beads on her wrist, as if doing so would grant her more courage.

Her sense of direction was ordinary, so she could only try her best to follow her memory of the way she came. Numerous forks in the path wound downward, appearing quite steep. Shishi regretted wearing a long skirt today; if she had changed into Hu attire (nomadic riding clothes), it would have been much easier to walk.

She chose a path that didn’t look too unfamiliar and carefully descended while holding the torch. The wind whistled, and in the darkness, the quiet and beautiful mountain path became ghostly, as if she might see flickering fox-fire if she turned around.

In her short life, Shishi had never walked such a path alone. Although she lacked the protection of a biological mother, she had been pampered while growing up. Her two years in the palace were isolated and depressing, but even when Li Yan staged his coup, she had only heard rumors; it wasn’t until her death that she truly faced a life-and-death situation. One could say she had almost never encountered danger and had never worked hard for anything.

It was simply too dark.

She had never used a torch, and had rarely even carried a lantern herself, so she was very afraid the fire would burn her hand. Shishi stepped lightly along the path, almost able to hear her own heartbeat.

As the mountain path ended, the dark waters of a pond finally came into view. Legend had it that the spiritual pond, surrounded by pavilions, was as deep as an abyss with swirling currents; one could not see the bottom at all. The surrounding mountains appeared even more towering, as if piercing the clouds.

Only then did Shishi realize that the various forks in the path all led here, meaning she would have arrived at this spot regardless of which path she took.

When she saw that white robe, as pure as snow, her almond eyes instantly lit up. He was very tall, standing by the lake even more upright than the trees. The white garment was blown by the biting cold wind, carrying a celestial aura. He didn’t look like a prince of the mortal world, but more like an immortal riding clouds and dragons from the Taoist scriptures.

He wasn’t injured yet.

Shishi was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she noticed two attendants standing beside him. Li Yan seemed to sense her arrival and suddenly turned his head.

The thin veil was lifted by the wind, revealing that indifferent, cold, and beautiful face, reminiscent of fresh snow on a high cliff. Those glass-like eyes didn’t blink at all, staring straight in her direction. His appearance was exactly the same as when he had saved her from Li Yue’s hands.

Shishi was dazed for a moment, but she quickly reacted and ran to his side. “Seventh Uncle, be careful!”

She clearly saw the attendant on Li Yan’s left pull a short dagger from his boot. Due to the visual misalignment, the attendant on his right had not yet noticed.

The assassin likely hadn’t expected a young girl to suddenly appear. The sharp blade grazed Shishi’s sleeve, immediately drawing a line of blood. Her light blue spring robes were instantly stained. She didn’t care about the pain; she simply pulled the hairpin from her hair and stabbed at the man.

Shishi had no martial arts skills; she could be described as someone who lacked the strength to even truss a chicken. Fortunately, the attendant on Li Yan’s right reacted quickly. The sound of clashing blades was sharp and piercing, ringing in her ears like a life-taking demon.

Her courage was burning to its end, but she instinctively stood in front of Li Yan first. Her arm holding the torch trembled constantly, as weak as a flower branch blown by the wind, but in the darkness, hers was the only light. That bright red glow almost illuminated the gloom of the mountains.

Shishi gasped for air and said hoarsely to Li Yan, “Seventh Uncle, go quickly.”

Perhaps it was also the first time he had been protected by a young girl, for his expression seemed slightly dazed.

The battle between the two men ended quickly. Seeing the assassin about to flee in a panic, Shishi’s heartstrings suddenly relaxed, but she didn’t expect the man to make a final, desperate attack toward Li Yan.

She gripped the torch tightly, spreading her arms like a fledgling bird to protect him. In the chaos, Shishi’s injured ankle was twisted again, and the bursts of sharp pain made her vision go black. She stepped back bit by bit, finally losing her strength and falling into the pond water.

Fortunately, the reinforcements finally arrived. A sharp arrow struck the assassin’s arm, causing the short dagger to drop from his hand.

During the solar eclipse, the spiritual pond surrounded by mountains was bottomless, like an abyss from which one could never escape once they fell in.

Li Yan’s expression suddenly changed. “Save her first.”

Taking the opportunity, the assassin didn’t continue to struggle, clutching his wounded arm as he fled in haste.

“Why so stubborn?” Li Yan said softly.

The imperial physician staying with him at Jueshan Temple had already examined her, saying Miss Shishi was not in any major danger; she only suffered from a deficiency of qi, which would improve with a bit of recuperation.

He had known the moment she entered Jueshan Temple. He had no intention of seeing her then; he had planned this scheme for a long time and had to execute it perfectly. Li Yan hadn’t seen her in too long and had almost forgotten what she looked like. He always thought of her as a toddler who needed to be held; in the blink of an eye, she had grown into a big child.

If she hadn’t taken the initiative to mention it, he really wouldn’t have remembered who she was. Seeing her haggard expression, he had specifically taken her to the Zen room to rest, hoping she would sleep through the chaos. He didn’t expect her to chase after him and find her way directly to him.

Thinking of how she had desperately tried to protect him, Li Yan’s glass-like, light-colored eyes blinked imperceptibly. He gently used a plain handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. He didn’t know what the girl had dreamed of, for she looked so pained even while unconscious. She was so young; what could cause her such suffering?

Before long, Zhou Yan brought the documents. He was about to stand up when his sleeve was grabbed by Shishi’s hand.

“Don’t…” She was still struggling in her nightmare, her brows furrowed, her beautiful face looking so sad it seemed she was about to cry.

Her fingers were slender and white, her thin wrist like snow. As the sleeve slid down, it revealed a string of deep blue jade beads, their texture lustrous and elegant, reminiscent of glass flickering in a silent dark night.

Li Yan lowered his gaze, wordlessly wiping her face with the handkerchief, and said softly to Zhou Yan, “Read them here.”

He was very familiar with the contents as he listened to the documents. Everyone thought Li Yan, the Prince of Yong, had a terrible relationship with his maternal Xie family and wouldn’t even visit during festivals; only those who served closely knew this wasn’t necessarily the case. At least toward the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei, Xie Guanyun, he was very willing to show concern.

These documents were organized every year, but Li Yan rarely looked at them, especially in recent years as things had become busier.

Zhou Yan lowered his voice, reading from Shishi’s birth all the way to her coming-of-age ceremony. The girl’s fifteen years were extraordinarily peaceful; she hadn’t gone through much, nor had she encountered any danger.

But hidden behind these peaceful words were many sorrows and frustrations—such as her father who never cared for his children, her stepmother who feigned tenderness, and her hypocritical fiancé.

Li Yan’s finger moved slightly. “She is still so young, and yet they are making her marry?”

An emotion rose in his heart, something like pity or sympathy, yet not quite either.

When Shishi leisurely woke up, true night had arrived. She rubbed her forehead and slowly sat upright, looking around in confusion. A moment later, hearing the movement, the attendants knocked on the half-closed wooden door.

She took the hot tea and, after a moment of hesitation, asked in a small voice, “Is His Highness alright?”

As soon as she spoke, Li Yan walked in. He had changed into dark everyday clothes, his long hair tied up with a golden crown, looking as handsome and ethereal as a deity in a painting. Beneath his thick, long lashes were those glass-like eyes; the color was so light it almost seemed to emit a faint glow, like the radiance that falls quietly just after a solar eclipse has passed.

So beautiful, Shishi thought, her mind suddenly going blank, leaving only that single thought.