"Yes."

Grandfather Li saw the determination in Shengsi's sparkly eyes, and it was as if the stars themselves inhabited them. Witnessing such ambition, he couldn't help but caught interest. He turned and gestured for her to follow him silently, while Shengsi obeyed.

When they entered the old man's chamber, the first thing she saw was the stranger, now dressed in caramel colored hanfu and lying peacefully on the bed. Grandfather Li must have changed him after tending to his wounds. With a lamp lit on the table, she could finally observe his physique and appearance clearly.

The man was quite tall, likely over eight chi, judging by how he filled the bed. He had a porcelain complexion comparable to glass and snow. With broad shoulders and a lean, well-proportioned body, he possessed an elegance that remained even in his unconscious state. 

Looking at him now, pure and free of blood and dirt, Shengsi found herself at a loss for words, and it felt as though no aesthetic description could truly do justice to this god in the flesh.

But despite his god-like appearance—

"You said he was beautiful, Grandfather Li." She averted her gaze to her grandfather. "Well, he is, but..."

Grandfather Li gave her a deadpan look. "Not your type, huh?"

She didn't have to say it for him to guess her thoughts.

In truth, Shengsi almost wanted to worship his face. 

The unrealistic, sculpted perfection of his features. Were they from a heavenly decree sent to merely scrutinize all living men? From his sharp, double-edged brows and lashes that looked like fine calligraphy, to the high bridge of his nose and his thin, well-defined lips that seemed like peaceful plains, and that chiseled jawline. They were all such a masterpiece. What more of his eyes that his gentle lids were covering? Such eyes might be indescribable as well. Even with his long, flowing black hair that seemed to be his pride and glory, one might not regard him as a peasant, and the likes of Shengsi would cower at his sky-splitting aura.

"I didn't realize the person I saved was... this," Shengsi mumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "No wonder he was almost dead."

"Are you wishing him ill?" Grandfather Li scoffed.

"Not really," she said in defense, shaking her head. "But perhaps he has a lover who wished him ill, enough to bury him alive and torment him in such a suffocating space beneath the ground. What a place to end up... a grave."

"I'm intrigued." Grandfather Li took a seat at the table and tapped the surface. "Tell me the whole story."

And so, Shengsi told him everything.

To some extent, Grandfather Li  had an inkling as to how the guy might have been buried, since his hemp he once wore suggested his past predicament. More or so the reason he mentioned it to Shengsi as she was in the midst of recalling everything. However, he seemed to be holding back from his assumptions. 

Perhaps, it was nothing.

"There are several pointers we must take note of," Grandfather Li finally said after learning everything, clasping his hands and placing them under his chin. "First is how he ended up in that condition. Offending someone, it could be anyone, even a lover.”

This young man arguing with a lover, screaming and pointing at each other... That scenario was not only possible but plausible in its dramatic upheaval, and Shengsi's desire sparked to create an entire narrative out of it. But what was lacking was the motive behind his lover, and who she might have sent to murder and bury Xie Chuanhu. If that were the case, then they might as well be from Ziyou Town or the neighboring towns.

“It’s not far-fetched, by the looks of it...” Grandfather Li did not even flinch as he muttered, “From another perspective, it might also be his love rivals, either one or all of them. Isn’t it obvious that he is someone to be envied?” He heaved a sigh. “Otherwise, what else could it be? Rebels wouldn’t dare do this unless they intended for him to somehow survive. It could also be a blood feud. There are too many possibilities to consider.”

If it were indeed his love rivals, that would be possible; but only if it meant he was willing to let the sky fall upon him and the ground break beneath him. He might as well die than live without her. Even so, a blood feud could suggest other scenarios. However, what motive?

Shengsi’s head tingled as she thought about these things.

"How about we ask him once he wakes up?" Shengsi asked calmly.

"Everyone should sweep the snow in front of their own door, and not meddle with the frost on others' roof tiles. Although we should know what we're risking and who we're saving." The old man tapped the table. "On the other hand, we took care of him, and we're now accountable for what's done. From bringing him here to me tending to him. He's here in our residence, he's alive, and he's staying in my room. What we need now is wait for him to wake up as soon as possible, and we'll discuss what to do afterward."

Shengsi understood everything her grandfather uttered and had no complaints. His words were solely sensible, so she took them to heart. No more, no less.

"However, what I also want to hear is how you brought him here," Grandfather Li said, squinting his eyes. "How so, Shengsi?"

Shengsi recalled what she'd done, then went mum.

"You said that you dug up the grave mound, which means by tomorrow, anyone would likely see it — either the grave-keeper or a visitor." It appeared the old man wouldn't let Shengsi let this one pass. He probed further, "And there are guards on the eastern gate. There are also patrol guards everywhere since the night you brought him happens to be the start of the Establishment Day celebration."

Shengsi curved her lips weakly. "I reburied the empty coffin, Grandfather Li."

"Hm, it only makes sense that you did. Otherwise, how would you face your Aunt Li if you didn't think about certain possibilities?"

"Aunt Li would've laughed at me."

"Indeed she would, silly grandchild!"

But Shengsi hadn't yet completely explained it, so she pursued the topic. "After that, I did use an invisibility enchantment, which failed twice."

Some enchantments needed divination, like tossing for a head or tail, which not only indicated whether it was safe but also determined activation. Enchantments that relied on divination had to be activated with a result of the head side, since the effect was cast upon the self using the four corners of a coin. Aunt Li taught her that the invisibility enchantment could only be triggered for the length of half a stick of incense, roughly five minutes.

"I used it when passing the eastern gate to avoid the suspicion of patrol guards." Shengsi had once planned to climb the walls, but he was drenched in blood that dripped from his hemp clothes to the ground. She could only activate the 'Foot Out, Qilin In Technique' to cover their tracks, though it didn't cover the tracks she left from the hilltop to the gate. "But I know it's still filled with flaws."

However, what mattered was that the stranger named Xie Chuanhu had safely arrived and been tended to in their residence. 

Shengsi was reminded of his groans and his lips touching her nape as she carried him, and the lukewarm breath from his nostrils. A chill crossed her mind as she remembered whispering, 'Stay put, and you'll be saved,' a few times before the young man fell silent. She'd avoided crowded streets and walked narrow paths to evade the eyes of the patrol guards and officials, and it'd taken some time before she reached home.

She nearly gritted her teeth when she remembered that prolonged agony, but she could only sigh at the weight of what'd already happened. 

What's done was done.

Shengsi looked at the peacefully slumbering Chuanhu on the bed.

"You should rest in Chengxu's room, Grandfather Li. You can share the bed with him." She stood up. "I'll try and learn tomorrow. For now, let's sleep, since it's already too late."

Grandfather Li had nothing to do but agree.

But Shengsi didn't go to her room immediately that night. She went to the main hall, kowtowing in front of the ancestral tablets to perform a rite of atonement for her trespasses. She stayed there for a few hours until she finally went to the second floor of the two-story structure and climbed into her bed to sleep.