The man was about twenty years old, with an ordinary, somewhat stiff face.
He lay on the same bed as Ling Yao, maintaining a side-lying position facing her. Fortunately, he wasn't covered by a blanket, and his clothes were neat.
This made Ling Yao feel somewhat better.
He seemed to have just woken up as well, his eyes still bloodshot.
"Get down!" Ling Yao sat up, looking at the man icily, her commanding aura radiating outwards.
The man was not afraid. He remained expressionless but moved his body. He got off the bed, opened the door, and walked out.
The man's back was somewhat familiar, yet she couldn't recall ever seeing him in her memories.
After he left, Ling Yao checked herself. Apart from feeling weak, there were no other problems. Her powers were completely unusable now; she was just an ordinary, fragile woman.
The door opened again, and the man entered carrying food.
"Eat."
He spoke concisely, his voice kept very low. Ling Yao couldn't detect any familiarity in it.
The food was very ordinary and didn't look appealing. Everything was scorched from stir-frying – two dishes and a bowl of rice.
He didn't make this, did he?
Ling Yao was hungry. She glanced at the man again. His gaze was lowered, as if avoiding her.
A warmth spread from her chest. Ling Yao felt a strange sensation and reached up to touch it, finding the jade pendant hanging around her neck.
She took it out, somewhat astonished.
The originally milky white mutton-fat jade had turned red and was warm, feeling very comfortable.
Her father had found many warm jades for her in the past, but they never had any effect when worn by her.
But now, this jade pendant, soaked in Xiao Shan's blood, its gentle warmth permeated her skin, warming her to the very core.
It was truly magical.
A bright character "山" (Shan) was clearly written on the jade. There was no need to guess whose it was. The man's eyes flashed with pain, and he turned his head away.
"Eat quickly, the food will get cold."
Ling Yao put away the jade pendant and fixed her cold, piercing gaze on him. "You put me to sleep with pressure points, and you put my clothes on me?"
She was naked, had she been touched all over, seen by him!
Damn him!
Ling Yao looked at him as if he were already dead.
If she had the ability now, she would have killed him.
"I had my eyes covered," the man replied, still keeping his voice low, as if intentionally trying to prevent anyone from recognizing him?
"Do you think I would believe that?"
"Believe it or not! I didn't look anywhere except above your neck!"
His voice held a hint of agitation, but it was still unrecognizable. And his face was strange, as stiff as a dead person's.
Ling Yao grew more suspicious and continued to press him, trying to find a flaw.
"What about your hands? Where did your hands touch?"
The man's hands curled up slightly, which did not escape Ling Yao's notice. Just as she was about to erupt in anger, the man turned and left the room.
That despicable, shameless wretch!
"Ptooey, ptooey!"
Ling Yao spat out the food. Was this meant to be so salty it would kill her?
She could only eat the rice.
However, the rice was also undercooked.
After forcing down a little more than half a bowl, she dared not eat any more, fearing stomach pain later.
The palace must have known she was missing by now. She wondered where she had been taken. It was so quiet, with no sounds from outside.
She got up and opened the door, seeing the man sitting on the steps just outside.
His back was straight, his posture proper. Even his ordinary clothes couldn't hide a certain noble bearing, and he exuded an air of aloofness and detachment.
In contrast, his face and physique were completely mismatched.
Thinking of his deliberately lowered voice...
He had disguised himself!
"Don't think about leaving. Behave yourself, I won't harm you," the man said in a low voice, his back to her.
Ling Yao surveyed her surroundings. It was a small civilian courtyard. There was a well and firewood in the yard, and the area was open, with no taller buildings visible. It didn't look like it was within the city.
Was she still in the capital?
"Tell me your purpose. Perhaps I can help you."
Ling Yao walked forward, stopping a few steps away from him, and sat down on the steps as well.
The man tilted his head, his gaze falling on the hem of her skirt.
"Your staying here is helping me."
What did that mean?
Ling Yao couldn't help but speculate. Was he planning to use her to threaten her imperial brother?
"Does it hurt to wear a mask?"
Ling Yao looked at his ears. They were red, with the normal color of blood. Starting from his ears, a mask had been applied. Upon closer inspection, one could still discern differences.
The man's fingers twitched again. He lowered his head and, in a hushed voice, said, "What are you talking about? I'm not wearing a mask."
He dared not look at her. He must be someone she knew.
Who could it be?
Ling Yao squinted at him. The man subtly shifted his body, his shoulders and back held even straighter.
He was nervous.
The atmosphere was somewhat strange.
She was the one who had been abducted, so why was he afraid?
Just then, the courtyard gate opened, and another man entered.
This one was a bit short and thin. His face was also stiff, and he wore his hair in a bun, a common style for servants in the capital.
One master, one servant.
The servant saw Ling Yao and hastily lowered his head. Carrying the vegetables he held, he ran with a stoop towards a room, presumably the kitchen.
He too seemed guilty, not daring to meet her gaze.
Ling Yao stood up, wanting to follow, but was stopped by the man beside her.
"Go back to the room." His tone was stiff and left no room for refusal.
"I didn't eat enough. The rice wasn't cooked at all."
The man probably hadn't expected Ling Yao to say that. Moreover, her voice was clear and crisp, lacking its usual coldness. Even when stating a fact, it made the listener feel a hint of grievance.
This caught the man off guard, and Ling Yao had already slipped past him and gone to the kitchen.
However, as soon as she entered the kitchen and before she could question the servant, the man had also followed her in. He waved his hand and sent the servant away.
"What do you want to eat? I'll cook again."
"Forget it, I'll cook it myself. What you made is inedible."
Ling Yao glanced around. The servant had bought quite a bit of food. Judging by the quantity, it was enough for the three of them to eat for five or six days without leaving the house.
"Can you light a fire?" Ling Yao asked.
The man lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Alright, she understood.
He couldn't.
There was still undercooked rice in the pot. Ling Yao simply added more water and re-boiled it as porridge.
She skillfully lit the fire, added wood, and soon the flames were burning fiercely.
The firelight illuminated her profile, making her look soft and vibrant. The man seemed lost in thought.
"Did you often cook before?"
"No, my husband usually did the cooking. I only cooked myself when he went hunting in the mountains, but mine was still tastier than his. Perhaps men are naturally not good at this."
Her husband was the Divine Martial General, who had once lived as a hunter in seclusion. Thanks to the storybooks, this was something everyone in the capital knew.
She spoke of this casually, as if chatting with an old friend.
He didn't like her talking about her husband.
Yet, he was also somewhat addicted to the current atmosphere.
"As a young master, you must never have cooked. For your first attempt, it wasn't too bad. When I first cooked, I was even worse than you."