Chapter 61: Darkness Without End

  Rong Jing's study was not far from his main house. Before long, Qing Quan arrived at the study with Yun Shang Yue.

  At the door of the study, he stopped in his tracks and bowed respectfully to Yun Shangyue, "Miss Shangyue, this is the study of our family's young master. You may enter by yourself."

  "Uh-huh!" Yun Qianyue nodded and pushed open the door to walk in.

  Qingyuan stretched out his hand to close the door and turned around to leave.

  Clouds shallow moon looked at this study, in sight of a row of books lined up on the bookshelves, with dozens of rows. If she hadn't seen that there was no one waiting for her to take out the book and pay, she would have thought she had entered a bookstore or library. Even if it were a library, it might not be as big as this place. She took a step forward, walking along the row of bookshelves, seeing all sorts of books on display. Classics, poetry, biographies, stories of heroes and villains, human geography, illustrated explanations, martial arts, medicine, pharmacology, toxicology, and even small-town tales of ordinary people - it was truly all-encompassing, with nothing left out.

  Yun Shallow Moon walked in, admiring the scenery. It took her two cups of tea to reach the end, where instead of a wall, there was a row of crystal curtains blocking off the bookshelves and rows of books. Through the crystal curtains, she vaguely saw that on the other side was an inner chamber. She pushed open the crystal curtains and walked in, and suddenly it was bright before her eyes. Inside, there was nothing, no decorations, only two huge stone pillars standing in the middle. She looked up along the bottom of the stone pillars and saw that they supported the roof above. The roof was embedded with night pearls. The distance from the ground to the roof was about as high as several floors. Between the two huge stone pillars was a white jade stone staircase leading directly upstairs.

  Yun Shallow Moon withdrew her gaze, turned back to take a look, and curled up her mouth. She wanted to see what kind of world this study was. Then she stepped up onto the steps and headed upstairs.

  It took Yun Shang Yue a whole incense stick's worth of time to climb up, and when she finally reached the top, she didn't even have the energy to look around. She plopped herself down on the ground with a thud, not even having the strength to wipe away her sweat. Thinking about it, her body was truly in a terrible state nowadays. In the past, these short dozen or so flights of stairs were nothing.

  After a while, she regained her strength and stood up. To her surprise, she found herself in an octagonal pavilion. The pavilion was about the size of two rooms, surrounded by transparent walls on all sides. In the center, there was a white jade stone table with a tea set and several plates of pastries on it. Next to the table were two soft chairs and two soft couches. Opposite the entrance, there was a bookshelf with about a hundred books neatly arranged on it. There was nothing else in the pavilion.

  Yun Qian's gaze swept around in a circle before withdrawing her line of sight, walking to the transparent wall and stretching out her hand to touch it. The feeling was warm, cool and smooth under her fingertips. She couldn't help but silently curse in her heart, this guy really had money to burn, using so many crystals to make walls, like transparent glass, truly extravagant.

  Looking out through the transparent crystal, it turns out that everything in Yunwangfu can be seen at a glance beyond the purple bamboo forest.

  Yun Shang Yue couldn't help but sigh in admiration, no wonder that black-hearted guy wasn't pulled down from his position as the young master even after his parents died and he was bedridden for ten years! It's all thanks to this place's good fortune, just sitting here watching, nothing big or small happens in the Rong Wang Fu without him knowing. How could he be pulled down?

  After gazing for a while, Yun Shang Yue pouted and turned around, her body swaying as she lay down on the soft couch beside the white jade table. She closed her eyes, and the breeze blowing in from the skylight was indeed refreshing. She let out a comfortable yawn, thinking that sleeping here wasn't bad at all.

  Just as Yun Shangyue was about to fall asleep, the door outside creaked open and someone walked in. The footsteps were light and gentle, a sound she was all too familiar with. Yun Shangyue pretended not to hear it.

  Before long, the man walked up and saw Yun Shangyue sleeping on the soft couch. He raised an eyebrow and said in a warm voice, "I had forgotten that there were two more soft couches here, which happened to be convenient for you to sleep."

  The clouds are shallow and the moon is trapped in a dense fog, I don't care about him.

  "I just forgot to tell Qingquan to tell you, I limited the books below for you to finish in half a month." Rong Jing flicked his sleeves and sat elegantly opposite Yun Shangyue.

  "What? You have over a thousand books down there, I don't recognize a single character, how can I finish them in half a month?" Yun Shang Yue immediately woke up and stared at Rong Jing with a weird expression.

  Rong Jing looked at Yun Qian Yue, his voice extremely soft, "You know and I know whether you can read or not. Those few words outside the Zi Zhu Lin aren't something someone who doesn't recognize a single character can understand. And yet, you'll even help me deduce it by saying 'Intruders will be killed'. So, you understand."

  Yun Shallow Moon narrowed her eyes, staring at Rong Jing. Rong Jing raised an eyebrow at her, and she hummed nonchalantly, "You know that's all. I've always said I'm naturally talented, no need to learn. Recognizing characters is nothing, it can't stump me. Now I can do everything, really don't need to study."

  "Hmm, you not only know how to read, but also have a photographic memory." Rong Jing no longer looked at her, his gaze falling outside the crystal wall. "Since you're naturally talented and can learn anything without studying, aren't those thousand books just a trivial matter for you?"

  Yun Shang Yue's face turned red with rage as she shouted, "I wasn't born to be used like this! You think I can finish reading a thousand books in just half a month? Do you want me to die from exhaustion?"

  "You only have half a month to study under my guidance, and after the Martial Arts Champion Conference in half a month, I will likely attend and watch. And what changes will happen after the conference, no one knows. Probably you won't be able to come back to Rong Wang Fu to learn again. So, I don't want you to come in like this and go out still like this, being said that you can't even recognize a single character, losing your own face is small, but also losing my face. Letting people think that I couldn't even teach someone like you, the reputation of being a prodigy is simply a sham. Wouldn't I be implicated by you? So, even if you die from exhaustion, you must finish reading all of them for me." Rong Jing rarely spoke in such a long paragraph, his voice still calm and gentle without any ripples.

  Yun Shallow Moon snorted disdainfully, "Are you still afraid of what others will say?"

  "I'm afraid of disappointing Grandfather Yun. You should know that Grandfather Yun has high hopes for you learning to read and write from me, and I naturally can't bear the thought of letting him down." Rong Jing sighed.

  "In any case, I won't be able to finish it in half a month. Whoever loses hope will lose!" Yun Qian glared at Rong Jing with a pale face.

  "Alright, you have another choice. There are hundreds of books here. If you can memorize all these hundred books in three days, then you won't need to read those books." Rong Jing pointed to the bookshelf behind Yun Qianyue, "This should be easy for you."

  Yun Shallow Moon turned her head to look at the bookshelf, and only now did she realize that the books on that one row of shelves were all versions of "Nu Jie" (Female Precepts), from the earliest compilation by a woman thousands of years ago, to revised and improved editions over the centuries, including those from hundreds, tens, and even just a few years ago, up to the present day.

  She felt a chill in her heart, withdrew her gaze, and her face turned black with anger. "I don't want to see this!"

  "Then take a look at those books below!" Rong Jing said.

  "Rong Jing, are you still human? In which lifetime did I ever have a feud with you? Why do you always want to oppose me? Do you think I'm easy to bully? Believe it or not, I'll throw you off this building!" Yun Shangyue stared at Rong Jing, seeing his beautifully painted eyebrows and eyes looking at her warmly, making her so angry she wanted to punch him.

  "You think someone who has a grudge against me can enter the Purple Bamboo Forest, enter my house, and even come to my study?" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow, looking at Yun Shangyue's angry face, and smiled slightly. "I'll give you two options: one is to finish reading these women's classics in three days, or the other is to finish reading those books below in half a month. Choose one!"

  "Neither of them!" Yun Qiu Yue said resolutely.

  Rong Jing let out a sigh, rubbed his brow and said helplessly: "It seems I really can't teach you anything. In that case, let Ye Tian Qing teach you instead!" As soon as he finished speaking, he shouted outside: "Qing Quan, send all the things that were just delivered from Yun Wang Fu for Shallow Moon Miss to the Crown Prince's residence! You also escort Shallow Moon Miss to the Crown Prince's residence and personally hand her over to the Crown Prince."

  "Yes!" Qingquan responded from outside. Although Rongjing's voice was very soft, his ears and eyes were quite useful.

  Rong Jing waved his hand and said, "I suppose you're delighted to go to the Crown Prince's mansion. Go ahead!"

  Yun Qian sat still with her eyes closed, gritting her teeth in anger.

  Rong Jing waited for a while and saw him not moving, raised his head and raised an eyebrow looking at her, "Don't want to go?"

  Yun Qian took a deep breath and saw that the night sky was still not as good as her when it came to these books. Finishing a thousand books in half a month was a bit difficult, but she indeed had a photographic memory, and it was unknown how this guy figured it out. Moreover, she knew nothing about this world and couldn't ask anyone conveniently, so she could only learn from the books. Now that Rong Jing's place had all kinds of books, she read them and they went into her brain, although it was a bit tiring, but not a loss. Half a month would be half a month, no matter how many books she could finish!

  Although I thought so, but still felt uncomfortable in my heart, and asked: "How did you know that I have a photographic memory?"

  Rong Jing Feng blinked her eyes, "Do you still remember that game of chess at Xiangquan Mountain? If you didn't have a photographic memory, how could you have won and made me drink a cup of wine?"

  It was wrong there! That damned wine, it's really drinking that causes trouble. Yun Qianyue said in a bad mood: "Half a month is just half a month! I promised. However, I don't dare to guarantee that I will finish reading all of them, I can only say that I will read as much as I can. At worst, I won't go out and lose your reputation."

  "Alright! If you're lazy and don't finish reading, I'll probably know too. At that time, those twelve golden Buddha statues will all belong to me. If you care about them, it's best not to be lazy." Rong Jing nodded vigorously this time, smiled slightly without any surprise, stood up, and said to her: "Then start reading from now on! If you need anything, just call out to Qing Shuang or Qing Quan."

  "Hmm!" Yun Qianyue hummed. What is the landlord class? This is it!

  Rong Jing slowly descended the jade steps and didn't look back, leaving the study in an instant.

  Yun Shallow Moon was still lying on the soft couch, staring at the top of the pavilion with her eyes open. After a while, she helplessly sat up, in her previous life, she was an orphan, without parents to rely on, and she had studied hard for twenty years under the cold window. Who made her fate so bad? In this life, she became a young lady's body with a servant's fate, and she had to pick up her old business again. Was there anyone as unlucky as her? After hesitating in her heart for a while, she still went down the jade steps. Those twelve Buddha statues that she had hidden away with great difficulty naturally couldn't be taken advantage of by this black-hearted guy alone.

  Yun Qian Yue arrived at the room filled with books, but Rong Jing had already left. She picked up the first book from the first row, shook it, and found it was a "Tian Sheng Shi Zhi". Holding it in her hand, she shouted outside, "Bring me a soft couch!"

  "Yes, Miss Shallow Moon!" Qingquan responded from outside, and his footsteps faded away.

  Yun Qian Yue opened the first page and started flipping through it.

  Before long, Qingquan opened the door and placed a soft couch by the window. He glanced at Yuelan and saw that she was actually holding a book upside down while reading. He couldn't help but be taken aback for a moment before quietly retreating.

  Yun Shallow Moon read two pages and found that she hadn't even looked at the next page, but the content of the next page had already appeared in her mind. She turned to the next page, and the content was exactly as she had thought. Unconsciously surprised, she quickly flipped through the pages, and indeed, before she even reached a certain page, the content of that page had already appeared in her mind, not a single word different. She closed the book, closed her eyes, and an entire book had formed in her mind.

  It seems that it's not just this one book, but her brain is like a dammed-up floodgate that has been opened by this book, and out come poetry, songs, essays, classics, history, strange stories, legends, human geography, illustrations, martial arts, medicine, pharmacology, toxicology... all sorts of things, as if her brain is about to burst.

  Clouds shallow moon suppressed the shocking waves that rose in her heart, holding the book in her hand, leaning against the bookshelf and sitting on the ground, closing her eyes quietly to accept these things pouring into her mind, line by line, word by word, as if she had memorized them before.

  Time passed quietly, and the things in her mind were still flowing like a fine stream, constantly surging out.

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was quiet, she clearly knew that this might be what this body had learned before. Although the person had left, these things were indeed left in her mind. Since she came to this world, she had been resisting learning to read and write, so these things were sealed by her. Now that she is willing to learn, with this breakthrough, these things naturally poured out.

  On the one hand, Yun Shang Yue was silently lamenting in her heart, how much knowledge did the master of this body acquire? How many books had she read? It's probably not less than these over a thousand volumes here! She thought that her guess was indeed correct. The master of this body was actually not as rumored, those rumors were just superficial, she didn't understand anything. In reality, she was talented and well-read in poetry and literature.

  Yun Shallow Moon sighed ceaselessly, it turned out that this woman was just as miserable as her previous life's body, and couldn't shake off the fate of bitter studying. Perhaps even more miserable, because this body seemed to have endured for a long time, and hid many secrets. She hoped that with these knowledge, she could also obtain the memories left behind by this body. Then she would be able to understand why she had been hiding and pretending all along.

  Time passed bit by bit, and Cloud Shallow Moon closed her eyes as if she had forgotten everything, leaving only the things in her mind playing like a movie.

  This study is undisturbed by anyone, quiet and soundless. Even the entire Zǐzhú Yuàn is quiet and soundless.

  It wasn't until she couldn't take in anything else that Yun Shang Yue finally opened her eyes, her small face filled with thick disappointment. She had only obtained the books this body had read over the years, and no matter how hard she tried to think of everything else, even if it made her brain hurt, it was all a blank slate without any memories.

  She sighed, it seemed that this time she had found the opportunity, because she had a mind to read books, so she brought out the memories stored in her brain by this body. As for other memories, it's still uncertain whether they will be recalled or not. But this was already enough to make her happy. Originally, she thought that with half a month's time given by Rong Jing, she wouldn't be able to finish reading these books, but now it seemed that maybe she could after all.

  She lowered her head to look at the book in her hand, and all she saw was a black blur. She suddenly realized that it had gotten dark outside. She stood up, moved around, and felt a sharp pain in her buttocks, her legs were numb, and she couldn't move for a long time. It seemed that she had been stuck in the same position for too long. She could only rub her legs with her hands, but even after a while, she still felt weak and couldn't get up. All she could do was shout towards the outside, "Qing Shuang! Qing Quan, is anyone there?"

  "Miss Asa, I'm here!" A surprised voice came from outside.

  "What time is it now? Is it midnight?" asked Yun Shangyue.

  The noise outside stopped, as if she had been stunned into silence.

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

  The door of the study was pushed open, and Qing Shang walked in with a lantern. The room suddenly lit up. She came over to see Yun Qian Yue sitting on the ground, startled, and quickly put down the lantern to help her up. Her body had caught a chill from the night air, giving Yun Qian Yue a sudden shiver.

  "I'm sorry, Miss Shallow Moon. I've been standing outside for too long and it's so cold. Let me help you sit down on the couch first." Qing Shan hurriedly apologized.

  "Are you waiting for me outside? Actually, it's not necessary, thank you for your trouble." Yun Qianyue looked at Qing Shuang with some apology and nodded, "Help me to the couch first, I think I've been sitting for too long, my whole body is numb."

  "Yes, I'll help you over!" Qing Shang nodded and supported Yun Qian Yue as they walked towards the couch, saying: "You're not just sitting for too long, it's really been too long! From when you entered the study to today, it's already been three days. I wanted to come in and call out to you, but earlier my young master instructed us not to wait for your summons, no one is allowed to call out to you. Otherwise, I would have rushed in a long time ago."

  "Ah?" Yun Shangyue was shocked, "You said I've been here for three days already?"

  "Yes! I don't dare to deceive you, Miss. You have indeed been here for three days. Today is the third night. To be exact, you've been here for three days and three nights." Qing Shang nodded, "Miss was probably too engrossed in reading and forgot about time."

  Heavens! The shallow clouds and moon let out a faint sigh.

  Qing Shuang didn't say anything else, and helped Yun Shang Yue sit down on the soft couch. She squatted down beside her, "Let me massage your legs for you, miss! This way you'll feel better sooner."

  "Alright, thank you." Yun Qianyue nodded, still unable to get over the words from those three days and nights.

  "It's nothing, miss! I should be the one thanking you." Qing Shuang smiled and shook her head, using both hands to massage Yun Qian Yue. Her touch was just right, not too light or too heavy, making Yun Qian Yue feel very comfortable, and suddenly the numbness wasn't so bad anymore.

  Yun Shallow Moon still couldn't believe it, "I actually just passed three days like that?"

  "Miss, indeed you have been like this for three days! You don't eat, you don't drink, and I've thought of coming in to call out to you several times, but I was afraid of disturbing you. So I just kept waiting outside for you to call me. If by tomorrow morning you still haven't called me, I really won't be able to bear it and will rush in to call out to you." Qing Shang said.

  "You haven't slept for three days and nights, have you!" Yun Shang's expression became even more solemn.

  "The slave is still sleeping, Qingquan and the slave are taking turns keeping watch outside. He went to sleep at night, and the slave came over to keep watch." Qingquan shook his head.

  Yun Shallow Moon nodded and asked, "What about Rong Jing?"

  "My young master has something to attend to and is not in the mansion. Since he left this study that day, he also left the mansion. I don't know where the young master went either. He instructed me not to come disturb unless Miss calls." Qing Shang said softly.

  Yun Shallow Moon nodded slightly and stopped speaking.

  Qing Shan also stopped speaking.

  After a while, Yun Shang Yue waved her hand, "I'm fine, you can get up now! No need to press anymore."

  Qing Shan stood up and saw Yun Shang sitting still, not looking like she wanted to eat. She asked softly, "Miss, I've had the cook keep your food warm in the kitchen for you. Shall we go to your quarters to have dinner?"

  "Good!" Yun Qian Yue nodded and stood up.

  Qing Shang hastily led the way in front, and the two of them left the study.

  The outside was quiet and peaceful, the night color was deepening. Yun Shallow Moon looked up at the sky, it was dark and hazy, without moonlight or starlight, she withdrew her gaze and followed Cai Lian's footsteps to her room.

  "Miss Shallow Moon has finally come out, and I'll go get you some medicine. " Old Yao heard the voice coming from the house, apparently not having slept, also waiting for Cloud Shallow Moon.

  "Sorry to trouble you." Yun Qian smiled apologetically.

  The old doctor smiled and went into the kitchen.

  "Miss Qingyue, don't be polite, my young master had already instructed us before he left. Taking good care of you is what we should do." Qingshan turned around and smiled at Yunshangyue. She found that Miss Shangyue didn't have the airs of a noble lady, but was instead considerate and easy to talk to, making it easy for people to get close to her.

  "You're afraid that I'll die from exhaustion and lose face for you!" Yun Shangyue snorted. Wondering what kind of matter was worth that guy going out to handle personally.

  Qing Shang smiled lightly and didn't say a word.

  Yun Qianyue looked at Qing Shang and felt that Rong Jing's maid was much stronger than Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu. She didn't put on airs or speak too much, nor did she chatter idly. Smiling, she asked: "Qing Shang, are you married?"

  Qingyu's footsteps paused for a moment, and the lantern light shone on her face, which was slightly flushed. She shook her head at Yun Shangyue, "Not yet."

  Yun Qian nodded slightly and stopped asking. No matter how good someone else was, they weren't hers, and besides, even if that person hadn't married, she still couldn't have him.

  The two of them stopped talking and soon arrived at the warm pavilion in the east wing. Qing Shang lifted the curtain and bowed to Yun Shallow Moon, saying: "Miss Shallow Moon, it's here."

  Yun Qian Yue walked in, lifting the curtain with her hand. The room was decorated with pearl curtains and emerald screens, silk windows and walls, light silk curtains and bedding, elegant but not luxurious, similar to her room in the Yun Wang Fu. She glanced around, sat down at the table, and asked casually: "Has a woman ever lived in this courtyard of your family's estate? Otherwise, how would there be such a room?"

  Qing Shang extinguished the lantern, smiled and shook her head, "This is what the young master had me tidy up a few days ago when he knew Miss Shallow Moon was moving in! This room used to be the young master's small study. When the young master didn't feel like going to that study, he would come here."

  "Oh, I see!" Yun Shangyue collapsed onto the table like a boneless person.

  The sound of footsteps outside accompanied the aroma of food, and Qing Shang immediately went out to greet. Before long, all sorts of dishes were arranged on a table. Yun Qian Yue originally didn't feel hungry, but as soon as these dishes came up, she suddenly had an appetite. She hastily picked up her chopsticks and took two bites, asking Qing Shang, "Were these all made by Medicine Old Man?"

  "Uh, Medicine Old not only can plant medicinal materials, but also raise flowers, and is skilled in medicine and cooking. Qing Shang looked at the dishes on the table and smiled: "These are all the menus listed by the young master, saying that Miss Shallow Moon likes to eat these dishes."

  "So that means the Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens was also made by him?" Yun Shangyue's eyes lit up. Does this mean that as long as she surrounds Yao Lao, this old man, in the future, she'll be able to eat Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens?

  "Miss Hui, no! Although Yao Lao is used to making many delicious dishes, but this Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens is still not his forte." Qing Shang smiled and shook her head.

  Yun paled and her face fell. "Then who do you think makes a good steamed fish with pickled mustard greens? Who made it that day?"

  "Miss Hui, this servant cannot tell you, our young master has ordered us to keep it a secret." Qing Shang shook her head.

  Yun Qian Yue cut off a piece of food with her chopsticks, lowered her head and continued eating, muttering to herself: "Isn't that what he's holding onto? Wait till the day I change this good-for-nothing habit of mine, see what she can use to threaten me then."

  Qing Shuang smiled without speaking. She thought that Miss Shallow Moon was indeed lovely. Nowadays, such a pure and delicate woman is rarely seen?

  After dinner, Yun Qian Yue let out a yawn and lazily lay on the table, too tired to move.

  Qing Shang put away the things and came back to see her lying on the table, saying with concern: "Miss, you must be exhausted these past few days. Please take a rest soon! If there's anything, just call me and I'll come immediately."

  "Good!" Yun Qian Yue walked towards the bed.

  The green shirt retreated from the pass and went down.

  She had thought she could sleep for a long time, but didn't expect to wake up early on the second day, and no longer felt sleepy. Yun Shang Yue got out of bed, did a round of tai chi in the room, stretched her limbs, before opening the door.

  Qing Shang had just gotten up and seemed to have not expected that Yun Qian Yue hadn't slept for several hours, so she paid her respects and came in to attend to her washing and dressing.

  After having breakfast, Yun Shangyue remembered to take the things from her mind yesterday and compare them with the books in Rong Jing's study to see if they were identical. So she went to the study very actively.

  Qing Shang escorted her to the door and instructed: "Miss Qianyue, take care of yourself and remember to call for me."

  "Alright!" Yun Qian Yue waved her hand and closed the study door.

  Qing Shang stared at the study in a daze, thinking about who said that Shallow Moon Miss was illiterate? How could an illiterate person be infatuated with reading books for three days and nights without sleep or rest? Moreover, the cold poison on the young master's body was also cured by Shallow Moon Miss! Shallow Moon Miss must not be as rumored.

  "Qing Shan, the young master has just sent a letter asking about Miss Shallow Moon's situation?" Qing Quan walked over and looked towards the study, lowering his voice.

  "Miss Shallow Moon just came out of the study room last night, and today she got up early and went in again. How can our young master be so heartless? I think Miss Shallow Moon will not only not gain weight but also lose weight during her stay here." Qing Shan said in a low voice: "Over a thousand books, and only half a month's time, how can Miss Shallow Moon finish reading them all? Didn't the young master himself take a whole month to finish reading them back then?"

  "I also think that the young master is too ruthless. However, since the young master has given such orders, he must have his reasons. We will just report Miss Shallow Moon's situation to him and it will be fine." Qingquan said.

  "Hmm!" Qing Shang nodded and asked in a low voice, "Where did the young master go? In the past, he never kept it from us when he left. Why did he keep it from us this time?"

  "The prince only took Xuan Ge brother with him. Probably only Xuan Ge brother knows where the prince went." Qing Quan sighed and said enviously: "I really envy Xuan Ge brother, who can go out with the prince every year, while we have to stay here."

  "It's because you're no match for Xuan Ge's martial arts. Go back and continue practicing! The young master said that the day you defeat Xuan Ge, he'll take you out with him." Qing Shang said with a smile.

  Qingquan snorted, "I will naturally be able to defeat him!"

  Qing Shuang looked at Qing Quan and smiled, then sighed and said: "I used to think that as long as the young master was fine, we wouldn't ask for anything else. Now, with heaven's blessing, the young master has finally recovered. We don't have to be on tenterhooks every day, afraid that one day the young master would leave us."

  "Ah, thanks to Shallow Moon." Qingquan nodded.

  "It's a pity that Miss Shallow Moon is of such a status. If she weren't the only legitimate daughter of the Cloud King's Manor, I would have hoped for her to marry our young master. They seem mismatched in words and temperament, but I feel that our young master and Miss Shallow Moon are the most compatible when standing or sitting together." Qing Shan said in a low voice.

  "I hope so too! Don't think about it anymore. If our young master likes her, there will definitely be a way to marry Miss Shallow Moon. If he doesn't like her, then even if we like her, it's useless." Qingquan looked at Qingshan and teased: "Sister, you're worrying yourself old. Brother Xiangge won't abandon you."

  "Get out of here, you little scamp! You're getting more and more disobedient!" Qing Shan's face turned red as she pretended to raise her hand to hit Qing Quan.

  Qingyuan immediately dodged. The brother and sister laughed and left the study room.

  In the study, Yun Shallow Moon had already devoted herself to the books on the bookshelf. She started from the first row of bookshelves and flipped through them one by one, comparing them with what she received in her mind. Some books that were not remembered in her mind were picked out separately, while those that had memories in her mind were skipped over.

  She was so absorbed in the book that she didn't notice it had turned dark again. Until nothing could be seen inside the room, but she didn't mean to leave, and shouted outside, "Qing Shan, light a lamp for me!"

  "Miss Shallow Moon, are you going to eat?" Qing Shang asked.

  "Bring the dishes over here!" Yun Qianyue said hesitantly.

  "Good!" Qing Shang immediately left.

  Before long, Qing Shuang brought a night pearl and the study was suddenly bright as day. Yun Shang glanced at the night pearl, which was about the size of a fist, and pouted her mouth. This guy Rong Jing has all sorts of good things, she's been indulging in these good things every day, no wonder she's become so numb to them.

  "This night pearl was left by the princess! The young master never used it, now he's afraid that Miss Shallow Moon will hurt her eyes. So he left this behind." Qing Shang had everything ready and asked: "Miss Shallow Moon, shall I serve you dinner?"

  "No need, I can handle it myself. You go rest! No need to wait outside for me." Yun Qian Yue walked over to the table with her hands and sat down, waving at Qing Shuang.

  Qing Shang responded with a sound and retreated.

  Clouds were shallow, and the moon was on one side of the book, while on the other side, she was eating. After dinner, she buried herself in the bookshelf again, until she felt tired, then she fell asleep on the soft couch that Qingyuan had brought over. It seemed as if she had returned to her old days, when all she did every day was read and sleep, with nothing else to do.

  In the following days, it was light and then dark, dark and then light again. The clouds were shallow and the moon was tired of being still in the book. Dozens of rows of bookshelves had been read by her until there were only a few left. And she had long since forgotten how many days she had come, nor did she know what evening it was tonight.

  Qingyuan and Qingyu were worried about Yunshu's physical condition, while also putting their minds to use in taking care of her diet.

  On this day, Yun Shangyue finally flipped through all the books on the several dozen shelves in the Rongjing Book House. She put down the last book and looked at the ones she had picked out that she hadn't read before - there were over a hundred of them. Some were ancient classics, some were rare biographies from hundreds of years ago, and some were about medicine and toxicology. The pages were extremely old, with yellowed paper, and some were even written on bamboo slips. It was clear that these books were rarely seen or couldn't be found in the market, and hadn't been read by the owner of this body before. The rest were strange stories and anecdotes, tales of people from the streets... She scanned through the hundred-odd books, stretched her waist, loosened up her stiff body, and called out to the outside, "Qing Shan, what day is it today?"

  She wanted to see if there was still time to memorize the remaining few books. She had to make up for her hard work these days! These days she skipped those books, just to find out this body hadn't read them before. Now that they've been found, of course, they have to be finished. If there really wasn't enough time, she would move on.

  "Replying to Miss Shallow Moon, today is the fourteenth day. It's just past noon now." Qing Shan said from outside.

  "Alright, bring lunch over here then. I'll definitely finish everything today." Yún Qiǎnyuè rubbed her sore shoulders as she asked towards the outside, "Has Róng Jǐng returned?"

  "Returning to Miss Shallow Moon, the young master of our household has not yet returned to the mansion." Qing Shang said.

  Yun Shallow Moon frowned, thinking about what big or bad thing Rong Jing had done to leave her here for nearly half a month without returning? She didn't bother to think anymore and started practicing Tai Chi to loosen up her stiff arms and legs.

  Qing Shang didn't hear Yun Shallow Moon's voice, so he immediately went down to prepare dinner.

  After lunch, Yun Qianyue continued to bury her head in the remaining books, naturally choosing those rare and ancient books to read first. This time, it was clear that her memory had slowed down a lot, but she relied on her ability to remember everything at a glance, plus the memories left behind by this body over the past few days were transformed and absorbed into her own, so now when she encountered some difficult-to-understand passages, she could grasp them after a little deliberation.

  As the sky gradually darkened, Yun Shang Yue had already finished reading the remaining few medical books, poison manuals and ancient tomes. Seeing that it was still early, she didn't feel tired at all, and with great interest, she picked up those street stories and little people books to read. This kind of small book used to be sold on stalls in that world a long time ago, but later became increasingly scarce as time went by. Now, she didn't expect that Rong Jing's study would still have so many hidden away. She read one, found it interesting, then picked up another, and soon couldn't put them down one after another.

  Just as the sky was completely dark, Yun Shang Yue couldn't see the moon anymore. Just as she was about to call Qing Shang to light the lamp, she heard someone approaching the door. Immediately after that, the study's door creaked open from the outside, and she thought to herself: "Has this guy finally returned home?" Without lifting her head, she said: "You've come back just in time, light the lamp for me!"

  The man's footsteps paused, his gaze turned this way, but he didn't move immediately.

  "Right, I forgot that we don't need to light the lamp after all. Just take out that night pearl of yours. When it's not in use during the day, I put it away in that box in the corner of the left wall. Qing Shuang said it was left to you by your mother, and I wouldn't dare damage it." Yun Qianyue added.

  The person behind her still didn't move, but his gaze was fixed on her.

  "Hey, didn't you hear? You've been gone for half a month, have you become deaf or mute?" Yun Shangyue's eyes were fixed on the book and wouldn't leave, she was staring intently at an interesting part and couldn't bear to leave for even a moment.

  The person behind him seemed to have taken a deep breath, but quickly calmed down and remained still.

  "Rong Jing, what are you doing standing at the door? Hurry up!" Yun Qiu Yue was somewhat annoyed and urged: "Quickly light the lamp for me, didn't you hear?"

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was falling, that person finally moved, walking in with light footsteps, to the left corner of the wall, taking out the night pearl from the box, the study room suddenly became bright as day. He gently put down the night pearl, and walked slowly towards Cloud Shallow Moon.

  "What have you been up to for the past half month? You didn't make a sound, did something bad happen?" The sudden brightness made Yun Shuoyue feel somewhat unaccustomed, she closed her eyes, then opened them again and asked.

  The man stopped in his tracks behind her without a word.

  Yun Shallow Moon only felt that something was off, it seemed she had indeed been confused by reading too many books. The footsteps and breathing of this person were clearly not Rong Jing's. Rong Jing's footsteps were light and elegant, even if you couldn't see him, hearing his footsteps would make you feel like a painting unfolding slowly, while this person's footsteps were also light, but quiet and still, like snow falling silently on a winter day. Rong Jing's breathing was like snow and lotus, while this person's breathing was just clean.

  She thought of this and suddenly turned her head back. Only to see that the person behind her was indeed not Rong Jing.

  That person was a very young man, looking slightly younger than Rong Jing. His eyebrows and eyes were clean, and upon closer inspection, he had some resemblance to Rong Jing. He wasn't wearing the brocade robes that young masters usually wore, but instead a plain white shirt made of ordinary material, yet it looked spotless and immaculate, making him appear untainted by dust. At his waist hung a similarly translucent and crystalline jade pendant, with no other adornments.

  Yun Shallow Moon looked at that person, and the person was also looking at him. The expression in Yun Shallow Moon's eyes was puzzlement, while the emotions in that person's eyes were vague like fog, complex and unpredictable, making it impossible for her to see clearly. It seemed to contain a thousand emotions, yet seemed to have nothing at all.

  Yun Qianyue felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, as if he knew her. She pursed her lips and asked tentatively: "I am Yun Qianyue! May I ask who you are?"

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was low, and that person's body suddenly shook violently.

  Digression

  It seems that the monthly ticket is in a precarious situation, and those who have been holding onto their tickets, let's make one final effort! You know I'm struggling to maintain my daily updates, you guys need to give me motivation. Holding onto tickets won't bring out the motivation, this new character is a heavyweight, just wait and see～（⊙＿⊙）

  Thank you for the diamonds, rewards and flowers from everyone below!

  wyp116 (7 diamonds), 499415104 (300 rewards), Pearl pendant (1 diamond, 1 flower), Tianxiang Yezi (1 diamond), Little Cui Lady (1 diamond), Xinxin Ran98 (1 diamond), 13056713572 (10 flowers), Bi'an Mingxue00 (1 flower), Butterfly Heart Knot (2 flowers), Xie Yandan99 (2 flowers), nxn2012 (1 flower), liulingsheng (1 flower), shsh1105 (1 flower), Fengyun Sanshi (1 flower), Shaosmall (1 flower), melon123 (1 fresh flower), Momo, O (∩_∩)O~