Chapter 8 — Better to Lean on Mountains Than a Faithless Heart

On the journey back to the manor, Van Kinh Dinh kept his lips tightly pressed together, uncharacteristically silent. He held my hand firmly, never once letting go. Fearing he might harbor some misunderstanding, I decided to break the silence and explain. "Before my master passed away, he made me promise to save him. Having spent half a life wandering alone as an orphan, I am deeply grateful for the shelter the Marquis Manor has provided. As for any deeper feelings, those were severed completely the day I was abandoned in the wilderness. I had commissioned this pair of jade pendants long before I even left the capital, and I..."

Before I could finish, he pulled me into a fierce embrace. His sharp chin rested against my forehead, and his voice was thick with emotion. "In the past... did he always treat you this way?"

My body stiffened momentarily. He continued, his voice strained and gravelly. "Taking your living quarters, seizing your servants, abandoning you in the desolate wilds, pushing you into the water... was he always as arrogant and conceited back then as he is now?"

He sighed, his grip tightening. "Living under another's roof, you could neither offend him nor touch his cousin... Those days must have been filled with such suffocating resentment."

My eyes blurred with tears, and a bitter ache rose in my throat. It turned out that the reason he had stood up for me so fiercely was that he understood the agony of a life lived in dependence—the silent grievances that one can never voice to another. True to what the Princess had told me, he was cold on the outside but warm within; he was a good man, a truly good man.

I lifted his face, looking into his eyes, and spoke each word with profound sincerity. "There will be no more of that in the future, because you are nothing like him."

The corners of his lips curled upward, and the icy mask shattered, revealing a pool of spring-like warmth. His long arms wrapped around me, holding me closer with every passing second. "He mistook a priceless gem for a worthless stone; his regret will be his own punishment. As for me, having you is to have everything. I will cherish you with every fiber of my being."

The subtle, calming scent of agarwood that clung to his robes brought a strange peace to my heart, pulling my memories back to that harrowing night when Thiem Dat An had abandoned me in the wilderness.

That day, I had been intercepted by thugs bought off by Giang Nam Khe. Paralyzed by panic and confusion, I had begged Thiem Dat An to have a change of heart, hoping he would remember that, despite my knowledge of medicine, I was merely a woman with no strength to fight back—a woman who could feel fear and despair in the untamed reaches of the wild. I prayed he would remember that I had once saved his life and that he would turn back to rescue me from that hell. But he never did.

The poisons I carried were exhausted, my silver needles scattered, and even the venomous insects in my bamboo tube were spent, having barely injured three or four of the burly men. I was chased like a stray dog through the mountains, my shoes lost, my bare feet cut and bleeding from the jagged stones and thorns. When they finally shot me in the leg, they left me to flee like a trapped animal. When I could no longer stand, I collapsed, and they dragged me like a carcass toward a desolate temple.

A clay Buddha bowed its head in hollow compassion, watching coldly as my clothes were torn to shreds amidst their mocking laughter. A sharp blade pierced my left shoulder, carving the characters for "lowly slave" into my flesh—a mark intended to ensure I would never again hold my head high. Their insults, their vile laughter, and their filthy words resounded in my ears like thunder tearing through the sky.

Just as I believed I would draw my final breath in that wretched place, an arrow whistled through the air, piercing the back of the man closest to me. Then came the clash of steel, the frantic sound of boots retreating in terror, and finally, a deathly silence.

"Do not be afraid, I am here!"

A youth in silver armor, bright as frost, stood before me. His long blade was stained with blood, and his phoenix eyes were so cold and arrogant they made one tremble. Yet, the hand he reached out to me had been wiped clean, spotless and pristine. As my hand met his, all my fear dissolved. That night, Van Kinh Dinh had fled the capital and ridden to the front lines just to save me.

The night wind howled outside, carrying the hushed voices of his men into my room. "What a pity. Such a fine young woman to meet such a fate. Even if she is unharmed in body, with that mark, a respectable marriage is now impossible."

"I don't know what kind of monster would abandon a woman in the wild, forcing her to her death. It is truly a tragedy for someone so beautiful."

Van Kinh Dinh had heard every word. His brows twitched, his back to me, lost in long, somber contemplation. Finally, he turned with a set jaw, unfastened the jade pendant from his belt, and pressed it into my hand, refusing to let me decline. "If I return alive, I will marry you!"

"That carving is nothing!" He opened his tunic, revealing a back riddled with savage, jagged sword scars. "I do not despise my own body, and I will never look down on you. If I die in battle, use this jade to buy your freedom; if I return, I will give you a lifetime of peace. No matter the cost... you must live, promise me, will you?"

I kept that jade close to my heart for half a year. Later, he waited for me until the dead of night, waiting until Princess Vinh An braved the wind and snow to bring me back to the manor. He had a cousin too, the greatest beauty in the capital—Princess Vinh An. But they always maintained the proper decorum, never once overstepping their bounds.

Only the Princess would often rest her chin in her hands, watching us with playful amusement. "No wonder my cousin likes you. When you're quiet, you look like a little kitten; who could help but love you?"

"It’s so troublesome. When you have children, should they be like my cousin, handsome and imposing? Or like you, gentle and graceful?"

"If you two ever fight, should I side with him for blood, or with you for our friendship?"

"Good heavens, if you two ever divorce, should I fight for your property, your children, or just beat him to death?"

"Ouch! Who threw that at me?" One of Van Kinh Dinh's peanuts had struck her squarely on the forehead.

He crossed his arms, looking down at her with a cool, detached smile. "You never want me to have a moment of peace."

"You crow-mouthed brat, I won't let you get away with this! The jewelry set the Emperor granted you last month—take it as an apology and give it to your sister-in-law to wear. She likes elegant things; it will suit her perfectly. Consider this my mercy for your insolence."

"Remember this well—she has no kin to back her. If anyone bullies her, you must protect her, even if it is me... I am no exception!"

People in the world say I cast a love charm on Van Kinh Dinh. They wonder how a brilliant, dashing young general could ignore all the noble daughters of the capital, choosing instead a lowly female physician. I, too, once wondered... until one day, sitting in a teahouse, I accidentally overheard the words of a stranger.