"..."
In the study, Lin Daiyu was wrapped in a thin moon-white satin quilt embroidered with bamboo. She sat restlessly on a purple sandalwood couch by the window.
After last night's fierce battle and a night spent rushing about without rest, her face was paler than usual. Her delicate brows, like wisps of smoke, were tightly furrowed, and her slender fingers twisted the edge of the quilt unconsciously. Every so often, her gaze drifted toward the study door, as though she could see through the courtyard wall to the commotion outside the front gate.
"..."
"..."
Zijuan and Xueyan had not rested either. After a busy spell, they stood beside Daiyu, both of them wearing worried expressions.
Xueyan in particular was young and unable to hide what was on her mind. Her eyes were wide as she looked from her young mistress Daiyu to the door, straining to hear what was happening outside. Then she would shift and sit down, only to fidget again, as restless as a cat on a hot stove.
Just as the three of them were beginning to feel the strain, the familiar, slightly hurried footsteps of someone finally sounded outside the courtyard.
The next moment, the door curtain lifted, and Tanchun came in, bringing with her the cool air of the morning.
"!!"
The instant Daiyu saw Tanchun return, she rose from the couch. She didn't even notice the quilt slipping off her as she hurried over and grasped Tanchun's hand.
Her limpid eyes were filled with anxiety and concern, and her voice held a faint, almost imperceptible tremble.
"Third Sister!"
"You're finally back!"
"What happened out front... out front?"
"That... that lame Daoist—did he really... really leave?"
"Did Master... did she do anything to him?"
She fired off one question after another, her breathing