In a relatively quiet little courtyard, a scholar slowly regained consciousness.
The scholar opened his eyes and faintly caught a delicate fragrance. As sensation returned to his body, a fierce pain suddenly shot through his back.
"Hiss... ow..."
Only then did the scholar realize he was sleeping facedown on a bed. He looked around; clearly, this was not his home.
It was a tidy bedroom. He lay on a large bed hung with gauze curtains, his body numb and weak. Even raising his head to look around took some effort.
The room was not luxurious, but it had a table, chairs, cabinets, and a dressing table bearing a bronze mirror and various cosmetics used by women.
A charcoal brazier stood beside the bed, keeping the room comfortably warm.
"Creak..."
A woman in a skirt and short jacket walked in. Her features were delicate, and even her somewhat thick winter clothing could not conceal her striking figure.
As though she had only just noticed that the person on the bed was awake, she closed the door and hurried over in delighted surprise.
"My benefactor! You're awake?"
The woman knelt beside the bed in front of the scholar, reached out to brush aside his fallen hair, then carefully lifted the quilt to inspect the wound on his back.
The scholar merely stared blankly at her. Only when she lifted the quilt and he felt the cold did he realize his upper body had been bare all along.
"Miss, who are you? Why are you calling me your benefactor?"
Looking at the bloodstains on the dressing across his back, the woman felt slightly relieved. At his question, she first covered him again, then smiled at him.
"Have you forgotten, my benefactor? The other day, a villain was chasing me down in the street