The White Deer's Cry - Chapter 6

The storyteller had already moved on—to dragon sinew.

“There are no dragons in this world, so no one has ever tasted such a delicacy. What the imperial court calls dragon sinew actually comes from sturgeon—”

Dragon sinew?

Dragons?

Wasn’t there one sitting right beside me?

My eyes darted toward Jing Ziyan.

“Can you eat dragon sinew?” I asked with a grin.

Still cracking melon seeds, he held his wrist to my mouth.

“Try it.”

In terms of preciousness, every inch of him was a rare treasure. I knew that.

I bit down and nearly broke my teeth.

He laughed, then leaned in to brush a kiss beside my ear.

“Hey. Marry me. You can have more than the sinew. The whole dragon will be yours.”

His breath was hot. His scent fascinated me. His eyes half-closed as his hand slid gently over my waist.

My heart missed a beat. Under the heat of his gaze, I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Had I heard that right?

He… wanted to marry me?

He waved a hand in front of me.

“Come back to me. If you won’t say yes, I’ll just marry someone else.”

Once I’d absorbed the news, I sprang up.

“Wait here.”

“What are you doing—”

Before his astonished eyes, I opened the door and hurried out of the inn.

Mother had told me that before you married a man, you must give him a silk handkerchief.

I’d left all my things in the celestial realm. I would have to buy one as a token of my love.

I searched the entire street and finally found a cloth shop at the far end.

The town was full of traveling merchants, and the shop was busy. It took me ages to find the proprietor.

Buried in piles of fabric, he called, “Pick out whatever you need.”

Afraid he wouldn’t hear, I raised my voice.

“Do you have a needle and thread? I want to embroider something!”

Before I could finish, a cloth merchant beside me interrupted.

I had no choice but to look for myself.

My plan was to embroider “Little Jing” on the handkerchief, with a pair of lotus blossoms on one stem beside it.

Unfortunately, time was short, and my embroidery was terrible. You could just about make out “Little Jing” beside two wildflowers.

It was nearly dark when I returned to the teahouse. I was startled to realize how much time had passed.

Afraid he’d grown impatient, I hurried back.

The private room was dark and locked.

I caught the passing proprietor.

“Where’s the gentleman who came with me?”

He looked baffled. “Didn’t you leave together? About fifteen minutes ago. Did you get separated?”

I stood there, at a loss.

Someone must have tricked Jing Ziyan. I’d been in the cloth shop until dark. I hadn’t come back at all.

Where had he gone?

Night fell, and the sky looked like glass stained black.

People blurred into the distance. Lanterns glimmered everywhere.

I searched street after street without finding him. Growing desperate, I passed the mutton soup stall we’d visited earlier.

Suddenly, someone seized me from behind.

The embrace was so tight I could hardly breathe.

I struggled fiercely. “A-Jing!” burst from my lips.

The world spun, and my back struck a wall.

Jing Ziyan’s face appeared before me, dark with gathering menace.

“Who the hell are you?”