The concubine is a man, and the illegitimate son of a divine physician has a spatial ability.

It was already pitch black, and there were no lights available; it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Yin Zijing, being a man who had lived in modern times for decades, calmly asked, "Shen Lu, it's already dark. What do we do now? Where are we?"

Zijing has always lived in her boudoir and has no idea...

Shen Lu knew that Yin Zijing was a young lady from one of the four great clans, living a life of luxury comparable to that of a royal princess, and that she must not have suffered any hardship. So he quickly comforted her, "Sixth Miss, don't be afraid, this servant will protect you. We need to find a safe place now, we can't wander around outside. There are many wild animals in the wilderness at night, it's not advisable to wander around recklessly."

After saying that, Shen Lu took out a tinderbox from his waist, opened it, blew on it, and a weak flame suddenly shot up. Shen Lu said, "Miss, take this."

Yin Zijing took the tinder from Shen Lu and used its faint light to illuminate him. Shen Lu deftly used his sword to cut a piece of wood from the nearby woods, then took a water pouch from his waist, poured water on it, and soaked the wood. He tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his clothes and tightly wrapped the wood around it. Then he took another water pouch from his waist and poured in oil and pine resin.

Shen Lu took the tinderbox from Yin Zijing and lit the torch. Yin Zijing instantly felt her vision brighten.

Yin Zijing's eyes lit up, and she said with curiosity, "A torch, a homemade torch. Shen Lu, will you teach me sometime?"

Shen Lu raised the torch and immediately spotted Yin Zijing, who was in a disheveled state. Her pink dress and the tube top she wore over it were dirty and wrinkled, the pink fabric smeared black with mud, and even her fair face was covered in dirt. Her hair was also in disarray, and her nail guards were nowhere to be seen, leaving only her pink fingernails and bright eyes. Yet, at this moment, Yin Zijing possessed a kind of disheveled beauty.

Shen Lu dared not look any longer and quickly said, "Miss, we'll get to know you another time. This place is not safe to stay. Hold on to my clothes and stay close to me. Let's hurry, lest we encounter wild animals..."

Yin Zijing clung to Shen Lu's clothes from behind, following closely behind him. Shen Lu held a torch in one hand and a long wooden stick in the other, tapping the grass on both sides of the road ahead to prevent snakes and insects from appearing.

To comfort Yin Zijing and prevent her from being afraid in the dark night, Shen Lu made small talk: "Although you are born out of wedlock, you were still raised with proper upbringing. You want to learn how to make torches? Torches look simple, but they're not easy to make; you can easily burn your hands. I have burn marks on my hands from when I was a child..."

Yin Zijing said, "Of course, I'm learning these things to protect myself! If it weren't for Shen Lu today, I'd be terrified of being eaten by wild animals in this pitch-black night. Wild animals are afraid of fire, so even a little light is good."

When one's life is threatened, burns are nothing. Although Zijing is a young lady confined to her chambers, she wants to learn some self-defense skills and doesn't want to be as delicate as a caged canary, always being protected by men.

However, it seems that during the Great Sheng Dynasty, men deprived women of this right; it seems that all men believed women should stay in their boudoirs and embroider.

Upon hearing Yin Zijing's words, Shen Lu exclaimed in astonishment, "What you say, young lady, is truly astonishing and unconventional; this is the first time I've ever heard anything like it..."

Looking at the tall man before her, Yin Zijing asked in a profound and enigmatic way, her gaze unlike that of a six-year-old child: "Then, Shen Lu, do you think what I said is right?"

Shen Lu fell silent for a moment. Yin Zijin smiled and said, "Forget it. After all, it has influenced the thinking of the Great Sheng Dynasty for hundreds of years. It can't be changed overnight."

After walking for a long time, Shen Lu shouted happily and pointed ahead, saying, "Miss, there's a cave ahead. Let's go in and take shelter. Although it's summer, the night air is still quite chilly."

After saying that, Shen Lu led Yin Zijin through the many obstacles and into the cave. A stream flowed through the outside of the cave, and the sound of rushing water was constantly being heard.

Yin Zijing was already weak, and her feet had just been bound. Wearing soft-soled, pointed cloth shoes, she walked for a long time on the bumpy road. At this moment, Yin Zijing's face was pale, and her feet were in excruciating pain. As soon as she entered the cave, Yin Zijing knelt on the ground.

Shen Lu quickly helped Yin Zijin up and asked, "What's wrong, Miss?"

Yin Zijing pulled open her pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), revealing a pair of bound feet. Yin Zijing smiled bitterly and said, "With bound feet, walking too much hurts a lot."

Just as Yin Zijin lifted her skirt, Shen Lu quickly turned away and said, "Miss, quickly put down your skirt. A woman cannot show her bound feet to outsiders. Those bound feet are like your undergarments; they cannot be seen by others, as it would damage your reputation. Why didn't you say so earlier? If I had known, I would have betrayed you..."

Yin Zijin laughed in exasperation, "You blockhead! You're hopeless! I'm the master, you're the servant. I command you to turn around. It's just the two of us here. What are you afraid of?"

Shen Lu turned around and saw the traces of blood on Yin Zijing's dirty, black pointed cloth shoes. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes.

Yin Zijin said, “Originally, women could also run freely and do what they wanted, just like women. But after foot binding, all of that became impossible. Women became weak and had to depend on men for even a normal life. This is the harm of foot binding. I know that a rule that has lasted for hundreds of years cannot be changed overnight.”

However, in the Tang Dynasty, women held a very high status, even producing an empress, demonstrating that women were not inferior to men. "Shen Lu, come help me up!"

Shen Lu seemed to be deep in thought. When he heard Yin Zijing calling him, he quickly held up a torch in one hand and helped Yin Zijing into the cave with the other.

Looking at Shen Lu just now, Yin Zijing couldn't help but chuckle. After all, Shen Lu would be following her in the future, so whether she threatened him or showed weakness, she had to make Shen Lu one of her own. However, what Yin Zijing didn't know was that Shen Lu's fate was not in his own hands, but in the hands of the Four Symbols Sect.

But sometimes you can't be sure, fate is not in your own hands, but loyalty is...

Shen Lu helped Yin Zijing sit on a rock, then gathered a lot of dry branches from the cave and started a fire. As the fire grew stronger, Yin Zijing said, "I just didn't want to trouble you. After all, you have an injury on your back. Take off your shirt. I'll help you clean it. The injury is on your back; you can't handle it by yourself."

Shen Lu took the water pouch off and placed it in Yin Zijing's hand, smiling awkwardly, "No need, Miss. My injury isn't serious. We'll treat it when we return to Fu'an Temple tomorrow."