The distance from the tavern entrance to Hua Chongyang's side was two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters); before Hua Chongyang fell, Situ Qingliu had already firmly supported her waist.
The hem of his cloak fluttered down.
Ye Qinghua didn't even see Situ Qingliu rushing over.
Before this, she would never have believed that the handsome young man in front of her, dressed in a white robe and light blue cloak, with a gentle smile and always accompanied by an attendant, would actually know martial arts.
At this moment, he was supporting the drunken Hua Chongyang, who was reeking of alcohol, and his expression was as calm as could be.
Hua Chongyang swayed, grinned, and leaned against Situ Qingliu, her face resting on his shoulder. Situ Qingliu withdrew his hand from her waist and placed it lightly on her shoulder, lowering his head and softly calling her name:
"Miss Chongyang?"
He paused, then called out softly:
"Double Ninth Festival?"
Hua Chongyang chuckled in his ear, reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist, nuzzling his neck with his face, and hummed drunkenly:
"Don't make a sound... When did your body... become so warm?"
Situ Qingliu remained silent, only slightly lowering his eyes.
He supported her standing for a long time, until Hua Chongyang's breathing became long and calm, before carefully removing her arms from her waist, helping her lean back on the table, and then calmly turning his gaze to Ye Qinghua, nodding slightly:
"Master Ye."
"The heir apparent of the Situ family."
Ye Qinghua curled her lips into a smile and casually pointed to the seat next to her:
"Please have a seat."
Situ Qingliu stepped aside, lifted his robe, and sat down. Ye Qinghua smiled, picked up the wine pot, filled a cup for him, and slowly pushed it towards him:
"The heir apparent of the Situ family has also come to drink."
Situ Qingliu neither nodded nor refused, his fingers resting on the rim of his wine glass, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards Hua Chongyang:
"While passing by, I unexpectedly encountered Master Ye and Miss Chongyang."
"Indeed, as the saying goes, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early," Ye Qinghua put down the wine pot and clapped her hands. "There just happened to be a drunkard here who's so drunk he doesn't even know his own name. It's a good thing that Prince Situ got to see him. It wasn't a wasted trip."
Situ Qingliu touched the wine glass again with his fingers and smiled faintly:
"Master Ye is quite the joker."
He paused, then glanced at Ye Qinghua:
"Was it a coincidence that Master Ye and Miss Chongyang met?"
"Yeah, I'm so unlucky. I ran into her the moment I stepped out, and I was dragged here to drink and even had to pay for it—alas, my life is so miserable, I've only saved up a little money my whole life—"
Situ Qingliu chuckled and beckoned someone over:
"Pinlan. Let's settle the bill with the boss first."
Ye Qinghua's eyes and brows were smiling, yet she still maintained a lazy demeanor.
"The Crown Prince is truly generous, huh?"
"You're too kind, Master Ye." Situ Qingliu glanced at Hua Chongyang again. "Miss Chongyang—it seems you've had quite a bit to drink."
"Yeah," Ye Qinghua replied casually, inwardly scoffing.
I've been waiting for you to ask. Go ahead and keep beating around the bush, I'm not in a hurry.
"she--"
"She's useless! All she does is drown her sorrows in alcohol. What good is she anyway!"
"Drowning her sorrows in wine? What troubles the Double Ninth Festival maiden is—"
"Tch! He's just heartbroken!"
Ye Qinghua snorted coldly while giving Situ Qingliu a disdainful look. Situ Qingliu's fingers, gripping the cup, stiffened, then loosened slightly, still smiling faintly, cautiously testing the waters.
Troubled by love?
"Yes," Ye Qinghua stroked Hua Chongyang's hair, her answer concise and to the point, "He was played, he dumped him."
Situ Qingliu lost control of his expression, his smile freezing.
Before Situ Qingliu could recover from his shock, Ye Qinghua sighed again:
"Ugh, all she does is cause trouble for me. I don't even know how to get her back home—oh well, I'll just leave her here and wait for her to wake up on her own. Honestly!"
Coming to his senses, Situ Qingliu stared at Hua Chongyang's sleeping face for a long time, then took off his cloak and carefully draped it over Hua Chongyang's shoulders before calmly answering:
"Master Ye, let me escort Miss Chongyang back."
As he spoke, he stood up.
Ye Qinghua's expression suddenly changed:
"Wait."
Situ Qingliu stopped moving.
"The young master seems quite interested in Chongyang. I've heard he's interested in her for a long time," Ye Qinghua said slowly, her smile almost malicious. "However, I've also heard the young master has a fiancée. So why is he so kind to our Chongyang?"
Situ Qingliu's expression froze again, his hand remaining on Hua Chongyang's shoulder, motionless.
Ye Qinghua looked at him, raised her eyes, paused for a moment, then stood up and smiled again:
"Oh, what a coincidence! Today is truly an auspicious day—Elder Yuqi's funeral has just begun, the Martial Alliance has stormed the Lanying Palace's pleasure boat, I, Ye Qinghua, have encountered Hua Chongyang, and Young Master Situ is trying to play the hero and save the beauty—that's all."
She stood up, holding the wine jug, and glanced sideways toward the doorway:
"Even Master Lan of Zhaoyang Pavilion has time to stroll around the streets?"
40. Announcement of Entry into V-Rate
To all readers: Xiao Bei
"Lanting" will be available for purchase on the 23rd -- Xiao Bei understands, it's all because you guys are willing to support me.
I won't say anything more, anything else would just be pretentious. VIPs, it's just that some shameless Bei couldn't resist the temptation and wanted to exchange his writing for some money... I don't feel ashamed or sorry for anyone for wanting to earn money, but... it's a bit unreasonable not to tell you guys in advance... because I didn't expect it to be so soon, the editor didn't say anything beforehand.
So, I won't say much more. I can only try my best to write well and not let down those who buy VIP chapters. First, I will try to update around 2000 words per day. Second, during my term, the main character and major supporting characters will not die... except for the particularly evil ones.
So... it should barely qualify as a happy ending, right?
In any case, I just hope everyone won't scold me... If I can be a little more shameless, I hope everyone can continue to support me. But if I really can't stand it and quit, I have nothing to say and I'll just have to accept it.
Also, everyone, please remember: long and insightful reviews will earn you points... Once I figure out the point-giving rules...
Respectfully yours, Mo Bei.
41. Lan Wuxie...
The people drinking idly in the tavern who had been eagerly craning their necks to watch the spectacle before all changed their expressions when Lan Wuxie appeared.
Lan Wuxie's act of leaving his enemy's corpse exposed on the dueling platform by West Lake for three days was so high-profile that everyone in Hangzhou knew about it. From eighty-year-olds to three-year-olds, perhaps some people didn't know about Crown Prince Situ Qingliu, but no one didn't know about the Lan Ying Palace's Master Zhaoyang, who came from the Lan Ying Palace and whose methods of revenge were so cruel as to be almost perverse.
Lan Wuxie stood expressionlessly at the door, not even glancing at Ye Qinghua and Situ Qingliu, and strode into the tavern. He sat down at the table where Hua Chongyang and Ye Qinghua were sitting—right next to the standing Situ Qingliu—and with his eyes lowered, he lightly flicked his sleeve.
"Waiter, tea."
Everyone in the tavern had their heads down, but not one of them wasn't secretly glancing at him.
This was the first time that Lan Wuxie, the legendary master of Zhaoyang Pavilion, had made his first public appearance. That afternoon, the claim that "Lan Wuxie is peerless in beauty," which had previously been dismissed as a rumor, spread throughout Hangzhou. By the next morning, his portrait had appeared at every painting stall in the streets and alleys of Hangzhou. At dusk the following day, people from Lan Ying Palace intervened, kicking down several painting studios and burning the portrait molds. On the third day, Bo Jiang's title of "the most beautiful woman in the world" had changed hands.
The shop assistant, hiding behind the counter, cautiously peeked out and, after a long pause, stammered a reply:
"Hey... tea's coming, tea's coming!"
In the ensuing silence, the only sound was the trembling of the waiter as he brewed tea, followed by the crashing sound of two teacups shattering. The waiter then carried the tea tray, his steps unsteady, to the table.
"...Sir, tea, tea, tea are here."
Lan Cao, who had been standing at the entrance of the tavern, finally couldn't bear to watch any longer. She took a few steps in, took the tea tray, carefully placed it on the table, and then neatly washed the teacups, poured in the tea, and gently placed them in front of Lan Wuxie.
Before Lan Cao could turn around, Lan Wuxie glanced at Hua Chongyang, his brows furrowing slightly:
Orchid.
"Yes, Master."
"You can't wear blue with bright red."
The orchid nodded again:
"What the Pavilion Master says is true."
She reached out and lifted the cloak that Situ Qingliu had placed on Hua Chongyang.
Situ Qingliu's expression remained unchanged, then he smiled:
"What Pavilion Master Lan says is true. I also feel that this light blue paired with bright red is somewhat inappropriate. I just don't know why."
He smiled, then looked down at Hua Chongyang, who was curled up in his sleep.
"Does Miss Chongyang want to be warmer or prettier right now?"
After saying that, he reached out and took the cloak from Lan Cao's hand, turned around and sat down at the table next to him, looking up at the waiter with a smile:
"Waiter, a pot of Daughter's Red wine and two side dishes."
The waiter responded, brought over the wine, said, "I'll go get the small side dishes right away," and then ran back to the counter as if his life depended on it, lifted the curtain, and slipped out the back door.
The tavern was now completely silent.
Lan Wuxie hadn't looked up once, now holding a teacup, eyes downcast, intently blowing on the tea; Ye Qinghua held a wine pot, seemingly bored, idly tracing a finger across the lid; Situ Qingliu sat at the next table, slowly pouring wine into his cup, drinking alone. Only Hua Chongyang lay sprawled on the table, reeking of alcohol, sleeping like a log.
The idlers sitting at the tables in the corner all kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly.
After a while, Lan Wuxie took a small sip of tea, then switched the tea to her left hand, and gently patted Hua Chongyang's shoulder with her right hand, her voice soft and careful as if she were coaxing a child:
"Double Ninth Festival, Double Ninth Festival?"
Ye Qinghua glanced at it sideways, a faint, cold smile on her face.
Upon hearing the sound, Hua Chongyang rubbed his hands on the table, slightly raised his face, half-closed his eyes, and impatiently mumbled a few words:
"……What?"
Lan Wuxie gently stroked her shoulder, his expression one of extreme patience and tenderness.