A soft sigh drifted on the wind, carrying a hint of emptiness. Mo Liyuan raised his cup and drained it, his expression gradually deepening: "Indeed, she is worthy of being Qingyuan's daughter, but unfortunately..." He paused, a chill creeping into his eyes: "It's just a pity... that one day she will regret calling him 'father,' because that person—no, he doesn't deserve it!"
Mo Liyuan's expression turned indifferent, his aura icy: "How can the man who killed Qingyuan deserve that title? Qingchen, what do you say...?"
The words were faint, seemingly drifting far away. It was as if they landed in the wind of an inn in Yangzhou, where a figure in white robes stood gracefully by the window, his black hair gently swirling around his ears. A mask covered his face above the bridge of his nose, making his features impossible to discern.
On the bed behind him lay a handsome young man, his face pale, still in a deep coma.
Yangzhou remained bustling even after the Flower Queen Festival, but this night seemed unusually quiet. The wind blew and leaves fell, and a man in white took out his flute and gently played a low melody, accompanied by the fluttering of his robes in the wind.
Chapter Thirteen: Clouds Obscuring the Sun (Part Two)
Behind the mask, Qingchen's expression shifted between light and dark. Recalling the chaotic scene of corpses scattered on the ground, the light that fell into his eyes seemed to be swallowed by his deep gaze. A soft cough came from behind him. He turned around and looked calmly at the boy who had just woken up.
Liusu's vision was blurry for a moment, but gradually she could see the scene in front of her clearly, and her thoughts cleared up.
"Susu!" He sat up abruptly, the slightly large movement pulling at his wound, and he couldn't help but gasp.
"Awake?" A cold, ethereal voice sounded in my ear.
Liu Su was surprised to see another person in the room, dressed in white, carrying a jade flute, with only crimson lips visible beneath a half-covered mask, exuding a bewitching allure. He felt his throat tighten: "You are—"
Qingchen looked at him calmly: "You recognize me."
It's not a question, it's a certainty.
However, Liu Su did not answer. He could not see the face under the mask, but he recognized the mask. Ten years ago, when he acted as the leader of the One Leaf Alliance, the Silver Hall Master and Wine Envoy treated him as if he were the leader himself. It was said that he was always dressed in white with a mask covering his face.
The wine maker, who had suddenly disappeared ten years ago, suddenly reappeared, much to everyone's surprise.
Liu Su vaguely sensed Mo Liyuan's intentions, but was surprised that he was so sure that taking away Zhuang Su would lure this person here. He pursed his dry lips and said, "It was Liuyun Manor that attacked us."
The voice was weak and still somewhat faint. Leaves silently slipped from the branches outside the window.
The light was dim. The flame on the candlestick flickered eerily.
"Is it Mo Liyuan..." Qingchen's voice was devoid of emotion in the silence.
Liusu stared at him without answering. She saw him stand at the window, glance out into the distance, then silently turn and walk out of the room. The door creaked shut, followed by the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.
Liu Su's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he lay helplessly on the bed. Only when he felt a dampness on his back did he realize that the few words he had just exchanged with this person had left him drenched in sweat.
Is this the legendary One Leaf Alliance...? Whether it's the South Courtyard, the North Tower, or the Silver Hall, every lord who comes out exudes a unique aura.
Liusu breathed softly, and the violent beating in her chest gradually calmed down.
It was very quiet all around, deathly still, with barely any human voices.
The candlelight was still somewhat dim.
The man in white did not return for a long time. Liu Su's expression was somewhat dazed, yet she did not fall asleep. She spent a sleepless night, the sky outside the window gradually brightening from deep black, a few rays of morning light filtering in and falling on the bedding. Her eyes narrowed slightly; her face was still somewhat pale, but her wounds had been treated, and she was gradually regaining her vitality.
The room was empty. Liu Su suddenly got out of bed. Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, his wounds still made his steps somewhat unsteady. He walked to the window, took out a bamboo flute about the length of a little finger, put it to his lips and blew, producing several clear bird calls. His expression was somewhat vacant as the melodious bird calls poured out. After a while, a pure white carrier pigeon flew in from outside the courtyard and landed by the window.
Liusu took paper and pen from the room, wrote a note, and stuffed it into the empty bamboo tube on the pigeon's leg. With a quick release, the pigeon flapped its wings a few times and flew off to the west with practiced ease.
Liusu's gaze remained fixed on that white dot, and even after the carrier pigeon had disappeared, she did not look away for a long time.
A gentle breeze ruffled his hair. His pale face was accentuated by the crimson stain on his lips. If one didn't notice his clenched fist, his expression remained utterly emotionless. His fists were so tightly clenched that his fingers dug deep into his palms, causing a subtle pain.
"She has always been a member of the One Leaf Alliance..."
He let out a soft sigh, a hint of mockery lurking beneath his gentle face.
As the wind blew, his words drifted far away along with the letter on the carrier pigeon's leg. Heading west, in a courtyard, a boy whistled loudly, and a white carrier pigeon swooped down with a flap of its wings. The boy reached out, and the pigeon's claws caught his slender fingers.
"Nayan, is this a letter from Su'er?"
The boy had just removed the letter from the bamboo tube on the carrier pigeon's leg when he heard this. He raised his hand and saw the pigeon fly far away and land in the pigeon patch among the trees nearby. He replied with a smile, "It's a letter from the second young master, sir."
This was a quaint and elegant courtyard, yet its decorations were exquisite. The person who asked the question was a bit older, reclining in a rocking chair in the courtyard, swaying gently. The rocking chair was made of green bamboo, emitting a faint creaking sound, and on the table beside it, a teapot was filled with fine Biluochun tea, its aroma wafting gently.
Anyone who has visited Luoyang, the capital of the Chu Kingdom, will know that this villa is the residence of the current prime minister.
Liu Kun, the prime minister of the State of Chu, wielded immense power, controlling everything under the sun. He was second only to the king, above all others.
It was just after court had ended. Liu Kun savored the aroma of the tea in his cup and asked slowly, "Su'er is always cautious. Since you used carrier pigeons this time, what happened?"
Nayan quickly read the letter, his smile fading. "My lord," he said, "the second young master says that the wine envoy of the One Leaf Alliance has appeared in Yangzhou."
"Crack." The porcelain cup in Liu Kun's hand shattered slightly from his tight grip. He narrowed his eyes, a shrewd glint in them: "This person is still alive?" His voice was calm, pausing slightly as he gazed at the greenery in the courtyard: "Did Su'er say what the reason was?"
"In the letter from the Second Young Master, he said that he and Qingchen's adopted daughter were attacked by Liuyun Manor in Yangzhou. The girl was taken away by Mo Liyuan, and he was saved by the Wine Envoy." Nayan's voice trembled slightly, showing great concern.
"Oh—?" Liu Kun smiled meaningfully. "Mo Liyuan showed up in person just to abduct a girl? And then, even the wine envoy showed up? Interesting." He placed the porcelain on the table, stood up from the rocking chair, and turned to walk into the room: "Su'er did a good job this time, she deserves credit."
"grown ups!"
Liu Kun had already reached the door when he heard Na Yan call him, so he stopped and turned around to look at him in surprise: "What, is there some other information?"
Nayan had clenched the paper in his hand into a tight ball. Finally, he made up his mind and said, "My lord, please find a way to get Liuyun Manor to release Miss Susu."
"Susu? Which Susu?" Liu Kun didn't react for a moment, and after thinking for a long time, he said "Oh," "You mean Qingchen's adopted daughter from Shengxiao Valley?"
The Grand Counselor gritted his teeth and replied, "Yes!"
Liu Kun frowned, puzzled. "What does her life or death have to do with me?"
"My lord, over the years, it is not difficult to know from Old Master Sun's letters how much the Second Young Master values Miss Susu. Now that Miss Susu has entered Liuyun Manor and her fate is uncertain, the Second Young Master must be very sad!"
Liu Kun sneered: "So what?"
Na Yan felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, but she still braced herself and said, "It was already difficult enough that the Second Young Master was sent to the One Leaf Alliance alone as an informant since he was a child. Now he has brought such important news. I hope that you will save Miss Su Su, considering that the Young Master almost lost his life this time!" After saying that, she actually knelt down.
"Are you blaming me?" Liu Kun's lips curled into a cold smile as he looked at Na Yan's stubbornly straight back, his voice flat. "Na Yan, how many years have you been with me?"
The Grand Councilor was taken aback by Ryukun's question and replied, "Your Excellency, I was sent to the Prime Minister's residence when I was five years old, and it has been thirteen years now."
“Thirteen years… I’ve watched you grow up, so I naturally know what you’re thinking. But I also hope you understand that as descendants of the Liu family, they should be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the family. Whether it’s Liu Ye, who is currently far away on the battlefield, or Liu Su, who has been hiding her origins and living in the One Leaf Alliance for a long time. This is the awareness they should have. I know you blame me for being heartless, but this is not your business.” Liu Kun casually brushed the dust off his clothes, no longer looking at the kneeling Na Yan, and turned to walk into the house. “But this Su Su doesn’t seem to be such a simple character. Even if you didn’t say it, I wouldn’t let her die. Because—she’s still useful.”
A faint smile graced his face, eventually fading away as his figure disappeared around the corner.
"Second Young Master, this is all I can do for you..." Na Yan felt a chill creep up his knees from the ground, staring blankly at the crumpled letter in his hand, murmuring with a hint of sorrow.
He didn't understand what the so-called awareness that the descendants of the Liu family should have was, but he could never forget the boy who was still very young ten years ago, curled up alone in a corner of the courtyard and cried silently before he left. Liu Su never liked to make people worry, so he never showed any unease in front of others. If he hadn't happened to pass by that day, he would never have thought that the second young master, who was gentle to everyone, would also have a time when he was afraid and cried.
That year, Nagō was eight years old, and Ryūsō was six. Thinking about it again, they were just children, yet they were sent to a place where they had no relatives or friends, forced to conceal their identities, and constantly on guard. It seemed excessively cruel.
For ten years, Liusu has lived in Yiye Alliance, where he is surrounded by "enemies".
"The injury should be alright, right..." Nagyan looked at the letter that downplayed the injury, but couldn't help worrying. "Save a life"—six words, how could he not imagine the harrowing experience involved?
Na Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly. This writing style... this person hadn't changed at all... except that he seemed stronger. Liu Su, who had cried in his arms and called him "Brother Yan" before she left, probably wouldn't appear again after all these years. Yi Ye Meng, it seemed there was nowhere for him to cry.
The Grand Councilor carefully put the letter away, then turned and left the courtyard. His eyes held a hint of sadness as his figure gradually disappeared from sight.
Perhaps, Liusu kept silent about his injuries simply because he knew that even if he died, the man he called "father" probably wouldn't ask a single question...
Chapter Fourteen: It's an Old Friend (Part 1)
"I heard the master brought back a woman?" In a room of Liuyun Manor, a few sticks of incense burned softly. Slender fingertips tapped lightly on the table, a hint of restlessness emanating from them.
The woman was dressed in a light blue brocade robe, with a purple sash and jade pendant hanging at her waist. Her hair was loosely styled, and her deep eyes were as dark as night shadows, yet a hint of malice lurked between her brows. Seeing that the person behind her did not answer, she coldly asked, "What kind of woman is she?"
The servant, who had been silent, was suddenly glared at and trembled so much that he knelt on the ground: "I...I only caught a glimpse from afar, and I only saw that her dance was very beautiful, but I didn't see anything else clearly..."
"A woman who can dance well?" The woman smiled mockingly and waved her hand. "What's her name?"
"The master of the manor told us to call her Miss Susu."
"Susu?" The woman toyed with the cup in her hand, lost in thought. With a slight wave of her hand, the servant hurriedly retreated.
Speaking of being proficient in dance, it reminded her of someone.
The woman felt a pang of nostalgia, her gaze drifting wistfully to the cold, desolate scene outside. Once, a woman in blue had driven Mo Liyuan mad with infatuation, and it was precisely because of that woman's existence that she had always been relegated to an awkward, neither-host-nor-guest position.
Mo Liyuan's prolonged unmarried status was solely due to that woman. And her long-term unmarried stay at Liuyun Manor was also solely for Mo Liyuan…
The woman couldn't help but take a great deal of interest in this rumored "Miss Susu".
My fingertips tapped lightly on the table, a hint of irritation creeping in.
Hall raised a slight, delicate eyebrow, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Whether he treats this woman the same way he treats the others, we'll find out by testing..."
She got up and gently blew out the candle flame.
The Liuyun Villa is very quiet at night.
The next day, at Mo Liyuan's invitation, Zhuang Su changed into a simple blue dress and went out with Yun Qing, who came to fetch her. As she passed the west wing, she saw a woman standing at the door of the room and couldn't help but pay attention. The woman wore a bamboo-green silk robe with scattered flowers, and her figure was somewhat like a willow branch on Zhangtai Mountain. She seemed to be looking at her indifferently, but her expression was slightly cold.
Seeing that Zhuang Su had slowed down, Yun Qing noticed where her gaze was falling and introduced her, "That is Miss Banmei, an old acquaintance of the manor lord, who is currently staying at Liuyun Manor."
"Oh..." Zhuang Su responded, not asking any further questions, and turned to follow Yun Qing. She only felt that the woman was watching her the whole time, until she was out of sight. She inexplicably felt that the woman named "Banmei" was hostile towards her. However, she really couldn't think of when she had offended anyone, and after a moment's thought, she let it go.
Mo Liyuan summoned her, but it was to play chess.
When Zhuang Su arrived, she frowned upon seeing the messy chess pieces on the table. The courtyard was empty; the man had clearly been playing against himself. Playing chess without an opponent—this man was lonely. Zhuang Su sat down on the stone chair beside him, sighed softly, and carefully placed the scattered pieces onto the chessboard.
Mo Liyuan looked at her indifferently, but did not help.
However, Zhuang Su was not annoyed. Her expression was indifferent as she began to separate the seeds one by one.
She picked out the black beans one by one from the two boxes and put them into one of them. Her movements were slow and deliberate, showing her excellent temper and patience; you couldn't tell what she was thinking from her appearance alone. Everything was done methodically and orderly. Although her movements were slow, she tidied up very quickly, and in no time, the messy situation from before was completely gone.
Mo Liyuan's eyes fell upon the slender figure, and for a moment he was somewhat dazed. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his lips, a smile tinged with bitterness and helplessness. Although she was Qing Yuan's daughter, their personalities were vastly different; aside from that breathtaking dance, there was probably nothing similar about her. If Qing Yuan were to clean up this mess, she would probably rather not play chess anymore and simply turn around and leave…
Thinking about it, Mo Liyuan couldn't help but smile softly.
After Zhuang Su finished arranging the chess pieces, she looked up and saw Mo Liyuan's expression. She frowned and said, "Master, you are an important person. Even if I made a mistake while arranging the chess pieces, there is no need to make fun of me, is there?"
"I'm not making fun of you." Mo Liyuan looked at her with a smile, his cold aura dissipating slightly. "I just felt a little embarrassed to have a guest do the tidying up."
"Does the master consider me a 'guest'?" Zhuang Su handed over the box containing the white pieces, smiling slightly.
Mo Liyuan seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her words, and began to play chess with her, speaking calmly: "As long as you don't leave Liuyun Manor, Miss Susu will always be a guest of the manor."
Zhuang Su placed her black chess piece down without answering. For the past few days, she had known that Mo Liyuan wouldn't tell her who this so-called "old friend" was, but now that she knew Liu Su was unharmed, a weight had been lifted from her heart, and she naturally wouldn't press the matter further. She was focused on her game when she suddenly heard Mo Liyuan say, "That day you were bullied so badly by Shen Sansi. After all those years in the One Leaf Alliance, you haven't learned any self-defense skills?"
This question made her pause slightly as she was about to place her piece.
Looking up, Nuo saw that Mo Liyuan wasn't looking at her; his gaze was fixed on the chessboard, and he seemed lost in thought.