"Huh?" Hua Chongyang was taken aback. "What did you say?"
"Don't play dumb with me. This trick works on others, but not on me!" Ye Qinghua narrowed her eyes even further, staring intently at Hua Chongyang. "I was also secretly watching from the audience at the martial arts tournament. If he wasn't interested in you, would he have offered you a chair and tea? Anyone with eyes could see he was showing you favor."
"Who knows if it's me they're flattering, or something else?" Hua Chongyang replied casually, his upturned peach blossom eyes lingering as he watched Bo Jiang's entourage gradually disappear into the distance before turning around, waving his hand, and retorting seriously, "Situ Qingliu seems like a good person."
Three black lines immediately appeared on Ye Qinghua's face:
"What do you mean? No good person would be interested in you?"
"Stop talking nonsense." Hua Chongyang snorted coldly. "At a time like this, I don't have the mind to think about such things. Didn't you say yourself that anyone who takes a liking to me is either bewitched? Anyway, I'm going to the kitchen to find some leftovers."
Having deliberately cultivated a more masculine image for so many years, Hua Chongyang was absolutely confident in her ability to scare away men. Full of confidence, she clutched her belly and turned to head towards the kitchen. But Ye Qinghua, standing under the windowsill picking at her nails, watched Hua Chongyang's tall, slender yet thin back—clearly someone who had starved—and couldn't help but mutter under her breath:
"...Who knows how many men in this world are truly bewitched?"
Although Ye Qinghua usually looked down on Hua Chongyang, she had to admit that Hua Chongyang was indeed a beauty.
The white moon was rising outside, while inside Ye Qinghua's room in the brothel, a huge wooden tub sat behind a screen in the outer room. Through the thin gauze screen, Ye Qinghua leaned against the tea table in the inner room, casually glancing at what was behind the screen out of the corner of her eye as she ate melon seeds. Thick steam hung in the air, and the sound of rushing water came from behind the screen. Between the rising and falling water sounds, the shadow of Hua Chongyang's long arms was projected onto the screen:
"Blue and white porcelain, what is this thing you gave me?"
Ye Qinghua raised her eyes, about to answer, when she saw the outer door open silently, and a tall, slender figure suddenly stood in the doorway.
Her eyes widened suddenly, and she slowly stood up.
He had long, slender eyebrows, a square forehead, a straight nose, a sharp, knife-like chin, and thin lips with a slight curve. He was tightly wrapped in a grey and white fox fur coat, and his jet-black hair reached his waist. When Ye Qinghua saw his appearance clearly, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak at all. She just took a step back from the tea table, looked at him, and then at Hua Chongyang behind the screen, her face full of doubt.
The person stood at the doorway, first glancing behind the misty screen, then turning his head slightly, raising his long eyebrow to look at Ye Qinghua, raising his right index finger to his lips as a gesture to be quiet.
...It really was him.
Ye Qinghua swallowed silently, watching the man press down on his robe with his left hand and lift the hem with his right, stepping silently into the room. He walked slowly into the inner room and sat down beside Ye Qinghua. A tea tray was placed on the tea table, with small, crystal-clear teacups upside down on it. He leaned against the tea table, his gaze fixed on the screen behind him, while his right hand casually reached out two fingers to pick up a teacup from the tray, silently placing it in front of him. Then, he picked up the teapot, poured half a bowl of tea, and brought it to his lips.
Not hearing Ye Qinghua's reply, Hua Chongyang, behind the screen, raised his arm again, turned to look into the inner room, and muttered as he asked again:
"Qinghua, what is this you gave me...? Why does it smell so good?"
Ye Qinghua, who had just come to her senses, quickly glanced at her and deliberately raised her voice:
"Stop arguing! Just use it when I tell you to!"
"……"
A moment later, a faint fragrance, tinged with dampness, spread throughout the room.
The man beside the tea table still kept his gaze fixed on the screen, his two fingers casually holding the teacup to his lips, but he didn't open his mouth. Through the rising steam of the tea, Ye Qinghua felt that his eyes, staring at the screen outside, seemed even more profound and unfathomable.
A loud splash came from behind the screen. Following the man's unwavering gaze, she saw Hua Chongyang's naked figure reflected on the screen. Hua Chongyang was tall, so the top of her still-damp hair was visible just above the screen. Then, a long, slender arm rose and pulled a white silk robe and a towel from the side of the screen. The flowing robe billowed up and then slowly fell, covering a tall, slender figure. Then, the screen reflected the shadow of Hua Chongyang turning to the side, wiping her hair with the towel.
Ye Qinghua had to admit that, without clothes on and behind this thin screen—and most importantly, when she wasn't speaking—Hua Chongyang did indeed look like a beauty.
The man sitting in front of her was still staring straight at the thin screen, his two hands holding the teacup to his lips, turning it casually. His thin lips lightly touched the teacup, and the faint smile on his lips somehow made Ye Qinghua feel hot and her heart race.
But then Hua Chongyang, wiping her hair and swinging her long, bare legs, was about to step out from behind the screen—
"Ye Qinghua, put the clothes here--"
As two long, white legs emerged from behind the screen, the man flicked his sleeve, and the candlelight inside suddenly went out, while the curtains separating the inner and outer rooms fell simultaneously.
Ye Qinghua let out a soft breath.
Hua Chongyang, draped in white silk, stopped in front of the curtain, her hand still wiping her hair.
"Qinghua, what's wrong? Why is the curtain down?"
By the candlelight outside, Ye Qinghua could vaguely see the greyish-white figure standing behind the curtain. She couldn't see his eyes, but she had a feeling that he was still watching Hua Chongyang.
By extinguishing the candle and lowering the curtain, he indicated that he did not want Hua Chongyang to see him.
So Ye Qinghua pressed her hand to her chest and shouted fiercely outside:
"Don't come in—I'm changing clothes!"
"They're all women, I can't be bothered to look at you."
Ye Qinghua glanced at the tall figure under the curtain, then shouted back:
"Don't give me that! I've never treated you like a woman! Your clothes are on the chair in front of the dressing table, get dressed yourself!"
Through the curtain, Ye Qinghua watched Hua Chongyang, her clothes damp, walk towards the dressing table. A dagger had silently been drawn from its sheath beneath the curtain, slashing a line across it; through the shallow gap, Hua Chongyang's figure, draped in white silk, was clearly visible, from her dripping hair to her bare feet and the water-soaked silk clinging to her body. She casually tied up her hair, removed the silk, and began to put on the clothes on the dressing table, one by one. Although the view was indistinct, Ye Qinghua never doubted Hua Chongyang's ability to wear elaborate women's clothing: from beginning to end, not a single time had Hua Chongyang dressed herself without looking disheveled.
Therefore, she had no doubt that the man's upturned lips were a smile for the Double Ninth Festival.
...He probably saw it more clearly than she did.
After an unknown amount of time, Hua Chongyang finally tidied her clothes, then, holding up her long skirt in one hand and a handful of her long hair in the other, turned towards the curtain:
"...Qinghua, I'm dressed."
Ye Qinghua did not answer, but watched as the man turned around and silently walked to the back window of the inner room, pushed open the carved window lattice facing the lake, lifted the hem of his robe, and leaped out.
"Ye Qinghua," Hua Chongyang finally lifted the curtain, looking into the dark room inside, "you—"
Bright candlelight from outside flooded into the room, and Hua Chongyang saw Ye Qinghua supporting herself motionless on the tea table with both hands. She cautiously approached and noticed that Ye Qinghua's hands were trembling violently—after a long while, she straightened up, slightly raising her eyebrows, and stepped into the outer room.
"I'm not feeling well today, I'll go find Lao Liu to do your makeup."
14. Feast of Heroes
As dusk approached, the streets of Anyang were already bustling with activity.
On a narrow couch beneath a window on the third floor of the brothel, facing the street, sat Hua Chongyang, fully dressed, her knees drawn up to her chest, gazing blankly at the bustling nightscape outside. She wore a pure white silk lining under a light red silk robe, its hem trailing long and flowing down to the couch. Her thick, soft black hair was simply styled in a bun at the back of her head, then cascaded down her neck to her waist. Surprisingly, Ye Qinghua hadn't applied much powder to her face, only lightly drawing her eyebrows and applying a touch of rouge to her lips, but adorning her hair with two fluttering purple-gold phoenix hairpins. Hua Chongyang remembered clearly that after Ye Qinghua finished pinning two phoenix hairpins in her hair, she clapped her hands, straightened up as if she had accomplished a great task, then put one hand on her hip and pointed at Hua Chongyang with the other, solemnly threatening, "Get to work properly for me. Putting everything else aside, those two phoenix hairpins on your head are worth half the city of Hangzhou. If you tilt your head—*snap!*—it's like the Broken Bridge of West Lake and Leifeng Pagoda are both doomed."
Upon hearing this, Hua Chongyang couldn't help but tremble... What Ye Qinghua really meant was, if you dare to break my precious jewelry, you're finished.
She sighed, still looking out the window with her eyes down.
The red lanterns of the brothel hung all the way from the front door to the entrance of Anyang Street. The street was filled with red light and bustling with people. The people coming and going were talking about the same thing: the Hero's Feast.
She had heard Ye Qinghua mention it a few times before.
The so-called "Heroes' Banquet" was nothing more than Ye Qinghua's way of enhancing the brothel's reputation. She invited renowned figures from the martial arts world to enjoy a night of fine wine, food, song, and dance—in short, she was spending money to buy fame. Ye Qinghua said that if her leading lady, Ren Ruhua, wasn't present at such a grand event, how could she, Ye Qinghua, maintain her reputation? She added that it was just playing the zither on a high platform; it was mainly for show. Separated by the vast Spring Lake, the towering Phoenix Terrace, and several layers of gauze curtains, no one would recognize her… More importantly, Ye Qinghua declared, "If you don't come, Hua Chongyang, never come to me for money again! All those years of friendship between us are over!"
...So, Hua Chongyang came.
But poor Hua Chongyang didn't know that a day earlier, Ye Qinghua, the owner of the brothel, had personally sent invitations to all the prominent figures at the martial arts tournament, inviting them to the brothel to celebrate their victory. The celebration banquet was full of wonderful performances: first, a round of delicacies; second, a round of fine wine; third, a round of singing and dancing; and fourth, "the beauty contest"—or to put it more clearly, the so-called "beauty" was the brothel's signature beauty, Ren Ruhua.
The winner of the "beauty contest" will be personally offered three cups of fine wine by Miss Ren Ruhua.
So when Hua Chongyang looked down from the third-floor window and saw Ji Chongrong, Chen Fei, and even Situ Qingliu appear at the brothel entrance, he couldn't help but be greatly surprised, and doubts began to arise in his heart. As one after another, the faces that had appeared on and off the stage at the martial arts tournament appeared at the brothel entrance along with the lanterns, and Ye Qinghua, draped in an elegant black cloak with pure white fur trim, stood gracefully at the entrance, holding a dignified white embroidered handkerchief in her hand, smiling demurely as she greeted the first group of guests—Hua Chongyang finally couldn't contain himself because of Ye Qinghua's unusually dignified demeanor today. He lifted the hem of his long robe with both hands and stood up from the narrow couch, carefully making his way outside, wanting to find Ye Laoqi, who might be outside, and ask him something.
Then, just as I reached the door of the outer room, I heard a knock.
Tap, tap tap.
She instinctively took a step back.
The person standing outside the door was probably not from inside the brothel. As a regular customer, Hua Chongyang knew the habits of the girls inside like the back of his hand: from the owner Ye Qinghua down to the old woman Huang who guarded the door, none of the girls or grandmothers in the brothel would politely knock softly before entering—they would usually kick the door open with a loud "bang," accompanied by shouts: "Open the door for me! What are you doing with the door closed so late at night!"
Perhaps not hearing an echo, there was another knock at the door, this time accompanied by a gentle inquiry:
"Excuse me, is anyone inside?"
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but hold his breath.
That voice was so familiar—it was Situ Qingliu!
After a pause, that familiar, gentle, smiling voice rang out again:
"Young lady inside, I see your shadow. I'm afraid I've gone to the wrong place, but I can't find anyone to ask for directions. If you don't answer soon, I'll have to rudely push open the door—"
With a creak, the door was pushed open.
It was too late to dodge. Hua Chongyang released her grip on the hem of her robe and whirled around, quickly folding the silk handkerchief in half and tucking the corners behind her ear. Then, she heard steady footsteps stepping in behind her, paused, and smiled:
"Excuse me, young lady."
Hua Chongyang wasn't unwilling to speak. First, she genuinely wanted to help Situ Qingliu by telling him how to get out of there; second, she wanted to ask him how he ended up there; and finally, she felt that if others found out there was a mute woman in the brothel, Ye Qinghua, who always prided herself on her quick wit, would definitely make her suffer.
She hesitated.
Having practiced internal energy cultivation, she could certainly change her tone and voice when speaking to Situ Qingliu. But for some reason, she just felt... that Situ Qingliu wasn't someone easily fooled, and that even the slightest clue should be kept hidden if possible.
"I've come to attend the Heroes' Banquet hosted by Miss Ye, the owner of your esteemed establishment. I was momentarily distracted and took the wrong turn—Miss, how do I get to Linchun Pavilion?"
As he asked the question, Situ Qingliu took a step forward.
If he didn't answer, he might see his face. With no other option, Hua Chongyang took a deep breath, held it in his chest, and forced a high-pitched scream:
"Turn left after exiting the building, follow the long corridor to the third staircase, go down to the second floor, turn right and walk up the second staircase, then take the middle staircase to the shaded terrace, go down the right staircase and pass through the eaves corridor, and you will arrive at Linchun Tower."
"...Could you say that again, young lady?"
"Go out the door and turn left, take the third staircase, go down to the second floor, then turn right and go through the second door--"
"The second door? I seem to remember it being... the second staircase?"
"Some of the staircases here are behind doors, so you might not find them if you're not paying attention. When you're looking, just look for doors with lanterns hanging above them; there's a staircase behind one of them."
"Oh, and then?"
"...And then what?"
Hua Chongyang's voice trembled. It wasn't that she lacked internal strength, but rather that her voice was so unpleasant to listen to that even she herself found it hard to bear.
"After the second door?" Even with his back turned, Hua Chongyang could almost hear the laughter in Situ Qingliu's voice. "And then through the covered walkway?"
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but turn slightly to the side and wave his hand: "Flying eaves bridge? No, that's not right, you need to find the terrace first--"
"Miss," Situ Qingliu interrupted her, taking another step forward and raising an eyebrow slightly, "have I seen you somewhere before—?"
"……"
A cool breeze blew in from the doorway, and Hua Chongyang felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
She turned her face to look directly at Situ Qingliu, her eyes meeting his gentle, slightly narrowed yet still curved gaze, fixed on her face.
"May I ask your name, young lady?"
Suppressing a hint of panic, Hua Chongyang turned his head and calmly denied it: "Is that so—Young Master, you must be mistaken?"
Situ Qingliu scrutinized her for a long time, finally looking away and shaking his head with a smile:
"I was mistaken; it's just a resemblance. I'm truly sorry."
Hua Chongyang gave a dry laugh, his cold sweat gradually fading: "...No problem, no problem. There are countless similar cases in the world."
"That's true." Situ Qingliu said, then subtly took a step forward and sighed softly, "But with a beauty like Miss Ruhua's, I'm afraid there are very few like her in the world."