"What are you looking at, Uncle Fu?"
Uncle Fu took a sip of tea and slowly smiled, "I think you're becoming more and more like your mother."
Hua Chongyang raised an eyebrow.
Apart from Uncle Fu, no one else in her life has ever said that she looks like her mother. Even her late Aunt Fu said that apart from her pointed chin when she smiled, she looks very different from Hua Chuxue.
It was because Uncle Fu doted on her mother so much. From childhood to adulthood, Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu raised her mother single-handedly and taught her martial arts. In Uncle Fu's eyes, there was probably no girl more beautiful than her mother.
But as soon as he picked up the teapot, Uncle Fu sighed softly:
"You and your mother are so alike, Chongyang."
"Uncle Fu--"
"Ji Chong and Rong Chenfei want you to send an invitation to Lan Wuxie?"
"...Yes. How did you know—"
"I have friends to ask around," Uncle Fu interrupted her, then fell silent over his tea. After a long while, he sighed, "Before your Aunt Fu passed away, she once quietly told me that she wished Chongyang were a little less intelligent."
Hua Chongyang remained silent.
When she was fourteen, she learned swordsmanship from Uncle Fu. She could imitate a sword move after seeing it twice, and memorize a sword manual after seeing it three times. But one time, for some reason, there was a sword move she just couldn't memorize, and she was so anxious she couldn't eat. At that moment, Aunt Fu, while stroking her hair, smiled and said:
"Eating is of paramount importance."
Hua Chongyang wouldn't listen, stubbornly sticking to his own ideas, and angrily slapped the sword manual:
"Aunt Fu, have I suddenly become stupid?"
Aunt Fu smiled gently at her, and after smiling, she slowly said:
"What's wrong with being a little slow? Slow-witted girls are lucky; they don't have to do anything, they don't have to think, they just eat and live a carefree life."
Hua Chongyang had only found those words amusing at the time. But now, hearing them again, she could no longer laugh.
"If you're a bit slow, you don't need to think so much. Such a beautiful girl, who wouldn't cherish her like a treasure after she marries into any family?" Uncle Fu held his teacup, seemingly lost in thought, his voice slow, whether he was talking to himself or repeating Aunt Fu's words, "If she were in an ordinary family, she would marry, have children, and live a life of unimaginable happiness."
After saying that, Uncle Fu looked at her with both eyes.
Hua Chongyang wanted to grin, but couldn't. The warm, soft sunlight shone down, like silken threads. Uncle Fu withdrew his gaze, a rare gentle and kind expression appearing on his face.
"It's all good, as long as you think it's good. I know Miss has her reasons for doing things, and so do you. Sigh, your Aunt Fu and I eloped to Flower Garden back then..."
Hua Chongyang didn't quite understand the last sentence. When she came to her senses, she looked at Uncle Fu with a surprised expression, only to find that the old man had already entered the house with a teacup.
...Elopement? Sure enough, even Uncle Fu has a passionate past...
But even as dusk approached, no invitation arrived from Lake Moon Manor for Lan Wuxie. Uncle Fu had even brought out dinner when a Wudang disciple came looking for Hua Chongyang.
"Senior Sister Chongyang, Master told me to tell you that you don't need to go today. We'll discuss this further at Lake Moon Manor tomorrow."
Hua Chongyang looked at the shy-looking junior brother she didn't recognize:
"Do you know what happened?"
"It seems so," the boy hesitated for a moment, his ears turning slightly red, "The people Master sent to inquire have returned and said that Lan Wuxie invited several famous girls from Hangzhou to the pleasure boat, declaring that a moment of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and no one is allowed to board the boat tonight to disturb them."
"I see." Hua Chongyang raised an eyebrow, then looked at the Wudang disciple and couldn't help but tease him, "What do you think of Lan Wuxie?"
"Huh?" The boy in the blue robe looked up at her in surprise, then lowered his head and blushed. "Lan Wuxie, he... he's absurd and dissolute."
"Absurd and indulgent?"
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but smile at the word.
Since the martial arts tournament, rumors of Lan Wuxie's licentious and dissolute lifestyle have been circulating for quite some time. It's widely known that since arriving in Hangzhou, Lan Wuxie has been spending all his time on pleasure boats on West Lake. Those who go on these boats are the most famous courtesans and dancers of Hangzhou, beautiful young women who usually claim to sell their art but not their bodies. But upon returning from the boats, they all begin to boast about Lan Wuxie's debauchery in bed.
But no one dared to say they had ever seen his face.
As he saw the young Wudang disciple off, it was the time for lanterns to be lit outside. From afar, Hua Chongyang caught a familiar scent on the wind. Standing at the door, he tried to remember but couldn't. Just as he was about to turn around, he heard a soft call from the alleyway entrance:
"Double Ninth Festival."
Upon hearing the slightly hoarse voice, Hua Chongyang stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around in disbelief.
At the entrance of the gray alley stood a tall figure wrapped in a gray-white fox fur coat, raising his hand to cover his mouth and coughing softly. After coughing, he pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his hands before walking step by step toward the entrance of the Flower Garden. With long eyebrows, deep-set eyes, thin lips, a pointed chin, broad shoulders, and a slender figure, coupled with a slightly hoarse voice, it was none other than Zu Xian:
"Double Ninth Festival."
Hua Chongyang then came to his senses, cleared his throat, and stepped forward:
"Why are you here?"
"Can't I come here?" Zu Xian raised the corners of his mouth, looked down at her, and after a long while, said in a hoarse voice, "I've been thinking about you all day."
Some of the sounds were unpleasant, yet they made Hua Chongyang blush. Zu Xian raised his hand to touch her face and slowly said:
"I was in a good mood today, so I went for a walk by myself. I passed a fabric shop and bought you something."
He handed over a purple silk bundle.
Hua Chongyang took it and tried to open it, but he reached out and pressed down on her arm:
Do you know Shangping Garden?
"I know." Hua Chongyang looked at him, raised his hand to cover his cold hand, "It's at the other end of Shangping Alley. Where did you go?"
"No," Zu Xian shook his head. "On the way here, I heard people say that lanterns were hung at Shangping Garden."
He paused, as if waiting for something.
Hua Chongyang held his icy hand, not bothering to look at his expression, only focusing on complaining:
"You're so afraid of the cold, yet you went out wandering around alone. Didn't Anping come with you?"
Zu Xian didn't answer, but stared at her for a long time before clearing his throat twice and speaking again:
Anping went out on some errands. I'd like to go see the lanterns in Shangping with you. What do you say?
Hua Chongyang was taken aback and hesitated before saying:
"Tonight?"
"You don't want to go out?" Zu Xian grasped her hand, his deep eyes fixed on hers, patiently seeking her opinion. "How about tomorrow during the day?"
That cautious yet undisguised yearning expression was somewhat heartbreaking to see. Hua Chongyang smiled, but still hesitated:
"Tomorrow during the day... Haha, who goes to see lanterns during the day?"
Looking at the lanterns was secondary; she was just worried that others would see him. Thanks to Lan Wuxie and the "Yellow Spring Martial Arts Technique," Lan Ying Palace's return to the martial world had attracted countless troubles. Zu Xian and Lan Ying Palace had always been linked together, and if the martial arts world found their whereabouts, there was no guarantee they wouldn't cause him trouble. In addition, Zu Xian's undisguised, heart-pounding gaze when he looked at her... If someone saw it, it would definitely be trouble again.
He seemed to be someone who hated trouble.
Therefore, it's best for them not to show themselves in public.
But Zu Xian held her hand tightly and relentlessly continued to press her for answers:
"Then, tomorrow night?"
He seemed determined to see that lantern, and seeing his unwavering expression, Hua Chongyang could only shake his head and smile.
"Let's go tonight. Wear more clothes, and we'll go a little later when there are fewer people around."
"Okay." Zu Xian readily agreed, then stuffed the bundle into her arms. "Go change into this, I'll wait for you at the door."
"Change into this?" Hua Chongyang asked curiously, unwrapping the bundle. "What's this?"
Then she realized it was a set of clothes.
24. Shangping Garden
After changing his clothes, Hua Chongyang stepped out of the room with one hand behind his neck, awkwardly meeting Zu Xian's gaze:
"I can't reach... the strap at the back."
Zu Xian walked behind her, reached out and pulled on the two sashes of her dress, and suddenly chuckled softly:
"Turns out, my Chongyang is a clueless idiot who can't dress himself."
Hua Chongyang's ears turned slightly red: "I couldn't see behind me, how can you blame me?"
His cool fingers lightly touched the skin on the back of her neck. Zu Xian carefully tied her sash, then gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and smiled:
"It's not your fault. I just don't know how other women wear bellybands?"
Hua Chongyang's face immediately turned red. He shook off Zu Xian and awkwardly muttered as he walked into the inner room.
"I don't know how to wear it, just find someone who does!"
Zu Xian quickly stepped forward and grabbed her hand, refusing to let go despite her struggles.
"If you don't know how, just have someone help you get dressed. Let's go out."
"...Are you really going out?"
"You don't want to go out?"
"No. It's just that these clothes... are a bit too flashy."
Zu Xian grabbed her hand and immediately broke into a smile:
"This kind of clothing is more suitable for you."
Once they stepped outside, they realized they had come out far too early.
The Ghost Festival had just passed, and lanterns still shone brightly in every household. The streets were bustling with people, and many children were setting off firecrackers and lighting lanterns, their shouts and noise making quite a commotion. Zu Xian, dressed in a greyish-white fox fur coat with a thick fur collar that framed his fair and delicate face, held one hand tucked into his sleeve and the other tightly in his hand, Hua Chongyang's. His outstanding presence and Hua Chongyang's striking appearance and attire meant that wherever they went, people automatically made way for them.
But Zu Xian didn't care at all, only occasionally glancing back at Hua Chongyang with a smile in his eyes.
As they approached the crossroads near Shangping Garden, someone had set up a stall selling lanterns. Zu Xian stopped and lowered his head, asking softly:
"Would you like a lantern?"
Hua Chongyang immediately shook his head:
"don't want."
"And this?" Zu Xian turned and pointed to the jewelry stall next to him, but Hua Chongyang shook his head without even looking at it.
"don't want."
She looked up at the growing crowds on the street.
Shangping Garden was right in front of them, brightly lit but with only a few people inside. She absentmindedly shook Zu Xian's hand:
"Didn't we want to see the lights? Let's go inside quickly."