Fragrance rises to dance - Chapter 49
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps arose in the night, as if something terrible had happened. She heard many voices of men and women—crying, screams of terror—some shouting "Qu Zhiliang," while many others called out "Master Bi" and "Qiuhan." Most terrifyingly, she heard someone say, "Why did he die?" "Why did Qu Zhiliang kill Bi Qiuhan?" She hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to open the door.
When she opened the door, a person outside was holding a plate and about to knock. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Where's Qiu Han? I'm looking for Qiu Han. Where is he? Is he outside?"
Wan Yuyue stopped her. "Miss Li." Li Shuangli stared at the blood on his clothes and shuddered. "I need to find Qiu Han."
“He’s dead.” Wan Yuyuedan smiled sadly. “Two hours ago.”
"You lied to me! You...you all lied to me! How could he die out of the blue? How could someone like him die?" Li Shuangli, pale-faced, gripped the bedpost. "Ling Yan promised me he wouldn't hurt him, Ling Yan didn't kill him, how could he possibly die?"
"He's dead." Wan Yuyue's stiff smile still held these three words.
"He's dead...he's dead, what am I going to do?" Li Shuangli suddenly shouted, "He couldn't have abandoned me!"
“Qiu Han… is a member of my Biluo Palace.” Wan Yuyuedan said slowly, “Miss Li, if you encounter any difficulties or need anything in the future, please tell me. Wan Yuyuedan will do her best.”
"I don't want it!" Li Shuangli took three steps back. "I only want Qiu Han, I don't want anything else!"
With a clatter, she knocked over a cup of tea on the bedside table as she backed away. Startled, she raised her sleeve and slammed it over the calming medicine and simple midnight snack that Wan Yuyue was holding. "I don't want to eat!"
Wan Yuyue stood up and groped to pick up the broken bowls from the ground. He didn't care about the mess, but Li Shuangli noticed that his fingers were cut and bleeding from the sharp porcelain shards. "Be careful of the broken porcelain on the ground." He wasn't angry. He picked up the shards and stood up. "I'll call someone to sweep the floor."
Li Shuangli paused again, "You...you're not angry?"
Wan Yuyue didn't answer, but after a while he gave a stiff smile, "Because I can't eat either."
Seeing the blood flowing from his fingertips, Li Shuangli momentarily felt that it was pain he was deliberately seeking. Guilt and sorrow welled up in her heart at the same time, and tears streamed down her face. "Could I...could I see Qiu Han?"
“No.” Wan Yuyuedan refused decisively.
"Why..." Li Shuangli stared blankly at this person who seemed both gentle and domineering. Why wouldn't he let her see Qiu Han one last time?
"Because seeing it only makes me cry even harder." Wan Yuyue opened the door and went out, then closed it again.
"How is it?" Li Shuangli's beauty is indeed quite attractive, and there were many people around when Wan Yuyue came out.
"You must be heartbroken." Although Wan Yuyuedan said something that everyone already knew, those who heard it felt a pang of sympathy. He ignored the many people around him, stood silently for a while, and then walked into the incense room.
Saint Xiang sat on the bed with her back against the wall behind the bed and her knees bent.
He was holding a leaf he had broken off when he returned, and he was blowing on something.
When Wan Yuyue opened the door, she paused for a moment, as if waiting for the eerie melody inside to dissipate, before softly saying, "I'm going back now."
Shengxiang bit the leaf. "Really?"
“I think… I still imagined the martial arts world to be too simple.” Wan Yuyue’s tone was gentle, but there was an unusual emptiness in it. “Qiu Han shouldn’t have died.”
“It’s none of your business. Qu Zhiliang’s martial arts skills are too high. Yu Xiu might be able to fight him, but Yu Xiu isn’t here,” Sheng Xiang said calmly. “If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to, and you certainly wouldn’t be able to.”
“Qu Zhiliang—that’s probably the kind of master who decides life and death based solely on strength.” Wan Yuyuedan said softly, “When you see someone like that, you understand why there are always people in the martial arts world who like to compete for the title of number one. Absolute power without any fancy tricks, the power to decide life and death…” When he said the words “the power to decide life and death,” he spoke with a resounding tone. A cold sneer was revealed in Wan Yuyuedan’s gentle tone. Stripped of his tenderness and gentleness, what was revealed was a bloodthirsty sneer.
"My Biluo Palace will avenge this!" he said softly, turning around with his sleeves behind his back and closing the door.
Saint Incense did not try to stop her, and sat quietly holding the leaf.
“A terrifying young man,” Rong Yin’s voice said coldly, looking out the window. “Qu Zhiliang really should be killed along with him.”
Shengxiang smiled and said, "He is a very ambitious person. He is not only ambitious but also has desires. He knows how to enjoy life and dares to speak and act. I actually envy him."
“What’s scary about a young man who wants everything is that he’s capable, humble, patient, and not inherently bad,” Rong Yin said calmly. “Nobody knows what kind of things such a person can do.”
“But I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do…” Shengxiang smiled again, “something he can do for me to see.”
Rong Yin stared at Sheng Xiang, seemingly trying to figure out what he meant by those words, before finally changing the subject: "How do you plan to ally with Li against Zhao?"
“I’ll go alone,” Shengxiang said without hesitation. “Going alone shows more sincerity.”
"Aren't you afraid Li Lingyan will kill you?" Rong Yin asked coldly.
“He also wants to use me to kill Qu Zhiliang—whether it’s for real revenge or for those pretexts he spread about avenging his father, he has to kill Qu Zhiliang.” Shengxiang said wearily, “Can he stand up to Qu Zhiliang? No—if he can’t, he’ll have to win me over, because I am…the son of the current prime minister…” He laughed as he said this, “Rongrong, do you really not understand, or are you afraid I don’t understand?”
Rong Yin didn't answer, coldly looking at the laughing Sheng Xiang, "What's so funny?"
Shengxiang stuck out her tongue and said with a smile, "What am I smiling about? That's why I said it would be more useful if I went. Besides, Li Lingyan's family has definitely set up a lot of traps, waiting for those great swordsmen and heroes outside to be furious. To avoid causing trouble for myself, I'll go alone. As for you..."
“I’m going to find Shang Xuan,” Rong Yin said coldly.
Shengxiang, looking on with admiration at his cleverness, said with a smile, "That's right, that's right. Tell him that if he doesn't listen and rebels, you won't marry your sister to him."
Rong Yin ignored his words and said calmly, "Then we'll each set off early tomorrow morning. Whether our plans succeed or fail, we'll meet in the capital on the fifteenth of August."
“Let’s go to Yu Xiu’s wife’s Hundred Peach Hall,” Sheng Xiang smiled. “It’s safer there. It’s settled then, see you there. Don’t come back as a ghost, or the spirit will come back to life.”
"See you there!" Rong Yin cupped his hands in greeting and left with his hands behind his back.
South of Wudang Mountain lies an endless expanse of towering mountains, including Wuling Mountain, Xuefeng Mountain, Miaoling Mountain, Fanjing Mountain, and Leigong Mountain. The southernmost peak is called Daming Mountain. At the foot of Daming Mountain lies a small town called Fushui. Fushui gets its name from the Hongshui River flowing to its left.
The Hongshui River flows down from the Miao Mountains, passes through the Daming Mountains, and flows eastward to join the Pearl River and the sea. People traveling south to the Daming Mountains often have to cross the Hongshui River.
A boat lay across the Hongshui River. It was meant to cross, but the boatman, clearly unfamiliar with the route, had steered it into the middle of the river and was now adrift, swaying erratically. But the people inside weren't worried; they'd even set up a stove at the bow to cook something, clearly enjoying themselves.
A delicate fragrance wafts through the air.
A wisp of white smoke drifted at the bow of the boat, condensing and lingering, which was quite a sight.
It was two hours into the afternoon. The sun wasn't very strong in the south, and besides, it was already autumn, so it was a bit chilly.
A figure was walking along the riverbank in the distance, carrying a basket and looking like an old man. As he drew closer, it became clear that he was a young girl dressed in Miao attire. Her skin was dark, likely from frequent exposure to the sun, and her face, beneath a hat made of matted grass, was relatively clean and tidy. As she walked, she suddenly looked up at the boat, her eyes filled with surprise.