Fragrance rises to dance

Chapter 78

“I am the fiancée of Biluo Palace Wanyu Yuedan,” Wenren Nuan said calmly, “Brother Yu, although we have never met, I should actually call you brother-in-law.”

What a clever little girl! Yu Cuiwei sized her up for a moment. "Are you Yue Dan's fiancée?" He suddenly smiled. "You want to save Sheng Xiang?"

Wenren Nuan said in a low voice, "Of course!"

“Young lady, you’re too young,” Yu Cuiwei said slowly. “If you tell my kind brother-in-law that you’re here, he won’t help you save me; he’ll just find someone to take you back.” He raised his eyebrows and laughed. “Yuedan isn’t stupid; you can’t save Shengxiang.”

Wenren Nuan's expression changed. "Yue Dan wouldn't do that."

“It’s not that he can’t, but that he has no other choice.” Yu Cuiwei’s gaze suddenly turned sharp as he stared at her. “Little girl, Biluo Palace is not the supreme authority in the martial arts world. Wan Yuyuedan cannot and is incapable of being an enemy of the martial arts world!”

Wenren Nuan's face gradually turned pale, "Yue Dan, he..."

“He won’t help you, nor will he save Shengxiang, because he’s not a fool like Shengxiang, who would dare to go against the world for some inexplicable reason,” Yu Cuiwei said, word by word, then smiled gently, her voice sweet and alluring. “You can’t save Shengxiang; you’ll only harm him.” His gaze passed over Wenren Nuan and landed on the doorway.

Wenren Nuan was startled and turned around abruptly. She saw a young master in brocade robes standing at the door. He was as exquisite and lovely as a thousand kinds of glass or ten thousand kinds of pearls. He was smiling and carrying two large wine pots. "I bought eighty-one coins' worth of lamb wine. It's a specialty of the capital. I'm soaking broad beans in it. Don't say you don't like it!"

When did he arrive? Wenren Nuan looked at her fingers, which were trembling slightly. If Wan Yuyuedan refused to help, then Shengxiang would truly be an enemy of the world… She clutched her collar, breathing heavily, a slight pain rising in her chest. Was it all because she was too naive…? So… Yu Cuiwei’s smiling voice rang in her ears: “Shengxiang, who stuck a withered blade of grass in your hair?” She looked up abruptly and saw Shengxiang touch his hair. A withered blade of grass had somehow been stuck in his hair. Everyone knew the rule of selling one’s head for a blade of grass! It turned out that the Ghost Queen Mother’s faction among the eleven sects had begun their operation, declaring their desire for Shengxiang’s head! Watching Shengxiang excitedly pour wine-soaked broad beans into a dish after plucking the withered grass, the slight pain in her heart suddenly intensified into a sharp agony. If she had harmed him… if she had harmed him…

"Hey?" Shengxiang spilled half of his broad beans. Yu Cuiwei stumbled off the bed and staggered to catch Wenren Nuan, who had fallen to the ground. The two of them tumbled to the floor together. Shengxiang dropped his wine jar and rushed over to help, groaning. "Hey, hey, hey, are you two trying to trigger my mental illness by fainting together? Get up!" He poked Wenren Nuan's cheek and tugged at Yu Cuiwei's hair, threatening, "Get up! Otherwise, I'll tell everyone you two are lying together. Get up!"

"You...can't you...help the injured person up..." Yu Cuiwei finally caught his breath, leaning against the edge of the bed, panting and smiling, "Carry the patient...to the bed..."

Shengxiang raised her voice and shouted, "Someone come here—help the young master..." Before she could finish her sentence, Yu Cuiwei rolled up his sleeves and pulled Wenren Nuan from the ground onto the bed. He then spat out a mouthful of purple blood onto the brocade quilt and began to cough.

Shengxiang picked up the medicinal soup from the table and rushed to the bedside. Without thinking twice, she forced it down his throat. After drinking it, Yu Cuiwei vomited a bed full of purple blood, but his complexion improved considerably. Seeing that the dark aura between his brows had faded a little, Shengxiang triumphantly pressed four acupoints on him, laid him flat on the bed to rest, and casually placed the unconscious Wenren Nuan and Yu Cuiwei together, covering them with a brocade quilt. She looked around the bed, quite pleased with her handiwork.

Just then, he suddenly felt the light in the room dim, and turning around, he saw a gray-clad man dressed as a servant of the manor standing in the doorway. The gray-clad man's eyes gleamed sharply as he stared intently at the two people lying side by side on the bed, his face completely indifferent.

Shengxiang turned and stood in front of the bed, the fan in his sleeve drooping slightly, half of its surface hanging down. His gesture, with its lowered fan, conveyed a sense of calm, composure, and steadiness, subtly revealing the aura of a powerful figure. Having experienced the ways of the martial world, he was no longer the Shengxiang who would cry for help when encountering enemies. Especially regarding saving Yu Cuiwei, this was a decision he made alone, and he couldn't drag others into it—especially since his good friends all had families. How could they be asked to defy the world for his impulsive act? Ah, people… sometimes selfishness and selflessness are separated by a fine line. He wasn't a selfless person, he just didn't want to be too selfish.

"Why did you save him?" the man in gray said stiffly, slowly taking out a pair of short knives from his sleeve and holding them in both hands.

Shengxiang smiled. "He saved you." The gray-clad man in front of her was also in the dungeon. Although he had never spoken and tried to blend into the crowd, Shengxiang had an exceptionally good memory and remembered him.

The man in gray paused, then said, word by word, "He is a villain of the martial world, and his death is not a pity."

“He is a notorious villain in the martial arts world,” Shengxiang said. “Many people can kill him, but you cannot.”

The man in gray stopped again, gripped his short knife tightly, and took a step forward.

With a snap, Shengxiang closed his fan, stopping the gray-clad man five steps away. "I'm not a villain of the martial world. I saved you before. Would you even kill me?" A sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "I wanted to save Yu Cuiwei. Would you even kill me?"

The man in gray was momentarily stunned. Shengxiang, mimicking his tone, spoke stiffly, word by word: "For the righteous path of the martial world to be saved by the 'Ghost-Faced Demon' is a great disgrace; but if the 'Ghost-Faced Demon' is saved by your righteous path, then it is only natural, the will of the people? Have you ever asked yourself, if it were you, would you have bravely taken a full-force blow from 'Death Blade' to save someone from prison, only to end up dying in bed, at the mercy of others?" His eyes were cold and indifferent, devoid of passion, only displaying a chilling indifference to the coldness and warmth of the world. "If it were you, would you dare?"

The man in gray shuddered and blurted out, "He...he wasn't completely unharmed back then?..." He then stopped abruptly, his face filled with horror.

"He's not a god." Shengxiang looked at him coldly, her eyes not hurtful, but lonely. "If you believe that the 'Ghost-Faced Demon' saved you from the righteous path of the martial world as a deliberate mockery, causing you to bear such a disgrace; if you believe that he is a great demon who commits all kinds of evil, from rape to kidnapping, then you can kill him for any reason. I'll step aside, you can kill him." He slapped his fan aside and stood by the bed, flicking his brocade sleeve. "Go ahead and kill him."

The gray-clad man's face paled as he stared at the bed stained with purple blood. He kept recalling Yu Cuiwei shielding everyone from Pu Shidong's "death blade," even the image of him bracing himself against Pu Shidong's near-fatal blow and then turning back with a smile. He walked to the bedside, but Shengxiang simply turned and walked away, brushing past him without even closing the door. The gray-clad man stared in horror at Shengxiang's departing figure, then at Yu Cuiwei lying quietly on the bed. He hesitated for a full incense stick's time before finally putting down his knife, turning around, and letting out a deep breath while gazing at the rafters.

He's gone.

Wenren Nuan slowly opened her eyes, her eyelids trembled slightly, and a tear slid down her cheek.

This person...this person...is stronger than Yue Dan, yet more fragile than Yue Dan...

Most importantly... he was lonelier than Yue Dan.

He had a distinguished family background, imperial favor, and a large group of friends. He had everything a person could possibly have, but no one could get close to his soul... Everyone brushed past the edge of his soul, consciously or unconsciously protected by him, but no one could protect him.

He was more lonely than Yue Dan.

She closed her eyes and shed a single tear; she had resigned herself to her fate. From the first moment she saw him, she knew she would change her heart; she loved Shengxiang.

She was to marry Wan Yuyuedan as promised, but two months before her wedding, she fell in love with Shengxiang.

"Why are you crying?" Yu Cuiwei opened his eyes and slightly raised the corners of his mouth. His acupoints were restrained, but he was not unconscious. He had heard the conversation between Shengxiang and the gray-clothed man.

Wenren Nuan shook her head and smiled slightly, "I just suddenly thought of a very bad story."

Yu Cuiwei said softly, "I already saw this story by the river where there were crocodiles."

Sheng Xiang turned and left, walking to Zhao Pu's simple study. He leaned against the outer wall and looked up at the sky. He hadn't heard any strange noises from the guest room, so the man in gray was probably really gone. The winter sky was a bit gray, and the fragrance of winter plum blossoms around him was delicate and rich, creating a very peaceful atmosphere. He sat down on the floor, picked up a dry twig and drew lines on the ground. After a few strokes, his face turned pale. He hugged his knees to his chest and sat motionless in the shadows of the study.

"Lord Zhao, another message has come from the palace, requesting that your young master, Shengxiang, come to the palace again tomorrow." On a path in the woods not far from the study, a eunuch holding a whisk walked side-by-side with Zhao Pu. "The Emperor asked if Shengxiang enjoyed the Lingzhi Dew Soup he drank last time. If it was beneficial, he will bestow it upon him again tomorrow. Lord Zhao, oh Lord Zhao, the Emperor's favor towards your young master is beyond words..."

Zhao Pu agreed, but there was no joy on his face. What was the Emperor testing? Who could guarantee that this nourishing and life-saving Lingzhi Dew Soup wouldn't turn into something deadly one day? "My unfilial son is really infuriating. He's not young anymore, but he keeps associating with bad friends and does nothing all day long."

"Lord Zhao, you must also be careful about this. Your son's mischief is notorious in the palace. Yesterday, a censor impeached you, and one of the accusations was that you 'indulged your son in associating with bad boys and running rampant in the neighborhood.' However, the Emperor didn't seem to mind much and even picked up the memorial to recite poetry. In my opinion, given the Emperor's favor towards Young Master Shengxiang, it won't be a big deal."

"Reciting poetry?" Zhao Pu coughed. "I wonder what you're reciting?"

"This old servant only remembers something about a white horse and some phoenixes."

Zhao Pu, who wasn't very well-educated, frowned and said nothing more. He walked along the path with Eunuch Lin to the other end, and from afar they heard Eunuch Lin exclaim, "Ah!"—"It seems there's a government office in that poem..."

Shengxiang hugged her knees and huddled in the corner. Upon hearing this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her eyes became even more like glass, shining brightly but revealing no true nature.

"Drunk, he rides a white horse through the empty streets, and all the scoundrels claim he's not even as fast as lightning. He idly reins in his horse on the streets of Wufeng, and bows to the Imperial Guard with his sleeves half-drooping." Shi Jianwu wrote a fine poem, "A Young Man's Journey," and the poem perfectly describes a scoundrel! Twenty years of favor could not withstand the sudden rise of suspicion. In Emperor Taizong's mind, he was now just a scoundrel leader, a scoundrel who incited trouble and ran rampant in the neighborhood.

Therefore, if Emperor Taizong were to order Shengxiang's death one day, he would not feel any regret.

Life is like flowing water; wealth, honor, and joy all seem like things from a long, long time ago. He had toiled tirelessly for this emperor's empire, framed Zhao Pu for the Song Dynasty, made a resolute decision for the Song Dynasty, and worked tirelessly for the Song Dynasty...

He was caught in the midst of the Northern and Southern Han rebels, and had been imprisoned and survived countless near-death experiences! But now this emperor wants him dead because he has killed the child's biological father. He now regrets not killing the child before he grew up, and twenty years of reluctance and indulgence have only added to the pain of making this decision, without changing the outcome.