Before Hua Chongyang could even nod, Ye Qinghua had already seen the answer in her expression. Her face suddenly changed, she slammed the teacup back on the table, stood up, and frowned deeply.
"Hua Chongyang, do you think I'm just talking nonsense?!"
Hua Chongyang glanced at her and raised an eyebrow:
"Blue and white porcelain, Zu Xian was not evil--"
"Not a villain? What do you mean by villain? Do you even know what a villain is, Hua Chongyang?" Ye Qinghua jumped up and pointed at Hua Chongyang. "Just because someone isn't a villain doesn't mean they're worthy of you, huh? Do you know who Zu Xian is? I'm afraid I'll tell you, there are already rumors in the martial arts world that he's Lan Wuxie's male concubine!"
The teacup that Hua Chongyang had raised to his lips fell to the ground with a "bang," spilling tea all over himself.
Male concubines...
"Male concubine! Do you even know what a male concubine is?" Ye Qinghua raised her eyebrows high, her face contorted with malice. "It's a man who uses his looks to be played with! He's been with Lan Wuxie for at least five years!"
"……"
"Why do you think I stopped you from recruiting him? How many people like that are normal? Besides, how many normal people are in a place like Lan Ying Palace?"
"……"
The water poured over her soaked up to her chest, the heat dissipating, leaving only a chill. Hua Chongyang instinctively didn't want to believe Ye Qinghua's words, but she knew very well that Ye Qinghua made her living in this business, and the information she had in the martial arts world was almost always accurate. Her hand on the table trembled slightly. She remembered him holding a pale yellow ribbon and an ivory comb, gently combing her hair; that night in Pingyuan, he was jealous of Situ Qingliu, and, oblivious to everyone else, he pulled her hand all the way out of Shangping Garden… She remembered the stiff expression on his face when she asked him if his association with Lanying Palace was due to some unavoidable hardship…
...male concubine.
With trembling hands clenched into fists, Hua Chongyang abruptly stood up and strode out.
Ye Qinghua was slightly taken aback, then rushed forward to stop her:
"What are you doing! Where are you going to go!"
Her hand had just brushed against Hua Chongyang's azure sleeve when Hua Chongyang raised his hand and flicked it away:
"I'm going to find Lan Wuxie!"
"Stop right there! Hua Chongyang!" Ye Qinghua rushed out the door and shouted, "Stop right there!"
Hua Chongyang turned and went up the stairs without looking back, and Ye Qinghua immediately followed.
The door next door was pushed open with a bang, and Ye Laoqi rushed out with a puzzled look on her face, staring at the two figures, one in front and one behind. She ran a few steps after them, and saw Ye Qinghua leap down the stairs to try and stop Hua Chongyang. Hua Chongyang also used his lightness skill to try to get past her. Ye Qinghua struck out with her palm, but Hua Chongyang blocked it. Then she jumped over the railing and landed in the hall, striding out of the door.
He ran all the way to the bridge by the stream, and when he saw the red lights ahead, Hua Chongyang suddenly stopped.
Red lanterns hang by the flowing water, and the clear water murmurs as it flows past the bridge. Night has fallen, and a small boat is seen at the bridgehead, its awning draped with a lantern. As the boat approaches, the flickering red light of a brazier under the awning can be vaguely seen, along with the figure leaning against it—someone else might not recognize him, but she knew it was Zu Xian.
Hua Chongyang instinctively hid behind the bridge railing, watching the boat moored far away at the wooden dock on the opposite side. Anping, carrying a lantern, carefully helped Zu Xian ashore. The sparse light faintly illuminated Zu Xian's fair face and snow-white fox fur coat. She saw Zu Xian stand in the wind, slightly hunched over, cough violently for a while, then wrap himself tighter in the fox fur coat and slowly walk towards the bridge.
The lanterns glowed, illuminating his trailing white fur coat as he gracefully walked onto the stone bridge, his long, jet-black hair blending into the night, making him look like a beautiful painting from afar.
Looking into the distance, what comes into view in a blur is Lan Wuxie's painted boat.
Hua Chongyang stood in the shadows under the bridge, watching Zu Xian and Anping cross it, without uttering a sound. But after Zu Xian had taken a few steps across the bridge, he suddenly stopped and turned around.
Anping stopped and turned around, raising the glass lantern high in his hand. The light illuminated Zu Xian's pale face. He looked at Hua Chongyang standing in the shadows at the bridgehead, paused for a moment, and then a slow smile appeared on his lips:
"Double Ninth Festival."
Hua Chongyang's lips twitched, but for a moment she didn't know what to say. Zu Xian, with a broad smile, pulled on his fox fur coat and approached her. He reached out from under the cloak and took Hua Chongyang's hand, his voice low and slightly hoarse:
Why are your hands so cold?
His expression, devoid of any surprise, seemed to suggest that he had already seen through what Hua Chongyang knew, yet he merely smiled, loosened his collar, and draped the fox fur cloak over Hua Chongyang's shoulders, taking her hand in his.
"It's too cold here, let's go back to Banlianzui."
Two hands, one cold and one warm, exposed to the wind, had become icy cold on the short walk from the riverbank to Banlianzui, a mere fifteen minutes' journey. As soon as she entered, Hua Chongyang noticed Zu Xian's lips were blue with cold, but as he turned to untie her fox fur coat, a smile played on his lips:
"Why is it still so cold in early spring?"
Hua Chongyang's silence was all too obvious, but he pretended not to notice. With a smile on his lips, he slowly and deliberately untied her cloak, carried her to the bed, took off her boots, and carefully wrapped her in a fox fur quilt. However, when he bent down to move the brazier under the bed, he burned his fingers with the scalding heat and knocked the brazier over with a "thud," scattering red-hot charcoal all over the ground.
Even Hua Chongyang could hear the sizzling sound of charcoal hitting his boots, yet he stood motionless. Hua Chongyang quickly jumped up from the couch, pulled him away, and glared at him angrily, only to see a slight smile on his face, his thin lips moving as he said in a hoarse voice:
"...I'm so stupid I can't do anything right."
With a lump in his throat, Hua Chongyang felt so heartbroken that he almost cried.
He's not stupid.
Zu Xian's hands were fair, long, and slender with distinct knuckles; his fingernails were almost transparent. Anping served him as he took off his boots and changed his clothes; he never did it himself. Even when taking medicine, he would only take it if it was brought to his lips. When he was unhappy, he wouldn't even look at Situ Qingliu properly. How could such a person, with his noble and arrogant air, possibly submit to Lan Wuxie's side?
Hua Chongyang felt a sore throat and reached out to hug his waist:
"……you."
"Um?"
You have to promise me.
"good."
"Take your medicine properly and get well soon."
"good."
"Stay as far away from the troubles of the martial world as possible."
"good."
"I can't drink anymore; I'm ruining my health."
"good."
"If one day, we find a quiet place, just you and me. A wooden house, a bamboo grove, a pavilion, and orchids planted all around. How carefree could that be?"
"Alright," Zu Xian said, stroking her hair with gentle eyes, his voice soft as water, "Whatever Chongyang says, goes."
"...Then," Hua Chongyang looked up, meeting his eyes, "don't ever come near Lan Wuxie again."
Zu Xian was taken aback, and his expression immediately changed.
Hua Chongyang's gaze slowly moved along Zu Xian's forehead, cheeks, and chin to his neck, where a faint bluish-purple mark lay. She stared at it for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and bit down hard.
Zu Xian stiffened, and when she released her grip, he lifted her chin and gently bit down. After a moment of tender intimacy, he panted and looked up, his dark eyes meeting Hua Chongyang's half-closed eyelids and slightly upturned eyes:
"...Zu Xian."
"Um."
She wrapped her arms around his waist, her heart filled with tenderness, and whispered in his ear:
"I want you."
26. Peace Gate
It wasn't exactly a wonderful first half of the night. Late at night, Hua Chongyang woke up to find her naked body, wrapped in layers of soft fox fur and blankets on the wooden couch, aching and numb. She saw Zu Xian prop himself up on one hand, looking at her sideways. The candlelight was dim and bright. Through Zu Xian's dark, smiling eyes, she saw her own long hair cascading down her back. She lazily smiled, wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and mumbled:
"...Why aren't you asleep?"
Are you tired?
Hua Chongyang snorted, half-awake and half-asleep, complaining:
"Like when I first entered Shaolin Temple as a child, I squatted in a horse stance for three hours..."
Zu Xian chuckled softly, his cool lips moving from the top of her head to her ear, then he lowered his head and gently bit her shoulder, the soft kisses lingering all the way to her chin. Unable to resist the tickling sensation, Hua Chongyang smiled, lifting her head from his embrace, her eyes half-closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Stop fooling around... Zu Xian."
"Mmm." Zu Xian hummed softly, lowering his face to bite her lips, his voice gentle and husky, "Chongyang, are you sleepy again?"
"……Um."
He bit down hard on her lower lip, his teeth tracing a path down her chin to her neck and chest, his low, husky voice laced with laughter, his slightly raised eyes brimming with allure.
"Chongyang, your waist is so slender."
"……"
Hua Chongyang simply rolled over, turning her face towards the inside of the wooden bed. Zu Xian slowly reached out and grabbed her waist, biting her neck from behind, then teased her:
"Hands clasped together, just enough to support your waist."
Unable to bear it any longer, Hua Chongyang finally opened his eyes, slightly out of breath, and turned around to meet Zu Xian's slightly tipsy gaze:
"...Ye Qinghua is right."
"Hmm?" Zu Xian was slightly surprised, stopped what he was doing, and his eyes shone brightly. "What?"
Hua Chongyang suppressed a laugh and said, word by word:
She said that the more a man appears to be detached from worldly desires, the more lewd he is at heart.
"……"
That's absolutely right.
Having slept soundly all night, Hua Chongyang opened her eyes the next day to find the paper windows of her wooden bed bright white. No one was beside her. She sat up abruptly after a moment of stunned silence, letting out a soft cry:
"...Oh no!"
Today is the third day Lan Wuxie mentioned; he promised to go to Lake Moon Manor. How could she have forgotten such an important day?
A clean, white garment lay on the bedside table. She peeked at the bruises on her bare body from behind the covers, then awkwardly chuckled to herself as she pulled the garment over and put it on. It was probably Zu Xian's clothes; they were slightly too big for her and still carried a faint fragrance. She adjusted her belt and lapels, tied up her hair which was still damp from her morning bath, and was about to leave when Anping stopped her at the door:
"Miss, your master says you must wait for him to return."
"I can't leave Anping." Hua Chongyang strode out, "I have urgent business to attend to."
"Miss Chongyang, the master said you must—"
"Anping," Hua Chongyang interrupted Anping, stopping and smiling at him, "I slept with your master last night."
"……ah."
Anping responded blankly, while Hua Chongyang remained unfazed, smiling slightly.
"But just because we've slept together doesn't mean I have to obediently listen to everything he says."
"……"
"If I don't come from now on, you need to keep an eye on him and make sure he gets well; he's the kind of person who responds better to firmness than gentleness."
"……"
Anping was speechless as he watched Hua Chongyang stride out from behind the half-curtained intoxication.
Not far from the door, Hua Chongyang heard two important news items: first, the night before last, Situ Qingliu was attacked and nearly died, but fortunately Bo Jiang saved him; second, today was the day Situ Qingliu and Bo Jiang were to get married.