After she finished speaking, Hua Chongyang didn't even change his expression. He smiled, poured himself a bowl of tea, slowly sipped it, and then said:
"You're quite efficient."
It was clearly a smile, and his expression was perfectly normal, but Lan Cao felt a chill run down her spine just looking at Hua Chongyang's smile. Thinking about the consequences of her earlier slip of the tongue, she grabbed the teapot, her only thought being to slip away as quickly as possible.
"You haven't eaten yet? I'll go check in the kitchen."
"Never mind," Hua Chongyang waved his hand behind her, "We'll talk about it when your sect leader returns. You can go now."
Lancao, as if granted a pardon, grabbed the teapot and rushed towards the door, bumping into someone walking in. Looking up, she immediately jumped aside, her face turning ashen.
"The...the Pavilion Master...is back?"
Lan Wuxie glanced at Hua Chongyang, then frowned at the orchid:
"Why are you running?"
"Uh, no, no, no, I wasn't running away—I just chatted casually with Miss Chongyang for a bit—"
Lan Wuxie glanced at her and stepped into the house, her smiling gaze fixed only on Hua Chongyang:
"You're back late. Did you keep me waiting?"
Hua Chongyang sat at the table, watching him from afar, trying hard to smile, but failing several times. He could only turn his head away, lower his eyes, and shake his head.
"No. I'm not hungry."
Lan Wuxie smiled and glanced at her again, then turned and instructed Lan Cao:
"Get your dinner."
Upon hearing this, Lan Cao turned and ran away, forgetting to even close the door in her haste. Lan Wuxie glanced at Hua Chongyang again, then turned and closed the door. She then went to the candlestick opposite and used a wire to adjust the wick.
Hua Chongyang then looked up at him.
Lan Wuxie had changed into a pale gold robe with light blue trim, which shimmered with a delicate pale gold luster under the lamp. The black and gold robe with phoenix patterns that she had worn that morning was nowhere to be seen. She wanted to ask him why he had changed his clothes again, but before she could open her mouth, she felt uncomfortable in her heart, so she simply kept quiet and twirled the teacup in her hands.
Lan Wuxie, oblivious to anything amiss, walked to the table, sat down, poured himself a bowl of tea, and said with a smile:
"What are you talking about with the orchid?"
"He didn't say anything."
"Lancao is usually reckless, but she's also quite meticulous. She suits your temperament."
Hua Chongyang, holding his cup, didn't even look up: "Mm."
Lan Wuxie's smile faltered slightly. He looked at Hua Chongyang seriously for a moment, then raised his hand to touch her hair.
Hua Chongyang subtly looked up and looked away, placing the teacup on the table with both hands, his smile absentminded.
"I was just chatting with Lancao, and she said, 'You would never stoop to lying.'"
Lan Wuxie slowly withdrew her hand, her smile gradually fading. Hua Chongyang pretended not to see, still smiling.
"Lan Cao really does defend you. You never lie, right?"
Lan Wuxie placed the teacup on the table, lowered her eyes, and slowly poured tea from the teapot. The room was quiet, save for the gurgling of the tea falling into the cup, a soft, rhythmic sound. After pouring tea for Hua Chongyang and then filling her own cup, Lan Wuxie looked up at her and softly replied:
"Of course not. There are always things in this world that people want—"
Before he could finish speaking, a knock at the door interrupted him. Anping and Lancao brought in dinner. After setting everything down, Anping and Lancao withdrew. Lan Wuxie, holding chopsticks, served food to Hua Chongyang, who ate silently. Halfway through his meal, he put down his bowl and stood up.
"I don't have much of an appetite today. I'm full, you can eat slowly."
Lan Wuxie remained silent and also put down her chopsticks.
In the center of the room was a wooden couch. Although it was already spring, a brazier was still burning beneath it. Behind the couch, under the window, was a simple dressing table. Without a second thought, Hua Chongyang sat down at the dressing table, the one furthest from the dining table, and began to stare blankly.
The dim light reflected from the window made her stare blankly at the hazy shadows outside. The scenes she had heard and seen on the pleasure boat that afternoon flashed through her mind again and again, intertwining with the words Ye Qinghua had said to her, telling her to leave Lan Wuxie.
Lan Wuxie had been with many women, and she knew it all along.
Lan Wuxie was cunning and scheming, and she knew it too.
She knew that he had lured her into the Lanying Palace by promising to reveal Yan Zhao's whereabouts. He brought the Lanying Palace, which was both righteous and evil, back into the martial arts world, placing it completely against the Martial Alliance. As soon as he returned to the martial arts world, one after another, people from various sects died and were wiped out...
She also knew that Lan Wuxie's ambition to become the world's number one upon entering the martial arts world was definitely not as simple as just wanting to be "the world's number one"...
Knowing is one thing, seeing and hearing with your own eyes and ears is another. Merely knowing can be pretended not to know; the more she sees and hears, the harder it becomes for her to merge that stunningly beautiful face with the hazy, drunken face beneath the half-curtained octagonal pavilion.
37. Double Ninth Festival
The night was deep. Leaning against the window, her fingers idly traced the intricately carved wood grain of the dressing table, her eyes blank and lost. From their first meeting in the pavilion to their encounter on the painted boat at dusk, every event and scene was vividly before her eyes, clear as a series of paintings. She should have understood it all; but her mind felt like it had been filled with a pile of paste, and no matter what she did, she couldn't make a clear line.
More than a decade ago, in a small town at the foot of Shaolin Temple, she was only a few years old. She overheard on the street that Yan Zhao didn't want Hua Chuxue anymore and had gone to find other women. When she returned home, she hesitated and asked Hua Chuxue's father if he still wanted them.
Her mother said to her firmly: Yes, of course you want to. Your father has gone to do something important, he'll be back to find us soon.
As she grew older, she saw the world more clearly each day. Everyone said her mother was foolish, but she didn't think so; she only thought her mother was too attached. When she was with Yan Zhao, she ran away from everyone and everything for him—that was all possible—but her mistake was being too persistent, able to take things on but unable to let them go, sacrificing her entire life for Yan Zhao. After more than a decade of wandering and hardship, she had seen countless breakups and reconciliations—so she repeatedly told herself that one should be more carefree in life, able to take things on and let them go; what, right or wrong, love or hate, can truly last?
Even when she first met Zu Xian and realized she had fallen for him, she had considered how they might part ways—perhaps by death, or perhaps they would gradually forget each other. She knew that the words she had murmured to Zu Xian in her drunken stupor—"When we're old, let's go to a secluded place, grow orchids, and live a quiet life"—were just drunken talk.
Are they old? How far away are they? I'm afraid they'll all die of old age before they even know it.
At that time, she thought Zu Xian was clean, introverted, and sincere. She never expected that one day she would want to leave because of another woman.
The reasoning is crystal clear.
She suffered just as much disappointment, heartache, and constant torment and struggle.
From now on, she will no longer blame her mother for not being able to let go back then.
The candlelight flickered across the room, wax dripping down in streaks, illuminating the exquisitely carved gold lettering on the red candle's body. Lan Wuxie seemed to sense that she was troubled. At first, she sat at the table watching her, then silently stood up, watching her open the window a crack. The night breeze blew in, ruffling her clothes and long hair. Lan Wuxie watched, unable to resist approaching, and softly called her name from behind:
"Double Ninth Festival."
Hua Chongyang did not answer, but turned his face slightly to the side.
The flickering candlelight fell on her profile, illuminating her delicate forehead, slightly raised eyebrows, lowered eyelashes, straight nose, and rosy lips. The lines of her profile were clear and clean, like a stone carving, yet exquisitely fragile. Her pale blue dress fluttered in the wind, making her appear both near and far. Lan Wuxie stared, mesmerized, and spontaneously stepped forward, embracing her tightly from behind.
"...Double Ninth Festival."
Hua Chongyang's body stiffened slightly, and the hand he was holding turned as cold as he was. After a long while, he cleared his throat and managed to speak:
"how?"
Lan Wuxie lowered his head and buried his face in the crook of her neck, holding her hand. After a long while, he let out a long sigh, his voice drawn out and soft, as if he were extremely tired:
"nothing."
After speaking, he pulled Hua Chongyang back to sit down on the chair. A faint fragrance of orchids wafted into her nostrils—his natural scent, which usually smelled pleasant, but now made Hua Chongyang feel nauseous. Lan Wuxie leaned against the armrest, pulling her into his arms, his face still resting on her shoulder. After a long while, he spoke in a low, slow voice:
"The wind has warmed up too."
Hua Chongyang remained silent, but was somewhat nervous, fearing that Lan Wuxie would touch her—the scene of Bo Jiang kneeling under his bed with his clothes half-draped on on the painted boat at dusk was still vivid in her mind.
At that moment, she hated Bo Jiang to death, and even more so, she hated Lan Wuxie to death.
If he were to touch her now, she probably wouldn't be able to resist slapping that stunningly beautiful face.
Every moment, Hua Chongyang leaned against Lan Wuxie, feeling her body gradually stiffen. But Lan Wuxie held her tightly, his breathing becoming longer and more even. She thought he had fallen asleep, but then she heard his sleepy voice:
"I happened to run into that scoundrel that day."
As usual, Lan Wuxie's statements were dry and uninspired. Hua Chongyang remained silent, listening quietly. After a long pause, Lan Wuxie spoke again, her sleepy voice tinged with amusement:
"He was drunk and said some nonsense."
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but ask:
"say what?"
Lan Wuxie chuckled softly:
"As he was leaving, he pointed at my face and said, 'If you had a child with Hua Chongyang, I wonder what it would look like.'"
Hua Chongyang was stunned.
If he had said this to her yesterday, she might have thought he was testing her desire to have children—though that test sounded rather clumsy; she might even have enthusiastically and naively rolled up her sleeves and earnestly discussed with him what it would be like if they really had children—
But at this moment, she couldn't think of any way to respond.
The silence grew longer and longer. She felt Lan Wuxie's fingers tighten slightly around her wrist, but he casually changed the subject:
Who is that person?
Lan Wuxie remained silent for a moment, then coughed lightly:
"An old acquaintance."
Hua Chongyang sat up slightly, his tone casual, a half-smile playing on his lips:
"An old acquaintance? I wonder if it's a man or a woman?"
Lan Wuxie was visibly taken aback for a moment, then answered very seriously:
"It's a man."
He paused, gripped Hua Chongyang's hand tightly, coughed twice, his voice tense and awkward:
"Don't overthink it. I only want you."
Hua Chongyang still wore a half-smile:
"real?"
Lan Wuxie hesitated for a moment, then turned her face slightly away and nodded.
Normally, she would have assumed he was embarrassed, not hesitant. He's usually quiet and rarely speaks, and always acts aloof in public; it's understandable that he'd feel awkward making such a confession, right?
In the flickering candlelight, Hua Chongyang looked at him, released his hand, and stood up:
"About the children—I really hadn't thought about it if you hadn't brought it up."
Lan Wuxie stood up, straightened her light gold robe, and smiled indulgently.
"I was just saying. There's still a long way to go."
As he spoke, Hua Chongyang walked to the edge of the couch and lay down fully clothed.
"The world is a treacherous place, and people's hearts are unpredictable. For a nobody like me to live... I fear there will be more suffering than joy."
Lan Wuxie sat down on the edge of the couch, and after a long while, her tone remained serious:
"No, I will protect you."
Hua Chongyang remained silent, his heart filled with sorrow.