Early Spring Trip

Chapter 27

He frowned to show that he was thinking seriously, and after a while, he said in a low voice, "I think... a little bit."

The young master did not answer. As he walked to the front of Linfeng Pavilion, he slightly raised his head. The small building was dark with candlelight, and the night was quite lonely. He waved his hand so that Qinglong would not see his expression: "Go back."

Back at Linfeng Pavilion, Chu Xia's room was naturally empty, with only one window opening and closing frantically in the wind. The young master stood by the bed, watching the fishing lights and maple leaves reflected on the banks of the Cangjiang River. He recalled Chu Xia's words and suddenly felt a surge of annoyance. This was the first time she had ever been angry with him because of someone else… and that person was none other than the man from Green Willow Lane, who knew if he was the fiancé the little girl often talked about.

After an unknown amount of time, the young master narrowed his eyes slightly and heard the sound of the night watchman's drum coming from Shu Garden. His annoyance eased a little, but he couldn't help but wonder where Su Fenghua would go this early summer night, since her place consisted of only a bed and a chair.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already out of Linfeng Pavilion, turned left, and left Shu Garden. On the long corridor outside Shu Garden, the bamboo shadows swayed, and the houses on both sides were not lit by candlelight. A thin, slender shadow sat motionless at the far end of the corridor.

The young master tiptoed over.

In early summer, a strong draft swept through the area where she sat, carrying a fine drizzle that fell on her. Half of her body was soaked, but she remained seated like a statue.

The spring rain was ethereal; it fell on her, touching her heart, yet it felt cold. He saw her shoulders hunch, and she let out a soft sob.

It felt as if a thin thread in the young master's heart had been slightly tugged. He didn't have time to think about what he had done. He took half a step forward and hugged her from behind.

His chin brushed against the top of her head as he softly asked, "Are you still being stubborn?"

Chu Xia trembled violently at first, but when she heard the young master's voice, she gradually stopped crying, but struggled more and more fiercely.

The young master ignored her struggles, only holding her hand in his palm to warm it, and said softly, "Silly child, it's so late, and you're so cold, why don't you go home?"

Chu Xia couldn't break free, and just cried even harder, saying, "It was you who wanted to drive me away."

The young master was taken aback, then smiled: "When did I ever say I was going to send you away?"

"That's because you broke your promise. Why... are you so petty with that pedantic scholar?" Chu Xia said. "He's so pitiful, what's wrong with just giving him a meal?"

The young master held her for a long time before saying, "Since you like him, why are you sitting here alone? His room is warmer than here."

"That pedantic scholar said that men and women shouldn't be in the same room, how could they be together?" Chu Xia said haltingly, "He's injured like this, how could I let him out!"

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Xia realized what she meant: "Wait—who said I like him?"

The young man smiled slightly, his thin lips brushing against her earlobe: "You don't like him... yet you're moving out for him?"

Early summer remained silent, not uttering a single word.

"Early Summer, have you ever thought about why I care so much?" the young master suddenly asked when she didn't answer.

Chu Xia shook her head somewhat blankly.

The young master sighed softly: "That's because I keep thinking about Su Fenghua..."

Chu Xia waited for half a day, but he didn't continue. She couldn't help but ask, "What?"

The young master lowered his head and caught a whiff of the delicate fragrance lingering in Chu Xia's hair, but he was unwilling to utter the rest of his words. He simply smiled and said, "If being in the same room is considered improper, then we would have been improper long ago—"

The air was filled with the scent of night-blooming jasmine, a faint, delicate fragrance. The young master's seemingly joking words carried an undercurrent of intense ambiguity. Her cheeks flushed from the early summer heat, and she suddenly turned halfway into his arms, looking at him with unusual seriousness, a hint of sudden realization in her expression:

"Young master...you haven't fallen for me, have you?"

Chapter Twenty-Six (Part 1)

This was the first time in Jun Ye'an's life that a woman had been so brave, looking directly into his eyes and saying those words. She leaned against him, her eyes as clear as crystal, her lips so delicate, her long eyelashes fluttering like thin butterfly wings, colorful and breathtakingly beautiful.

Is this what it means to like someone?

All his emotions were stirred by one person; his composure and self-control became mere affectation when he encountered her. The young master stared at her, unable to utter a simple "yes" or "no."

"You—what kind of behavior is this!" The door creaked open behind them, and someone came out, their voice trembling, "A man and a woman alone together, not engaged... cough cough, how can you be so shameless... cough cough, embracing each other?"

The young master seemed unaffected, but Chu Xia was startled and forcefully pushed him away. Afraid she would get hurt, he released his grip.

Su Xiucai, leaning against the door, looked like he was on the verge of death. He only felt a little better after seeing the two of them separate.

Chu Xia exclaimed in surprise: "You mustn't get out of bed!"

Su Fenghua said, "I heard a noise outside..."

The young master grew impatient, flicked his fingertip to press the pressure point that put him to sleep, and sent him straight back to bed. He turned around, closed the door, rubbed his temples, and said with a wry smile, "The Jun family has gained another pedantic scholar who insists on upholding etiquette."

As Chu Xia recalled the way he spoke, she couldn't help but smile: "Young master, you kept him?"

The young master was in a good mood and reached out his hand to Chu Xia, saying naturally, "If you want to drive him away, you have to leave too. I can't bear to part with you."

He stood beside her, dressed in pristine white, handsome and refined, patiently awaiting her response.

Chu Xia stared at him intently before slowly placing her hand on his.

On the path back to Linjiang Pavilion, the drizzle was still falling heavily, but Jun Ye'an held her hand tightly. Although he didn't say anything, he felt a peace and joy he had never experienced before.

Beside the Linjiang Pavilion, a willow tree that would take three people to encircle was now covered in lush foliage, obscuring a tall, dark figure.

The young Qinglong stared blankly at the two departing figures, his mind suddenly in turmoil.

Bai Xue had told him long ago that the young master liked Chu Xia, but only just now did the boy truly understand the meaning of liking someone. The young master's eyes held a tenderness he had never seen before; he gazed intently at Chu Xia, as if trying to memorize every expression, every word she uttered. If there were moonlight at this moment, even that moonlight would probably be as sweet as honey.

The young man toyed with a silver hairpin in his hand. He clearly remembered that it was several months ago at Linjiang Pavilion when he had frightened Chuxia. The young master, while comforting her, had casually plucked the hairpin from her hair and tossed it at him. He should have known then... How could the young master be so intimate and casual with others?

The young man stroked the silver hairpin again and again, his heart filled with bitterness and melancholy. It seemed he had come to understand all this a little too late.

Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).

Linjiang Pavilion.

The young master's lazy voice came from inside the house: "How long are you going to wander around outside?"

Chu Xia had already slowed her pace, hesitating whether to go in or not, but after he said that, she couldn't help but push the door open and go in.

The young master sat at the table, carefully wiping the Yuyang sword in his hand under the candlelight.

Seeing this world-renowned weapon again in early summer, I couldn't help but shudder slightly—this sword seemed to possess an inexplicable magic, clear and cold, making people afraid to approach it.

The young master sheathed his sword, the blade scraping against the ground like the cry of a phoenix and the roar of a dragon. The candlelight flickered wildly, stirred by the sword's energy, but the young master remained unmoved, smiling slightly as he asked, "Can't you sleep?"

Chu Xia's gaze held a hint of awe. She pursed her lips and asked with some doubt, "Young Master, are you going out?"

The young master simply smiled but did not answer.

In early summer, her long, jet-black hair cascaded casually over her shoulders, making her face appear even smaller and her skin even whiter, like a carefully crafted snow doll, endearing and lovable. Seeing that he didn't speak, she said directly, "Young master, you haven't answered me yet."

"What?" The young master was somewhat taken aback.

"That question." Chu Xia mustered her courage, though her cheeks still flushed slightly.

“Oh…that question…” The young master deliberately thought for a while, his phoenix eyes slightly raised, and he dragged out the last syllable, but he didn’t speak.

"Is it so hard to answer that I either like it or I don't like it?" Chu Xia said, getting a little impatient.

The young master looked at her cheeks, which seemed to be smeared with rouge, and the fine beads of sweat on the tip of her nose; she was clearly a little anxious. His dark pupils contracted slightly, and in that instant, he couldn't help himself and pressed his thin lips to hers.

As if knowing she would dodge, the young master's hand was already around Chu Xia's back, not letting her move an inch. The kiss only landed lightly between her eyebrows and lingered for a long time—like spring rain silently nourishing all things, though not overstepping the bounds, it was tender and lingering.

Chu Xia felt her mind go blank, and her limbs seemed to have been paralyzed, unable to move at all.

Instead of getting an answer, they ended up being taken advantage of.

His hands gripped her waist tighter, his warm breath slowly growing hotter. His thin lips left her skin, but he lowered his head slightly, his forehead touching hers, and asked with a smile, "Isn't this the answer?"

Chu Xia remained silent, only biting her lip hard.

The young master reached out and gently stroked her lips, saying softly, "If you bite again, it will break. This habit is not good."

Chu Xia quickly pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and said somewhat incoherently, "But...I..."

"Are you trying to say why I didn't ask you?" The young master patiently finished speaking for her, his phoenix eyes full of laughter. "Do you blush when you see other people? Would you be willing to let others... get so close to you? I'm not as foolish as you, needing to ask them myself."

"How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?" Chu Xia muttered, but her eyes were bright, and she looked very happy and satisfied.

The young master finally released her, reached out and patted her head, his tone full of affection: "Alright, are you satisfied now?"

Chu Xia just looked at him, her expression suggesting she wanted to say something but hesitated.

The young master sighed softly and said calmly, "You don't need to worry about the engagement. Leave it to me. Just remember... that you love me, that's all."

Chu Xia's face turned as red as the sunset clouds on the horizon. She instinctively tried to refute him, but stammered, "I never said that!"

"Alright, you didn't say that, only I did." Following her tone, the young master escorted her back to his room and only left after seeing her fall asleep.

"Tender feelings, young master?" A dark figure stood quietly in the room, speaking in a calm tone, "I thought you were about to forget about other things."

The young master did not answer, but picked up the Yuyang sword from the table. He had not finished wiping it earlier, but now he drew it again, and its coolness filled half the room.

"With the Tian Gang wiped out, the martial world has been peaceful for some time now." The man in black spoke in a flat tone, almost like a block of wood, and said directly, "The person you wanted to see has been brought here and has been settled in the Jun Mansion's villa."

The young master seemed lost in thought. The handkerchief in his hand fell onto the blade of the Yuyang Sword, where it was sliced in two with just a light touch and then fluttered to the ground.

The man in black narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured in praise, "As expected, it is still the Yuyang Sword."

"See you tomorrow." The young master seemed not to hear, and nodded slightly. "You've worked hard too, go back and rest."

Chapter Twenty-Six (Part Two)

When I woke up on a summer morning, I lingered in bed for about half a cup of tea's time, blinking rapidly, a vague feeling rising within me. It was a mixture of joy and trepidation, as if many things would be different after this one night.

She sat up, put on her clothes, and went to look at the young master's door, but he was no longer inside. At this moment... Chu Xia, while tidying her hair, thought to herself, "The young master must have gone to practice his sword."

She wasn't particularly interested in the young master practicing his swordsmanship; she was just passing through the bamboo grove to see Scholar Su, so she stopped to take a look.

This angle is perfect for concealing one's body while still allowing a clear view of what's happening inside the bamboo forest.

This wasn't the first time Chu Xia had seen the young master wield a sword. At Little Mirror Lake, his swordsmanship was concise and sharp, with no superfluous moves in combat; each strike possessed the power of thunder and earth, and his aura was awe-inspiring. But now, his swordplay was quite different.

The day was perfect, with a bright and sunny spring day. The young master's swordsmanship was executed slowly, his movements sometimes fast and sometimes slow. When swift, he seemed like a blue fish swimming among water chestnuts and duckweed; when relaxed, he resembled the setting sun reflecting on orange reeds, just like a landscape painting.

Early summer was filled with delight as she watched the scene unfold. Unbeknownst to her, the young master in the distance subtly raised the tip of his sword, the sword energy pointing towards her from afar, slicing off a bamboo branch and startling a spring oriole on a branch. She didn't even notice that the young master had already spotted her. Covered in fallen leaves, she quickly scrambled out of her seat and hurriedly patted her shoulder.

A tiny, incredibly swift object flew from afar, like a hidden weapon, aimed directly at Chu Xia's brow. Startled, she tried to dodge, but it was too late. A faint, cool sensation touched her brow. Chu Xia reached out and touched it, only to pluck a cluster of red flower petals.

The young master sheathed his sword, walked over slowly, narrowed his eyes slightly, and smiled, "Was your swordsmanship impressive?"

"It's beautiful, like a landscape painting." Chu Xia looked up at him, her expression slightly coquettish. "Why did you scare me with a hidden weapon?"

Sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, like water. Her skin was as white as snow, delicate and flawless, with only a faint plum blossom mark between her brows. Her dark hair fell low, and her face was etched with elegance.

The young master smiled and asked, "Shall we go see Su Fenghua?"

"Yes." Chu Xia suddenly felt a little embarrassed when she thought about what happened last night. "Then I'll go first."