Early Spring Trip

Chapter 33

A woman's voice came from the doorway, but Chu Xia couldn't hear it clearly. The young master returned shortly after. Avoiding the row of silver needles on the bed, he gently stroked Chu Xia's cheek by candlelight and said apologetically, "I frightened you."

Chu Xia's face was small, just enough to be held in his palm, but she simply shook her head.

The young master smiled slightly: "Everything's fine now, you should get some sleep."

As Chu Xia was about to sit up, before she could finish saying "I'm not sleepy," she inexplicably felt drowsy. She yawned slightly, and as she closed her eyes, the young master's last kiss landed on her forehead, and she fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, however, was a day of heavy rain.

In the lobby of the inn in early summer, I encountered Qinglong and asked somewhat hurriedly, "Have you seen Baixue?"

Qinglong was eating a bowl of cold noodles when he looked up and suddenly started coughing violently.

Chu Xia kindly stepped forward, patted his back to help him catch his breath, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Why...why did you put your hair up?" Qinglong finally managed to catch his breath and stammered as he asked.

Chu Xia blushed, but removed her hand and whispered, "Young Master has something to discuss with you. I... I'm leaving, Bai Xue is waiting for me." With that, she turned and borrowed an oil-paper umbrella from the shopkeeper, then plunged into the rain and mist.

The rain had lessened slightly, and the path outside the inn, paved with bluestone slabs, was somewhat dilapidated, full of potholes and puddles. Seeing no one, Chu Xia turned left and headed towards the market.

Raindrops pattered on the umbrella, a soft, steady patter that seemed to be growing heavier. Chu Xia carefully lifted the hem of her skirt, intently avoiding the splashes, when suddenly she bumped into someone hurrying through the rain.

The oil-paper umbrella fell to the ground, and Chu Xia cried out "Ouch!" and stumbled backward.

The woman was carrying a large pile of miscellaneous items, which fell to the ground. Several fruits rolled all the way to the middle of the road, where a carriage happened to be passing by and crushed them with a few thuds.

The woman, clearly distressed, picked up a few items. Her anger blazing, she stood with her hands on her hips and began to berate, "You little hussy, don't you have eyes? In such a hurry, are you rushing off to find a man?"

The foul language was very offensive. Chu Xia didn't have time to pick up the umbrella and could only stand there, soaked to the bone. She was both angry and anxious, and even though she was usually clever and quick-witted, she couldn't say a word at this moment.

The woman cursed for a while before starting to pick up the things that had fallen on the ground.

Chu Xia watched as she picked up a Buddha's hand citron from beside her feet. Just as she was about to step away, she suddenly felt something was amiss.

How could a middle-aged woman from such a poor family, who toiled to support her family and make a living, have such rough hands and such long, fair fingers?

She instinctively took a step back, only to see the woman's palm flip up, revealing a faint, pale green light that flew rapidly upwards.

Before Chu Xia could even cry out, a slight pain shot through her left shoulder, followed by her limbs stiffening and becoming completely immobile.

The woman stood up and gave Chu Xia a sinister smile. The carriage that had been there earlier also stopped. Someone lifted the curtain, and the woman swiftly picked up Chu Xia and threw her into the carriage.

With that throw, Chu Xia felt like her back was about to break. She endured the pain without making a sound, but then she saw the woman sit down as well, saying in a hoarse voice, "Jun Ye'an seems to treat you quite well."

Chu Xia shrank back as much as she could, but the woman moved closer, letting out a hoarse laugh. Suddenly, a gleaming dagger appeared in her hand: "What a little beauty... But this old woman loves to ruthlessly destroy flowers. Tell me, would you prefer a slash on your left cheek, or your right cheek, or maybe just a nose cut off?"

Chu Xia shook her head frantically, her voice trembling as she said, "We have no grudge against each other, so why...why did you hurt me without even knowing the facts?"

With the dagger pressed against her cheek, Chu Xia gritted her teeth and said, "Go ahead and cut me."

"What, aren't you afraid that the famous young master won't want this ugly duckling anymore?"

“He… won’t.” Chu Xia took a deep breath and smiled slightly. Perhaps because of the muscle contraction, the dagger just grazed her cheek, leaving a faint red mark. In the swaying carriage, her smile was somewhat eerily bright. “Of course, you won’t get it either.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

The woman was taken aback. "Early Summer" moved swiftly, tapping the woman's Fengchi acupoint with her fingertip, then took the dagger from her hand and gently patted the woman's cheek with the blunt side: "Let me teach you a lesson. In front of a divine doctor... you'd better not play with your anesthetics."

The woman's pressure points were sealed, and she slumped down, a hint of fear finally appearing in her eyes. She stammered, "You...you..."

"What do you mean, 'you'?" "Early Summer" chuckled. "You really think my young master is being led by the nose by you? The Washing Silk Sect..." She paused intentionally, "What is your identity? A follower? Or... the sect leader?"

When "Early Summer" uttered the words "Washing Silk Gate," the fear in the woman's eyes could no longer be extinguished, and she almost screamed at the top of her lungs, "How...how did you know?"

Before "Early Summer" could answer, a loud crash resounded as the carriage was cleaved open from top to bottom.

The rain poured down outside the carriage, and she instinctively reached out to shield herself. Suddenly, the woman she had been restraining collapsed limply. Startled, she grabbed the woman's cheek and, with a snap, dislocated her jaw.

It was too late—a thin red line slid down the woman's lips; she had already committed suicide by poison.

"Early Summer" wiped off her "decoration" and shouted angrily, "Go see if the coachman is still there!"

A dark shadow swept past the wrecked carriage and chased after it. Bai Xue angrily threw down the corpse and cursed, "Damn it."

A moment later, the dark figure returned, stood beside Bai Xue, and whispered, "Dead."

Bai Xue glared at him fiercely several times and scolded, "What were you doing out here causing trouble? Now look what's happened, the person is dead, and we can't get anything out of him! Let's see how the young master deals with you when we get back!"

The rain grew heavier, and the handsome young man stood straight, like a bamboo stalk. He stared intently at Bai Xue, and after a while, he said, "Your face is bleeding."

Actually, the bloodstains were washed away by the rain in no time, but for some reason, Bai Xue stared at Qinglong for a long time with a strange expression: "Didn't you go to find the young master?"

Qinglong turned his gaze away somewhat embarrassedly: "No."

Bai Xue remained silent for a long time: "You came after her because you were worried about her, right?"

Qinglong handed her the oil-paper umbrella that had fallen to the ground, and replied irrelevantly, "Go back. As for the young master... I will explain things to him myself."

Bai Xue stood still, grabbed his wrist with her other hand, and said in a somewhat harsh tone, "Silly boy, they're already in love with each other, what... what can you do?"

Qinglong tried to shake off the rain, but couldn't. Rain streamed down his face. He pursed his lips and said stubbornly, "What's it to you?"

"What does it have to do with me?" Bai Xue repeated, her eyebrows gradually furrowing. "Yes, what does it have to do with me!"

She shook off his hand, turned and left, leaving Qinglong alone in the rain, facing the mess on the ground, without saying a word.

It was more than half an hour before we got back to the inn.

Qinglong, soaking wet, went straight to the young master's room. Pushing open the door, he saw the young master sitting at the table, fiddling with the borrowed chess pieces. Hearing the noise, he lazily raised his eyebrows and said, "You're back?"

Rainwater was still seeping from Qinglong's hair. Chuxia quickly handed him a handkerchief and frowned, "How did you get into this state?"

Qinglong took it, his expression slightly relaxed. He pointed at Baixue and laughed, "Baixue disguised herself as you, and she looked so much like you that even I was fooled."

Bai Xue stood to the side, her face extremely cold, without uttering a word.

The young master held a chess piece between his fingers and gently placed it down, only to say in a low voice, "Chuxia, you and Baixue go out. I have something to say to Qinglong."

Chu Xia hesitated for a moment, but finally followed Bai Xue out.

The two people inside remained silent, neither of them uttering a word.

The young master reached out and beckoned Qinglong to his side, saying gently, "Bai Xue has told me everything that happened."

Qinglong silently knelt down and bowed his head, saying, "Young Master, Qinglong is willing to accept the punishment."

The young master gently nudged his elbow: "Where did you go wrong?"

"Last time, early summer was lost in my hands; this time... I couldn't resist."

The young master sighed softly, "Do you think... I would use her as bait like last time?"

Qinglong kept his head down, looking somewhat aggrieved, and said, "It's one thing for her to disguise herself as Chuxia, but to tie her hair up with a hairpin is just ruining Chuxia's reputation."

The young master was taken aback, then chuckled, recalling last night... He must have heard the commotion inside the house before Bai Xue fought the assassin on the roof, and played a little joke on her this morning. This matter... does indeed concern Chu Xia's reputation, so the young master couldn't say more. He only asked, "Tell me about what happened on the street today."

Qinglong remained silent for a long time before saying with remorse, "I have already carefully examined the area. The two died by poisoning, leaving no clues. If I hadn't been so reckless..."

The young master interlaced his fingers, pondered for a moment, and said, "You were just trying to save people, there's no need to feel guilty. Besides, even if those two are captured alive, I'm afraid we won't be able to get them to talk."

Qinglong's eyes lit up: "Young master, is there some progress? I vaguely heard something about the Washing Silk Gate outside the carriage."

The sound of rain outside grew louder and louder, with a clear and devastating quality. Although the young master did not speak, Qinglong inexplicably felt nervous.

"The Washing Silk Sect is an extremely secretive sect in the south. It is said that all its members are women, and almost no one in the martial arts world knows about it. This time, it was just a coincidence that Bai Xue's master discovered that their internal energy cultivation method was extremely strange, so he ordered Xuanwu to investigate along this clue."

Qinglong frowned: "The one who chased down Su Xiucai was a woman, and the one who killed Master Tufeng was also a woman. Could it be related to this?"

“These could all be coincidences, but the initiation ceremony of the Washing Silk Sect cannot be lied about. Xuanwu said in the secret letter that before entering the Washing Silk Sect, the sect leader would ask each woman whether she would cut her throat or cut her hair.”

"What...does this mean?"

The young master's lips curled slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes: "If I'm not mistaken, all the women under the Huansha Gate are poor and abandoned—cutting their throats means they have no will to live, and cutting their hair means they are reborn."

"The methods used by Madam Wangyun and the murder case in Green Willow Lane more than ten years ago are similar to those of the Washing Silk Gate," Qinglong murmured. "I wonder what connection this Hejun Mansion has with the Hejun family?"

The young master did not answer, but stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked out at the torrential rain. He said, "Qinglong, you have followed me for so many years. This time, I want to entrust you with something extremely important."

Qinglong's expression was solemn, and he nodded, saying, "Please speak, young master."

"Now that the trail of Huansha Gate has been exposed, I will set off immediately to retrieve 'Shanshui Yao' (a book on landscape painting). Delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances. The journey is fraught with danger, and it will be inconvenient for Chuxia to accompany me. I need you and Baixue to stay behind and take good care of her," the young master said calmly. "Baihu will also be coming over in the next few days. With the three of you working together, I can rest assured."

The shimmering water and clouds outside the window accentuated the boy's resolute profile. He nodded and uttered only one word: "Okay."

The young master suddenly smiled faintly and said softly, "Only now do I realize that the little Azure Dragon from back then has truly grown up." He paused and called back Azure Dragon's original name: "Xu Yao, now that this matter is over, you should have your own life. Whether you stay or leave the Jun Mansion is up to you."

Qinglong was slightly taken aback: "I...I will always follow you, young master."

“The Four Envoys were appointed by my father. Over the years, you have done more than enough for the Jun family. If there was any favor the Jun family had done in the past, you have repaid it all.” The young master smiled and patted his shoulder. “I have already made my decision on this matter, so there is no need to say more.”

That night, after a torrential downpour, the sweltering heat of midsummer gradually subsided.

The young master rose from the bamboo couch. Chu Xia was sleeping soundly in bed. In fact, since that night, even though they were in the same room, he had always been meditating and circulating his energy, without making any inappropriate moves. He quietly walked to the bedside, gently bent down to pull the blanket up for Chu Xia, but unexpectedly, the Yuyang Sword at his waist lightly bumped against the edge of the bed, startling Chu Xia awake.

She instinctively tugged at his sleeve, her voice still a little dazed from just waking up: "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." He patted her head comfortingly, then suddenly felt a pang of regret... Should he have dragged Chu Xia into this landscape ballad back then?

"You're trying to lie to me again..." Chu Xia sat up and reached for the long sword at his waist. "What's this?"

The young master remained silent for a day or two, then said in a low voice, "I'll be back soon."

“I’ll go with you.” Chu Xia rubbed her eyes and turned to get her clothes.

“No, you stay here. Qinglong and Baixue will stay with you.” The young master held her hand and said softly, “Bringing you along would be a bit inconvenient.”

Chu Xia stared at him blankly, a hint of annoyance flashing in her dark eyes: "Are you worried that I'll be a burden to you?"

The young master chuckled and said, "No, I like that you don't know martial arts. That way, I can be a hero and save the beauty."

Chu Xia couldn't help but smile: "You are a hero, but unfortunately I am not a beauty."

He stayed with her, talking quietly, until the moon was high in the sky, before standing up and saying, "I really have to go."

"Then you must be careful." Chu Xia reluctantly held his hand and childishly advised, "No matter what Shan Shui Yao is, whether it's a treasure or a martial arts manual, if it's too much to ask, then don't take it."

"Treasures and secret manuals are nothing compared to you in my heart." The young master gently kissed her brow, his eyes filled with tenderness. "When I return, let's go to the Northern Frontier to see the eagles soaring in the desert, shall we?"

Chu Xia nodded, watching his figure disappear into the darkness, never to be seen again—she parted her lips slightly, wanting to call his name, but dared not. She curled up in the thin blanket, the warmth of her hands still lingering, yet he was gone just like that… Chu Xia tried to drive away the growing unease, and after a long while, she suddenly said, “Qinglong, are you there?”

As expected, Qinglong was lying outside the house. When he heard her call him, he turned around and came in.

"He went alone, will he be alright?" Chu Xia couldn't help but ask.