Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 27

Cai Zhonghe smiled faintly and said, "Madam, I will definitely send you two more superior goods another day. As for that child, he doesn't understand anything and is silly. I'm afraid he won't be able to serve you."

"Tch," Madam Wang sneered, "Does Second Master want to deceive me? You can't find anyone in the entire Cuiyi Garden who has a smile like his. That smile makes everything else pale in comparison."

Cai Zhonghe's smile was gentle and kind, but his eyes gradually turned cold. "Madam has good taste. However, I'm afraid he won't agree. His white fox is very powerful; it's a fox king, found in the snowy mountains a thousand years ago. It can bite a person's throat in one snap."

Madam Wang shuddered at the sight of the little white fox's golden eyes, but she still refused to give up and said with a smile, "Second Master, the information I have is of utmost importance to you."

Cai Zhonghe's gentle and amiable demeanor transformed into a beaming smile, but his icy gaze betrayed a murderous intent as he spoke in a tactful tone, "I trust you. Madam, please name your price; we can afford whatever it is. However, the child is an exception."

Lady Wang, oblivious to the danger, laughed arrogantly, "Second Master, you're refusing too quickly! Is he perhaps your favorite? I really didn't realize you had this kind of interest. Second Master, why don't you be generous and let him go to my sister? She will definitely reward you handsomely."

Cai Zhonghe shook his head with a smile and said patiently, "Madam, I have already said that he is not suitable."

Madam Wang persisted, "I'll give you that news for free. I'll also give you four girls, all beauties, and I guarantee they're all virgins. If you can give me that child, the benefits you'll receive won't be limited to these. Actually, it's not that I want it; the master is the Ninth Prince, the emperor's most favored prince. He's not only fond of women but also men, and that child, though his appearance is average, has a smile that no one can match. I guarantee the Ninth Prince will fall head over heels for him."

This time, Cai Zhonghe's smile vanished completely. He raised his hand and gracefully moved it, the priceless ring on his slender fingers gleaming alluringly in the light. But in the next instant, that beautiful hand gripped her neck tightly. Madam Wang's eyes widened in horror, her face flushing red as she struggled to breathe.

“I hate it when people try to bargain with me, especially a greedy woman like you who doesn’t even realize she’s about to die.”

Madam Wang flailed her arms and legs and struggled wildly, like a hen being slaughtered.

“Listen, don’t try anything funny with me. If you really want to die, I have plenty of ways to let you experience every kind of death in the world. Would you like to have some fun, Madam Wang?”

Cai Zhonghe suddenly let go, and Madam Wang collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, no longer the radiant woman she had been moments before.

At this moment, melodious drum music began. To the beat of the drums, several beauties dressed as palace maids and two men dressed as eunuchs escorted a woman in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, looking as if she had stepped out of a painting, onto the carved pavilion. A roar of cheers and applause erupted from below, as if the roof had been lifted off their feet. Accompanied by the erhu, the beauty began to sing "The Drunken Concubine."

Kiyomi Tsuki's gaze was unconsciously drawn to it.

Her flowing sleeves moved like water and clouds; her captivating figure swayed like flowers under the hazy moonlight; her magnificent jeweled crown and glossy black hair accentuated her bright and beautiful face; her mesmerizing phoenix eyes held a sorrowful depth. Under the lamplight, they formed a dynamic picture, poetic and dreamlike.

She sang of the Drunken Concubine, yet it didn't quite resemble the opera. She sang a play, but her style was unlike anyone else's. Her voice was ever-changing, carrying an intense, unyielding sorrow and grief, utterly captivating.

She blends emotion, scenery, poetry, painting, dance, and song into one, creating a breathtaking artistic charm that is sure to captivate the soul.

From the moment she appeared, the applause never stopped. Even a single expression or a small gesture from her would elicit enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

Only Kiyomizuki neither cheered nor clapped. His heart was filled with pity; what a sorrowful person she was! Of all the people here, how many could truly understand her pain, her helplessness, and the loneliness and resentment in her heart?

Cai Zhonghe returned at some point, and looking at the charming beauty on the stage, he smiled.

Amidst the frenzied cheers, the "Drunken Concubine" performance finally drew to a close. Wealthy merchants crowded onto the ornately decorated pavilion, vying to throw gold and jewels up, extravagantly flaunting their riches, and shamelessly shouting out ever higher prices to buy the beauty's virginity.

The beautiful woman concluded her performance with a mesmerizing dance. At her feet lay a pile of cold, lifeless objects, which she paid no heed to and was about to leave. Suddenly, she instinctively turned back, her melancholy gaze meeting a pair of clear, crystalline eyes. Two dark blue pupils shimmered in the lamplight, a light calm and serene, gentle and affectionate, filled with an incredible, mysterious power that dissolved the heavy shackles weighing on her, offering a fleeting moment of solace to her lonely and wounded soul.

At that moment, Kiyomi Tsuki smiled, her smile as refreshing and pleasant as the morning breeze, as beautiful and bright as the morning glow.

She was shocked: Who was he? How could he have such a smile? Full of joy, full of confidence, yet so pure and innocent. I hate people like that the most. Wait, isn't that Zhong He standing next to him? What's his connection to the Lu family?

Suddenly, she plucked a golden hairpin and threw it at Kiyomi Tsuki, causing the crowd to scream and surge forward. At that moment, the little white fox shot out like lightning, leaping gracefully and accurately catching the hairpin in mid-air. With a flick of its tail, it spun and leaped over people's heads, returning to its master's shoulder in an instant.

People roared in fury, but seemed to fear Cai Zhonghe, and no one dared to come forward. Qing Jianyue reached out and took the hairpin, then looked at the beauty.

The beauty, with a smile that could launch a thousand ships, outshines all the beauties of the palace, was described as "a maidservant helping her up, delicate and weak." Amidst sighs filled with desire, the beauty's figure escaped the greedy and filthy gazes and disappeared.

Cai Zhonghe's fierce gaze swept across the faces of those people, but when it returned to Qing Jianyue, it became incredibly warm. He smiled and said, "Jianyue, congratulations on winning the favor of a beauty."

Ignoring the predatory gazes surrounding her, Qing Jianyue expressionlessly slipped the hairpin into her sleeve. Cai Zhonghe's sharp, ruthless gaze swept over them again, causing the hungry wolves to retreat even further.

Inside the fragrant Phoenix Pavilion, three great beauties from Cuiyi Garden surrounded "Yang Guifei," serving her as she removed her makeup, changed her clothes, and freshened up.

Cuiyu lifted the crystal curtain and said sweetly, "Second Master has arrived."

Qingfeng said calmly, "Please come in. You may all leave."

With a slight lift of the soft curtain, Cai Zhonghe stepped in, smiling, "Qingfeng, it's been a while since I last saw you. You've become even more radiant. I almost didn't recognize you just now!"

All four beauties of Cuiyi Garden withdrew.

"You called me in such a hurry, it wasn't just to say these things, was it?"

His voice had changed, completely at odds with his beautiful female attire. Although elegant and pleasant to the ear, it was immediately recognizable as a man's voice, and its coldness was so palpable that anyone else who heard it would likely be frozen half to death on the spot.

Cai Cuhe didn't mind, and laughed with his hands behind his back, "You really know how to hide, making it hard for me to find you. I think you should know why I'm looking for you? The fortress master wants you to go back."

Qingfeng threw his head back and laughed, saying angrily, "Back then, you drove me out of Lujiabao like an animal, and now you want me to go back? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Cai Zhonghe looked at him with a complicated expression. "You shouldn't resent the lord of the fortress. It wasn't entirely his fault."

Qingfeng smiled sadly, "I can only blame my bad luck, can I?"

Cai Zhonghe felt a pang of sadness and said, "You must already know the current situation inside the fortress."

"My cousin must have been planning this for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't have succeeded in one strike," Qingfeng mocked. "Now he's surrounded by experts, what use would he have for me to go back?"

Cai Zhonghe said, "The fortress lord didn't harm Liu Jianhua and his sister because he was waiting for you to return."

"He really meant well."

Qingfeng had no expression; her eyes held only deep-seated pain and cold-blooded hatred.

Walking to the window, one can clearly see the picturesque stream winding in front of the building. A quaint little bridge spans the stream, and on the bridge stands a young man in a purple robe, facing the wind. The soft glow of the lamplight illuminates him, creating a warm, tranquil, and serene scene.

"who is he?"

"You must have heard of his name; he is Kiyomi Tsuki."

"He's Kiyomi Tsuki?" Qingfeng was extremely surprised. "This is unbelievable. Where did my cousin find him?"