El cielo sobre los ríos y lagos está despejado

Capítulo 12

When I arrived in Mianyang and Chongqing, there was a large lake with beautiful scenery, so I said I wanted to stay there for a few days.

The morning after our lake trip, while we were having breakfast at the inn, Yi Gehu told me that we were very close to his hometown, and with the winter solstice approaching, he wanted to go home to sweep his mother's grave. I took a sip of porridge and thought for a moment before asking, "Should we wait for you?" He shook his head. "The Emperor also hopes that the princess can return home for the New Year soon. The princess should go first. I will catch up in three days at the earliest."

I thought about it for a moment. Even if it's close to Qian County, it would still take half a day to get there. With preparations and tomb sweeping to do, three days seems too rushed. So I said, "You don't need to rush. We're traveling slowly anyway. You can arrange your time more leisurely and not make it too tiring."

He agreed, and after breakfast, he said goodbye to me.

That day, I took Grandpa Jing and Chunman for a stroll around Mianyu City, but I felt uneasy, as if there was something I hadn't finished.

When it was time for dinner, it suddenly occurred to me that he had gone to pay respects at his mother's grave. Wasn't that my mother-in-law? Shouldn't I have gone with her? Sigh, I should have gone, even if it was just to make an appearance.

So I told Eunuch Jing that I needed to buy horses to go to Qian County tomorrow. Eunuch Jing said, "Don't we have a carriage?" I said, "I'll go by myself. Yi Ge's family might not have a place for you to stay. How about this, you go to Guocheng ahead and wait there. Just choose the biggest inn, and I'll come find you."

Before Eunuch Jing could say anything more, I stopped him with my hand: "Yunyang is still very safe. The martial arts tournament just ended, and no one in the martial arts world will bother me. If you don't see me for ten days, you can go to Chuzhou to find my brother or my fourth uncle."

After thinking that this place was not too far from Chuzhou, Eunuch Jing fell silent.

Eunuch Jing went to the horse market to choose a yellow horse for me and then saw me out of the city.

Actually, Qianxian County is under the jurisdiction of Mianyang-Chongqing, but it is very remote and closer to Guocheng. My journey to Qianxian County was smooth; it only took about half a day on horseback. However, after arriving in Qianxian County, I couldn't find any information about Duwang Village. Someone said, "Girl, there is no Duwang Village around here. However, there is a Duwang Mountain about thirty miles to the northwest. You can go and take a look there."

Seeing that the sun was getting low, I bought some cooked beef patties at the market, asked someone for water to fill my water bag, and spurred my horse northwest. The horse was quite strong, and it took only a little over half an hour to reach Duwang Mountain. As the sun began to set, I randomly grabbed a farmer returning home and asked him for directions to Duwang Village. He looked terrified and said, "Young lady, what are you going to that village for? It's a leprosy village; no one dares to go there." I was taken aback. A leprosy village? Could it be that Yi Ge's mother died of leprosy? But the disease is contagious, and Yi Ge had none. Could it be the same place?

I asked, still unwilling to give up, "I'm looking for someone. Is Duwang Village the only village around here?"

He nodded: "Yes. Only this one."

I hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sir, would you mind taking me to see him?"

He was so frightened that he hurriedly waved his hands: "That won't do, that won't do. Nobody dares to come within two miles of that village." In other words, there was no one living within a four-mile radius of that village.

I took out a silver ingot from my pocket and handed it over: "Old man, thank you for your trouble. You only need to lead me to that two miles away."

He hesitated for a moment while looking at the silver before reaching out to take it and saying, "Then I'll only go as far as that two miles. There's actually only one road inside, so just go straight."

Luckily, we found a guide. The road into the mountains was indeed winding and had quite a few forks. The old farmer was very responsible and marked the way for me, saying, "If you don't want to go in anymore, you can follow these signs to come out."

Sure enough, there were only wild trees and weeds two miles away. The old farmer stopped and pointed to a very narrow path in the weeds, saying, "This is it. Follow this path, and you'll find Duwang Village when you reach the houses." Before turning away, he looked at me again and said, "Ah, girl, you really can't go in!" I smiled and said, "I'm going to find someone; I'll find them first. It's alright, I might not even be able to spread the word." With that, I spurred my horse forward, and in the distance, I heard a sigh.

Author's Note: Leprosy refers to the disease of vitiligo.

Chapter Nineteen: Lonely Village

The weeds grew taller, making the path narrow and difficult to discern. With the grass so high and the path so narrow, I could no longer rush and could only proceed slowly. The winter light gradually dimmed, and a faint crescent moon hung in the gray-blue sky. All around me was silent; not even the chirping of insects could be heard. The only companions were the sound of the wind and the snorting of my yellow horse. I had never walked in such an eerie environment before, and my heart couldn't help but pound with unease, fearing that something inexplicable might suddenly appear. But since I was already here, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and continue. Fortunately, it was winter, so there were no snakes.

After walking for more than a mile, the grass gradually thinned out, more trees appeared, and the path became noticeably wider and neater. Continuing on, I even saw some small plots of land and hedges, all very tidy, and my heart gradually settled down. After about two mile, I indeed saw an earthen-yellow wall nestled among the green trees; I must have reached the village.

The road into the village was a dirt road, but it was quite neat. I led my horse slowly towards the village entrance. There was a threshing ground at the entrance, blocked by a low stone wall. I hesitated, unsure whether to enter through the threshing ground or take the side path. Suddenly, a figure leaped out from behind the low wall: "Who goes into the village?"

I was startled, and when I looked up, I saw a thin man in a coarse linen robe, who looked to be around thirty years old.

I said, "I'm looking for someone. Excuse me, is this Duwang Village?"

The man said, "Yes, this village is plagued by leprosy, and people aren't allowed in. How did you get in? Who are you looking for?"

I looked him over. Although he was thin, his skin was fine, without any freckles, and his hands were normal. He didn't seem to have any leprosy, so I started to have some doubts.

“I’m looking for Yi Ge; he returned to this village yesterday.”

“There’s no such person in our village. But since you’re already here, don’t leave. No one has come to this village for many years, let alone a woman, especially a beautiful one. If you can’t find her, you might as well come to my house.”

There's no such person here? I was a little stunned. Could it be that I came to the wrong place after all this trepidation? Or perhaps, Yi Ge isn't from Duwang Village at all? Or perhaps, he never came back? A chill ran through me, but I didn't pay much attention to the man's teasing tone.

My dazed expression clearly aroused the man's other ideas. He reached out to grab my hand, and I instinctively dodged. He exclaimed, "Oh, that's interesting, little beauty. Don't be daydreaming, come with me." As he spoke, he reached to touch my face. I flinched, but although he didn't touch me, his hands didn't leave my sides. He was quite skilled, I became wary, and placed my hands on my waist.

He chuckled and said, "Little beauty, don't rush. We're still at the village entrance. It's better to untie your belt and go back inside."

I finally lost my temper and drew my Swift Shadow whip, swinging it at him. He was indeed skilled in martial arts, dodging quite nimbly, while teasing me, "Little beauty, so sassy. Let your husband teach you a lesson." I unfurled the Swift Shadow whip and used the Autumn Wind Brings Leaves Back to Their Roots technique, the whip tip mercilessly sweeping across his legs and waist. He cried out. It turned out he only knew those two moves.

Suddenly, a clear, melodious voice called out, "Hey, who are you? Why are you hitting Qi Laosan?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a young man, who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old.

I put down my whip and said, "I came looking for someone, but this man is so rude and disrespectful to me." As I said this, I was also secretly on guard, afraid that the two of them would join forces to cause trouble. The man glanced at Qi Laosan, whose clothes were torn, and said, "Your old habits are acting up again, aren't they? No one has come to the village for many years. You act like this every time someone comes. Be careful, or Master Gui will hang you again."

He turned to me and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Before I could even speak, the man called Qi Laosan said, "She said she was looking for someone named Yi Ge, and that he came back yesterday. Who in our village has that name?"

The man looked at me seriously and asked, "You're looking for Yi Ge. Who are you?"

I hesitated for a moment before saying, "He is my husband."

Both the man and Qi Laosan were stunned for a moment. The man said, "Then I'll take you there."

Qi Laosan leaned closer and asked, "Who is it? Who is Yi Ge?"

The man said, "Is that Tiezhu from Yi Wuniang's family? He just came back yesterday, saying he wanted to sweep Wuniang's grave."

I followed the man into the village, with curious villagers following us one after another. The village was small, with houses made of adobe bricks. Some had been whitewashed, while others were bare adobe, but they all looked quite tidy. The village roads were clean, and each household had a small open space in front of their door, where some flowers and plants were grown. Looking at the man and the villagers behind him, they didn't seem to have any leprosy symptoms. This didn't look like a leprosy village at all.

The man led me to a small courtyard in the east of the village and called out loudly, "Tiezhu, your wife is here to see you!" There was no answer from inside, but footsteps could be heard. The house was also a mud-brick house, but it had been whitewashed, some of the plaster peeling off. The gate was half-open, the door panel had never been repaired, and it was grayish-white and cracked from years of use. The man said to me, "That taciturn Tiezhu won't even answer."

The door was pulled open, and a cold voice said, "Dazhi, what kind of joke are you making now? What do you mean, 'my wife'?"

Upon hearing that sound, my heart suddenly started racing.

His words vanished the instant the door opened. Seeing me, his expression shifted from astonishment to delight, the light in his eyes making my heart race. He asked incredulously, "Wu Bao, is it really you? What brings you here?"

Before I could answer, Dazhi said, "Tiezhu, is she really your wife? You got married without saying a word?"

Yi Ge said, "Yes, the marriage took place in August. We just got back."

Someone else said, "You got married in August, Tiezhu, and you just left your wife behind when you got back to the village. Do you really think this is a plague village? The village hasn't been lively in a long time."

Yi Ge said, "I'm worried she won't adapt."

Another villager said, "Congratulations, Tiezhu. With such a beautiful wife, Wu Niang would be happy even in the afterlife."

Da Zhi chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, everyone disperse. They're newly married and haven't been apart for a while, so don't get in the way."

He dispersed the crowd and even helped us close the courtyard gate.

Yi Ge led the horse to the back of the house, then came over, took my hand, and led me inside. Touching his warm, thick hand, I felt a tingling sensation rise in my arm. He seemed to sense my slight trembling and held my hand tightly.

As we entered the house, he lit an oil lamp, and I realized that it was already completely dark. He didn't let go of my hand, and asked me in a slightly low voice, "Why did you come? This road is difficult to walk on."

I stammered, "You said you'd sweep your mother's grave on the Winter Solstice, but she's also my mother-in-law. Shouldn't I have come too? I just didn't think of it and didn't come with you. I'm sorry."

His eyes shone brightly as he stared at me for a moment, then suddenly pulled me into his arms, one hand around my waist, the other lifting my chin, and he lowered his head to kiss my lips.

I froze, and the package I was carrying fell to the ground with a thud.

He kissed me tenderly and passionately, sucking on my lips and then thrusting his tongue into my mouth, drawing it in relentlessly, as if he wanted to devour me whole. I involuntarily closed my eyes, my body trembling slightly in his arms. I thought: Oh my god, his kiss is so passionate, I'm almost smitten.

It felt like an eternity before he gave me a tight hug and said, "Are you cold? I've heated the kang (heated brick bed). Go sit down and I'll make you dinner."

He shouldn't have mentioned it, because once he did, I truly felt the chill of the mountain night. The house, though not drafty, felt somewhat spacious due to its simplicity. Remembering the contents of my bundle, I said, "I have beef and pies in my bundle; let's make do with this for dinner."

He said, "Then we should eat something hot. I'll go cook some porridge and heat up these cold dishes while I'm at it." The fire on the stove was covered but not extinguished.

I said, "Then I'll go with you. There's a fire in the kitchen, so it should be warm."

He looked at me intently, then pulled me into his arms and led me to the kitchen, just as he had protected me at Qingyu Manor that day. The two of us sat on a bundle of firewood to tend the fire, and he said, "This place is too simple; it's really unfair to you."

I gently shook my head: "It's alright, it's just that this road is too remote and creepy. I was afraid I'd gone to the wrong place." Unconsciously, my tone carried a hint of coquetry.

He pulled me closer to him and said, "You must have heard on the way here that this place is a leprosy village, right?"

I nodded: "But none of you look like you have leprosy."

He turned to me: “Indeed, not a single one. We spread rumors that the village has a plague just to keep others from entering and getting close to us. The people in this village are all people who came here to seek refuge after getting into trouble with the authorities. Some of them were once considered heinous criminals with many enemies, but once they came here, as long as they didn't bother the other villagers, they were allowed to stay. If they were harmful to the villagers, they would be driven out. But in the past few decades, it is said that not a single one has been driven out. It seems that they all have some idea of turning over a new leaf and living a peaceful life.”

I nodded again: "No wonder everyone in this village seems to know martial arts."

We had a bowl of porridge, some beef, and flatbread in the kitchen. Yi Ge even stir-fried some vegetables and fried an egg; his cooking skills were quite good. I praised him, and he smiled and said, "I'm used to living alone, so naturally I can do everything. These rice and vegetables were given to me by the villagers when they saw me come back. I haven't been back for several years, and Da Zhi and the others helped me clean the house yesterday; otherwise, it wouldn't be habitable." He paused slightly and said, "There's only a fire pit left in the house, and only one thick quilt is usable. But the quilt is clean; it was aired out today."

I gave a soft "hmm".

Back in the room, the kang (heated brick bed) was indeed warm, but unfortunately, it got a bit cold if you were a little further away. A coarse cloth quilt was laid out on the kang, which was also warm, but it wasn't exactly thick. I thought for a moment, then took out my fox fur coat from my bundle and placed it on the quilt. Thank goodness Chunman insisted I bring this; it's really come in handy now.

He brought some hot water from the kitchen, and after we washed up quickly, I got onto the kang (heated brick bed). It was my first time sleeping on this, and I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep.

He climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and naturally pulled me into his arms, whispering in my ear, "Wu Bao, thank you." His use of "Wu Bao" was natural, and I found it pleasant to hear.

At first, I simply buried my face in the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth of his body, and it felt like the most peaceful day I'd had in days. Later, I noticed his breathing was a little labored, his pulse was strong, and the arms and hands around me felt hard. I lifted myself up slightly and turned to look at him, only to feel his breath was incredibly hot, and his body was burning hot.

He turned to look at me, and the starlight in his eyes made me lower my eyelashes.

He finally leaned close to my earlobe and said, "Wu Bao, I want you."

Actually, my heart was already racing, and my language skills were reduced to a simple "hmm." If this continued, I feared I'd become so dense that all I could do was shake my head or nod—maybe only nod?

This is our second time. I've almost forgotten what the first time was like. But now, he's so gentle. We're naked, pressed tightly together, our bodies burning against each other. His lips are still soft, but no longer cold. His fiery kisses start from my forehead and spread down my cheeks. Even with my high body temperature, I can still feel the burning marks they leave. His rough fingertips and palms gently trace my high, firm breasts, making my tender nipples tremble involuntarily. He doesn't seem to care as he moves down to my tender, hidden garden. I moan softly, unsure of what to do, and involuntarily wrap my legs around his strong waist, yearning for his heat and hardness.

At first, he entered cautiously, like a bamboo shoot growing taller, segment by segment. I felt a little impatient and slightly raised myself. He understood, and rushed in. My heart soared and then plummeted. My consciousness gradually blurred; I could only feel the impact of our bodies colliding, one sound after another. I could only hear him shouting frantically, "Wu Bao, Wu Bao, my little princess!" His fervor was completely unlike his usual cool and composed self. My brain, like faded cloth, gradually turned white, and I unconsciously murmured his name, groaning. Before my mind went completely blank, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: so this is what it feels like to be "about to die."

My hair was scattered messily on the pillow, and he had wiped the sweat from my forehead and body. I curled up lazily in his arms, completely exhausted. In my drowsy state, I heard him say something nonsensical in my ear: "Wu Bao, I have never pretended to be a loving couple with you." I hummed in agreement and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Author's Note: Wu Bao is starting to realize she's becoming more aware of what it means to be someone's wife.

Chapter Twenty: Inquiry

I woke up early again the next day. The sky outside the window was still overcast. I turned over, wanting to go back to sleep, but I heard some sounds in the distance—a "swish, swish" like someone sweeping fallen leaves, or like rain falling in the woods. The sounds only echoed outside the courtyard, making it hard to fall back asleep. I reached for my clothes to get up. The cold air made me shiver as soon as my hand left the covers. I grabbed my undergarment and quickly stuffed it under the covers. I slightly raised myself, preparing to put the undergarment on inside the covers, when suddenly, a pair of large hands reached out and pressed down on me. Yi Ge's voice was slightly hoarse: "Don't mind them. Let the villagers practice martial arts." Uh, he had told me about the village's history yesterday. I guess it's best to mind my own business. My head fell back onto the pillow.

He said, "It's still early, not past dawn yet, right? Sleep a little longer." He pulled me into his arms, my forehead resting against his chin, the stubble on his chin gently tickling my face. Leaning against him so quietly, I suddenly felt incredibly comfortable. Ah, this is happiness, isn't it?

He suddenly opened his eyes and stared at me for a moment, then closed them again, and then suddenly opened them again. I was taken aback and stared wide-eyed at his dark pupils. He suddenly smiled and said, "I thought I was dreaming just now, so I looked again."

Tiny ripples spread through my heart, a mix of emotion—a touch of gratitude, a hint of guilt—and I simply pressed myself closer to him. I said, "Yi Ge, I love seeing you smile."

He suddenly asked me, "Wu Bao, do you really have to go to Lingnan next spring?"

I hummed in agreement and said, "I want to find a good knife for my brother. I heard that there is a Rainbow Chaser in the Ghost Palace underground palace, and I want to get it."

He then asked, "If that ghost palace really has descendants, just as that person said that day, would you want it too?"

I said, "You mean if the Rainbow Chasing Blade already has an owner, would I still try to steal it? Then I should find the owner and negotiate with them, let them name their terms. But does the Ghost Palace really have any descendants? If I find it first and no one comes to argue with me, I'll naturally take it first."

He whispered, "Is this your wish?"

"Well, I guess so. When I came down from Xuefeng Mountain, I had already decided to find a good knife, find a few close friends, and then..." Never mind, let's not talk about that wish anymore, it's impossible anyway. After a pause, I asked him in return, "Then, have you ever had any wishes or desires?"

I thought he would say, "Go find that little girl from back then."

But he said, "I just want to enjoy ourselves with you for three days and three nights, without anyone bothering us."

I thought I misheard. His tone was so calm, as if he were saying, "I want a full meal, and I also want a bowl of meat." When I looked up at his face, in the dim light of the day, his face was no different from usual, and he didn't seem to be joking.