Sueño de Jiangshan

Capítulo 36

To her surprise, the man didn't appreciate her gesture. No sooner had she finished speaking than a crisp voice rang out behind her: "Who's your brother? I don't know you!"

"Uh..." Leng Jie turned to look at the source of the sound and saw that Xiao Shiyu was wearing an adult's purple undergarment as a long robe. A sash was tied around his waist, and the two wide sleeves, like a woman's wide sleeves, were rolled up. His little face, which had been flushed just moments before, was now ashen with cold. His red lips were tightly pursed, and a blazing fire was clearly visible in his large pupils.

Leng Jie reached out and pinched his little face, chuckling, "Are you still angry about what happened earlier? What's so interesting about a little kid like you? What difference does it make whether you cover yourself or not? Besides, everyone has what you have, and others have what you don't. What are you being shy about?"

With a forceful flick of her small hand, she deflected Leng Jie's outstretched hand with a "smack." Her face instantly turned from black to white, then to a dark green. Her eyes stared at Leng Jie as if she were a monster. Shi Yu immediately made a judgment in his mind: This woman must have lost her mind! Otherwise, how could she say things that even a decent man wouldn't dare to say in front of so many men?

Qingfeng was so shocked by Leng Jie's words that he almost vomited blood. He seemed certain that she wasn't a woman at all.

Although Xuanyuan and Ying both felt that Leng Jie's words were a bit too bold, they knew she always liked to joke around, so they took it as a joke. Zi Ying said to Xiao Shiyu, "Your Highness, please don't mind what the young master said; he always likes to joke." Then, pointing to Xuanyuan, she introduced, "This young master Huang is the person you want to meet."

Shi Yu suddenly looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly! Truly worthy of being called the emperor! Not only did he possess an ethereal, godlike appearance, but his intangible imperial aura was also perfectly natural. He suddenly felt that perhaps serving such a person wasn't so unjust after all. He then prepared to bow. But halfway down, he was lifted up by a powerful surge of true energy, followed by a voice that, though not angry, exuded authority.

"Just call me Young Master Huang outside, no need for all those formalities!" After saying that, Xuanyuan pointed to Qingfeng and introduced him to Shi Yu: "This is Young Master Qingfeng, let's all get to know each other!"

"The Jade-Faced Divine Physician?" Shi Yu looked at Qingfeng in astonishment.

“Yes, he’s my senior brother. So he’s your senior brother too.” Leng Jie chimed in. “Alright, let’s not stand here at the bathroom door chatting. Let’s find a place with chairs and tea to talk properly!”

Ignoring Leng Jie, Shi Yu nodded and greeted Qing Feng.

"How did you two meet?" Qingfeng returned the greeting and asked Shiyu.

"Come on, let's go to the main hall and I'll tell you everything," Leng Jie shoved Qingfeng and pulled Xiao Shiyu towards the main hall. Shiyu tried to shake off Leng Jie's hand, but her large hand held his small hand tightly. His strength was limited, so he could only follow Leng Jie. Seeing that they were falling behind the others, Leng Jie immediately picked up Xiao Shiyu and used her light-footed skill to quickly reach the main hall. She placed him in a chair and explained simply and clearly, "I left you behind earlier because I didn't want the Emperor to see me. But now that he's brought you back, you have to repay my kindness in saving your life. You're not allowed to contradict me later."

"I didn't realize you were captured?" Shi Yu replied coldly.

"We'll talk about the rest later. Promise me now that you absolutely cannot let them know I'm a woman. Understand? Otherwise, it's a crime of deceiving the emperor, and I'll be dead." Seeing that they were already catching up, Leng Jie hurriedly gave the order.

Although Shi Yu was furious with this despicable woman—who had abandoned him at the crucial moment and whom he hated even more for how she had toyed with him—the crime of deceiving the emperor was no joke. Besides, he hadn't yet figured out what this woman had been deceiving the emperor about. If he rashly exposed her identity and the emperor were to kill her in a fit of rage, he didn't want that. Seeing that the emperor and his entourage had arrived, he quickly changed the subject and asked, "Where is Duanmu Xingchen? Is he dead?"

“No, his injuries were healed by my senior brother. I left him in the fishing village to be cared for by Aunt Zhang,” Leng Jie said, seeing that Xiao Shiyu didn’t object, she knew he had agreed to help. Only then could Leng Jie truly relax.

"Did you take him back to the fishing village?" Shi Yu asked hurriedly. "What about my luggage? Did you bring it for me?" He felt uncomfortable wearing clothes that didn't fit him.

Leng Jie was stunned for a moment, and an unusual look of embarrassment immediately appeared on her face. When she was packing her luggage, she never thought she would be caught and brought back, let alone see him again.

Shi Yu saw right through her awkwardness and bluntly asked, "You never intended to see me again, did you?"

"Haha, it's not easy to see such expressions on the faces of our three sect leaders!" Xuan Yuan heard them talking about the fishing village from afar, and seeing the embarrassment on Leng Jie's face, he couldn't help but laugh and tease them.

Leng Jieshan smiled and then began to use her language skills, recounting in one breath how she met Xiao Shiyu on the way back to the capital, how Shiyu cut off the tendons of two Qingyi Sect protectors, how she teased the fat innkeeper, met Duanmu, dealt with the Qingyi Sect's subordinates, how she went to the fishing village to find a house to escape the Qingyi Sect's pursuit, how she helped the fishermen overcome their difficulties, and how she also learned about Xiao Shiyu's background and the secrets of the Dark Division, and finally the battle at Qunyinglou.

The story was told with great pacing, ups and downs, and a series of climaxes. The listeners, except for Xiao Shiyu herself, were swept up in the suspense and exhilaration as the story unfolded, feeling as if they had all experienced it firsthand.

When she talked about playing pranks, everyone laughed. But when she mentioned Xiao Shiyu and the Dark Guard, everyone was stunned. Xuanyuan, in particular, finally understood what it meant to find something unexpectedly after searching high and low. Especially when she recounted being surrounded by hundreds of men in black inside the Heroes' Pavilion, she embellished the story, exaggerating the danger to the extreme. She also made their intelligence and abilities sound almost fantastical. Everyone listened with bated breath, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Xiao Shiyu was so surprised that she wondered if her memory was wrong. It seemed like things were supposed to have gone the way she had described.

"In summary, this is my whereabouts over the past two weeks. That concludes my report. Please feel free to ask any further questions, and I will answer them all." Leng Jie delivered a passionate and inspiring concluding statement.

Xiao Shiyu glanced at her, thinking, "You've already said everything, what else is there to ask?"

Sure enough, Zi Ying exclaimed, "We've been looking for you for half a month and worried about you for half a month. We never expected you to have such an exciting life!"

"I think it's more like a series of thrilling moments," Qingfeng said, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

"In my opinion, it's a mixed blessing. If he didn't want to return to the capital, he wouldn't have met Shi Yu. If he hadn't met Shi Yu, we wouldn't have been able to find out the Green Robe Sect's purpose in time, nor would we have known about the Dark Guards. Three years have passed, and now we've finally found a clue." At this point, Xuanyuan looked apologetically at little Shi Yu and solemnly promised, "I'm sorry your Shi family has suffered. Don't worry, I will definitely find the way to break the curse and help you recover as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Seeing the emperor display his imperial demeanor, Xiao Shiyu immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude, while also pleading guilty: "Your Majesty, please punish me for entering the capital without permission!"

Xuanyuan hurriedly bent down to help Xiao Shiyu up, saying, "What crime have you committed, my dear minister? The responsibility for this matter lies with me. It is all because I did not take over the Dark Division in time, which led to the current chaos. It has also caused you, my dear minister, to suffer this hardship. I am truly ashamed before the people of Jinghe and the Dark Division personnel who have contributed to Jinghe."

Xuanyuan sincerely admitted his mistakes, which was extremely difficult for a high-ranking monarch.

With the Emperor's words, Xiao Shiyu's mind cleared up. He now knew that the Emperor did not know anything about the secret guards, nor did he distrust or abandon the Shi family.

But he was even more furious with Leng Jie. She clearly knew all this, yet she wouldn't tell him. When he begged her to find a way to take him to see the Emperor, it was something she could have easily done, but she suggested sending him to become a eunuch. Didn't he know that the Shi family had only one son per generation?

Thinking of this, he involuntarily glared at her. He met her expectant gaze, as if to say, "See? I got everything sorted out for you. You owe me another favor!" Shi Yu was so enraged by her look that he felt an urge to rush over and bite her. However, with the Emperor present, he gritted his teeth and suppressed this impulse.

Just then, Yuan Zheng came to report that the independent courtyard prepared for the Third Sect Master had been fully prepared as he had instructed. He asked them to come and inspect it. Leng Jie immediately picked up her and Qingfeng's bundles and asked Yuan Zheng to lead the way. After taking a couple of steps, she seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped. Turning to Zi Ying, who had gotten up with her, she said, "Brother Ying, could you send someone to the fishing village to fetch Xiao Shiyu's luggage? Seeing him dressed like an opera singer makes me feel uncomfortable."

Seeing her suddenly stop, everyone assumed she had thought of something important again. They all eagerly awaited her surprising revelation. But instead, she simply asked someone to fetch some clothes. Except for Shi Yu, who felt a little better, everyone else was somewhat disappointed.

Zi Ying smiled and replied, "You don't need to worry about that. When I went to look for clothes for the prince just now, I found that there were no clothes here that he could wear. I've already ordered someone to buy some. They might have already been bought by now."

Noticing the somewhat unnatural gazes from the crowd, Leng Jie couldn't help but chuckle, "Hehe, Brother Ying is really efficient!"

"Thank you, Brother Ying! You can just call me Shi Yu." Shi Yu apologized to Ying, then politely asked, "However, I would still like to trouble you to send someone over, because some things have special significance for me."

"Haha, Brother Shi, you don't need to be so polite." Ying laughed heartily, then turned to Yuan Zheng and said, "Yuan Zheng, go to the fishing village and bring back all of Prince Ying's luggage."

"Yes, I'll go right away." Yuan Zheng said and left in a hurry, leaving Leng Jie standing blankly at the door with her bundle in hand. She pouted at Zi Ying and said, "You've taken away the person who was supposed to lead the way. How are we supposed to get there?"

Zi Ying paused for a moment, then laughed, "Haha, how could I forget about that? But don't worry, I'll take you to the same place."

“They are the same, but do you know where the room he arranged for us is?” Leng Jie reminded her.

"Why not just find a few empty rooms? Anyway, this whole Dragon Gate is full of grown men, so it doesn't matter where we stay!" Zi Ying found Leng Jie's question a bit strange.

Knowing he would have this thought, Leng Jie couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Little Stone Jade chuckled to himself.

Qingfeng glanced at Leng Jie, who remained silent. He then spoke up for her, saying, "I also want to stay here, so I need a separate courtyard."

“Yes, I’ve already had them prepare. As you know, Qingfeng’s medicines aren’t for just anyone to touch,” Xuanyuan explained.

Zi Ying suddenly realized, and then excitedly asked, "Does His Majesty mean that Wuming and Qingfeng will both stay in Longmen?"

"Of course we welcome you! That's perfect, my senior brother and I will take our leave now," Leng Jie immediately chimed in. She then pulled Qingfeng towards the door. Ying hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stopped them, saying hurriedly, "No, no! I'm so grateful you two brothers could come to Longmen. How could we not welcome you!"

"Haha, Xiao Jie, don't even think about using this as an excuse to slip away. Ask Qingfeng when our Shadow Hero has ever used this attitude to keep someone here! I've never even received such treatment!" Xuanyuan strolled over leisurely.

Shi Yu stared at them in astonishment, completely bewildered by their actions. He found Leng Jie even more enigmatic. He couldn't understand why she had kept her true gender a secret from the Emperor. He was even more confused as to why the Emperor and that Zi Ying were being so polite to her. He had heard of the Emperor's favoritism towards the Jade-Faced Divine Physician, Qingfeng Gongzi, but he didn't know that the Emperor favored his junior brother even more.

It was only because Wuming's time in favor was too short, and at that time he was already on his way to the capital.

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Feeling of Home

In early winter, all the grasses wither and the leaves fall; there is neither the bountiful harvest of autumn nor the pristine white snow of winter. A glance reveals only desolation and bleakness, evoking endless sighs and lamentations.

This feeling was particularly striking here, despite the absence of exotic flowers and rare herbs, pavilions and towers. Leng Jie admitted she lacked the aptitude to appreciate such a desolate atmosphere. Therefore, upon arriving, she immediately began considering how to banish this bleak feeling from her mind.

Following the winding cobblestone path, past a lakeside and around several neatly arranged brick and tile houses, they arrived at the small courtyard Yuan Zheng had prepared for Leng Jie and the others. The courtyard was built by the lake, and rows of solitary willows along the shore inspired endless reverie. One could almost see the graceful willows swaying in the breeze during spring and summer, their elegant forms dancing in the air. Leng Jie exclaimed, "Summer here must be so beautiful!"

"Whether it's beautiful or not, I don't know. I only know that it's very cool here in the summer. You see, the lake water is brought in from the moat outside the city. When the east wind blows in the summer, it cools all the houses by the lake. That's why we chose this place to build our houses," Zi Ying, who knew nothing of romance, explained patiently, showing the utmost hospitality.

"What about winter? Doesn't the north wind blow in here during winter?"

It wasn't that Leng Jie was deliberately picking a fight; how could one build a house considering only one season? But Zi Ying's reply was both unexpected and reasonable.

"No, the north wind is stronger here in winter. But since we are all martial arts practitioners, the cold north wind is a good way to train our cold resistance."

Upon hearing this, Leng Jie couldn't help but shiver. It was winter, after all, and she didn't think her frail body could withstand the biting cold wind.

Zi Ying noticed Leng Jie's eyes darken suddenly, and then she saw him shrink back. Guessing he was cold, she suggested, "If you don't like it here, you can move to a house in the back. It's not as windy there."

Leng Jie was about to agree when Qingfeng beat her to it.

“No need to change, this place is fine.” After saying that, Qingfeng said to Leng Jie, “You have already learned internal energy cultivation. As long as you use it properly, you will not be afraid of the cold.”

"If I could really use my internal energy like an air conditioner, that would be pretty good," Leng Jie thought sullenly. She didn't say anything more and followed Zi Ying into the courtyard.

It was called a courtyard, but it was actually a separate house with five rooms, surrounded by a brand-new wooden fence. It was obvious it had just been installed. Several bluestone paths led in different directions from the house. Then there was withered weeds. Zi Ying opened the door and let Leng Jie and Qing Feng in, politely asking, "Is there anything you need? I'll have someone prepare it."

Leng Jie put down her bundle and carefully examined her new home. There was a kitchen, a living room in the center, and three bedrooms, all fully furnished with household goods. While it couldn't compare to a palace, it was far superior to her life in the fishing village. Besides, Leng Jie wasn't usually picky about these things, but she noticed one crucial issue: there was no women's restroom. This was a key factor in her decision to live alone. How could she leave this out?

A thought suddenly struck her, and she said to Ying, "Everything is ready, but for convenience, I'd like to renovate the kitchen and the room I'll be staying in. I wonder if Brother Ying has any objections?"

Convert the kitchen? Zi Ying and Qing Feng were both stunned for a moment. Zi Ying asked in surprise, "You're not planning to cook for yourself, are you?"

Leng Jie shrugged dismissively and asked, "Why not? I'm going to treat this place as my home now, so it should look like a home, shouldn't it?"

"Home?" "Home!" Qingfeng and Ziying repeated the word "home" simultaneously, then looked at Leng Jie with strange expressions. It was as if they were asking, "How could someone who was just captured suddenly want to make this their home?"

Seeing their astonished expressions, Leng Jie quickly explained, "Don't look at me like that. During the two weeks I spent in the fishing village, watching the villagers live a simple life, working from sunrise to sunset, I felt it was quite nice. So, I just wanted to try that feeling myself. Brother Ying, if you have no objections, just find me a few craftsmen to build houses. I'll instruct them to do the work. You don't need to worry about anything."

"No objection, I'll find someone for you right away," Zi Ying said immediately. "Then you all pack your things first. I'll go see if the Emperor and the Prince of Ying have finished their talk. I'll have someone call you for dinner later. As for other matters, we'll talk about them tomorrow."

"Go ahead and do your thing!" Qingfeng replied.

Leng Jie said to Zi Ying's retreating figure, "By the way, all you need to do is call the workers."

Zi Ying turned around and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't forget."

As soon as Zi Ying left, Leng Jie touched the tables and chairs in the hall and found them spotless. She felt there was nothing to tidy up. She pointed to the bedroom on the right and said to Qing Feng, "Senior brother, I'll stay in this room. You can stay in the room next to mine. Let Xiao Shiyu stay in the room on the left later."

After saying that, she picked up her bundle and walked towards the first bedroom on the right.

The bedroom was large. Upon entering, one could see a large wooden bed, a wardrobe, a coffee table, a desk, and a chair. The bedding on the bed looked brand new. She put her bag directly into the wardrobe and began to consider which corner would be the most reasonable place to partition off a bathroom.

Qingfeng followed her in and saw Leng Jie earnestly gesturing about how to renovate the room. He couldn't help but frown and ask, "Are you really going to treat this place as your home?"

“I’m only eating my fill now, so naturally, wherever I am, that’s my home!” Leng Jie replied casually. Suddenly, she gestured excitedly to Qingfeng, “Hey! I’ve got it! Let’s move this bed to the left against the wall, and then put the wardrobe opposite the bed. That way, we’ll have room in the back.”

"What do you want to do with the empty space?" Qingfeng asked, raising an eyebrow.

Leng Jie immediately rummaged through her desk and pulled out some Xuan paper. Then she took out her homemade charcoal pencil (which was actually a small bamboo tube filled with charcoal, shaped like a ballpoint pen, and functioning like a pencil) from her bundle and began to draw a modification diagram for Qingfeng to see.

When Qingfeng left the palace last time, he had already witnessed her special pen and her unique handwriting. Seeing her take out paper and pen again, only to draw incomprehensible lines—neither words nor pictures—he asked in astonishment, "What is this now?"

“A floor plan of the room renovation!” Leng Jie exclaimed, then suddenly realized that people in ancient times couldn’t understand floor plans! Leng Jie immediately corrected herself, “This is a sketch. I’ll draw another one for you.”

As she spoke, she lifted the already completed 2D drawing and began to draw a 3D model. Because she already had the shape in her mind, her drawing flowed much more smoothly than the first time. In a short while, a clear and modern bathroom appeared.

Now Qingfeng could see what it looked like, but he still didn't understand what those things were. Leng Jie had no choice but to explain the function and purpose of each item to him one by one. After listening for half a while, Qingfeng exclaimed in astonishment, "You're going to build a latrine and bathroom in the bedroom? Aren't you kidding me? Aren't you afraid of the smell?" Qingfeng held back the question.

"Don't worry, if it's built according to my design, it will be much cleaner than your separate outhouse. And I guarantee there won't be any odor." Leng Jie pointed to the water pipes and said, "Look, these two pipes will solve all those problems. This is the inlet pipe; its function is to draw water from the lake, then flush away the dirt, and finally drain it out of the room through this outlet pipe..."

Leng Jie explained until her throat was dry, but Qing Feng became more and more confused. He only knew that water flows downhill, and he had never heard of a pipe that could bring water from a lake at a lower level to a higher level.

Where did you learn all this information from?

Startled by Qingfeng's question, Leng Jie paused for a moment. Fortunately, she reacted quickly. You Di's face darkened, and she said sadly, "If I knew where I found out from, my amnesia would be cured."

Qingfeng suddenly realized he was speechless and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about this now. When the workers arrive, you can just have them do it. Now let's talk about your plans for the future."

A glint of surprise flashed in her eyes, her lips pursed slightly, before her expression returned to its usual indifference. Leng Jie said calmly, "To be honest, I don't have any plans, but I really think this Dragon Gate isn't bad. Maybe I should just live a quiet life here."

“If you were truly a man, I would think it would be good for you to stay here. But you… you really don’t belong here.” Qingfeng didn’t know what to say. After a pause, as if suddenly remembering something happy, he excitedly said, “I told my master about you when I went back this time. My master was overjoyed to hear it. He immediately asked me to bring you back! He even said he would personally teach you medicine!”

"Why medicine? Not martial arts?" Leng Jie curled her lip, rolled her eyes, and muttered, "Another stubborn old man who prefers sons to daughters!"