Cueillir des fleurs et sourire

Chapitre 76

Yu Xiu said, "Inn." He paused, then continued briefly, "I'll read you a letter. 'The Beggars' Sect reports the situation in the martial world in August and September: First, the former Northern Han army is huddled between Sichuan and Guizhou, with a force of around 20,000. The remnants of Liu Ji's Southern Han army are powerless. Liu and Jiang have already formed a marriage alliance; if they were to raise an army, Jiang Chenming would surely raise Liu Ji's banner. They have no strength to raise an army within three to five years. Second, Li Lingyan is in Liu and Jiang's army and has joined forces with the old troops of Qingzhu and Hongqiang. This man's willingness to remain subordinate must be for some purpose. Third, Qu Zhiliang has reappeared in the martial world. Fourth, Wan Yu Yue Dan Bi Luo Palace has risen to prominence, becoming one of the major forces in the martial world within a few months. This person is exceptionally intelligent and sharp-witted; we should avoid his sharp edge. Fifth…'" Yu Xiu stared at Sheng Xiang, saying each word carefully, "'Young Sheng Xiang has connections with Li Lingyan, Yu Cuiwei, Wan Yu Yue Dan, and the Liu and Jiang forces, and is also connected with "White Hair," "All those with 'Sky Eye' are close friends; we should pay close attention."

Shengxiang took a sip of the bird's nest, lotus seed, and egg drop soup that had just been served from Baitaotang's kitchen. "Wow!" He pointed at Yuxiu and Shishimei, "That blockhead Yu actually said such a long thing! It proves that I, this young master, am really famous." After saying that, he continued to drink the soup with a smug look on his face. The bird's nest, lotus seed, and egg drop soup had a sweet and elegant taste, which was his favorite.

"Aren't you afraid?" Yu Xiu asked.

"What are you afraid of?" Shengxiang asked, glancing at him as she sipped her soup.

"Die," Yu Xiu said.

Shengxiang choked, almost spilling the sweet soup into her nose and choking herself to death. "Why should I die when I'm perfectly fine?"

Yu Xiu looked at him without changing his expression, his demeanor calm and composed. "The world is dangerous. You are already deeply involved and unable to extricate yourself."

"If I die, you must remember to visit my grave and mourn me. I don't want anything, just that you shed two tears at my grave every year."

Shengxiang emphasized, "It's 'every year'! Don't forget. If you remember, I'll be very touched; if you forget, I'll be very resentful. I won't let you go even as a ghost; I'll definitely come to your house to show my spirit..."

“Many things will happen in the Prime Minister’s residence in the future, Shengxiang. If you need to, please speak up.” Shi Shimei slowly put down the comb she had just used to comb her hair. “You must be careful.”

Shengxiang rolled his eyes twice. "Well, I'm going to find Rongrong now and tell her some good news. If she needs my sweet soup next time, I will definitely, absolutely, certainly, and without hesitation." With a "whoosh," he flicked his sleeves, put down the bowl he had finished eating, wiped his mouth, and went out.

Shi Shimei and Yu Xiu exchanged a glance. Yu Xiu stood up and paced slowly around the room, going back and forth once, then again.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The North Wind Swirls Around My Finger, I Laugh First

As winter drew near, three months had passed in the blink of an eye. The martial world was in turmoil, with heroes from all walks of life performing countless acts of chivalry, killing, and saving lives. Shengxiang heard that Qu Zhiliang had finally confronted Yu Cuiwei, but whether it was Yu Cuiwei's superior martial arts, the Golden Elixir Daoist's effective protection, or Qu Zhiliang's poor condition that day, Yu Cuiwei escaped from his sword and vanished without a trace. Rong Yin retrieved the Puyang Blade from Junshan, and Shengxiang actually found a blacksmith to melt down that disastrous blade into a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) symbol, which she hung in her room with the four characters "Amitabha" inscribed on it. She wasn't afraid that her Taoist ancestors would be angered to death in their graves, or that Buddhist monks would be happy to be resurrected from their nirvana.

The blood sacrifice ceremony was gradually forgotten by people. The martial arts world has its own heroes and young men, and Shengxiang continued to live the life of a playboy.

On the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month, plum blossoms bloom.

Shengxiang finally fattened the big, fat rabbit with sunflower seeds, and held it in her arms to watch the beautiful sight of winter plum blossoms blooming in the snow.

The plum blossoms weren't particularly beautiful, but they were very fragrant, a fragrance that was extremely comforting, and for Shengxiang, comfort meant wanting to sleep.

So he dozed off while hugging his warm, chubby rabbit and gazing at the elegant imagery of "sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water, a faint fragrance drifts in the twilight."

For the past three months, the Prime Minister's residence has been peaceful, which seems to be beyond the expectations of Shi Shimei and Yu Xiu. Nothing has happened to Sheng Xiang.

"Young Master, hey, Young Master," Xiao Yun nudged the sleepy Sheng Xiang, "Get up quickly."

Shengxiang groggily looked up, and the rabbit seized the opportunity to bite him—ever since coming down from Wudang Mountain and being heartbroken over the big gray cat in the Wudang Sect's kitchen, this damned rabbit had been living a self-destructive life, especially resenting Shengxiang: if he hadn't taken it out, how could it have ended up in this miserable state of longing for the cat every day but never seeing it? In short, it was all Shengxiang's fault, and in short, it had every reason to bite him and was absolutely right.

"Wow!" Shengxiang was startled awake after being bitten. "Plum blossoms can bite..."

"Young Master, please get up. There are guests outside," Xiaoyun said, her face even slightly flushed.

"Is there a handsome young man outside the door?" Shengxiang rubbed the back of her hand that the rabbit had bitten, glaring resentfully at the fat rabbit, fantasizing about the taste of braised rabbit meat.

"Two people came to see the young master. One was sick and lying in the car, and the other was a girl who looked very young..." Xiaoyun whispered. "She said she was a girl the young master met outside, and she was very beautiful."

"Huh?" Shengxiang thought for a long time but couldn't figure out that she knew this troublesome duo. She dropped the rabbit and ran out to see what was going on. "I'll go take a look."

After he walked through several courtyards and pushed open the gate, his eyes lit up. A girl in a pale yellow dress happened to turn around and her bright eyes met his. Her face was gentle and her figure was slender. It was Wenren Nuan. Shengxiang exclaimed, "Ah, I know her. I know this girl. Xiaoyun, tell Taibo to open the gate and let the carriage in."

It was the dead of winter, and Wenren Nuan, dressed in a yellow robe with a fine mink collar around her neck, had skin as white as jade and pearl earrings; she was clearly a young lady from a wealthy family. Taibo happily opened the door, thinking to himself that after all these years, his young master had finally met a good girl.

Wenren Nuan thanked Xiaoyun and Taibo, and smiled, "Young Master Shengxiang saved my life. I have no way to repay his kindness. I have come here specifically to express my gratitude." She took several brocade boxes from the carriage, giving one to Xiaoyun and one to Taibo.

The two opened the boxes and found one containing pearl hairpins and the other containing medicinal herbs. They thanked her profusely and pulled Wenren Nuan's carriage into the Prime Minister's stables. Shengxiang watched with great interest as the young girl flaunted her wealth. This girl of unknown origin was surprisingly rich; the large boat she had ordered from the Red River last time showed that she was so wealthy she could not only burn money as firewood, but also use it for arson.

After Xiaoyun went to pour tea and Taibo withdrew, Shengxiang eagerly peeked into the carriage. "Is your Tang'er sick?" This pry startled the young master, who almost fell off the carriage. "Dayu?"

The person lying in the carriage had half of their face charred black, while the majority of their face was strikingly beautiful despite its disfigurement. Who else could it be but Yu Cuiwei? Sheng Xiang was speechless—how could Yu Cuiwei be involved with Wenren Nuan? Where was Tang'er? Where was the Golden Core Daoist who claimed to protect Yu Cuiwei from death? "You brat, could it be..." He suddenly turned around and asked in a trembling voice.

Wenren Nuan nodded slowly, the bright smile on her face losing its brilliance, and said softly, "Master Jindan and Tang'er... have both died... under the sword of Quzhiliang."

A chill ran through Sheng Xiang's body as the scene of Bi Qiuhan's death flashed before her eyes. "Is...it...you met? You saved Dayu?"

“We met him on the Yangtze River.” Wenren Nuan took a deep breath. “Brother Yu’s martial arts skills are very high. Qu Zhiliang couldn’t defeat him within a hundred moves, but he forced Brother Yu and Daoist Jindan into the Yangtze River. I happened to be playing on the other side with Tang’er and rescued Brother Yu and Daoist Jindan. Qu Zhiliang chased after them all the way. Daoist Jindan insisted on taking Brother Yu to the Prime Minister’s residence, saying that only there could he be saved… In the end, he was caught up by Qu Zhiliang outside Bianjing City. Daoist Jindan and Tang’er died under Qu Zhiliang’s sword, and Brother Yu also…” She slowly exhaled, “was seriously injured.”

Shengxiang frowned and murmured, "Quzhiliang, Quzhiliang, Quzhiliang... Ah..."

“It wasn’t just Qu Zhiliang who hurt Brother Yu…” Wenren Nuan suddenly said, “He suffered serious internal injuries when he took the blow from Pu Shidong’s ‘Death Blade’… During the days when he was being chased by Qu Zhiliang, he was besieged several times. In the end, he took a sword from Qu Zhiliang to save Master Jindan… which injured his internal organs. I’m afraid…” She paused and slowly shook her head.

"What kind of person do you think Da Yu is?" Sheng Xiang asked.

“A good person,” Wenren Nuan said in a deep voice, without any ambiguity.

Shengxiang stared at her with wide eyes, and she stared back at Shengxiang with wide eyes, then smiled faintly, "What are you looking at?"

"Just because of that one 'good person,' I've made up my mind not to let him die no matter what. It's just a pity that you're such a beauty, you've made my performance seem a bit too sentimental and weak-willed." Shengxiang blinked and said, then smiled, "Don't worry, I'll save him."

Wenren Nuan's faint smile gradually exuded a warm and peaceful aura. "No matter how vast the world is, or how wide the human realm is, only you can save him." She was dressed in pale yellow, the same color as the winter plum blossoms, and her gentle and quiet demeanor seemed to melt away the snowflakes. Beside this woman, no matter how sad or distressed one was, there was no despair of loneliness. One could always be comforted, understood, embraced, and cared for.

When Yu Cuiwei regained consciousness, a half-read copy of "The Erotic History of the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Harem" lay beside him, and the room was filled with the medicinal scent of mugwort. Wenren Nuan was facing away from the bed, her slender figure silhouetted against the wall. A long scroll of calligraphy hung in the room, its contents unknown. Several soup bowls were vaguely visible on the table. Outside the window, birds sang in the blue sky, creating a scene of serene beauty.

He had a strange feeling that the atmosphere he saw when he opened his eyes was so beautiful that it made him tremble with fear.

Perhaps he made a sound, for Wenren Nuan turned her head, and Yu Cuiwei saw her playing with a large-headed turtle on the table. After turning her head, Wenren Nuan's smile remained gentle, "You're awake?"

Yu Cuiwei smiled just as beautifully as ever, "This is..."

"The Prime Minister's residence," Wenren Nuan said, blinking.

Yu Cuiwei was slightly shaken, "You really..."

“I really did bring you to the Prime Minister’s residence.” Wenren Nuan tilted her head and smiled, saying each word carefully, “I promised Daoist Jindan that I would save you—I firmly believe that Brother Yu is a good person—I wanted to see Shengxiang, so no matter what it might bring to this place…” Her tone became light, she paused, and continued softly, “I brought you all.”