Cueillir des fleurs et sourire

Chapitre 87

Wan Yuyuedan reached out and touched Wenren Nuan's cheek. Her first feeling upon waking was desolation: Yuedan was becoming increasingly blind. Then came pain; after all, she had no reason to stay by Shengxiang's side. She smiled slightly and said softly, "I'm better now."

“Fu Ping used acupressure on you, and you were unconscious for two days,” Wan Yuyuedan said softly. “Anuan, if you feel unwell, you should tell me.”

Wenren Nuan nodded. Ever since he uttered the words "because you love him," Wenren Nuan felt she could no longer see through this person...

He didn't say anything more offensive or ambiguous, only gently inquired about her, put down the bowl, and got up to leave. Xiaoqiu whispered that Xiaoyue had been sitting here waiting for her to wake up for the past two days. Halfway through her sentence, a figure flashed outside the door. Wenren Nuan was startled, "Who's that?"

She was a tall, beautiful woman. Xiaoqiu snorted disdainfully, "Anuan, you haven't seen her yet, have you? She's the woman Xiaoyue brought back from outside... I heard she's Qiuhan's woman, but she's always following Xiaoyue around. She's a fickle woman!"

Wenren Nuan and Wanyu Yuedan set off on their travels around the same time, intending to travel the same route, but they missed each other along the way. Wanyu Yuedan met Shengxiang with Bi Qiuhan, while Wenren Nuan wandered around with Tang'er, eventually arriving at Daming Mountain by boat. Because of Bi Qiuhan's death, Wanyu Yuedan returned to the palace early with Li Shuangli, while Wenren Nuan only returned now and naturally didn't know who Li Shuangli was. Hearing her say that she "follows Xiaoyue around all day," she couldn't help but smile slightly, unable to describe her feelings, but she wanted to laugh. Xiaoqiu angrily punched her, "What are you laughing at? If she steals Xiaoyue away, I'll be the first to not forgive you!"

“Who would want to take it from her…” Wenren Nuan laughed. “I’ll give you Yue Dan, I don’t want it.”

"What nonsense are you talking about..." Xiaoqiu climbed onto her bed and rolled around with her, laughing.

Wan Yuyue walked out of Wenren Nuan's room, with Li Shuangli following behind him. After a pause, he smiled and asked, "Miss Li, is there something you need?"

Li Shuangli blushed and quickly shook her head, "I...I..."

She lowered her head to adjust the hem of her clothes, but Wan Yuyuedan had already walked away. Startled, she looked up, wanting to stop her, but didn't know what to say. Her eyes reddened, and she felt very wronged.

This had happened many times before. Xiaoqiu and Wenren Nuan saw this through the window and chuckled in the room. Li Shuangli lowered his head and slowly walked away.

"I think she's very pitiful," Wenren Nuan chuckled. "Such a shy girl."

"I don't like her. So what if she's pretty? Qiu Han is dead, and all she does is cry and eat for free." Xiao Qiu snorted. "I also heard she's the sister of that Li Shiyu that Brother Bi captured. Who knows if she stayed with Xiao Yue here to try and save people? In my opinion, she should be locked up too..."

Wenren Nuan chuckled, "If you were the palace master, you'd definitely be a tyrant, terrifying and utterly ruthless. I'd better stay away from you for safety..."

"You damned Nuan!" He Xiaoqiu yelled, grabbing her hair. "Tell me quickly, what did you see outside? Did you have any adventures? Did you meet any white-robed gentlemen?"

"The young man in white? I didn't see him," Wenren Nuan said with a smile. "I met a lot of old men."

"Where is Tang'er?" He Xiaoqiu asked.

Wenren Nuan was still smiling. "Tang'er is dead."

He Xiaoqiu was suddenly stunned. "What?"

"Tang'er is dead." Wenren Nuan said slowly, "Xiaoqiu, I encountered some... things that I can never forget..."

"How did Tang'er die?" He Xiaoqiu asked, her face pale.

“He was killed by Qu Zhiliang,” Wenren Nuan said softly, “just like Brother Qiuhan, killed by Qu Zhiliang…” She said gently, “I—hate that great hero Qu…he was too cruel, too cruel…”

"Xiaoyue will definitely avenge them!" He Xiaoqiu grasped her hand tightly, her voice firm and full of conviction. "Xiaoyue will absolutely not let him get away with this! You have to believe in him! Absolutely!"

Wenren Nuan gave a weak smile, "Yes, I believe..." She believed that Wan Yuyuedan would definitely avenge Bi Qiuhan and Tang'er, definitely! But she lost more than just a sister and Tang'er in the process. She encountered merciless killing, an unyielding struggle, unreserved acceptance, a kind of... particularly clear salvation, a kind of particularly willful and selfless great love... She met Shengxiang.

Then she lost herself, and all her leisure and laziness, everything.

Wan Yuyuedan left Huangdie Village and received a message by Fu Ping via carrier pigeon halfway to Taiqing Village. It contained only a few words, mentioning that Shengxiang was seriously ill and that only "Mafei" seemed capable of curing her. Wenren He, who was beside him, read the letter to him. After reading it, Wan Yuyuedan asked, "How is the planted 'Maxian' doing?"

Wenrenhe replied that the fruit was forming.

It turns out that "Ma Xian" and "Ma Fei" are the root and fruit of a medicine called "Di Ma". The leaf-like things tucked in the book by Tang Tianshu are the leaves of "Di Ma". This medicine will sprout and grow when grown in water or planted in the ground, and eventually grow into the life-saving "Ma Xian" and "Ma Fei".

However, a single "Emperor's Hemp" plant can only save one person, and its leaves cannot sprout and grow without a hundred years. After reading the letter, Wenren He couldn't help but say, "Palace Master, this medicine is of utmost importance... Nuan'er, she..."

Wan Yuyue tore the letter apart, "I know..."

A single "Emperor Hemp" plant can only save one person, and it smells warm and fragrant... Who will he save?

For Wan Yuyuedan, who never makes a mistake, the answer seems to be beyond doubt.

“I think—I want to meet Jiang Chenming, and his subordinates Li Lingyan and Qu Zhiliang…” Wan Yuyue changed the subject, “That’s what I’m thinking about right now.”

He gradually became a local tyrant, and the past events of playing, eating and drinking with Shengxiang not long ago seemed to have been forgotten by him.

Wenrenhe felt gratified, believing that Wanyu Yuedan would surely bring Biluo Palace to unprecedented heights and achieve unprecedented success.

On the other hand, there's Pear Blossom Creek.

"Ten years to forge a sword, its frosty blade yet untested... Ten years in the east, ten years in the west, the heart a whetstone, until the sword is gleaming... Today I present it to you, who will right the wrongs? Praise the virtuous, expel the troublemakers, refute the rumors, punish the wicked. Ten years to forge a sword, its frosty blade yet untested. Today I present it to you, who will right the wrongs..."

Yu Cuiwei strummed the ebony zither belonging to Lady Rong Gushe outside the window, playing it haphazardly.

In Shengxiang's room, Shengxiang sat on the bed with the bedding on. Yuxiu was not there that day, as he had gone to contact Qiyang and the others. Rong Yin ignored Yu Cuiwei's chaotic zither playing outside the window and slowly said, "Jiang Chenming's troops retreated from Daming Mountain, so he couldn't have gone far. He must be hiding near Daming Mountain."

"West of Daming Mountain are all mountains. It's very difficult to launch an attack on the Central Plains once you enter Shu." Shengxiang, still feverish, smiled. "The story of Zhuge Liang's death tells us that hiding behind the Qilian Mountains is a mistake." One of the many reasons why Zhuge Liang's six expeditions to Qilian ultimately failed was that Shu was surrounded by mountains. When an army crossed the mountains to attack the Central Plains, it was already exhausted, running out of supplies and physically weak. How could it possibly win? How could Jiang Chenming not know this? Therefore, Shengxiang wouldn't be foolish enough to hide in Sichuan.

Rong Yin nodded. “Li Ling’s poem can explain something.” He turned to face Sheng Xiang. “‘The Liu family’s courtyard is full of fragrance, ginger flowers reflected in the water.’ Ginger flowers bloom where Jiang Chenming lived. These flowers grow by the stream in a warm climate.”

Shengxiang glared at him. "How do you know it wasn't Xiaoyan who made it?"

Rong Yin ignored him and said calmly, "Since Jiang Chenming has tens of thousands of remnant soldiers, in order to be able to advance and retreat freely, it is impossible for him to hide by a very remote stream or river. To move more than ten thousand soldiers, the Sichuan-Guizhou region has many hills, forests, and waterways, which are not suitable for riding horses, but only for traveling by boat." After a pause, he slowly said, "Therefore—there should be a large river."

“There are many large rivers near Daming Mountain.” Shengxiang sighed, temporarily setting aside the question of “what if Li Lingyan put together the name ‘Jianghua’”. “But to the west are Sichuan and many mountains, and to the south is the sea. Jiang Chenming should go to some places north or east of Daming Mountain.”

“‘The Liu family courtyard is full of fragrance, and ginger flowers and water gardens reflect the painted beams.’” Rong Yin’s tone became slightly somber. “I guess—” Rong Yin rarely used the word “guess.” Sheng Xiang raised her eyebrows slightly and said in a deep voice, “The place where Jiang Chenming is now has a courtyard with painted beams, so it must be a wealthy family.”

Shengxiang exclaimed with a "whoosh," and laughed, "That means—"

A hint of a smile flickered in Rong Yin's eyes as he replied coldly, "It's nothing more than one of the four places: Maping, Guilin, Lingling, or Qujiang!"

"Let's start with Lingling!" Shengxiang said with a smile.