Roi céleste

Chapitre 21

Cypress Leaf Wine – The bottle of cypress leaf wine is opened, and nine-flower mahjong tiles are dealt. Sleepless into the deep night, the feast ends, and we drunkenly play mahjong.

...

For some reason, no one else got on the carriage that Qingjiu and I were in. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the carriage started moving again, probably because they had finished shopping. It looked like they were leaving the city.

I sat obediently, not daring to speak, but only stealing a glance at Qingjiu. He was gazing out the window, his black hair cascading down his shoulders, staining his deep purple robes. His sideburns were sharply defined, his eyebrows like ink paintings, his face was pale and expressionless, and his eyes were also indifferent, showing neither joy nor anger.

Looking at him like that, I felt inexplicably ashamed and shrank back. I leaned closer with a fawning smile and said, "Palace Master Qing, you see, it's perfectly normal for a young lady like me to be sentimental sometimes. You're overthinking it."

The Grand Palace Master glanced at me and asked, "What am I thinking?"

I was speechless.

Clenching my fist secretly, I shamelessly fawned again, "Your Highness, you haven't eaten in so long, are you hungry? I'll go buy you lots and lots of food right away!"

Without waiting for him to speak, she jumped out of the car and ran towards the street stalls, followed by Bai Ya's exasperated voice, "What are you up to now, woman? We're leaving the city—"

I swept through the entire street, and finally caught up with the Tian Shu Palace group carrying over ten kilograms of snacks. Amidst everyone's gazes that seemed to say, "Has this woman awakened a pig's soul?", I darted back into the carriage and piled the food in front of the people inside with considerable grandeur.

Qingjiu was also taken aback by the mountain of food in front of me, and then smiled rather helplessly, "Miss Guyi really overestimates me."

I swallowed hard amidst the fragrant food, and said with great enthusiasm, "Palace Mistress, please don't be modest anymore. Eat as much as you like, and fill your stomach with my heartfelt offering!"

Qingjiu suddenly raised her hand, then lowered it, sighed inexplicably, and picked up the bag on top of the stack.

Seeing that he had finally agreed, I breathed a sigh of relief, sat up straight, and kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, because if I looked away, he might just rush over and snatch the food...

As a result, I fell asleep while sitting there.

Then I had an extremely strange dream.

In my dream, I passed by a peach tree, and under the tree was an unusually large peach, almost the size of two or three water vats.

As I leaned closer in surprise, the plump peach suddenly turned around with a "pop," revealing human facial features on the other side, making the peach look even stranger, especially its eyes, which were slanted upwards and staring at me.

"Who, who are you, no, what are you?" I stammered.

Fat Peach glanced at me with disdain and snorted, "I am the Peach Blossom Spirit."

"...Peach, a peach blossom spirit? Does it look like you?" My voice trembled.

Seeing my disbelieving expression, Fat Peach got so angry that its peach skin wrinkled, and it shouted, "Let me tell you, don't underestimate me! This great master has a huge appetite and can eat a lot of things!" As it spoke, the white area that looked like its belly twitched twice.

"You!? Then someone else should be eating you—"

Before I could finish speaking, the plump peach leaped up with a "bang," a dark shadow loomed over it, and then I was swallowed whole.

Then I was startled awake. I opened my eyes abruptly, and all I could see was darkness. My mind was a jumbled mess, still wondering if I was inside that fat peach spirit's belly. I got up and groped around for a bit, and only felt relieved when I touched the four walls of the carriage.

When I touched the curtain, I lifted it, and the silvery moonlight poured in.

I slept straight through into the night, and I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Could it be that my pig spirit has awakened...?" As soon as I moved, I felt as if I was covered by something.

I went to the window and saw that it was a robe. In the bright moonlight, the purple fabric looked like a stream of water soaked with flower juice.

...

Unable to sleep, I quietly slipped out of the carriage, draped in my robe, only to find the open space deserted. Had everyone slept in the carriage? Was no one keeping watch?

Looking around in confusion, I quickly found the answer: a person was sitting diagonally on a rocky cliff not far away. The figure was slender and leisurely sitting on the edge of the cliff, with one leg slightly bent and the other leg hanging down.

This... it's rare to see this person so relaxed. But with him around, no wonder no one's keeping watch.

Gao Chuqing saw me too and lowered his head. Behind him was a huge, bright moon. From this angle, his dark figure looked like an exquisitely cut shadow puppet, or like an immortal living in the moon, bathed in the clear light of the heavens, looking down upon the world.

Looking up from such a low position made me a little uncomfortable, so I tiptoed and leaped up, tapping the rock face a few times. In a few swift movements, I was on top of the cliff. I spread out the robe draped over my shoulders, then simply sat down and dangled my legs, swinging them in mid-air.

Looking down like this, the carriage and the campfire turned into dots. Although it was only a hundred feet away, it felt like thousands of miles apart, making everything below seem insignificant.

Is this what they mean by "the higher you climb, the colder it gets"? Do those tumbleweeds floating in mid-air feel the same way when they look down at the earth? Rootless, without a home.

I couldn't help but turn my head to look at Qingjiu, wanting to ask what this prodigy was thinking. At this moment, he was sitting high up like me, and what he felt in his heart was probably the pride and arrogance of trampling the whole earth under his feet. This is the kind of thinking that someone in his position should have. As for me, I really wasn't destined to be a martial arts hero.

But what came out was a meaningless question: "...Why aren't you asleep?"

Recently, Qingjiu, who has become unusually honest, told me frankly, "I have often suffered from insomnia since I was a child."

As I watched Qingjiu recount his extraordinary secret to me, I wondered if his honesty was a premeditated attempt to leave me no way out. Then, I suddenly thought of the chubby peach from my dream and felt a strong urge to pat his head...

In the end, he didn't dare to extend his lewd hand, and only teased, "No wonder you eat so much but don't gain weight."

The people around me seemed to be laughing.

The enormous, bright moon seemed so close, as if you could reach out and touch it.

I lowered my head and suddenly said, "Actually, looking down like this, the dark earth looks like the night sky, and the campfires on the ground look like stars. Standing too high can sometimes make it hard to tell which way is which."

Suddenly, Qingjiu turned his head to look at me, but did not speak. In the darkness, his bright eyes were like clear snow on a dark plum blossom.

The night wind swept across the high place, washing away the darkness again and again. All was silent, so much so that I could even hear each other's breathing, mingling together like tender thoughts.

For some reason, I suddenly wanted to move to the side.

Before I could even move, Qingjiu leaned forward, his cool hair brushing against my face. His voice was low, echoing because it was so close to my own, "...Guyi, I think I should listen to you less in the future."

"……ah?"

But he didn't continue talking about that. Instead, he turned around, tilted his head slightly, and looked up at the night sky. The moonlight, like water, shone on his jade-like face.

"Standing too high is like a flower petal flying around aimlessly. It seems free and lofty, but it is lonely because it has no roots and no place to return to. I often feel that way."

This time it was my turn to suddenly turn to the side, open my mouth, but my throat was dry, as if all words had withered and turned into a faint fragrance in that instant.

"Just like the world on this rocky cliff, throughout the ages, there has only been the silent turning of the Milky Way like a jade plate, without life or death, without heroes or sages, eternally desolate."

This was the first time Qingjiu had spoken so much, and I just sat there blankly, completely at a loss for how to respond, just like when I opened my mouth to speak, I had no idea how others would respond.

Seeing that I didn't speak again, Qingjiu chuckled and said, "Do you think I'm childish again?"

“How could that be!” I quickly said, “I feel the same way. I often think that I should pull someone to stand with me, to enjoy loneliness together, to find the right direction together, or, to make a complete mistake together.”

Qing Jiu was silent for a while before saying, "Is it the girl who was with you when you were in Qishan?"

"Yes! Her name is Li Yiyao, isn't she beautiful? Did your heart flutter when you saw her?"

Qingjiu stroked his chin and finally said, "...Her martial arts skills are very poor."

I scoffed twice, then suddenly grinned lewdly: "And you? You actually have quite a close relationship with Yin Liuchuan, don't you?"

Qingjiu raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

“Yin Liuchuan is good-looking, skilled in martial arts, intelligent, and has a good status. Moreover, his personality complements yours perfectly,” I leaned closer to Qing Jiu’s side and winked. “Actually, you two are a good match.”

"Guyi, you look very mature," Qingjiu suddenly praised.

Before I could finish my wild laughter, I heard Qingjiu add lightly, "...like a matchmaker."

I instantly transformed into a piece of charcoal on a high mountain, sitting upright above the frosty sky, coldly watching Qingjiu's faintly smiling face.

The noble Palace Master Qing didn't mind the dirt at all. He stretched out his fair and jade-like hand and touched Qing Xiaotan's head.

Then, in the darkness of night, Qing Xiaotan silently burned red...

Twenty-eight cups of amber wine

Amber Wine – The North Hall cherishes amber wine, a table laden with dogwood is set out before the courtyard. A shimmering wine curtain beckons drunken guests, deep green trees conceal the stained glass.

...

Half a month later, we finally entered the Wuling Mountains. The Wuling Mountains are truly a wonder, not only with their unique peaks, strange rocks, secluded valleys, and clear waters, but also with their lush forests that dye the sky green, and many rare and exotic animals living in those forests.

Deep within the Wuling Mountains, as far as the eye can see, there are thousands of mountains and peaks, which at first glance look like jade bamboo shoots, pen holders, stone forests, sharp swords, heavenly gates, arched bridges, jade screens, castles, and lighthouses all randomly piled up in one place.

Tian Shu Palace is located in Fanjing Mountain. Walking up the mountain, one can see steep slopes, deep valleys, towering peaks, crisscrossing streams, and cascading waterfalls, making the mountain scenery truly magnificent.

I craned my neck and squinted at the summit, then turned to Huamei and asked, "What is the name of this peak?" Huamei told me that the mountain originally had no name, but after the Tian Shu Palace was built, it was named Tian Shu Peak.

I have come to truly appreciate the perilous nature of Wuling Mountain, and the Tian Shu Palace, built here, is certainly easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After finally reaching the summit, a grand and ancient palace came into view. Tian Shu Palace was built against the cliff. Upon closer inspection, the buildings were simple and unpretentious, yet the layout was reasonable, with nothing superfluous. Clear streams flowed through the palace, and trees were scattered like stars, showcasing its grand style.

Before they had gone far, a disciple of Tian Shu Palace came up to them and said respectfully, "Palace Master, Young Master Shen Yufeng from Chang'an has visited us several times in the past few days and is currently in the main hall."

Shen Yufeng of Chang'an? Isn't he the eldest son of the Shen family, who is fiercely competing with Li Yiyao's family, and a gambler and womanizer?

Qingjiu nodded to indicate that she understood. After learning that nothing had happened recently, she walked towards the hall. I stopped her and said, "I'm an outsider, so I won't go to this occasion. Why don't you find someone to arrange a room for me?"

The Palace Master smiled kindly and said, "Since I've invited you here, I naturally won't treat you as an outsider. Come with us."

I entered the hall with the three guardians, overwhelmed with gratitude.

There were two people in the hall. One was a burly man in his thirties or forties, who was probably the guardian Chi Tian whom they had not yet met. The other was a man with a feather fan and a turban, who looked very elegant at first glance, but there was a kind of lewd feeling between his brows and eyes. He must be Shen Yufeng.

I stood respectfully in the corner, watching Shen Yufeng exchange pleasantries with Qing Jiu, rambling on for a while before getting to the point. It turned out that Jiang Xinyan, the number one female thief in the martial arts world, had stolen his extremely important items. Shen Yufeng was willing to pay a high price for Qing Jiu to capture the thief alive so he could retrieve the stolen goods and take revenge.

I've heard a little about Jiang Xinyan. I've heard that this girl is only seventeen years old, yet she's a master thief, unmatched in the world. If Qingjiu takes the job, I'll have a good show to watch.

Shen Yufeng probably didn't mind that the money wasn't hers, so she asked for 150,000 taels of silver. Qingjiu naturally agreed, and Shen Yufeng left very happily. Before leaving, she didn't forget to wink at Huamei a few times.

After all, no matter how powerful Jiang Xinyan was, she wasn't worth Qingjiu's personal intervention. So Baiya and Qianlou went down the mountain that day to search for the female thief's whereabouts. Three days later, they returned empty-handed. Even the Tian Shu Palace's intelligence network couldn't find the woman's whereabouts.

On the night Baiya Qianlou returned, I was awakened from my sleep. As soon as I opened my eyes, I found a sword with a cold glint in its eye held against my neck, and a dark figure in front of me.

I was amazed. The person who could get close to me so stealthily was clearly someone I couldn't defeat.

I thought about what had happened in the past few days and then asked, "...Jiang Xinyan?"

Surprisingly, a middle-aged man's slightly relaxed exhale came through the air. He said in a low voice, "...Sure enough, tell me quickly, where is Jiang Xinyan?" His voice was deep and magnetic.

They clearly think I misunderstood that Jiang Xinyan had escaped, and it seems they believe that Bai Ya and the others have successfully captured Jiang Xinyan.

It seems this person has been waiting outside Tian Shu Palace for days, thinking that Bai Ya and the others' empty-handed return was just a smokescreen. Isn't this the so-called "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind"? But why am I the one who's unlucky and not Qing Jiu?! Even if you're the easy target, you shouldn't suffer this nameless injustice, you bastard!

"This... Senior, how would a nobody like me know about such things? You should ask the Dharma Protector."

"What a joke," the man sneered. "Everyone knows that the closer a room is to the palace master, the higher the status of the person inside!"

"Um...I don't know..."

"..."

The mysterious man pressed his sword down slightly, as if he had already cut the skin on my neck, and hissed, "Stop trying to talk your way out of this. Your room is so close to that brat Qingjiu's room, you must know a lot. If you don't talk, I'll slit your throat with this sword!"