19. Painted Boat
"So," Hua Chongyang finally seemed to have gathered his thoughts after a long silence, "you want this phoenix-winged hairpin?"
Lan Wuxie stopped fiddling with the teacup, scrutinized her for a long time, and then spoke again:
"If I wanted this, I would have gone directly to Ye Qinghua."
Hua Chongyang remained silent.
The delicate beads on the phoenix-wing hairpin swayed slightly, even the faint shadow cast on the curtain looked incredibly luxurious and exquisite. Hua Chongyang wasn't sure if the phoenix-wing hairpin in her hair was the same purple-gold phoenix-wing hairpin Lan Wuxie had mentioned—although Ye Qinghua had also told her that the thing in her hair was also called a purple-gold phoenix-wing hairpin. When Ye Qinghua took the phoenix hairpin wrapped in red silk from a small wooden box and held it up to her eyes, she merely thought it was pretty—she only glanced at it before letting Ye Qinghua put it in her hair. Even when Ye Qinghua later told her that it was priceless, her first thought was: Ye Qinghua must be bluffing her, so that if she accidentally broke the hairpin, the shrewd Master Ye could demand exorbitant compensation and force her to continue selling herself for the brothel…
Ye Qinghua was indeed bluffing her, but Hua Chongyang hadn't expected Ye Qinghua to fool her so easily.
I've known her since I was fourteen. She was passing through an alley when she glanced over and saw a fat man harassing a girl. She hesitated for a moment, then went in and knocked the fat man to the ground. At that time, Ye Qinghua looked like a slender, beautiful girl, much shorter than me, but incredibly agile. After being rescued by Hua Chongyang, she wasn't shy at all; instead, she rolled up her sleeves, looked at Hua Chongyang, spat viciously, and then proceeded to punch and kick the fat man on the ground even more viciously. Afterward, she stomped on his chest and cursed him with extreme malice:
"You dare to lay a finger on me? Don't you even know what kind of luck I have?!"
After Ye Qinghua finished scolding, she miraculously turned around and put on a warm, smiling face. Hua Chongyang was stunned and stared at the young woman in front of him, who looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, her head bowed with gentle shyness.
"Thank you so much for saving me, young hero. I am deeply grateful..."
She then collapsed onto Hua Chongyang, who immediately realized that her fainting was feigned—according to Ye Qinghua later, it was because she had been blind and mistook her for a man.
That was the original Ye Qinghua.
Four or five years have passed since they were fourteen. They have been deceiving people together, drinking together, and taking care of the brothel together. Occasionally, they would even go out to eat beef noodles together. The difference is that Ye Qinghua has gone to great lengths to become the owner of the brothel and has since controlled this famous gang in the martial arts world, while she is still alone and wandering the martial arts world.
Hua Chongyang always believed that although Ye Qinghua had a sharp tongue, given their friendship, she wouldn't really sell him out...
She raised her hand to touch the phoenix-wing hairpin in her hair and looked at Lan Wuxie:
Do you know Ye Qinghua?
Lan Wuxie didn't even look up:
"Each takes what they need."
"What's the use of arresting me?"
Lan Wuxie lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time before finally looking up at Hua Chongyang, pinching her chin, and whispering:
"This face, besides yours and Yan Zhao's, there is no third person in the world who can have it."
Their eyes met, and Lan Wuxie's long, narrow eyes gradually deepened, revealing neither love nor hate. However, the fingers gripping her chin tightened their hold. Hua Chongyang endured the pain and chuckled softly.
"Lan Wuxie, you've got the wrong person. The Azure Sky Heart Sutra isn't in my possession at all."
For two consecutive days, Hua Chongyang did not go out.
In the east wing of the backyard of the Flower Garden, she followed the usual routine: breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, dinner in the evening, and then went to bed early after dinner. Then, the next evening after dinner, Uncle Fu suddenly knocked on the door:
"Young Master, there's a young master outside who wants to see you."
"Young Master?" Hua Chongyang was taken aback. "What kind of person is he?"
"He was wearing a white fox fur coat, followed by a well-mannered attendant." Uncle Fu scratched his head and added, "Oh, this young master is tall, refined, and quite handsome."
Hua Chongyang immediately thought of Situ Qingliu. She hesitated for a moment, then turned and leaned against the headboard, waving her hand.
"Never mind, Uncle Fu, I'm a little tired. I'll just say I'm already asleep."
Seeing Fu Bo turn and leave, Hua Chongyang sighed and closed her eyes, wanting to sleep. However, after tossing and turning for an hour, she finally jumped out of bed, put on her outer robe, and went outside.
As the Lantern Festival approached, firecrackers crackled in the streets, and children carrying red paper lanterns made a ruckus. Hua Chongyang randomly chose a tavern, entered, picked a table in the corner, ordered a jar of wine, and began to drink alone in silence. The small tavern could only hold about ten people. A small stove in the center of the room made the interior warm and cozy; hot water was on the stove, and a quiet, diligent waiter frequently came to refill the patrons' wine. Cup after cup, gradually soaking away the loneliness in his heart. The small wooden window facing the street was opened, and as the night deepened, through the narrow gap, one could vaguely see that the number of pedestrians on the street was gradually decreasing. After finishing more than half a jar of wine, Hua Chongyang, slightly tipsy, got up and casually tossed down the money for the wine.
"Bill, please."
Then she turned around and, upon seeing that she was the only other customer left in the tavern, she was taken aback:
"...Situ--"
Situ Qingliu raised his long index finger and looked back at the dozing waiter.
The tavern was crowded and noisy, so one had to be careful of eavesdroppers, especially since the person in front of him was a prince. Hua Chongyang realized this and immediately changed his words:
"Brother Situ."
Situ Qingliu smiled and gestured to the seat next to him:
"Have a seat. Are you drinking here alone, young lady?"
"Yes," Hua Chongyang sat down, "I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk. When the young master came to find me earlier, I—"
"Going to see you?" Situ Qingliu was slightly taken aback. "I didn't go to see you, young lady."
"……No?"
Hua Chongyang was completely stunned.
Who could it be?
He wore a fox fur cloak, was tall and refined, and was followed by a guard...
Could it be... him?
Hua Chongyang suddenly stood up from his chair and hurriedly bid farewell to Situ Qingliu:
"I have other matters to attend to—excuse me, Your Highness!"
The bluish-gray shadow disappeared hastily at the doorway.
A moment later, Pinlan entered carrying a cloak. Seeing Situ Qingliu holding a wine cup with a forlorn expression, she couldn't help but ask:
"Your Highness."
"Um?"
"Did the Double Ninth Festival girl leave?"
"Hmm," Situ Qingliu responded calmly, "She said she had something to attend to and left first."
"I clearly saw Miss Chongyang sitting at that table just now," Pinlan looked at the table in front of her and couldn't help but ask again, "Didn't the young master invite Miss Chongyang to drink with him? Did he drink alone all night?"
Situ Qingliu did not answer, and after a long while he put down his wine cup and stood up:
"Pinlan, let's go back too."
Hua Chongyang hurriedly ran out of the hotel and headed straight for Anyang Street.
The half-rolled-up curtain, revealing a glimpse of light within, was indeed partially drawn. She hurried into the backyard and saw a row of lanterns hanging at varying heights along the veranda, their lights gleaming. For some reason, her heart tightened. Slowing her pace, she silently entered Zu Xian's room, knocked on the door, and lowered her voice:
"Zu Xian."
No one answered from inside.
I knocked on the door, but there was still no answer.
Are you angry?
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but smile.
Given Zu Xian's temper, it was entirely possible that she would fly into a rage if she were turned away. Thinking of this, she knocked on the door again, raising her voice:
"Zu Xian, I'm coming in!"
She gently pushed open the door.
The candles in the room shone brightly; the fox fur coat on the wooden bed was disheveled, as if someone had just woken up and hadn't tidied it up; several braziers had collapsed, leaving only embers; on a small table to the side, a bowl full of medicine remained untouched.
There was no trace of Zu Xian.
Hua Chongyang turned and left the room, then looked around the garden one last time.
The pavilion across the lake was also deserted. The stars had faded, and the moonlight was dim; though there was no wind, the cold was biting. Hua Chongyang walked up the corridor and couldn't help but wonder, in such cold weather, where could Zu Xian, with his frail health, have gone?
As Hua Chongyang muttered to himself, he walked back. Just as he reached the back gate connecting Banlianzui to the garden, a hurried figure came towards him. Upon seeing Hua Chongyang, the figure quickly approached.
"Miss Chongyang."
"Anping?" Hua Chongyang went to greet him. "Where is Zu Xian?"
"I don't know," Anping frowned slightly. "Last night, I went to the Flower Garden with my master, but when we heard you were asleep, we came back. However, by the time I finished brewing the medicine and brought it into the room, my master was no longer there."
I don't know what kind of feeling came over me.
A cold voice suddenly surfaced in Hua Chongyang's mind:
"From today onwards, whoever you approach, I will kill."
She pushed Anping aside and ran outside.
Night had fallen, and the streets were already quiet. Hua Chongyang ran and stopped, passing Anyang Street and then Huayang Street. Although he saw a few scattered figures, none of them were Zu Xian. He ran through three or five more streets in the city but still couldn't find him. Disappointed, Hua Chongyang slowed down, but he couldn't stop the burning anxiety in his chest.
She didn't know how skilled Zu Xian was, and whether he could protect himself if he encountered Lan Wuxie. Even if he was good at using poison, he relied on Lan Ying Palace, while Lan Wuxie was the master of Zhaoyang Pavilion in Lan Ying Palace. What could he do to him?
After wandering around for a while, she finally arrived at the entrance of Huayang Street. In the distance was Huatingyuan, which connected to the stream. With the Lantern Festival approaching, it was already filled with all kinds of colorful lanterns. Lost in thought, Hua Chongyang hadn't figured out where she was when she dragged her tired steps into the courtyard. Only when she looked up and saw the colorful lanterns all around her did she suddenly freeze in surprise.
I must have lost my mind; how did I end up here?
She smiled bitterly and turned to turn away, but out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a short covered walkway on the east side of the garden. Under the walkway, lotus lanterns of varying heights hung, and beneath one of the lanterns, a man in white stood behind a table with his back to Hua Chongyang, intently looking up at a water-red revolving lantern hanging under the walkway.
The figure was tall and slender with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, her dark hair cascading down her back. To Hua Chongyang, it was beautiful. She composed herself, couldn't help but smile, and stood still, calling out in that direction:
"Zu Xian!"
20. Painted Boat
"We, the Flower-Among-the-Flowers School, despise people like you the most." Hua Chongyang tilted his head back and downed a cup of wine, then set it down and glanced sideways at Zu Xian. "You complain even about the bitterness of medicine? What kind of man is that?"
In the octagonal pavilion of the Half-Drunken Garden, a brazier burned on the ground. Instead of sitting on a stool, she sat on the railing, her right leg bent and her arm draped over it. Her long hair flowed along the railing, and her slightly tipsy eyes gazed at the lake. On the recliner next to the brazier, thick fur cushions were laid out. Zu Xian, wrapped in a gray fur cloak of the same color, watched her silently as she poured herself a drink.
"What's wrong with living a peaceful and comfortable life?" Hua Chongyang murmured to himself, gazing absently at his wine cup. He then turned to look at Zu Xian, "I also want to live a peaceful life."
Zu Xian remained silent, watching her quietly as he brought the wine glass to his lips and slowly inhaled its aroma.
The garden was silent except for the crackling of firewood burning in the brazier and Hua Chongyang's intermittent, slightly low voice. The first time he heard this voice was when he was drunk alone in this pavilion. In his drunken stupor, someone called him. He looked up and saw a face he had longed for day and night. The owner of that face told him with pity not to catch a cold and helped him put on a fox fur coat.
He woke up thinking it was a dream. Wrapped in his fox fur, he thought about the scenes in his dream and smiled. He was in pain when awake, but fought fiercely in his dreams. This time, however, it was a beautiful dream.
At this moment, whether in a dream or in reality, Hua Chongyang sat on the pavilion railing, looking slightly tipsy like a young boy gazing at him:
"You've been wandering the martial world for so many years, have you ever seen Yan Zhao?"
Zu Xian nodded calmly: "I've seen you before."
Hua Chongyang bent down and leaned closer to him, her eyes widening as she smiled slightly: "Does he look like me?"
"Their eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same."