Hua Chongyang was so comforted by her that he almost jumped into the lake.
The orchid gazed at the lake, then turned its head:
"The Pavilion Master instructed me to keep an eye on you, but I brought you to the pleasure boat without permission. If I were to go up with you, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to save my life. You should go up by yourself; no one on the pleasure boat will dare to stop you."
Hua Chongyang nodded:
"Okay. Thank you, Orchid."
"What are you thanking me for?" Lan Cao sighed, hesitated for a moment, and added before turning away, "No need to thank me. You should take good care of the Pavilion Master so he won't take his anger out on us later."
Not long after Lan Cao left, a boat arrived, and Hua Chongyang and Ye Laoqi boarded it and sailed to the pleasure boat on the opposite side of the lake. Just as Lan Cao had predicted, as soon as she approached the pleasure boat and gave her name, the disciples of Lan Ying Palace on board dared not stop her and immediately set up a ladder to pull her aboard. Hua Chongyang, worried that the longer they waited, the more dangerous it would become for Ye Qinghua, said as soon as he boarded the boat…
"I need to see your sect leader immediately."
Ye Laoqi followed closely behind, and they then went with a taciturn disciple of Lanying Palace to find Lan Wuxie. They arrived at a door, from which they could faintly hear some activity, followed by Lan Wuxie's casual, slightly hoarse voice:
"This girl has a stubborn streak."
The door was half-open, revealing Ye Qinghua's back. Hearing Lan Wuxie's voice, Hua Chongyang involuntarily slowed his pace. Ye Laoqi, fearing that something had happened to Ye Qinghua, hurriedly pushed the door open and called out "Master", but suddenly froze at the door as if someone had struck an acupoint.
Hua Chongyang was standing outside the door when he saw Ye Qinghua turn around inside. She looked surprised at first, then grabbed Ye Laoqi, who was standing frozen at the door, and squeezed through the crack in the door. She pulled Hua Chongyang aside.
What are you doing here!
Hua Chongyang was dragged a few steps by her before he shook her hand off:
"Ask the seventh brother."
Turning to look at Ye Laoqi, Ye Laoqi was stunned. After a moment, he turned to the outside of the painted boat railing, grabbed his throat, and began to vomit violently.
Hua Chongyang was startled and subconsciously wanted to turn around and look into the house, but Ye Qinghua grabbed him and pulled him far away.
"Are you really determined to follow Lan Wuxie so wholeheartedly?"
Hua Chongyang looked at her strangely.
Ye Qinghua was still dressed in a bright pink dress with gold thread, but her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. The veins on her forehead were clearly visible, and even her lips were snow-white and bloodless, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness. Her expression, as she questioned her repeatedly, was filled with an inexplicable despair.
"Even knowing you'll regret it someday, you're still going to follow him, right? No matter what kind of person he is, no matter how many people he's killed, you're still going to follow him?"
Hua Chongyang's gaze slowly passed over her and landed behind her. Lan Wuxie, who had just come out of the room, stood quietly in the doorway, also looking at her. He wore a wide, deep red robe with black trim, the hem and cuffs embroidered with phoenixes spreading their wings and turning to fly in gold thread. His white undergarment was visible at the collar, his long hair was tied up with a gold ring and draped over his waist, and his gleaming gold earrings complemented his fair complexion. Tall and elegant, he stood straight in the doorway, looking at Hua Chongyang, seemingly oblivious to Ye Qinghua's seemingly insane outburst of words:
"There are so many men in this world! Why did you have to fall for him! Not a single one of the people from Lan Ying Palace has a normal brain. They use deadly poisons and Gu worms, committing all sorts of evil deeds and treating people like dirt. They're all lunatics who wish they were dead! Hua Chongyang, wake up! You think he's good to you? Do you know what he sees in you? Do you have to follow in my footsteps and die before you realize your mistake? Do you?!"
Ye Qinghua became more and more agitated as she spoke, her eyes reddening by the end. She grabbed Hua Chongyang with both hands, shaking, swaying, and pushing him.
"Get out! Get out of here right now! From this day forward, stay far away from Lan Ying Palace and Lan Wuxie! Never show your face in the martial world again!"
Lan Wuxie stood at the door, her hair swaying slightly in the wind, looking at Hua Chongyang expressionlessly.
He clearly heard Ye Qinghua's words, but he neither refuted them nor stopped her.
Hua Chongyang was pushed several steps away by Ye Qinghua, her clothes torn and disheveled. These were the clothes Lan Cao had placed by her bedside that morning while she was washing up. As she put the clothes down, Lan Cao winked and relayed Lan Wuxie's message to her:
"The Lord told me to tell you before he left that if you feel tired, you should sleep a little longer, and he'll help you comb your hair and get dressed when he gets back."
Her azure robes, trimmed with auspicious dragon and cloud patterns and edged with white, were adorned with a blue silk and white jade pendant. The overall look was clean and refined; even Hua Chongyang, who had never been known for her taste in clothing, couldn't help but find the garment beautiful. Taking a step back to steady herself, she straightened her blue silk hair, the white jade pendant dangling from her waist. She glanced at Lan Wuxie, then at Ye Qinghua:
"Qinghua, my mother always told me that as long as someone treats you well, no matter what others say, they are a good person."
Ye Qinghua stopped in front of the railing, her face lifted, her lips trembling, her complexion even paler. Hua Chongyang, leaning on the railing, raised an eyebrow again:
"There are more people than men in this world. But when I was almost ripped naked, raped, and murdered by thugs, the ones who came to my rescue weren't the many virtuous heroes of the martial arts world, but the ruthless madmen you described. You keep saying you're doing this for my own good and want me to turn back, but do you want me to turn back and wait to be kidnapped and raped?"
As soon as Hua Chongyang finished speaking, Ye Qinghua staggered and almost fell. Ye Laoqi quickly stepped forward to support her. Hua Chongyang pursed his lips and spoke to Ye Laoqi, but his gaze remained fixed on Lan Wuxie, who was still standing at the door.
"Seventh Brother, take Qinghua and go. Let's pretend the past never happened."
Ye Qinghua looked extremely weak. She was supported by Ye Laoqi and barely managed to take one step, but she struggled to grab the railing and glared back at Lan Wuxie:
"Fine, Hua Chongyang! Since you insist on being with him, why don't you ask him directly if he has been truly sincere towards you from beginning to end, and if he has asked for nothing in return!"
Hua Chongyang was taken aback.
Lan Wuxie remained expressionless.
Outside, the lake was half shrouded in mist, and the painted boat swayed gently on the water. His robes rose and fell with the wind, silent as a painting.
Ye Qinghua didn't answer, her hands gripping the railing, veins bulging, as she looked at Hua Chongyang and sneered:
"See? He doesn't dare say it, Hua Chongyang. You keep saying your mother said it, but don't you know she was a fool, deceived by a man, betrayed her sect, and died alone from illness? If you continue to be so foolish, you'll end up like her one day!"
"Ye Qinghua, shut up." Hua Chongyang coldly interrupted her, suddenly losing his patience. "Seventh Brother, take her and leave quickly."
Old Master Ye was only focused on getting Ye Qinghua away, so he held her tightly and half-dragged her towards the bow of the boat:
"OP, let's stop talking and go back."
Ye Qinghua gripped the railing tightly, gritting her teeth:
"Hua Chongyang, unless you leave with me today, otherwise—"
"yes."
A soft sound, yet it resonated like thunder.
Hua Chongyang paused for a moment, then looked up at Lan Wuxie. Lan Wuxie was still standing at the doorway, looking at Hua Chongyang with a slightly softened gaze, and softly repeated:
"Chongyang, my feelings for you are genuine."
Hua Chongyang was dumbfounded.
She had heard Lan Wuxie's sweet words before, but the truth was that he only said explicit things when he was teasing her. After getting off that bed, no matter how gentle and considerate he was, he almost never said a nice word. Hua Chongyang attributed this to Lan Wuxie's consistently dry and unpleasant way of speaking.
She never imagined that Lan Wuxie would say such a thing one day.
Before she could even register what was happening, Ye Qinghua sneered from the side:
"You didn't expect him to say that, did you? Turns out you're not as stupid as I thought."
"You've heard what you needed to hear," Hua Chongyang ignored her, frowned, and waved his hand at Ye Laoqi. "Take her away quickly, or I won't be able to help you if she can't leave later."
If Ye Qinghua continues to go against Yilan Wuxie's temper, she'll only end up in deep trouble.
Seeing Ye Laoqi drag Ye Qinghua off the pleasure boat, Hua Chongyang turned to look at Lan Wuxie, pretending that nothing had happened:
"You're looking for Ye Qinghua because you suspect she sent someone to kill me?"
The words came out somewhat awkwardly.
Ever since she learned that Lan Wuxie was Zu Xian, she had never seen him with such a cold expression. Lan Wuxie didn't answer, but walked out the door and stood in front of her, gently brushing a strand of hair from her cheek before slowly saying:
"Even if she didn't send someone to kill you, it was still her who drugged you and took you away."
The fingers that were resting near her ear were icy cold. Hua Chongyang reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly.
Do you know anything about Ye Qinghua's background?
Lan Wuxie remained silent.
Hua Chongyang looked at the railing and sighed:
"I only vaguely heard Old Seven Ye mention that Qinghua was born into a prominent martial arts family, but later, for a man, she was betrayed and forced to leave her hometown. Her infatuation ultimately led her to realize she had misjudged him. Too ashamed to return home, she had no choice but to wander the martial world alone."
Having known Ye Qinghua for almost ten years, she had never seen her give any man a second glance, let alone develop a deep relationship with anyone; even the people taken in by the brothel were all women, which showed how deeply that man had hurt her. Once bitten, twice shy, and besides, Ye Qinghua seemed to favor her as the next head of the brothel, which was probably why she was so obstructing her.
Seeing that Lan Wuxie remained silent, Hua Chongyang held his hand tightly while frowning and slowly said:
"Compared to Ye Qinghua, I think it's more likely that Bo Jiang was behind it. Ye Laoqi told me before that after I disappeared, besides your people, people from Nan Chu Manor were also looking for me. Bo Jiang has always disliked me, so it's unlikely he would have contacted me specifically to look for me."
Lan Wuxie seemed lost in thought, gently stroking the ends of her hair. Hua Chongyang, not wanting to dwell on Ye Qinghua, changed the subject and lowered his voice:
"By the way, you haven't returned to Banlianzui since this morning. Anping reminded you to take your medicine, right?"
As dusk fell, a breeze rose over the lake, and countless rays of the setting sun cast their light on half the misty water, making the gold embroidery on his dark red robes shimmer and even softening the darkness in Lan Wuxie's eyes.
"I drank half a bowl this morning, but it was too bitter, so I left it. What's the big deal?"
"It's no big deal. At worst, you'll cough yourself to death, and your wife will be a widow."
Lan Wuxie lowered his eyes, gently stroking her temple and smiling softly:
Are you cursing me or yourself?
Hua Chongyang chuckled and pulled Lan Wuxie into the house:
"Alright, alright, it's chilly outside, let's go inside and warm up."
She had only taken two steps toward the door when Lan Wuxie grabbed her arm:
"The boat is not safe. You go back to Banlianzui and rest. I'll return after I've finished dealing with matters at the palace."
Hua Chongyang stopped in his tracks, smiling nonchalantly:
"Okay, I'll wait for you to have dinner together."
Lan Wuxie didn't speak, only looked down at her and smiled, then nodded after a long while:
"good."
Lan Wuxie sent three Lan Ying Palace disciples to escort him back to Banlianzui. Hua Chongyang initially thought it would be troublesome, but remembering how he had almost been raped by the fat man that day, he was still shaken and didn't refuse much before boarding the boat.
As dusk settled, Hangzhou was shrouded in a crimson haze, its myriad lights twinkling; pavilions and towers seemed to float in a painting, spring's beauty as enchanting as smoke. Hua Chongyang, having watched the twilight unfold, gazed blankly at the shimmering lake. As the boat neared the shore, she suddenly remembered something and called out to the Lan Ying Palace disciple rowing the boat:
"Stop! Stop the ship!"
Only then did she remember Lan Xiang, the maid Lan Wuxie had taken aboard the pleasure boat. Because of Ye Qinghua's interference, she had completely forgotten to ask Lan Wuxie about Lan Xiang's whereabouts. Recalling the sounds she had heard outside the room on the pleasure boat and Lan Wuxie's words, and considering that Lan Wuxie seemed to think she didn't need to go into that room, she broke out in a cold sweat and waved to the Lan Ying Palace disciples:
"Turn back to the pleasure boat!"
She returned in the blink of an eye, leaping onto the painted boat and rushing towards the room she had been in before, without asking any questions. She pushed open the door, finding the room dark and silent, devoid of any sign of life. She searched around for a moment before emerging and walking down the corridor, when she heard familiar voices from the next room:
"The Pavilion Master just let Ye Qinghua go so easily?"
Hua Chongyang's steps faltered, and his blood seemed to freeze.
There was no reply; it was the same voice again, which sounded excessively soft and beautiful at first glance.
"After what happened at Lake Moon Manor last time, even Situ Qingliu didn't notice anything amiss. Yet, after seeing me once, she dared to suspect my relationship with you and even sent people to follow me. This time, knowing full well that Miss Chongyang is your person, she still sent people to kidnap her and try to kill her. I think she's clearly determined to go against Lan Ying Palace. Are you still going to keep her? I'm afraid it will cause endless trouble."
The crisp sound of the teacup lid clattering together rang out, followed by Lan Wuxie's almost languid voice:
"You're asking too many questions."
After a moment of silence, the woman's gentle and humble voice seemed to carry boundless grievances:
"Sect Master... Lan."