"I told you everything's fine, yet you act like the sky has fallen." Old Ye held her hand. "A few masked men went to Liu Da's place in the middle of the night, but Liu Da took care of them all. But for some reason, the child has a fever this morning—"
Hua Chongyang turned around and walked back before the audience finished listening. He walked faster and faster until he started running.
Yan Bailu was alone in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed playing with the child. As soon as Hua Chongyang entered, he rushed to the bedside and saw the fair-skinned and handsome Fu Shun lying on the head of the bed, pouting at Yan Bailu. When he saw Hua Chongyang, his aggrieved expression turned into a big laugh. He struggled to stretch out his chubby little hand, his dark eyes were big and round, full of laughter.
"You brat, you only recognize your mother." Bai Lu rolled her eyes, stood up, and said, "I just gave him his medicine, come and take a look. What's this kid's zodiac sign? Getting him to drink a sip of medicine is like asking him to die; he almost scratched my hand until it bled."
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but laugh.
It's quite obvious who Fu Shun resembles in this respect.
After laughing, she looked up and asked Bai Lu:
"Who were the people causing trouble last night? Do you have any leads?"
"have no idea."
"Can't you tell from the kung fu?"
"Completely haphazard."
"I wonder if they came here because of the good fortune."
"Impossible, don't worry. It's most likely that Liu Da has too many people planted over there, and someone noticed something amiss."
"No one was left alive last night?"
"Four people, dressed in black and masked, one was stabbed to death, one committed suicide by poison, and the other two escaped. Their martial arts skills weren't particularly high; though comparable to Sister Liu, they were definitely below you and me. Hua Chongyang," Bai Lu circled the table twice, then looked up, "Why don't you tell Lan Wuxie—"
"Absolutely not." Hua Chongyang frowned and refused decisively. "If that were the case, everyone would see him as easy prey."
Bai Lu frowned:
"That's true. I really don't know how long I'll have to live in fear. Last night, I was on tenterhooks the whole way to Liu Da's place, afraid that if even a hair on his head fell, I'd be out of luck."
Hua Chongyang slowly repeated: "Clad in black and masked, their martial arts are completely unorthodox."
Based on these two points alone, there's a 50% chance they're from Yanzu Valley.
White Dew brings restlessness:
"We've been chasing them for so long, but the person behind it just won't show up! They're in the shadows while we're in the open!"
Hua Chongyang sat silently at the edge of the bed, his hand stroking the child's cheek, slowly narrowing his eyes:
"If he's hiding in the shadows, then let him reveal himself."
It was nearly noon, and the brothel was quiet. Hua Chongyang, who had barely slept the night before, was dozing off, nestled against little Fu Shun. The door was gently pushed open, and Ye Laoqi quietly approached, waking Hua Chongyang:
"There are people down there, go and get rid of him quickly."
Hua Chongyang opened his eyes groggily: "Who?"
"Who else?" Old Seven Ye raised an eyebrow. "He's been here for half an hour, sitting in the hall without saying a word. When asked what he was doing, he said he was waiting for you, to wake you for him. But when he heard you were asleep, he stopped people, saying he absolutely had to wait for you to wake up."
Hua Chongyang regained consciousness, sat up, and rubbed his eyes:
"Lan Wuxie?"
"Hurry up and send them away. If he sits in the hall, who'll look at the courtesans anymore? Everyone'll be looking at him."
Hua Chongyang gently touched the nose of the sleeping Fu Shun, lowering his voice to chuckle:
"Kid, did you hear that? Your dad's a menace."
After saying that, she got up, put on her coat, and went downstairs.
Lan Wuxie was indeed sitting in the hall, wearing a light gray robe embroidered with silver dragon patterns, a snow-white undergarment, and a snow-white belt. Surprisingly, a faint smile appeared on her usually icy face, indicating she was in a good mood. Upon seeing Hua Chongyang, she put down her teacup, and as Hua Chongyang approached, she reached out and took her hand, then sat upright in her chair, tilting her head back and smiling.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
Hua Chongyang did not answer but asked a question in return:
"Why are you here?"
Lan Wuxie held her hand, a slight smile on his face:
"The weather's nice today, so I came out for a stroll and picked out a few books—and stopped by to take a look."
Hua Chongyang's gaze swept over the two thick booklets on the table and the gloomy weather outside the door. Before he could look away, Lan Cao beside him began to mutter:
"By the way... I only stood for a short while at the bookstore, but I've been waiting here for more than half an hour..."
Lan Wuxie didn't even raise his head, just looked at Hua Chongyang, and gestured slightly with his hand:
"Lancao, go and get a pot of chrysanthemum tea."
71. Shanxia Town
Lan Cao glanced sideways at Hua Chongyang, then turned and left. The others in the hall tactfully followed. Hua Chongyang remained silent, a slight smile playing on her lips as she gazed intently at Lan Wuxie, her eyes softening. Lan Wuxie pulled her close and whispered in her ear:
"Chongyang, don't look at me like that."
Hua Chongyang sat on his lap, pursing her lips, and slowly traced her fingers along the corners of his eyes and eyebrows:
"Look at your brow, when did you get these marks?"
Lan Wuxie was slightly taken aback.
This was the first time Hua Chongyang had been so gentle with him; the tenderness in his eyes seemed capable of melting ice and snow.
From the moment they first met until now, in Lan Ying Palace, no one has ever spoken to him first. Yet she dared to rush up and ask all sorts of questions, as if she hadn't seen the "keep away" written on his face. When they met again, everyone kept their distance from him. Women either fawned over him, but she took his favor for granted and became arrogant. From the moment she mistook him for Zu Xian, she treated him with mockery and insults.
He took her hand and whispered:
Am I getting old?
Hua Chongyang suddenly smiled:
"You're old? Countless young women in the world see you as a perfect, unmarried, and suitable husband in your early twenties, and they're always thinking of getting rid of me to take your place."
"You're laughing at me."
Hua Chongyang raised an eyebrow with a smile, his words tinged with sarcasm:
"How dare I laugh at you? Isn't Miss Bo a living example? In her eyes, you're definitely an unparalleled handsome young man."
Lan Wuxie's smile widened as she gently stroked Hua Chongyang's hair:
Do you know how old I am?
"Three years older than me—wait, twenty-four this year? That's a bit old," Hua Chongyang stroked his sideburns, then suddenly struck a wicked pose, touching his face with a mischievous grin. "But Pavilion Master Lan, your skin is as white as snow and your lips as red as cherries; you look like a dashing twenty-year-old—you even look younger than me. Sigh, what should I do?"
She sighed dramatically.
Lan Wuxie smiled for a long time, then placed his hand on her waist:
"When I first met you, you were only ten years old."
"You're only fifteen."
"You always stare at people."
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but laugh again.
Lan Wuxie told stories in his usual dry style, seemingly devoid of any superfluous embellishment. Was it because he had read too many books on military strategy and medicine? She smiled, yawned, and leaned on Lan Wuxie's shoulder, listening as he slowly continued:
"I was thinking, 'Why is this girl so ugly?'"
"……"
"Back then, your hair only reached your shoulders, and your face only had a pair of big eyes; you looked like a monkey."
"What?"
Lan Wuxie even made a solemn promise to her:
"It's true."
"...You! You've really wronged Pavilion Master Lan, having to hang out with a monkey!"
"I see you again after four years." Lan Wuxie smiled at her, gradually becoming lost in thought. "At first glance, I didn't recognize you. I thought to myself, 'How wonderful it would be if she were mine.'"
He was eighteen at that time.
Hua Chongyang listened intently.
No matter how attentively he listened, Lan Wuxie's words still sounded dry and lifeless. Hua Chongyang had heard Anping's original words, but they weren't like this.
Years ago, Lan Wuxie carried Yan Zhao out of Lan Ying Palace, hoping to find the inner cultivation methods of the Yellow Springs Martial Arts and the Azure Sky Heart Method. Lan Ji instructed him to go to Hangzhou to find them. Anping followed him all the way to Hangzhou, feeling his way along unfamiliar roads until he reached a small alley. Springtime in Hangzhou was filled with the fragrance of flowers. At the end of the alley was a clump of lilacs. At that moment, Lan Wuxie stopped at the alley entrance and looked up to see a girl climbing over the wall. With a cry of "Ouch," she lost her footing and fell into the clump of lilacs.
The girl got up, patted herself, and mumbled as she walked through the alley, her body still smelling of perfume. Facing her were long, slanted eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, and a chin as thin as a butterfly's wing. As she passed by them, she looked up and glared fiercely at Lan Wuxie, who had been watching her the whole time.
Anping said that after following him for eighteen years, this was the first time he had ever seen the young master smile.
He turned around and watched her figure disappear before suddenly whispering, "Anping, I want her."
Hua Chongyang smiled, her eyes half-closed, leaning on Lan Wuxie's shoulder. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if this story, which she always reminisced about in the quiet of the night, came to Lan Wuxie's mouth.
Half-asleep, Lan Wuxie stroked her hair and asked softly:
"Shall I carry you upstairs?"
Without a second thought, Hua Chongyang opened his eyes and shook his head:
"no."
Fu Shun is still in the room; he absolutely mustn't see her. Lan Wuxie didn't seem to care, and casually grabbed a cloak from the side to cover her with it.
"Then sleep a little longer, I'll stay here with you."
"I'm not sleepy anymore," Hua Chongyang said, standing up. "It's getting late; you should go back too."
Lan Wuxie paused in pulling the cloak tighter around her, then looked up:
"Then tonight--"
"I still have some things to take care of in the building, so I won't be going." Hua Chongyang frowned. "The affairs are complicated, and I might not be able to go in the next few days."
Lan Wuxie remained silent for a long time before finally smiling slightly:
"The Double Ninth Festival is not what it used to be."
Even with a smile, the disappointment in his eyes was obvious. Hua Chongyang, however, seemed not to notice. He walked to the table, poured himself some hot tea, took a sip, then sat down on another chair nearby, lost in thought for a moment, before speaking:
"Any news from Lanshu's side regarding Yanzu Valley?"
"The trail is already thousands of miles away, so it probably won't be that fast."