A three-foot-long sword came hurtling through the air.
Shui Wu'er looked at the person wielding the three-foot-long sword and was suddenly stunned. That person was none other than Yuwen Hongying.
"Who goes there? How dare you trespass into Baili Prefecture?" Yuwen Hongying shouted in a clear and resounding voice. As she spoke, the man in green and the woman in red started fighting.
Shui Wu'er sighed, feeling sorry for Yuwen Hongying. She privately believed that in this situation, all parties must have a plan. Like the young man in green, setting up a trap in his own home to lure the wolf in… well, to lure the snake out of its hole; like Yin Bitong, who had already found a scapegoat to break the trap, even going so far as to leave a priceless luminous pearl underground. And someone like herself, without a plan or power, at least tried not to hinder others' plans, knowing how to go with the flow. Yuwen Hongying, oh Yuwen Hongying, tonight your youthful passion has ruined whose plans?
She sat to the side, resting her chin on her hand, looking rather bored.
The sounds of clashing weapons will likely attract even more people. Even if the people of Baili Prefecture were instructed not to come out and disturb them, they would feel embarrassed to continue hiding now.
Sure enough, a noisy commotion arose not far away, apparently alarming the entire Baili Prefecture. However, after a long time of noise, no one arrived at the scene, as the guards of Baili Prefecture dutifully stalled for time.
Yin Bitong, who was in the middle of the battle, managed to slip out a sentence: "You go first!"
Shui Wu'er thought she had misheard.
Let's go first. Where do we need to go?
“Me?” She pointed to her own nose.
"Nonsense, of course it's you!" Yin Bitong roared.
That's so touching. Mizuki touched her nose.
She was very accommodating. When Yin Bitong told her to go first, she did so.
Before leaving, she wiped her slightly moist eyes at Yin Bitong. Even though this handsome man had deceived, teased, and toyed with her beyond measure, hadn't that brief moment of protection revealed a bit of genuine affection? She was still grateful.
So she wiped her eyes and left first.
Chapter Five: Flowers Have a Delicate Fragrance, the Moon Has a Shade (Part Three)
Knowing when to go first is actually quite an art.
In the dialects of the Lingnan region, "to go first" is also called "走先" (zǒu xiān)...
The point that makes more sense than going first is that going first isn't important; going first is what matters. If you don't know how to go, going first is useless.
For example, Shui Wu'er is a bloody lesson from the past.
She first went to a man's room, but this man was not one of the men in her "Records of Male Beauties in the Martial World".
This man was not only not one of the men in her "Records of Male Beauties in the Martial World," but he was also rejected for marriage on the spot several months ago because he was too terrifying to look at.
This man was none other than the kind-hearted Qin Qiyun.
Even though Shui Wu'er was terrified by Qin Qiyun's frightening face in the darkness when she arrived at Qin Qiyun's room, she still felt quite lucky. This was because Qin Qiyun was known throughout the martial arts world as a kind person.
Furthermore, when you tell Qin Qiyun that he is a good person, Qin Qiyun won't readily reply with, "You're the good person, your whole family are good people." He will simply smile politely and say, "Miss, you flatter me."
Qin Qiyun, a calm and kind-hearted woman, opened her door to find a woman with two braids stumbling in.
The woman gave him a couple of dry laughs and then fell silent.
Qin Qiyun looked like she'd seen a ghost: "How did you get here?"
Shui Wu'er noticed the grammatical error in his words: "Do you know me?"
Qin Qiyun shut his mouth, lit the candle in the room again, carefully examined Shui Wu'er's face, and then smiled and said, "I don't recognize you."
Shui Wu'er nearly fell.
Qin Qiyun said, "You look very much like the maid I saw this morning, the one named Chrysanthemum. However, as soon as she saw me, she covered her face and ran away, so I didn't see her face clearly and mistook you for her."
Shui Wu'er let out a long "Oh." Luckily, Qin Qiyun had a good temper; while the other person was so frightened by his appearance that they covered their face and ran away, he spoke as if the other person had greeted him in a friendly manner.
The two stood in silence, one inside the threshold and the other outside.
Qin Qiyun was a good person. He couldn't bear to see Shui Wu'er continue to feel awkward, so he forced himself to speak first: "Since you're not Chrysanthemum, then who are you, young lady?"
He hadn't expected that his question would make Shui Wu'er even more embarrassed. Who was she? She was a defenseless female beggar who had infiltrated the Baili Mansion dungeon at night with the "Traceless" top assassin. Even she herself felt that this answer was shameless and reckless.
So Shui Wu'er blurted out, "I am Chrysanthemum's younger sister, and my name is Songhua."
Qin Qiyun was visibly taken aback, and the image of that yellow egg simultaneously flashed into both of their minds.
"Master Qin, I'm new here and don't know the way very well. My sister wanted to eat preserved eggs tonight and asked me to go buy some, but I ended up here instead."
Qin Qiyun smiled knowingly: "The roads in Qingyi Mansion are indeed quite complicated. Well then, since I'm awake anyway, I'll take you there."
Shui Wu'er's eyes widened. This Qin Qiyun was truly a good person beyond measure.
So Qin Qiyun put on his outer robe and walked outside side by side with Shui Wu'er.
Shui Wu'er couldn't help but notice that Qin Qiyun had a very pleasant scent.
"Does Master Qin like gardening?"
Qin Qiyun glanced at her in surprise: "How did you know?"
Shui Wu'er smiled: "Master Qin has a fragrance of orchids on him, which is unique to the top-grade gentian orchid."
"Miss Songhua is quite knowledgeable about flowers," Qin Qiyun said with an approving smile.
Shui Wu'er shook her head modestly: "My knowledge of flowers is limited to lotus and orchid. I have a cousin who loves lotus very much and has been growing them for more than ten years. He has a lotus fragrance that he can't wash off. I think Master Qin must also love growing orchids, which is why he smells like orchids?"
Qin Qiyun waved her hand, pulled up her sleeve to reveal a sachet: "I don't have such profound skills. This is the fragrance of the sachet I'm wearing."
Shui Wu'er's eyes widened: "This sachet is so exquisite!"
Qin Qiyun said, "If you like it, I'll ask them to make one more and give it to you another day."
Putting aside his appearance, Qin Qiyun was truly a gentle and considerate man. His conversation and care were enough to make any woman's heart flutter. Does a man who smells of flowers possess a similarly fragrant character?
Just as she was about to thank him, Qin Qiyun suddenly pushed her into the bushes beside him.
She was shocked. Could he really be a hypocrite harboring malicious intentions? Before she could move, Qin Qiyun's deliberately raised voice came from ahead of the bushes:
"Cuiyu, it's you? Aren't you resting at this hour?"
Shui Wu'er's heart leaped into her throat.
Yuwen Cuiyu's voice was friendly yet distant: "Hongying said that thieves have broken into the mansion, so I came out to take a look."
Qin Qiyun seemed to be getting anxious: "You don't know martial arts, what if you run into thieves while you're out? Let me take you back to your room, otherwise..."
Shui Wu'er sighed silently for him. Yuwen Cuiyu had humiliated him so much in front of all the heroes of the world, yet he still cared so much about her. Didn't he know that the girl had no feelings for him and would be completely ungrateful for everything he had done?
As expected, Yuwen Cuiyu politely declined: "I appreciate Young Master Qin's kindness. However, I am unfortunate and have no fortune to accept your affection. Please forget about me in the future."
Yuwen Cuiyu's footsteps faded into the distance, but Qin Qiyun remained motionless outside the bushes. Perhaps he was lost in thought, gazing at the beauty's retreating figure.
The saying "beauty is a curse" is indeed true. Yuwen Cuiyu's words were impeccable, and she even seemed to be thinking of Qin Qiyun's best interests. However, after hearing these words, Qin Qiyun would probably become even more entangled and unable to extricate himself.
Shui Wu'er emerged from behind the bushes and nudged Qin Qiyun with her elbow.
Qin Qiyun snapped out of his daze and hurriedly apologized to Shui Wu'er: "Miss Songhua, I'm so sorry, I was just in a moment of panic, so..."
Shui Wu'er waved her hand: "Are you afraid that Miss Yuwen will misunderstand you if she sees you with another woman?"
Qin Qiyun nodded hastily.
Shui Wu'er shook her head.
"Master Qin, it's truly Yuwen Cuiyu's loss that she doesn't like you."
"Huh?" Qin Qiyun was caught off guard.
"Miss Yuwen refused the marriage in court, all for the sake of the young master in blue. Ordinary people would probably hate the young master in blue to the bone by now. Master Qin, do you really have no hatred for the young master in blue at all?" Shui Wu'er's words carried a hint of provocation that even she herself did not quite understand.
Qin Qiyun's expression changed as he said, "This matter is not Qingyi's fault; he was also powerless to do it."
Shui Wu'er carefully observed his expression and suddenly sighed deeply: "What virtue or ability does the young master in blue possess to deserve such treatment from you?"
"I was severely injured that day, my appearance was ruined, and I lost all my memories. If it weren't for Qingyi's painstaking rescue, how could I be where I am today!" Qin Qiyun said solemnly.
Shui Wu'er then fell silent. How could such a deep brotherly bond be so easily swayed by a few words?
Qin Qiyun led her out of the back garden and arrived at the side gate of Baili Mansion in no time.
"This place is closer to the shops in town, so you can leave from here."
Shui Wu'er stared at him blankly for a while, then said, "You... still haven't recovered even a trace of your memories?"
Qin Qiyun shook her head: "It's a pity that my appearance is ruined. Otherwise, some people who knew me before might come to recognize me."
"It is indeed a pity."
“However, if I hadn’t lost my memory, I might not have the simple and easy life I have now.” He gazed into the distance. “Perhaps I was a villain in the martial arts world, someone everyone wanted to get rid of. Who knows?”
Shui Wu'er smiled brightly: "Master Qin is truly a master."
Qin Qiyun patted her shoulder affectionately and turned to go back.
"Master Qin!"
Shui Wu'er called out to him.
"You know perfectly well that I'm not from the Baili family, so why did you kindly escort me out? Aren't you afraid I have ill intentions?"
Qin Qiyun's figure froze.
“Young lady, you are just a woman who doesn’t know martial arts, how much danger could you be in?” He slowly turned around, his face sincere and earnest. “Besides, the moment I saw you, I felt that your face was very kind, and you are definitely not a person with malicious intentions.” He sighed softly and said again, “You are just a young girl, don’t get involved in these grudges of the martial world anymore, go quickly.”
Shui Wu'er suddenly felt her eyes welling up with tears. She hurriedly nodded and quickly turned to leave.
Long ago, someone had also pampered and indulged her with such a gentle and loving tone, but since then, there has never been another like that.
My heart aches slightly again.
"You are a very talented child, but you have only one flaw: you are too flamboyant."
"Does Aunt Nan mean that I was wrong to humiliate those pedantic scholars?"
"It's not that you did anything wrong, but that you don't know how to protect yourself. Head-on confrontation with others inevitably leaves behind future troubles."
“Aunt Nan, I have been studying poetry and books diligently since I was a child, not for the sake of being called a talented woman. But since I have been blessed by heaven with some extraordinary abilities, I must show the world what a woman’s capabilities are, and I cannot be looked down upon. When I encounter injustice, I cannot let a group of pedantic people run rampant.”
"Sigh, let alone a girl like you, even a decent man wouldn't dare to be so arrogant."
"It's not that I'm arrogant because of my talent, I'm just a little greedy. Many women would rather die than have it, but I'm determined to have it and show the world."
A gentle breeze swept away countless grand pronouncements, shattering them into pieces.