"You are just like your master in your conduct. You are upright and principled, always putting others first and disregarding your own feelings. You will take care of things when you can, and give them up when you can't."
This was the first time he had spoken to me so seriously. I had never thought about myself carefully before, nor did I know that I was like this in his heart.
“If you were more selfish, bolder, and more shrewd, you and Yunzhou wouldn’t have had so many ups and downs and misunderstandings. But if you were selfish, bold, and shrewd, you wouldn’t be yourself, and you wouldn’t have moved Yunzhou and me.”
"You often remind me of the squirrels in the trees, the mountain streams, the lotus leaves in the streams, and the dew on the lotus leaves. Sometimes you are so adorably silly that it makes my teeth itch, and sometimes you are so insightful that I feel inferior to you. Even if I offend you again, you never hold a grudge and smile at me in the blink of an eye, without any guile. In the Xiaoyao Sect, no one dislikes you, but unfortunately, you only have eyes for one person."
I listened silently to Jiang Chen's words, my throat aching, but I still couldn't utter a single word.
“I’m sending you to see him with all my heart, not with pretense or insincerity. Although I’m proud and arrogant, I also consider myself a broad-minded man. If I can’t even tolerate this, how can I be worthy of you?”
His murmurings were like listening to the wind and rain in a small building all night, leaning against the railing north of the Agarwood Pavilion. Every word and every sentence was like a meticulously carved seal on a woodblock, then carefully copied with tiny characters, profound and clear.
A heavy feeling welled up inside me, and I could no longer remain silent. I whispered, "Jiang Chen, please stop talking."
"Xiao Mo, the time has passed, go on." He took my hand, his warm and dry palm free of the afternoon's damp heat.
When the sedan chair stopped at Qiyue Tower, Jiang Chen helped me out and said softly, "I'll wait for you downstairs."
I took a deep breath and slowly stepped onto the stairs.
A row of bright red lanterns hung high in front of Qiyue Tower, their radiance as bright as the moon. I stood under the eaves and couldn't help but turn around for a glance.
Jiang Chen stood quietly with his hands behind his back, staring intently at me.
In the orange light, he appeared calm and composed, like someone gazing at the moon from a small building or watching the clouds rise over a spring mountain. But I inexplicably knew that his heart was not like that at all; his hands, behind his back, were clenched into fists.
I turned around, and a waiter greeted me warmly: "Please come in, young lady. How many are in your party?"
"I'm here to meet someone. We arranged to meet at Shuyage."
He feigned realization and hurriedly said, "Oh, Lord Yun instructed me, I know. This way, miss."
I followed him up to the private room on the second floor. He kept walking inside, and I silently followed behind him, my heart pounding wildly.
Yunzhou, what does he want to say to me? If he really says something, what should I do?
The waiter knocked on the door: "Lord Yun, the person you've been waiting for has arrived."
"Come in."
A deep voice came from inside the door. I was startled. The voice was not Yunzhou's; it sounded somewhat like his father, Yun Zhishi's. Today at the Star-Picking Tower, I had not seen him, only heard his voice. Although it was only a few words, his voice had left a very deep impression on me.
The door creaked open.
A man nearing fifty stood inside the door. He possessed a noble bearing, handsome features, and an imposing yet refined air; his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes exuded authority without anger.
"You must be Yunmo?"
I nodded nervously, not knowing what to say. I never expected that the person I came to see would be Yun Zhishi!
He nodded: "Come in, let's talk."
I walked in nervously, and he closed the door behind him, pointing to the chair in front of the table: "Sit down."
I sat awkwardly at the lower end of the table. He lifted his robe and sat opposite me, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of hot tea, and placed it in front of me.
I quickly thanked him in a low voice, feeling involuntarily nervous and uneasy. What did he want from me?
He silently scrutinized me for a few moments, his gaze sharp and piercing. I grew increasingly confused and uneasy, truly wondering why he had summoned me. Now that he had already seen through Yunzhou's intentions and prevented the arranged marriage, it seemed pointless for him to come looking for me now.
"I've called you here today to talk about some things that happened decades ago."
Old stories? My heart tightened for no reason, and I immediately had a premonition that those old stories must be related to me and Yunzhou.
“Back then, my grandfather followed Emperor Gaozu in conquering the country and died in battle in Fujian. After Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, he posthumously conferred upon my grandfather the title of General Yuanzhi and made him the hereditary commander of the Fuzhou garrison. My eldest uncle was over forty years old and had no children, so he adopted me to inherit the position. Unexpectedly, when I was fourteen, my eldest uncle had a son late in life, my second younger brother Zhifei. Zhifei was intelligent and was regarded as the apple of my family's eye. I also loved him very much because the position of garrison commander that I inherited should have been his.”
"At that time, the political situation was unstable, with the Jurchens in the north and the Japanese pirates in the south. General Qi Chong followed Master Yuanzhao to fight the Jurchens, while I was suppressing bandits in Fujian. One in the south and one in the north, each with a great reputation. People said he was the best in spear fighting, and I was the best in swordsmanship. Although we had never met, we admired each other as heroes. After he returned from the northern frontier to Zhejiang, I specially took my second brother Zhifei to visit him, wanting to spar with him. At that time, our skills were evenly matched, but he had a slight advantage in weapons because his sword was shorter and his spear was longer. After the sparring, I had a sudden inspiration and remembered something."
He took a sip of tea and continued, “The Japanese pirates are accustomed to using long swords, which originated from the Tang sword. After being brought to Japan by the Japanese envoys to Tang China, they were improved and adapted to be wielded with both hands, making them even more effective at slashing. The Japanese pirates are ferocious and have an advantage in weaponry, making them difficult to eradicate. A hundred or so samurai or ronin dare to enter the country and kill thousands of our soldiers. Our dynasty has never had a weapon effective against the Japanese long swords. Although our spears are good for offense, they are not good for defense, and we have always been at a disadvantage in actual combat. After my duel with General Qi, I suddenly had an idea. If we could combine long and short weapons, and have our soldiers coordinate and support each other, with long spears for offense and short swords or spears for defense, we would surely be able to defeat the enemy. At that time, I thought of the legendary Chongshan Sword Technique, also known as the Mandarin Duck Sword Technique. This sword technique is unparalleled in the world, and when practiced together, it is invincible. If we could find it and develop a suitable formation for the army, it would be a truly great achievement.”
Upon hearing the words "Chongshan Sword Technique," my heart tightened immediately. This past event was indeed related to me.
"After Zhifei learned of my secret, he volunteered to find that sword technique for me. He has two good friends in the Xiaoyao Sect, one is Jiang Ruiyang, and the other is Shi Jing. That sword technique is the family heirloom of his friend Jiang Ruiyang."
Jiang Ruiyang? My heart skipped a beat. Could he be Jiang Chen's father?
"Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruiyang told him that the sword manual had been stolen twenty years ago and its whereabouts were still unknown. I used all my connections, spent three years and a large sum of money to finally obtain information that the Chongshan Sword Technique might have been stolen by the Jinbo Palace. The Jinbo Palace is a heretical and demonic sect in the martial arts world, never tolerated by righteous sects. They are skilled in using hidden weapons, poisons, and traps. The Jinbo Palace is heavily fortified, and almost no one can enter and escape unscathed. Zhifei, young and impetuous, didn't know the dangers and took Shijing to investigate the Jinbo Palace at night. As a result, the two were captured." At that time, for some unknown reason, Murong Qiao, the daughter of the Palace Master of Jinbo Palace, secretly released them. Zhifei fell in love with the enchantress Murong Qiao at first sight, but Murong Qiao was indifferent to him, showing no affection and refusing to hand over the Chongshan Sword Technique. Zhifei, proud and arrogant, and deeply in love with the enchantress, impulsively used a sleeping potion, intending to force himself on her and then slowly win her over to hand over the Chongshan Sword Technique for his great use. Unexpectedly, after the potion was used, the enchantress took advantage of Zhifei's momentary lapse in attention and stabbed him to death with a single sword stroke…”
Yun Zhi was initially calm, but her emotions began to fluctuate as she spoke, her thick brows furrowing. Hearing this, I was also taken aback; this Murong Qiao was indeed a woman of strong character.
"After Zhifei's death, I wanted to find Murong Qiao to avenge him. However, when I sent someone to find her a few months later, she was pregnant. I was immediately unable to act, because I didn't know if the child was Zhifei's posthumous child. I kept sending people to follow her, trying to see when the child was born so that I could deduce whether it was Zhifei's child. Unexpectedly, a few months later, she suddenly disappeared from the martial arts world, while Shi Jing found a newborn child. In the child's bundle, there was only a piece of paper with the birth date and time written on it. Shi Jing told me that the handwriting was Murong Qiao's."
Hearing this, I could hardly breathe. That child... it was me?
Yun Zhi looked at me intently and said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, you are Murong Qiao's daughter. However, I cannot confirm whether your father is my younger brother Zhifei. Therefore, I absolutely cannot agree to your marriage with Yunzhou. Because if you are Zhifei's daughter, you and Yunzhou will be cousins; if you are not Zhifei's daughter, you will be the daughter of my Yun family's enemy. You and Yunzhou can never be together!"
He recounted this past event casually and calmly, but to me, it was like a raging storm, a cataclysmic upheaval. I looked at him, but I didn't have the strength to utter a single word.
I see.
He sighed and said, "I'm getting old and no longer care about the past. Zhifei also made mistakes, and even if I saw Murong Qiao again, I wouldn't avenge him. However, Yunzhou is my only son, and I have high hopes for him. I don't want him to be swayed by personal feelings and lose his heroic spirit, nor do I want him to turn against me because of this. This matter concerns the reputation of the Yun family, and my second uncle is a hero in his heart. Therefore, I came to you without telling him the reason. The past is gone, and as an elder, I have no prejudice against you. Now that you are a daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, I sincerely hope that you and Yunzhou can each find your own happiness."
His words merely turned my morning's despair into utter hopelessness. If what he said is true, then there is absolutely no possibility left for me and Yunzhou, unless I am not Murong Qiao's daughter.
But the Chongshan Sword Technique is in my hands. If I weren't her daughter, why would she so easily give me this priceless treasure? And then there's that annual birthday gift, so incredibly valuable. She must have both loved and hated me; that's why she abandoned me after giving birth, yet couldn't help but feel attached to me. Perhaps the reason for this complex mix of love and hate is because Yun Zhifei, whom she hates to the core, is my father?
Thinking of this, my hands and feet turned cold, and after a long while I said, "Lord Yun, thank you for telling me these old stories. If you hadn't told me, I'm afraid I would never have known about my origins."