Walking through the flowers of Jianye City. The lotus blooms in painted waters, and Mochou Lake overflows; mulberry trees, water plants, and flower fragrances mix with the lingering scent of wine and tea in the air.
With her face veil, she leaned against her lord’s chest as they rode. The flowing silk moved like water, and the night scenery around them was like a crystal world held up by clouds and mist. The silver flowers of the fire trees lit up the eternal night.
As the horse galloped faster, she couldn’t help but shrink back into her lord’s embrace. Her flowing sleeves merged with his breath.
Luo Lingyu: “…So fast!”
Lu Yun laughed softly.
Hair brushing against her face, she heard his heart beating strongly in his chest, along with his low, wine-like laughter.
Just watching, listening, and feeling this way, Luo Lingyu’s cheeks lowered, her face growing redder, her heart beating faster… She saw the rapidly changing scenery – rainbow bridges, tall buildings, vermillion railings, and colorful balustrades.
The railings and pillars were decorated, and shops were selling clay figurines. In this era, there was no curfew or strict separation between men and women. On the Night of the Seventh (Qixi), young men and women wandered through the alleys – lovers were everywhere, shoulders brushing against each other.
On the main road, a horse galloped past. Men and women on the street looked up to see the magnificent steed carrying a white-robed lord and the lady in lotus-colored robes he held tightly as they rushed past.
The mili face veil, used to block wind and dust, had come from the northern countries to the south. The south didn’t need such headwear to block sandstorms, but noble ladies found them intricate and interesting, decorating them with pearls and jade. These days, everyone knew that a lady wearing a face veil must be from an aristocratic family.
As commoners looked up, they caught a glimpse of the lady’s beautiful features and snow-white cheeks through the lifted silk as she was held by the white-robed lord on horseback. That brief glimpse in the lamplight stunned all who saw it. When people saw the lord’s handsome features, they also gasped softly.
The alleys were crowded with people, with beggars and vagrants mixed among them.
In the crowd were two of Luo Lingyu’s old acquaintances: a middle-aged man and a young lord who had once stopped her carriage asking for alms when she was rushing to Danyang Prefecture.
After several days, these two vagrants’ lives hadn’t improved at all, and they were still strangely begging for money and food in the crowds.
Unfortunately, due to the northern war, the Jianye court was in disarray, and no one had the mind to inspect these vagrants.
When the face veil was lifted slightly, the middle-aged man recognized the devastatingly beautiful lady’s face beneath it. His eyes widened, and he quickly stepped forward, saying casually: “Hey, isn’t this beauty that… Quick! Let’s stop her and ask for food, ask her to take us in, follow her… Oh, no!”
He suddenly shrank back, not finishing his words. As the horse’s hooves kicked up dust and people scattered to avoid them, he clearly saw the profile of the lord on horseback – as elegant as a landscape painting and equally memorable. The middle-aged man had been in Jianye for almost half a month, and he recognized the famous “Jade Lord” Lu Yun.
The lady might have been kind enough to provide food, drink, and shelter, but Lu Yun’s reputation wasn’t quite so kind.
The middle-aged man stroked his chin, regretfully giving up his idea of joining the excitement: “I wanted to look after the beautiful Lady Luo, but who knew Lu Yun would be there too? How disappointing.”
Lu Yun’s reputation was too great – best to be cautious.
Turning around, he saw the young lord behind him still wearing an almost numb expression of calm. The middle-aged man disguised as a vagrant became angry and kicked the youth’s bottom: “What are you looking at? Never seen a beauty before? What should we be doing?!”
The South was wealthy, but its scholars were unrestrained, loving luxury and fighting. The South’s military strength was not as good as the North’s, which was why the northern war continued to tie up Jianye. While the southern court was busy with this, they hadn’t completely prevented people from mixing in with the vagrants. These people blended into Jianye without proper documentation or household registration, making it difficult for officials to investigate. These numerous individuals hid along the hedonistic Qinhuai River, quietly accumulating strength, just waiting for the right moment…
The middle-aged man cursed and dragged the silent young lord back into the crowd. The young lord looked back in the direction the riders had gone – that lady was truly the most beautiful he had ever seen in his life.
However, what they had to do… The young lord pressed his lips together, then was slapped by the middle-aged man. A murderous look flashed in the young lord’s eyes as his body tensed and his fists clenched, struggling to suppress the urge to kill this middle-aged man.
Unaware of the incident with the two vagrants, Lu Yun took Luo Lingyu straight out of the city and into the suburbs. As they rode further into the outskirts, the lights grew dimmer. At Mount Zhong, darkness surrounded them, with occasional beast howls from the depths of darkness, and wolf fires and ghost fires dimly following the two.
Luo Lingyu trembled: “Lu-Lu-Lu Yun! There are wolves… ah!”
As they passed through the forest, green wolf eyes gleamed, and several black wolves jumped out from behind the trees and bushes. Sharp wolf claws and dripping saliva came rushing like a fierce wind… Luo Lingyu’s heart pounded wildly. Face to face with the black wolves, her face veil was blown partly open, revealing her snow-white complexion. Then Lu Yun yanked the reins hard and squeezed the horse’s belly. He put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle—
Clear and resonant throughout heaven and earth!
The horse’s front hooves leapt up, snorting hot breath. Under Lu Yun’s superior horsemanship, the horse carried the two of them high into the air. They crossed through tree branches and flowers! They missed the wolves that had pounced toward them with their claws! The horse landed and Lu Yun pulled it into a sharp turn, causing the wolves chasing from behind to miss again!
Luo Lingyu’s heart raced as she grabbed his hand: “Lu Yun!”
He rode on, helping her dodge more attacks from beasts in the darkness.
The horse’s speed kept changing, its direction constantly shifting. Leaves rustled between two rows of trees as the strong wind chased after the two!
After shaking off those strange beasts, Lu Yun looked down at the delicate beauty in his arms. Based on his impression of women, in such deliberately dangerous situations, delicate beauties should all be pale-faced, crying and whimpering in their lord’s arms. Lu Yun despised other women crying in his embrace, but Luo Lingyu… sometimes he really wanted to see her cry, to see her show fear in front of him.
Luo Lingyu gripped his arm, her long nails leaving red marks on the back of his hand. She trembled: “Brother Xuechen, you’re so scary!”
Lu Yun looked down, and his teasing smile froze at the corners of his lips as he saw the lady’s bright black eyes through the face veil.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, and the lady’s eyes were like autumn water, enchanting, but the clusters of flames dancing on the water’s surface were intense!
…This was definitely not a look of fear.
…This was a look of excitement.
Obviously not afraid, obviously excited to the extreme, yet still pretending to be scared and delicate.
Luo Lingyu was really… really… Lu Yun felt both annoyed at his own presumptions and admiring of her wild nature.
Lu Yun reached through the silk veil and, somewhat indulgently, gently pinched her nose.
Lu Yun chuckled: “Mischievous one.”
Luo Lingyu blushed and snuggled closer to his embrace—Lu Yun’s voice held laughter, and though he spoke politely, she knew his character and knew he had seen through her act.
Sometimes she was quite troubled: why could Lu Yun always see through her pretense at a glance?
It made her somewhat embarrassed, making it difficult to continue the performance.
Afterward, on the way up the mountain, they didn’t encounter any beasts, but the horse splashed through flowers in the air and trampled through fireflies glowing in the reed marshes. The summer fireflies were everywhere, awakened by the horse’s hooves, following this handsome man and beautiful woman. Crossing mountains and waters, the mountain path was rugged. The night scenery of Mount Zhong gradually became clear, far from the bustle of the city, with the starry river above like fish tails swaying in water. As they climbed higher, the horse galloped faster, the winding path spiraling around, with soft firefly light on all sides like flowing years.
At some point, Luo Lingyu had removed her mili face veil. Her beautiful face and bright eyes gazed at the beautiful scenery around them. She turned back to look at Lu Yun.
The lord’s expression was aloof.
But she gradually became entranced.
Lu Yun looked down.
Their gazes entwined in the air, frozen quietly. The air was hot, everything around them was silent, feelings were uncertain, like a volcano being suppressed, like the heavenly river surging. The fragrance from their lips, the fresh scent of the forest. Heads lowering and raising, wanting to get closer, yet hesitant.
Fascinated by her (him), yet wanting him (her) to lower their head first.
Lips and noses barely touching, eyes growing brighter—
“Flutter!” Only when birds in the forest fluttered their wings and flew up did this pair awaken.
…
The faithful men and women tied their horse outside before walking hand in hand through the back mountain gate into Kaishan Temple. Tonight was the Qixi, Night of the Seventh, and there weren’t many couples meeting in the temple.
When Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu entered, there were few people around, making Luo Lingyu, who held her face veil and didn’t want to be recognized, sigh in relief.
Lu Yun said concisely: “Which master did you ask for a charm from? Let’s go find the master.”
Luo Lingyu: “No, wait! How can we enter the temple without giving alms? Brother Xuechen, let’s go pay respects to the Bodhisattvas and Buddha.”
Lu Yun glanced at her: “…I’m giving alms?”
Luo Lingyu laughed coquettishly and punched his waist: “What are you saying? How could I be someone who takes advantage of you? Besides, I know Brother Xuechen doesn’t carry money when going out.”
How clever Lu Yun was – he wasn’t fooled by her at all and asked teasingly: “You mean to use the money from those account books I gave you earlier?”
Luo Lingyu’s face reddened at his words, but she said firmly: “It’s money I earned for you! I should get some commission!”
Lu Yun made an “oh” sound and walked with her. After walking for a while, he asked again: “So what did you pray for?”
Luo Lingyu: “For a good marriage…”
Lu Yun: “…”
He said: “A good marriage includes but is not limited to me, right?”
Lu Yun found it inconceivable, pulled her back, pinched her face, and lowered his head to ask fiercely: “You use my money to give alms, pray for a marriage that might not even be with me… Little Sister Lingyu, how can your face be so thick?”
Luo Lingyu’s face hurt from his pinching, and she moaned, covering her face: “Stop pinching my face all the time, it hurts…”
…
The young man leaned forward to tease the lady, forcing her to step back.
Chen Xiu, Miss Chen who had come to the temple alone to pray without a lover, stood behind a pine tree, watching Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu in a daze. This was the first time Chen Xiu had seen Lu Yun being so frivolous and teasing a lady.
She heard him tease that lady: “Do you remember your wish to be like a dodder flower (T/N: a parasitic plant) back then?”
That lady said softly: “I still want to be…”
Lu Yun then said: “I advise you to give up. With your restless nature, you’ll never be able to be a dodder flower in this lifetime.”
Luo Lingyu was embarrassed and angry, pinching his waist hard and saying loudly: “I want to! It’s none of your business!”
The slender-waisted, full-bosomed lady turned and left, with Lu Yun chasing after her.
Chen Xiu stood under the tree, bewildered.
Her maid whispered: “My lady, shall we go?”
Chen Xiu was silent, but after biting her lip, she said: “No, I want to see clearly.”
She was an extremely stubborn person—she wouldn’t be able to give up unless she saw it with her own eyes.
She had to see if Lu Yun truly liked that country cousin of his.
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