Dreams of the Ancient Mountain: The Cat's Masquerade | Chapter 19 | Spring Paulownia Flowers | Novela.app

Our stay was intended to last about five days. Before the ancestral sacrifice ceremony, I had to at least put on an act of having learned my lesson, so I stayed cooped up in my room for two full days. Finally, the main day arrived. I hopped out of bed early in the morning, full of energy. Muyu and the others were a blur of motion as they dressed and groomed me with extraordinary solemnity. Zhaoyun ran a comb through my hair so vigorously my scalp went numb and I broke out in goosebumps. "Zhaoyun, gentler! That tickles!" I cried out. My hair took nearly an hour to arrange. During that time, Qingchen was busy painting my face. When I finally looked in the mirror, I didn't see much of a difference from my usual self. "What's the point of all this makeup?" I grumbled impatiently. "I don't look that much better." Muyu smiled comfortingly. "Today, you won't just be seeing family; the roads will be packed with disciples from every clan. Every young lady is putting her heart and soul into her appearance. I heard Fengwu from Miss Shu’s courtyard splashing washwater just after the fourth watch. Letting you sleep until dawn was already an act of mercy from us servants!" Qingchen shook her head. "One cannot wear heavy makeup for the ancestral sacrifice. It must be subtle, as if it were barely there, to better showcase one's natural beauty." "The roads are full of people?" I asked in surprise. I couldn't help but wonder if I would run into Wei Qingming. Her injuries were so severe; surely she should be resting? But she had already come to Lengquan Mountain with the Wei family—would it make sense for her to suddenly vanish? At the third mark of the Yin hour, the entire household gathered in front of the villa. Yawning, I tried to lean on Wen Xiang to catch a few more winks, but she slapped me away. "You'll wrinkle the clothes!" Startled, I straightened up and looked at her. Wen Xiang wore a white dress with blue floral patterns and a cyan cloud-patterned sash that fluttered in the morning sun even without a breeze. It was light and beautiful, the patterns shimmering with a prismatic glow—a display of luxury hidden within a low-profile design. Seeing that I didn't recognize the materials, Muyu whispered an explanation. "That thread was dyed with powder ground from five-colored spirit shells. It’s embroidered with Grade-One Wind Spirit Crystals, each crushed to the size of half an ant and sewn on one by one. That’s why it catches the wind naturally, making her look like a celestial being." I turned and whispered back, "Is it very expensive?" "Very." I immediately turned to Wen Xiang and showered her with flattery. She triumphantly flicked her skirt and said heroically, "I’m going to annoy that brat from the Hua family to death. Whether she likes it or not, her brother is mine!" I cupped my hands in respect. "I cannot compete. Truly, I cannot." Muyu, rarely showing a hint of competitiveness, whispered in my ear again, "Miss, your outfit isn't lacking either. Take this outer layer of 'Sweat-Purple Gauze.' Its faint violet hue is inspired by the sweat of a Ferghana horse after a gallop. The silk is delicate, the dye is rare, and the craftsmanship is complex. You couldn't buy this for less than five thousand spirit stones. We servants hardly dared to breathe while sewing it, fearing our breath might dissolve the fabric..." I nearly bit my lip in shock. "That expensive!" Muyu was now utterly speechless. She gave me the bottom line bluntly: "Miss, your entire ensemble is worth at least thirty thousand spirit stones." And that wasn't even counting the labor of artisans with their level of skill! Fine. If anyone tried to get close to me later, I would righteously tell them to back off. No one was allowed to touch a single finger to the thirty thousand stones I was wearing! Wen Shu wore a honey-colored dress with pale gold embroidered chrysanthemums. Departing from her usual plain style, she was exceptionally radiant today, looking both delicate and beautiful. I feasted my eyes on her, joining Wen Xiang in a barrage of compliments until Wen Shu shyly hid her face behind a handkerchief. Carriages and horses were forbidden today. Once everyone had gathered, the Wen family matriarch, flanked by her four sons, took the first step. The sacrificial procession set off in a dense throng. Even on the path down from the villa, one could see the main road at the foot of the mountain swarming with people. A mist of rouge and powder rose into the air, and the shimmer of jewels and treasures was enough to make one dizzy. Everyone was dressed in fresh, bright colors, their sleeves trailing fragrance. Against the picturesque spring scenery, it truly felt like a celestial realm. The sacrificial ceremony was tedious. Following behind Fourth Master Wen, I knelt and rose hundreds of times. At first, I would mutter in my heart, "Ancestor so-and-so of the Wen family's such-and-such generation, I'm sorry, I'm wishing you well in the Pure Land on behalf of Wen Qi..." By the end, I had no idea who I was kneeling to; I simply kowtowed honestly and followed the line to the next station. The ritual inevitably involved the slaughter of spirit beasts and the offering of spirit fruits. A vast quantity of precious spiritual tools were also smashed; in a single day, an untold amount of spiritual energy was returned to nature. By the time the ceremony ended, it was nearly noon. The juniors were eagerly waiting for the elders to dismiss them. Old Madam Wen waved her hand with a smile. "Children, go find your friends and play!" The group of monkeys scattered instantly. I was about to call out to Wen Xiang, but she had already grabbed her skirts and was marching aggressively toward the Hua family's camp. There was a group of girls there, and one particularly lavishly dressed young lady’s face darkened immediately—presumably the sister of Wen Xiang’s fiancé. I was dying of laughter watching them. I turned to find Wen Shu to join in the fun, but she had vanished as well! Muyu handed me a food box and said, "Miss, go play with your acquaintances. We'll meet back at the villa!" Today was the day of the spring outing, where young men and women, regardless of status, could wander and play freely. It was customary to sit on the ground and have a picnic under the warm noon sun. Muyu also carried a food box; she had arranged a gathering with her friends from the servant circles. The people around me vanished in an instant. Left alone, I wandered aimlessly for a while, fending off five or six thick-skinned lechers. Suddenly, Wei Qingming emerged from the crowd. It was like a sharp cry startling a tree full of annoying birds, or like parting schools of fish to reach the silence of the deep sea. In my eyes, the dense layers of pedestrians seemed to instinctively move aside, just so I could see her gallant figure, her face, and her smiling eyes. It was as if the clouds filling the sky had parted to reveal the lingering spring sun. She held a tender willow branch in her hand, resting it against her arm, where it trembled slightly in the balmy breeze. I ran toward her with my food box. I wanted to throw myself into her arms, but remembering her injuries, I stopped just in time. She looked down at me and smiled. "Miss Su is also very beautiful today." My heart hammered. I looked up at her anxiously. "Are your injuries all healed?" "Mostly fine," she said. "I stayed at the temple for half a day and then hurried back." "For today's ceremony?" The corners of her lips curved slightly. "Mhm. For today." Following the customs of the Qingming Festival, a sprig of Paulownia flowers was pinned to her lapel. Two or three blossoms hung their heads, swaying joyfully in the spring wind. Likely to match the pale purple of the flowers, she wore a madder-purple outer robe covered by a layer of misty-cyan gauze. She looked completely different from those gaudy, gold-clad young lords. At her waist hung a piece of dark cyan frozen-ink jade and a sachet with flowing silk tassels—both unique and elegant. My own Paulownia flowers were pinned in my hair. She reached out and gently adjusted them for me, casting a small spell. The blossoms, which had wilted slightly in the sun, perked up instantly. I snatched the willow branch from her hand and turned my back to her. As I walked, I began weaving the branch into a ring. Wei Qingming said nothing, simply following behind me with a leisurely pace. Behind us, I heard Honglu panting as he caught up. "Oh, my young master! I finally found you. Here, your food box." Wei Qingming teased, "You're in a hurry to run off too? Do you have a girl to eat lunch with?" "Hey, can't a few of us guys get together?" Honglu stomped his foot and said crossly, "Take it yourself. You packed it like it was filled with gold—wouldn't even let it jolt. My hand is numb from carrying it all morning!" Wei Qingming laughed. "Alright, thank you for your hard work. Whatever you guys play this afternoon, it's on me." Only then did Honglu happily take his leave. I turned around and tossed the thing I had woven to Wei Qingming. She caught it and looked; it was a little beast with bared teeth, with several willow leaves fluttering back from its head, giving it a rather arrogant air. She couldn't help but chuckle. "A Kirin?" I was shocked. "You can tell?" I had planned to make her guess, and if she couldn't, I’d give her a hard time... She pinched the crooked tail and smiled. "A dragon's tail? It must be a Kirin." I thought she would find it crude, but she hooked her head and tied it, fastening the willow Kirin alongside her sachet so it hung dangling from her waist. Although Muyu wasn't here, I had lived in a wealthy household for nearly a month and had learned to recognize quality. One look at Wei Qingming's clothes told me they were precious. Seeing her let the rough willow branch rub against the fine gauze, snagging several threads in an instant, I couldn't help but feel pained for her. "It's just a toy, you don't have to wear it... aren't you afraid the other lords will laugh at you?" "Who would dare?" Wei Qingming said indifferently. She pointed to a grassy area by the river in the distance. "Which spot do you like?" I looked around and pointed to a patch of willow shade. Wei Qingming led me over. While we were still a distance away, two groups of people nearby saw her coming and moved aside in unison, vacating the shade where the sun wasn't too harsh nor the air too cool. Wei Qingming seemed to be in a good mood; she politely cupped her hands to the left and right. Those people then approached with a mix of joy and hesitation to strike up a conversation. "It's rare to see the Third Young Master Wei at Lengquan Mountain this year. The Baimozhi we brought isn't bad; why don't you try some, Brother Wei?" "We have Baiduo Spring Brew, shipped directly from Suizhou." "That wine is too strong. Master Wei might handle it, but this young lady certainly can't. Why not have a jar of our fruit wine instead..." Wei Qingming declined them one by one, then took out several bottles of pills produced by the Wujing Sect—items that were often unavailable regardless of price—and gifted them. With a wave of her hand, she had distributed several thousand spirit stones' worth of gifts. Once the surroundings were quiet, I asked her, "I couldn't tell... you look so refined and frail, yet you're actually a tyrant of the capital!" "They simply give me some face because I'm doing well enough in the Wujing Sect," Wei Qingming said dismissively. She opened the food box, took out a large velvet cloth from the top layer, and we each grabbed two corners to spread it on the ground. She then busied herself arranging the utensils. In truth, we could have done this with a simple spell, but doing it by hand felt uniquely charming. ***