Having lived together for three months, my bond with Muyu and the others had grown deep. For days, they had tried every trick to persuade me to stay, but I hardened my heart and refused them all, claiming my father’s orders could not be disobeyed. On the night before my departure, the servants of the household pooled their money to host a banquet. It was a night of tender sentiments and lingering sobs.
I didn't sleep a wink that night, tossing and turning. It wasn't until dawn, when I heard the muffled sounds of Muyu and the others quietly preparing my luggage, that I finally drifted into a hazy slumber. After about two hours, Chaoyun woke me with a gentle touch. After washing and eating, I sat blankly on the edge of the bed, watching them bustle about.
"Miss, I spent the last few days rushing to make these decorative knots. They’re a bit crude, but they should be useful. And this fan sleeve was made with a Western crochet method; it matches that mother-of-pearl fan you like so much." Chaoyun eagerly brought a bundle of items for me to see, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Muyu, the most meticulous and kind-hearted of them all, had silently packed all my favorite things. She pointed out where everything was placed and then presented a floral-patterned vanity mirror. "The three of us pooled our money to buy this," she said. "It is a humble thing, but we hope you won't despise it. We only wish that you, Miss, may be like the moon in the sky, and we like the mirror by your hand—reflecting each other daily as if we were still by your side. We shall pray day and night for your safety, health, and happiness."
Qingchen was the most practical. Her gift was a small crate of books—sequels to the popular stories I loved but wouldn't be able to find once I returned to the south.
I couldn't hold it back anymore. I pulled them into my arms and wept aloud.
During the busy morning hours, I paid my respects and bid farewell to the various masters and ladies of the house. I even managed to see the busy Chancellor Wen himself in the Old Matriarch’s room. He offered a few kind words of praise and encouragement, and the elderly couple gave me many gifts. I didn't even unwrap them; these would be taken back by the Fourth Master exactly as they were to be given to his real daughter, not me. The Wen siblings were all gathered in the Matriarch’s courtyard, each presenting me with a parting gift. Fourth Master Wen said these were tokens of friendship, so it was fine for me to keep them for myself.
Finally, it was a quarter to ten. Seeing that I could delay no longer, Fourth Master sent word that the carriage would depart in fifteen minutes. I sighed, tied the fan with its new sleeve to my wrist, and forced myself not to look at the weeping Muyu and the others as I stood up. Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside, and Wei Qingming burst into the room, completely disregarding the etiquette that forbade men from entering a lady’s private quarters.
From the moment I woke today, my mind and heart had been filled with her. I had both hoped she would come and hoped she wouldn't. My tears welled up again instantly; I quickly pretended to lean down and adjust my shoe straps, secretly wiping the tears away on my sleeve.
Wei Qingming stopped in her tracks. She likely intended to embrace me, but mindful of the many eyes watching, she regained her composure and stepped back a few paces. She gave a faint smile. "Apologies. I... I am late."
Her voice was dry and raspy, carrying the breathlessness of a long sprint, and it trembled ever so slightly—a rare occurrence for her. Only then did I notice she was covered in the dust of travel, her face etched with exhaustion. She hadn't even had time to put her Still Water Blade back into her storage bag; she must have just rushed here from a case, perhaps having just crossed blades with someone moments ago. Before I could speak, a needle-like pang of heartache spread through me, leaving me speechless.
Muyu and the others thoughtfully poured tea and closed the door, and the room was quickly cleared of servants.
I struggled to regain my senses and smiled. "Not late at all. Have some tea. Why do you look so exhausted?"
"I'm not tired." Hearing this, she finally moved, regaining some of her usual poise as she sat by the table. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Wei Qingming drank one cup of tea, poured a second, but did not drink it. She simply stared at the curling steam in a daze.
Finally, she was the one to break the silence. She smiled and said, "This is the first time I've seen Ar-Zhi in a riding habit. You look quite dashing."
I looked down at my clothes and smiled as well. "You can tell? It seems your illusion-piercing skills will soon surpass mine."
She took a shallow sip of tea and elegantly dabbed the moisture from her lips. Then, as if she had finally gathered her resolve, she said, "Ar-Zhi, could you... not leave?"
I had become well-versed in handling this question over the past few days. I had only gotten halfway through my grand, formal excuse when Wei Qingming interrupted, as if she couldn't wait. "I mean, stay. Marry me."
I was stunned by those words—words that felt light as air yet struck me with the force of a thunderclap. I took a step back, my legs nearly giving way, and managed a forced laugh. "What... what kind of joke is that? Even if you can't bear to see me go, you shouldn't..."
In that moment, I finally understood. I hadn't dared to admit the truth to myself: the person I feared and longed for was this very woman, someone I had already come to love very, very deeply. But what about Wen Qi? And what about me? Was I to live my whole life as her wife under someone else's name? How would I explain it to Master—that I had fallen for a woman, a high-ranking official who worked for the imperial court?
"I am not joking, of course." She stood up and took a step toward me, speaking slowly and solemnly. "Ar-Zhi, marry me. Would you be willing?"
The corners of my mouth twitched into a dry smile. "Even if you were a man, the one you should marry is... the socially compatible Miss of the Wen household, Wen Qi."
She furrowed her brows, a flicker of faint anger rising in her eyes. She said firmly, "The one I want is not her."
The first part, "The one I want," was hurried and full of anger. But the "is not her" rippled with a thousand tender sentiments and ten thousand kinds of grievance and misery. By the time she reached the word "her," her voice had dropped into a low, lingering tone, as faint as a heart shattering at the bottom of a valley.
I was pierced to the core by those words. My mouth hung open, my breath hitched. I struggled to pull myself together and forced a light, mocking chuckle. "Could it be that because everyone has been teasing us, and the elders have been pushing us together, even Master Wei has... lost her sense of clarity?"
She sat back down at the table and tossed the small cup into the tray. Though the movement remained graceful, it was clear she was afraid that if she used even a little force, she would crush the thin porcelain cup in a display of unrefined rage. She turned her back to me, refusing to look at my tears.
"So, Miss Su is saying that we have both simply fallen too deep into the act."
After a long, long time, she finally uttered those words. It was as if a fire in her heart had been extinguished, leaving only scattered ashes. She had returned to using my original title. I wanted so badly to go to her and tell her how much I wanted to see her every single day for the rest of my life, but I could only say, "We have always gotten along so well, Cousin... Qingming, do you think being friends is not enough?"
"It is enough." She finally turned back, forcing a faint smile, though her eyelashes remained lowered, avoiding my gaze.
After that, we fell into another silence until someone came to urge us to leave. After the fifth time Muyu blocked them outside the courtyard, Wei Qingming smiled in her usual intimate tone. "I have requested ten days of leave from Mr. Feng. I shall escort Ar-Zhi home."
So that was why she had been working tirelessly to finish all her business in the capital—just for this rare long holiday. She had been so busy she hadn't even had time to see me... I clutched my aching chest but still gritted my teeth and said, "No need, no need. My Senior Brother... is waiting for me outside the Nanxun Gate. Since you have this rare holiday, go and enjoy yourself. At the very least, sleep for ten days at home; that would be good."
Her eyelashes fluttered as she gave a soft "Mm." She finally stood up and walked toward me. I thought she would at least hug me one more time to claim the two embraces I still owed her. Instead, she simply raised her sleeves and clasped her hands, performing an overly formal parting salute. "The summer heat is sweltering and the journey is long. Miss Su and her martial siblings need not rush. It is best to travel in the mornings and evenings and rest after noon. Please take care. And please convey Wei's regards to your Master and sect."
Her voice was the same as always—calm, yet filled with all sorts of thoughtfulness and tenderness. But until she finished speaking, she never looked at me once. With a flick of her sleeve, she pushed open the door, transformed into a streak of light, and flew away.
I sat in the carriage with Fourth Master Wen. We were silent all the way down Changxing Street. Once we were a mile out of the city and entered the zone where flight was permitted, the Wen family servants turned back. Only then did I begin to hand over the various items. I took nothing of value. In the end, after checking everything over, the only things left that were truly mine were the items Wei Qingming had given me. As for the things I used as Wen Qi, only the Dreamlike Immortal Raiment remained. That hadn't been a gift for Wen Qi anyway.
My employer bid me a polite farewell, saying the final payment would be delivered to Mount Gumeng within half a month, along with several separate gifts for me. I was in no mood to check them; I merely forced a smile and hummed in response. We then went our separate ways.
After stepping out of the carriage, I saw Lu Kaifeng and his sister from a distance, each mounted on a horse, with Senior Brother holding a third horse by the reins. I flipped onto the horse and took one last look at the towering gates of the capital. She really wasn't going to show up...
The three of us didn't rush to fly into the sky. We meandered along the post road lined with willows south of the city for a while, eventually stopping at a luxurious restaurant that specialized in farewell meals. I was served my favorite small fish balls, but they tasted like bitterness in my mouth. I suddenly slammed my bowl down, buried my face in the table, and wailed. Senior Brother, distressed, kept stroking my back, saying nothing. After our encounters over the past month, he likely realized what kind of person Wei Qingming was—that she wasn't the ungrateful person the rumors claimed—and he no longer opposed my association with her. He couldn't help but sigh.
Only Lu Lingfeng said, "You and your paramour still have a debt of heart between you. You will surely meet again. Stop your blubbering." As she spoke, she actually performed the labor of her 'golden hands' for the first time in her life and ladled a bowl of fish soup for me.
I was too busy crying to notice, so Lu Lingfeng said coldly, "I've served you soup. Are you going to drink it or not?"
I was so startled I straightened my back instantly. "I'll drink it! I'll drink it!" I wasn't joking; if I didn't drink the soup meant for humans now, she might serve me a pot of soup meant for ghosts tonight...
Lu Lingfeng nodded in satisfaction and looked at her brother, her expression saying: *See? I have my ways.* Her brother didn't know whether to laugh or cry; he touched his forehead and gave her a half-hearted thumbs-up.
I held the bowl and took a huge gulp. "Why is it so bland? Did the cook forget the salt?"
Lu Lingfeng replied, "I knew someone was going to cry into their bowl, so I specifically instructed them not to add salt."
I cried out, "I've just had my heart broken and you're still mistreating me!"
Lu Lingfeng asked again, "Are you drinking it?"
"I'm drinking..."
"I told you, you're not as well-behaved as your paramour. How can a cat eat salt?"
I slammed the table and yelled, "Lu Lingfeng, you—!" I was about to say "If you mention her again, I'll fight you to the death," when I saw a ghostly claw suddenly reach out from the wooden box on her back in the middle of the day. It snatched a piece of bean curd from the table and retracted instantly... I was so scared I bit my tongue and swallowed my words whole.
"Me?"
"You... you really are my dear Senior Sister!" I squeaked out. Then, I buried my head and drank that soup that was as bland as a bird's nest...
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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止水刀 | Still Water Blade | Wei Qingming's weapon.
故梦山 | Mount Gumeng | The protagonist's sect's location.
南熏门 | Nanxun Gate | One of the gates of the capital.
如梦仙缕 | Dreamlike Immortal Raiment | A high-grade magical garment.
姘头 | Paramour | A derogatory or teasing term for a lover.
长兴大街 | Changxing Street | A major street in the capital.
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Dreams of the Ancient Mountain: The Cat's Masquerade | Chapter 65 | A Debt of Heart | Novela.app | Novela.app
