For the past three months, I had been cooped up in Nie Family Manor learning the sword. The prosperity of Pingjing had faded like a receding dream, yet Wei Qingming’s face and voice remained vivid, as if we still spent every morning and evening together.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival in the eighth month, I returned to the mountain to celebrate with my sect. Aside from my Third Senior Brother, Ren Xuzhou, who was away, everyone was gathered. Unluckily, there was an extra guest—it seemed Li Qunyu truly loved Zhu Yixin, for he had traveled a thousand miles just to spend this holiday here. Master never had much patience for festivities; that evening, he curtly accepted our blessings, downed a cup of wine, and went to bed. Lu Kaifeng took up the mantle of the head of the sect, ordering a feast and raising his glass in merry conversation. Li Qunyu was a clever man, though at times he seemed a bit too slick for my liking. What normal person would have the thick skin to intrude upon another family’s Mid-Autumn reunion? Didn't he have a master of his own?
What I was curious about was Qiao Songlin’s reaction. In front of outsiders, he was naturally a man of few words. Throughout the entire evening, his expression didn't shift once. It truly made us, his siblings who had known him since childhood, unable to tell if he genuinely didn't care or if his self-control was simply that formidable.
Unlike the aloof and transcendent Daoist arts of the Wujing Sect, the Nie family’s martial arts did not shun food and drink. In fact, it was quite the opposite; one could eat as much as they liked without fear, never gaining an ounce of fat. Though Lady Nie was a lean and wiry woman, I had once lifted her; she possessed a weight that no woman of her height should have, feeling more like a stone block of the same volume. She could put away three basins of noodles in a single meal, along with a catty of aged wine and half a catty of meat, yet she remained perfectly proportioned. Every curve was exactly where it should be, neither too much nor too little—the very picture of athletic grace.
After staying at the Nie manor for a while, my appetite had grown as well. I drank and ate well into the night while watching Qiao Songlin’s handsome, wooden face. Now that my martial skills had improved, the techniques for converting spiritual energy inherent in most cultivation methods worked with higher efficiency. I no longer became drunk easily. The reason Wei Qingming could remain standing after a thousand cups was entirely due to her circulating her power to convert the alcohol as she drank—unless she wished to be drunk, as she had on the night of Second Brother Wen’s wedding.
Zhu Yixin, however, did get drunk. Whether it was intentional or not, she met Li Qunyu and Qiao Songlin with nothing but cold glares. Only when speaking to us sisters did her face bloom like a flower, radiant and dazzling. Whenever Li Qunyu tried to brazenly lean in closer, she would drive him back with a mix of playful banter and sharp rebukes. The three youngsters were essentially in a state of enjoying the chaos, clapping and laughing at everything they saw and heard. Lu Lingfeng had slipped away long ago; the Yin energy of a full moon was unique, and he was likely off trying to catch some powerful, formidable ghost. Eventually, both Zhu and Li collapsed in a drunken stupor, while Qiao Songlin remained seated with indifference, still bringing wine to his lips. I was also somewhat tipsy, and I slammed my hand on the table in front of him, shouting, "Fourth Brother, you’re going to be the death of me! She loves you!"
Only then did he look up at me. He grabbed the back of the collar of the slumped Li Qunyu. Just as I was cheering him on and encouraging him to give the man a good thrashing, I saw him calmly drape one of Li Qunyu’s arms over his shoulder.
"I am taking the guest back to his quarters," he said.
I was utterly stunned. In my fury, I punched the table, leaving a dent in the thousand-year-old iron sandalwood. I couldn't quite say why their business provoked me so much. Naturally, it was because they were both siblings I cherished, but it was also because... the mere thought of Wei Qingming holding another man or woman in her arms made me feel like I would go mad enough to destroy heaven and earth, mad enough to lose the will to live.
Lu Kaifeng was in no hurry to follow them. He comforted me first, likely knowing his brother’s character too well—or perhaps, rational as he was, he harbored a sliver of hope that Qiao Songlin might actually beat the distinguished guest and ruin the courtship?
I let out a few loud laughs, drained the last drop of wine from the pot, and hoisted Zhu Yixin onto my back. "Don't worry, Eldest Brother," I said. "I'll settle Fifth Sister."
Lu Kaifeng nodded. He and Du Chuilun hurried off to check on Qiao Songlin and the guest. The sisters Feng Xuan and Feng Yao followed behind me. Feng Xuan was talkative, chirping away with all sorts of questions, while Feng Yao remained silent as usual, walking with her head down, clearly immersed in her own world. Looking at their innocent, carefree faces, I thought of how I had been the same only half a year ago, and I couldn't help but smile bitterly. In the end, Li Qunyu slept peacefully through the night, nothing happened, and the three of them remained entangled in that awkward stalemate.
The only thing that reminded me that the capital was not a dream was a package I received from Hong Lu before the festival. It turned out he had gone to Wuzhou on official business and sent back dried scallops and other seafood from the region, along with some inexpensive, clever trinkets. I smiled as I touched those colorful things; this was exactly what a young man thought a girl would like—commonplace, yet the sentiment was pure and lovely. I must have truly been losing my mind, for I foolishly wondered if Wei Qingming might have sent something along the way, or even a single word. But that was merely my own wishful thinking. Upon closer inspection, not a single item matched her taste. In the past, even when browsing street stalls, she could always pick out something fresh and unique for me.
This trip to the capital was intended to see Wen Xiang one last time before her wedding. I had selected two gifts for her and the Young Master of the Hua family; rather than having someone else deliver them, I preferred to hand them over myself. Stepping off Chang'ning Avenue and into the familiar streets and alleys, a wave of gentle nostalgia washed over me. Naturally, I could no longer enter through the front gate, but fortunately, I still carried many items from the Wen household that allowed me to pass through the protective wards with ease. Using the Nie family’s movement technique, "Vanishing Snow," I scaled the walls and slipped into the First Madam’s courtyard—a place I could map out with my eyes closed.
The moon was high in the sky. Since the wedding was the following day, Wen Xiang was naturally still awake. She was impatiently allowing Auntie Shui and three or four maids to alter the heavy wedding robes she wore, making final, minute adjustments. Chao Yun was among them. Everyone had needles and threads of various colors tucked into their mouths or pinned to their hair, so busy they wished for extra hands. Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile; it was precisely because there were too many hands that the work was so difficult.
Once Auntie Shui finally finished with that set, the First Madam waved her hand, signaling for the next one. I took the opportunity to mimic the cry of a purple thrush in the small courtyard where Wen Qi used to live. Wen Xiang moved like a startled rabbit, shaking off the loose threads and needles as she hiked up her skirt and ran over, calling out, "Ah-Qi!"
The only answer she received was the hollow echo of the courtyard walls. I turned away, hurriedly wiping my tears.
Wen Xiang muttered to herself, "Sigh, I must be going mad with missing Sister Qi, thinking her purple thrush had stayed behind." As Auntie Shui was sharply calling for her to return, I landed silently before her, forcing a steady, normal smile. "Miss Wen Xiang, we finally meet."
Wen Xiang was truly the leader of a band of bandits; she was incredibly bold. Instead of calling for help, she covered for me, shouting back to Auntie Shui, "Oh, I’m just getting some air, I’m not running away!" Only then did she ask me in a low voice, "You look familiar, miss, but I truly can't recall where we've met?"
"I am Su Yu'e, Wen Qi’s friend from the south," I smiled.
Realization dawned on Wen Xiang. I had previously sent her a letter in Wen Qi’s name, stating that she could not attend the wedding in person but would send a messenger with gifts. She asked me how Sister Qi was doing, and after some pleasantries, I handed her the gifts I had prepared.
She clutched the small spatial pouch in her hand, a look of nostalgia flashing across her face. "We all miss her. Once she left, the house felt like it lost its spark. Wei San left the capital the very next day to return to the Wujing Sect and hasn't shown his face since, nor has he written to ask if she is well. Who knows why they were so close one moment and then turned so cold the next?"
Hearing news of her made my heart ache unbearably again; it seemed this pain had not weakened or faded for even a moment since the day we parted. I secretly pinched my palm to endure it, barely maintaining my composure as I smiled. "Ah-Qi didn't tell me the details when she returned."
Wen Xiang reached out and patted my shoulder, laughing. "For some reason, I feel a sense of kinship with you the moment I see you, as if this isn't our first meeting. You and Ah-Qi must be very close; your expressions and way of speaking are so similar. Please, take good care of her for us! And if she misses me, tell her to come back and see me soon—the Hua Estate will always be open to her!"
The bright red wedding robes made her look even more vibrant, beautiful yet heroic, like a red sun in the sky. I smiled and bumped my fist against hers, saying softly, "Sister Xiang, happy wedding. Ah-Qi said that if the groom doesn't behave, she and I will come charging in on horseback to back you up."
"Haha, then I truly thank you!" Wen Xiang laughed heartily. "Don't worry, I can handle it myself. I truly envy you—the sky is high, the earth is wide, you can pierce the clouds and pluck the moon. You come and go with such freedom!"
The next day, I waited outside the Wen residence for a long time. Finally, at dusk, a wedding carriage drawn by four luan-birds took to the sky. Within the capital, high-altitude flight was forbidden except for the Imperial Palace and for commoners on their wedding day. I watched it vanish into the distance, once again silently offering my blessings to my dear sister, wishing her a lifetime of companionship with the one she loved.
I hurried back to Nie Family Manor. With two days of leave remaining and nothing better to do, I practiced my swordplay and footwork alone in the courtyard. When my leave ended, Nie Xueqing told me that she had taught me all she could of the techniques; the rest was a matter of slow, meticulous polishing. However, instead of giving me more physical tasks, she shoved me directly into the accounting office and began teaching me how to read and reconcile ledgers from scratch. I was baffled. I spent an afternoon buried in books until I was dizzy and bleary-eyed; seeing more than three numbers together made me want to explode in anger. Nie Xueqing gave me a long-overdue thrashing with her staff, saying that my patience was simply too poor. Since I was practicing the way of the assassin, martial skill alone was not enough; without patience, every second was a step toward death.
I kept my back straight and endured her staff while deliberately provoking her in my anger. "Fine! Aren't you afraid I'll steal all your accounting secrets and leave you bankrupt?"
Nie Xueqing laughed loudly. "Go ahead! If you have the skill to earn that money, I have the guts to lose it!"
Hateful as she was, she didn't actually use me as a real accountant. There were three old masters waiting nearby; once I finished auditing a ledger for the day, they would take it and check it a second time. For every error found, I received three strikes from Nie Xueqing’s staff. Aside from torturing me, this method brought her absolutely no practical benefit! My nature was lazy, but once provoked, I became determined to surpass my opponent and deny them their satisfaction. Gritting my teeth, I truly learned the basics of bookkeeping and calculation. Half a month passed, and I could audit ten ledgers a day without receiving a single strike. Whether my patience had improved, I didn't know, but the three kind old gentlemen often chatted with me, teaching me the fundamental ways of commerce, which I found highly beneficial.
She then said she wanted to train my precision and speed of thought, tossing me a book of arithmetic problems—all concerning merchant costs and profits. Again, three strikes for every wrong answer. Three months passed, and while I wasn't sure about my mental training, my mathematics improved rapidly. I could even begin to calculate the basics of the *Zhuishu*, which Wei Qingming had once said was very difficult. Surely, my ability to set and break formations would be greatly enhanced in the future.
Winter passed and spring arrived in a flash. Aside from a brief return to Gumeng Mountain from New Year's Eve to the second day of the first lunar month, I spent all my time working hard at Nie Family Manor. Eventually, I began to find some joy in the learning, and I no longer viewed everything with the pessimistic attitude of "what's the use of any of this if I'll never see her again." The learning itself was enough to immerse me. In the new year, Nie Xueqing said that the first priority of a killer is to know people. To let me experience the ways of the world, she grandly took me along as her assistant to negotiate business, sign contracts, purchase properties, engage in raids, and trade on the black market. Within the fourteen provinces, she took me everywhere for every kind of business. The rough-and-tumble men and women around her also treated me with kindness, never thinking it improper for an outsider like me to meddle in the Nie family’s affairs. They lived by a code of loyalty; if the boss said it was fine, then it was fine.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
聂家庄 | Nie Family Manor | The headquarters of the Nie family.
故梦山 | Gumeng Mountain | "Mountain of Old Dreams," the protagonist's sect's location.
无竟宗 | Wujing Sect | A prominent Daoist sect (Wei Qingming's sect).
风隐剑 | Wind-Hiding Sword | A specialized sword technique for assassins.
含光 | Han'guang | "Hidden Light," one of the protagonist's legendary swords.
宵练 | Xiaolian | "Night Tempered," another of the protagonist's legendary swords.
泯雪 | Vanishing Snow | A high-level movement/lightness technique (Qinggong) of the Nie family.
缀术 | Zhuishu | An ancient, complex Chinese mathematical treatise.
任虚舟 | Ren Xuzhou | Third Senior Brother of the protagonist.
李群玉 | Li Qunyu | A suitor of Zhu Yixin.
朱绎心 | Zhu Yixin | Fifth Senior Sister of the protagonist.
陆恺风 | Lu Kaifeng | Eldest Senior Brother of the protagonist.
乔松邻 | Qiao Songlin | Fourth Senior Brother of the protagonist.
杜垂纶 | Du Chuilun | Second Senior Brother of the protagonist.
冯眴 | Feng Xuan | A junior sister of the protagonist.
冯杳 | Feng Yao | A junior sister of the protagonist.
鸿陆 | Hong Lu | A young man from the Wen household.
文缃 | Wen Xiang | The eldest daughter of the Wen family (protagonist's "sister").
水姨 | Auntie Shui | A senior servant/nanny in the Wen household.
朝云 | Chao Yun | A maid in the Wen household.
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