With the plan decided, we stopped wandering and headed straight for the Ru Meng Lai stall. To allow his younger siblings to enjoy themselves, Master Lu did not hesitate to use his status as a Perfected One to personally watch the shop. At that moment, he was seeking quiet amidst the clamor, reading a book by the lamplight. He looked up to see Zhu Yixin striding over aggressively, shouting, "Big Brother!"
"What is the hurry?"
She pointed at me. "Give Ah Zhi an illusion mark."
My Eldest Senior Brother didn't ask for a reason. Once he understood the request, he casually raised his hand to form a seal and tapped my forehead lightly. Instantly, I transformed into the appearance of a flower-selling village girl—though still spirited, lovely, and exceptionally beautiful. With Wei Qingming’s current cultivation level, she wouldn't be able to see through this disguise. Lu Kaifeng even thoughtfully added two baskets of fresh flowers for me. They were real flowers, pulled from beneath the stall; I had no idea who they were originally intended for.
Fearing that Qiao Songlin’s close friendship with Wei Qingming might ruin things, Zhu Yixin chased him away. Qiao Songlin had no interest in wandering about anyway, so he sat obediently behind the stall with Eldest Senior Brother.
We found a spacious spot not far from the entrance of the Heavenly Street. I slung the flower baskets over my arm and paced small steps along the street, calling out my wares. If anyone actually wanted to buy, I would use an illusion to produce a flower, ensuring the baskets remained inexhaustible. Zhu Yixin pretended not to know me, loitering nearby as she waited for Wei Qingming to arrive.
Lord Wei did indeed arrive soon, looking calm and composed, with Hong Lu following behind her. She wore a new set of pale blue robes, smooth and clean without a single wrinkle; it was obvious she had just changed specifically to come find me. I called out my wares louder and more delicately, even casting a bold, flirtatious glance at her. She merely gave me a mundane sweep of her eyes before looking toward the far end of the long street, clearly trying to discover my whereabouts.
Zhu Yixin appeared like a ghost, jumping out to block her path.
Wei Qingming gave a faint smile and cupped her hands. "Sister, you've come at the right time. Is Ah Zhi not with you?"
Zhu Yixin huffed. "She waited for you until she grew impatient. She’s given up on the Heavenly Street and is running around the sect asking everyone where you are."
Wei Qingming frowned slightly and actually turned to leave. Zhu Yixin quickly grabbed her, saying coldly, "Seeing how close you are with Ah Zhi, I can't help but say a word to you. You've been associating with Yan Xiangjun, and it’s made her angry."
"Associating? Never." The Envoy remained unmoved, offering only a calm clarification.
Seeing her like this, Zhu Yixin’s anger truly flared. "Think for yourself! Think back years ago—tokens of affection, gifts, letters..."
Wei Qingming still gave no reaction, but Hong Lu slapped his forehead. "Are you talking about three years ago? Ha, that was nothing! I was the one who arranged all that. My Master only wrote a stack of name cards, and I stuffed them into packages to send to a bunch of friends. She didn't handle them or give them a second thought!"
Zhu Yixin threatened him with a cold gaze. "Brother Hong Lu, don't you go colluding with her now."
"You've descended with the force of thunder for a public interrogation; where would I find the chance to collude?" Hong Lu laughed helplessly.
We were all practitioners of illusion arts, so we could naturally sense that he was telling the truth. Only then did Zhu Yixin smile, but I couldn't help but fall into thought. Why did everything happen three years ago? For instance, A-Wan hadn't seen her since three years ago. Although Wei Qingming was well-versed in social graces, why send out a massive amount of gifts without a specific reason? It felt more like... she was preparing to go somewhere from which she might never return.
The Envoy cut in at the perfect moment, her voice soft and earnest, tinged with a hint of anxiety. She bowed deeply to Zhu Yixin. "Sister must know where Ah Zhi is. I hope you can guide me so that I may apologize to her—and to you."
I had to sigh; Lord Wei was truly becoming more of a fox as she aged. She knew exactly when to be soft and when to be firm, switching between them effortlessly and always hitting the mark. She was the greatest hidden "calamity" in the world... Zhu Yixin was already a sucker for her beauty, and her heart had long since softened into a mess. She managed a teasing remark: "Fine, she’s somewhere on this street. If you find her, she probably won't be angry anymore!" With a giggle, she transformed into a wisp of light smoke and vanished, likely off to find Qiao Songlin.
As soon as she left, Hong Lu said dejectedly, "I failed my task."
"It is fine." Wei Qingming never scolded her subordinates, especially since this truly wasn't his fault. Her mind was entirely focused on finding me; she gave a distracted word of comfort and began searching again.
I stomped my foot and stood up, calling out my flowers as I walked forward, occasionally turning back to smile at her. Wei Qingming was truly anxious now, failing to notice the person right in front of her. After a period of stopping and starting, I suddenly realized—wasn't she just following my movements? It turned out I had been tricked by Lord Wei again.
It was time to use illusions. Utilizing a movement technique from the Canxia Realm—a temporary boost from Eldest Senior Brother—I playfully plucked a pomegranate blossom and tapped it against her shoulder. I circled in front of her, and by the time she looked down, I had vanished. She tried to catch me all along the way, and I kept leading her in circles until finally, she had to speak up to stop me.
"Miss, I would like a flower."
"What kind of flower?"
Wei Qingming looked into my eyes and smiled slightly. "A seasonal bloom, though you do not have it in your basket."
I instinctively looked down, only to smell a sudden fragrance wafting into my nose. Her white hand, elegant and refined, held a bouquet of blooming gardenias, which she gently placed into my basket.
"Now you have it," she said softly.
In an instant, gasps of wonder erupted all around. A flurry of July snow began to fall from the sky, continuous and soft, covering the entire Heavenly Street. It was a sky full of gardenia petals, illuminated by the lanterns, pure and warm. The fragrance filled people's sleeves, hair, and robes. It was all an illusion, yet the bouquet in the crook of my arm was real.
She gently pushed the two cumbersome flower baskets aside and pulled me into an embrace, whispering into my ear with a smile, "Ah Zhi, happy birthday."
My birthday was the eighth day of the seventh month—tomorrow, actually. But tomorrow was the day of the Crown Prince's welcoming ceremony, which would surely be a chaotic affair where I couldn't spend the day in peace. This grand and beautiful snow was the work of Lu Kaifeng’s illusions. This birthday must have been planned together by her and my two brothers. They were the ones with the elaborate scheme, successfully deceiving both me and Zhu Yixin.
I laughed and wiped my tears on her shoulder, rubbing off the artificial disguise at the same time. I punched her lightly. "To be able to recognize me through a Canxia-level illusion, Lord Wei is truly divine."
"I don't rely on those things," Wei Qingming laughed. "Ah Zhi’s gait, her posture, the frequency of her breath, the shape of her gaze—not a moment passes where they aren't before my eyes and in my heart. How could I mistake you?"
I looked up to take her in fully after not seeing her for many days, saying aggrievedly, "You... you really sent gifts to others but not to me? Do you know how much I've been longing for you..."
She held me tight, pained, unable to speak for a long while. Finally, she composed herself and smiled. "Did I truly not send anything to Ah Zhi?"
I immediately thought of that package Hong Lu had mentioned. There must be a secret inside. I dug my nails into her neck, demanding an answer. Lord Wei just smiled and refused to say. I let it go; I would just spread everything out and check it one by one when I got back tonight.
The two of us walked the street again, hand-in-hand and acting clingy. Whenever I saw a couple that looked pleasant, I would give them a flower from the basket. Lord Wei was very cooperative today, eating whatever I bought, though she only took a small bite of each before pushing it to me like a little bird. Most of it was sweets, which made her face scrunch up in distaste—I considered that her punishment.
We wandered until the road grew wide and the crowds thinned. Avoiding the handkerchiefs and hairpins scattered on the ground, I skipped toward the Ru Meng Lai stall. Everyone was there, watching us with smiles. Wei Qingming exchanged glances and smiles with Lu Kaifeng and Qiao Songlin. After seeing us back, they hurried off to stand guard at the East Flower Palace.
As soon as I returned to my room, I pulled out that package. Over the years, no matter where I went, I kept everything related to her inside the storage ring she gave me. I had looked at these items a thousand times, turning them over and rubbing them, yet I still didn't see anything special. I had to call A-Wan and Zhu Yixin over to help me inspect them.
A-Wan, true to her background as a high-level agent, rummaged through for a while before smiling and picking up a chubby doll. I turned it upside down, confused. A-Wan gave a light flick to the doll's left foot, and a mechanism in its back clicked open. Inside was... a small dog.
A-Wan was meticulous; she handed it to me as soon as the mechanism opened without looking at what was inside. Zhu Yixin clutched her stomach to hold back her laughter, dragging A-Wan out of the room to leave me to my silly joy.
I couldn't help it either; I had to laugh. This little dog had a Tiangou face, exactly like the mask Wei Qingming wore that night at the Chunan Banquet. However, its expression was pitiful, looking upward with a slanted gaze; if you touched it, it looked like it was about to cry. Could it be that Lord Wei was truly that heartbroken when I rejected her? I blamed myself for being too dense; the mechanism was quite obvious—it was because I had struck Xu Xingze’s sole that I won so easily that time!
I spent some time crying and laughing while hugging the little dog, eventually placing it on the bedside next to the little Qilin.
The next day, I slept until broad daylight. Upon waking, I had to prepare for the ceremony. We were guests, so we could sleep a bit longer, but the Wujing Sect disciples had it rough. After the revelry of the previous night, they had to get up after less than two hours of sleep to sweep, prepare, and sprinkle purifying water, not to mention the various trivial tasks assigned by the sect. I wandered the courtyard for a while and saw hurried Wujing Sect disciples everywhere, wearing the formal sect attire required for the grand ceremony: cyan robes with white cloud auspicious patterns along the borders. It looked very clean and elegant.
Our Ancient Dream Mountain never had a uniform. We simply wore plain black and white robes made of more luxurious fabric than usual, paired with white jade hairpins and jade-inlaid belts. They were all high-end goods from Ru Meng Lai—we had certainly spent a fortune to show enough respect to the imperial family.
At a quarter to the hour of Mao, Cheng He, the steward of the Jingle Palace who had received us into the sect, came to the courtyard personally to lead us to the Taihe Palace square for the ceremony. The attire of the Jingle Palace was slightly different from the others; their cyan robes were trimmed with a black-and-white checkered pattern, making them look upright and solemn, easy for guests to recognize when seeking help. When I first arrived, I didn't know the depths of things, but after staying in the Wujing Sect for these months, I learned that the Cheng surname was one of the three families that had managed the sect's secular affairs for the past century. Although Cheng He was only a second-class steward, it was purely because he was young and lacked seniority; his background was very formidable.
I was no longer an ignorant little demon. I naturally understood that given our status in the martial world, there was no way we could have secured such a prominent figure to handle our stay, nor could we have been assigned to the guest-level Pure Blessing Courtyard. Everything had been arranged by Lord Wei long before I even entered the sect! Perhaps the entire "Constitutional Change" was part of her scheme to lure me back into her arms...
Steward Cheng remained calm and polite, following all protocols as he invited us to ride flying cranes to the square. The sky was dotted with leaping black specks as flying cranes from all directions converged on the core area of the sect—Tianming Peak, where the Taihe Palace was located.
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Dreams of the Ancient Mountain: The Cat's Masquerade | Chapter 96 | Her Gardenia | Novela.app | Novela.app
