After Qin Jiuye had rowed her boat several miles away in a single breath, the sky gradually began to darken.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt as though the Autumn Mountain Sect’s great ship was following her, intentionally or otherwise, forcing her to glance back every so often.
Thanks to this vigilance, shortly after the Autumn Mountain Sect’s ship vanished from her sight, several other small, suspicious boats caught her attention.
They looked like ordinary sampans similar to her own, but a closer look revealed that their bows had been meticulously modified. They were terrifyingly fast, reaching her in the blink of an eye.
Qin Jiuye did not stop rowing, taking a moment to look back and observe. She soon reached a conclusion.
Those were not the boats of any martial sect; they were her "colleagues."
Among the Huang Guzi who waited for business on the lake, not everyone made a living through honest, diligent work. There were also greedy souls who waited for a chance to rob their own kind. These people must have seen her leave the Autumn Mountain Sect’s ship with silver in hand. Seeing that she was alone and a fresh face, they were waiting here to intercept her.
Qin Jiuye snorted inwardly.
If even Wang Xiao of the Autumn Mountain Sect couldn't do anything to her, did they really think she would fall at the hands of these small fry? Having traveled between Jiugao City and Dingweng Village for so many years, she had never stumbled over "little ghosts" even when walking at night. Did they really think she had been the manager of Guoran Residence for all these years for nothing? If they wanted to pry copper coins from her fingers, they’d have to ask Dou Wuniang back in the village first.
Of course, the Huang Guzi following her knew nothing of Qin Jiuye’s thoughts.
They only saw a thin, solitary woman who looked like an easy target. However, before they could follow for long, they saw the small sampan twist and turn into a vast thicket of lotuses, vanishing instantly.
To navigate the various narrow waterways within the city, the sampans of the Jiugao region were built exceptionally narrow. In the height of summer, the lotus leaves grew particularly dense, rising about half a person's height above the water. Even an ordinary passenger boat with a canopy would only show half its roof if it entered, let alone a dilapidated sampan.
Qin Jiuye heard the sound of water slowing behind her and chuckled softly.
When she had first decided to take up this "business," she had scouted the lake area in advance. She had planned her routes long ago—where to avoid danger and where it was convenient to escape.
Once inside the lotus thicket, Qin Jiuye actually slowed her pace.
The sampan glided through the emerald leaves, making only the faintest ripples. The sound of the hull brushing against the lotus leaves was quickly drowned out by the wind whistling through the greenery, like a nimble fish darting into the depths of the lily pads.
Having lost their prey's trail, several "wolves" left in disappointment, but a few remained stubborn, plunging headlong into the lotus thicket after her.
The sound of boats intruding into the thicket grew closer. Qin Jiuye could almost hear the crisp lotus stalks being crushed and snapped by the bows.
If she fled in a panic now, she would inevitably make noise. Those Huang Guzi were all sharp; if they detected movement, they might not just blindly chase, but they would likely spread out to surround her, putting her at a disadvantage.
Qin Jiuye thought quickly and immediately stopped moving. Once the boat was completely still, she lay flat against the hull, holding her breath and straining her ears to listen to the surroundings.
The sound of the Huang Guzi rowing lingered nearby, now to the left, then to the right. After a moment, it finally seemed to fade into the distance.
Qin Jiuye did not dare to peek out and confirm if they were truly gone. She remained lying in the bottom of the boat, counting the seconds in her head.
The wind became exceptionally gentle within the lotus thicket, so much so that it could make one feel drowsy even in a predicament.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she nearly fell asleep. When she regained her senses and looked around, she found the sky had turned dark, with only the last sliver of twilight remaining.
The insects had fallen silent, and the frogs had yet to start their chorus. The lotus ferry was deathly quiet; even the faint sound of fish coming up for air was absent.
She had finally escaped.
The unique fragrance of lotuses gathered over the water. Qin Jiuye took several deep breaths and stretched contentedly. She prepared to stand up and row away to meet Li Qiao on the shore.
But as soon as her hand gripped the sculling oar, she felt it wouldn't budge.
She was stunned for a moment, then let go with a look of realization, staring blankly at the part of the oar extending into the water.
From the time she began her apprenticeship until she owned Guoran Residence, she had rarely gone out on boats with Old Qin.
But when she was young, in order to assist Qin Sanyou, she often followed him as he rowed through the rivers and lakes of Jiugao. Jinbao was a landlubber and was always left on shore to work; even now, she often teased him about it.
Back then, Qin Sanyou was still sturdy enough to do physical labor like fishing and selling goods. They often set out before dawn and returned to the pier carrying a boatload of starlight. Sometimes, if luck was poor and the boat wasn't full, they wouldn't return to the pier at all, spending the night on the water.
In the dead of night, Old Qin would tell strange stories from his years on the water. He had a superstition: if you stopped to rest in a place thick with lotuses and water weeds, and found the oar too heavy to lift when you tried to leave, it meant you had disturbed the immortal of the lotus thicket. The immortal had landed on the bow to rest and was telling you not to disturb them. At such a time, you must not move; you had to carefully apologize and wait for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before you could leave.
Qin Sanyou was barely literate, but he had a talent for storytelling. Qin Jiuye had believed him implicitly at first, until she traveled on other boats a few times and discovered that the so-called "immortal resting" was simply because the lotus thickets were full of fish and turtles. If a boat stayed still for long, the soft-shelled turtles in the water would climb up onto the oar. A single turtle weighed five or six catties, naturally making the oar feel heavy and sluggish. Turtles were also lazy and wouldn't move for a good while. Some boatmen would simply flip the oar over and give it a few hard slaps to free themselves immediately.
But since she had decided to remain still to counter the movement of others, Qin Jiuye didn't want to make such a loud noise.
Thinking of everything she had experienced today, she felt a wave of exhaustion. She let go of the oar and rolled over to lean against the stern. The frantic rowing earlier had drained much of her strength. She pulled out the few pieces of momo she had wrapped up that morning. As she filled her stomach, she stared at the nearby dark, calm water and sighed softly.
"It's one thing for a pack of Huang Guzi to bully me with their numbers, but now even a turtle takes the chance to mock me."
The water remained silent. The turtle beneath the surface wouldn't even blow a bubble for her.
"You certainly know how to pick a spot. The scenery here is beautiful, and the lotuses are fragrant and the fish fat." Qin Jiuye paused here and gave a mischievous grin. "But if you don't leave soon, I'll have to fish you out and stew you for soup tonight."
Just as she finished speaking, a man's voice suddenly rang out from the lotus cluster.
"Why would the lady say such a thing?"
Qin Jiuye jumped in fright, nearly dropping her momo into the water. She thought those Huang Guzi were indeed persistent and that she shouldn't have let her guard down.
She didn't make a sound, but alertly sat up, instinctively grabbing the sickle used for cutting grass from beneath her straw mat.
The small sampan rocked from her sudden movement. Ripples were stirred up, pushing outward and causing the vast expanse of emerald lotuses to sway.
A light breeze brushed past. In the twilight, the massive dark green lotus leaves shifted slightly, and the pale pink flower heads bowed lower. Amidst the overlapping foliage, a glimpse of soft ivory white appeared.
A slender hand reached through the lotus stems, parting the greenery slightly.
"Is the lady truly going to capture me to stew for soup?"
A sun-beaten Huang Guzi could never have such a hand. Had the turtle beneath the boat turned into a spirit? Or was Old Qin right, and she had offended an immortal dwelling in the lotuses?
Qin Jiuye squinted and followed the hand with her gaze, and for a moment, she was speechless.
Amidst the lotuses, she could vaguely see a young man sitting upright on a boat, his hair bound and wearing a scholar's robe. His features were somewhat blurred in the dim light, but his posture was exceptionally graceful. It was a calm, natural beauty that blended delicately with the surrounding greenery that blotted out the sky, giving one the impression that "this person has been here for ten thousand years."
Qin Jiuye didn't speak, and the other person waited quietly for her. Seeing this, her heart grew uneasy again.
If it were just a Huang Guzi, it would be fine; she just feared it was a "big fish" she couldn't afford to provoke. She didn't want to escape the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's mouth.
Thinking of this, she steadied herself and replied as calmly as possible.
"The gentleman jokes. I was picking lotuses nearby. Since you didn't make a sound, I didn't realize there was anyone around. My words just now were naturally not directed at you."
When the man spoke again, his voice carried a hint of a smile. Though his voice was finer than that of an ordinary man, it lacked any sense of frivolity, feeling only gentle.
"If I had made a sound earlier, wouldn't those ill-intentioned people have found you?"
Qin Jiuye felt embarrassed, knowing her troublesome situation had been seen through. She couldn't defend herself further and could only cup her hands in the manner of a martial artist.
"It's just a small business, and I was in a hurry. I truly didn't know you were here. If I've disturbed you, I ask for your forgiveness."
Another soft laugh came from the lotuses.
"This place belongs to no one. You may come as you please; there is no talk of disturbance."
This way of speaking was casual and free-spirited, seemingly different from the aggressive and vengeful martial artists she had seen today.
Qin Jiuye paused, then curiously peeked at the other side again.
Unfortunately, the sky had grown darker. Neither her boat nor his had a lamp lit. Even if they looked at each other, they couldn't see each other's expressions clearly.
The air was quiet for a moment, but Qin Jiuye didn't want to speak. She only thought of waiting a bit longer before quickly leaving.
Even though the other person seemed to have a good temperament and hadn't immediately tried to kill her, she was currently in the territory of the Jianghu. One could never be too cautious.
However, while she wanted silence, the other person seemed inclined to converse.
"Besides doing business, is the lady also here to see the Sword Appreciation Assembly?"
Qin Jiuye hesitated, then quietly pushed the question back.
"You are boating here alone; are you also here to
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Secret Recipe | Chapter 117 | Encounter in the Lotus Pond | Novela.app | Novela.app
