Xiao Nanhui had walked the night path from Yanfu Street to the Marquis’s Manor many times.
In the past, she liked to drag Bo Lao along to sneak into the backyard of Wangchen Tower to drink with Yao Yi.
As they drank through the years, Bo Lao had grown from a New Year’s doll-faced toddler into a rascal; Yao Yi had transformed from a chore boy into the current proprietor; and she herself had changed from a young girl who cried when bullied by Xu Shu into a general clad in iron armor atop a warhorse.
Yet, whenever she stepped onto this path home, whether by day or night, the sense of familiarity brought her peace. It felt as though nothing had ever truly changed.
She was not a greedy person; as long as she could maintain what she currently had, she was satisfied.
By the time the gates of the Marquis’s Manor came into view, it was already past midnight.
Uncle Chen was getting on in years and had likely already retired for the night. Xiao Nanhui expertly felt for the recessed bricks in the outer wall and nimbly vaulted over, landing squarely in the central courtyard.
"Nanhui, you’re back?"
The moment her feet touched the ground, a familiar voice rang out in the darkness.
Xiao Nanhui turned back blankly to see Xiao Zhun sitting at the stone table in the center of the courtyard. No lamp was lit by his side.
Had he... been waiting for her all this time?
"Foster Father."
She called out in a low, flustered voice. The weariness on Xiao Zhun’s face gradually receded, replaced by a faint, warm smile as he looked at her.
"Where did you go? Returning so late."
She inwardly cursed Bo Lao for not explaining her whereabouts clearly and making Xiao Zhun worry. She quickly explained, "I went to see Yao Yi to settle that friend of mine from Lingxi. I sat with him for a while and lost track of time."
She knew Xiao Zhun disliked Yao Yi, but she had no intention of hiding her actions today—though she instinctively omitted any mention of her investigation into the Puhuna.
To her surprise, Xiao Zhun did not say much about Yao Yi for once. He simply beckoned her closer.
Xiao Nanhui took a few steps forward. Before she even reached him, she saw several firecrackers lying on the ground.
"This year’s New Year’s Eve was entirely spent on the road; I didn't get to accompany you properly. I know you love to play with these noisy things with Du Juan every year for the festivities, so I asked Uncle Li to buy some. However, he could only find firecrackers; the fireworks were already sold out. In the future, you needn't avoid me. Why would I spoil a joy that comes but once a year?"
She stood frozen in shock until Bo Lao, Du Juan, and Uncle Chen walked out from the inner courtyard with smiles on their faces. Only then did she realize Xiao Zhun had walked up to her.
He pressed the flint into her hand. The roughness of his fingertips brushed lightly against her palm, and then he gently patted her head.
"Nanhui, Happy New Year. Let us be well in the coming year."
Tears fell unexpectedly. she hurriedly wiped them away, nodding vigorously.
Amidst the crackling of the firecrackers, Bo Lao seemed to be shouting something inappropriate again, earning him a scolding and an ear-tugging from Du Juan. Uncle Chen stood by with his arms crossed, laughing as he dodged the two bickering women.
Xiao Zhun’s voice came through intermittently amidst the noise.
"Regarding the matter of Pingxian, I am deeply sorry. That day, there were reasons... in my haste, I..."
He explained in a low voice, but she only heard the first sentence; the rest was lost to the din.
She had waited for these words for a long time. She thought she would feel deeply aggrieved, but now that she finally heard them, her heart was calmer than she had imagined.
It wasn't that it didn't hurt; it was just that the worst of the pain had already passed.
She looked up and gave Xiao Zhun a wide grin. "Foster Father needn't blame himself. Pingxian was a gift from you. If you wish to take it back, it is only right."
Xiao Zhun slowly looked into those eyes that used to be unable to hide any emotion.
Now, there was clearly something elusive within them—perhaps in the way her lashes partially veiled them, or the slight curve at the corners of her eyes. Everything had undergone a subtle change.
Xiao Nanhui was unaware of Xiao Zhun’s thoughts. Not far away, Bo Lao was still chasing Du Juan with a half-burnt firecracker. Just as she was about to look away and discipline the mischievous girl, her gaze caught on Xiao Zhun’s collar and she paused.
"Eh? Foster Father, something fell on your clothes."
As she spoke, she reached out and flicked it lightly. The thin object caught in the folds of his collar fluttered down into her palm.
It was half of a light-red plum blossom. The stamen was like a crown tipped with fresh green. Even though it was slightly withered, one could still see the dense, layered petals. It was not a plum blossom that an ordinary household could cultivate.
The firecracker in Bo Lao’s hand burned out at that moment, and the vibrating, noisy air suddenly fell silent.
Xiao Nanhui stared at the plum blossom in her palm, her thoughts spiraling uncontrollably.
There was not a single plum tree in the Marquis’s Manor, nor would there be any in the Subei Camp outside the city.
Moreover, this did not seem like an ordinary plum blossom.
Where had Xiao Zhun gone?
Nearby, Du Juan lunged out from behind Uncle Chen in a fit of pique and pinched Bo Lao’s chubby face, causing the martial arts master to let out a howl like a stuck pig.
Xiao Nanhui’s train of thought was broken. She quickly closed her hand over the plum blossom and said to Xiao Zhun as if nothing were wrong, "Nanhui is very happy today. It is late, and Foster Father has military affairs tomorrow. You should rest early."
Having said that, she didn't dare look at his expression again. She turned and hurried toward her own small courtyard, ignoring Bo Lao’s loud protests behind her.
After a night of tossing and turning in a half-dreaming state, dawn finally arrived.
Xiao Nanhui stared at the scrolling floral patterns on the bed canopy, feeling as though the design was withering and fading before her eyes.
She lay there with her eyes open for a while. Just as she was about to get up, she heard footsteps and quickly retreated back into her quilt.
The person approaching wore triple-layered cloth soles; the steps were light, but the familiar sense of urgency was unmistakable.
Sure enough, the next moment, Du Juan’s voice rang out through the covers.
"Pretending to sleep? Isn't it stuffy in there?"
Xiao Nanhui didn't move, deciding to continue playing dead.
"What was wrong with you last night? It’s rare for the Marquis to have time for you, and everyone was having a good time, yet you threw a tantrum."
Xiao Nanhui buried her face in the quilt. Her hand was tucked under the pillow, feeling something hard and uncomfortable.
She still kept Pingxian hidden under her pillow. Every day, she was afraid to see it, yet afraid not to.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"I didn't throw a tantrum."
"You say you didn't?!" Du Juan unceremoniously yanked the quilt down. She was about to scold her further when she suddenly saw the faint scars visible beneath the girl’s inner tunic. Old and new scars stretched from her back down to her calves, with the one on her ankle being particularly terrifying.
Du Juan’s hand tightened on the corner of the quilt and then relaxed. She slapped the back of Xiao Nanhui’s head, and the person on the bed immediately flopped like a fat carp.
"Think you're all grown up now?! Gone for so long without even sending a letter home, and since you've been back, you're out every other day. From now on, don't bother eating the food I cook. Just move in with that friend of yours on Yanfu Street and spend your days drinking wine..."
Xiao Nanhui was well-versed in the rhythm of these "morning lectures." She clutched her head and looked at Du Juan, feigning a serious expression.
"Sister Du Juan, have you truly never studied under a master or learned a palm technique? Or have you started your own sect in secret?"
Du Juan finally couldn't hold it and burst out laughing. Then, remembering something, she fished a letter out from her person.
"Glittering tongue. Here is a letter for you. Someone from General Yan Guang’s manor delivered it, specifically stating it must be handed to you."
Yan Guang?
Xiao Nanhui was a bit puzzled as she took the letter and looked closely.
The stationery was high-quality paper, but the handwriting was thick, blunt, and quite eyesore-inducing.
The very first line was "To see the words is to see the person," and further down was a nonsensical statement.
*‘On the twenty-third day of the tenth month, in the military tent, Xiao Nanhui promised to teach me three sets of fist techniques. This promise remains unfulfilled. This is a formal notice.’*
The three characters of the signature were quite fluid, clearly the result of practicing only those three names: Mo Chunhua.
She raised an eyebrow, a realization dawning on her. "Has General Yan brought a female relative back to his manor recently?"
Du Juan furrowed her brows and thought carefully. "I suppose so. I saw the fabric shops and gold smithies on Dingyu Road sending a lot of silks and jewelry over the day before yesterday. It looks like there’s a new mistress in the house."
*Not bad, Mo Chunhua. You’ve finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.*
She was somewhat curious as to why Yan Guang had suddenly had a change of heart and started caring for this neglected illegitimate daughter. She would have to ask Mo Chunhua another day.
Du Juan looked at the young woman’s expression, appearing thoughtful.
"Since you returned from Suyan, you seem to have made quite a few friends."
"Is that so?" She scratched her head, clearly not having paid much attention to it. "Just people I met on the road. I’ll introduce them to Foster Father another day."
"Better not for now." Du Juan waved her hand, looking somewhat troubled. "The Marquis has looked so haggard these past few days. Especially when he returned from the villa..."
Realizing she had mentioned something she shouldn't have, Du Juan abruptly shut her mouth and shot a quick glance at Xiao Nanhui’s face.
That glance was practically a confession. Without even looking, Xiao Nanhui knew that Xiao Zhun’s visit to some villa was likely related to the Bai family again.
Even though she had convinced herself countless times, hearing even a fragment of news related to that woman still caused her to start crumbling from within.
The name Bai Yun was now like a curse, capable of shattering her existing life with ease.
"Nanhui, actually..."
Du Juan seemed to want to explain, but the next moment, Chen Si’s voice came from the courtyard, cutting off the words at the tip of her tongue.
"Is the Young Miss awake?"
Du Juan covered her slip by bringing over a copper basin of hot water. She dampened a cloth and tossed it onto Xiao Nanhui’s face, calling out, "She’s getting up now."
Chen Si paused, then added, "Someone from the Yanchi Camp is here saying they have urgent business to relay to the Young Miss in person. They are waiting in the front hall. Will the Young Miss see them now, or wait a moment?"
First the Yan family, now the Yanchi Camp. Xiao Nanhui mused that her place had never been this lively before.
She was feeling quite bothered and didn't want to see anyone, but then she thought that having someone distract her might be a good thing.
"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Chen. I’ll be right there."
She wiped her face haphazardly with the wet cloth and threw on the clothes she had taken off yesterday, earning another glare from Du Juan.
Pretending not to see, she swiped a piece of steamed cake from the tea tray Du Juan had brought and headed for the front hall with it in her mouth.
The cake was finished in a few bites just as she reached her destination. Xiao Nanhui looked up.
Good heavens. The person standing in the front hall was none other than Ding Weixiang.
She had thought he would never want to speak to her again in this lifetime; she hadn't expected to see him at her own front door.
She lingered behind a pillar for a moment. Ding Weixiang’s wild-dog-like hearing detected her instantly. His gaze pierced through the pillar as he gave a slight bow and said respectfully, "Greetings, Great General."
She stepped out from behind the pillar awkwardly and waved her hand with feigned bravado. "Ah, if you've come to make peace, there’s no need for such a formal visit. We’re of the same generation; there’s no need for 'Great General' this and 'Great General' that..."
As the words left her mouth, she noticed Ding Weixiang glancing at her with an indescribable look. His bow was not directed at her.
Xiao Nanhui shuddered and turned around to find that Xiao Zhun had followed her at some point.
Xiao Zhun glanced at her and spoke calmly to Ding Weixiang. "My foster daughter is being somewhat loose-tongued today for some reason. I ask Lieutenant Ding not to take it to heart."
Ding Weixiang looked at her with a mock-serious expression and gave a punchable smile. "Of course, of course."
Xiao Nanhui’s teeth itched with irritation, but she couldn't lash out in front of Xiao Zhun. She could only grit her teeth and ask, "Lieutenant Ding, what brings you here?"
"I have come to relay a message to the lady on behalf of Young Master Zhongli: Regarding the matter of Pingxian, you may go to the Mei family in the east of the city to inquire."
She froze, then became uncontrollably excited. "Does that mean... it can be repaired?"
"I do not know. I am merely a messenger. Now that the message is delivered, I shall take my leave."
With that, he bowed to Xiao Zhun again and left quickly without a second glance at Xiao Nanhui.
Xiao Nanhui’s heart could not settle. She had given up hope, but if it was that man who said it, perhaps everything was still possible.
Then she realized something. Ding Weixiang had said "Young Master Zhongli." Although he hadn't explicitly said it was the Emperor, Xiao Zhun shouldn't know about Zhongli Jing.
She felt apprehensive, both afraid that Xiao Zhun would ask who Young Master Zhongli was, and strangely hoping he would press her.
However, in the end, Xiao Zhun only nodded slightly. "If you are anxious, then go. Do not forget your manners."
She felt a small sense of relief, but even more disappointment. Finally, she forced herself to smile and accept, then made some quick preparations, took Jixiang, and hurried out the door.
Behind Xiao Zhun, Chen Si sighed as he watched Xiao Nanhui’s departing figure.
"If the Young Miss goes to the Mei family, I fear she will learn of that heartbreaking past."
"She is no longer a child; perhaps it is time she knew," Xiao Zhun’s voice was heavy. "I simply did not expect that the one to guide her in the end would be someone else."
***
Jixiang’s hooves were light as it trotted along the gravel path.
It had received a whole bag of dried mushrooms this morning. Although they weren't as satisfying as fresh ones, compared to its treatment in Jizhou, it was far better.
On the horse’s back, Xiao Nanhui’s heart bounced up and down along with the horse’s rump.
The Mei family was a famous clan of generals; they surely knew many skilled swordsmiths and weapon-smiths. But Pingxian was no ordinary weapon. It was difficult enough for a craftsman to create it, let alone restore it to its original state.
But then she thought, this path was pointed out to her by *him*; it couldn't be wrong.
She didn't know when it had started, but she had developed an almost irresistible trust in his words.
Perhaps this was what people called the prestige of a sovereign?
Jixiang snorted, and Xiao Nanhui realized the road had come to an end.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that such a desolate sight existed in the prime real estate of Quecheng, right at the foot of the Imperial City.
The gravel path ended in a stretch of rocky ground. The grayish-white earth was interspersed with yellowed wild grass—a stark contrast to the grand mansion with its vermilion gates, though it did harmonize somewhat with the old vines clinging to the green roof tiles.
Vines were considered *yin*. High-ranking families would never allow vines to wrap around their front gates, believing they brought misfortune to the household.
She knew the Mei family had retreated from the court for over a decade, but she hadn't realized the estate had fallen into such decay. Or perhaps the master of the house had simply lost the heart to manage the grounds, allowing the surroundings to slowly return to the way they were a thousand years ago when no one lived here.
Even so, Xiao Nanhui dismounted according to etiquette and tied Jixiang to the hitching post.
The post was carved with a tiger and a leopard, faintly revealing the former character of this household.
She climbed the steps, but before she could knock, the gate swung open from within. A capable-looking middle-aged man poked his head out. Seeing him, she quickly identified herself.
"I am Xiao Nanhui, Right General of the Guangyao Camp. I have come unannounced..."
The man glanced at her, then at Jixiang wagging its tail nearby, and stepped aside to let her in.
"So it is General Xiao. My master is waiting in the inner courtyard. Please follow me."
They... knew she was coming?
Xiao Nanhui didn't know the man’s identity, so she could only cup her hands. "Much obliged, brother."
The middle-aged man gave her a half-smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealing a worldly sophistication that seemed out of place in this secluded ancient house. "I am merely a servant who tends to the master’s garden. There is no need for such formality, General."
A servant who didn't use humble self-references. Xiao Nanhui felt the man was as strange as the house.
And the mention of tending to the garden was even more laughable. If a yard like this counted as being "tended to," then the backyard of her Qinghuai Marquis’s Manor could be called a scenic wonder.
But a moment later, after turning a corner, the sight before her instantly overturned her previous thoughts.
The square courtyard was filled with all kinds of plum trees; not a single corner was left empty.
The blooming plum blossoms weighed down the branches, clusters like rosy clouds, pink rain, golden tents, and green silk. They possessed a crowded vitality, as if all the life force within several miles had been gathered here.
"Sir, these plum trees are truly well-cultivated."
Even a martial general like Xiao Nanhui, who knew nothing of the craft, couldn't help but offer her praise.
The middle-aged man seemed accustomed to it, but a different emotion flickered in his eyes as he looked at the trees. "Our plum blossoms bloom early; they are already past their peak. If the General had come a few days earlier, the flowers would have been at their best."
A gust of cold wind blew, and the petals on the branches indeed turned into a fine rain of flowers, drifting down.
She suddenly remembered something and fumbled in her sleeve, pulling out the flattened plum blossom and showing it to the man.
"Could you tell me what kind of plum blossom this is?"
The man took the flower, examined it closely, and gave it a light sniff. "General, this flower’s color is like the sunset reflected in water, with layered petals like stacked eaves. It also has rare green stamens. Though it has withered, it still retains a lingering fragrance. It should be the 'Water-Reflecting Pavilion' variety."
Xiao Nanhui was surprised by the answer and pressed further, "Do you know where in Quecheng such plum blossoms can be found?"
"As far as I know, aside from the one tree in Little Plum Villa, only the estate of Duke Xuanyuan has them planted."
These two places... she hadn't expected that. But then she felt that if it was Little Plum Villa or the Xuanyuan Prince’s Manor, it had nothing to do with Bai Yun. Her heart suddenly felt much lighter, and she even felt like chatting.
"You have so many plum trees here, sir. Why is there no 'Water-Reflecting Pavilion'?"
The middle-aged man paused for a rare moment, then looked toward the blooming plum forest. "We used to have it. We don't anymore."
Xiao Nanhui sensed there was a story behind those words, but before she could ask, a vigorous, powerful voice suddenly rang out from within the plum forest.
"Is it someone from the Xiao family?"
Xiao Nanhui turned at the sound and saw a figure sitting in a small pavilion amidst the plums. He had white hair and a long beard, wearing a martial cap and black robes. His posture was very upright. This must be the master of the house, the former general of many military achievements, Mei Qiao.
The middle-aged man instantly returned to a respectful posture and bowed. "Master, it is General Xiao Nanhui."
"Xiao Nanhui greets Old General Mei. I have come unannounced today and did not have time to prepare a gift. I hope the Old General will not take offense..."
Another gust of wind rose, and the old general’s voice sounded again, now right in front of her.
"This old man has long been blind. I cannot see if you are round or flat, empty-handed or carrying treasures."
Xiao Nanhui looked up in shock, only then realizing that the elder who had walked up to her had eyes that were cloudy and dull, without a speck of light.
The fierce tiger of the past was now white-haired and blind. A surge of emotion she couldn't name rose in her heart. In a daze, she seemed to see Xiao Zhun many years from now, or perhaps... herself.
She didn't know how to speak for a moment, but Mei Qiao clearly had no patience to wait for her. "This blindness isn't a matter of a day or two; save your useless words. I have avoided guests for years. I only let A-Qiu bring you in because I heard someone from the Xiao family had come. If you have business, speak plainly."
Xiao Nanhui snapped out of it and quickly unwrapped the bundle containing Pingxian, holding it out. "I have come today for this weapon. I wonder if the skilled weapon-smiths the Old General used to employ are still in the manor?"
Mei Qiao took the object, his large hands brushing over the broken spear shaft. His voice was steady. "There has only ever been myself and A-Qiu here. No one else."
Xiao Nanhui felt her heart sink halfway.
The former craftsmen were gone, and how could a blind man possibly repair Pingxian?
However, the next moment, Mei Qiao’s voice came again.
"I was the one who created Pingxian. What does it have to do with anyone else?"
---
### Glossary
