Unarmored | Chapter 168 | A Choice of Paths | Novela.app

Outside the dungeon, Shu Pingchuan was pacing back and forth. Hearing the sound behind him, he turned quickly. The woman's face was indistinct in the night. She walked straight past him until he called out to stop her. "There is blood on your face." Xiao Nanhui paused and raised a hand to wipe her forehead. Her palm came away with a smear of blood, likely a splash from when she killed Yan Zi. In truth, she had already wiped the blood from her hands before leaving the cell, but she had neglected her face. The uniquely sticky sensation of human blood remained on her fingertips. During her past campaigns to suppress bandits, blood and filth were her most frequent companions. Sometimes she wouldn't close her eyes for several nights and had no place to wash; the grime would simply cling to her. But she had never felt as disgusted as she did today. Sensing her silence, Shu Pingchuan took the initiative to speak. "Now that you have your revenge, is your heart at ease?" She stood there fixedly, not looking back, her silhouette exuding the desolate chill of autumn. "It is not even as satisfying as sharing a cup of wine with Bolao used to be." "There will be others," he paused, his voice dropping lower. "There will be others to drink with you." The breath she had been holding in her chest escaped, turning into a cloud of white mist in the night air. It was hard to tell if it was the foul air of the dungeon or the sorrow of that night on Mount Douchen. Xiao Nanhui turned around, but Shu Pingchuan was looking down, staring at his waist. She finally noticed that he had been looking down at the incense burner in the sachet at his waist since a moment ago. Many sons of the capital's nobility used incense sachets to keep time, but such an item felt somewhat out of place on a man. She had assumed that someone as martial and thin-skinned as Shu Pingchuan would certainly never wear one. Not wishing to embarrass him, she looked away. "If the General of the Left has other matters, you may attend to them. I still recognize the path from here to the palace gates." Shu Pingchuan remained silent, staring at her fixedly for a long time before slowly lowering his gaze. "Is this the Armor-Stripping Sword?" She touched her waist and nodded. For some reason, she felt that Shu Pingchuan's inquiry lacked joy or surprise; it felt more like he was merely searching for something to say. He stepped half a pace closer, seemingly examining the blade. "Master actually gave this sword to you. I was her disciple for many years, yet she never even let me touch it." Xiao Nanhui thought for a moment, unbuckled the scabbard, and held it out. "Then... would you like to try it?" It was Shu Pingchuan's turn to be stunned. He had indeed wanted to speak with her a little longer, but he hadn't expected her to make such a suggestion. They had met long ago, but their true acquaintance began with that absurd duel. However, as she had told Li Yuanyuan, no winner had ever been decided between her and Shu Pingchuan. The young noble finally let go of his incense sachet and hesitantly took the sword. Just then, a voice rang out nearby—it was the green-clad attendant who served Prince Xuanyuan. "Young Master, the Prince is waiting for you up ahead." She saw Shu Pingchuan's face lose its color, turning pale like a withered leaf in winter. He lowered his eyes. "Grant me the time it takes for a single cup of tea." The attendant said nothing more but did not leave, standing quietly about a dozen paces away. Shu Pingchuan held the scabbard in one hand and slowly drew the long sword with the other. The Armor-Stripping Sword let out a clear chime under the autumn moon. The blade was bright as snow, showing no sign of having been buried in a tomb for years. "A fine sword." He sighed sincerely, then rose with the sword, striking several times in mid-air. The young man's face still bore the spirited air of the martial world. His eyes were bright, possessing a noble aura untainted by the court or the crushing weight of power. His movements were seventy to eighty percent similar to Li Yuanyuan's—broad and grand, with his breath flowing like a surging river—yet there was a twenty to thirty percent difference. In her private opinion, that small difference was something unique to Shu Pingchuan. Half childishness, half sincerity. She used to have prejudices against him, always thinking of winning when they sparred, so she had never properly appreciated his sword style. Now that she truly looked, his swordsmanship was actually quite good; Li Yuanyuan was indeed a fine master. After the final move, Shu Pingchuan remained standing there, the sword in his hand reluctant to return to its sheath. Not far away, the green-clad attendant urged him again in a low voice. He finally slid the sword back into its scabbard, the snow-bright blade gradually swallowed by the mouth of the sheath until the last glint of light vanished. "My thanks to Officer Xiao for lending the sword." She took back the Armor-Stripping Sword, trying to make the moment feel lighter. "The General of the Left is too polite. We can spar again another day." He looked at her, and after a long silence, he nodded gently. "Very well." From the first time he saw her, to their reunion, to their subsequent life-and-death struggles, his feelings for her had evolved from vague confusion to clarity. Many emotions were suppressed in his heart, but he had never lied to her. But just now, he knew he had told a lie. In three months, he would celebrate his twentieth birthday and his capping ceremony. Before the ceremony, his father required him to make a choice: to remain in the military or to enter the imperial court. It was called a choice, but in reality, there was no room for him to choose. His father knew him too well, knowing that beneath his lonely, rebellious heart, there was always a sliver of family ties he could not sever. The part of these ties entangled with the Prince's manor was not heavy, but the part connected to the Mei family was deeply rooted. The Mei family had long since lost its place in the court, and the Imperial family's attitude toward military generals would inevitably become ambiguous once the Southern Border was pacified. If they did not want to end up like the "hound cooked once the rabbit is caught," the Mei family needed to find new protection quickly. And he was the best protector—a protector who urgently needed to grow and was not yet strong enough. In the end, he had agreed to his father's demand. After seeing her today, he would have to restrain his thoughts, cultivate connections with the great families, and devote himself to preparing to take over the Prince's manor. Though his youth had been spent in the ranks, it had been free; meeting her was the most wonderful dream of all. But dreams must eventually end. Such days were finally coming to a close. He envied the shopkeeper of Wangchen Pavilion, he envied her dead maid, and he envied everyone she had been close to along the way. He wished he could be any one of them. But in the end, the path they could walk together was only this long. "Officer Xiao, farewell." Shu Pingchuan turned slowly and finally stepped onto the long corridor leading deep into the palace. She watched his silhouette disappear beneath the massive outline of the palace halls, as if watching a firefly being swallowed by the darkness. Aside from Yan Zi, her encounter with Shu Pingchuan tonight seemed ordinary, yet she clearly sensed something unusual within that ordinariness. Perhaps within that invisible vortex, she was not the only one struggling and searching. Xiao Nanhui turned and walked in the opposite direction from Shu Pingchuan. She followed the path she had come by and exited the palace walls. Before she had gone far, she saw a point of light emerge from a side gate of the towering walls. It appeared to be a tall man dressed simply, with a tanned face and a beautiful beard. Had the Palace Guard Command replaced Xu Shu? When had such a figure appeared? But as she drew closer, she realized the man carried no sword; he only held an oil lamp in his hand. Xiao Nanhui stopped, unsure if this was the person she was looking for. Just as she was wondering how to speak, the man introduced himself. "I am Qu Xingzi. You may call me Xingzi." Surnamed Qu? Wasn't he a relative of that fellow Hao Bai? But the man before her... was truly quite different from Hao Bai. And the Qu family, after all, had ties to the previous dynasty and even ancient times. Thinking of everything she had experienced over the past month, the more approachable the other party was, the more cautious Xiao Nanhui became. "Brother... Xingzi, may I ask where the item I am to collect is located?" The man gave a hearty laugh and stepped aside to clear the way. "The item is not with me. Please follow me, Miss." This time, she finally returned to Jingbo Tower. The autumn wind blew across the tower. She looked back over the entire city of Quecheng, feeling as though the continuous spring rains and the summer cicadas were but yesterday. As Qu Xingzi walked along the corridor, Xiao Nanhui suddenly asked. "May I ask why Attendant Shan is not here? Usually, when entering or leaving Jingbo Tower, he is the one who leads the way." Qu Xingzi stopped and pointed a broad finger toward the three layers of palace walls outside the balustrade. She looked down in the direction he pointed and saw dozens of people standing sparsely on the Bright Path in front of the Hall of Primal Brilliance. Each was dressed in court robes, and no one held a lamp. It was a strange sight. "Those are..." Qu Xingzi withdrew his hand with a smile, but his words were alarming. "Those are the court elders who have not left since the morning session began today. Attendant Shan, whom you asked about, is unable to get away because of them." Shan Jiangfei was at the Hall of Primal Brilliance? But wasn't that a place only entered when the Emperor held court? A vague idea formed in her mind, but she had other concerns at the moment. "Why haven't they returned to their manors? Why are they gathered in the palace? Have they heard some news?" This time, Qu Xingzi did not answer. The corridor reached its end. The tall man blew out the oil lamp and opened a stone chamber. "The person Miss Xiao wishes to see is inside. I have brought you this far. Please." A stomach full of questions had to be swallowed for the time being. When she turned her head again, Qu Xingzi had vanished into the night at the end of the corridor along with his lamp. She stood for a moment before stepping into the stone chamber. As soon as she entered, the stone door rotated shut behind her. The air instantly became silent. Xiao Nanhui felt along the wall, walking toward a faint candlelight not far away. At the end of the light was a simple small table with a hole carved in it. Inside the hole, charcoal burned, and a copper pot sat atop the fire. Something was boiling inside, bubbling with steam. Seated cross-legged before the table was an old man with hair and beard as white as snow. His face was dark and shiny, and his two eyebrows were short and thick, perched over his eye sockets like broad beans. It robbed him of an elder's dignity and gave him a somewhat childish look. Could this... be the legendary Elder of the Qu family who had never left the city of Wancheng? Xiao Nanhui stared blankly at those two eyebrows. The other party did not speak either, sizing her up in return. The two of them stared at each other for a long time until the broth overflowed from the pot, making a sizzling sound. The old man snapped back to his senses and hurriedly tried to lift the lid, only to be burned, losing his composure instantly. He quickly blew on his fingers, then glanced at the woman standing in the center of the room. "Have you had dinner?" Xiao Nanhui shook her head. "Not yet." The old man twitched his beard and pointed his chin toward the rush mat in front of the low table. "Sit down and share this mushroom pot with me." Having seen many bizarre people and events, one's reactions gradually become more tempered. Xiao Nanhui paused for only a moment before stepping forward to sit at the table. Opening the pot, blanching meat, adding vegetables. The meal was eaten in silence. The old man was too focused on eating to pay her any mind, while she had too much on her heart to find the food easy to swallow. She slowly set down her bamboo chopsticks. "The Elder asked me here because there is something to be handed over to me. May I ask what it is...?" "Oh." The man seemed to just remember the matter. Without stopping his chewing, his left hand fumbled around under the small table. After a while, two items appeared amidst the pile of pots and bowls. On the left were two thin jade slips, placed face-to-face with eight jade seals. The sides were adorned with a pair of divine birds made of gold foil. It was impossible to tell what it was at a glance. On the right was a ceramic jar with a round belly and a thin cord. The red paper seal was still new. It was a jar of Yunye Fresh. Xiao Nanhui looked at the slips and the wine jar, confusion written all over her face. "This... what does this mean?" "I'm not giving you both; you must choose one," the old man coughed twice and said slowly. "Do you know why His Majesty summoned this old man to the capital months ago?" She steadied herself and said cautiously. "It should be for the matter regarding Puhuna." The old man chuckled, his wrinkles looking oily in the misty steam of the pot. "Those matters are for the youngsters to worry about. As for me, since I've aged, I only handle one type of task." He tapped the items on the table as he spoke. "I write the sacrificial divinations for the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Among those, the only ones worth this old man making a personal trip for are the enthronement of a new Emperor or when a choice has been made for the position of Empress. His Majesty summoned me here originally to draft the decree for your investiture as Empress. But after the Spring Hunt, he changed his mind." Xiao Nanhui was stunned into silence. She knew he had arranged everything, but she hadn't known what that "everything" truly meant. The old man finally put down his chopsticks, the smile fading from his face. "He knows that this journey is bound to be perilous. He asked you here today to choose between these two things. If you take the Golden Jade Slips, you will enter the inner palace as its mistress upon his return. If you take this wine jar, walk out of this tower and find a place to get thoroughly drunk. Once you wake, treat everything involving him as nothing more than a grand dream, and go live the free life you yearn for under the vast sky. How you choose depends on you." What a "grand dream," what a "granting of freedom." If anyone else heard this, they would surely mock her for being abandoned, advising her not to cling on and to save her last bit of dignity. But only Xiao Nanhui understood what the word "freedom" meant to her. He truly understood her even better than she had imagined. She remembered the first time she entered the palace; the head attendant had led her through three whole layers of palace walls. Inside those heavy, solemnly decorated walls was a world she was unfamiliar with. She had once thought she could never have even a thread of connection with the people there. But in the end, she had fallen for the person who sat the highest within those walls. Even now, though he had told her almost all of his past and his secrets, she still couldn't fully understand his world. She was a person who was too simple; her life should have been something that could be seen through to the end in a single glance. But he was not. If she wanted to stay by his side, she would have to leave the world she knew. She couldn't quite imagine the "loss of freedom" Mo Chunhua had once spoken of, but she simply felt that the space within those high walls did not belong to her. She felt lost regarding such a future and worried even more that he would be troubled because of it. No, she didn't want that. The broth in the copper pot had boiled down to a thick consistency. Bubbles the size of dates constantly rose and burst, crackling in the stone chamber. Xiao Nanhui stared at the two items on the table and finally reached out. She picked up the jar of wine. The old man's brow relaxed, and he smiled, tapping his bamboo chopsticks. "You are indeed a sensible person. If you ever come to Wancheng in the future, you must come visit..." As he spoke, he saw the woman across from him slap open the seal on the wine jar with one palm, tilt her head back, and drain the entire jar in one go. *Clang.* The empty wine jar was slammed back onto the table. "He never drank with me, so he doesn't know my tolerance. This one jar of Yunye Fresh is far from enough to make me 'thoroughly drunk.' If he wants me to forget all this, I'm afraid even turning the entire Xiaofu Residence upside down wouldn't suffice." She spoke while wiping her mouth, then suddenly laughed. "I understand his intentions. But since I have drunk the wine, I am a free agent. Whether I stay or leave, advance or retreat—my feet are my own, and how I walk is my business." The thing she was least willing to see in her life was the person she loved feeling troubled because of her. She wanted the person she loved to always have their wishes fulfilled and do what they wanted to do. Fortunately, fate had now pointed out a path for her. She could do something for the one she loved without worrying that their beautiful bond would be eroded by the disparity of their statuses in the long years to come. He was someone who could have the wind and rain at his command; she had nothing precious to give him. If she couldn't stay by his side, this was perhaps the last thing she could do for him. She had only one thing to do, and she only needed to do that one thing well. Kill it, destroy the Secret Seal, and eradicate everything that could possibly threaten him. She liked him. She hoped they still had long years to walk together. But life does not always allow for staying together. She was already luckier than many because she possessed precious memories sufficient to last the rest of her life. The old man remained silent, only sighing after a long while. "That is his tribulation. No one can face it in his stead except himself." She stared at the empty wine jar on the table, showing no intention of backing down. "If one hasn't even tried, how can one know it won't work?" "And how do you know that you are not the tribulation itself?" As if afraid she wouldn't understand, the man asked pointedly, "Have you ever entered the dreams of the Zhongli family? You should know this yourself. Or rather, have you ever dreamed of them?" The Zhongli family? Him, or his mother? Or... Auntie Dai? Xiao Nanhui froze, her hand unconsciously tightening around the wine jar. She remembered. She had indeed dreamed of Auntie Dai. In the dream, Xiao Dai did not look like the person she knew; her expression was strange and shrill. So, was the person Auntie Dai had once dreamed of... her? What role did she play in that prophecy? The last page of the book in the Tower of Parting Sorrows seemed to have given her the answer long ago. And as clever as he was, had he already deciphered the prophecy in that ribbon during that rainy dawn? Was that why he deliberately left her and followed Puhuna alone? If what this old man said was true. What if she was the one who would push everything into the abyss? *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 瞿星子 | Qu Xingzi | A member of the Qu family, relative of Hao Bai. 静波楼 | Jingbo Tower | "Quiet Waves Tower," a location within the palace. 金玉简 | Golden Jade Slips | A formal document/item representing the position of Empress. 云叶鲜 | Yunye Fresh | A type of wine, likely a specialty of the region or the Qu family. 钟离 | Zhongli | The surname of the Imperial family. 弱冠礼 | Capping Ceremony | The traditional coming-of-age ceremony for men at age 20. 兔死狗烹 | The hound is cooked once the rabbit is caught | Idiom meaning to get rid of someone once their usefulness is over.