"Pity—bring her home."
Xingsan?
In her panic, Xu Qiaoxi vaguely recalled that after taking Five Minerals Powder, one's body needed to move to dissipate the heat—otherwise, there was a danger of the body bursting and dying.
Wen Shuo's eyelids burned and felt dry, uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and nuzzled from Xu Qiaoxi's neck toward her shoulder. In early summer, she had already changed into loose cross-collared robes. The moment Wen Shuo moved, her lapels were pushed down past her shoulder.
His forehead, hot as fire, pressed against Xu Qiaoxi's shoulder with a lingering tenderness.
Fragrant and smooth—she had a bit more softness than his own concubines. Beneath her skin was wrapped jade-like flesh, offering a comfort that was just right.
Wen Shuo's heart stirred. He pressed both her hands back against the knees of the White Jade Guanshiyin statue, pressed his entire chest tightly against her, parted his lips, and playfully pecked at her collarbone with a light kiss.
"Don't tremble…"
"I'll be slow, I'll be gentle…"
As he spoke, his peripheral gaze caught the jade statue.
Head bowed, chin lowered, a pair of half-lidded eyes quietly gazing down at the two of them, silent.
Wen Shuo found it amusing and couldn't help but snicker twice, as if greatly pleased.
Would Xie Lingjia—that cold, icy "White Jade Guanshiyin"—nuzzle and caress her like this? Probably not.
He didn't understand how to cherish a beauty. Even with such a lovely woman, it would be wasted on him.
Suddenly, Wen Shuo felt a sense of grievance on Xu Qiaoxi's behalf. If only it had been him, not Lingjia, who had taken her away on the day of Spring Shooting…
He raised his head and asked hoarsely, "Shall we just do it right here?"
It was as if a cold serpent slithered up her spine and bit her at the nape of the neck. Xu Qiaoxi's back broke out in cold sweat, and no matter how desperately she struggled, her wrists could not break free from his grip.
The Guanshiyin jade statue pressed against her from behind, and Wen Shuo blocked her from the front. She was trapped in a dead corner with nowhere to dodge.
Damn it…
Xu Qiaoxi's breath came in ragged gasps, her voice tinged with a delicate, bashful shyness.
"…Fine, right here."
"My lord's body is hot—let your concubine first remove your robes for you."
Hearing this, Wen Shuo's heart was sweetened as if drenched in honey. He tilted his chin up and happily kissed the side of Xu Qiaoxi's neck.
Three thin incense sticks burned with bright red embers, purple smoke curling upward. Wang Mu'ai inserted them into the incense burner before the memorial tablets, slightly lower than the three sticks her elder brother had placed just before.
The memorial tablet of Master Kong Jing stood within the shrine. Wang Yizhi gazed at it and slowly spoke: "Why did you bring the young lady here?"
"Are you showing off? Showing off that you share a deep history with Lingjia that she knows nothing of?"
Wang Mu'ai's hand had not even had time to withdraw from offering the incense when her brother's words struck her heart like a thunderbolt.
She turned around, her eyes veiled with bewildered sorrow.
"It's too hard."
"Brother, it's really too hard."
Her slender fingers twisted together in anguish, then slowly released, and finally her right hand pressed against her own chest.
"Seeing the two of them together—even just talking, or smiling at each other—my heart feels like it's wrapped in a wet garment, cold and damp. It's unbearable."
"I never imagined enduring this pain would be so hard—so hard that I can't do it."
Only by separating them could her heart find temporary relief.
"You can do it."
Wang Yizhi still stared at the master's memorial tablet, as if forcing himself to ignore his sister's grief.
"This is the bearing and dignity expected of a woman of the Wang family. You can certainly do it."
"But brother…"
"Mu'ai," Wang Yizhi's gaze fell upon her face, calm to the point of coldness. "Born into a great aristocratic clan, there are some things that must be given up."
Such as personal feelings, temper, favoritism… all those extraneous things that sprouted forth—they should not exist.
"If you indulge your emotions and act selfishly, what merit would you have to enjoy Jade Grains and Golden Algae, and the offerings of ten thousand households?"
Two streams of tears rolled down Wang Mu'ai's cheeks, but they had already gone cold. The self-pity in her eyes gradually faded, restoring their clarity and lucidity.
"Yes, brother."
Wang Yizhi approached her, and with practiced familiarity, gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, speaking softly as he had when caring for her in childhood.
"You may cry in front of your brother. After you've cried, Mu'ai is still the finest young lady of the Wang family."
Once Wang Mu'ai's expression had calmed to the point of showing no further trace of disturbance, Wang Yizhi led her back to the side hall that housed the White Jade Guanshiyin.
But before they even drew near, they heard the sounds of a scuffle from within.
Wang Yizhi sensed something was wrong and rushed into the hall in quick strides. There he saw Wen Shuo, from his cheeks to his neck, covered in melted red candle wax, his mouth twitching in pain.
His eyes were wide with fury, one hand gripping Xu Qiaoxi's arm while the other frantically clawed at the wax dripping down his chest. He was completely deranged, having lost all composure, cursing hatefully: "You dare throw candles at this young lord! I'll fucking kill you!"
Xu Qiaoxi pretended to soothe him, and while helping him out of his robes, she circled around to the candlestand, grabbed a burning red candle, and hurled it at him—one after another, four candles in total.
She was about to flee, but unfortunately Wen Shuo was, after all, a man with greater physical strength. He seized her arm in an instant. Xu Qiaoxi was terrified out of her wits. She closed her eyes and, clenching her fists, wildly struck at Wen Shuo's burned areas.
The two of them were thoroughly locked in chaos.
Wang Yizhi froze in place for a moment, recognizing that Wen Shuo was under the influence of Five Minerals Powder. He immediately rushed forward, seized Wen Shuo's wrist, and forced him to release Xu Qiaoxi, while using his own body to separate the two.
"Madam, stop! If you keep hitting him, he'll die!"
He called out to his servant outside: "Shupo! Quickly escort Young Master Wen back to the Chuija Bieyuan, then report to Situ Wen."
A tall, thin young boy hurried in, followed by three or four others, and together they surrounded Wen Shuo and escorted him out.
Wen Shuo was still cursing and grumbling. Xu Qiaoxi's eyes were bloodshot, her pupils bright, bursting with fury and wildness.
Ignoring Wang Yizhi blocking her path, she shoved him aside with both hands, charged forward, and kicked Wen Shuo's calf in the chaos.
"Go to hell, you bastard!"
"Get lost!"
Xie Jilian stood on the steps outside the hall, witnessing exactly this scene.
He hadn't truly intended to give Xu Qiaoxi to Wen Shuo. Since childhood, anything that belonged to him—even if smashed to pieces, shattered, or thrown to the ground and trampled—was never given to another.
He had only used Wen Shuo to wake her up, to make her understand that aside from Qianshan Chunting, she had nowhere else to turn.
But Xu Qiaoxi hadn't yielded to Wen Shuo. Instead, she bit down like a little wolf dog, refusing to let go, giving Xie Jilian no chance to come to her rescue.
Her usual round face, with its gentle, obedient sweetness, was completely gone, replaced by a blazing fury.
Like the brightest flame, scorching hot enough to burn everything to ashes.
The crowd escorting Wen Shuo brushed past him, and Xie Jilian paid them no mind. Wang Mu'ai stood guard outside the hall door, her face pale with fright—he ignored her too.
His legs carried him involuntarily into the hall, where he witnessed Wang Yizhi wrapping his arms around Xu Qiaoxi to calm her down, only to be shaken off.
Hah.
Even Young Master Wang was being rejected.
Xie Jilian suppressed the smile tugging at his lips, his expression shifting to one of innocent surprise, as if it were all just an accident.
"Qiaoxi, what happened here?"
He reached out, intending to steady Xu Qiaoxi, whose body was swaying precariously.
Smack.
The back of Xie Jilian's hand went numb.
She had slapped his hand away too.
Xu Qiaoxi's breathing was uneven, her eyes vacant as she stared at the smooth bluestone floor tiles, looking at none of them.
The rage surged to her head, making it ache, but more than that, she felt clear-headed. She felt as though she had never had a moment like this before—as if the world had turned translucent, and she could see every one of them clearly.
Men. Men. Still men.
Whatever their flower-like beauty, their radiant divine glow—they were all nothing but a pack of despicable creatures.
"Ugh—"
Her stomach convulsed, and Xu Qiaoxi vomited in front of everyone.
The mutton soup noodles Lu Yun had fed her that morning, and the three rice cakes with plum sauce she'd eaten while checking books—all of it came up now, pale yellow fluid splattering onto the bluestone floor, right beside the red candle wax that had dripped on the ground.
Extremely unseemly.
But the moment the sour liquid rushed through her throat, Xu Qiaoxi felt like a living person sealed in a coffin who had just broken through the wooden planks to breathe again.
A vengeful sort of relief.
"Qiaoxi, let's go back and have the physician look at you…" Xie Jilian reached out once more, but Xu Qiaoxi straightened up and flung her hand away, refusing to let him touch her.
A flicker of panic passed through Xie Jilian's mind, unnoticed even by himself.
It was Wang Mu'ai who finally broke the stalemate among the three, entering from outside the hall.
Her shoulders trembled slightly; she was still shaken from the earlier fright, but she walked toward Xu Qiaoxi nonetheless.
"Madam has suffered a shock and is in a very bad state right now. Why not let her stay with me for a few days to recuperate? We are both women—she'll feel more at ease."
Wang Mu'ai took hold of Xu Qiaoxi's sleeve. "I'll stay with you. Don't be afraid."
Only upon hearing those words did a film of moisture rise in Xu Qiaoxi's eyes, stinging them.
She nodded, allowing Wang Mu'ai to lead her away from this godforsaken place.
Once they were in the carriage and Wang Mu'ai had shut the door, Xu Qiaoxi finally burst into loud sobs, startling Wang Mu'ai.
She covered her face with both hands, crying as hard as she possibly could.
As if the sound of her weeping could shatter this world, and she could go home.
Xie Jilian stood alone in the side hall for a long time. Wang Yizhi suggested the two of them go together to the Chuija Bieyuan to see Situ Wen, expecting that Wen Shuo would still be throwing a massive tantrum.
But Xie Jilian seemed to have lost his soul, standing motionless before the statue of Guangshiyin. Even when Wang Yizhi left in resignation, he didn't turn his head.
The daylight gradually faded, dark clouds gathered, and there was no sunset. In an instant, the blue-green curtains throughout the hall seemed to come alive in the dim light, becoming drifting, swelling ghosts that leaned against every door and pillar, the pearl strands like white light severing the ghosts' waists.
And Guangshiyin was the master of all the ghosts in the hall.
Xie Jilian touched the jade knee, cold as well water in the depths of a well.
Was Xu Qiaoxi being crushed here?
Why wouldn't she even have him?
Had Wen Shuo said something he shouldn't have to her?
Did she… know he was a bad person?
…
The drifting ghosts ran into Xie Jilian's heart, sneering as they tore at his heart, crazily tossing his soul back and forth.
After a long while, Xie Jilian raised his eyes to ask Guangshiyin.
"Give me an answer."
Guangshiyin was silent.
Those eyes, carved from jade, were blind—they could not see Xie Jilian's unease.
There was no answer, and the ghosts in his heart howled even louder, wind shrieking and thunder roaring.
Xie Jilian knew—they were laughing at him.
He instinctively stepped back from the statue, only to land directly in what Xu Qiaoxi had vomited.
Filthy.
Xie Jilian retreated again, trying to stay as far from the mess as possible. But with each step he took, the yellow-white stains followed his movements.
Blossom after blossom, blooming with every step.
The accumulated fluids from Xu Qiaoxi's organs trailed after him. She wasn't there, yet still clung to him—all the more unsettling for being formless.
Xie Jilian's temples throbbed with pain.
He couldn't stay here any longer.
Mustering his resolve, he fled Baojia Temple as if escaping, returning to Qianshan Chunting where he collapsed into bed, burying himself in pillows and blankets, seeking sleep as his grave.
In the haze between waking and dreaming, Xu Qiaoxi's furious expression surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
Wrestling with a man, she hadn't gained the upper hand—her hair slipping loose, hairpins sliding out, rouge and lipstick smeared across her face.
And yet…
In her most disheveled, most filthy, most untamably wild moment, he felt she was in full bloom.
She was vivid in her disarray, struggling through her filth, breathing fragilely within her untamed wildness.
Xie Jilian forgot to breathe, his heart squeezing into a numb ache, as if thousands upon thousands of fine needles pierced it.
Was this the feeling Wen Shuo had spoken of?
Sour and swollen, numb and itchy, stabbing and painful… He turned over and sat up, gasping for air. He hadn't been asleep, yet it felt like waking from a nightmare.
"Yu Pu!"
"Prepare the carriage!"
"Master, it's already the second watch—curfew is in effect. Besides, the wind has picked up outside; there's likely to be heavy rain tonight…"
Yu Pu stumbled in, rubbing his eyes to report, barely steady on his feet from being roused so suddenly—but his master had already dashed out like the wind.
At the main gate of Qingzhou Xiaoye, the urgent clatter of bronze door rings suddenly broke the night.
The gatekeeper servant raised his lantern and cracked the door open. Recognizing the arrival, he immediately said respectfully, "Master."
He turned and called into the courtyard: "The master has returned!"
Lanterns beneath the eaves lit up one by one, and Wang Mu'ai came running from the corridor.
"Brother! I thought you weren't coming back tonight."
Wang Yizhi smiled bitterly. "Indeed, I nearly didn't. Beiyuan's injuries are severe—he took the Powder and then suffered a scalding. Situ Wen won't be easy to appease. I had no choice but to return first and discuss matters with Lingjia tomorrow."
No sooner had he spoken than a crackling night rain scattered down like scattered pearls, and in the blink of an eye, curtains of rain hung beneath the lantern light.
This was the first rain of summer.
Wang Yizhi stood beneath the eaves to admire the rain, asking his sister, "How is the young lady?"
Wang Mu'ai shook her head, her heart tightening. "Not well at all. She cried for a long time, hasn't touched food or water, and won't even drink the calming soup. I could only hang two soothing sachets by her bed—she's cried herself to sleep now."
It was the first time she'd known that a young woman could wail so heartbreakingly, could abandon all restraint, could possess such fierce spirit.
Wang Mu'ai looked up at the rain, all her thoughts fixed on Xu Qiaoxi.
"Bang bang bang—"
Suddenly, fierce pounding came at the gate behind her, so violent it seemed the door would be smashed in.
She flinched, hiding behind her brother. "Wh-wh-who is it?"
Curfew was in effect; anyone caught walking the city at night without cause would be guilty of "breaking curfew" and subject to flogging. No one in Luoyang dared violate this.
With such ferocious force, it was likely a Hu bandit from the north.
Wang Yizhi immediately ordered his attendants to fetch his longsword, took his position behind the door, and had the servant open it.
As the double doors swung open, a gale swept in carrying rain, and a layer of water droplets instantly condensed on his sword, sliding off one by one.
And outside the door, Xie Jilian stood with ink-black hair loose, wearing only a velvet brocade cloak, barefoot in wooden clogs, utterly heedless of the bitter wind and rain. He asked in a cold voice:
"Where is she?"
"Lian has come to take her home."