The moment Ming Zhu said this, Chu Wujiu, who had been about to leave, slipped and nearly fell off the wall. His face finally lost its previous composed, effortless expression, revealing a hint of indescribable panic.
What did she say?
Gu Congshan's reaction was even greater than his. Upon hearing this, he abandoned his chaotic thoughts and charged forward in large strides, raising his hand to block Ming Zhu.
Gu Congshan looked at Chu Wujiu with hostile, wary eyes. He had thought, from listening to him speak earlier, that he was a reasonable and good man—who would have thought he was such a shameless scoundrel with ill intentions!
Even A’He forgot her disappointment for a moment and stared at Chu Wujiu in shock.
So he was that kind of person?
"No, that's not it!" Chu Wujiu was thrown into utter disarray. This was the first time he had ever been accused of such a thing.
Hearing Chu Wujiu deny it, Ming Zhu tilted her head from behind Gu Congshan: "Wasn't it you following behind us the whole way?"
She had noticed? Chu Wujiu was momentarily speechless. That shouldn't be possible…
He lowered his gaze to study Ming Zhu, a hint of deep thought appearing in his eyes. It seemed she truly harbored secrets—otherwise, there was no way she could have detected his movements.
But this moment of silence seemed to confirm Ming Zhu's words, and Gu Congshan immediately erupted: "So you really are a lecher!"
"Get down here!" He rolled up his sleeves at Chu Wujiu. Today, he was going to teach this lecher a proper lesson!
"You can't beat him," Ming Zhu said calmly from behind Gu Congshan.
The thought was noble, but reality was cruel.
Even Ming Zhu herself had no confidence in dealing with Chu Wujiu, because she couldn't see anything when she looked at him.
Gu Congshan, who had been rolling up his sleeves, paused mid-motion.
Since Ming Zhu said so, it was most likely true, but… was he supposed to just let this lecher go?!
"Misunderstanding, a misunderstanding," Chu Wujiu said awkwardly.
Having recovered from the shock of being called a stalker, his brain worked furiously until he finally came up with an excuse to defend himself: "I was invited by the Jiang Clan to attend the Spring Banquet in Pingxiang Town, which is why I'm at the Jiang residence at this time. As for traveling the same road as you all, I imagine it was merely a coincidence."
Though he wasn't yet a guest of the Jiang Clan, for Chu Wujiu, becoming their guest wasn't a difficult matter at all.
It wasn't that he was willing to lie—it was just that telling a small lie was better than being taken for a lecher. Chu Wujiu swore he had no such intentions; he had merely been driven by a bit of superfluous curiosity.
Seeing that his expression was sincere enough, Gu Congshan hesitated. Could it really have been a misunderstanding?
Over the past few years, he had traveled around the vicinity of Pingxiang Town and had even attended the Spring Banquet festivities before. At the very least, what Chu Wujiu said about the Spring Banquet wasn't false.
Counting the days, it did seem to be about the time of year when Pingxiang Town held its annual Spring Banquet.
"Spring Banquet?" Ming Zhu, who had never heard of such a thing, looked up at Chu Wujiu. "What is that?"
The Spring Banquet was a grand event in Pingxiang Town, jointly hosted by the powerful clans and noble families of the town, who would hold a banquet and competition in the spring.
In the current age, where nurturing talented retainers had become the fashion across the Nine Provinces, this Spring Banquet served both as a display of one's own strength and as an opportunity for the powerful clans and noble families to recruit retainers and expand their influence.
The competitions at the Spring Banquet were not limited to spells and the Martial Path—there were also elegant arts such as qin and chess. The victors could receive rewards such as cultivation manuals, spirit tools, and alchemical pills.
Chu Wujiu glanced at the silk cloth on the stone table, taking in the intricate circuits traced in charcoal. Another person might not have realized what they were, but he needed only a single look to recognize them as the restriction spells laid over the Jiang Clan's estate.
However, to master such restriction spells, knowing their form alone was insufficient—one also needed a thorough understanding of the spellcraft's essential principles.
"To recruit retainers, the Spring Banquet will see many of Pingxiang's powerful clans offering cultivation manuals as prizes. If you're interested, miss, you're welcome to attend and test your skill."
The Spring Banquet imposed no restrictions—even those not personally invited by Pingxiang's great clans could participate in the competitions. It was precisely for this reason that the Spring Banquet had earned its renown, serving the purpose of recruiting retainers for these powerful families.
As Chu Wujiu had expected, interest indeed flickered in Ming Zhu's eyes.
She was deeply curious about the restriction spells laid over the Jiang Clan's estate and wished to know what rune formations truly were. But with her limited cultivation base and no formal master, Gu Congshan clearly could not resolve her questions.
Now, the Spring Banquet that Chu Wujiu had mentioned seemed to offer her a chance to find answers.
"Alright." Ming Zhu looked up at him. "I understand."
She may well have noticed the probing hidden within Chu Wujiu's words, but she paid it no mind. For one raised in the mountains and forests like Ming Zhu, she had always cared only about her own goals.
"You want to go to the Spring Banquet?" Gu Congshan caught her intent and hesitated a moment before speaking weakly. "Are you really not worried about the Zhangsun Clan…"
If that young lord of the Zhangsun Clan was narrow-minded, Ming Zhu's earlier words might well have offended him. These great clans had many means at their disposal if they wished to settle scores with someone—perhaps they should flee while they still could.
Chu Wujiu laughed softly at this. "Daoist brother need not worry so much. That maidservant of the Zhangsun Clan is likely even less eager than you are for her master to learn what happened today."
If Yunxiu had come on Zhangsun Heng's orders, she would not have left in such a huff. The fact that she behaved that way could only mean she had acted behind Zhangsun Heng's back.
If she reported this matter to Zhangsun Heng, it would undoubtedly expose her incompetence. She might gain the satisfaction of seeing Ming Zhu punished, but she herself would not come out ahead.
Chu Wujiu thought she was probably not so reckless a person—otherwise, she would not have chosen to back down earlier.
Really? Gu Congshan was only half-convinced, but he did feel somewhat lighter at heart because of his words.
Feeling he had said all that needed saying, Chu Wujiu smiled, raised his hand in a polite salute to Ming Zhu, and vanished from the top of the wall.
Gu Congshan looked around but could no longer see even a trace of him. Truly elusive, that one. "Who exactly is he?"
"I don't know," Ming Zhu replied.
"Then when did you notice him?"
If Ming Zhu hadn't mentioned it, Gu Congshan would never have detected the man's presence at all.
"Two days after we left Zhuxi Village," Ming Zhu answered—if her instincts were correct.
But whether it was truly as Chu Wujiu claimed—that he was merely traveling to Pingxiang for the Spring Banquet and had happened to share their route—Ming Zhu had no way of judging.
Still, she did not dwell on the matter further. What interested her now was the Spring Banquet Chu Wujiu had mentioned.
As for Gu Congshan, even with Chu Wujiu's reassurances, he spent the better part of the day with his heart in his throat, worrying that the young lord of the Zhangsun Clan might send someone to make trouble.
He worried and fretted, and as the night deepened, he finally lay down on the bed with a heavy heart. He had meant to continue brooding for a while longer, but drowsiness quickly overtook him, and he fell fast asleep, sprawled out in all directions.
Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the Jiang Clan estate—not the outer courtyard reserved for guests, but since Zhangsun Heng was no ordinary visitor, the Jiang Clan had, upon asking his preference, specially arranged for his party to stay in the most secluded and tranquil courtyard on that side.
In the dead of night, the Talisman Lamps hanging beneath the eaves lit up, illuminating the deep darkness without need of candles.
In the main hall, Zhangsun Heng knelt before a low table. He set down the Jade Slip that had carried his message, then looked at the unfinished chess game before him and raised his hand to place a white stone.
The board glowed faintly. Black and white pieces crisscrossed over it in a formation threaded with hidden killing intent.
Zhangsun Heng raised his hand in a gesture, and the maidservant behind him immediately stepped forward. He instructed, "Send this game to the Jiang Clan."
He had agreed to attend the Jiang Clan’s Spring Banquet, but since he could no longer go, he offered this chess game as a gift in his stead.
"If anyone can break this formation, give this scroll of Formation Essentials to that person," Zhangsun Heng said, casually producing another rolled Jade Slip.
This unfinished game was something he had come across in an ancient text. Unless one's cultivation base surpassed his own, anyone who could solve it would surely possess remarkable talent in the art of formations. This scroll of Formation Essentials would not be wasted on such a person.
Early the next morning, Gu Congshan learned from the Jiang Clan's servants that Zhangsun Heng would be leaving the following day. The entire Jiang household was now bustling about, preparing to see him off.
The Spring Banquet in Pingxiang Town was five days away. He had come for that very occasion, yet now he was leaving early, and no one knew why.
Even within the Jiang Clan, not everyone knew the reason, but given Zhangsun Heng's status, whatever he wished to do, he had no need to explain himself to them.
Upon hearing this news, the heavy stone in Gu Congshan's heart finally settled. Since he was leaving anyway, it seemed yesterday's matter could be put to rest.
He did not notice that beside him, A’He’s expression had grown somewhat dazed after hearing his words.
No longer needing to worry about the Zhangsun Clan making trouble, Gu Congshan had originally planned to take A’He to search for her relatives today, but she said she was feeling unwell.
Then they could wait a little longer…
Gu Congshan looked at A’He hesitantly. "Should I have a physician come take a look?"
Having been treated several times by the Jiang Clan's physicians—and pricked quite thoroughly in the process—Gu Congshan had struck up something of a friendship with them.
A’He quickly shook her head. "I'll be fine after I lie down for a while."
Gu Congshan watched her retreating figure as she headed back to her room, sensing her low spirits but unable to make heads or tails of it.
What's wrong with her?
The young lord of the Zhangsun Clan is leaving…
Back in her room, A’He sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly.
Her hand brushed over the fine silk spread across the bed, then wandered to the elegant furnishings throughout the inner chamber, her eyes revealing a longing she herself did not recognize.
What Miss Ming Zhu did not want was everything A’He dreamed of.
If Miss Ming Zhu had no need of it, why couldn’t A’He have it?
As night fell quietly, the sound of a door sliding open broke the silence. A’He, head bowed, crept carefully out of her room, her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.
She had lost her parents at a very young age, leaving only her and her grandmother to depend on each other. Their livelihood came solely from two meager acres of thin farmland.
From the time she was old enough to understand, A’He had begun learning to work alongside her grandmother—from drawing water and gathering firewood, to lighting fires and cooking meals. They could not afford to miss the farming season, so she and her grandmother pushed a borrowed wooden plow through the fields, stumbling step by step. The weather was not yet hot, but sweat had already soaked through their clothes.
Two acres of thin farmland yielded just enough to keep them fed. Only during festivals and New Year would Grandmother buy some meat and malt candy—that was the happiest time of A’He's year.
She knew Grandmother had done her best to treat her well, but sometimes, watching the neighbor girls in their new clothes and red hair ties, she couldn't help but feel envious.
Why did she have nothing?
It wasn't until she came to the Jiang Clan that A’He learned that even the maidservants of a great noble house could live a life she'd never dared to dream of before.
So this was possible.
And so…
If Miss Ming Zhu didn't want it, then let her have it!
A’He's steps grew faster and faster, her usually timid gaze showing a determination in the night that had never been there before.
Just this once, she wanted to fight for something for herself!
On the pear tree, a pair of eyes silently watched her departing figure.
When dawn came and Gu Congshan woke to find A’He gone, he couldn't locate her and asked Ming Zhu, "Did you see where A’He went?"
"She left in the night," Ming Zhu replied.
"Left?" Gu Congshan was bewildered. "Where to?"
Where could she possibly go in the middle of the night?
"To the Zhangsun Clan."
Hearing Ming Zhu's answer, Gu Congshan didn't understand: "What is she going to the Zhangsun Clan for?"
The moment the words left his mouth, realization struck him.
"She wants to enter the Zhangsun Clan as a maidservant?" Gu Congshan looked at Ming Zhu. "Didn't you stop her?"
"Why would I stop her?" Ming Zhu asked in return.
Gu Congshan paused, scratching his head. "Didn't you think that being someone's maidservant wasn't a good thing?"
Ming Zhu rolled up the silk scroll covered in charcoal marks. "That's just me."
She had no intention of forcing her own views onto others. Though she didn't understand why A’He wanted to become someone's servant, where one went and what one did was ultimately that person's own freedom.
"You don't blame her?"
"Blame her for what?" Ming Zhu asked, puzzled.
Gu Congshan looked at her and smiled. "Nothing."
Coming from the same humble origins, Gu Congshan could understand A’He's choice. Perhaps for her, becoming a maidservant to the Zhangsun Clan truly was the best possible path forward.
After a moment of reflection, Gu Congshan looked at Ming Zhu with a face full of paternal affection—but unfortunately, she couldn't appreciate what he was feeling and only found his expression utterly bizarre, silently edging away from him.