Walking through Jianye City to view the flowers.
Lotus bloomed in the painted waters, and Mochou Lake overflowed; mulberry trees, water plants, and flower fragrance mingled with the aroma of wine and tea that lingered in the air.
With her face covered by the muli veil, nestling against the young lord’s chest, the flying silk flowed like water, and the night scenery before her eyes was like a glass world held up by clouds and mist. The trees blazed with lights and silver flowers under the never-darkening sky. When the fine horse beneath galloped faster, her body instinctively pressed back into the young lord’s embrace, and thus her billowing clothes and cloud-like sleeves merged with his essence.
Luo Lingyu: “…So fast!”
Lu Yun laughed softly.
Hair brushing against her face, she heard his heart beating powerfully in his chest, and his low, wine-like intoxicating laughter.
Just watching, listening, and feeling this way, Luo Lingyu’s cheeks lowered, her face growing redder, her heart beating faster and faster… She saw the rapidly flowing world around them, rainbow bridges and tall buildings, vermillion railings, and colorful banisters. Long pillars were decorated with colored ribbons, and shops were even selling clay figurines. In this era there was no curfew, no strict separation between men and women, and on Double Seventh Night, young men and ladies traversed the alleys, lovers everywhere, shoulders rubbing against each other.
On the main road, one horse galloped past like lightning, and the men and women on the street looked up to see the fine steed racing by, the white-robed young lord tightly embracing a lotus-clothed lady. The muli veil, used to block wind and dust, had been transmitted from the Northern Kingdom to the Southern Kingdom. The South didn’t need such hats for protection against windborne sand, but noble ladies found them exquisite and interesting, so they adorned them with pearls and jade. Now all passersby knew that a lady wearing a muli must be from a scholarly family.
As commoners looked up, they caught glimpses of the lady’s beautiful features through the lifted silk, her black hair, and snow-white cheeks. In that brief glimpse, as the lamplight struck her face, she was like a startling wild swan’s reflection, stunning all who saw her. When others saw the young lord’s handsome features, they also drew in soft breaths.
The Double Seventh alleys were crowded with people, with beggars and vagrants mixed among them. In the crowd were two of Luo Lingyu’s old acquaintances: a middle-aged man and a young lord who had stopped her carriage asking for alms when she was heading to Danyang County from the outskirts. After several days, these two vagrants’ lives hadn’t improved at all, and they still wandered through crowds begging for money and food, which was quite strange in itself.
Unfortunately, due to the war in the north, the Jianye court was in disorder, and no one had the energy to investigate these vagrants.
When the muli veil lifted at one corner, the middle-aged man recognized the kingdom-toppling beauty beneath it. His eyes fixed instantly, and he stepped forward nimbly, drawling casually: “Ah, isn’t this beauty that… Quick! Let’s stop her and ask for food, beg her to take us in, follow her… Oh, no!”
His eyes suddenly contracted, and he didn’t finish speaking. As the horse’s hooves passed, raising dust, while people scattered to make way, he saw the young lord riding the horse, his profile as elegant as a landscape painting, equally memorable. This middle-aged man had been in Jianye for almost half a month, and he recognized this famous “Jade Lord” Third Young Master Lu. The lady might be kind enough to provide food, drink, and shelter, but Third Young Master Lu’s reputation wasn’t quite so kind.
The middle-aged man stroked his chin, regretfully abandoning his thought of joining in: “I wanted to look after Beauty Luo, but who knew Third Young Master Lu would be there too? What a disappointment.”
Third Young Master Lu’s reputation was too great to risk provoking.
Turning his head, seeing the young lord behind him still wearing an almost numb expression of calm, the middle-aged man disguised as a vagrant became angry and kicked the youth’s bottom: “What are you looking at? Never seen a beauty before? What should we be doing?!”
The Southern Kingdom was wealthy, but its scholars were unrestrained, fond of luxury and fighting. The South’s military strength was inherently inferior to the North’s, which was why the Northern war could continue to preoccupy Jianye. While the Southern court was busy with this, they hadn’t completely prevented people from mixing in with the vagrants. These individuals mingled in Jianye without registered residences or households, making it difficult for officials to investigate. These people were numerous, hiding along the paper-and-gold-drowned Qinhuai River, silently accumulating strength, just waiting for the right moment…
The middle-aged man cursed as he dragged the silent youth back into the crowd. The youth looked back in the direction the riders had gone—that lady was truly the most beautiful he had ever seen in his life.
However, what they had to do was… The youth pressed his lips together, and the middle-aged man slapped his ear again. The youth’s eyes filled with killing intent, his body tensed, fists clenched tight, as he struggled to suppress the desire to kill this middle-aged man.
Unaware of the episode with the two vagrants, Lu Yun led Luo Lingyu straight out of the city and into the outskirts. The further they went from the city, the dimmer the lights became. By Mount Zhong, everything was pitch black, with occasional beast howls from the dark depths, wolf-fire and ghost-fire faintly following the pair.
Luo Lingyu trembled: “Lu-Lu-Lu Yun! There are wolves… Ah!”
As they passed through the forest, wolf eyes glowed green, and from the rustling surroundings, several black wolves leaped out from behind the trees. Sharp wolf claws and dripping saliva swept toward them like a fierce wind… Luo Lingyu’s heart pounded violently, and face-to-face with the black wolves, her muli veil was blown partly open, revealing her snow-white face. Then Lu Yun yanked the reins hard, squeezing the horse’s belly. He put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle—
The clear sound filled heaven and earth!
The horse’s front hooves leaped up, snorting hot breath, and under Lu Yun’s superior horsemanship, the horse carried the pair high into the air. They crossed between tree branches and flower stems! They passed by the wolves that had lunged at them with raised claws! When the horse touched the ground, Lu Yun reined it into a sharp turn, and the wild wolves pursuing from their flank missed again!
Luo Lingyu’s heart raced as she grabbed his hand: “Lu Yun!”
But he rode on, helping her dodge more attacks from beasts in the darkness.
The horse’s speed constantly changed, its direction continuously shifting. Leaves rustled between two rows of trees, and fierce winds pursued the pair!
After shaking off those strange beasts, Lu Yun looked down at the delicate beauty in his arms. According to his impression of women, in such deliberately dangerous circumstances, delicate beauties should all be pale-faced, crying and whimpering in their lord’s embrace. Lu Yun despised other women crying in his arms, but Luo Lingyu… Sometimes he very much wanted to see her cry, to see her show terror before him.
Luo Lingyu clutched his arm, her long nails leaving red marks on the back of his hand. She trembled: “Brother Xuecian, you’re so frightening!”
Lu Yun lowered his eyes, and through the muli veil, his teasing smile froze as he saw the lady’s brightly shining black eyes.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, her eyes like autumn waters, enchanting, yet above those waters, flames danced fiercely!
…This was not a look of fear.
…This was a look of excitement.
Clearly not afraid, clearly excited to the extreme, yet still pretending to be frightened and delicate, Luo Lingyu was really… Lu Yun felt both annoyed at his presumption and admiration for her wild nature. Lu Yun reached through the silk veil, somewhat affectionately giving her nose a light pinch.
Lu Yun chuckled: “Mischievous one.”
Luo Lingyu blushed, snuggling closer into his embrace—Lu Yun’s voice held laughter, and though he spoke politely, she knew his character and knew he had seen through her act.
Sometimes she was quite troubled: why could Lu Yun always see through her pretense at a glance?
It made her somewhat embarrassed, making it hard to continue the performance.
Later on the mountain path, they encountered no more beasts, but the horse splashed through flowers hanging in mid-air and trampled through glowing fireflies in the reed marshes. Summer fireflies scattered brilliantly, awakened by the horse’s hooves, pursuing this handsome man and beautiful woman. Crossing mountains and fording streams, the mountain path was treacherous. Mount Zhong’s night scenery gradually cleared, far from the mundane world, with the Milky Way above like fishtails swaying in water. As they climbed higher, the horse galloped faster, the crafty path winding and circling, with gentle firefly light on all sides, like flowing years of water.
At some point, Luo Lingyu had removed her muli veil. Her beautiful face and bright eyes gazed at the beauty of heaven and earth. Then she looked back at Lu Yun.
The young lord’s expression was aloof.
But she gazed more and more intently.
Lu Yun looked down.
Their gazes entangled in the air, frozen in silence. The air was sultry, the surroundings quiet, feelings neither here nor there, like a suppressed volcano, like the Heavenly River rushing forth. That fragrance between their lips, that fresh scent of the woods. Heads lowering and raising, wanting to draw closer, yet hesitating. Enchanted by him (her), yet wanting him (her) to bow first. Lips and noses barely touching, eyes growing brighter—
“Flutter flutter!” Only when birds in the mountain forest flew up with beating wings did this pair startle awake.
…
The devout couple tied their horse outside the temple before entering the Kaishan Temple through the small back mountain gate together. On this Double Seventh Night, there weren’t many couples coming to the temple for trysts. When Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu entered, there were few people about, allowing Luo Lingyu, who held her muli veil and didn’t want to be recognized, to breathe a sigh of relief.
Lu Yun spoke concisely: “Which master did you request the talisman from? Let’s go find them.”
Luo Lingyu: “No, wait! How can we enter the temple without giving an offering? Brother Xuecian, let’s go worship the Bodhisattvas and Buddha.”
Lu Yun glanced at her: “…I’m giving the offering?”
Luo Lingyu pouted and punched his waist: “What are you saying? Am I the kind of person to take advantage of you? Besides, I know Brother Xuecian doesn’t carry money when he goes out.”
How clever Lu Yun was, not falling for her trick at all, asking teasingly: “You mean to use the money from those account books I gave you earlier?”
Luo Lingyu’s face reddened at his words, but she insisted strongly: “It’s money I earned for you! I should get some dividends!”
Lu Yun made an “oh” sound and walked with her. After walking for a while, he asked again: “So what did you pray for?”
Luo Lingyu: “For a good marriage…”
Lu Yun: “…”
He said: “A good marriage includes but is not limited to me, right?”
Lu Yun was incredulous as he pulled her back, pinching her face and bending down to ask fiercely: “You use my money to make offerings, and the marriage you pray for might not even be with me… Little Sister Lingyu, how can you be so thick-skinned?”
Luo Lingyu’s face hurt from his pinching, and she moaned, covering her face: “Stop pinching my face, it hurts…”
…
The young man bent down to tease the lady, forcing her to step backward.
Chen Xiu, Miss Chen who had come to the temple alone to worship Buddha without a lover, stood behind a pine tree, watching Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu in a daze. This was the first time Chen Xiu had seen Third Young Master Lu being so frivolous in teasing a lady.
She heard him joke with that lady: “Do you remember your wish to be a dodder flower back then?”
That lady said softly: “I still want to be…”
Lu Yun then said: “I advise you to give up. With your restless nature, you could never be a dodder flower in this life.”
Luo Lingyu was embarrassed and angry, pinching his waist hard and saying loudly: “I want to! It’s none of your business!”
The slender-waisted, full-bosomed lady turned and left, with Lu Yun chasing after her.
Chen Xiu stood under the tree, bewildered.
Her maid whispered: “My lady, shall we go?”
Chen Xiu was silent, then bit her lip and said: “No, I need to see clearly.”
She was an extremely stubborn person—she couldn’t give up without seeing it with her own eyes.
She had to see if Lu Yun truly liked that cousin of his from the countryside.