Meng Jianqing’s group returned to Golden Rooster Fort near noon. He had Lin Butou summon several village constables to go up the mountain and bury the masked men’s corpses on the spot, then transport the bodies of the three fallen Imperial Guards down the mountain. Lin Butou would be responsible for taking them back to Yingtian by water route and reporting all expenses to the Imperial Guard headquarters.

Now only three people remained in the room: himself, Yun Yanjiao, and You Youfu, who lay wounded on the ground.

You Youfu was bound tightly with iron caltrops, twisted on the ground with no part of his body able to stretch. Meng Jianqing had deliberately pushed over a grand master’s chair, seated himself opposite, and extended his left foot to brace against the chair, pinning You Youfu between the chair and the wall, unable to move. Without even beginning torture, he already felt that maintaining this contorted position was extremely uncomfortable, as if all the blood in his body had gone stagnant.

Yun Yanjiao waited patiently for Meng Jianqing to signal that the interrogation could begin.

Now that they had returned to Golden Rooster Fort, Meng Jianqing seemed to have reverted to the composed, thoughtful demeanor she had originally known.

She had always wondered how someone like Meng Jianqing, who thought three steps ahead with each move, could master such fierce, ruthless, and relentlessly advancing Yan family blade techniques.

But after last night, she was beginning to understand.

Ever since setting foot on the Central Plains, she had seen many such young men. They had different faces, different talents, and different backgrounds, yet they all shared the same sharp ambition and aggressive determination, single-mindedly striving to carve out their path to glory in this era that rose like the morning sun.

No matter how modest or ordinary their outward appearance, it couldn’t change their inner ambition and desire.

Meng Jianqing was undoubtedly among the best of them.

How far did he want to go before being satisfied?

You Youfu began groaning in pain.

Only then did Meng Jianqing slowly say, “Your companion has already been thrown into the charcoal kiln by the charcoal burners. You, too, cannot escape death. However, Miss Yun can choose how you die.”

He stood up and dragged away the grand master’s chair. You Youfu eagerly rolled his body, and even though the iron caltrops pierced him and he began bleeding again, his face showed an expression of immense relief.

Meng Jianqing stepped back, and Yun Yanjiao approached, crouching down to carefully examine You Youfu. She said softly, “I think you know who I am and what I want to do. I hope you can answer my questions truthfully.”

The smile on You Youfu’s face turned bitter.

Of course he knew who Yun Yanjiao was and what she wanted to do—probably no one in all of central Fujian didn’t know.

This was precisely the source of his pain and inner conflict.

He didn’t want to betray his master, but he also couldn’t face with equanimity a disciple of the immortal sea mountains that protected countless relatives of theirs.

Yun Yanjiao’s gaze was gentle as a spring breeze, compassionate as Mazu.

Mazu…

If it were Mazu’s will, could he speak of everything without a burden on his heart?

Meng Jianqing silently watched Yun Yanjiao’s beautiful silhouette with her long hair flowing down, noting the conflicted expression changing on You Youfu’s face.

Yun Yanjiao possessed a gentle quality that easily won others’ trust. Even though he had witnessed her thunderous methods just last night, he had still unhesitatingly entrusted his back’s defense to her in the next battle. Thinking back on it afterward, he couldn’t help but find it surprising—it seemed he had once done the same with Li Keji.

Was this a shared trait among disciples of the immortal sea mountains?

Now he saw the trust involuntarily emerging on You Youfu’s face.

More importantly, he knew that Yun Yanjiao was worthy of trust, because what kind of person she was and what she intended to do lay plainly before you. There were no conspiracies to trap people in desperate situations, no calculating schemes that changed with the wind. She had only one clear goal from which she never wavered.

Though she often employed various deceptive methods—like now, certainly using some kind of soul-capturing technique to control You Youfu’s mind—thinking about it afterward, these methods were actually like harmless little jokes, making it difficult to bear ill will toward her.

Even after You Youfu regained consciousness and realized he had been under mental control, he probably couldn’t truly hate Yun Yanjiao. Wasn’t what Yun Yanjiao wanted to accomplish also something he had dreamed of? He was controlled by the hidden desires deep in his own heart, not by Yun Yanjiao’s mesmerizing eyes.

Meng Jianqing suddenly realized he shouldn’t remain here. The Imperial Guard’s flying fish robes must be quite jarring to You Youfu’s eyes and would certainly intensify his resistance.

He quietly withdrew and closed the door.

An hour later, Yun Yanjiao finally emerged, thanking him and taking her leave.

Meng Jianqing leaned against a corridor pillar, pondering for a moment before saying: “If you need manpower assistance, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Yun Yanjiao was slightly startled and said, “If Meng Xiaowei could lend a hand, that would naturally be better. This way, I wouldn’t need to spend time gathering personnel.”

After all, long nights brought many dreams—anything could happen.

She then added, “I hope this won’t delay Meng Xiaowei’s official duties.”

Meng Jianqing smiled and said calmly: “My official duties—they’re probably already finished.”

He didn’t explain, and Yun Yanjiao didn’t press.

Meng Jianqing escorted Yun Yanjiao and the ship blueprints she carried out of the mountains before taking his leave. Yun Yanran had already received word and came to meet them, inevitably thanking Meng Jianqing again. Meng Jianqing replied that serving the country was an official duty and his responsibility. Rather, Brother Yun and Miss Yun had worked very hard this time.

Yun Yanjiao stood to the side, watching the two men earnestly exchange pleasantries, and couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips.

During their conversation, Yun Yanran seemingly casually mentioned that among many suitors, Long Yan had finally chosen Chen Liuru. When they returned to Quanzhou this time, they could attend what would surely be a magnificently grand wedding. Unfortunately, Brother Meng had to return to the capital to report, so he couldn’t feast his eyes on the spectacle.

This meant Meng Jianqing could safely withdraw the Imperial Guards monitoring Chen Liuru.

At the same time, he thought Chen Liuru was truly talented—able to discover the secretly monitoring Imperial Guards, understand why he was being watched, and even find someone with authority to handle the matter through Yun Yanran, solving the problem without making waves. With Long Yan gaining such a fine son-in-law, people probably needn’t worry anymore about whether the Long family would decline in her hands.

The Yun siblings needed to hurry back to Quanzhou, while Meng Jianqing had to return to Yingtian to report. They would part ways here.

As they were about to separate, seeing that Yun Yanjiao had already boarded the ship first, Meng Jianqing suddenly said quietly to Yun Yanran, who was cupping his hands in farewell: “Brother Yun, if I were to seek your sister’s hand in marriage, do you think she would agree?”

Yun Yanran’s hands immediately froze in place.

Standing at the ship’s bow, Yun Yanjiao noticed her brother’s strange expression and looked over in confusion.

Yun Yanran steadied himself. Actually, from the time he first met Meng Jianqing, he had been consciously and unconsciously observing this impressive young man, sometimes even considering this possibility. After all, there weren’t many young men who could catch his discerning eye.

But having Meng Jianqing bring it up still felt unexpected and sudden.

Meng Jianqing continued: “I believe Brother Yun and your sister will stay in Quanzhou for some time. I hope Brother Yun will consider this matter. I will ask my father to come to Quanzhou as soon as possible to formally propose.”

Yun Yanran had calmed down by now and gazed at Meng Jianqing: “You’ve known us for quite some time. I want to know why you suddenly have this idea.”

Yun Yanjiao’s dazzling beauty didn’t seem to greatly affect Meng Jianqing. The heritage and family background of the immortal sea mountains was hard to say whether it would be fortune or misfortune for Meng Jianqing, who served in the Imperial Guard—Shen Guangli might not be pleased to see his subordinate have such a powerful, uncontrollable wife’s family.

A trace of confusion crossed Meng Jianqing’s face. After a long while, he finally answered: “Perhaps it’s because I’ve only now discovered that I can trust her.”

This wasn’t a particularly good answer, but it was honest.

For people like them, trusting someone was truly too difficult.

The Yun siblings stood at the ship’s bow, watching Meng Jianqing lead his men back into the dense forest. Yun Yanran turned his head: “Ah Jiao, what do you think?”

Yun Yanjiao remained silent, her face also bearing the same trace of confusion.

From the beginning, Meng Jianqing had never been confused by her beauty and had always respected her talent and abilities. Moreover, for people like them, even more precious was the unhesitating trust he gave her.

His impact on her exceeded all other suitors.

Now this person, who had unknowingly touched her heart, was proposing marriage to her.

She should feel happy, so why did she feel melancholy and lost instead?

She had gradually noticed him precisely because he had never been like those other, perhaps equally outstanding young men, becoming infatuated and losing control of himself before her such beauty.

But why couldn’t she help hoping that Meng Jianqing would also have such a day in front of her? Or at least, just once?

Afterword

1. The custom of charcoal burners in central Fujian worshipping Chen Lao Xianggong—its origins are unknown, but it was still prevalent at least until the Republican period.
2. The reason for naming this epilogue “Peach Blossom Spring” is that even in the deepest recesses of the mountains, there should be no way to avoid the Qin. The power of the state is omnipresent; the utopian Peach Blossom Spring is, after all, only a dream. This is the great tide that no one can escape.