That person wore enchanting red robes, tall and graceful. From afar, they possessed both feminine charm and masculine elegance, weaving together an androgynous allure.
Only today their robes were particularly loose, like a flying red banner fluttering on the dark boat.
Their appearance was sudden, their killing technique extremely vicious. Before the door opened, silver light had already arrived—faintly recognizable as the silver chain drawn from beneath the red lantern during the fight with Ren Qingjia at the Blazing Flame Gang last time. Long and snow-bright, while the person was still at the door, the silver chain had already descended overhead.
Bai Yuan, not yet steady on his feet, gave a cold laugh. Pale gold radiance appeared and vanished as he grasped the chain. Instantly, the front section of the silver chain had turned to silver powder.
Bai Yuan smiled carelessly, about to cast aside the now-useless silver chain. The chain trembled under that throw, and from its middle section, a fire-red object whooshed out!
Bang! It struck Bai Yuan’s chest!
Extremely close distance, extremely fierce momentum—anyone would find it hard to dodge!
Moreover, Yu Zixi had burst out extremely fast and suddenly. Bai Yuan originally had no time to steady himself.
Red light flashed, and Bai Yuan fell!
Yu Zixi immediately approached silently. From within fire-colored sleeves extended jade-white palms, striking Bai Yuan’s chest!
Bai Yuan spat a mouthful of fresh blood skyward, falling from the ship’s bow like a broken kite into the water.
Yu Zixi leaped into the water without hesitation, pursuing relentlessly until death.
This battle lasted mere moments—chain out, palm up, palm struck, fell into water. In just the time of an eyelid’s opening and closing, the battle was decided. Bai Yuan had been struck and fallen from the ship.
Where Bai Yuan fell into the water was already near shore, beside that muddy marsh filled with floating grass. Chu Feihuan swam over like an arrow. Before drawing close, he saw water currents churning below, with red liquid emerging in clusters. Chu Feihuan dove underwater to see Yu Zixi turning around triumphantly, waving at him while dragging a corpse.
That corpse was tall and slender, wearing pale gold robes—vaguely Bai Yuan indeed, only from face to neck, all had been burned beyond recognition by Yu Zixi’s domineering hidden weapon, difficult to identify.
Chu Feihuan was stunned—Bai Yuan was dead?
This peerless strongman who had single-handedly broken through ten thousand troops, wounded countless, kidnapped Qin Chang Ge all the way down the mountain, and nearly killed all three of them in one stroke—had died so easily?
Although Bai Yuan had fought a great battle with himself in the water, with no leverage, relying solely on true qi to cross the great lake, by the time he persisted to reach the ship, his true qi must have been at its weakest, not yet recovered. At that moment, anyone who grasped the timing properly could have struck him down in one blow. Yu Zixi’s method of killing him was also precise, fierce, and reasonable. Yet Chu Feihuan still felt somewhat bewildered—this unparalleled master he had never encountered in his lifetime, this powerful enemy he had pursued from mountain to underwater, was actually dead.
He slowly sank down, carefully examining that corpse several times. The body’s shape and outline were undoubtedly Bai Yuan’s.
Yu Zixi made a gesture indicating poor water skills and needing to leave first, then smiled while dragging the corpse upward. Chu Feihuan was still thinking underwater. Being underwater was the same as being on land for him, so he slowly strolled along the lake bottom. Suddenly he saw a crystalline light flash ahead.
Chu Feihuan went over and picked up the object, discovering it was a small crystal pendant shaped like a crystal bottle. Within the bottle, faint snow-like flecks floated, looking like heavy snow descending from heaven, covering mountains and rivers.
Chu Feihuan picked up the crystal pendant, looking up to see the iron-black ship bottom overhead.
Thoughtfully, he tucked the crystal pendant into his clothes.
Qin Chang Ge, Xiao Jue, Xia Houjue, and the naval forces had been tensely watching where Bai Yuan and Yu Zixi had fallen into the water.
When the water surface “splashed” up crystal walls and Yu Zixi appeared with features like new lotus blooming on water, dragging behind the pale gold-robed corpse, ten thousand troops cheered thunderously.
Xiao Jue and Qin Chang Ge exchanged glances. Qin Chang Ge slowly smiled and went to the boat’s rail to squeeze water from her hair.
Xiao Jue stepped forward, declaring loudly: “Thank you, Prince Jing’an, for eliminating this villain and raising our military prestige!”
Yu Zixi’s black hair scattered in the water. His water-soaked features appeared even more vivid and beautiful as he smiled: “This is merely this subject’s duty—I dare not accept Your Majesty’s thanks.”
He dragged Bai Yuan’s corpse back to the boat, asking how it should be handled. Xiao Jue gazed at the corpse for a long while, saying with emotion: “This person was a generation’s hero, holding high position in his country. His posthumous body should not be insulted—bury him properly.”
Then he continued: “When pursuing Bai Yuan earlier, cold arrows came from behind, and there were ambushes underwater. I fear Eastern Yan remnants still lurk in these surroundings—Xia Hou.”
Xia Houjue stepped forward to receive orders. Xiao Jue said: “The Shanduying should not withdraw today. Carefully search the surroundings and report any movement immediately.”
Xia Hou departed with orders. Xiao Jue smiled and took Yu Zixi’s arm: “Return to the cabin to change clothes, then accompany me to the palace. In a few days I will personally host a banquet to celebrate your merit, with rewards for you.”
Yu Zixi blinked: “Your Majesty, since we’re celebrating merit, why wait several days? This subject happens to want drink today—let palace wine serve as this subject’s reward.”
He smiled and waved to surrounding soldiers, declaring loudly: “The villain is dead! You all worked hard today. When this prince receives His Majesty’s gracious gift, I’ll bring palace wine to get drunk with all officers and men.”
Immediately cheers arose from all sides. Xiao Jue paused, then said: “Since you’re in the mood, naturally you should have it.”
Yu Zixi went to the cabin to change clothes. At this time Chu Feihuan had also boarded, exchanging glances with Qin Chang Ge. Chu Feihuan shook his head very lightly.
Xia Houjue looked at Qin Chang Ge with some confusion. Xiao Jue smiled: “That’s Grand Tutor Zhao, secretly harmed and disguised by the thief—no wonder you don’t recognize him.”
Xia Houjue realized: “So Your Majesty’s earlier words about kidnapping our pillar minister referred to the Grand Tutor. This subject was puzzled then. This thief was truly deranged—his crimes deserve a hundred deaths.”
Then he ordered men to collect Bai Yuan’s corpse and search these waters. During the waiting period, Qin Chang Ge went to examine Bai Yuan’s body, finding her belongings still in his clothes. She retrieved them one by one, then returned to the cabin to find and put back on the Grand Tutor’s mask.
Soon various troops reported finding no human traces. Xiao Jue was unwilling to give up: “Search again.”
They waited until evening with still no results. Qin Chang Ge and Xiao Jue exchanged glances, then looked at Yu Zixi, who had been leaning against the boat rail singing little tunes with a smile. Seeing the sky had darkened, Xiao Jue could only order their return.
They went ashore and returned. When boarding carriages at the foot of Lishan’s mountain path, Qin Chang Ge asked the arriving Imperial Guard Deputy Commander: “Were all the noble ladies safely escorted?”
He respectfully confirmed this. Qin Chang Ge looked at him: “Any abnormalities?”
He shook his head. Qin Chang Ge frowned, looking back at him: “Think again.”
The deputy commander secretly wiped sweat and racked his brains. After a long while: “There really wasn’t anything, only Princess Xiang from Prince Jing’an’s mansion—her sedan stopped halfway. The princess said it was stuffy inside and wanted air.”
Qin Chang Ge’s hand about to lift the curtain paused: “Oh? She came out?”
“She came out, then went back in after a moment. This subordinate personally saw the princess being helped into the sedan by servants.”
“Throughout, the princess was there?”
“Throughout—the sedan curtains were open, and the princess’s figure was always faintly visible.”
Qin Chang Ge pondered slightly: “What color clothes was the princess wearing today?”
The deputy commander thought: “Yellow robes.”
Qin Chang Ge paused, nodding: “You’ve worked hard. You may go.”
After a pause, she added: “Within several dozen li around here, and the passages from the capital suburbs to the outer city—from now on, carefully search these areas for me.”
Watching the deputy commander leave with orders, Qin Chang Ge raised her head, gazing at the burned-out reed marsh ahead, letting out a long sigh.
Returning to the city, Qin Chang Ge sent Xiao Jue back to the palace, telling him to focus on entertaining Yu Zixi. Xiao Jue initially refused, saying she should also attend Yu Zixi’s meal. Qin Chang Ge immediately held her head and complained that Bai Yuan had tormented her these past days, leaving her spirits poor and needing catch-up sleep. Xiao Jue reluctantly let go.
Naturally Baozi clung to his mother, following her back to the Grand Tutor’s mansion. In the study, Qin Chang Ge held Baozi while carefully examining the crystal pendant Chu Feihuan handed over, frowning: “It seems like a woman’s item.”
After thinking, she continued: “Feihuan, we needn’t beat around the bush. Both of us have doubts about that corpse, but I just asked—Yu Zixi came today to fetch his sister, waiting at Li Lake shore. Halfway he boarded the boat and rested in the cabin throughout, never leaving. From when he went underwater to when you arrived was almost instantaneous. When you arrived, Bai Yuan was already a corpse. If the dead one wasn’t Bai Yuan, then who spirited the person away? What kind of person could lurk underwater so long? Assuming it was Princess Xiang, how did she escape to reach underwater? Assuming Bai Yuan was rescued, where is he? The vast Li Lake, hundreds of naval vessels—I ordered them all searched, but there were no results.”
She casually dipped into the bean paste from Baozi’s bean paste bun and began drawing diagrams: “Look, that boat’s position, where Bai Yuan fell into water, where you encountered Yu Zixi. With your water skills, you weren’t far from that boat then—you could say you reached there almost instantly, right?”
Chu Feihuan nodded. In the lamplight his features were snow-white, almost transparent, exquisitely heart-stopping. His voice was also cool and calm as jade: “Where I encountered him was exactly where Bai Yuan fell into water. I arrived very quickly—he had no time for trickery.”
“The problem lies here.” Qin Chang Ge frowned. “You know I’ve always had Huang Meng subordinates tracking Yu Zixi, never discovering his contacts with anyone. This time was the same—Yu Zixi came on horseback, Princess Xiang only brought a few maidservants, her eighteen guards stopped across Li Lake and never moved. Only Yu Zixi himself, at most plus Princess Xiang, but these two were always in everyone’s sight. Neither had much time to wait underwater for rescue, and with both in different places, no one passing information—how could they coordinate timing so perfectly and seamlessly? How did they do it? I thought all the way back but couldn’t figure it out… Could I really be wrong in my suspicions?”
Chu Feihuan smiled gently, patting her head: “If you can’t figure it out, don’t think about it. Why torment your brain? These past days weren’t comfortable, were they? Rest early.”
Qin Chang Ge leaned back, looking toward the opposite direction, saying leisurely: “Do you think… Bai Yuan might be hiding in plain sight, right across from us?”
After thinking again: “No, Yu Zixi understands me. He wouldn’t play such tricks before me. Today’s most helpless point was his ‘personally killing the enemy’ before ten thousand troops—we couldn’t act. Unfortunately, today Deputy Commander Zhang went to monitor the descending crowds. If it had been Xia Houjue, with his careful nature, he might have discovered some clues.”
Sighing slightly, Qin Chang Ge said: “Huang Meng has mobilized entirely. A’Jue has also ordered hidden guards to cooperate with Shanduying in city-wide searches. I must trap Bai Yuan within Yingdu’s borders. Such a person remaining is ultimately a disaster.”
Baozi nuzzled in his mother’s arms, saying impatiently: “Finished talking? When you’re done, scratch my itch—I’m allergic today.”
“Allergic to what?” Qin Chang Ge paused, turning Baozi’s face to look, indeed discovering small water blisters around his chin.
Chu Feihuan couldn’t help smiling, telling Qin Chang Ge about Baozi’s powder-eating exploits during the day. Qin Chang Ge laughed heartily: “That’s what you get for random rubbing—mixing rouge and powder on your face, of course you’d be allergic.”
Baozi hugged his mother’s neck, saying happily: “Good thing you don’t have that bad habit. Your face has none of those scary things—it’s the most fragrant—right, godfather?”
He suddenly turned to ask Chu Feihuan. Both immediately froze. Chu Feihuan’s face immediately flushed red. Qin Chang Ge, remembering the underwater kiss, immediately coughed non-stop, saying awkwardly: “Always talking nonsense! Go to sleep!”
Driving away that little rascal with his mysterious eyes and shameless expression, Qin Chang Ge and Chu Feihuan momentarily dared not meet each other’s eyes. Qin Chang Ge randomly grabbed a paper and wrote several words: “Feihuan, please trouble yourself to investigate this family’s whereabouts…”
Chu Feihuan’s gaze fell on the paper, saying in astonishment: “Him?”
Deep in the night, wind arose, making all the wind-extinguishing lanterns under the doors of high buildings in East An Street’s noble quarter flicker and sway, casting confused shadows.
Distant night market prosperity and clamor carried midnight street fragrances of cosmetics, flowers, and food, blown by wind to every corner of the city. Reaching these high-walled, deep-courtyarded, particularly solemn gateways, they had gradually weakened into murmuring whispers, making this street extraordinarily quiet.
Qin Chang Ge crouched on the stone lion’s head opposite Prince Jing’an’s mansion, boredly cracking melon seeds under the trembling lantern held by the mansion’s servants.
Soon a pile of seed shells accumulated on the ground.
It was already midnight—hadn’t Yu Zixi finished his wine yet?
From the depths of the broad green stone street ahead, two flickering red lights suddenly appeared.
An eight-bearer sedan landed. Yu Zixi in jade crown and brocade robes emerged from the sedan with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. His upturned, seductive eye corners held spring dream charm, while his temples and eyebrows, tinged with intoxicating wine fragrance, spread even more alluring grace.
Seeing Qin Chang Ge, he showed no surprise, slowly strolling over. He grabbed a handful of melon seeds from Qin Chang Ge’s palm, leaning against the stone lion to slowly crack them, smiling: “Your melon seeds aren’t good. Next time I’ll have someone bring several boxes of delicious ones from my Huazhou estate—guaranteed you’ll slap your mouth rather than throw them away after eating.”
Qin Chang Ge glanced at him: “Your Highness is too stingy—just giving a few boxes of melon seeds?”
“Then what do you want? Want me as a person?” Yu Zixi smiled lightly, lowering his body until his face nearly touched her lips. His already loose outer robe dropped further due to this movement, snow-white skin faintly visible. Qin Chang Ge need only glance down to see this enchanting prince completely.
Qin Chang Ge’s eyes also honestly and rudely glanced, lowering her head slightly to brush past the lips he deliberately brought close, while pulling at his clothes to peer inside, smiling: “Your Highness’s appearance is truly fine, but unfortunately one cannot see what color that heart inside is.”
“Naturally the same color as yours.” Yu Zixi steadied her shoulder, chuckling softly. “So what do you want?”
“To find you for drinks.” Qin Chang Ge patted the wine jug behind her. “Your Highness’s back garden—you wouldn’t mind lending it for moon-viewing and flower-appreciation? Of course, if beauties are hidden there, this humble one wouldn’t spoil the mood.”
“Drinking?” Yu Zixi’s squinting expression became increasingly fox-like. “I’ve long looked forward to drinking and conversing happily with you.”
Prince Jing’an’s back garden had always sparked much imagination in Yingdu citizens’ minds. Some said it was full of dog shit—the excrement of prime ministers, censors, generals, and ministers. Others said it was all mirrors, because the narcissistic, beautiful Prince Jing’an daily asked mirrors: “Who in all Xiliang is most beautiful?” Some said it was grass, all grass, because the prince was too beautiful—flowers seeing the prince all died of shame.
However, when Qin Chang Ge first entered Prince Jing’an’s back garden, she saw none of these imagined objects.
Ice and snow.
Ice and snow covering heaven and earth.
No pavilions or towers, no flowers, grass, or trees, no artificial hills or rocks, none of the carved urns and eave decorations all princely mansions would have, nothing fitting Yu Zixi’s refined, enchanting temperament in design or architecture.
Here was only vast whiteness and crudely imitated artificial hills. The hills had no elegant style—just earthen mounds. Moreover, all ground and hills were covered with accumulated snow, even condensed with ice crystals, flashing with cold, forest-like chill under the clear, cold moonlight.
Qin Chang Ge stood frozen there. In that instant, two words rumbled through her heart: “Red River.”
This layout, scenery, feeling seemed exactly like the Red River within the polar ice circles.
But it was mid-spring April, the year’s most brilliant season—where would ice and snow come from?
Qin Chang Ge slowly approached. Though those white mountains and waters emitted no cold, her heart suddenly gave birth to cool, mournful feelings.
Looking carefully, she discovered those ice crystals were all crystal, those accumulated snows all crushed silver.
A cold, forest-like back garden worth ten thousand gold.
Standing within this artificial Red River ice circle, amid the vast white earth’s true cleanliness, Qin Chang Ge’s mind suddenly became ethereal, suddenly touching a point of that mysterious person’s countless thoughts.
Ice circles—indeed ice circles.
Since her rebirth, even seemingly before her previous life’s death, Yu Zixi had been particularly concerned with ice circles. This seemed a long-standing prophecy in Yu Zixi’s life—he feared and avoided it yet constantly remembered it, so much so that his back garden, never opened to anyone, was actually a miniature ice circle.
Why couldn’t he forget ice circles? Why remember them so deeply that even in his own home, he had to replicate one identically?
Turning around to look at Yu Zixi leaning in the garden doorway, his expression was distant and vacant, tinged with sadness, but instantly cleaned up the moment she looked back.
Qin Chang Ge looked into his eyes, tentatively taking a step toward the center of that imitated ice circle’s ice layer. Yu Zixi immediately said: “Don’t go there—it’s hollow.”
He came over to take her hand, walking to sit on a small mound. Qin Chang Ge took out wine, shaking it while asking: “Red River Fierce Fire Brew—dare you drink it?”
Yu Zixi smiled, extending his hand to take both wine jugs from Qin Chang Ge, tossing one to her: “Wine that’s passed through my hands—dare you drink it?”
Qin Chang Ge grinned: “Then let’s see who can poison whom to death… flower fox.”
Her last three words were spoken extremely softly.
Across from her, Yu Zixi’s hand pulling the wine jug cork suddenly trembled lightly, then matter-of-factly pulled out the cork as if he hadn’t heard that sudden address at all. He raised the jug toward her, tilted his head back and drank.
Qin Chang Ge slowly brought the jug to her mouth. The ice-cold wine liquid entering made her entire body shiver, but when it reached her lower abdomen, it burned hotly all the way down, like a line of fire blazingly streaming through her whole body, or like a mass of fierce fire exploding with a bang deep in her organs, dizzily and ardently throwing her onto clouds.
In the burning heat, she thought coldly: Why did he pretend not to hear?
Flower fox… flower fox.
Back when Qin Chang Ge wasn’t yet empress and Yu Zixi wasn’t yet Prince Jing’an, during their life-and-death struggles and blood-soaked empire-building together, they never had good addresses for each other.
He called her mother scorpion; she called him flower fox.
He said she had a belly full of bad schemes, endless methods, ruthlessly poisonous—a mother scorpion who brought death to whoever touched her.
She said he had feminine features with masculine nature, crafty and treacherous, smiling while concealing daggers, killing like hemp—more beautiful than women, dressing more enchantingly than women, a living smiling flower fox.
Then she was sixteen, he seventeen.
He was the only close friend Xiao Jue himself brought after Qin Chang Ge began assisting Xiao Jue. Qin Chang Ge remembered that morning stepping over frost on stone bridge pavements. Outside the small city by the creek, Xiao Jue suddenly reined in his horse, pointing his whip ahead while smiling: “Chang Ge, let me introduce someone to you.”
In the creek, under sunlight, the red-robed youth washing his feet turned around. In that moment, water waves stopped flowing and sunlight stood still, enchanting fragrance floating and dispersing in autumn wind.
A countenance beautiful as dancing butterflies for all eternity.
He was Xiao Jue’s childhood friend, yet even Xiao Jue didn’t know his origins. Only one day during an outing, they met, got along, liked each other—his eyes brightening as he claimed him as confidant, while the other lazily made do with considering him friend. When he said he was going to war and bid farewell, the other said warfare was fun and he’d go mix in too. He thought someone so lazy and rebellious would surely tire of military discipline and flee, but the other accompanied him from common soldier to deputy to general until becoming his founding minister. When he told him he loved Chang Ge, the other spaced out, then scornfully said he’d known all along, adding that women were the most troublesome things, better never encountered.
His whole life like flowing clouds, fierce fire, swaying uncertain wind—never seeming like one who’d settle in one place, yet he always kept this cloud, this wind, this fire tied around Xiliang’s imperial family.
These were all things Xiao Jue told Qin Chang Ge, once joking whether he also liked Chang Ge, hence willing to serve. Chang Ge had laughed loudly then, saying nonsense—if Yu Zixi truly liked someone, he absolutely wouldn’t care whether you were superior or friend, he’d absolutely unhesitatingly strike and snatch.
Not lovers, but friendship forged through killing and conquering the world together. That call of “flower fox”—under heaven, besides Xiao Jue, herself, and him, no one else knew.
…
Qin Chang Ge slowly raised her wine jug, looking at the flickering eyes of the person before her.
Over ten years of wind, frost, blood, and fire, eight thousand li of smoke-filled battles—those places like Youzhou, Red River, Yunzhou, Pingzhou, Dingyang, Dezhou… those battlefields flowing with blood, those calls of “flower fox” filled with mockery and sarcasm—I don’t believe you would forget.
Yu Zixi.
Why do you pretend not to hear?