Someone on the roof?
When had they arrived? Why hadn’t she sensed it at all? Had she simply been too on edge?
An image of Baili Weisheng’s gentle, clean-featured face immediately flashed through Ziqing’s mind, and her heart leapt with secret delight—what impeccable timing this fellow had. She instinctively moved to get up.
But Jun Beiyue tightened his grip on her hand, murmuring, “Do you remember what I just told you?”
Ziqing didn’t answer, trying to rise again, but Jun Beiyue held her down domineeringly, gripping only her hand yet somehow rendering her completely immobile.
“Han Ziqing, this king wasn’t joking with you,” he finally said, his voice deepening. She had to admit, that cold, stern tone of his—how she’d missed it.
Ziqing couldn’t help wanting to say, “Jun Beiyue, now this is more like you. As for that person just now, I don’t know who it is.”
Unfortunately, bold as she normally was, she didn’t quite have the nerve for that right now, and simply murmured a flat, “Mm.”
“What does ‘mm’ mean?” Jun Beiyue asked again, a teasing smile playing at his lips, though the tips of his ears twitched slightly, keeping constant watch on the movement above the roof.
“It means I understand,” Ziqing answered.
“Doesn’t it mean you agree?” Jun Beiyue pressed. At these words, Ziqing felt her face burn crimson from her neck upward, her usual sharp tongue suddenly failing her, unsure how to respond.
“Hm?” Jun Beiyue seemed determined to get to the bottom of it.
Ziqing lay back, staring up at the ceiling, brows furrowing, and let out another soft “mm.”
“Is that ‘mm’ agreeing, or not agreeing?” Jun Beiyue pressed further.
Finally, Ziqing’s previously steady breathing grew ragged, and her other hand suddenly swung out, trying to break free of Jun Beiyue’s grip, only to be caught by him as well!
Only then did he open his eyes, tilting his head to look at her, a soft smile crossing his face, his dark eyes brimming with an affection so thick it seemed almost impossible to dissolve. “Silly girl.”
With that, he pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand before releasing her. “Go on, then. Be careful.”
The person on the roof had been sitting there all this while, apparently having come specifically for Ziqing—who could it be?
Aside from the Gu clan, they had no friends here at all. Could it possibly be someone who had come from the Longyuan continent?
Ziqing was acutely aware of the color currently flushing her face, not daring to meet Jun Beiyue’s eyes at all, and hurried off in a rush.
The moment she got out of bed, she stamped her foot in frustration without thinking, and that irritated little gesture had Jun Beiyue struggling to hold back laughter, though he closed his eyes and took a good while before his expression returned to its usual peaceful, sleeping calm.
But the moment Ziqing reached the rooftop, her heart stilled at once—she had assumed it would be Baili Weisheng, but never expected… it was him!
For some reason, every time she saw this man, she felt an urge to retreat—not fear exactly, nor quite rejection either, just an inexplicable urge to avoid him.
He sat there in the corner of the roof, as always empty-handed, the Wuzheng zither strapped to his back, his three thousand silver hair and snow-white robes fluttering in the wind, disheveling that silent, achingly beautiful face.
She stood at the opposite corner of the roof, gazing at him from a distance, finally speaking first. “Young Master Xuanyuan, is there something you need?”
He gave a light, faint smile, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “I just came to see… how far along you’d gotten with Lishang.”
“I’m exactly at the hundredth volume. Was there anything else?” Ziqing said flatly.
“Do you know how many volumes Lishang has in total?” Xuanyuan Lige asked again.
“Nine hundred and ninety-nine volumes in total. Three days and three nights wouldn’t be enough time to finish playing it all,” Ziqing answered. The score was in her hands, and she had long since memorized it thoroughly—but perhaps that was precisely the marvel of Lishang: even with the score memorized down to the last note, no matter how skilled the player, one could never play it perfectly without a single wrong note on the first try!
Every single volume required intense, painstaking practice before it could be played properly, and even once the notes themselves were played with perfect precision, that still wasn’t enough to convey the true emotion behind it!
One had to invest a great deal of thought and effort into truly understanding the intent the composer had hidden within the melody.
“I’d love… to hear you play a piece,” Xuanyuan Lige said flatly.
Ziqing avoided his eyes and issued an order to leave. “Young Master Xuanyuan, if there’s nothing else, please go. The Gu clan doesn’t welcome outsiders wandering in as they please.”
“Aren’t you going to ask why I’ve come to Liuxian at all?” Xuanyuan Lige said, laughing instead. Though he was unwilling to believe it, he knew this foolish girl would probably treat him with this same cold indifference for the rest of her life.
What a pity. If only they had met earlier, how much better things might have been.
“It’s none of my concern. Go, or I won’t be polite about it,” Ziqing said coldly, unconsciously glancing downward.
“I’ve come for the sake of music. Liuxian Isle’s once-every-fifteen-years music gathering is about to begin. Girl, I’ll be waiting for you,” Xuanyuan Lige said, and suddenly smiled—that ever-silent face, when it smiled, seemed like a blue lotus slowly blooming in the darkness of night, so serene and beautiful.
A music gathering?
Ziqing was about to ask further, but he lightly tapped his toes and, in an instant, leapt backward into the air, vanishing into the distance!
She’d practically told him to leave—of course he had to go, didn’t he?
In truth… he really wasn’t used to intruding uninvited like this, even less used to lingering when unwelcome.
The moment she opened her mouth, he would leave.
Ziqing watched silently as that receding figure vanished into the darkness, an inexplicable emptiness settling in her heart. Had this fellow really come all this way just to say those few sentences?
Had he come specifically for this, or just passing through—was there really nothing else?
She couldn’t make sense of it. Returning to the rooftop, she found Jun Beiyue already lounging lazily against the bed, toying idly with a small porcelain vial in his hand.
Before he could even ask, Ziqing obediently spoke up. “It was Xuanyuan Lige.”
“What did he want?” A flicker of displeasure crossed Jun Beiyue’s eyes, impossible to hide.
Ziqing understood—anyone this man regarded as a rival couldn’t possibly be simple.
Should she be even more resolute in cutting ties with him, next time?
“He said he’ll wait for me at the music gathering—he seems to have come by invitation!” The music gathering must be a major event on Liuxian Isle; Baili Weisheng had mentioned coming for it as well, earlier.
Jun Beiyue said nothing, seemingly lost in thought. Ziqing glanced at the Wuzheng zither that had been sitting off to the side this whole time, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Let’s give the Wuzheng back to him!”
He had gifted her the zither, had come here because of the zither. If she meant to sever ties completely, the only way was to return this instrument, this feeling, along with it!
Long, long ago, she had told Xuanyuan Lige that she couldn’t set aside their respective positions to simply be friends, fellow musicians. He had said he could.
But that was a matter between the two of them, wasn’t it?
She was afraid—afraid that if she didn’t cut ties decisively now, one day she might grow used to his presence, and then, should they ever meet on a battlefield, she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to act without mercy.
“No need. The Wuzheng was never really his to begin with. The music gathering is an opportunity—go win it back yourself,” Jun Beiyue said seriously.
“What exactly is this music gathering…” Ziqing was about to ask, when suddenly a knock sounded at the door. It was Yingzi. “Your Highness, the patriarch requests your presence at the east wing—says there’s an important matter to discuss.”
“Go on, we’ll talk when you’re back!” Jun Beiyue handed the porcelain vial to Ziqing, giving her a meaningful look. Ziqing immediately understood and turned to leave at once!
Taking only Yingzi with her, she hurried toward the east wing. Being summoned so early in the morning surely meant it was no small matter.
But before long, Guxi came chasing after her. “Master, a letter! From Prince Baxian!”
Ziqing stopped in her tracks at once. It had been so long since she’d left Great Zhou—this was the first letter she’d received, and she had no idea how things were faring over there.
But the moment she opened it, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing!
Yingzi and Guxi both looked at her with suspicion, not daring to say anything. Having served her for so long now, they genuinely felt this mistress of theirs was even harder to read than Prince Yao himself.
“Guxi, come with me. Yingzi, your master is awake—give him this letter and let him decide,” Ziqing said with a smile, stuffing the letter into Yingzi’s hands before turning to leave, in excellent spirits.
But Yingzi simply stood there, stunned. What had Her Highness just said?
…