The young man in dark blue riding attire caught the flag, dismounted with a leap, and landed gracefully on the ground in a way that left onlookers amazed.

The stable master, being generous, handed the purple jade whip to Xiao Jue and praised, “Young Master has excellent skills. In recent years’ Wind Catching events, you’re the fastest to capture the flag!”

Cui Yuezhi couldn’t help but clap his hands, “Huanqing, before you arrived, I heard your adoptive father had found you a martial arts master. Now I see that master truly put his heart into teaching you. Such skills are rare even in Jiyang City.”

Xiao Jue nodded with a smile, “Uncle, you’re too kind.”

He Yi thought to herself that Cui Yuezhi didn’t know that what Xiao Jue had just displayed was him holding back. If he had truly competed at full strength, it would have shocked everyone to their core and risked exposing his identity.

While she was lost in thought, Xiao Jue walked over and tossed the purple jade whip into her arms.

He Yi was startled by this favor, “Th-thank you.”

She felt that today’s Xiao Jue was very different. He seemed particularly approachable and kind-hearted.

But unable to put her finger on why, He Yi shook her head.

“Now that we have the purple jade whip,” Concubine Wei said with a smile, “Why don’t we go watch the riverside ceremony? It’s very lively, and you can receive offerings blessed by the Water God. If you eat the blessed offerings and bathe in the sacred water, you’ll be blessed with good fortune throughout the coming year.”

Cui Yuezhi slapped his forehead, “Right, right, right, I almost forgot about that. Huanqing, and Yuyan, you should both go and seek good omens! How can we come to the Water God Festival without attending the Water God ceremony?”

He Yi was puzzled about what the Water God ceremony entailed, but unable to decline such earnest hospitality, she followed the group toward the canal. As they approached, they saw a large clearing near the canal where a circular platform had been erected. On it, many people wearing masks were singing and dancing. It seemed to be Jiyang folk music with a cheerful melody, and people of all ages were participating, creating a festive atmosphere.

Just as they stopped, a woman’s voice called out, “Official Cui.”

Looking over, they saw Lady Ling Xiu from the Ceremonial Office, who had played the zither at the Cui residence a few days ago. Beside her stood Yan Miner, who was looking their way with obvious hostility.

Ling Xiu was dressed in her finest today, wearing the pink form-fitting long dress and short boots favored by Jiyang women. Her long hair was braided into delicate plaits, giving her an air of gentle playfulness. She smiled sweetly and said, “I just arrived here with Miner and happened to meet Official Cui. What a wonderful coincidence. It must be fate.”

Cui Yuezhi smiled, “Xiu’er, Miner, where are your parents?”

“Father and Mother are on the boat. Miner and I are walking around with our servants and guards, wanting to see the ceremony and collect some offerings to take back.” Her gaze fell on Xiao Jue, but he only looked toward the ceremonial platform, not sparing her a single glance. A flash of darkness crossed Ling Xiu’s heart.

She and Yan Miner had first spotted Xiao Jue not here, but earlier at the horse grounds during the Wind Catching event. The young man’s bearing was as elegant as the moon, stunningly beautiful. The image of him catching the flag with that slight smile was instantly etched in one’s heart, impossible to forget. Yet such a man had shown off in front of everyone merely to win a whip that woman liked.

Ling Xiu was consumed with jealousy.

She was beautiful, talented, and of noble birth. Countless young talents in Jiyang City admired her, but she looked down on them all. Then one day this man appeared who surpassed everyone in the city, but unfortunately, he was already married and showed such devotion to his seemingly ordinary wife. If at first, she was merely angry at Xiao Jue’s indifference toward her, after several encounters, Ling Xiu had come to hate He Yi as well.

If not for Wen Yuyan, if she had been the one to meet Qiao Huanqing first… the outcome wouldn’t have been like this. What was so good about that woman? Qiao Huanqing must have been blinded to mistake a fish eye for a pearl.

He Yi was enthusiastically watching the masked dancers and singers on the platform when she asked Concubine Wei, “Why do they all wear masks?”

“Each mask represents a different identity, all related to the Water God’s legends. The dancing and singing during the ceremony tell the Water God’s stories,” Concubine Wei explained with a smile. “If Lady Yuyan is interested, you can also go up and dance, playing one of the roles. Near the end, the elders will dip willow branches in blessed water and sprinkle it on everyone. Being blessed by the sacred water will turn misfortune into good fortune.”

He Yi had never heard of such customs and said, “How interesting.”

Ling Xiu stepped forward with a smile, “Would Madam Qiao like to join us on stage?”

He Yi waved her hands, “I was just making conversation.”

“Miner and I also want to dance on stage. If Madam would join us, it would surely be more lively.” She stared at He Yi, smiling softly and considerately, but for some reason, He Yi instinctively felt resistant. Though she wasn’t particularly skilled at understanding the undercurrents in relationships between women, and could even be considered careless, she could generally distinguish between ordinary hostility and friendliness.

Ling Xiu harbored undisguised hostility toward her, but why? He Yi thought hard but couldn’t think of any way she might have offended this young lady.

“You’re all about the same age,” Cui Yuezhi said with a smile. “Yuyan, go up with them. Our Jiyang Water God ceremony is simple and not difficult. If there’s anything you don’t understand, let Xiu’er and Miner teach you.”

Since Cui Yuezhi had spoken, if He Yi continued to refuse, it would seem disrespectful to Jiyang’s customs. So she said, “Alright then. But I can’t dance, please don’t laugh at me.”

“We won’t,” Ling Xiu said sweetly. “We’ll teach you everything.” With that, she pulled Yan Miner toward the platform, saying, “Let’s go get the masks first.”

He Yi sighed reluctantly. Well, even if Ling Xiu and Yan Miner bore her ill will, they weren’t martial artists and couldn’t do anything to her. At most, it would be some harmless pranks. She just needed to stay alert.

As she was thinking this, she heard someone beside her say, “Why don’t you refuse?”

He Yi was surprised and turned to look. Xiao Jue’s gaze was on her face, his expression unreadable as he said mockingly, “If you don’t like it, why don’t you refuse?”

“That wouldn’t be right,” He Yi hesitated before continuing, “If I refuse, Official Cui might be unhappy.”

He gave a short laugh, seemingly disagreeing with He Yi’s approach, and said, “If you don’t like something, refuse it. You can refuse, Miss He. You can’t make everyone happy.”

Though that was true, but…

Trying to make everyone happy and achieve perfect harmony had seemingly become a habit.

Meanwhile, Yan Miner pulled Ling Xiu aside and whispered, “What do you mean by this? Who wants to dance with her? I can’t stand her! I’m not going!”

“Wait,” Ling Xiu grabbed her, “Let me finish.”

“What is there to say?”

“I’ve heard about what happened at the Xiuluo Workshop.”

At these words, Yan Miner’s face immediately turned bright red. After choking for a moment, she said, “How did you know about that!”

“Who doesn’t know about it now? It’s already spread everywhere,” Ling Xiu looked at her with a smile. “Don’t be angry, I’m definitely on your side. Besides, I don’t like Wen Yuyan either, so how could I let her have an easy time?”

“What do you plan to do?” Yan Miner asked irritably.

“Since we’re dancing, we definitely won’t let her shine. It would be better if she made a fool of herself,” Ling Xiu smiled and pointed at the masks nearby. “Let her bring trouble upon herself. We Jiyang ladies aren’t so easy to bully.”

“I’ve never seen Madam dance before,” Lin Shuanghe waved his fan, saying pointedly, “Having the opportunity to broaden my horizons today is truly something to look forward to.”

He Yi thought to herself that she couldn’t dance, at most, she could dance with a sword. But as an outsider, even if she danced at the ceremony, others wouldn’t be too harsh on her. She just needed to avoid major mistakes. It was just about joining in the festivities.

As she was thinking, Ling Xiu and Yan Miner returned. Yan Miner held several masks while Ling Xiu carried a wooden box. When they reached He Yi, Ling Xiu showed a troubled expression and said, “I just asked the ceremonial officer, there are many people at the ceremony today and only these few masks are left. I don’t know how to distribute them, shall we draw lots to decide?”

It’s just masks, He Yi wasn’t too concerned and asked, “What’s the difference between them?”

“Different masks represent different roles. In Jiyang’s Water God mythology, there are some villainous roles, comic roles…” Ling Xiu paused, then smiled brightly, “But Madam probably won’t draw a comic role, that shouldn’t happen.”

He Yi made an “mm” sound and modestly said, “You draw first.”

“Madam isn’t from Jiyang, you should draw first,” Ling Xiu smiled.

There was no point in going back and forth over such matters, so He Yi said, “Alright then.” She reached into the wooden box Ling Xiu was holding and pulled out a folded paper slip.

She opened the slip to look at it and saw “Li Huang” written on it.

“Li Huang… what does that mean?” she asked hesitantly.

Cui Yuezhi was startled, Concubine Wei also looked surprised, but Ling Xiu covered her mouth in shock and said, “To think it’s Li Huang, Madam today… is truly most unfortunate.”

“Is this very bad?” He Yi was confused.

“As I mentioned earlier, in Jiyang’s Water God mythology, there are villainous and comic roles – Li Huang is one of them. This is a liar full of deceit who caused trouble by the water’s edge in the mortal realm, cheating many people of their wealth, not sparing even the elderly and children. He committed the most shameless acts in the world until the heavenly immortals could no longer bear to watch and sent a fairy, one of the Water God’s subordinates, to subdue him. This trickster could tell lies to others, but faced with immortal law, he could only speak the truth in his heart. After revealing ten secrets about himself, he was finally imprisoned by the immortal in an underwater dungeon, never to return to shore.”

As He Yi listened, she unconsciously put herself in the character’s place, and when she heard about never being able to return to shore, she couldn’t help saying, “How tragic.”

“It is quite tragic,” Yan Miner said with a cold smile. “But since you’ve drawn this lot, you must play Li Huang. If you agree to participate in the Water God ceremony but back out halfway, you’ll face the Water God’s punishment.”

He Yi wanted to ask how exactly the Water God would punish her, but then she remembered that in her previous life, she had died in water – though she wasn’t sure if that was just a coincidence.

She said, “Well, if it’s a villain’s role, then so be it. In this world, someone has to play the villain, right?”

Cui Yuezhi still hesitated, “But Yuyan, that mask…”

“What about the mask?”

Ling Xiu took the mask from Yan Miner’s hands and passed it to He Yi: “This is Li Huang’s mask.”

Only when He Yi saw the mask did she understand Cui Yuezhi’s expression. Li Huang’s mask looked like a raccoon dog and an especially ugly one at that. It was painted to look fierce and vicious, but had a large white patch painted between the eyes and nose, making it look both cunning and hideous. No girl would want to wear such a thing on her face. Moreover, the mask was very heavy, making one’s head appear significantly larger when worn.

He Yi weighed it in her hands: “It’s fine.”

She had never cared much about appearances. However, Concubine Wei’s expression darkened. Having spent these past days with He Yi, she found her to be gentle and cheerful, treating others with warmth and openness. While others might not understand, she had grown up in the inner court and immediately recognized the jealousy and rivalry between women. This was Ling Xiu deliberately setting up He Yi.

Think about it – playing a comic role in front of one’s beloved, having to perform all sorts of ridiculous actions. Never mind what others might think, wouldn’t any woman feel utterly ashamed and mortified? What woman doesn’t wish to appear as beautiful as Xi Shi or Diao Chan in her lover’s eyes?

Concubine Wei said, “How can we let Lady Yuyan play a villain? Can’t we speak with the ceremonial officer?”

“It’s nothing,” He Yi smiled. “In ceremonies like this, sincerity is what matters. There’s no need to fuss over small details.”

Not sensing the tension in the atmosphere, Cui Yuezhi heard He Yi’s words and smiled, “Excellent! Yuyan truly is open-minded!”

Meanwhile, both Lin Shuanghe and Xiao Jue frowned simultaneously.

Lin Shuanghe covered his face with his fan and whispered to Xiao Jue, “You handsome devil, you caused this trouble, yet my sister He is the one suffering for it.”

Xiao Jue’s expression cooled slightly. He glanced at Lin Shuanghe, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke: “You said earlier that Li Huang’s secrets must be confessed to the immortal.”

Seeing Xiao Jue initiating conversation with her, Ling Xiu’s heart leaped with joy. She smiled sweetly and said, “Yes. When Madam goes up on the ceremonial platform, she must tell ten secrets to the person playing the immortal.” After a pause, Ling Xiu continued with a smile, “And these ten secrets must all be true. Because in the legend, when the deceitful Li Huang faced the fairy, bound by immortal magic, he could only speak the truth. At that time, Madam must also tell ten full secrets.”

He Yi was speechless, suspecting this fairy was a madwoman who enjoyed prying into others’ secrets.

“Even immortals have roles to play,” Xiao Jue’s gaze passed coolly over Ling Xiu, “In that case, I’ll do it.”

“Wh…what?” Ling Xiu was stunned.

He Yi was also dumbfounded.

“Don’t understand?” The man’s gaze was sharp as lightning, and though his tone was calm, his expression was cold, “I will play the listener.”

He Yi nearly choked on her saliva. Xiao Jue’s meaning was that he would go up on stage to dance together. Had Xiao Jue gone mad, or had the world gone mad? He Yi couldn’t understand. If anyone in Shuo Jing City heard that Young Master Xiao would do such a thing, no one would believe it!

Chi Wu and Fei Nu couldn’t believe their eyes either, doubting their ears had problems and they’d heard wrong.

Ling Xiu hadn’t expected Xiao Jue to volunteer for this and didn’t know how to respond. But the man’s gaze was so cold it frightened her, making her unconsciously ask, “Wh…why?”

“Because,” Xiao Jue said with a half-smile, “how could I let others know my wife’s secrets?”

Just one sentence made Ling Xiu, who had been somewhat afraid moments ago, turn green with anger.

He Yi: “…”

She almost fainted, feeling that today’s Xiao Jue was truly unlike himself, incomprehensibly strange.

Xiao Jue ignored He Yi’s expression and just asked Ling Xiu, “Which mask is it?”

Ling Xiu pointed to one in Yan Miner’s hands. Yan Miner was somewhat afraid of Xiao Jue and immediately handed it over. He Yi glanced at it – this immortal’s mask wasn’t particularly special, just a black half-mask made of iron with a cloud pattern marked on the forehead.

“What do we do?” he asked.

Concubine Wei, understanding the situation, smiled and said, “Actually, there aren’t many rules for dancing on the ceremonial platform. Local people naturally understand, but for outsiders, as long as your heart is sincere in praying to the Water God, how you dance is just a formality. The Water God is very tolerant and won’t fuss over minor details.”

Xiao Jue: “Understood.”

He glanced at He Yi, saw her still clutching the mask, and grabbed her wrist: “Come.”

After walking a few steps toward the ceremonial platform, He Yi looked back and saw Ling Xiu and Yan Miner’s gazes fixed on her, their hostility no less than before. She asked, “What are you doing? Commander, have you gone mad?”

“You’re the mad one,” Xiao Jue said irritably. “Why did you agree to her?”

“I already said, since we’re here, I was afraid of displeasing Official Cui. Besides, it’s just wearing a mask and dancing, not wielding weapons or losing flesh, what’s the big deal?”

He turned to stare at He Yi and laughed sarcastically: “When it comes to me, I don’t see you being so compliant.”

He Yi: “…Am I not compliant enough?”

How demanding could Xiao Jue be!

“In the future, if you don’t want to do something, you can refuse,” Xiao Jue’s beautiful eyes narrowed. “Don’t let people think you’re compromising, it’s awful to watch.”

“I’m not compromising.”

“You are.” He looked down at He Yi, his lips curling with mockery, “You like to deceive others, are you deceiving yourself too?”

He Yi couldn’t speak. She instinctively wanted to argue, but vaguely felt that Xiao Jue’s words were right.

But in many situations, sacrificing her feelings and preferences had become a habit. There were more, more important things to consider. And no one had ever told her that she could refuse, could be willful, could be unhappy.

So gradually, these things disappeared.

Seeing He Yi’s dispirited appearance, Xiao Jue paused, then tapped her head and said, “Put it on quickly.” As he spoke, he first put his mask to his face.

The mask was made of iron, polished very smooth, but still very heavy. Xiao Jue put the mask to his face with one hand while reaching behind his head with the other to fasten the mechanism, but couldn’t quite manage it. Seeing this, He Yi set aside her “Li Huang” mask and said, “Let me help you.”

She walked behind Xiao Jue and said to him, “You hold the mask in the right position, I’ll fasten it from behind.”

Xiao Jue was tall, so she had to stand on tiptoe to reach the mechanism at the top, saying as she worked, “Haven’t you worn a mask before? How can you not manage something so simple?”

Xiao Jue mocked, “Have you worn many?”

He Yi paused, then laughed, “Well, even if I haven’t eaten pork, I’ve seen pigs run.” After helping Xiao Jue with his mask, she put the “Li Huang” mask on her face.

The two of them, one wearing a mask that made them look mysterious and noble, the other cunning and comical, made quite a ridiculous sight together.

Xiao Jue took her hand and they went up to the ceremonial platform together. The ceremonial officer nodded slightly to them and pushed them toward the center of the platform.

All around them, masked citizens were singing and dancing. He Yi couldn’t make sense of it and said to Xiao Jue, “Commander, how do we dance?”

Xiao Jue: “Don’t know.”

He Yi tried to copy the people around them for a while, but soon found it too difficult and gave up. She pulled Xiao Jue to a corner of the platform where they wouldn’t be noticed and said, “Forget it, forget it, let’s not dance, let’s do something else.”

Though Xiao Jue’s expression couldn’t be seen behind his mask, one could imagine his face must be full of impatience at this moment.

“Commander, if we just go through the motions like this, will the Water God be angry?”

Xiao Jue said: “Scared?”

“Better safe than sorry.”

He responded very coldly: “Then keep dancing.”

“I really can’t dance anymore.”

After a while, He Yi said: “Commander… earlier Miss Ling said Li Huang needs to tell the immortal ten secrets. Since we’re up here, let’s play our parts to the end. I’ll tell you my ten secrets. That should count as finished, and maybe seeing how sincere we are, the immortal won’t mind that we’re not dancing.”

Xiao Jue laughed lazily: “Fine, tell me.”

Ten secrets and they all had to be true. This was truly difficult.

She began counting on her fingers.

“I used to have a good alcohol tolerance, but now it’s gotten worse.”

“I can recite the Art of War by Wu Zi.”

“I was first in Liangzhou Guard.”

“I want to join the Nine Banners Camp.”

“I pulled off all the buttons from Cheng Lisu’s clothes to sell them.”

That was five already. Hearing these, Xiao Jue felt quite speechless and just said: “Boring.”

But He Yi felt encouraged and pressed on with renewed effort.

“Commander is a truly good person in my heart, I’m very grateful to Commander.”

Xiao Jue laughed coldly: “I won’t let you join the Nine Banners Camp.”

“Every time Commander misunderstands me, I feel very sad!”

Xiao Jue: “Keep lying.”

“Commander and I had a connection in our previous life!”

Xiao Jue wouldn’t even spare her a glance.

He Yi: “In my previous life, I was a female general.”

This was even more absurd.

Only one secret remained.

He Yi raised her head to look at the person before her. His face was covered by the mask as he stared straight at her, only his beautiful jaw visible, the lines extremely elegant, his lips thin and alluring, curled lazily, revealing the youth’s coldness and gentleness.

Her face was also hidden behind a mask, concealed in shadow, as if in the night, giving her endless security.

“The last secret,” He Yi stood on tiptoe, leaning close to his chin, her voice soft, “I like the moon.”

“The moon doesn’t know.”