The moment of truly meeting again always comes unexpectedly. She sat in an unfamiliar carriage, arriving on an unfamiliar street, and with just a casual glance back, she collided with his sight. Lu Yun was completely stunned—shocked by the surprise, hoarse from the shock—yet no matter how astonished he was, he recognized her at first glance. It was her, no mistake… it was Gu Qianxi… it was truly her who had come!

Too unexpected! A full ten years had passed, and Lu Yun had long given up hope. Who would have thought that heaven would take pity, and on this eve of leaving the capital, he could see her once more? Watching as Gu Qianxi was about to enter the shop, Lu Yun’s eyes reddened and his heart burned. He urgently reached out his hand, wanting to call out to her…

“Qian…” The words were still muddled in his mouth when he heard someone speaking: “Madam Yang! This old fellow has been waiting for you all night and finally hoped for your arrival!”

Madam Yang… Lu Yun’s mouth gaped wide as if stuffed with a large steamed bun. His mind buzzed, and he vaguely heard the shopkeeper chuckling: “Madam, are you alone tonight? Is Lord Yang busy with official duties?”

Snow and mist drifted as the boss chatted idly, welcoming Madam Yang away. Lu Yun’s throat went hoarse too. He lowered his head in silent dejection, gazing at the snowflakes on the ground by himself.

“I’ve searched for her a thousand times in dreams, yet when we meet, we’re already on different paths…” In Waterfall Grotto, he had imagined it countless times—whenever he met her in dreams, she would always cry and call out, running forward to embrace him tearfully. But when they truly met face to face, he felt it wasn’t like that at all… They didn’t even bother with greetings.

Actually, he shouldn’t have forced it at all. Madam Yang… she had long ago donned the red veil, married into an official family, and become someone else’s bedside companion…

On the deep night of the Lantern Festival in the eleventh year of Zhengtong, Madam Yang was only not far from his side, yet Miss Gu remained forever at the ends of the earth, never to be found again. Lu Yun sat alone at the entrance of the fabric shop. Supporting his forehead with his hand, he gently breathed in the cold night’s snowy air, then that tear-like thin hot mist slowly exhaled from his mouth.

Let’s go. In this desolate capital, there was nothing worth lingering for. The city gates had already opened, and everyone had left—Wen, Yang, Wu, Qin, even Miss Gu from back then—everyone had found their own destination. Now it was finally his turn too. It was time for Lu Yun to set out on his journey. Though late, it was still better than stubbornly clinging here. The past was past; those memories were already too distant, so distant they’d become blurry, so distant that even he couldn’t remember them clearly… If he didn’t leave, he would really become a stone statue, staying here forever, morning and evening, year after year, never to awaken again…

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, enveloping Lu Yun’s body in snow and mist. In this indescribable moment of confusion, he felt that self and object had become one.

The story was over, but the final journey would never end. From this day forward, Lu Yun’s whereabouts became unknown.

For decades afterward, no one knew where he had gone… Only the evening clouds at the horizon and the bright moon atop the mountain peaks still remembered him… They told the small islands at the edge of the sky that they had seen Lord Lu… He sat by the Eastern Sea shore, he came to the peaks of the Northern Mountains, he went to Penglai Immortal Island… Alone, he went to very distant foreign lands. He kept walking, kept walking, yet no one knew where he would settle, and perhaps even he himself didn’t know…

Lu Yun’s eyes no longer held tears, and the corners of his mouth seemed to smile yet not smile. He tightened his clothing and was just about to rise and shoulder his noodle carrying pole when suddenly a thunderous roar erupted in his mind, nearly making him collapse to his knees.

It’s her! It’s her who has come! Gu Qianxi!

In that rainy night in Yangzhou, she was drenched all over, tears falling before him. In the autumn colors of the capital, she suddenly caught up with him, tightly grasping his sleeve, refusing to let him leave no matter what… Having traveled through countless mountains and rivers, having witnessed hell and heaven, Lu Yun still couldn’t forget her. No matter how much time passed, no matter whom she married, some things had long been deeply buried in his heart. Even if he were chopped into mud and his bones ground to ash, those bits and pieces would still be treasured in his remains…

Lu Yun gazed at the night sky, breathing out hot air, his face flushed with emotion. His heart was stirring…

His fists clenched, his teeth gritted tight… What Madam Yang, Madam Li, Madam Zhang, Madam Zhao… Lu Yun didn’t care about any of that. He only recognized that Gu Qianxi—the one who cried in his arms, who smiled by his side. Tonight, at this moment, he need only rise with determination and stride back with force to find her once more—that every frown and smile, that every gesture and movement, that Yangzhou opera accent between the lines would all reappear before his eyes…

No… Just as his feet were about to move, eight hundred and forty million reasons had already surfaced in his mind, all obstructing him, telling him he absolutely must not go over. She was already married; she had a capable husband who could surely keep her safe and happy. All this he had seen with his own eyes at Hongluo Temple. For others, for himself, by law, by propriety, he should not disturb her again. Lu Yun lowered his head and bit his teeth, at a loss, when suddenly… a voice reached his ears, loudly calling to him…

Lu Yun! Life comes only once—how can you not do something foolish? Go find her quickly! Charge forth!

Fear no sacrifice!

Charge… With a thud, the bamboo stool fell over by itself. Lu Yun’s two legs had grown angry. They had endured the waterfall for ten years, constantly battered by rushing water, yet never enjoyed a single good day. They found the brain quite useless and decided to ignore it, charging directly toward the fabric shop’s entrance.

Lu Yun was startled, not knowing what his two legs intended to do. He was about to use pressure points to stop them, but those two hands were coldly arrogant, only willing to run and swing along with the legs, as if staging a rebellion.

It was over! His legs wouldn’t obey, his hands were also insubordinate. In an instant, his entire body was no longer under his brain’s control. Poor Lu Yun tried desperately to restrain himself but couldn’t suppress the roaring and clamoring of eight hundred and forty million pores, creating such a tumultuous din that eventually even his brain became confused.

After a bout of frantic confusion, Lu Yun came to his senses. He found himself already at the fabric shop entrance, eyes staring straight into the interior. “Madam, look…” Inside was a counter, behind which stood a little old man earnestly selling fabric. A beautiful woman stood before the counter, head lowered, listening to the boss’s chatter: “This piece has small floral patterns… most durable, colorfast, and the cheapest price too… Here, let me wash it for you to see.”

Under the boss’s explanation, Gu Qianxi focused on examining the floral fabric, naturally unaware that someone was behind her. Lu Yun’s heart pounded. The distance between them was quite close, and he could see clearly—the woman before him was indeed Gu Qianxi. She wore a bright red cotton jacket, her beautiful black hair shining, her back to him. He need only summon his courage to speak with her.

Regardless of whether she remembered him, regardless of whose wife she was, Lu Yun had made up his mind that tonight he must speak with her, even if people took him for a lecher. Even an “mm” or an “ah” would be worth the attempt. As for whether her husband would be angry—Lu Yun didn’t care about that.

But how should he greet her? Should he quietly slip behind her and forcefully pat her shoulder, boldly saying, “Hey, do you still recognize me?” Or should he play ghost and drift past the counter to make her scream? Or perhaps… or perhaps charge forward regardless of everything, embrace her, and kiss her forcefully?

No good—none of that was appropriate. Better to find a few small wildflowers and throw them at her head; she would notice him then.

Having never pursued a woman in his lifetime, Lu Yun stood there like a fool, actually not knowing what to do. Gu Qianxi only kept her head down looking at fabric, completely unaware that Lu Yun was behind her. Neither made a sound for a long while, until they heard a sigh as the boss turned to pour tea, secretly sighing.

“It’s almost midnight… and Madam Yang just arrives…” The boss of the midnight capital complained quietly: “Another loss tonight.”

Someone once said: “Making money is like threading a needle, spending money like water washing sand.” Business had been difficult in recent years. Qingbao Fabric Shop valued money over life, staying open even on Lantern Festival night. Yet after the boss had been selling for half the day, Madam Yang remained silent, not knowing whether she would buy or not. Having talked until thirsty, the old shopkeeper could only shake his head and lift his teacup to drink.

The tea entered his mouth, but he nearly spat it out with a “pah!” The boss opened his eyes in alarm, surprised to see a man standing outside the door. Looking at his staring eyes and drooling mouth, he was just peeping at the beautiful woman by the entrance—clearly a middle-aged lecher come to flirt.

Lustful men could be found everywhere, each with a dog’s head and horns, shameless scoundrels. The boss had always been righteous, and seeing this Ximen Qing trying to seduce a virtuous woman, how could he endure it? Just as he was about to step forward and give him a good beating, he looked more carefully and saw the man before him wore a large felt hat and had a sinister expression. This wasn’t Ximen Qing at all, but the violent man Wu Song he’d encountered earlier!

An hour ago, the violent man had come to the door claiming he wanted to buy something. The boss had been sleeping at the time, and seeing this man carrying a noodle pole with a poor, shabby appearance, he’d wanted to drive him out without thinking. But before he could grab a broom, he saw the fierce, murderous light in the poor man’s eyes, frightening his soul away. He knew he’d encountered the world’s poorest of the poor—truly the worst luck. There’s a saying: “Only the poor kill people; killers are always poor.” The world’s poorest man was Wu Song, called “The Wanderer.” He was called “The Wanderer” because his feet had to keep running, with officials constantly chasing behind him, making it impossible to stay anywhere long. So when the boss heard the violent man wanted to buy a felt hat, he knew this person was being hunted again and wanted the hat to conceal his appearance. Without thinking, he offered it with both hands, hoping “The Wanderer” would set off quickly and not linger here causing trouble.

As they say, good fortune never comes in pairs, misfortune never comes alone. Seeing “The Wanderer” approach the door again, still ogling women, the boss trembled with fear, knowing he’d have to provide travel money. He said tremblingly: “This… again… it’s you, sir. The small shop hasn’t done much business tonight… You see, there’s no ready silver in the drawer…”

While he was lying, Madam Yang before him, not knowing the danger, turned her head as if wanting to see who had come behind her. Swift as lightning, the violent man, seeing Madam Yang turn her head, seemed to mistake her for pursuing constables and quickly slipped behind the fabric rack to hide.

The violent man vanished without a trace. Madam Yang, seeing no one behind her, continued selecting her fabric as if nothing had happened.

The boss was completely bewildered. While still frightened, he suddenly saw a head poking out from behind the fabric rack again. That strange appearance with the felt hat—it was that violent man again! The boss stared blankly, watching the violent man appear quite shy, stealing a glance at Madam Yang before immediately shrinking back his head, like a mad dog lying in ambush.

“What the hell…” The boss was dumbfounded. He’d been in business for decades and could tell at a glance who was a killer hero and who was a pale scholar. Who would have thought he’d encounter such a thing? Looking at this fellow, he clearly had murderous eyes—truly a good hero Wu Song from “Water Margin.” Yet at this moment, he was acting shy like the pure-hearted young scholar Liu Mengmei from “Peony Pavilion.” It was truly inexplicable.

The visitor’s divine form changed in countless ways—perhaps he was a demon from “Journey to the West” in disguise. That was hard to say. Seeing the demon hide, the boss’s heart grew cold. He quickly fetched a bagua mirror and hung it around his neck, about to chant spells and cast magic when he saw Madam Yang staring at him. Coming to his senses, he remembered she was still waiting and hurriedly smiled apologetically: “Well, Madam, look at this small floral pattern—very durable. Even after washing hundreds of times, it’s still vibrant… If you don’t believe me, I’ll test it for you…”

While lying, he suddenly saw the small floral pattern had been stained by his hand sweat and was already running colors. Startled, he quickly hid the small floral pattern under the counter and said with an apologetic smile: “Tonight is dark with strong winds—can’t see anything clearly… Let’s try something else.” He pulled out another bolt of fabric from under the counter and smiled: “Better to have brilliant large peonies—good value, beautiful, and dignified… just like you, Madam…”

The boss talked nonsense and couldn’t even flatter properly, but Madam Yang didn’t get angry. She just kept her head down selecting fabric. Behind her, Lu Yun also lowered his hat brim, quietly slipping out from behind the fabric rack, hurriedly searching the shop for a suitable hiding place.

The shop was filled with miscellaneous items—red silk and green brocade on tall racks everywhere. Fabrics were either stored on shelves or piled in walkways. If he wanted to hide himself from sight, it shouldn’t be difficult. He looked left and right, suddenly seeing a fabric rack tall enough to conceal his eight-chi height. He quickly hid himself inside, then peered through the gaps to secretly observe Qianxi at the counter.

At this moment, unlike the noisy chaos at Hongluo Temple, the room was very quiet. Gu Qianxi before him was only looking at her small floral fabric. With no one around to disturb them, Lu Yun focused intently on watching his former lover, pondering her figure and appearance.

There were no bad thoughts in his heart, much less any improper intentions. Lu Yun just wanted to look carefully—to see what his beloved, who had married and been separated from him for ten years, looked like now.

Not having seen her for ten years, she was still very beautiful. Even if they were strangers, she still had the ability to make him look a few more times. However, her appearance had changed somewhat—she no longer looked like a young girl. She had long since arranged her hair in a bun, dressed as a young married woman. When she straightened up, hips were hips and waist was waist—one could see she was fuller than before, yet she also had an added touch of charm and tenderness.

She had truly changed. Before, she wouldn’t have come to a fabric shop. When she was still a young lady, she would go buy antiques and jade objects. Besides painting, she couldn’t do anything—couldn’t even cook noodles or boil water. Now she seemed capable of everything. Not only could she tailor clothes, she could probably make soy milk and tofu too, and surely cook excellent dishes…

One could see she was no longer a naive young girl—she had long become someone’s “mother.”

“Well, Madam…” Under Lu Yun’s contemplation, the boss began selling again: “Nowadays official wives don’t tailor their own clothes anymore. Someone with your fine skills must use good materials. Look… this is imperial tribute from Jiangnan—’Seven-Color Peony Noble and Pure’—specially saved for you… This name has the word ‘noble’ in it, yet it’s good value—one tael of silver per chi, only slightly more expensive than small floral patterns…”

The boss performed his sales pitch with great effort, but Gu Qianxi remained unmoved. It seemed that rivers and mountains might change, but nature was hard to alter. No matter how she changed, she was still the young lady from back then—small floral patterns and big broken flowers definitely couldn’t catch her eye.

Sure enough, Gu Qianxi wasn’t satisfied and walked directly into the shop to select for herself. The boss was quite perceptive too. Seeing his regular customer dissatisfied, he just sighed bitterly, rolled up the “peony flowers,” and let Madam Yang choose personally.

The shop’s lanterns cast dim, shadowy light. Gu Qianxi walked into the shop, holding a small piece of fabric, comparing colors along the racks, searching for suitable material. Lu Yun remained silently quiet, secretly following her progress.

The long fabric racks separated the two of them. This was the closest moment in ten years, and also the most peaceful moment. At this time, Qianxi had already married, and Lu Yun seemed older too. At thirty one establishes oneself, at forty one understands—forty-two-year-old Lu Yun no longer shed tears. Instead, he appeared quite carefree and handsome. He inserted his left hand in his clothing pocket while his right hand absently touched the rows of fabric bolts on the rack, his gaze intermittently focusing on his former lover.

Tonight, many past events could be let go. What was past was past—no need to mention it further. Lu Yun was also quite philosophical. He silently watched the young married woman across the rack like observing a beautiful, strange woman. He had no intention of disturbing her—just treating it as their first meeting, a sudden moment of being struck by beauty. After the rain cleared and the sky brightened, with no entanglements or attachments, this trip back to the capital wouldn’t be in vain.

Under Lu Yun’s gaze, Gu Qianxi slowly stopped walking and crouched down low, phoenix eyes downcast, examining the fabrics on the ground. Lu Yun, hidden behind the fabric rack, stole glances at her profile. He saw long eyelashes, curved willow eyebrows, and that half-hidden, half-visible snow-white earlobe.

Gazing at that jade-pure, flawless earlobe, inexplicably Lu Yun’s heart warmed, and he actually wanted to lean over and kiss Madam Yang’s moon-drop earlobe, making it turn from snow-white to shy pink…

It seemed his integrity in old age was failing. This was someone else’s wife—by propriety, by virtue, he shouldn’t act this way.

But once this thought entered his mind, he could never banish it again. Now Lu Yun was no longer a court official—he was just a noodle vendor. In this lifetime of coming and going hastily for forty-two years, he’d sold noodles longer than he’d been an official. Now he was just a common person struggling for daily bread…

Common people have love and hate, tears and laughter. Now he need think of nothing—they were separated by mere inches. Inches might as well be the ends of the earth, yet this distance could be crossed with an outstretched hand. Lu Yun felt very hot and tormented. He moved out from behind the fabric rack, seeing the beauty still with her back to him, and simply threw off his felt hat, revealing his true face, then strode forward with large steps.

Ten years—Boss Lu was once again this close to Miss Gu. He very much wanted to embrace Qianxi and feel her osmanthus fragrance. As for who her husband was, how wealthy her family was, how great their power and influence—Boss Lu simply didn’t want to think about it.

Lu Yun’s gaze burned intensely as he stood behind his beloved. Of course, Gu Qianxi wouldn’t sense the person behind her. She still crouched on the ground, her hair pinned up, her neck appearing very white and tender—one could imagine how jade-pure her skin was.

For the first time in his life being so unrestrained, Lu Yun carefully gazed at Qianxi from head to toe—from her neck to her slender waist… to her full hips, her legs, her feet. Lu Yun’s gaze was completely unrestrained, his breathing increasingly burning… In the hazy dimness, she looked like a gentle, tender wife who had waited for him for ten years, just waiting for him to come over and hold her tightly in his arms… and press deep kisses upon her…

At this time and place, there were no imperial examinations, no chaotic literary works. Gu Siyuan would never return to visit his Yun’er, and Qin Zhonghai would never again stuff him under the young lady’s bed. In this scattered great Beijing, many people had already gone never to return. Now only this Boss Lu remained, and Madam Yang not far before him.

Lu Yun’s eyes reddened. He crouched down, quietly coming behind Gu Qianxi. Very boldly, he reached out his hand, passing it around her waist to touch her soft, warm body… He wanted to tightly embrace this Madam Yang in his arms, and even kiss her neck, regardless of everything…

His hand was already raised, his body already moved forward, and he smelled the familiar fragrance on her body. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a mole, just there on Gu Qianxi’s neck.

A tiny mole, just a little dot. He hadn’t noticed it before… This was the first time in his life seeing it. Lu Yun paused slightly, his gaze slowly moving to Qianxi’s delicate fingers…

Only then did he notice she didn’t keep her fingernails long and pointed…

Unconsciously… Lu Yun stopped his hand. He looked very carefully, very carefully at Gu Qianxi’s ten fingers…

Only then did he notice her nails were cut quite short. She truly had no pointed fingernails—no petal-like fingertip nails. Any lady or madam would keep them, but Qianxi didn’t have these. She also hadn’t applied rouge… Inexplicably, Lu Yun felt very confused in his heart, because he simply couldn’t remember whether Gu Qianxi used to keep pointed fingernails. He had forgotten.

In his mind, he clearly remembered that Princess Yinchuan had pointed fingernails. Though he hadn’t seen her for over ten years, those jade hands were still vivid in his memory. Vaguely recalling, it seemed Qiong Fang also had pointed fingernails, and even Hu Mei’er whom he’d just parted from, Wu Dingyuan’s wife Yan Ting—even these martial arts practicing girls all kept their nails long. But Lu Yun truly couldn’t remember whether Qianxi’s fingernails used to be pointed or not.

He couldn’t remember, no matter how he tried. Now the jade hairpin on her head and the jade bracelet on her wrist seemed vaguely to be old items from her time as a young lady, yet looking closely, they also seemed not to be. In the hazy confusion, Lu Yun stopped and involuntarily stepped backward, nearly bumping into the fabric rack.

Everything seemed familiar yet he couldn’t remember anything. The only four words that came to mind were “having nothing at all.”

Time at the waterfall had flashed by in an instant. He’d known her for over ten years, yet had never truly given her a single ornamental gift. Perhaps it was his heroic spirit and unparalleled righteousness—Lu Yun had always been an iron-willed scholar, from books to jade bracelets…

He had always come and gone in haste, never buying her anything.

When all was said and done, in those long maiden years, her former lover had accompanied her for several years yet left not a trace behind. And what remained in her heart?

“She returned to Yangzhou, sold the ancestral property, liquidated assets and exchanged them for six thousand two hundred taels…” “The servants clamored to leave one by one… forcing her to discuss with her concubine mother about distributing the remaining silver all at once…” “At that time her family had a mill that was quite useful… she brought her personal maid to grind and grind…”

At this moment, every word Pei Ya had spoken in that Yangzhou study rang clearly in his ears. Lu Yun stopped, stepping back step by step, hiding behind the fabric rack. He didn’t dare go over anymore.

All along, he’d always felt he’d done right. Until this moment, Lu Yun had never doubted himself, hadn’t even regretted his choice back then. But at this moment, coming before Gu Qianxi, he was still forced to face all of this.

“Lu Yun, oh Lu Yun… don’t you understand yet? No matter who gets involved with you, who could have a good ending?” These words—he didn’t know who had said them, perhaps Hu Mei’er or Second Concubine’s bitter, angry cries. As Lu Yun thought about it, his eyes were already red. He felt so distressed. He wanted to tell Gu Qianxi that he hadn’t done it on purpose. When he left the capital back then, abandoning his official cap and sacrificing his life’s prospects, many things weren’t his to decide. This was his fate—he had no choice. He couldn’t be blamed, absolutely couldn’t… Yet somehow Lu Yun’s eyes grew redder and redder, tears flowing continuously, forcing him to raise his head and constantly admonish himself—he couldn’t cry. Lu Yun, no matter how distressed you are, you absolutely cannot cry, because crying would mean you were wrong, and being wrong would mean regretting it. If a person in retirement cried aloud, that wouldn’t be glorious retirement but panicked escape, and then he couldn’t even go on living…

“As long as Siyuan doesn’t submit for a day, his wife and daughter won’t have good endings…” “In broad daylight, people came to harass and molest her…” “The emperor sent some pedantic scholars to mock her paintings.” “The morning her father died, Madam Gu and her concubine mother both cried, but she alone didn’t cry…”

At this final moment before retirement, Lu Yun finally shed tears. He’d wanted to save the entire world yet couldn’t even protect his own loved ones. Hero Lu, about to retire, was truly crying very, very sadly now… He lowered his head and sighed, hating himself in his heart, hating heaven for giving him such torment. He truly hated himself for walking the path that Qin Zhonghai had repeatedly warned him against, offering up his lover and his official position and his entire life… yet none of it was any use…

He had to retire before even taking the stage… Poor Lord Lu—he’d done nothing yet already had to leave.

This life was like being struck by lightning, infected by plague, hit by a carriage—everything was inexplicable. Who would want to end their remaining years this way? He truly wanted to loudly ask heaven why it had chosen him. What evil had he done, what wrong had he committed?

Otherwise, why take away his lover, destroy his life, and make him bear such heavenly punishment?

Who was framing him? Who was stabbing him in the back? Lu Yun lowered his head, tears falling. In his panic, his mouth gaped wide because he’d found the answer to this life’s tribulation.

So that was it—everything had already been predetermined. Long, long ago, when he was very, very small, he’d already been destined for this ending, because he’d always seen that thing…

It was a line… It had never been distinct yet always remained before his eyes. It was carved in his bones, mixed in his blood—as long as his heart could beat and his blood could flow… How could the realm of righteousness allow him to yield even a single step?

If he yielded, he wouldn’t be Lu Yun anymore. If he yielded, why bother stubbornly clinging here, grieving for Siyuan, crying for Qianxi, feeling pain over this life’s circumstances? If he yielded, he would have long ago ascended the court and become a great minister of the current dynasty… If he yielded, he would have long ago grasped the sword of killing and become an omnipotent great king!

Come another hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times—Lord Lu’s fate would remain unchanged. Just as wolves must eat meat and moths must fly to flame, even if his beloved were taken away and his flesh hacked and killed, Lu Yun would still be Lu Yun. He would never betray his original aspirations.

There was nothing to regret. Thinking this, Lu Yun calmed down too. Gazing at Qianxi five feet away, his heart no longer felt hesitation or sadness, but instead harbored a hidden gratitude for heaven’s kindness.

Allowing him, after encountering countless changes, to still safely return to his lover’s side and quietly tell her… Look… Lu Yun has returned alive! He’d walked through countless mountains and rivers, finally keeping his original promise. The current him was pure and clean, bearing not a trace of sin, worthy to declare without shame to the entire world…

Look! Lu Yun has returned! He has passed all tests and completed his life!

At this moment, the ancient house’s ghosts vanished, and this life’s grievances had all been resolved.

At the moment of parting, Lu Yun appeared very calm. He bent down as if to make a final farewell, then bowed deeply to Gu Qianxi before turning to leave.

The long journey was finished, completely walked through. Now Lu Yun had found the endpoint of this life. On the fifteenth day of the first month in the eleventh year of Zhengtong, he gracefully turned around, retiring gloriously before his former lover, and went to where he should go.

After who knows how long, Gu Qianxi finally stood up. She’d been picking through fabric for ages but never found anything to her liking. She also didn’t know a strange person had hidden behind her, much less that she’d nearly been embraced. It was because she’d crouched too long and her knees were numb that when she stood up, she suddenly cried “Ah!” and swayed to the side. Her toes bumped into merchandise, and with a “thud,” a large batch of fabric bolts tilted sideways and then rolled down row by row.

The ground was covered with fabric bolts. When this bundle fell, it caused a chain reaction—at least one or two hundred bolts would roll down. Gu Qianxi was startled and hurriedly reached out to stop them, but having never practiced martial arts, she was a step too late. Just as she expected the fabric bolts to roll everywhere with the boss screaming, at that moment the large batch of fabric bolts actually settled down. They all inexplicably returned to their original positions.

There was a miracle on Lantern Festival night. Gu Qianxi was slightly startled, not knowing how this could be. She turned to look at the boss, only to see the little old man still at the counter doing accounts. The distance between them was quite far—it couldn’t possibly have been him who reached out to help. But looking down at the fabric bolts, they were indeed arranged neatly in bundles on the ground, as if knowing they shouldn’t roll around on the floor, they’d all obediently stood up properly.

Gu Qianxi blinked, not knowing if she was dizzy and hallucinating, perhaps she hadn’t actually bumped the fabric bolts at all. But strangely, her toes were clearly still hurting—what was that about?

Unable to find a reason, she couldn’t figure it out. She shook her head and raised it again to continue searching for fabric on the racks.

Having looked at dozens of bolts on the ground earlier, not one matched in color, and she hadn’t touched anything satisfactory. But looking up at the fabric rack above, it reached ten feet high. Though Gu Qianxi had raised herself on tiptoe and stretched her arms, after several attempts she still couldn’t reach.

This was troublesome. Though Miss Gu was clever, she didn’t know lightness skills and couldn’t leap up. Just as she was thinking of asking the boss for help, she suddenly heard a “thud” as a bolt of fabric actually fell down, landing right in front of her.

The strange fabric bolt had fallen from the rack for no reason, standing upright before her. It looked just like a little soldier standing there shouting up at Miss Gu: “Stop picking! Buy me quickly!”

Gu Qianxi was even more surprised. Looking left and right, her heart grew more puzzled. She quietly walked behind the fabric rack to investigate, wondering if a shop assistant was hidden there.

Carefully examining behind the rack, there was no one and nothing unusual, yet that fabric bolt still stood nicely on the ground—definitely not her hallucination.

The strange events multiplied. Gu Qianxi blinked, also unable to understand, so she once again raised her hand toward the fabric bolts overhead, pretending to take them. She wanted to see if the fabric would fall down by itself.

Stretching out her jade arms, the fabric bolts showed no signs of swaying. Gu Qianxi wasn’t discouraged. She immediately rose on her jade toes and jumped up a few inches. Just as she was trying hard to bounce, a hand reached over and took down a bolt of dark blue fabric for her. Gu Qianxi’s heart tensed slightly. Before she could turn to look, she heard a strange laugh in her ear: “Oh, sorry! This old fool was busy with accounts and neglected Madam. Here’s a stool…”

Without needing to turn and look, she knew the boss had come to be attentive.

How boring. This place had neither gods nor ghosts, only an old shopkeeper. Gu Qianxi silently accepted the stool. Just as she was about to step up, she suddenly saw a figure moving behind the opposite fabric rack. He moved quietly and softly, slowly passing through the pile of miscellaneous items.

Gu Qianxi opened her eyes wide. For a moment, she seemed to have found the answer to the mystery. She stepped down from the stool and observed that silent figure.

The fabric rack was about five feet wide, stretching long across the shop. Behind the rack hid a man—he was about eight feet tall, wearing a large felt hat and a brown cloth robe. He moved very quietly, slowly and softly, and naturally very carefully. He looked like he wanted to walk out the door but was afraid of disturbing others.

He even pressed down his felt hat and turned his face to the other side—he didn’t even want people to see his features.

Gu Qianxi watched, and unconsciously began walking forward too. She hid on the other side of the fabric rack, pretending to look at fabric, but her mind wasn’t on the fabric at all. She observed that man through the gaps in the fabric rack, her gaze unblinking.

A very silent person. He hunched his back and lowered his head, looking like someone who did small business.

That brown cloth robe was quite thin. Draped over his tall frame, it looked somewhat loose, showing that the owner was thin and that his life wasn’t prosperous.

What kind of person was this? A traveler, perhaps. Only people from other places would have such a weather-beaten look. He seemed to have walked a very long road, experienced countless lonely journeys, and then on this Lantern Festival night when families were reunited… he was about to set out again to another distant, unknown foreign place…

Looking at that felt hat, observing that back, in the hazy moment… Splash splash… splash splash… Water droplets flew, and it seemed to rain heavily around her, as if piercing through ten years of drought in the Zhengtong Dynasty, returning to her Yangzhou hometown. In that misty rainy night, a paper umbrella had fallen by her feet, and in the distance was a lonely figure… He lowered his head, clutching a bundle in his arms, running through the rain just like that…

Suddenly, Gu Qianxi unconsciously quickened her pace. She passed through the aisle and rushed ahead to guard the end of the fabric rack.

No matter how long the fabric rack was, it had an end, and no matter how chaotic the fabric shop’s arrangement, there was only one main door. Anyone wanting to rush out had to go through the main door. But the main door was already blocked—there stood a woman holding a small piece of fabric, frowning with lowered head in silence. Her appearance was so focused, as if pondering why the Silkworm Ancestor invented silk thread and why the Yellow Emperor created the compass cart. In any case, until she figured out the principle, she absolutely wouldn’t move.

At this moment, anyone wanting to leave this shop would have to squeeze past Madam Yang. She had forcibly monopolized the path. Seeing the beautiful woman blocking the way, that man seemed slightly startled but didn’t dare force his way through. He had originally been walking straight toward the main door but suddenly changed his mind and headed toward the shop’s interior instead. Seeing that person move, Gu Qianxi stood up and slowly followed.

After searching all evening, the lanterns grew dimmer, candles were nearly spent, night deepened. Madam Yang step by step pressed closer to that unknown man, and he inch by inch moved backward. This man and woman, quietly and silently, seemed to be playing hide-and-seek in the shop.

“Madam! My dear Madam!” They say hard work doesn’t make money, and making money isn’t hard work. Madam Yang picked this and that with so many complaints—when would she finish picking? The boss’s yawning voice came from afar. Unable to restrain himself, he poked his head out from behind the fabric rack to see what exactly Madam Yang was busy with.

Damn… Madam Yang was still standing there motionless, not knowing what she was doing—was she buying or not?

The boss cursed silently. Seeing midnight approaching and the hour growing late, he brought over a stool and stood at the bottom end of the fabric rack, humming a little tune he’d made up: “Night is dark and wind is high… old man wants to sleep… buying goods and fabric should be done early…”

The boss wanted to close shop. He occupied the bottom end of the fabric rack, yawning and packing fabric while humming and singing, not forgetting to pile fabric bundles in the walkway, strictly prohibiting anyone from approaching. Looking at the other end, Madam Yang still monopolized that spot. Poor that man had become a turtle in a jar—unless he could knock down the fabric rack or punch the boss away, he had nowhere to retreat.

The overhead lanterns cast dim, shadowy light. Under the felt hat, his face was silently somber. But Gu Qianxi had no intention of stopping. She was still approaching step by step. Five feet, four feet, three feet…

She wanted to see what kind of background this man had.

Three feet, two feet—she could vaguely see the corner of his mouth under the felt hat. Thin lips turned slightly downward, impossible to tell if he was worried or depressed. Gu Qianxi held her breath and concentrated. The distance between them was only one foot—one step forward and she could reach that man’s side. But in the dim haziness, she actually became afraid. She feared that if she touched that body and smelled that scent, it would turn out to be nothing…

Full of hesitation, Gu Qianxi didn’t dare go forward. She simply pushed forcefully with her hand. Hearing fabrics thudding continuously, one after another like dominoes, they all fell toward that man’s position.

“My Yang family ancestral grandmother!” Five hundred fabric bolts rolled all over the ground. The boss couldn’t help but cry out loudly in anguish: “If you’re not buying, fine! But why wreck the shop?”

Fabrics rolling, boss wailing—Gu Qianxi also mustered her courage. She strode forward vigorously, reaching that man’s side.

After a sigh, the room suddenly darkened. As if the wind god had descended, the overhead lantern suddenly went out, and the five or six candles in the room also extinguished in response. Darkness struck, engulfing everyone in the room. At this moment, everyone became blind. The boss cried “Aiya aiya” as he fumbled in the dark, hurrying to find the candlestick.

The room was frighteningly dark—you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. But Gu Qianxi was quite bold. Seeing this strange phenomenon suddenly occur, she instead opened her eyes wide and directly reached out toward the spot one foot in front of her.

No one. Her fingers touched the cold fabric rack but couldn’t touch a person. Gu Qianxi’s heart suddenly became anxious. She quickly turned around and patted all around her body.

Around her was empty—she couldn’t touch anything. She pressed her lips together and slowly lowered her hand. She knew that person had already left. She lowered her head and gently leaned against the fabric rack, her heart vacant. Suddenly, she moved slightly—vaguely, it seemed something was approaching.

Though her eyes couldn’t see, her body had sensation. In the darkness, a hand approached, touching yet not touching, seeming present yet absent. From jaw to cheek, dots of lingering warmth, as if wanting to caress her yet always falling short by a fraction…

Her heart pounded. Gu Qianxi opened her eyes wide and suddenly stepped closer. Vaguely, that warmth grew nearer and hotter, from neck to back, to waist, gradually descending, embracing her waist, touching her hips…

Though separated by mere inches, that person’s hand grew bolder. Gu Qianxi’s cheeks flushed. She whimpered softly and hurriedly reached out to grab that person.

With a “snap,” candlelight flickered at the counter. The shop was bright again. Before her eyes, besides colorful piles of fabric, there was nothing—as if she’d experienced a dream.

In the silence, the boss behind her came over carrying a candlestick, murmuring: “Madam, are you alright?”

Seeing Gu Qianxi’s face completely flushed, standing there with lowered head saying nothing, the boss looked and suddenly realized in great alarm: “Good! That thief hasn’t left yet!” Thinking the violent man might still be hiding in the shop, the boss quickly found a large wooden stick and searched everywhere for the strange person. Fortunately, after looking left and right for a while, he didn’t see that felt hat—the scoundrel must have fled without a trace after harassing the beautiful woman.

Damn, that fellow got off easy… The boss breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking he’d bustled all night without selling a foot of fabric, all because of that plague god, he couldn’t help but flare up again. Holding his stick, he chased all the way to the shop entrance, cursing: “What kind of thing is that? Don’t think that just because you look like the White Impermanence you can do whatever you want. If you dare come here to make trouble again, watch this old man immediately go report to the authorities…” Getting angrier as he spoke, he walked outside the shop entrance. Looking carefully, he said miserably: “Mother! This fellow’s come again!”

Madam Yang came to her senses. She hurried to the entrance and stopped to look. Before her, snowflakes drifted—where was any trace of a person? But that boss stared at a bamboo stool on the ground, too horrified to speak.

An unremarkable bamboo stool lay overturned in the snow. Looking beside the bamboo stool, there were still a few footprints remaining. Looking beside the footprints, three feet away on the ground, there was another object.

It was a noodle-carrying pole with a thin layer of white snow accumulated on it. Naturally, someone had forgotten their things here.

The White Impermanence had vanished without a trace but left a gift for the shop. The boss was naturally horrified and bitter-smiled. Gu Qianxi said nothing. She gazed at the noodle pole on the ground, bent down to pick up the bamboo stool, gently placed it back on the pole, then reached out with her fair hand to brush away the misty white snow on the pole.

The noodle pole was still warm. The charcoal stove still held residual heat. In the pot was still the faint smell of scallions and garlic. He must have just cooked noodles here and fried aromatics…

After people pass thirty, rich or poor, noble or humble, having experienced several rounds of love and hate, joy and sorrow… they never change again in their lifetime. Even if rivers and mountains changed, seas dried up, and stones rotted, many things would still be deeply buried there. Like something destined by fate, sooner or later they would emerge. Inadvertently…

As if returning to first love. Snowflakes fell one by one. Gu Qianxi slowly bent down and nestled beside the noodle pole. The warm breath from her mouth formed thin mist, wrapping her body warmly beside the noodle pole, reluctant to part…