Chapter 97: You

Xianyun Alley.

The old moonlight fell upon the ancestral home, overgrown with weeds.

The laughter and birdcalls of days past still echoed in his ears, yet none of those familiar faces remained.

“Jinhuan, what the hell does Lao Deng mean?”

“Climbing high with age means rising step by step…”

“Oh~ Then from now on, I’ll call you Xiao Deng, young scholar ascending; hmm… Meiqiu will be Niao Deng!”

“Gujii~”

……

Xie Jinhuan sat cross-legged on the main house’s steps, a jar of wine beside him.

The wine was “Hero’s Tears” from Changle Street, priced at sixty taels—he’d never seen a whole jar in memory; his father had only drunk a few cups at County Magistrate Wu’s banquet and boasted about it for years.

Now he could afford fine wine, but alas—his father was gone, and he could no longer care for him.

Where had the old man gone…

Xie Jinhuan lifted the wine flask and took a swallow; as he pondered silently, the courtyard suddenly darkened slightly.

Before him appeared the peerless demoness, over five meters tall, shouldering a massive red umbrella, her crimson gown embroidered with golden dragon patterns—just as stunning as the first time he’d seen her.

“Didn’t you go to sleep at Wanyi’s? Why are you drinking alone?”

“I just saw a vision—something stirred my emotions. Came home to look around.”

Xie Jinhuan shook off his thoughts, rose, and studied his ghostly bride, whose robes obscured the sky:

“A bet’s a bet—you promised to let me hold you and jump. Don’t you dare vanish again.”

Ye Hongshang waited with raised brows: “Go ahead. How scandalous do you want it?”

Xie Jinhuan stepped closer and realized he wasn’t even as tall as her leg—he felt overwhelming pressure.

Yet when he reached out and touched the hem, he could feel it—her legs were plump as jade pillars, yet even on tiptoe, he couldn’t reach her waist…

“Uh… can you shrink a bit?”

Ye Hongshang spun her red umbrella, looking down at the tiny figure below:

“I’m this big in my true form. When my sister emerges, you won’t ask her to shrink too, will you?”

Xie Jinhuan thought that made sense—but how the hell was he supposed to drive such a giant vehicle…

Sensing his confusion, Ye Hongshang, ever considerate, gradually shrank to over two meters, looking down at the young master before her:

“Satisfied now?”

Xie Jinhuan was naturally satisfied—he reached out to embrace the colossal vehicle, but two meters was still too tall; his gaze landed squarely at her chest, where the golden-threaded fat coal-ball motif nearly brushed his face, making the scene look like a little boy gazing up at a big sister.

Paired with the demoness’s teasing gaze—

It felt vaguely humiliating.

And from that humiliation, a strange thrill arose…

Xie Jinhuan tried to stand straight, but even with ten-centimeter heels, he couldn’t match her height—he could only pull his left hand with his right, and wrap his right arm around her willowy waist:

“Come on, follow my movements…”

Ye Hongshang followed his motions, puzzled:

“What dance are you planning?”

“The Dance of Wife Departed, Child Scattered!”

“Huh?”

Xie Jinhuan offered no further explanation—he guided her waist, stepping forward and back:

“Simple: I advance, you retreat; I retreat, you advance. Follow the rhythm—one-one, two-two, three-three, four-four, spin… Wait, I’ll spin.”

Tap-tap-tap…

Under his clear voice’s command, they paced back and forth in the abandoned courtyard, her long legs lifting the crimson hem, stirring a graceful rhythm beneath the moon.

Because his partner was so tall, he couldn’t reach over her head—he could only hold her hand and spin himself.

Ye Hongshang was swung back and forth, yet within moments found the rhythm, her waist moving with elegant grace.

As they danced, she realized this “Dance of Wife Departed, Child Scattered” was indeed scandalous—eyes meeting, half-embracing, like flirtation.

Yet watching the tiny man earnestly instructing her, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

She’d experienced this before…

Where…

Ye Hongshang thought briefly, noticed Xie Jinhuan’s gaze level with her bodice, and shrank further until they faced each other:

“How do you plan to investigate my background?”

Xie Jinhuan, still holding the now-normal-sized ghost, felt a faint disappointment; after careful thought, he said:

“The ‘Golden Orchid Legend’ might be tied to the Twin Saints Ye Ancestral Hall. Today’s Zhang Huaiyu’s teacher, Fan Li, is their senior disciple—he’s the Sacrificial Master at the Imperial Academy. He might know something. I’ll look for a chance to pay him a visit these two days…”

“What if you find nothing?”

“If I find nothing… sigh, we’ll deal with it then. For now, dance. When life is good, enjoy it fully—no matter how big the problem, it waits until after Jinhuan is done.”

Ye Hongshang nodded slightly, said nothing more, and began learning the dance with focused steps.

Tap-tap-tap…

The pale moonlight bathed the dark, fireless ancestral home; the rhythmic footsteps rose and fell.

The returning wanderer stood alone in the waist-high weeds, left arm empty, dancing alone beneath the moon.

Though his expression seemed joyful, his solitude, paired with the desolate, empty house, gave him an almost mad air…

—

Lin Mansion.

Jiji jiji~~

Faint insect chirps rose from outside; the vast Lin Mansion had long fallen silent.

Lin Wanyi sat upright beside her canopy bed, wearing a clean, neat blue gown, her hair styled in a demure, wise knot—add a veil, and she’d look exactly like a bride.

Her mood was much the same: behind her golden-rimmed glasses, her eyes flickered—fearing he’d come, yet fearing he wouldn’t.

After waiting so long, faint sounds came from outside; a sliver of moonlight slipped through the slightly ajar door:

Squeak~

Then it closed again—no further movement.

?

The room was pitch-black; Lin Wanyi couldn’t make out a figure. She rose, squinting:

“Xie Jinhuan?”

“Shh~ Maids are still gossiping outside. Don’t let your family find out.”

The voice suddenly came from beside her ear, tinged with three parts alcohol; Lin Wanyi flinched, quickly pulling her hands to her chest:

“You came in—why get so close?”

“It’s too dark. Didn’t you prepare anything like a night pearl?”

Lin Wanyi had never sneaked out to meet a man—she only knew how to send the maids away; she had no idea what else to prepare.

She reached for the bedside, lit a small lamp.

Huh~

The dim yellow light illuminated a few feet around the bed, revealing the curvaceous silhouette before him.

Because Lin Wanyi was tall and bent forward to light the lamp, her waist and hips formed a striking, alluring curve; her attire and hairpin were flawless.

This was a woman adorning herself for the one she loved…

Xie Jinhuan nodded inwardly, scanning the room—her boudoir was immaculate, no hidden objects in sight; perhaps she’d tidied up before he arrived.

He sat at the dressing table, pulled out the silver notes he’d gathered these past days, and began counting—Wu Su: three thousand, Champion’s Prize: one thousand, Prince’s share: one thousand five hundred, Han Jingchuan: negligible, landlord’s share: not yet received—total: five thousand five hundred. Half the weekly collection task completed…

Shh~ shh~ shh…

Lin Wanyi was still nervous; she placed the lamp on the bedside table, saw Xie Jinhuan sitting inside counting silver notes like a client arriving at a brothel—she froze, then blushed furiously:

“W-what are you doing?!”

Xie Jinhuan paused, glanced at her, realized his posture was wrong, and chuckled:

“Where did you get that idea? Why would I pay you when I come here?”

So you’re here to cheat me?

Lin Wanyi felt this conversation growing increasingly odd:

“Where did you get so much silver? If you want to show off, go to a brothel—why count it in front of me?”

Xie Jinhuan had roughly counted his savings; he kept only a little for pocket money, then handed the rest to Lin Wanyi:

“Five thousand taels is the deposit. Have Queyue Mountain Villa order the herbs for ‘Shenglong Huohu Pills’—twenty… ten days to gather them, shipped from the Southern Frontier. I’ll pay the balance as soon as I can.”

“Ten days?!”

Lin Wanyi frowned, sat beside him:

“Why are you so impulsive? Do you know how far the Southern Frontier is? If you rush it, Queyue Mountain Villa won’t give you a discount. And if you can’t pay the balance later, they won’t refund the deposit.”

Xie Jinhuan had only nineteen days left—he had to act swiftly. But hearing about the non-refundable deposit, he frowned:

“You can sell those herbs to someone else. With our relationship, you’re holding my deposit?”

No matter how close we are, Queyue Mountain Villa isn’t mine…

Lin Wanyi looked slightly wounded:

“There are rules. My sect holds deposits—I can’t override them. Even if I resell them, how would I explain sourcing so many rare herbs all at once?”

Xie Jinhuan thought it over—it was true—but right now he was only missing the “Living Dragon Vitality Pill,” and if he didn’t fight for it, he’d just be waiting for his ghost bride to blow up his grave.

If he lost his money, he could just rob again.

But if his ghost bride blew up the grave and caused the Great Qian to fall, it would truly torment His Majesty…

After a moment’s deliberation, Xie Jinhuan still said:

“You place the order for me. If I truly can’t pay the balance, treat it as a favor—I’ll owe you one, and if anything happens later, we can help each other.”

After all, if the Great Qian collapsed, he’d have to turn to the Southern Wilderness Witch or the Northern Zhou Empress Dowager…

Lin Wanyi didn’t understand Xie Jinhuan’s deep planning; seeing he insisted on alchemy, she had no choice but to push up her gold-rimmed glasses:

“Hmm… I’ll order the herbs under my own name, saying they’re for Zi Su to practice with.”

“If you end up not using them, I’ll shamelessly return them so you don’t suffer too much loss.”

“But you owe me a favor—remember to repay me.”

Xie Jinhuan thought Wanyi was truly virtuous, and slipped the banknotes into her hand:

“Thanks—I’ll gather the balance as soon as I can.”

Lin Wanyi didn’t know what to say; just as she was about to put the banknotes away, she noticed Xie Jinhuan fumbling in his robe and pulling out a lacquered red hairpin box.

?

Lin Wanyi froze slightly, her face instantly flushing red:

“You… what are you doing?”

Xie Jinhuan opened the box and picked up the pearl-inlaid peony hairpin inside:

“Just passed by Changle Street, saw a hairpin I liked, so I bought it on a whim.”

Giving a girl a hairpin carried far too clear a meaning.

Lin Wanyi visibly panicked, shrinking back:

“Why are you buying me a hairpin? I… I can’t accept this.”

Xie Jinhuan smiled, slipping the hairpin into Lin Wanyi’s hairpin bun:

“I already bought it—if I took it back to the shop, wouldn’t people laugh at me? Hmm… it really does suit you.”

Lin Wanyi still wanted to refuse, but Xie Jinhuan had already slid it in so smoothly she couldn’t pull it out and throw it away; after thinking, she sighed deeply:

“I have plenty of hairpins—don’t waste money on such things. You’re a righteous young hero; your silver should go where it matters…”

“Buying a hairpin for a girl I like isn’t putting my silver to good use?”

?

Lin Wanyi stiffened all over, her eyes darting away:

“You… are you drunk? You came here to teach me the Divine Scripture of Martial Dao… If you keep this up, I’ll throw you out!”

“I haven’t done anything.”

Xie Jinhuan picked up the mirror from the dressing table:

“Look at yourself—how does it look?”

Lin Wanyi glanced at the mirror and saw her face as red as a giant red lantern; she quickly pressed the mirror down:

“Beautiful, beautiful—thank you. Hurry up and teach me the technique.”

Xie Jinhuan chuckled and set down the bronze mirror, sitting on the edge of the bed and slipping off his shoes.

?

Lin Wanyi stared, startled, and immediately stood up:

“Didn’t you say sharing a room was enough? Why are you getting into bed?”

Xie Jinhuan sat upright with a straight back, serious:

“Sit like me—I’ll transmit my energy. If you’re embarrassed, you can sit on the floor.”

This is my room—why should I sit on the floor?

Lin Wanyi wanted to drag this audacious man down, but he was truly meditating; making him sit on the floor would be inappropriate. After thinking, she sat at the far end of the bed, arranged her posture, and waited:

“Then what?”

“Close your eyes.”

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, he raised his right hand in a sword finger and began feigning a spell:

“Heavenly spirit, earthly spirit…”

Lin Wanyi was still a little nervous, fearing Xie Jinhuan would use this as an excuse to take advantage.

But before she could discern what divine art he was performing, a dizziness surged through her mind.

Then the mattress beneath her vanished, and she plummeted downward—the curtains and canopy receded rapidly until they became a pitch-black abyss…

(End of Chapter)