The Third Month of Blossoms

When Ninth Miss hurried to Luoyang, she found that the Grand Matriarch was absent, as were the other principal leaders of the Long family. She questioned the maids who served the Grand Matriarch, but none of them could give her a clear answer. They merely told her to wait a few days.

Ninth Miss waited patiently for an entire day, yet the Grand Matriarch still did not appear. She was no fool, and by then she understood why the Grand Matriarch had summoned her: she wanted to draw her away from Little Yun, not because there was any real urgent matter. Even Cold Star might not have known the truth.

Several possibilities occurred to Ninth Miss, one of them being that the Long family might already have made an attempt on Little Yun’s life. Years ago, Long Hanchun had twice been on the verge of marriage, yet for reasons no one could explain, both men died mysteriously not long after asking for her hand.

After that, no one ever proposed to her again, and her marriage was left unsettled. To this day, she remained unmarried.

Of course, most members of the Long family knew that the Grand Matriarch had arranged everything. It had become a secret known throughout the family.

In truth, the Grand Matriarch had not been unwilling to let her daughter marry. She simply had not approved of the first suitor and feared that he would lead her daughter astray, so she had secretly arranged for him to be killed.

The second suitor was a man of good character, but the timing was unfortunate. That year, the Long-Eagle War had erupted, and Old Master Long had been gravely wounded by Bai Xuehua. The Long family had fallen into chaos and desperately needed a capable, perceptive, and dependable woman like Long Hanchun. Thus, the Grand Matriarch could not bear to let her marry.

Ninth Miss understood that if the same thing happened to her as had happened to Long Hanchun, it would mark the beginning of an open confrontation between herself and the Long family.

After all, Little Yun was the man she had openly admitted to loving. She would never allow anyone to bully him. Even if he committed some unforgivable crime, she would not permit others to lay a hand on him. If he had to die, she would kill him herself.

But these were only her suspicions, so Ninth Miss hurried back to Xianyang.

When she returned to the tavern, she learned that several days earlier the Grand Matriarch and Long Hanchun had come there looking for Little Yun. No one knew what they had said, but afterward Little Yun had slipped away with Qu and Chu.

Ninth Miss felt as though something had been taken from her. She understood that this was the Grand Matriarch’s warning. For now, they had driven Little Yun away with words alone. If he sought her out again, they might truly move against him.

A fury she could not release surged within Ninth Miss. She wanted to ask them why they insisted on going so far. Yet she knew that her strength was still far from sufficient to contend with such a powerful family.

Once a true conflict began, she lacked the ability to protect Little Yun’s safety. What the Grand Matriarch feared was not that Ninth Miss possessed enough strength to accomplish anything, but that she possessed enough power to ruin everything.

The Grand Matriarch feared forcing her into a dead end, and so she had left room for compromise. As long as Ninth Miss was shown a measure of respect, she would not openly resist. After all, that would be the worst possible course for both sides, leaving everyone gravely wounded. Neither of them wished to resort to it lightly.

At that moment, Little Red and Little Jing said to Ninth Miss, “It was our fault, Miss. We failed to keep an eye on Young Master Yun. Please punish us!”

Ninth Miss gave a bitter smile. “This has nothing to do with either of you.”

Little Red continued, “Young Master Yun left with Qu and Chu. Should we send people to bring him back?”

“Forget it,” Ninth Miss sighed. “Let him be free. He has always been like a drifting cloud, unrestrained and aimless. If I force him to remain at my side, I will only bring him trouble. He does not belong among women like us, women who live amid constant strife.”

Ninth Miss understood that she had too much to do. Even the future she longed for seemed distant, and the road leading to it was long and uncertain. In the end, the three of them were bound for Jiangnan.

They left Xianyang and headed south. Little Yun looked back reluctantly and said, “Farewell, my beloved homeland. Farewell, beautiful Xianyang.”

Chu Xiaoyu immediately added, “You should say, ‘Farewell, beautiful and passionate wife, Ninth Miss.’ Our Young Master Yun certainly seems reluctant to leave.”

Qu Buping angrily cursed, “What do you mean, beloved Xianyang? I say this city is a godforsaken hole where not even a bird lays an egg. Otherwise, how could a man of my talents have failed to make a name for himself here? Beautiful Jiangnan is the truly delightful place. My ambition is to go there and accomplish something magnificent.”

The three of them joked and laughed, keeping the journey lively from beginning to end. From the Han River, they boarded a boat and sailed straight into the Yangtze. Following the river eastward, they reached Zhenjiang. Then they traveled north along the Grand Canal and finally arrived at the flourishing city of pleasure known as Yangzhou.

It was the third month of spring in Jiangnan. The willows hung like drifting smoke, and the flowers bloomed in brocade-like profusion. As they drew near Yangzhou, they gazed at the beautiful scenery along both banks of the canal.

Little Yun and Xiaoyu had always regarded Qu Buping as nothing more than a clown who knew how to fool around. But now, apparently inspired, he stood at the bow of the boat and sang at the top of his voice:

“An old friend bids farewell at Yellow Crane Tower and journeys down to Yangzhou in the misty springtime...”

As Qu Buping sang, he noticed Little Yun and Xiaoyu staring at him strangely. He could not help boasting proudly, “What? Do you think Young Master Qu is good only at flirting with women? I, Qu Buping, am learned and accomplished, a genius whose talents astonish the world. I can govern a nation with my pen and unite the martial world with my sword!”

Hearing him praise himself, Little Yun could not help laughing. “Brother Qu, you sang it wrong. We departed from the Ruyi Pavilion in the north, not Yellow Crane Tower.”

Xiaoyu chimed in, “That’s right. Our Young Master Qu will either become a frontier lord or the leader of the martial world. That is why I showed such foresight when we ran into the Soul-Taking Blood Demon. I told him that Young Master Qu was the illegitimate son of the Martial Alliance Leader!”

Before he could finish, Qu Buping began cursing. “Go to hell! I haven’t settled accounts with you over that incident yet, and you’re still spreading nonsense. I’ll show you what Young Master Qu can do!”

Qu Buping had only just struck a dashing martial-arts pose when the boat suddenly lurched, sending him sprawling face-first onto the deck. All the passengers aboard burst into laughter.

They disembarked and finally reached the famous Jiangnan city of Yangzhou, where the willows were green and the peach blossoms red. The beautiful spring scenery of Jiangnan filled the three travelers, who were visiting Yangzhou for the first time, with a warm and joyous delight.