As soon as they stepped out of Yunlai Inn, they found themselves on the bustling streets of Qingzhou.
Red lanterns lined the long street, shops were everywhere, banners fluttered, and the streets were crowded with people and vehicles.
There were numerous street performers juggling, sword dancing, tightrope walking, sword swallowing, and fire breathing. The locals were quite supportive, standing by to watch, and rewarding the performers with silver coins if they enjoyed the show.
He Sui’an watched the performances in awe, clapping enthusiastically when they ended.
Qi Buyan asked a passerby for directions to Dengyun Mountain.
The passerby first admired his appearance before informing him of the location.
After getting the directions, Qi Buyan gave the passerby a slight smile, looking like a well-mannered young gentleman. He had a natural charm that made it hard for people to resist him.
He patiently waited for He Sui’an to finish watching the performances.
As they walked down the street, they couldn’t help but attract attention. The man was handsome, the woman was pretty, and passersby frequently glanced at them. He Sui’an was oblivious, engrossed in the performances.
After watching the performances, she bought two sugar paintings with cat designs.
It was Qi Buyan’s first time seeing sugar paintings.
He stared at the patterns.
He Sui’an licked her sugar painting, tasting the sweetness: “Why aren’t you eating?”
“What is this called?” Qi Buyan, smelling the sweetness, had never seen this in Tianshui Village but knew it was edible.
“Sugar painting,” she said, crunching down on the cat’s tail, “It’s made of syrup.”
He repeated, “Sugar painting.”
He Sui’an offered Qi Buyan a bite. He opened his mouth, biting gently on the cat’s ear, letting the sugary piece fall into his mouth.
After the sweet sugar painting, He Sui’an opted for sour plum soup to cleanse her palate.
Qi Buyan drank half a bowl as well. He rarely paid much attention to food, seeing it merely as a necessity for survival. In contrast, He Sui’an seemed to greatly enjoy and immerse herself in the experience.
While wandering the streets, He Sui’an overheard people discussing the Duan family.
The eldest young master of the Duan family had been imprisoned.
The news was spreading like wildfire.
They said he was personally thrown into prison by the high-ranking official who had come to inspect Qingzhou.
Some people felt that Xie Wenqiao was ungrateful, given the teacher-student relationship he had with the late Master Duan, offering no leniency to the Duan family.
Others believed it was a good thing. The eldest young master of the Duan family had been tyrannizing Qingzhou for years, and it was a great relief to have someone willing to bring him to justice.
Master Duan had also fallen ill.
The Duan family was already in decline, and this incident seemed to seal their fate.
An elderly man with white hair sighed.
A young man beside him spoke up, “With the eldest young master in prison, Master Duan seriously ill, and the third young master still a child, isn’t there still the second young master who can uphold the Duan family?”
“You don’t know,” the elderly man stroked his beard, “The second young master is not capable.”
“How so?”
The young man suspected he was being tricked, “I remember the second young master being a famous prodigy in Qingzhou, admired by all.”
“That was in the past.”
The elderly man clicked his tongue, speaking mysteriously, “Times have changed. The second young master has gone mad. He even thought of abandoning his wife to become a Taoist priest at Xuanmiao Temple.”
“Didn’t the second young master and his wife love each other deeply when they first got married?” The young man shook his head, “It’s only been a few years, and he’s already willing to abandon her to become a priest?”
“Life is unpredictable.”
The elderly man left it at that, chuckling as he walked slowly toward the alley with his cane.
The young man felt it was a great pity.
The second young master’s wife was known as a great beauty in Qingzhou. When they married, it caused a huge stir in the city, with men envying the second young master and women envying the second young lady.
Hearing this, the image of a woman in purple flashed through He Sui’an’s mind but was quickly dismissed.
She wasn’t one to meddle in the affairs of strangers.
Qingzhou was vast, and even if He Sui’an wanted to explore it all, it wouldn’t be possible in one day. She asked Qi Buyan how long they would stay in Qingzhou.
Qi Buyan said they might stay for a few days.
He also mentioned their plan to visit Dengyun Mountain, which made He Sui’an’s eyes light up. She had never tried climbing a mountain with Qi Buyan and was excited about it. She asked around for information about Dengyun Mountain.
Dengyun Mountain was the largest mountain in Qingzhou. There was a village at its foot and a famous Taoist temple on the mountain called Xuanmiao Temple, named by the current emperor.
Everyone in Great Zhou knew that the emperor favored Taoists and treated them generously.
Taoists naturally didn’t hold official positions.
However, some people, despite having no official rank, were more esteemed than officials because Taoists had won the favor of the unpredictable and suspicious emperor.
The emperor visited Xuanmiao Temple every year to offer his respects, making the temple highly regarded in Qingzhou. Local officials treated the Taoist priests there like deities.
He Sui’an initially only wanted to inquire about Dengyun Mountain but ended up hearing about Xuanmiao Temple on the mountain.
Xuanmiao Temple, Taoists?
That had little to do with her.
He Sui’an was just interested in the experience of climbing the mountain. Whatever was on the mountain, including the temple, was irrelevant to her. Qi Buyan hadn’t mentioned Xuanmiao Temple, indicating his interest was solely in Dengyun Mountain.
Since they decided to climb Dengyun Mountain, they needed to prepare. He Sui’an tugged on Qi Buyan’s sleeve: “When are we going?”
“Tonight,” he replied.
Tonight?
That seemed a bit rushed, but He Sui’an didn’t voice her concern: “Okay.” After agreeing on the plan to climb Dengyun Mountain, they continued walking through the streets.
Across the street in a teahouse, someone was sitting by the window. It was Xie Wenqiao, dressed in casual clothes, holding a celadon cup, gazing at the floating tea leaves, not drinking.
A friend teased him: “Lord Xie, are you unaccustomed to the poor quality tea here?”
Xie Wenqiao gently put down the cup.
“That’s not the case.”
He looked at his friend: “This is good tea; it’s just that I’m not in the mood to enjoy it today.”
His friend observed Xie Wenqiao’s expression and speculated: “Still troubled by the matters of Xuanmiao Temple? If I may say, why do you oppose Xuanmiao Temple? You know how those Taoists are…”
Stop at an appropriate point; no need to say more.
If someone with ill intentions overheard, it might cause trouble.
Xie Wenqiao said, “I know the Emperor has always favored Taoists. I shouldn’t offend them, otherwise, if the national advisor, also a Taoist, speaks ill of me in front of the Emperor, my career might be hindered.”
He frowned. “But even the Emperor is not above the law, let alone a group of useless Taoists who only practice alchemy and speak ill of others all day.”
His friend helplessly held his forehead.
“I only ask you this: do you have evidence?”
Xie Wenqiao calmly replied, “If I had evidence, I wouldn’t just be sitting here drinking tea with you today. I would have already brought people to the Xuanmiao Temple.”
Luo Qi rolled his eyes and drank his tea in one gulp. “Even if you find evidence, so what? Going against the Taoists is like slapping the Emperor’s face.”
Xie Wenqiao remained silent.
Luo Qi suddenly knocked on the table.
He looked at Luo Qi, who smiled slyly and said, “Mingsheng, we’ve been close friends since childhood. Tell me, are you handling the matter of Young Master Duan with any personal feelings?”
Xie Wenqiao furrowed his brows. “What are you saying? I am handling it impartially.”
Luo Qi snorted ambiguously. “Alright, I also believe you’re not the kind to abuse your power. After all, you are the incorruptible Xie Mingsheng. So, when do you plan to return to the capital?”
“After dealing with the matters at Xuanmiao Temple,” Xie Wenqiao replied.
He added, “The Xuanmiao Temple is involved in several deaths. I cannot stand by and do nothing.”
Luo Qi slapped his forehead. “You really don’t know how to be flexible. I wonder how you’ve managed in the officialdom all these years.”
Xie Wenqiao didn’t mind his friend’s mockery and just listened passively. Casually glancing downstairs, his eyes unintentionally landed on He Sui’an in a red dress on the street and paused for a few moments.
This girl looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
The Duan residence?
Xie Wenqiao had an excellent memory and could remember anyone he met.
Wasn’t she a maid at the Duan residence that day?
If she was a maid at the Duan residence, why was she now wearing an expensive gauze dress and strolling with a young man? If she wasn’t a maid at the Duan residence, why was she dressed as one and serving there that day?
Oh well, that’s a matter for the Duan residence.
Luo Qi saw Xie Wenqiao looking at a young girl on the street, waved his hand in front of his eyes, and rudely teased, “You’re almost thirty, and you’re still thinking of an old cow eating young grass?”
Xie Wenqiao withdrew his gaze. “What are you thinking about all day? I just thought that girl looked a bit familiar.”
Luo Qi chuckled. “Right, you still can’t let go of that person, huh…”
Xie Wenqiao shot him a sharp look.
Seeing his friend getting upset, Luo Qi quickly changed the subject. “Come on, have a cup of tea with me. Since you’ve been away from Qingzhou all these years, no one has accompanied me to enjoy tea. Do me a favor and have a sip.”
Really, every time that person was mentioned, Xie Wenqiao would always get mad at him. But Luo Qi just couldn’t control his mouth. He could only use tea to keep himself quiet.
On the street, He Sui’an was unaware that she was being talked about as she walked past a rouge shop with Qi Buyan.
She rarely used makeup, but the fragrance made her stop to look.
In the end, she bought a box of rouge.
It smelled wonderful.
The main reason He Sui’an bought the rouge was because the box was beautiful. It was carved from peach wood, with patterns of mountains, water, trees, and a small wooden house—her ideal life.
At dusk, they returned to the inn, packed their bags, and prepared to climb Mount Dengyun.
Perhaps because the mountain was so tall that climbing it felt like reaching the clouds, it was named Mount Dengyun. This was He Sui’an’s impression when they reached the foot of the mountain.
At the foot of Mount Dengyun, people were as small as ants. She doubted they could climb it in one night.
The sky was dark, and the mountain fog was thick.
He Sui’an surveyed her surroundings.
The chirping of insects was constant, and occasionally, the rustling of leaves could be heard as the night wind blew through. Surrounded by the sound of the wind, Qi Buyan’s silver ornaments also clinked continuously, sounding eerie and out of place at the foot of the silent mountain.
Just as they were about to start their ascent, a figure emerged from the shadows of the trees nearby. The person had a twisted mouth and nose, slightly bulging eyes, fingers bent in an odd manner, and a body that seemed somewhat deformed.
“Are you going up the mountain?”
The voice was unpleasant to hear.
