He must have loved you very much.
(I) Without thinking
Red Adornment and Ji Hanchu stayed at that inn for a while. When she finally decided to leave, Ji Hanchu refused to agree.
Red Adornment's health had deteriorated terribly, and she could no longer withstand the strain of travel. He wanted her to stay without worrying, let him nurse her back to health for a while, and wait until she was a little better before setting out.
Naturally, Red Adornment objected. "Your third uncle will catch up with us. Once he does, he'll drag me back."
Ji Hanchu watched the little medicine stove. He had bought it outside specifically to brew tonics for Red Adornment.
Ji Hanchu asked, "Why is Third Uncle chasing you?"
Red Adornment replied irritably, "He wants to know where my senior sister is, of course. I'm not telling him."
Ji Hanchu watched the heat, not daring to let his attention wander, but he was still curious. "What's your senior sister's relationship with Third Uncle? Why is he looking for her?"
Red Adornment fell silent.
For a moment, the room grew quiet, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.
After a long while, Red Adornment said glumly, "I'll tell you once you remember."
Ji Hanchu murmured an acknowledgment, poured the medicine into a bowl, and called her over. "Come drink your medicine."
Its smell was no less awful than the medicine Ji Chengxuan had given her last time. Just smelling it made her want to vomit. Red Adornment had been implanted with the Twin Gu, not the Living Dead Gu; her six senses had not been sealed off. One whiff set her stomach churning, and she lay down on the bed to play dead. "I'm not drinking it."
Ji Hanchu turned and saw her lying there, buried under the quilt in a little mound.
He sat at the bedside and pulled back a corner of the quilt, coaxing her gently. "How can you refuse your medicine? You'll never get better without it."
Red Adornment shook her head. "I won't get better. Everything I drink goes to feeding the gu worms. None of it reaches me."
Ji Hanchu's heart ached. Soon, he tried persuading her again. "Feeding the gu worms is fine too. Perhaps you won't feel so awful. It has to help a little."
Red Adornment turned to look at him. "That medicine is too bitter. It tastes horrible. I don't want it."
Ji Hanchu pulled away the quilt, refusing to let her hide. "Drink your medicine today, and I'll buy you malt candy next time."
He had heard her say that it was her favorite.
Red Adornment said, "Then feed me."
Ji Hanchu hesitated, but ultimately refused. "Men and women shouldn't have physical contact."
Red Adornment sat up and touched a finger to his lips. "We've already kissed. What more is there?"
Ji Hanchu had no answer to that. He stood and handed her the bowl. "Hurry and drink your medicine."
Red Adornment pushed it aside with one hand. Looking at Ji Hanchu's handsome face, her heart stirred again.
While he wasn't paying attention, she stole another kiss on his cheek and said softly, "You little prude, sleep with me tonight, and I'll drink it."
Ji Hanchu backed away a little, still refusing. His argument about men and women avoiding physical contact had lost its force, however, so he said little, merely replying, "No."
Red Adornment flopped back onto the bed and deliberately stabbed at his heart. "Then let me die. Leave me alone. I'm not drinking it anyway. I might as well die."
She was being utterly unreasonable, but Ji Hanchu had no way of dealing with her.
He turned sideways and finally gave in. "You sleep in the bed. I'll stay beside you."
Red Adornment gave him a sidelong look. "You won't run away once I'm asleep?"
Ji Hanchu replied helplessly, "I won't."
"What if your third uncle comes?"
Ji Hanchu's expression softened. "I won't let him take you away." Red Adornment didn't believe him. "Can you beat him?"
She had fought Ji Chengxuan at Fishing Slumber Cottage before, and at best, she had fought him to a draw. She didn't quite believe Ji Hanchu could subdue him.
Ji Hanchu had never liked discussing martial prowess, but since this concerned a promise, he answered. "If I use all my strength, it won't be very difficult."
"Really?" She still didn't believe him, afraid that he was deceiving her.
Ji Hanchu nodded. Before he could speak, the medicine bowl in his hand suddenly shook violently.
In that very instant, swift as lightning, a cold, stern figure burst through the window. His blade bore fierce, powerful internal energy as it cleaved toward them like a roaming dragon.
Ji Hanchu immediately drew his saber. His right hand held the bowl, so he used his left, intercepting the blow with swift, steady, precise ferocity.
The two blades collided. Ji Hanchu was driven three large steps backward, and a chunk broke off the rim of the medicine bowl. His attacker, however, still had strength to spare. He smoothly sheathed Crescent Moon, and a hint of admiration appeared in his gaze.
Red Adornment was speechless. "Senior Uncle Kaiyang, why did you suddenly jump out and scare us?"
Kaiyang turned to her. "He said he could defeat Ji Chengxuan. I didn't believe him." Then he turned back to Ji Hanchu, raising his voice. "But now I do."
Ji Hanchu replied indifferently, "You were gracious."
"I wasn't," Kaiyang said. "Your saber technique is better than Ji Jingsheng's, and you're a generation younger than him. Your future accomplishments will certainly surpass his."
After a pause, he asked, "Interested in becoming my disciple?"
The moment Red Adornment heard that, she jumped off the bed. "No."
It wasn't just Yaoguang. None of the Big Dipper Stars were allowed to marry. If Ji Hanchu really became Kaiyang, what would she do?
Ji Hanchu put down the medicine and carried her back to bed. "The floor is cold. Don't get down."
Kaiyang frowned. "I asked him, not you."
Asking him made no difference. Ji Hanchu shook his head and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your regard, Senior, but..."
"Say no more," Kaiyang said. "I understand."
Red Adornment asked, "Senior Uncle, why are you here?"
Kaiyang disliked involving himself in worldly affairs more than anyone. Something that warranted his personal presence surely couldn't be trivial.
Sure enough, Kaiyang said, "Little Mute asked me to tell you that he and Hongxiu will reach Jiangnan soon. He wants you to wait nearby and not run around, so they won't have trouble finding you."
Red Adornment had long known that her senior sister would come. The Twin Gu simply couldn't be separated by too great a distance. After she left the Southern Frontier, her senior sister and Little Mute had followed shortly afterward.
"Understood."
Kaiyang nodded, turned, and jumped back out of the window. He came and went like the wind, and soon the room was quiet again.
Ji Hanchu came over holding the medicine bowl. "Drink it. It'll be cold if you wait any longer."
Red Adornment pouted. "I think you're using this as an excuse to settle a personal score. You want to kill me with bitterness."
Ji Hanchu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm doing this for your own good, and you treat my kindness like a donkey's liver and lungs. Why are you so unreasonable?"
Red Adornment retorted without thinking, "I'd have died ten thousand times over if I'd been reasonable."
Ji Hanchu didn't respond.
He had lost count of how many times he had heard the word "die." He couldn't remain unmoved.
He hated how Red Adornment spoke of dying at the slightest provocation. He hated it.
Patiently, Ji Hanchu compromised. "Drink your medicine now, and I'll buy you candy in a little while."
Red Adornment said, "Then feed it to me."
With no other choice, Ji Hanchu agreed.
The medicine truly was bitter. Red Adornment's face scrunched up as she drank, but since Ji Hanchu was feeding her, she endured it. When she finally managed to swallow it all, her mouth felt filled with bitterness. Miserably, she could only stick out her tongue and fan it.
Red Adornment said, "Hurry up and buy the candy. I'm dying of bitterness. You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Ji Hanchu cleared away the bowl, smiling without answering. Catching sight of her bare little feet out of the corner of his eye, he abandoned the bowl, pulled her back to the bedside, and searched around for her shoes and socks. As he put them on her, he scolded, "I brew all these tonics to nurse you back to health. Can't you take a little care of yourself?"
Red Adornment readily complied, letting him put on her shoes and socks before saying, "Ji San, you're so good to me."
Ji Hanchu froze slightly.
Only when he came to his senses did he realize what he had done. He had put on her shoes and socks, brewed her tonics, and was even going to buy her candy.
She was the person who had kidnapped him.
With her shoes changed, Red Adornment saw him looking dazed and kissed him behind the ear. "Why aren't we leaving?"
Ji Hanchu stood, his eyes deep and dark as he stared intently at her.
Somewhat bewildered by his gaze, Red Adornment began, "You..."
Ji Hanchu interrupted her. "Did he used to like you very much?"
Red Adornment didn't understand. "Who?"
Ji Hanchu's voice was very low. "The old me."
Before?
What he had felt for her before wasn't merely liking her.
He had loved her as dearly as his own life. He truly would have given up his life.
Red Adornment nodded wordlessly.
Ji Hanchu smiled. "He loved you very much."
He was certain of that.
Red Adornment didn't answer. The sense of separation in his words made her deeply uncomfortable.
Ji Hanchu approached, first reaching out to carefully hook her finger, then taking her by it as he opened the door and led her downstairs.
Only a single finger connected them, yet that warm touch brought the joy of recovering something once lost.
As he led her, Red Adornment's eyes stung again. She simply watched him walking ahead of her, his back so lean, yet so broad, as though it could shield her from every storm.
What was she to do? She really liked him so much.
So much that even if she were smashed to pieces again, she would feel no regret.
Ji Hanchu led Red Adornment downstairs into the main hall. Their posture wasn't especially intimate, but a man so handsome and a woman so bewitching were a rare sight. One in white and one in red, they were already eye-catching. With Red Adornment's earlier performance added to that, they drew most of the gazes in the hall almost as soon as they appeared.
Naturally, some also harbored evil intentions.
Two men seated by the window had been staring at Red Adornment from the beginning.
Their martial skills were middling, and they knew something of discerning things by sound. They could tell that Red Adornment had internal injuries, and immediately began entertaining other intentions.
True masters deliberately restrained their internal energy when out and about, and Ji Hanchu was no exception. It wasn't intentional, merely habitual. After watching for a long time without discerning the depth of his skills, the two men decided to gamble. This man looked far too young. So what if he knew some martial arts? He couldn't possibly be a match for both of them.
Tonight, they simply had to taste that little beauty behind him.
(II) Sweet malt candy
It was still early, and the malt candy shop hadn't closed yet.
The spring night was chilly, but the streets were still crowded. Ji Hanchu held one of Red Adornment's fingers, only letting go when they reached the shop.
It was early spring. The plants had yet to bud, and the night air was heavy with dew, yet none of it seemed able to touch Ji Hanchu. He still wore those blue outer robes and white clothes. A year had changed him little. His heart was still soft, his bearing still upright. Perhaps because of his serious injuries, his figure was thinner than before, with a fragility worn into it by hardship.
But Red Adornment knew that he had never been fragile. He was stronger than anyone.
Ji Hanchu went up to the malt candy shop and lowered his head to browse. Unlike the candy sold by the roadside, the shop's wares were exquisitely made, carved into all kinds of shapes: tigers, rabbits, monkeys... They were so lifelike and mouthwatering that one could hardly bear to eat them.
Ji Hanchu beckoned Red Adornment over. "Take a look. Which do you like?"
With her sweet tooth, Red Adornment needed no prompting. Her head was already poking into the shop. The Southern Frontier had no malt candy this pretty. Only Jiangnan had it. The young women of Jiangnan had the most leisure for such refined pleasures. They liked these fancy little things and gladly spent the effort and care on them.
Red Adornment loved them too. After much choosing, she picked several kinds, filling an entire oiled-paper packet to the brim.
When she reached for more, Ji Hanchu caught her wrist. He put back the palm-sized candy shaped like a dancing phoenix that she held. "No more greediness. Eat too much, and your teeth will hurt."
Red Adornment shook off his hand indignantly. "I'll pay for it myself. I don't need your money."
Ji Hanchu said, "Still no." There was no room for negotiation. He allowed her only that one packet, paid, and made to leave.
The candy seller was a young woman. Perhaps she had never seen a man like Ji Hanchu before, for she stared at him rather fixedly. Seeing him about to leave, she actually reached out heedlessly and caught his sleeve.
Ji Hanchu and Red Adornment turned in bewilderment. Beneath the lantern light, the young woman's pretty face was flushed, her voice as faint as a mosquito's whine. "Young master, why... why don't you choose a little more?"
Red Adornment's expression changed instantly. She surged forward, every spine bristling like an angry little hedgehog. Ji Hanchu looked at Red Adornment, then at the candy seller, a trace of amusement entering his eyes. He reached out to restrain Red Adornment, told the young woman, "No, thank you," then turned and left.
Only after they had walked for some time did he notice that the person in his arms had stopped struggling. He released her and asked, "Why are you angry?"
Seething, Red Adornment hurled the malt candy at him. "Very pretty, was she?"
Ji Hanchu was as baffled as a ten-foot monk trying to find the top of his head. He caught the oiled-paper packet and asked blankly, "What?"
Red Adornment was so angry that she bit him. "That girl! You were staring so hard your eyes went straight!"
Ji Hanchu was utterly confused. "When did I... hiss, let go..."
Red Adornment released him, then pounded him with a completely haphazard flurry of palm strikes. Ji Hanchu simply stood there and let her. Once she had exhausted herself, she demanded breathlessly, "Tell me, who's prettier, her or me?"
Ji Hanchu answered honestly, "You."
Only then was Red Adornment appeased. She took back the malt candy, picked out a piece, and put it in her mouth to chew, though her words remained unforgiving. "You'd better be telling the truth, or believe me..."
Ji Hanchu froze.
In that instant, an overwhelming sense of familiarity surged toward him like the tide, threatening to drown him completely. He closed his eyes briefly. A voice seemed to sound beside his ear, though he didn't know who was speaking: Or I'll gouge out your eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, the ten-mile street seemed to have fallen silent. Blurred lantern light shone near and far, willow branches drooped slightly, and thin mist curled. Beneath the vast night sky, everything he saw and heard became a winding painting. Within it, the woman holding the malt candy turned to look at him with smiling eyes. Candlelight cast faint shadows over her face. She smiled at him and said:
"Or, believe me, I'll gouge out your eyes."
The wind blew, and the lanterns swayed gently. The shadows at his feet swayed too, overlapping like waves rolling in one after another, chasing each other, surging with the past.
He was submerged.
Within that faint stillness, Ji Hanchu suddenly smiled.
First, he shook his head, wondering how his former self had ever endured such torment. When he looked into Red Adornment's eyes, that wonder dissolved into acceptance.
He stepped forward, raised his brows, and lowered his head. "He must have liked you very much."
He had said this twice today, but this time he was utterly certain, without the slightest doubt.
He must have liked you very much.
Just as I do now.
Red Adornment couldn't guess at the delicate twists and turns of his feelings. Hearing him say that, she scoffed through gritted teeth, glared at him indignantly, and took out another piece of malt candy, chewing it with loud crunches.
Ji Hanchu whisked away her packet of candy and held it firmly. "Stop eating. Your teeth really will hurt."
Red Adornment tried to snatch it back but failed. She grabbed his hand and was about to bite again when he firmly stopped her.
Red Adornment angrily tried to kick him. "What are you doing? Let go of me."
Her voice was soft and coquettish, sending a tingling through the heart, like tiny claws scratching at it until it itched.
Ji Hanchu laughed despite himself and stroked the top of her head with something of a comforting touch.
"Have you never had a toothache?" Ji Hanchu asked gently. "You love candy so much, but could you bear the misery of a toothache?"
"What does it matter whether I can bear it?" Red Adornment held out her palm. "Tomorrow's worries can wait until tomorrow. Give me back my candy."
Ji Hanchu opened the paper packet, put two pieces in her hand, then turned and walked on with his hands behind his back.
Red Adornment stuffed both pieces into her mouth and hurried after him, mumbling, "That little? Are you fobbing off a beggar?"
Ji Hanchu glanced sideways.
What beggar was as overbearing as she was?
He carried the paper packet, seemingly looking straight ahead, yet the corner of his eye was filled entirely with Red Adornment. As she chewed her candy, the soft flesh of her cheeks bulged, then dimpled inward. Occasionally, her lips puckered outward, revealing glimpses of her cute, pearly teeth.
Red Adornment noticed his gaze and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Ji Hanchu looked away. "A little wild beast, and how it grew such sharp fangs."
Red Adornment heard the laughter in his voice. She rarely saw Ji Hanchu tease anyone and was caught off guard. When she recovered, she immediately grew annoyed, thinking he was mocking her for loving sweets and talking too much. Anger surged up, and she curled both hands into fists, swinging them with a tiger's ferocity as she pummeled his back.
Ji Hanchu sidestepped, making her fists miss. He had felt a sense of familiarity from the moment he first saw Red Adornment, and now he felt even more at ease. Somehow, he actually caught her hand and blurted out, "Such fine teeth, all for nothing. Too bad your arms are too short to hit me."
Red Adornment froze.
Ji Hanchu froze too, turning over what he had just said.
He was not ordinarily a frivolous or forward person. He had always known his manners and when to advance or retreat, understood the proprieties between men and women and the boundaries that must never be crossed. Yet before Red Adornment, he never quite resembled the person he thought himself to be.
With Qingyan, he could never have said such a thing, nor could he have wandered aimlessly about with a woman who was still a stranger.
But when that person was Red Adornment, everything seemed to flow as naturally as water into a channel. It came so naturally that he never needed to consider "why." He did not even want to consider it. He only wanted to keep staying with her like this.
Seeing him lost in thought, Red Adornment laughed. "Ji San, what are you thinking about?"
She stepped closer and stood before him with her hands behind her back, imitating him. In a low voice, she said, "Spacing out for no reason-if you aren't thinking about me, I'll be angry."
Her tone was light, with a lingering, coaxing sweetness. Her eyes brimmed with affection as her gaze rested on Ji Hanchu's face. It was the way a girl looked at the man she loved.
Under her gaze, Ji Hanchu forgot both ease and unease altogether, his face burning. He turned his head slightly to avoid her eyes. "Let's go."
Red Adornment giggled, making Ji Hanchu flush even redder. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said softly, "Stop laughing."
"Young Master Ji San governs heaven and earth, and now whether other people laugh too?"
Red Adornment skipped closer and held out her hand again. "Give me the sweets. Give them to me, and I'll stop laughing at you."
Ji Hanchu drew his hands in and straightened his back. His stance was clear-no.
Red Adornment could neither beat him nor snatch them from him. Ever since he had caught Kaiyang's blade, she had known he must have concealed his martial skills before. Kaiyang was a supreme master with scarcely an equal in the world. If Ji Hanchu could catch a strike from him, subduing her would be nothing.
But although she could not defeat him, she always had ways to make him yield.
Red Adornment clung to his hand and trailed pitifully behind him. Ji Hanchu remained perfectly composed, his hands behind his back. That packet of sweets swayed right before her eyes, yet she could not get a single bite.
Red Adornment tugged his sleeve and whispered, "Just one. I'll only eat one."
Ji Hanchu did not react.
Red Adornment shook his arm back and forth. "Brother Ji San, just one."
Ji Hanchu could not withstand this coaxing at all. He unwrapped the oiled-paper packet and took out a sweet for her. Watching her eat it in delight, he truly had no idea what to do with her.
In the end, the packet of sweets still found its way into Red Adornment's hands. They returned to the inn, and just as they entered, the waiter informed them that the previous day's room charges had not been settled. Ji Hanchu took out a gold leaf and sent Red Adornment to pay.
Having gotten her sweets, Red Adornment went happily.
Ji Hanchu stood by the entrance with his sleeves gathered in, silently raising his eyes toward a table by the window.
In the spacious hall, two men dressed unmistakably like men of the jianghu sat at that table. They did not stand out among the people coming and going, but their eyes were truly filthy, their minds turning with lewd thoughts, lending them an air of sleaziness.
Ji Hanchu had never liked interfering in or judging how others conducted themselves, but since this involved Red Adornment, he could not ignore it.
Those two genuinely believed he knew no martial arts. They huddled together and discussed their plans for tonight: drugging, kidnapping, murder, robbery... the full assortment. Clearly, they did not intend to leave either of them alive.
As Ji Hanchu listened, he could still restrain himself at first. But when they discussed having their fill of Red Adornment before selling her to a brothel for a good price, even spouting things like "a pillow for a thousand men, a mount for ten thousand," he could no longer contain the anger in his chest.
He strolled over and sat at a nearby table. Seemingly at random, he picked a bamboo chopstick from the holder on the table. Without moving his elbow, he flicked his wrist lightly. The chopstick seemed to carry the weight of a thousand jun. With a bang, it struck one man hard in the nape. Without even crying out, the man went limp, his vision darkened, and he collapsed.
Everyone nearby instantly turned to look. His companion called out to him twice in panic, then looked up. Amid all the alarm, only one man at a distant table sat with folded arms, his cool gaze carrying a warning. What was there left to misunderstand? He immediately whipped out his longsword and swung at Ji Hanchu's head.
Ji Hanchu dodged lightly, his manner still languid. He merely raised his hand lazily, apparently using no strength at all, yet caught the incoming blade precisely between his fingers.
He tightened his fingers, making it impossible for the man to pull his sword free.
Seeing more and more spectators gathering, the man could not swallow the loss of face. He raised his hand and struck wildly at Ji Hanchu's head and face, only to be evaded again. This time, he could not even hold his sword steady. A knife-hand strike robbed his arm of strength, and the longsword spun through the air, landing in Ji Hanchu's hand in an instant.
The man said, "You-what do you want? My brother and I have no quarrel with you. What right do you have to make trouble for us?"
Holding the sword, Ji Hanchu said with an indifferent gaze, "We do have a quarrel."
"Bullshit!" the man roared. "What quarrel? You look so refined, yet all that comes out of your mouth is lies. What family are you from? Give me your name if you dare!"
Ji Hanchu lifted the sword, pinched the blade between his fingers, and applied a little force. With a crack, it shattered into several pieces.
The man instantly fell silent, staring at him in fear and panic.
Was the red-clad girl's husband actually a martial artist?
Ji Hanchu tossed away the hilt, picked up a shard of the blade, and flicked it toward the man's hand. Thinking it some formidable technique, the man stumbled back several steps and landed on his backside, breaking out in a cold sweat.
But the shard merely nicked his palm and injured nothing else.
Still shaken, he braced himself against the table and stood up. Before he could launch into curses, the young master in blue approached with his hands behind his back and looked down at him. "Practice every good deed; commit no evil. Those who do much injustice will bring about their own destruction."
The man stared blankly at him. He already knew that the two of them were absolutely no match for this man, and that he must have overheard their plans. He simply did not know how he would retaliate.
Yet after saying this with perfect composure, Ji Hanchu turned and strode up the stairs.
On the stairs, the woman in red, who had taken in everything that had happened, followed him with a lilting laugh. She buried her head against his chest, laughing without stopping.
Ji Hanchu said helplessly, "What's so funny?"
Red Adornment hugged his arm to her chest. "So the Little Medical Immortal poisons people too."
Ji Hanchu fell silent.
He had smeared poison on the sword shard. Though it would not kill, it would make the man suffer for a long time.
His medical ethics would not allow him to take another's life, but his heart would not allow him to let them off so easily either.
He touched the back of Red Adornment's hand. It was still icy. Changing the subject, he said, "I'm going back to prepare tomorrow's medicine. Since you bought your sweets, you must be good and drink your medicine."
Standing before the door, Red Adornment nodded obediently and agreed readily. How could she not have heard what those two had intended? Ji Hanchu had vented her anger for her, and she was overjoyed. Answering him, she pushed the door open.
As the door opened, the candle flames swayed twice.
The two shadows on the floor swayed with them.
A man's hand reached over and flicked Red Adornment squarely on the forehead. After the sharp crack, she looked up in a daze and saw a face bent down to inspect her.
Beside her, Ji Hanchu had already drawn the knife from his sleeve.
Yet the man seemed not to see him at all. He merely studied Red Adornment closely, then suddenly smiled faintly and raised his hands, gesturing nonstop.
[Silly child, how have you gotten so much thinner again?]
At the same time, a woman's gentle voice rang out-
"Little Mute, don't bully Red Adornment."
(III) The swallow returns
Red Adornment remained stunned for quite some time.
The inn room had been arranged with care. Several pots of white magnolias and weeping crabapples stood beside the window. The flowers were not blooming particularly well, clustered together in mingled moon-white and pale pink. Hongxiu sat there, looking toward them with a faint smile.
Moonlight spilled through the window. Amid the lamplight, her figure seemed somewhat cold and lonely. Because she had been implanted with the Living Dead Gu, her age had remained forever at twenty. She wore an exceedingly youthful face, yet her eyes were more weathered than an old woman's, holding all these years of wind, snow, and solitude, as well as the poison cast from hatred.
Yet when she looked at Red Adornment, the light in her eyes was exceedingly gentle.
She smiled. "Red Adornment."
That single call let the weary bird find its nest.
Red Adornment slowly walked toward her. Once beside her, she bent her knees and knelt, gently resting her head in Hongxiu's lap and laying her palms on her legs, rubbing them as though seeking affection.
There were others in the room, but Red Adornment acted as though no one else were there.
That posture already said everything.
Even the most heartless female rakshasa in the world became a child when someone she regarded as family appeared. They should have had so much to say, yet they said nothing. Everything had already been expressed in that tiny gesture.
A hand stroked down Red Adornment's long hair, just as it had on every New Year's night when Hongxiu pinned it up for her. Hongxiu curved her lips in a smile. "You're all grown up. Why do you still love being coddled so much?"
Red Adornment straightened, her eyes already red. "Senior Sister." With that single call, her tears streamed down in little rivers.
She had never liked crying. Even when she learned that Ji Hanchu had been given medicine to erase his memories, she had not felt much of anything. Yet now, somehow, seeing Hongxiu's serene expression in the moonlight magnified all her long-suppressed grievances dozens of times over. She could not hold them back at all. By the time she realized it, the tears in her eyes would not stop.
Hongxiu reached out and helped her up, rubbing her somewhat stiff knees. "Your health is poor. You must take more care."
Then she wiped the tears from Red Adornment's face. A soft smile settled on her slightly ashen features as she glanced toward Ji Hanchu, who had remained by the door all this time. "Crying so sadly-has this boy upset you? If so, your senior sister will teach him a lesson and give him a taste of hardship."
Red Adornment's heart ached. Rubbing her eyes, she whispered, "He's forgotten everything..."
Hongxiu froze for a moment.
Red Adornment bit her lower lip. "They fed him medicine."
Hongxiu understood. Her gaze drifted back toward the tall, graceful young man. Complicated feelings stirred in her heart, yet she did not know what to say.
After a pause, she took Red Adornment's hand and sat down at the table, then patted the back of her hand. "It isn't his fault."
But the hurt was real all the same.
Many wrongs in this world could not be explained, and many wounds could not be mended. Having passed through the trials of love and the cycle of life and death herself, Hongxiu understood Red Adornment's suffering best.
Her junior sister had grown up and learned to love someone. But neither growing up nor loving someone could avoid hurt.
That was the price.
Hongxiu beckoned Ji Hanchu and Little Mute over.
Ji Hanchu sat down, while Little Mute propped himself on his hands and flitted his gaze among the three of them.
Hongxiu smiled first. "Young Master Ji San."
Ji Hanchu looked up at her.
Hongxiu continued, "My name is Hongxiu, but you may call me Senior Sister, as Red Adornment does."
Ji Hanchu shook his head slightly and addressed her with courtesy and respect. "Miss Hongxiu."
Hongxiu could not help laughing. She waved a hand helplessly. "I'm old. I can hardly bear being called 'Miss' by you."
Ji Hanchu looked at her smiling face in silence. Only now did he realize that Hongxiu was a very beautiful woman. Apart from her deathly complexion and a figure so thin that it seemed nothing but bones, her features were exquisitely lovely, like spring dew settling on the grass, a glimmer of moonlight upon it. Hers was a desolate, mournful beauty.
Hongxiu was looking at him too. Suddenly, she said, "You look very much like your father."
A question stirred in Ji Hanchu's heart. He raised his head, only to hear her continue, "I knew your father. He was an exceedingly gentle man. When I left, he had not yet married. I never imagined I would still meet his child here."
Ji Hanchu smiled. "I was only nine when my father passed away. I never heard him mention your name, Aunt, but he was indeed as kind and gentle as you imagined."
Hongxiu said, "The Little Medical Immortal of Gusu is renowned far and wide. If I were your father, I would certainly be proud of you too. You are the finest masterpiece of his life."
Ji Hanchu said no more, but he already understood: the "Little Xiuzi" Ji Jingsheng could never stop speaking of, and the search that had occupied Ji Chengxuan's heart for over twenty years.
In her youth, Hongxiu must also have been a spirited, unrestrained girl, mysterious and beautiful, gentle and lively. Otherwise, she would not have left those two remembering her for so many years.
While Ji Hanchu and Hongxiu spoke, Little Mute kept exchanging gestures with Red Adornment.
He was Tianshu's disciple and the next Tianshu, having learned the very essence of Tianshu's unruliness. Little Mute intensely disliked such pleasantries. After listening to a couple of their exchanges in boredom, he stretched out a foot and kicked Red Adornment across the table.
Red Adornment's lashes trembled. She raised her face to look at him, and he lightly moved a few fingers, signing a sentence.
[You like this young master?]
This was a way of communicating they had invented themselves. As children, neither had liked practicing martial arts, and they had grown accustomed to taking turns resting and keeping watch. Sometimes, they even played tricks right under Tianshu's and Yaoguang's noses, using these little movements.
Red Adornment glanced to either side and, once certain no one was paying attention, nodded.
[He lost his memories?]
Red Adornment gritted her teeth and nodded again.
Little Mute grinned. [You went to all that trouble to escape from the coffin back then just to find him?]
Red Adornment was close to ignoring him, but still nodded helplessly.
Little Mute signed, [Look how thin you've become, silly girl.]
Red Adornment quietly laid her palm on the table, her fingers moving swiftly. [He's lost his memories. What can I do?]
Little Mute signed, [So what if he's lost his memories? If you want, I'll plant a gu in him for you.]
Red Adornment frowned. [What are you planning? Don't do anything reckless.]
Little Mute smiled wickedly. [He's lost his memories anyway, hasn't he? Give him another gu and make him forget everything completely. Tear it all down and start over. Whatever kind of person you want him to be, that's what he'll have to become.]
Red Adornment nearly rolled her eyes to the heavens. [No need for you to trouble yourself. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road.]
Little Mute signed, [You take a kind heart for a donkey's liver and lungs. Wretched girl, see if I ever bother with you again.]
Red Adornment glared at him and gave a mocking snort.
That drew the whole table's attention.
Hongxiu had been watching their little movements all along, an understanding smile rising in her eyes. When she looked again at the man opposite her, with whom she had been chatting so pleasantly, his expression had cooled at some point. He sat there with folded arms, saying nothing.
Red Adornment's and Little Mute's gestures had been so broad, their expressions changing so quickly, that even without knowing what they were saying, he had probably been displeased.
This Young Master Ji San was not as heartless after losing his memories as Red Adornment's account made him seem.
The girl was young, after all, and did not understand love. Everything she failed to see was written clearly in Young Master Ji San's eyes-perhaps only a ghost would believe he did not care about Red Adornment.
Seeing Red Adornment still sitting in a daze, Little Mute gleefully signed outright, [Silly girl, your little husband is jealous. Hurry up and coax him. Can't you see "come coax me" written all over his face?]
Only then did Red Adornment look over blankly. Yet Ji Hanchu's expression clearly had not changed; he still looked as gentle as ever. He rose and cupped his hands in farewell. "It's late. I'll take my leave."
Hongxiu nodded, and he turned, opened the door, and left.
Red Adornment hurried after him. "Hey, Ji Hanchu-"
But he did not stop at all.
Not only did he not stop, he went to his own room even faster, giving Red Adornment no chance to say another word.
She stared foolishly at the tightly shut door and said in a daze, "Ji Hanchu, why are you angry?"
No one answered.
Red Adornment continued, "Little Mute is Senior Uncle Tianshu's disciple. We grew up together. I could understand you being jealous of Ji Zhiyuan, but why are you jealous of him too? You're being so unreasonable."
Yes, so unreasonable.
On the other side of the door, Ji Hanchu lowered his head. He truly was being unreasonable. This was absolutely not how Young Master Ji San ordinarily behaved. When had he become like this too?
But listen to what she was saying: senior brother and junior sister, growing up together, close as family...
Who wanted to hear her say any of that?
Ji Hanchu smiled bitterly. He truly wanted to open the door and ask her: Aren't you always so fond of saying you like me? Where has that straightforwardness gone? Why, now that I want you to say it, is every word about how wonderful Little Mute is?
He kept the door shut and forced himself not to think about it, but the anger clogging his heart only grew heavier and more stifling.
Say something.
Keep knocking.
Why did you just leave?
Her feelings were so genuine. How could she not even sense that he was angry? How could she be unwilling even to come coax him?
It felt bad, terrible, yet so familiar.
Red Adornment.
Red. Adornment.
It had been so long since he had felt this.
This feeling of helplessly watching himself sink into a swamp, of being pulled and torn by morality, of standing in a wilderness struggling with himself, making peace, compromising.
He had felt it before.
It had been so long.
(IV) An enchanting moon
Red Adornment was turned away at Ji Hanchu's door and returned glumly to her original room.
Little Mute and Hongxiu were still there. Little Mute leaned sideways against the table beside the bed, his eyes narrowed, his head bobbing as he dozed. Hongxiu was straightening the bedding and telling him to sleep on the bed, but he rubbed his eyes and waved her off.
When Red Adornment came in, Hongxiu came over and poured her a cup of water. When she glanced back, Little Mute had already fallen asleep with his head resting beside the bed.
"I told him to get into bed, but he simply wouldn't," Hongxiu said with a smile. "It's not as though I need to sleep anymore, but he insisted that wouldn't do and that he had to leave the bed for me."
Hongxiu had cultivated a dead body and no longer needed food or sleep.
Red Adornment sipped her tea, then rested her head on her arm without speaking.
Hongxiu reached out and stroked her head. Whether it was because the male gu was too close or because Hongxiu was too gentle, Red Adornment hazily felt all the tension drain from her body, leaving her with a rare sense of ease.
"You like him that much?" Hongxiu asked.
Red Adornment nodded with her eyes closed.
There was really no need to ask. It had been clear from the moment she insisted on crawling out of her coffin to go to Jiangnan.
"Then be happy together," Hongxiu said. "He's a good boy."
Red Adornment's lips curved as she leaned into Hongxiu's arms. "Senior sister, let's go back to the Southern Frontier together."
Hongxiu's hand paused. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her and gently shook her head. "In a little while."
Red Adornment opened her eyes. "Why?"
"There's someone I still need to find," Hongxiu said. "There are things I need to ask them face-to-face."
Red Adornment clenched her fists, the flecks of light in her eyes flashing coldly. "Who else is there? I'll deal with them."
Hongxiu smiled and shook her head, looking at the girl before her. She had rescued her from the great famine, and in the blink of an eye, so many years had passed, and she had grown into a graceful young woman.
Such a vibrant girl, yet she had bound Hongxiu's hatred to herself and lived as a sharpened blade, walking through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, suffering every hardship and even losing her life.
Hongxiu tightened her arms around her and rocked her gently. "No. You have your own things to do. Don't always live for me."
"But..."
Hongxiu pressed an icy finger to her lips. Her eyes were filled with fragments of moonlight, steeped in deep sorrow. "I cost you your life. I'm sorry."
Red Adornment slowly shook her head, her throat tight. "I did it willingly, senior sister. I don't regret it."
Hongxiu smiled. "And does he have no regrets about you, either?"
Dazed, Red Adornment hesitantly nodded.
Hongxiu murmured an acknowledgment and drew her back into her arms, patting her back again and again. "No more childish talk," she said softly. "Let go of these things that aren't yours to bear. Live well with the person you love. There are good days ahead."
Red Adornment smiled, but an ache rose in her heart. She wanted to speak, yet did not know what to say.
Only after a long while did she say, "Senior sister, the Ji Family is in complete chaos now. Those two madmen, Second Ji and Qi Jin, first joined forces with the Yin Clan's death warriors, then bought off a large number of covert agents. They used bloody methods to crush dissent within the clan, slaughtering nearly half the Ji Family. Now they have the entire Gusu Ji Clan firmly in their grasp."
Hongxiu nodded. "I've heard about that. Taking Ji San away from all this trouble now might not be a bad thing."
Red Adornment lifted her head. After some hesitation, she steeled herself and said, "But senior sister, he still hasn't gone back."
She told Hongxiu about her encounter with Ji Chengxuan. In just one short year, the powers of Jiangnan had been reshuffled once again. They did not yet know whether other sects had looted the burning house or reaped the fisherman's reward amid the conflict. All they knew was that the man who should have been overseeing everything and saving his clan from fire and flood was instead wandering outside like a lonely ghost, searching for his last lingering attachment in this world.
Red Adornment told Hongxiu because she feared she might be caught off guard if she encountered Ji Chengxuan. Unexpectedly, Hongxiu's expression did not change after hearing it. Her features remained calm. "Let him do as he pleases."
"Take him somewhere else tomorrow," she said quietly. "Be good and wait for me here. Once I've settled my business, I'll come back for you."
"And then?" Red Adornment asked.
Hongxiu stroked her hair, tucking a few loose strands behind her ear. "Then we'll go home together."
Hongxiu left without saying goodbye, taking Little Mute with her in the latter half of the night.
The two left in such a hurry that they did not even wait for dawn, perhaps afraid Red Adornment would try to stop them again if she knew.
She wanted Red Adornment to live well, to live for herself, to cast aside all hatred and resentment and have a good life with Ji Hanchu. If Jiangnan had no room for them, they could return to the Southern Frontier.
Red Adornment felt increasingly miserable, but Hongxiu would not let her follow, so she could only sit there fretting helplessly.
Perhaps the recent days had truly exhausted her. As she sat there, sleepiness gradually crept over her, and when the sky began to brighten, she closed her eyes and finally fell asleep.
While one person only slowly drifted to sleep at dawn, another suffered bitter torment in his dreams.
Ji Hanchu was dizzy and disoriented, unable to see ahead through the swirling mist.
He could faintly hear voices. He passed room after room, with occasional whispered murmurs behind the doors, men and women clinking cups, red quilts rolling like waves.
This was Seeking Pleasure in Drunkenness, Jiangnan's most renowned den of ecstasy.
Seeking Pleasure in Drunkenness had three marvels: lovely women, golden chambers, and the little spinning wheel.
Ji Hanchu passed numerous rooms, hearing one sweet phrase after another: "my darling," "dear brother," "my young love." Who knew how much was sincere and how much was false? By the end, he had grown somewhat numb to it.
But as he approached the very last room, he could not help stopping.
Somehow, a mysterious force seemed to guide him, tempting him to push open the door.
Ji Hanchu hesitated, then followed his heart and reached out to push.
Layer upon layer of gauze curtains surged like the tide. Behind the soft red drapes, before a brocade quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks, a man and a woman sat facing each other, their faces indistinct.
"I'm going back to the Southern Frontier," the woman said. "I won't be coming back."
The man remained silent.
"Ji San, don't tell me you've fallen for me?" the woman said. "I've killed so many people, and you still like me? Where's your righteous path? Your conscience? Have the dogs eaten them clean?"
The man remained silent.
The woman laughed for a while, her laughter clear and ringing, with a coldness she could not conceal.
At last, the man spoke. "Is it funny?"
The woman could no longer laugh. After a moment of silence, she said, "Ji San, don't love me. I can't accept your affection."
The man said nothing. After a long time, he asked, "Do you like me?"
The woman nodded. "Yes."
Her face fell as she added, "But what good is that? You've forgotten me."
The man was quiet.
The woman smiled lazily and turned to look at him. Finding him silent, she simply stood with her arms folded and reached up to lift the curtain.
As she raised her eyes, she came face-to-face with Ji Hanchu standing beside the bed.
Their eyes met, and a clear flicker of surprise crossed hers. She looked back, but there was no sign of the man.
She looked at him in confusion, seemingly unable to understand how he had suddenly moved from beside her to in front of her. Tilting her head, she thought for a moment before understanding dawned. She pinched his cheeks with her small hands. "So that one just now was a fake you. I knew it. Ji San, you wouldn't forget me. You like me so much. You'd never forget me."
Ji Hanchu remained silent, gazing at her eyes and features, so familiar.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The woman froze.
"What's your name?" he asked again.
A breeze blew past, and the confusion in the woman's eyes deepened. She patted his face, as if checking whether he was joking. Only when she realized he was serious did she say, "I'm Red Adornment."
She smiled, but looked terribly sad. "You really don't recognize me? Ji San, I'm Red Adornment. Didn't you say you liked me best? How can you not recognize me?"
"I'm Red Adornment."
"Ji San, how can you not remember me?"
"If you don't remember me, I don't want you anymore, either."
"I'm Red Adornment, Ji San. I'm Red Adornment..."
"I'm Red Adornment..."
The spring breeze blew all night. When they woke the next day, it had left no trace. The long street was as bustling as ever, as though nothing had happened.
Red Adornment and Ji Hanchu moved to a more secluded inn. Ji Hanchu said nothing and asked nothing, simply following her, as though his jealousy the other day had been an illusion.
Three days passed, and it was the fifteenth again. The moon was perfectly round. Red Adornment climbed onto the roof to admire it. In the hazy moonlight, she drank mouthful after mouthful of wine. Her little face should have looked sweet and charming, yet misery covered it instead.
After watching for a while, she began to grow tipsy. Amid such beautiful moonlight and such delicious wine, through hazy eyes and long, brilliant shadows, she saw someone climbing up from below.
Ji Hanchu sat down beside Red Adornment, took away her wine bottle, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Red Adornment rubbed her eyes and turned her face away from him. She was thinking about many things: why he could not remember, whom her senior sister had gone to find, whether she would be in danger, what they should do afterward... By the end, her thoughts were muddled, and she could no longer speak clearly.
"If you're worried about Aunt Hongxiu, we can go find her," Ji Hanchu said.
He had said "we."
Red Adornment buried her head against her knees and hugged her legs, shaking her head with a bitter smile.
"I won't run away," Ji Hanchu added.
Red Adornment remained silent, curled into a ball, her body swaying gently. She really did look drunk.
Perhaps the moonlight was too beguiling, or perhaps it was because her senior sister had come and gone again. In any case, she had experienced some joy, and now she was a little tired.
Red Adornment stayed curled up for a long time. Only when she could no longer sense any movement beside her did she hesitantly lift her head, discovering Ji Hanchu sitting beside her, watching her.
She looked at him for a long while, then reached out as though to touch his cheek. But her hand stopped just short, never making contact. She only said, "Ji San, why can't you remember?"
Ji Hanchu tightened his grip around the bottle's neck. Memories of the dream rushed at him, leaving him distressed.
"Are those memories so important?" he asked.
Red Adornment nodded.
"You don't know," she said. "You... he's the best person in the world."
"How so?"
Red Adornment continued, "He's an exceptional physician, and he always has a compassionate heart. I lied to him so many times, but he believed me every time, only to be fooled again the next time. Yet he never got angry with me. He's a wonderful fighter, too. Even when I used killing moves, he could handle them with ease. He could even cure Rebirth's poison. No one had ever cured it before..."
Her expression and voice were clear and gentle as she spoke. Steeped in a night like this, her words carried a lingering tenderness. The light in her eyes shone brilliantly whenever she spoke of that man, as though, of all the men beneath the heavens, he alone was the best.
A sudden fire rose in Ji Hanchu's heart. "What if I never remember?"
In truth, he had already remembered some things, but they were all scattered fragments. He had never told her.
Those fragments were scattered like sand, yet pieced together, they formed an enchanting dream. In that dream, he and she embraced, kissed, made promises, and knew endless happiness... Whenever he recalled these things, they felt both strange and familiar.
Ji Hanchu knew this was the past he had lost-their past.
Like an outsider to himself, he watched the two people in those memories. Sometimes he felt he was taking part; at other times, he withdrew completely and stood apart. The memories tugged him back and forth, leaving him bewildered in the end. He even wondered why Red Adornment insisted on recovering his former self. Had the old Ji Hanchu been so wonderful? Worth all that effort, worth shattering her bones, losing her life, and exhausting her heart's blood to bring him back?
What about the man before her now? Did she not like him? He accompanied her to buy malt candy, brewed tonics for her, was drawn to her, and fell for her. Could she not see his feelings?
Red Adornment said nothing. After a moment of silence, she spoke helplessly, her voice small. "I don't know."
Ji Hanchu frowned and pulled her up from the roof. "Can't we stop looking for him?"
Red Adornment lowered her head, her chest rising and falling slightly, and gritted her teeth as she tried to wrench free of his hand. Ji Hanchu's mind was filled with last night's dream, unaware that the sour ache in his heart was growing stronger and stronger, until he could no longer bear it.
He gripped Red Adornment's arm. "If you're worried about your senior sister, I can go back with you to find her! I promised I wouldn't run away, and I absolutely won't leave! You can trust me completely. Whatever you want is fine. It's just... just..."
Looking at her dejected expression, he tightened his grip until it hurt her a little.
Ji Hanchu had never longed for anything like this. "Red Adornment, stop looking for him. Please?"
Red Adornment slowly raised her head. She misunderstood him, her eyes heavy with suppressed feeling. "You don't want to remember?"
Ji Hanchu honestly nodded.
"I don't want you to want me to remember," he said.
It was too convoluted. Red Adornment heard him but did not understand. She cast a puzzled look at Ji Hanchu, who only said, "Isn't this good, the way we are now?"
Red Adornment froze. Having heard him out, she was a little uncertain. At last, she said, "What do you mean?"
Seeing that she had not understood, Ji Hanchu reined in his expression.
"If you're worried about Aunt Hongxiu, we'll set out to find her. Don't keep brooding on the roof and drinking. Your wounds haven't fully healed. Remember, wine is the most harmful thing. Don't drink anymore," he said.
Red Adornment watched him quietly, the wine leaving her head somewhat muddled. She touched the top of her head and asked, "You're going back to the Ji Family with me?"
Ji Hanchu murmured assent.
Red Adornment smiled and shook her head, brushing his hand away. "You have to mean that. It's not something to joke about."
"When I say I'll go back with you, it isn't false affection," Ji Hanchu said.
Red Adornment looked at him, her hair flying wildly in the wind. "Ji San, what about your compassionate heart? Let me make this clear first. If senior sister really wants revenge against the Yin Clan, they deserve it. When the time comes, even if you try to stop me, it'll be no use. I'll definitely help her kill them."
Ji Hanchu nodded. Looking at her, he said earnestly, "It's all right. If they truly deserve it, compassion has never delivered ghosts."
Red Adornment froze. "What did you say?"
Ji Hanchu said nothing. Carrying the wine bottle, he silently headed downstairs. Red Adornment hurried after him and caught his sleeve. "Did you remember something?"
Ji Hanchu pulled his sleeve free and said quietly, "No."
"Oh," Red Adornment said, letting go of him in disappointment.
Ji Hanchu descended the steps. Halfway down, he looked up and could still see her standing on the roof. He had always known that, ruthless as Red Adornment appeared when she killed, she was still a child at heart. Yet he had never felt it as directly as he did now.
She was so small: her face, her shadow, and her body smaller still.
Among all his scattered memories, he had seen her looking this small before. Back then, she had seemed very fond of mischief, sitting on a large rock and throwing something at him, laughing as she teased him before vanishing in a flash.
At the sight of her forlorn expression, Ji Hanchu's heart suddenly jolted.
She was so small.
So small she seemed about to disappear.
Ji Hanchu steadied himself and climbed back up the wooden ladder. Letting Red Adornment regard him in surprise, he held her tightly, gathering her into his arms without leaving the slightest gap.
"I'll break off the engagement," he said. "You have to wait for me."
Since you want me to remember everything, I'll do my best to try.
Red Adornment, you have to wait for me.