Kidnapped

My young husband, I'm taking you away to elope

(I) Your granny

Young Master Ji San had been kidnapped.

His kidnapper was a woman.

When Ji Hanchu first opened his eyes, he had yet to grasp what had happened.

He was lying on bedding that was none too soft, his hands bound with white silk. Layers upon layers of sheer white gauze filled his vision, enclosing him in a little world of his own.

Ji Hanchu had not left home in a long time. He had been injured in a martial-world conflict, and his spirits had never been what they were before. He had simply shut his doors to visitors. Who could have known that the first time he stepped outside, someone would truss him up like a rice dumpling and toss him onto a bed?

Humiliating. Truly humiliating.

Fortunately, Ji Hanchu was not concerned with saving face. Once he had calmed down a little, he began assessing his situation. He lifted a foot to sweep aside much of the gauze and looked around. A table and chairs stood nearby. The table was missing a leg, propped up with a stone, and on it sat a bowl of water, more than half drunk. Like the table, the bowl was missing a piece of its rim. Atop that stone-supported table, it looked ready to topple at any moment. The entire room was so bare it verged on shabby.

Ji Hanchu drew back his leg and pondered silently. The Ji Clan was a great martial clan. Its current head, Ji Chengxuan, was his third uncle, a solitary man devoted to martial arts who disliked socializing and thus had few friends or enemies. Ji Hanchu himself was much the same. He rarely liked going out and hardly seemed the sort to make enemies.

Who, then, had kidnapped him?

As Ji Hanchu considered this, he tried freeing his hands from the white silk. His limbs, however, refused to obey him, limp and powerless. Several attempts failed to loosen his bonds. Those few movements had already exhausted his strength; when he tried again, he could muster no force at all.

Ji Hanchu himself oversaw the Third Gate, which specialized in pharmacology, among the Ji Clan's Five Gates. Naturally, he knew he had been drugged with Bone-Softening Powder. He could only ease himself up against the wall and continue studying his surroundings.

The spring chill still bit. Wind blew through the curtains from outside, chilling him to the bone.

Though his limbs were weak, Ji Hanchu's hearing remained exceptional. He quieted his mind and listened carefully, making out the faint murmur of running water.

Amid that murmuring came almost inaudible footsteps.

Very light. Someone was slowly approaching him.

A fiery red entered his vision. Beyond the layers of white gauze curtains, a figure dressed in red drew closer, slender and petite.

A woman?

Ji Hanchu looked intently, confirming that his eyes had not deceived him. His kidnapper really was a woman.

Then, before he could think it through, something cold and prickly passed through the curtains and pressed against his cheek.

Ji Hanchu glanced down. It was a thin, long whip, somewhat prickly, which scraped uncomfortably across his jaw.

The whip's owner did not show herself. Only one hand appeared, slender, fair, and small. Holding that whip, it looked like a child's hand clutching something snatched from an adult.

Ji Hanchu said nothing, and the girl in red came no closer. They looked at each other through the white gauze.

The girl in red spoke. "Young Master Ji San, you're awake?"

Ji Hanchu sat very straight, his back against the wall as rigid as a plank. Remaining seated on the bed, he asked, "Who are you, miss? Why have you kidnapped me?"

"Who am I?"

The girl's voice was light, yet those three softly spoken words brimmed with mockery. Her voice was clear and mellow, like a mountain spring beneath the moonlight. Ji Hanchu was momentarily startled by it.

The whip slowly moved beneath his eyes, its rough surface rubbing back and forth across his nose.

"My surname is Your. My given name is Granny."

"..."

After a silence, Ji Hanchu raised his eyes, misty as though veiled in fog. He steadied his voice. "Why have you brought me here, miss?"

"Naturally, because you owe me something you haven't returned. I've come to collect."

"What is it?"

"What a poor memory you have, Young Master Ji San," the girl cooed. The whip had nearly rubbed the tip of his nose red. "What else could a man owe a woman? What do you think, Young Master Ji San?"

"I don't recall owing anyone money," Ji Hanchu said. "If I do, you may go straight to the Ji Family in Gusu to collect. I won't deny my debts."

The girl scoffed. "There aren't many decent people in your Gusu Ji Clan."

At this mention of his family, Ji Hanchu's expression grew considerably more restrained. He said evenly, "I don't recall owing anyone a debt. If you bear a grievance, you may explain it plainly. I won't shirk what I deserve, but please don't insult my clan without cause."

The girl leaned sideways and withdrew her whip. Her voice rose a little, anger faintly audible. "Ji Hanchu, you hidebound blockhead!"

She moved closer, lowering her head slightly to look at him, her fingers stroking the whip. She asked clearly, "Have you truly forgotten me?"

Ji Hanchu froze. His lips moved, but he said nothing. A sense of familiarity swept over him, yet however carefully he searched his memory, he could recall nothing.

The girl took his silence as an answer. She went blank for a moment, and her voice sank. "I crawled out of a heap of corpses and went to such lengths to find you. How can you not recognize me..."

Only then did Ji Hanchu finally make sense of everything. He lifted his eyes, his gaze candid. Though puzzled, he did not hesitate.

"I have never met you, miss. How could I have forgotten you? I'm afraid this is a misunderstanding."

As his words fell, a breeze rose, sending the white curtains billowing in all directions. The slender whip lashed through the air toward him with fierce force.

Acting on a martial artist's instinct, Ji Hanchu ducked sideways and barely escaped. The whip skimmed past his ear. With a sharp crack, it left a deep gouge in the white wall.

What a shrew!

"If you can't remember, I'll beat you until you do!"

The whip sliced through the air, charged with internal force. Ji Hanchu dodged awkwardly, but with his limbs impaired, he could not evade every blow and had to endure those that landed.

The girl measured her blows, tearing only Ji Hanchu's clothes without breaking his skin, yet each lash was savage and fierce. Even a clay figurine had a temper when harried like this. Mild and gentle as jade though Ji Hanchu was, anger inevitably rose within him.

He seized his chance, dodging one lash, then met the next and bit down hard on the whip.

He panted slightly. His bound hair had come somewhat loose, and his clothes were in tatters; he looked for all the world like a beggar. But he could no longer spare that any thought. He merely clenched the whip between his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the person before him.

That single look left him dazed.

The girl in red stood prettily before him. Like that small, slender white hand, she was petite all over and looked no older than fifteen or sixteen.

She could only be called a little girl.

The girl was beautiful and alluring, her features unlike those of women from the Central Plains. Her face was small and still a little plump, but her eyes were large and her nose high-bridged. Dressed in red, she was lovelier than flowers. For some reason, Ji Hanchu thought of the enchantresses dwelling in peach groves described in books.

She was a very unusual girl.

Unusually beautiful, and unusually fierce.

(II) My young husband

The girl was not annoyed that Ji Hanchu had caught her whip between his teeth. She flicked her hand and simply let go, dropping it onto his legs.

Ji Hanchu spat out the whip and watched her warily.

The girl scrambled onto the bed like a little monkey and sidled up against his arm. Seemingly unwilling to accept it, she asked again, "Ji Hanchu, do you really, really, really not remember me?"

Ji Hanchu's head ached. "I truly have never met you, miss."

The girl fell silent for a while, then hooked a finger beneath his chin and asked, "Then do you remember Yin Qingyan?"

"Qingyan is my third aunt's niece. She calls me Cousin."

"What about Xie Liyou?"

"My sworn elder brother," Ji Hanchu said. "And a dear friend."

The girl nodded. "Indeed, he's about the only decent person in the entire Ji Family." Then she asked, "Ji Chengxuan?"

"My third uncle's name."

"Yin Qiqi?"

"My third aunt."

The girl looked quite puzzled. "You don't seem to have gone stupid."

"..."

The girl coughed a little and asked, "Then... what about Red Adornment?"

Ji Hanchu immediately guessed that this was her name, but he truly had no recollection of it. Meeting her gaze, he could not quite bear it and could only say softly, "I really don't know you."

At those words, Red Adornment's face immediately darkened.

She seemed somewhat incredulous and sat stunned for a good while, staring at him without blinking, as though wondering whether he was lying. Once she saw the clarity in his eyes and confirmed that he did not appear to be deceiving her, her fury surged at once, and she cracked her whip again and again. The sounds rose and fell. Several lashes skimmed past Ji Hanchu, but none landed on him.

When she tired of lashing the whip, she plopped onto the edge of the bed and punched the bedding in utter frustration, saying through gritted teeth, "Those bastards in the Ji Family!"

Ji Hanchu could hardly bear it. "Mind your language, miss."

Red Adornment snorted and continued cursing. "The Gusu Ji Clan are bastards, and the Yin Clan aren't honorable people either! I'll curse every last one of them. What can you do about it?"

After beating him, she had thoroughly cursed both great clans connected to him. However well-mannered Ji Hanchu was, he was angry now. "Miss Red Adornment, how has my clan offended you? Binding me is one thing, but how can you..."

"The Ji Family and the Yin Clan joined forces to take my life and steal my treasure! Why shouldn't I curse them?"

"Do you have proof? Without proof, these are baseless accusations."

Red Adornment sneered. "Bullshit."

Ji Hanchu had never encountered such an intractable girl, impervious to all persuasion. Worse, he had been drugged, and several major acupoints had been sealed, leaving him unable to move. Unable to judge whether she was friend or foe, he grew more agitated, but showed none of it. Maintaining his mild expression, he asked, "May I ask what treasure the Ji Family and the Yin Clan stole from you?"

Red Adornment propped up her chin. "They stole my young husband."

Ji Hanchu fell silent and said nothing for a long time.

The Ji Family was a distinguished clan and could not possibly engage in secret abductions. Even his eccentric third uncle, Ji Chengxuan, would disdain kidnapping. His third uncle was obsessed with martial arts and extremely strict with his subordinates and disciples. If anyone kidnapped someone behind his back, he would be the first obstacle they could not get past.

Certain that this was a misunderstanding, Ji Hanchu only wanted to persuade her to release him. He asked, "Who is your husband?"

Red Adornment said nothing. Cupping her cheeks in both hands, she stared straight at him, her gaze tender, spring waters rippling in her eyes.

"..."

Her affectionate gaze made Ji Hanchu's face burn. He turned his head awkwardly and said softly, "Miss Red Adornment."

"Hmm?"

Ji Hanchu hesitated before speaking. "Conduct yourself with propriety."

The slight curve of Red Adornment's smile froze on her lips. She slowly lowered her hands and shifted closer, half leaning against him, her head approaching his face. Her rosy lips moved, the sneer at their corners undisguised.

"Ji Hanchu, say that again."

Saying it ten more times would be futile. Ji Hanchu did not wish to argue further. He could only turn sideways and muster all his strength to shift a little farther away, trying to escape her touch.

Who could have expected Red Adornment to be so fierce? Seeing his movement, she reached out, seized his collar, and hauled him straight toward her.

Poor Ji Hanchu did not presently have the strength to truss a chicken. Two tugs brought him nose to nose and cheek to cheek with her, every breath filled with the faint orchid fragrance from her body.

Gripping his collar, Red Adornment repeated with a cold smile, "Ji Hanchu. Say. That. To. Me. Again."

Ji Hanchu lowered his eyelids, his slender eyes forming sharp strokes at their outer corners. Unhurriedly, he said gently, "Miss Red Adornment, please conduct yourself with propriety."

Red Adornment cut him off fiercely. "You're telling me to conduct myself with propriety?"

She abruptly let go and patted her hem, saying mockingly, "You promised yourself to me for life and shared the rites of the bedchamber with me, and now you're telling me to conduct myself with propriety? Young Master Ji San certainly enjoyed doing those things. Why didn't you mention propriety then?"

The more Ji Hanchu heard, the more absurd and mortifying it became. His whole face paled, then reddened. He held himself back again and again, drawing repeated breaths.

He could never have done anything so outrageous!

The dignified third young master of the Gusu Ji Clan, Young Master Chu with his healer's compassionate heart, had been rendered speechless by a little girl. Unfortunately, Ji Hanchu's manners were far too good. He had never known how to curse anyone in his life. Struggle as he might, he could only force a few words through his teeth: "Conduct yourself with propriety!"

(III) Off to elope

Unlike Ji Hanchu, who was nearly beside himself with anger, Red Adornment actually smiled faintly at his words.

She lifted her chin and arched an eyebrow with a smile. "True enough. Young Master Ji San has a healer's compassionate heart and has always been generous. Naturally, he must despise a murderous, fire-setting demoness like me. A mere 'conduct yourself with propriety' is rather mild."

Her words could not have been more dripping with sarcasm.

Ji Hanchu looked at her impassively and slowly drew a breath.

If not for the intermittent pain in his body, he would almost have suspected he was dreaming.

"Miss Red Adornment..." Ji Hanchu gazed at her eyes, like black glass, utterly helpless. His words circled his tongue twice before he slowly spoke them. "I truly don't know you. Perhaps there really is some misunderstanding between us. Please..."

Before he could finish, a soft finger pressed against his lips.

Red Adornment slipped her other hand behind him and hooked his slender fingers. Her small palm was delicate and warm, her fingers winding around his fingertips, making his heart beat a little faster for no reason.

"Ji San, say something different. You keep saying that. It'll hurt me."

Outside the window, the stream flowed slowly. Wind swept through the air, rustling the leaves. White gauze fluttered, enclosing a silent world. Amid the broad curtains, the splash of red before him was so dazzling that it seared Ji Hanchu's eyes.

He looked for a while, then silently turned his gaze aside. "It's a misunderstanding. Why make things difficult?"

Red Adornment sat down beside him. "How is it a misunderstanding? You've only forgotten, Ji San. You said you liked me and wanted to marry me. You even said you'd come back to the Southern Frontier with me to watch the stars. All of that was real. How has it become a misunderstanding... I really haven't lied to you. They're the ones who have been lying to you all along."

Ji Hanchu froze.

As Red Adornment undid his bonds, she said, "The Ji Family and the Yin Clan are all lying to you. Don't believe them. They drugged you. That's why you don't remember me."

Outside, the sound of flowing water gradually grew louder, slowly drowning out the wind. Ji Hanchu thought he had misheard. He stared straight at the girl before him.

The girl's figure was dainty. Leaning beside him to untie his bonds, she was a small bundle like a fiery-red little fox, nestling precisely within his arms, neither too much nor too little.

Ji Hanchu was free, but his limbs remained weak, and he still could barely move.

Inexplicably, he no longer wanted to question her. What she said was so absurd, yet he had already begun to believe some of it.

He lowered his head to conceal the doubts in his eyes, feeling that he was even more absurd.

Red Adornment discarded the bindings, picked up her whip, and fastened it around her waist. "Let's go."

Ji Hanchu asked, "Where?"

Stroking her whip, Red Adornment said naturally, "To do what we left unfinished back then, of course."

"What?"

Red Adornment smiled faintly. "Elope."

After a pause, she added, "And flee for our lives."

Ji Hanchu started, his black pupils contracting. He nearly lost his composure. "What did you say?"

Red Adornment glanced back, then turned and bent down, half leaning against him.

She raised a hand, brushed her fingertips over the stray hair at his forehead, then gently stroked his jaw.

"My young husband, I'm taking you away to elope.

"So many members of the Yin Clan died at my hands. They want revenge, but I can't be bothered to fight them, so we need to hurry and leave before anyone notices."

Elope. Murder. Demoness. Husband...

Each word rang in his ears and scored his heart like a sharp blade, carrying a twisted sense of familiarity, every word striking his heart.

It was as though a thunderclap had suddenly boomed, nearly blasting Ji Hanchu's soul out of his body.

Red Adornment did not wish to say more. After putting things in order, she reached out to help Ji Hanchu up.

Ji Hanchu's steps were unsteady, veins standing out on his forehead. His hands pressed behind his waist several times, but despite exhausting his strength, he managed only to curl his fingers. He stared straight at Red Adornment.

Red Adornment glanced over and looked at him with a faint smile. "Trying to escape?"

She opened her hand. At some point, several sharp little silver needles had appeared in her palm. With a slight shake of her hand, they turned to powder, which she casually scattered onto the ground.

As though looking at a naughty, unreasonable child, she coaxed softly, "Stop fussing. We still have a journey ahead."

Ji Hanchu stood perfectly straight, neither moving nor speaking. In the end, Red Adornment led a horse to the door and beckoned to him.

The horse Red Adornment had led from the stable was tall and black. Its hooves clopped twice against the ground. She stroked its ears soothingly, and it immediately quieted, nuzzling her palm with utter docility.

Red Adornment swung onto the horse, leaned sideways, and held out her hand to Ji Hanchu. "Get on."

Ji Hanchu stood silently in the doorway.

Red Adornment was very patient. She sat on the horse and held that pose for a long while without moving.

She stared steadily into Ji Hanchu's eyes. Once, he had been gentle and warm, his gaze tender toward everyone, but when he looked at her, beyond that tenderness lay seven parts affection and three parts lingering devotion.

But not anymore. He looked at her no differently than he looked at anyone else. That devotion and affection had been locked away in the deepest recesses along with his memories.

She could not resign herself to it, nor would she accept it.

He would remember. Even if he did not, she was determined to have him.

Since he had provoked her in the first place, he should have prepared himself for this long ago.

Red Adornment blew on her fingertips, looked at the ground, and said carelessly, "Ji San."

Ji Hanchu raised his head to look at her, his gaze sharp as a thorn.

Red Adornment gave him a smile that never reached her eyes. "You can't beat me."

"..."

You can't beat me now, so you'd better submit obediently.

She left that last sentence unspoken, sparing him three parts of his dignity.

Ji Hanchu had lost seven parts of his dignity, yet he was not angry. As though calmly accepting his fate, he mounted the horse. Its hooves clattered as it carried them away from the shabby inn.

Red Adornment held the reins, with Ji Hanchu sitting close behind her. Though she claimed to be in a hurry, once they were actually traveling, she took her time. She did not urge the horse on and even began humming leisurely.

The melody was very strange. The Ji Clan was based around Gusu, where people heard the soft Wu speech of Jiangnan. When young women sang, their voices carried a natural grace and sweetness. Songs like hers, their pitch rising and falling, their melodies twisting through eighteen bends, were rare.

When she finished one song and was about to launch into another, Ji Hanchu reached over to take the reins and shot her a swift glance.

Red Adornment noticed and turned back with a grin. "Young Master Ji San, is my singing that awful?"

Ji Hanchu said nothing.

Understanding dawned on Red Adornment. "Then you feel sorry for the people I killed and want to avenge them?"

Ji Hanchu's expression grew grave, his brows deeply furrowed.

She had drugged him. If they truly fought, he would have only his moves and none of his internal energy, with not the slightest chance of winning.

Ji Hanchu had integrity, but he also knew when to yield to circumstances. He did not want to die.

Red Adornment shook his hand and smiled. "Ji Hanchu, you're still so kind. You haven't changed at all."

Ji Hanchu lifted his eyes and watched her smile, his expression unreadable.

Still smiling, Red Adornment began humming again. After a couple of lines, she turned to look at him. "Is it really awful?"

Ji Hanchu glanced sideways at the setting sun without a word.

Red Adornment said, "You've never heard our Southern Frontier folk songs, Third Young Master. It's only natural that you aren't used to them."

Ji Hanchu caught her words and asked in surprise, "You're from the Southern Frontier?"

Sitting on the horse, Red Adornment swung her legs. Her long legs, clad in little red boots, flashed through the sunset, displaying all a young girl's charming liveliness.

Her silence served as an answer.

Ji Hanchu asked, "Which clan or sect in the Southern Frontier do you belong to?"

For once, Red Adornment cooperated and answered brightly, "My surname is Ji. I belong to the Ji Family."

Her voice was soft enough to pierce straight into the heart. Saying those three simple words seemed to remind her of something amusing. Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled, like a smug little child.

Seeing her innocent, endearing manner, Ji Hanchu could not help his lips curving, though he quickly suppressed it. "So your surname is Ji as well."

Red Adornment nodded, brimming with affection. "I took my husband's surname."

"..."

Ji Hanchu thought she was truly strange. Holding the reins, he glanced at the sun sinking not far away. After a moment's thought, he asked the question that had weighed on him for a long time. "Miss Ji, how did you take me out of the Ji Family?"

The Gusu Ji Clan was heavily guarded. The Ji Clan's Five Gates, to which he belonged, had particularly tight defenses because its second gate handled intelligence. Taking him out of the Ji Family single-handedly would have been harder than ascending to heaven.

Red Adornment leaned back a little and said comfortably, "Guess."

The position was rather intimate. His arms encircled her, and once again, he could smell that faint orchid fragrance.

Ji Hanchu ventured, "You have someone inside the Ji Family?"

Otherwise, given the Ji Family's tight defenses, he truly could think of no explanation.

He had only asked casually, but unexpectedly, Red Adornment nodded and admitted frankly, "What if I do?"

(IV) Ji Chengxuan

Ji Hanchu asked tensely, "Who?"

Red Adornment laughed sweetly. "I'm not telling you."

Ji Hanchu was left speechless. For the first time, he truly felt something that could be called utter helplessness.

Red Adornment, however, grew even more comfortable. She squeezed the horse's belly with her legs and began humming another leisurely tune.

The horse's hooves clopped along, carrying them toward an unknown destination.

The sun slanted low, sparse shadows lay in the dusk, and the horse had a red mane.

A man and a woman sat upon it, the one in red charming, the one in white handsome-a truly peerless pair.

The horse's back swayed gently, carrying the baffling girl in red and the utterly helpless young master of a distinguished family slowly into the distance. A light melody accompanied them as they gradually left Jiangnan's water towns behind.

The heavens stretched vast, the mountains and rivers stood fair, and lovely cooking smoke rose through the mortal world.

Night fell. Beside a narrow roadside path stood There Is an Inn.

Holding Ji Hanchu's sleeve with one hand, Red Adornment pulled a piece of silver from inside her clothes with the other and tossed it to the proprietress standing before them with her plump belly thrust out.

The proprietress narrowed her eyes, caught the silver, and bit it. Then she weighed it in her palm and grunted, "Not enough. Are you fobbing off a beggar? Another piece."

Ji Hanchu glanced over. That silver was clearly enough to pay for more than two of her best rooms.

Red Adornment was no fool. She raised her voice. "You're swindling money again, Liu! Do you really think I've never seen silver?"

Liu Xinlü thrust out her belly so hard that her chest nearly pushed into their faces and spat, "What damned wretch says I'm swindling? You penniless miser!"

The two were clearly old acquaintances. Red Adornment cracked her whip loudly, each stroke brushing past Liu Xinlü's hem. It looked imposing, but not one blow actually struck her.

Red Adornment planted a hand on her hip. "You money slave!"

Liu Xinlü glared. "You little ruffian!"

She turned and fetched a small gold abacus from the counter, rattling its beads loudly.

"Let me work this out. Last time you and your husband came, you didn't even pay for the wine. Add that to your room this time, and you still owe me a few more taels..."

Under Red Adornment's murderous gaze, the waiter shuffled over trembling, his hands over his head, and reminded her quietly, "Proprietress, when they got married, you said yourself that the wine was on the house..."

Liu Xinlü hurled the abacus at him.

"I'm in a bad mood now. It's not free anymore!"

Seeing this, the waiter twisted at the waist and greased his soles, fleeing at top speed.

Liu Xinlü retrieved her abacus. "You ungrateful brat, siding with outsiders! I'm docking your wages, every last coin of this month's pay!"

The young waiter had already vanished.

Red Adornment flicked her whip. "Enough nonsense. I'll ask you one more time: is this silver enough or not?"

Liu Xinlü said, "No. How could it be? My husband set the rules. They can't be changed!"

Expressionless, Red Adornment pushed Ji Hanchu aside and lashed the ground. With a crack, a groove appeared in the floor, more than an inch deep.

Liu Xinlü cried, "I just repaired that stone floor!"

Red Adornment asked, "Is it enough?"

Liu Xinlü stared viciously at the groove for a moment and enunciated each syllable. "Red. Adornment."

Red Adornment took several more pieces of silver from her pocket and handed them over.

"Will this do now?"

The moment Red Adornment reached for her money, Liu Xinlü lowered her banners and stilled her drums, her eyes beginning to shine. By the time the silver reached her, nothing could hold back the light in them.

Liu Xinlü accepted it delightedly, rubbed it twice against her clothes, and tucked it into her pocket in satisfaction. Under Ji Hanchu's astonished gaze, she swiftly put on an enthusiastic smile and nodded eagerly. With her abacus in hand and a smile on her lips, she was once again the courteous proprietress.

Red Adornment scoffed. "Your eyes light up at the sight of money."

Liu Xinlü found a key and pretended not to hear.

She turned unhurriedly, glanced back, and met Ji Hanchu's eyes. She stopped short.

The young master standing beside them was like fragrant orchids and a jade tree, his bearing extraordinary, like a full moon in the night sky behind him-unforgettable at first sight.

Compared with their first meeting back then, he had gained even greater splendor.

As Liu Xinlü gazed at him, she grew a little entranced.

Suddenly, a loud crack rang out beside her ear, startling the fat at her waist into quivering three times.

Red Adornment had slapped her whip straight onto the table. With brows drawn and a cold smile, she demanded, "What are you looking at?"

Liu Xinlü was not intimidated. Knowing she was merely putting on a loud show, she felt no fear. "So what if I'm looking at your man? With a face like that, isn't anyone else allowed to look?"

Red Adornment pressed her lips together, then let a smile escape. "You aren't."

"I'll look if I please."

After showing them upstairs, Liu Xinlü went clattering back down.

Before long, she came up carrying a jar of wine and nimbly drew close to Ji Hanchu, her smile as fawning as could be.

"Would you care for a taste, Young Master Ji? Our signature A Jar of Wine. A gift for you, free of charge."

Somewhat surprised, Ji Hanchu gathered his sleeves and asked, "You know me?"

Liu Xinlü covered her mouth and laughed. "How could I forget someone like you? You and this ruffian got married in my inn back then. It was rather simple, but thanks to your peerless grace, it was truly unforgettable. You only fell a tiny bit short of my husband..."

A head poked out beside him, and a chilly voice asked, "Have you said enough?"

"Yes, I have." Liu Xinlü thrust the wine into Ji Hanchu's arms. "Enjoy, young master."

She headed outside, but stopped after only two steps.

Turning back, seemingly puzzled, she asked in confusion, "Didn't you elope? Why have you come back? Does eloping include revisiting old haunts?"

Ji Hanchu said, "..."

Red Adornment glared at her.

With a whoosh, Liu Xinlü fled at top speed.

That night, carrying There Is an Inn's famed A Jar of Wine, Liu Xinlü climbed a ladder to the roof.

A glance confirmed that the young woman was sitting alone on the roof, her dark hair hanging loosely, tied only lightly with a ribbon. Unlike the women of Jiangnan, who always liked arranging their hair in various buns, she was plainly not from the Central Plains.

Red Adornment was fiery, but also free and unrestrained.

Yet her figure in the night held a rare loneliness, a look Liu Xinlü had never seen on her before.

"Why are you sitting here all alone? Where did all that swagger from earlier go?"

Red Adornment did not turn around. She had already identified Liu Xinlü when she approached the ladder.

A good martial artist did not need to turn around.

Liu Xinlü sat beside her. Seeing her unhappy expression, she hesitated to speak. "If you have something to say, say it."

"There seems to be something wrong with your husband," Liu Xinlü said. "Something about him feels strange, and he doesn't talk much anymore."

Red Adornment said bluntly, "He lost his memory."

Liu Xinlü exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? He's gone stupid?"

"No. He only forgot the part involving me."

Sure enough, her intuition had been right.

"So he really doesn't remember you at all now?"

"No."

Liu Xinlü did not ask any further. There was no need. Memory loss had only so many causes: revenge or a conspiracy, or, failing that, taking the wrong medicine counted too. In any case, the wood had already become a boat. Why add another measure of heartache?

She leaned closer to Red Adornment. Seeing her languid manner, she lamented her lack of resolve. "He doesn't even remember you now, and you're leaving him alone in the room? Aren't you afraid he'll run away?"

Recalling the scene in the room earlier, Red Adornment imitated Ji Hanchu's tone and said dispiritedly, "We are neither kin nor relations, with neither a title nor a proper standing between us. We cannot share a room."

Liu Xinlü blinked, momentarily speechless.

Even knowing the reason and sympathizing with his plight, she still found those words truly hurtful.

She remembered the simple wedding ceremony the two had held at her inn. The young master's gaze toward the girl had been filled with love rooted deep. How had things come to this after so little time?

This Young Master Ji struck not just at the body, but at the heart.

"Aren't you afraid he'll run away?"

"No. I gave him Bone-Softening Powder. He can't run."

"Isn't your husband immune to all poisons?"

"It's specially made," Red Adornment said. "Specifically to counter that 'immunity to all poisons' of his."

"..."

Liu Xinlü handed her the wine and earnestly counseled her. "You're such a pretty girl. Why trouble yourself and grieve so much over a man?"

Red Adornment gave her a sidelong look. Who was it who kept saying "my husband" with every breath?

Reading the meaning in Red Adornment's eyes, Liu Xinlü slapped her chest. "That's different. My husband died saving me. I've thought of him all these years, and after so much thinking, saying it just became a habit. Whenever something happens, I want to call for him."

Red Adornment took a gulp of wine. As the strong liquor went down her throat, she actually grew a little clearer-headed.

Casting aside the tangled thoughts in her heart, Red Adornment asked casually, "How did your husband die?"

"Bandits hacked him to death while he was saving me."

"For money?"

"For my beauty," Liu Xinlü said mournfully.

Red Adornment glanced at her belly.

Liu Xinlü scolded her with a laugh. "I was no less beautiful than you back then. Don't you doubt it."

Red Adornment asked, "Why didn't you remarry?"

"Remarry? What for?" Liu Xinlü took the wine jar and stroked her chest with her fingers. "There's someone in here. They say death is like a lamp going out, but the lamp in my heart is still burning. I'll spend this lifetime keeping him company."

Her eyes grew wet. A drop rolled down her cheek and plopped into the wine, vanishing without a trace.

Liu Xinlü took a gulp, tilted her head to look at the moon, and murmured, "Ah, I never bore him a child. I'll die with regrets..."

Red Adornment watched Liu Xinlü quietly.

She thought she was still better off than Liu Xinlü.

Ji Hanchu did not remember her, but at least he was still by her side.

The corner of her mouth lifted.

Just then, a sudden cold gleam flashed nearby, fierce beyond measure, abruptly slicing through the night sky with the whistling wind of a blade.

Alarmed, Red Adornment nimbly dodged to the side. Liu Xinlü, however, knew no martial arts. Facing the blade's wind, she lost half her three souls and six spirits. Perhaps she was too frightened; she did not even dare close her eyes.

Red Adornment immediately reached behind her, poured the full force of her internal energy into her fingertips, and hurled a saddle nail straight out. It split the darkness like a flash of lightning and struck the attacker's blade hard.

"Ding-"

After the sound rang out, the surroundings fell silent.

Liu Xinlü's face was ashen, cold sweat pouring from her forehead. She felt her neck and said, "I thought I was about to go meet my late husband!"

Red Adornment frowned and looked into the distance. Beneath the moonlight stood a tall figure, his features hidden, his presence as cold and biting as frost.

Liu Xinlü turned to follow her gaze. Seeing him, she asked in confusion, "Who's that?"

Red Adornment said, "It's all right. An acquaintance."

An acquaintance?

Well, that was certainly one "familiar" way to greet someone-and frightening enough, too.

Red Adornment said, "He was only giving a warning. He had no intention of hurting you. With his level of skill, if he truly struck, you wouldn't feel a thing when you died."

Liu Xinlü wanted to say more, but Red Adornment raised a hand to stop her.

"Go back first. I have something to say to him."

Only after Liu Xinlü had left did Red Adornment abruptly draw her long whip and say in a low voice, "Since you're here, why hide?"

The tall figure slowly approached, his face gradually coming into view in the moonlight.

The newcomer was handsome, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, his entire bearing as biting as ice and snow. An exceedingly long scar ran down the side of his face from the end of his brow to his jaw, adding a further air of lethal severity to that chill.

One glance was enough to tell he was not a man easy to deal with.

Red Adornment tightened her grip on the long whip, her expression turning cold in an instant.

"What did you follow me here for, Sect Master Ji?"

Who else could the man before her be but the head of the Gusu Ji Clan, Ji Hanchu's third uncle, Ji Chengxuan?