Chapter 5

Where was Ye Jintang?

Wei Liuyi stared blankly at the question.

For a month he had been half-mad, rushing to see him without a care for anything else, and had forgotten the person standing between them.

Only now, as he recalled that day, did he see again Ye Jintang's rosy cheeks and Mu Guanghan's deathly pale, cold lips, and his chest rose and fell.

"He... he went to Hengtown."

"It's been more than a month already. The King of Nanyue has appointed him... as the magistrate of Hengtown."

"From now on he'll stay in Hengtown and never return to Yingdu."

He chose his words with care, his voice dry, watching every minute change in Mu Guanghan's expression.

Hengtown was a small, remote border town of the Wu Heng lands. The day Ye Jintang recovered, he had sent him away exactly as agreed, without the slightest delay.

He dared not deceive Ahan about this in the least.

Besides, his feelings for Little Tang were not at all what Ahan imagined... They were only youthful affection. If, in the future, Ahan wanted them never to see each other again, then he too could simply never—

Mu Guanghan's eyes remained calm, still as an undisturbed lake, not a hint of emotion in them.

"I never agreed to give him my marrow essence."

"I did not want to give it, nor was I willing. You tore through my flesh and seized it by force that day."

"Return it to me."

Mu Guanghan looked at him with an unfamiliar coolness, his gaze level and still.

The color drained little by little from Wei Liuyi's face. "Ahan..."

"I have no grudge and no enmity with the Marquis of Wu Heng."

"Yet the Marquis of Wu Heng first damaged my meridians and then harmed my guards."

"If you had even a shred of sincerity, should you not first have gone to Ye Jintang, taken back my marrow pearl, and returned it to me with your own hands before coming to speak to me?"

...

Something almost absurd then occurred.

Wei Liuyi's face was already full of remorse and shame, and yet when Mu Guanghan spoke the words "return the marrow pearl," he still subconsciously shook his head.

How grotesque.

Mu Guanghan let out a cold laugh.

"If you cannot do even that, then there is no need to speak further. In truth, the Marquis of Wu Heng had long since made his choice."

After all, his little cousin was delicate and fragile, with every frown and smile inviting pity.

Compared with him, Mu Guanghan stood worlds apart, and that choice had never wavered for even a moment.

"Let the marrow pearl remain borrowed for the time being. Let this matter end here. From this day forth, let us act as though we never knew each other. We shall part on the river of the world and wish one another well."

He let the tea in his hand spill away, extinguishing the charcoal fire beneath the kettle, his expression calm.

"From this life onward, Mu Guanghan will never again set foot in Wu Heng."

"And I beg the Marquis of Wu Heng to give me a way to live. Let us no longer be entangled with each other, and in future do not delay me again."

Outside the ship, over the mist-veiled river, white fog drifted, dispersing and gathering again.

In the distance, several large vessels were faintly visible, dark shapes slowly approaching.

Li Gongling frowned, doubting her eyes. "Young Master, could those be ships from beyond our prefecture?"

The silhouettes were huge, nothing like ordinary merchant or cargo vessels. She had an uneasy feeling that the newcomers meant no good.

No matter how many grievances Divine Physician Mu had, this kind of stalemate and argument was no solution.

It would be better to bring him back to the marquis's estate first and settle him there, slowly make amends. At least it was better than leaving their young master standing there in a daze, drenched and rigid as a stone.

But just as she was ordering her men to dock at once, she saw Mu Guanghan lift Chu Dansi into his arms.

"General Li, that is a ship sent by the House of the King of Nanyue to receive me."

A day earlier, when Mu Guanghan passed through Mochuancheng, he had gone to see the long-ago white moonlight in his heart, the King of Nanyue.

Though King Gu Subang had once refused his feelings, the two had since remained good friends. When he heard that Mu Guanghan was going to Luo Prefecture, he sent two large ships to escort him. With the king's order in place, Wei Liuyi surely could not stop him.

And yet.

When Mu Guanghan stepped onto the deck, he discovered that the great ship was not coming from upstream, but from downriver.

From downstream... a ship from Luo Prefecture?

His heart gave a sudden stir.

Could it be a ship from Luo Nanzhi?

...

Though even if Luo Nanzhi had sent a ship to meet him, there would be nothing unreasonable about it.

After all, several large ships of priceless treasures he had sent to Luo Prefecture had probably already arrived two days ago. It was only proper and gracious for Luo Prefecture to send a vessel in return.

But given that his own guard had just been treated by Wei Liuyi as a "new love" and the whole scene had turned into an utterly unnecessary mutual injury...

If the "real new love" came running over to meet him too, would that not simply make things worse?

What if those two got into a tug-of-war again...

Mu Guanghan's temples throbbed.

...

Luo Prefecture and Wu Heng were both under the jurisdiction of the King of Nanyue.

Entering each other's territory required no reporting. As the ships drew near, he could indeed make out the large banner marked with the characters for Luo Prefecture.

Mu Guanghan could only silently hope that when the moment came, he and Luo Nanzhi would both behave with perfect candor, and that Wei Liuyi would not seize on any excuse to stir up trouble again.

No.

Wait.

He and Luo Nanzhi had always been perfectly open and aboveboard!!

Yes, he was captivated by Luo Nanzhi's portraits, but such a small private fancy could never be glimpsed from the letters he sent.

Mu Guanghan had always been very proper. His correspondence was official, friendly, cautious, restrained, with no direct or implied hint of anything.

...

So why feel guilty?

He was only going to Luo Prefecture for a brief stay to admire the lush summer scenery of the south of the Yangtze. Luo Nanzhi was only fulfilling the duties of a host. Since he had no ties and no burdens, there was nowhere in the world he could not go, and who could say otherwise?

Yet as the ship from Luo Prefecture came closer and closer into view, something felt... not quite right.

Why, exactly.

Why would a ship from Luo Prefecture be hung with so many festive red sails?

Why would it be decked out in lanterns and streamers, with gongs and drums, with ten-mile bridal splendor, in such an ostentatious display? Even the great banner bearing the words for Luo Prefecture was trimmed in gold with double-happiness patterns.

Mu Guanghan: "..."

No, no, no, no, there had to be some mistake. This ship could not possibly have been sent by Luo Nanzhi to receive him. It must only be some wealthy Luo Prefecture family on their way to fetch a bride, merely passing by.

However.

"Luo Prefecture Office respectfully welcomes the Lord of Moonlight City! The Luo Prefecture Office respectfully welcomes the Lord of Moonlight City!"

Gongs and drums thundered, ritual music rang out.

In the mist and fine rain over the river, a young man could be seen faintly on the prow, tall and straight, his bright voice carrying far: "Ahan, I've come to take you home to be married!"

Go home. Be married.

No.

Mu Guanghan did not understand.

He did not understand at all. He could not make sense of it.

Even Li Gongling beside him was stunned, her face changing several times, her eyes full of disbelief. "Divine Physician Mu, y-you... your journey to Luo Prefecture, could it be that you have already... already made a marriage pact with the young master of Luo Prefecture?"

Of course not!

Though in their Great Xia, ever since some lovestruck emperor several centuries ago married a man, from princes and generals down to common folk, men could marry men and women could marry women.

Though it was possible, neither among commoners nor in official circles did people often do such a thing!

Mu Guanghan merely wanted to find someone to share a heartfelt romance with. He absolutely swore he had no intention of making a lifelong commitment so rashly, and he had never directly or indirectly suggested that Luo Nanzhi marry him.

So what on earth was going on?

Mu Guanghan could not explain the scene before his eyes at all—

If he had to force an explanation, then Luo Prefecture was now impoverished and weak in arms, its young lord and soldiers too feeble, while the surrounding lords had long been eyeing it covetously, waiting to stab it in the back, eager to carve up and swallow the richest land of the south of the Yangtze at the earliest possible moment.

Surrounded by peril and hardship, with little aid to be found, only his Moonlight City was willing to send charcoal in the snow, becoming the sole lifeline Luo Nanzhi could seize.

But even so, there was no need for such a beauty to throw himself all in and use the rites of marriage to keep him, was there?

Or had his wording in the letters still not been cautious enough, his attitude not distant enough, causing a misunderstanding on the Luo Prefecture side?

Mu Guanghan admitted that he was not without designs on Luo Nanzhi. The way storytellers in teahouses often arranged it, calling him "the Lord of Moonlight City, Mu Guanghan, whose infatuation was known to all," was also true.

But he was not some mindless groveler, nor did he like forcing things!!!

Even if Luo Nanzhi only wished to be friends, he would still help him for the sake of winning the beauty's smile. There was no need to harden one's heart and pledge oneself so dramatically.

Or perhaps.

Luo Nanzhi... was all beauty on the outside, but in truth not quite right in the head?

Mu Guanghan truly did not wish to think so of the elegant beauty from the portraits, but if a person was normal, how could they possibly do something this outrageously insane?

...

Life was far too complicated. Live long enough, and you saw all kinds of things.

No matter how Mu Guanghan thought about it, he clearly ought to have been the one with the worst luck in the world—

Wei Liuyi might speak of "coming home with me," but in truth he was clearly still biased toward the little cousin. Even when he came back to look for him, there had not been a single word of apology; instead, he raged that Mu Guanghan had "faked his death" to deceive him.

It was outrageous beyond measure, and he was the one being persecuted all along.

Yet with Luo Prefecture making such a grand festive display, it now looked as though he had already lined up a new prospect while still entangled with his former love. For a moment, guilt rose so strongly in him that he did not dare look at Wei Liuyi's expression.

The ship drew closer, and the young man at the prow finally came into clear view.

He wore a flamboyant black cloak, dashing and spirited. Though no matter how one looked at him, he bore no resemblance to the Luo Nanzhi in the portrait, he nevertheless had a pair of narrow eyes bright as gems, sharp and clear beyond comparison.

Strikingly handsome, ranking among the finest Mu Guanghan had ever seen.

"Marquis of Wu Heng, long time no see."

As the two ships met, the young man gave Wei Liuyi a provocative smile, then sprang lightly onto the deck.

Behind him, the clouds parted and the haze dispersed, revealing a sliver of brilliant sunlight in the clear sky. Over the flying cloak fell a layer of gold, and on the banner snapping above was a huge character for Shao—

Ah.

Mu Guanghan knew who he was now.

One of the famed "Jade and Pearl of the Luo River," the young master of Luo Prefecture, Shao Xiaoling.

"General Aling, would you kindly step aside? I am here to take my future husband home."

Shao Xiaoling lifted his chin and smiled at Li Gongling in red.

The smile was exceedingly haughty, yet at the same time noble and radiant, making even the rising sun behind him seem dim by comparison.

He then brushed past Li Gongling and walked to Mu Guanghan with great amusement, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the person in his arms. "Future husband, who is this? Put him down quickly, or you'll tire your arm."

Mu Guanghan: "..."

He was certain that the letter he had sent to Luo Prefecture had been addressed only to Luo Nanzhi.

And in every reply, the seal at the end had clearly been Luo Nanzhi's own gubernatorial seal, with the paper suffused in the scent of gardenia. In all their correspondence, the young master Shao Xiaoling had scarcely been mentioned at all.

So how had he suddenly become the future husband of this entirely unrelated Shao Xiaoling?

Li Gongling only hated that she had been a step too slow.

Had she known Shao Xiaoling would come so openly to seize a person, she would have docked earlier. Now she could only try her best to stop him. "Lord of Luo Prefecture, the Lord of Moonlight City is a distinguished guest of our Wu Heng. Could the young master wait a few days? In three days, I will personally oversee the ship and send him to Luo Prefecture."

"Distinguished guest? Wait a few days?"

Shao Xiaoling laughed arrogantly. "Has General Ling not heard clearly? I have come to receive a bride. The man I am receiving is the new husband who has just entered my Luo Prefecture manor! Bride theft is a grave crime in Great Xia. Did not the Marquis of Suizhou once act lawlessly and seize another man's wife and daughters, only to be stripped of his title and office and bring disgrace upon his ancestors?"

"Surely you do not mean to say that the Marquis of Wu Heng now also wishes to steal another man's husband and test the law with his own body?"

...

The atmosphere froze.

Mu Guanghan had once, when his former loves would not leave him in peace, secretly thought that if only one day those scourges could collide with each other, he would enjoy seeing whose spear was sharper against whose shield.

Who would have thought that one day his idle wish would come true, and the nightmare would become reality.

A life-long sight. Even a creature as unfortunate as he could attract two waves of handsome men vying for him in a single day. If this were to spread, and if some storyteller were to add a plot about "the Lord of Moonlight City, a bewitching beauty who brought disaster upon his city and stirred up internal strife between Wu Heng and Luo Prefecture," then his already dreadful reputation in the martial world would surely rise to yet another level.

And Mu Guanghan could already imagine the fox-like laughter Xun Qingwei would make if he ever learned of this.

...

Fortunately, just as tempers flared and chaos was about to break out again, the escort ship of the real King of Nanyue finally arrived.

Standing at the prow was a dazzling older beauty, the King's cousin, Gu Shuzi, nicknamed the Purple-Clad Smiling Face.

She loved smiling, and often after she smiled, others ended up crying.

Thankfully, Mu Guanghan had never offended her. Gu Shuzi made a show of mediating, narrowing her eyes slyly. "Let the Lord of Moonlight City speak for himself. Ahan, is this Luo Prefecture bridal ship truly here to fetch you? Since when did you become the new son-in-law of Luo Prefecture?"

Mu Guanghan silently glanced at "his fiancé," Shao Xiaoling.

Though he did not know what medicine this young master of Luo Prefecture was selling in his gourd, if he denied it, Gu Shuzi would likely declare at once that he must remain in Wu Heng. After all, she was not only the King's cousin but also a distant relative of Wei Liuyi, and might well side with family.

He had no choice but to say against his conscience, "It... though it came unexpectedly, I did in fact fall in love at first sight with Young Master Xiaoling, and the feeling is mutual. We both wish from this day onward never to be separated."

The words were so outrageous.

Mu Guanghan did not dare look at Wei Liuyi again.

Shao Xiaoling, however, was extremely pleased. "See that? What more is there to say? Since the matter is clear, I will take my husband back at once to prepare the rest of the wedding arrangements."

With that, he sent his men to take over Chu Dansi, then reached out to help Mu Guanghan onto the colorful ship from Luo Prefecture.

As the great vessel slowly set off, Shao Xiaoling lowered his voice. "Nanzhi is tied up, so I had to come receive you myself."

As expected.

Mu Guanghan had known it could not possibly be Luo Nanzhi's idea to make such a fatalistic bridal spectacle.

Yet Shao Xiaoling was very proud of himself. "Heh, good thing I was farsighted enough to take charge and arrange a proper bridal reception. Otherwise, how would they have handed you over to me so easily?"

Mu Guanghan: "..."

There were plenty of ways to make something seem proper and legitimate; there was truly no need to make it this absurd.

At that very moment, however, a maid beside them reminded them, "Young Master, Lord of Moonlight City, we have not gone far yet. The Marquis of Wu Heng and the Nanyue Lady are still watching over there. You should act a little more affectionate if you want it to look real."

Shao Xiaoling raised an eyebrow.

Before Mu Guanghan could react, he suddenly reached out and swept Mu Guanghan into his arms.

Mu Guanghan: "..."

In such a situation, who could possibly keep their footing? His straight nose slammed directly into Shao Xiaoling's collarbone, and Shao Xiaoling himself was jolted against by his mask, letting out an "ow."

A low growl followed: "What the hell are you wearing?"

Mu Guanghan rolled his eyes right back. Perhaps you should ask yourself why you are suddenly grabbing people?

Yet under these circumstances, the two of them still had to pose as if in an embrace, both most unwilling and terribly stiff.

Fortunately, as the ships drifted downstream, the Wu Heng vessel and the Nanyue vessel faded out of sight.

"Young Master, we can no longer be seen."

Shao Xiaoling, as though suddenly delivered from calamity, immediately revealed his true nature and threw Mu Guanghan aside with a look of having suffered a great loss.

Mu Guanghan had seen plenty of such undisguised contempt for his looks in this life. Yet a moment later, Shao Xiaoling pinched his face too, frowning as he narrowed his eyes and studied him from side to side for quite a while.

Mu Guanghan: "..."

In truth, if one were to speak of disdain, that feeling was often mutual.

There has long been a saying in the common world: "The Jade and Pearl of the Luo River, one brick and one gem."

The gem was Luo Nanzhi.

As for the brick, there was no need to say.

The two were worlds apart, yet could share the same renown only because the Luo clan had for generations assisted the Shao family, because they had grown up together and always appeared side by side, and because Shao Xiaoling had a handsome enough face to borrow some beauty from Luo Nanzhi's fame.

As everyone knew, the "Legend of the Jade and Pearl of the Luo River" could also be called "The Tale of how Luo Nanzhi cleaned up after his childhood sweetheart, the gold-and-jade-on-the-outside, calamity-causing-young-master Shao Xiaoling, who was always making trouble."

Of course, one could not blame the great hero Shao Zijian for having a fine father and a useless son.

The old hero had indeed raised two outstanding and capable eldest sons. Who could have predicted that in the Battle of Tianchang, both heirs would die alongside their father?

Thus the entire Luo Prefecture had fallen onto the shoulders of this lone wastrel of a youngest son.

"Tsk, tsk," Shao Xiaoling murmured, pinching Mu Guanghan's chin and examining him for a long while in a manner that was nothing if not rude and insolent. After looking him over, he even gave a somewhat cool, amused chuckle.

"Pity. If your face had not been ruined, you would have been quite striking."

Same to you.

Mu Guanghan also sighed inwardly in regret. If only you had a bit of brains, this beautiful shell would not be wasted.

What a spoiled fool of a second-generation noble.