Chapter 315 - Her Crimson Silhouette Vanishes Forevermore

They met for the third time that winter, at a roadside pavilion outside Wuchang Prefecture.

That day, heavy, feathery snowflakes blanketed the world in a downy coat. The thick snow made the road difficult for horses to tread, so Ye Beizhi dismounted and slowly walked his way toward Wuchang Prefecture, horse in tow.

In the past few months, Ye Beizhi had not returned to the bamboo house by the lake nor sought out that woman. Just as she had said, they would meet again if fate allowed it.

From afar, a small black dot stood out starkly amidst the boundless white snow. Recognizing it to be a familiar pavilion, Ye Beizhi knew that he was getting close to Wuchang Prefecture.

As he walked closer, Ye Beizhi squinted and noticed a chestnut-colored horse tied outside the pavilion. The blanket draped over its back was covered in another layer of snow. Inside the pavilion, Ye Beizhi could faintly see someone sitting at the stone table.

Ye Beizhi lowered his head as he approached the steps of the pavilion, then looked up.

The person in the pavilion turned to look at him, and their eyes met.

"Long time no see."

The person smiled radiantly, she was dazzling as ever.

Ye Beizhi stared at her for a long time before he managed to ask, "Were you waiting for me?"

Zuo Nianchou stepped out of the pavilion and stood before Ye Beizhi.

"Who else?"

Standing on her tiptoes, she gently brushed the snow off Ye Beizhi’s shoulder. With a smile, she said, "It’s not easy to find you. It took a lot of asking around before I was able to wait for you here today."

Today, Zuo Nianchou wore a fiery crimson fur robe, once again looking like a flickering flame.

She always seemed to be dressed in red.

Ye Beizhi didn’t speak. He simply reached out to her chest and adjusted her collar for her.

Zuo Nianchou froze for a moment, then took Ye Beizhi’s hand and led him into the pavilion.

When they reached the stone table, Ye Beizhi noticed two wine cups already placed on it, with a pot of wine being warmed in the middle.

The two sat down, and Zuo Nianchou propped her chin on her hand. She smiled sweetly at Ye Beizhi without saying a word.

Ye Beizhi remained silent as well. He noticed what she brought to the pavilion. A long case holding her guqin leaned against a pillar, a simple bundle placed beside it, and, outside the pavilion, the chestnut horse neighed.

"Are you leaving?" Ye Beizhi asked.

Zuo Nianchou’s smile didn’t waver as she nodded.

"Where to?"

"I don’t know. I'm—" Zuo Nianchou said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just leaving this place."

Ye Beizhi said nothing more, gazing at the vast, snowy expanse outside.

By the roadside, a few plum blossoms bloomed, exuding a faint and subtle fragrance.

Zuo Nianchou's crimson lips parted slightly. After a long silence, she said, "Perhaps it’s time to leave the jianghu... What do you think about living in seclusion? It seems like a good choice."

Ye Beizhi turned back to her.

"Where would we live in seclusion?"

Zuo Nianchou shook her head with a smile.

"I don’t know... we’ll see where the road takes us."

Ye Beizhi fell silent again.

"Let's find a place with mountains and rivers, live each day with simple tea and wine," she continued, "Such a life would be quite pleasant."

Ye Beizhi fixed his gaze on the cold stone table.

Zuo Nianchou reached out and caressed Ye Beizhi’s cheek, lifting his head to meet her eyes. "What do you think?"

Ye Beizhi took her hand, holding her delicate wrist in his palm, and stared into her eyes. "Why do you have to leave?" he asked earnestly.

The smile on Zuo Nianchou’s face faltered for a moment before she withdrew her hand.

"If I don't want to stay, then it's time for me to leave." Zuo Nianchou lowered her head, swirling her wine cup, her smile slightly forced. "No one stays in one place forever."

By the time Zuo Nianchou looked up again, she found her radiant smile once more. She gazed at Ye Beizhi playfully. "Honestly, there’s nothing good about the jianghu. Just think about it. Finding a place of clear mountains and rivers to live in seclusion. I’ll play the guqin, and you can work on your sword dance. Wouldn’t that be better than wandering the jianghu?"

Ye Beizhi opened his mouth but hesitated to meet Zuo Nianchou’s hopeful gaze. He turned his head, looking at the few plum blossoms by the roadside. "I don’t know how to do a sword dance."

"A blade dance would be fine too."

"I don't know how either."

"Really?"

Ye Beizhi hesitated for a moment and, after a long pause, let out a begrudging noise of assent.

In the stillness, Ye Beizhi thought he heard a faint sigh.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Come with me..." Zuo Nianchou’s tone was almost pleading.

Ye Beizhi lowered his gaze, and after a long silence, he said, "I need money."

Zuo Nianchou's eyes lit up, and her expression brightened. "I've saved up a lot over the years, enough for us to live on for a lifetime..."

Ye Beizhi shook his head and interrupted her. "You don’t understand."

The smile froze on her face, and after a long pause, Zuo Nianchou's shoulders slumped.

Neither of them spoke.

Suddenly, Zuo Nianchou stood up, picked up the wine pot, and filled both cups.

Ye Beizhi looked up, staring at Zuo Nianchou in surprise.

"Have one more drink with me." Zuo Nianchou smiled faintly, her eyes reflecting Ye Beizhi's silhouette. "...Just this one." With that, she handed the wine cup to Ye Beizhi.

She lightly clinked her cup against Ye Beizhi's, then drank hers in one gulp.

Watching Ye Beizhi finish his wine, Zuo Nianchou asked, "The hairpin... did you bring it?"

Ye Beizhi nodded and took the plum blossom hairpin from his chest.

Zuo Nianchou cast Ye Beizhi a sideways glance and laughed. "At least you still have some conscience. I was afraid you pawned it off."

Ye Beizhi held the jade hairpin in his hand but said nothing.

Zuo Nianchou turned her back to him and patted the stone bench beside her. "Come here and put it on me."

Ye Beizhi glanced at the hairpin in his hand, then at the figure before him, and slowly walked over.

Her black hair slipped through his fingers, carrying a cool sensation.

"Do you remember that fortune teller?" Zuo Nianchou's voice was soft, as though she were telling a story.

She continued, "I went to see him again later... He said that I and the one destined for me share a bond spanning three lifetimes... But, haha... but he said.... this life is my fourth lifetime. And the bond of three lifetimes must eventually come to an end..."

Ye Beizhi lowered his gaze, coiling a handful of hair in his hand.

"But I don’t believe it..." Zuo Nianchou’s voice was soft. "That’s why I came here to wait for you. Before I came, I had already made up my mind... If you agreed to come with me, this cup of wine would be our wedding toast. If not... it would be our farewell drink."

A sigh echoed amidst the falling snow.

Ye Beizhi placed the jade hairpin into her hair

She continued, "It seems like that fortune teller wasn’t wrong..."

Set against her dark hair, the plum blossoms bloomed vibrantly.

Ye Beizhi stepped back cautiously. Zuo Nianchou rose from the stone bench and turned to face him.

She stepped closer and gently embraced Ye Beizhi, resting her head against his chest with her eyes closed.

After a long while, Zuo Nianchou let go and smiled at Ye Beizhi. "I’m leaving."

With that, she slung the long case onto her back, picked up her bundle, and walked down from the pavilion to untie the horse’s reins.

"Why..." Ye Beizhi stood in the pavilion. "Why do you have to leave?"

With her back to him, Zuo Nianchou paused in her actions. Snowflakes gradually covered her shoulders.

"I unintentionally found out something" Zuo Nianchou’s figure appeared frail amidst the heavy snow. "There’s no place left for me in the jianghu."

"What did you find out?"

Zuo Nianchou shook her head. "The Ghostbane Association isn't part of the jianghu anymore. It belongs to the imperial court now."

Zuo Nianchou turned, led her horse, and walked away into the distance.

Ye Beizhi didn’t quite understand what she meant. He simply stood still, quietly watching Zuo Nianchou fade into the distance.

When the heavy snow nearly obscured his vision, Ye Beizhi saw Zuo Nianchou turn back on the road and look at him. Her voice drifted faintly through the air.

"If fate allows, we’ll meet again..."

That streak of red was like a plum blossom blooming proudly in the snow, only to be covered by white snow and, eventually, buried in the earth.

Ye Beizhi stood in the pavilion for a long time, as still as stone even after her figure disappeared from sight. He couldn’t recall what he was thinking at the time until all his thoughts condensed into a single question...

Would she ever return those three hundred taels?

***

"

Huh

?" Chi Nanwei let out a surprised exclamation, interrupting Ye Beizhi’s memories. "Dummy, look."

Ye Beizhi looked down and saw that a piece of paper had floated out while Chi Nanwei was flipping through the guqin score.

Chi Nanwei bent down and picked it up.

"It’s a banknote... worth three hundred taels?"

The banknote had been tucked inside the qin score for so long that even its creases had been pressed flat.

Ye Beizhi stared blankly.

Chi Nanwei turned the banknote over and exclaimed, "There’s writing on the back. It’s a poem..."

Chi Nanwei read softly, "Plum blossoms damp with rain yet unwithered...

"Pink-tinged plum blossoms linger on the branch, the clinging rain has yet to dry.

"Hazy mist and scattered sunlight herald the chill of spring.

"When twilight crows lament, someone lingers by the small pavilion.

"The fragrant grass grows only with spring's sorrows, the northern wild geese return in vain, skimming alongside the azure clouds.

"The lingering sunset gradually fades to darkness, and a new moon... shines elegantly once more."