Chapter 80 — Showdown
Edited by DancingDolphinsYo
Qingzhu Lane was in a slightly more remote location. It was near the old town, and many workshops and old shops were gathered in the nearby streets. It was not a quiet and tranquil place.
Most of the people living along this lane were bamboo craftsmen. The street was narrow and long, only able to accommodate two handcarts pressed side by side against one another. It was impossible for a carriage to go through it, as it would block the street entirely as well as obstruct the craftsmen from their work. Most of the houses in the old town also had long and narrow structures. Even when their main doors were fully open, the entrances were still cramped and small. Looking through the entrances, the houses seemed dim and gloomy. Each house was built right next to each other, and the windows were only found at the back of the houses.
As such, the craftsmen all worked right by their doors, some even outside their houses.
Many people had speculated over why the Bai family would settle down in a place like this, and why they never thought about moving to somewhere more spacious and serene. However, no one came to a conclusion. People who wanted to visit the Bai family would have to get off their carriages at the entrance of the lane and make the rest of the journey on their feet. After a half an hour’s walk, they would reach the end of the lane, and on the left would be the Bai family’s residence.
Compared to the rest of the houses in this alley, the Bai residence was a lot more spacious. It was about six to seven times the size of the narrow houses along the lane, and a small yet exquisite courtyard surrounded the house on its side and front. Clusters of bamboo grew around randomly, and next to the door, welcoming guests, was not an old pine tree but an old osmanthus tree. In the autumn, it would be entirely covered in osmanthus blossoms, and the scent of osmanthus would waft down the whole Qingzhu Lane.
In people’s haunt I built my cot; of wheels’ and hooves’ noises I hear not1.
Ever since that time when the son of the Defender Duke snatched Bai Shaochang off the streets, in the past two years, other than the qin session every ten days, the Bai family had declined to receive all but their most intimate friends. Wu Xingzi could not help exclaiming over his good fortune, to be able to receive this opportunity that everyone yearned for.
Ping Yifan had mentioned that this time, Young Master Bai had invited three guests, and he was not clear on who the other two guests were. Bai Shaochang was aloof and unapproachable, but it did not necessarily mean that he would only invite people from rich and powerful families. Instead, it was more likely that he would invite musicians from various troupes, or even female entertainers of Nanfeng Pavilion.
When the two people arrived at the Bai residence, the other two had yet to reach. There was still half an hour left to the agreed-upon time. The steward of the Bai residence was a young man, yet to reach thirty. He looked honest and placid, but his eyes were shrewd. Respectfully, he led the two people into the drawing room for tea. Despite giving Wu Xingzi a couple of looks, he did not direct any questions in particular at him, and he quickly withdrew from the room, allowing the two to rest there at ease.
Wu Xingzi sipped at the tea, observing this drawing room that was of an average size. The furnishings within were all very simple and elegant, and due to the proximity of the neighbours, laughter and chatter of the craftsmen could be heard indistinctly. Combined with the sound of the wind and cicadas, it was not noisy. Instead the ambient sounds inexplicably gave people a peace of mind.
Today, Ping Yifan was a lot more silent than their previous meeting. With lowered lids, he drank his tea, looking just like a picture. Wu Xingzi could not stop sneaking peeks at him, and finally, he was lost in his admiration of Ping Yifan’s long and thick eyelashes.
“Why?” A wave of heat swelled up within Ping Yifan, and he sighed. Putting down the teacup in his hand, he turned and looked at Wu Xingzi. “Staring at me like this, won’t you get tired of it?”
With a smiling yet resigned look from Ping Yifan, Wu Xingzi shrunk into himself, turning his face away in bashfulness. “Eh? Did we come too early?”
Ping Yifan stared at him in amusement, but he did not persist in questioning him. “No, it’s not too early. If we were to arrive a bit later, I’m afraid we would’ve ended up bumping into the other two guests outside.”
“That’s true…” Was there a significance implied in those words? Wu Xingzi rubbed his nose, unable to resist looking at Ping Yifan again.
This gentle gaze felt like hooks, scratching again and again against Ping Yifan’s heart. He could not help but sigh, “Wu Xingzi.”
“Eh?”
“Don’t look at me like this.” The way he was looking at him, Ping Yifan was almost unable to contain himself anymore, and he wanted to reveal his true identity, dragging the man into his arms for a good cuddle. However, now was not the right time. The person he was waiting for was about to arrive, and he definitely could not allow all his previous efforts to come to waste. As such, he could only forcefully suppress the passion surging up within him.
“Ah?” Wu Xingzi blinked. He seemed to realise that his gazes had been rather impolite, and the tips of his ears gradually reddened. “I’m just, I’m just… a little nervous.”
This was not a lie. Although the Bai residence was decorated in a very plain and simple manner, it was still a place unknown to him, and Adviser Wu could not help but feel a little shy.
Ping Yifan was aware of this too. He struggled internally for a moment, then clasped Wu Xingzi’s hand, tightening his grip around it. “Don’t be nervous. Bai-gongzi wouldn’t eat you up, hmm?”
His hand felt hot, and it took no time for a thin layer of sweat to cover it. However, Wu Xingzi still could not bear to let go, and held Ping Yifan’s hand tightly as well. The two people did not speak anymore, quietly drinking their tea. Just as they finished, the steward came at the perfect time to invite them towards the qin compound.
The qin compound was located in the midst of a bamboo forest at the back of the Bai residence, three storeys high. The roof was not surrounded by walls, and in the summer, bamboo curtains were strung around. The thin and delicate bamboo strips swayed gently in the wind, and as the sun shone through the drawings on them, onto the floor made of a bamboo weave, it formed a beautiful drawing to accompany the sound of the qin. The scattered light was like sands of gold.
Young Master Bai was already seated in front of his qin. Seeing the two of them, a small smile appeared on his face. He stood up, cupping his hands in welcome. “Mr. Ping, Mr. Wu.”
The two men hurriedly cupped their hands back in courtesy.
Bai Shaochang was not the conversational sort, and he could even be described as being unskilled at small talk. As such, he did not speak more to the two men, instead signalling at his servant next to him to lead them to take a seat on the cushions. Just as Ping Yifan was planning to help Wu Xingzi sit down, the second guest had arrived. Like them, it was two men. One was dressed in a full robe, tall and handsome. A pair of seductive, charming eyes happened to meet Wu Xingzi’s eyes, and the two people froze momentarily.
“G-guan… Guan Shanjin…” The last of his words were swallowed back into Wu Xingzi’s tummy. He raised his hands, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. It seemed as though he was afraid that he had seen wrongly, and his eyes were almost falling out of their sockets. How was it that Guan Shanjin too… He jerked his head towards the person next to Guan Shanjin. Unsurprisingly, it was Mr. Lu’s white-classed figure. His heart felt as though it had just been stabbed with a sharp knife, and his thin body shuddered violently.
A day without seeing each other was as though three autumns had passed. Unknowingly, they had been separated for over thousands of years. And in these thousands of years, Lu Zezhi had been accompanying Guan Shanjin for the whole time. Did Wu Xingzi still have anything to do with Guan Shanjin now? The man probably could not even remember a trace of his shadow by now! Despite so, Wu Xingzi still could not drag his eyes away. Carefully, he looked at Guan Shanjin’s brows, Guan Shanjin’s eyes, Guan Shanjin’s lips and… After the intense pain in his heart faded, what came next was confusion. Something seemed to be different with the Guan Shanjin who was in front of him. Wu Xingzi could not put it into words, and he only felt that he had lost any desire of wanting to get close to the person he was looking at. That little hook that always hooked away his soul seemed to not exist anymore.
Guan Shanjin evidently did not expect that he would meet Wu Xingzi here either. When he recovered his wits, the first thing he did was glancing over to Ping Yifan, who had his arm around the old fellow’s waist. Next, his strong brows creased slightly, and annoyance appeared on his face.
In comparison, Mr. Lu’s expression was just like usual, and he even gave Wu Xingzi a friendly smile. “Mr. Wu, have you been well?”
“Ahh… Thank you, thank you. I’ve been eating well, sleeping well, and my legs are well too…” Just as he finished answering, he staggered, nearly falling onto the cushion. This came as no surprise. Before seeing Guan Shanjin, his legs were already bent, about to sit down. After seeing the man, he had maintained that posture of neither sitting nor standing. If not for Ping Yifan considerately supporting him, he would have most definitely embarrassed himself greatly.
“Oh, is that so?” Mr. Lu could also be considered a veteran of verbal exchanges with Wu Xingzi, and he long knew that this old fellow in front of him could not be treated like any other normal person. Receiving such a reply, it was not surprising to him. Now, he was solely doted upon and cherished by Guan Shanjin, protected like he was the apple of his eye. Who in the Protector General’s residence was not flattering and fawning over him? The only thing was that the Protector General and his wife were unable to put away their prejudices towards him. However, despite their efforts, they had been unable to dissuade Guan Shanjin and his persistence, and so they could only treat him courteously. Lu Zezhi was now entirely living in comfort.
Tightening his hold around Guan Shanjin’s arm, he turned to look at Ping Yifan. The young man had an ordinary appearance, with a gentleness that seemed as though it was carved by water. From his clothes, he could gather that he, at most, came from a decently well-off family, a pretty adequate match with Wu Xingzi. Lu Zezhi’s smile became even more sincere and gentle. “This is Mr. Wu’s partner?”
Partner? Wu Xingzi widened his eyes, his face flushing an instant red. His head shaking like a rattle, he answered, “No no no! Uhhh uhh uhh… Ai, uhh…”
Seeing that he was so anxious that he had turned incoherent, Ping Yifan narrowed his eyes at Lu Zezhi as he pressed his index finger against Wu Xingzi’s lips.
“Shh. Our relationship, it’s enough that the two of us know what it is, hmm?” Caressing the center of Wu Xingzi’s lip with his rough finger, he carefully helped him to his seat. He could not be bothered to even speak a word to others, and of course no one saw the sneer flashing across his face either.
“Laoshi, let me help you.” Over there, Guan Shanjin also did not pay any attention to Wu Xingzi and Ping Yifan. Considerately, he helped Lu Zezhi to their cushions and they took their seats.
Giving Guan Shanjin and Wu Xingzi a few glances, a faint smile curled around Lu Zezhi’s lips, and he regained his usual elegance and haughtiness. Now, he no longer saw Wu Xingzi as anyone to be worried about. Such an ugly old thing, knowing when to retreat, he surely did not waste his forty years of life, living like a fool.
Now, the one who posed a bigger threat to him… Undetected, his eyes turned towards the man sitting in front of the qin.
The last guest did not bring along any companion. He was also someone who looked rather familiar, and looking closely, it turned out to be Yan Wenxin.
Wu Xingzi’s eyes rounded once again. He completely could not believe what he was seeing. Did the calendar state that it was bad luck for him to leave the house today? Not only was Guan Shanjin here, but Yan Wenxin had appeared as well! He averted his eyes uneasily, but he could not help sneaking looks at Yan Wenxin. The previous time at Chongxu Guan, they were a little too far apart, and he did not see him clearly then.
This time, in this small compound, their seats were almost face to face. Under the summer sun, the lines of Yan Wenxin’s face were clean and well-defined. Although his hair had already turned grey, and a long beard covered half his face, Wu Xingzi was still able to quickly match his eyes to the young man of the past. It felt as though nothing had changed; he was still that warm and pleasant person, and that aloofness and loftiness ingrained in his bones still made him seem like the deity of the plum blossoms.
Noticing Wu Xingzi’s naked and undisguised gaze, Yan Wenxin did not seem to feel offended. Instead, he gave a friendly nod of his head, a pair of kindly yet sharp eyes curving along with a smile.
Wu Xingzi shifted his eyes away, feeling a little wretched, and his fingertips felt icy cold. He understood, even though he had immediately recognised Yan Wenxin, Yan Wenxin had long forgotten who he was… It was also possible that he had aged too much as well. After all, they had not seen each other for over twenty years, right?
On the other side, as the host, Bai Shaochang had noticed all the exchanges between his guests. However, he seemed to not be bothered in the slightest. Placidly, he gave them a simple introduction of each other, then bowed his head and started to play his qin.
The sound of the qin was melodious and pleasant to the ears, like the music of the heavens. It was like jade beads falling onto a silver plate, like the chirruping of a hundred birds. A qin tended to exude a slight trace of metallic, lethal, icy solemnity, but in Bai Shaochang’s hands, it became rich and sweet, pleasing like a spring breeze. If the man was like the sound of his qin, one could imagine how Bai Shaochang, who seemed cold, aloof and even distant on the surface, was actually a man brimming with passion and gentleness.
Unfortunately, despite such good music, despite such a rare opportunity, other than Bai Shaochang himself, it was regrettable that none of his guests had their heart on the music.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel