Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 47

Lou Jing thought privately, Are you not also someone who speaks human words to humans and ghostly words to ghosts?

Had Zhan Sanxiao voiced such an argument upon Tiger Roar Mountain, the elders would unquestionably have scoffed at it and ordered her to kneel in the ancestral hall for several days.

In her youthful impetuousness, Lou Jing had often rebelled against the stubborn elders. Yet after years of hearing their teachings and being subtly influenced by them, she still said, “Crooked and unorthodox methods.”

“It is called understanding the ways of the world.”

“There must still be a limit.”

Lou Jing had always valued honesty and practical ability. She had even become angry when Yu Jingqiu deliberately underestimated her and lost to her on purpose.

She placed far more importance upon genuine strength than clever tricks.

“A limit is all well and good, but do not set it too high. Otherwise, you will find every step difficult here.”

Zhan Sanxiao merely replied lightly and did not discuss the matter further.

She picked up a book, turned two pages, and casually changed the subject.

“When you came earlier, you appeared to have some business with me.”

“When will you allow me to meet Helian Que?” Lou Jing asked sternly, moving to the matter at hand.

Zhan Sanxiao suddenly turned halfway around to face her.

Zhan Sanxiao was seated while Lou Jing stood, one low and the other high. Resting her elbow upon the armrest, Zhan Sanxiao leaned back slightly, raised her head, and examined Lou Jing from top to bottom as though she had never seen her before.

“What is it?” Lou Jing frowned under her scrutiny.

Disdain appeared upon Zhan Sanxiao’s face.

“Yanzi Tower conducts the business of killing people. Its members guard their secrets more strictly than anyone.

“And Helian Que is an ancient fox who has lived for a thousand years.

“When you meet him, how will you question him? Will you ask him directly, ‘Where is Shen Zhongyin?’

“Or will you place a blade against his neck and threaten him with death?

“Do you believe you can handle him and trick information from his mouth?”

“…”

People had always described Lou Jing as quick-witted and sharp-tongued.

Whenever she argued with Lou Xuanzhi, words had poured from her mouth without pause.

Yet now that she had encountered Zhan Sanxiao, she did not know whether half a year in the Dragon Pit without anyone to speak to had made her tongue clumsy, or whether Zhan Sanxiao was simply too eloquent.

Every response was blocked before Lou Jing could make it, leaving her wilted and silent.

As the saying went, brine curdled tofu—everything had its natural conqueror.

“However, since you brought it up, I happen to have something to tell you as well.”

“What?”

Zhan Sanxiao raised one hand in a signal.

A maid bowed and withdrew.

When she returned a short while later, a slender figure followed behind her…

For a moment, Lou Jing could not determine whether the newcomer was a man or woman.

If he was a man, few men possessed such graceful charm. His waist was as slender as a willow, his brows resembled painted spring mountains, and his eyes held the tender waters of autumn.

Yet if he was a woman, the small prominence upon his pale, slender neck was unmistakably an Adam’s apple.

He wore an ivory-white, round-collared robe and had his hair bound beneath a jade crown in a man’s style.

He approached Zhan Sanxiao, bowed, and called, “Eldest Young Lady.”

His voice was as clear and melodious as a golden oriole.

His sex was almost impossible to distinguish.

Zhan Sanxiao said to Lou Jing, “You may call him Huashan.”

Huashan turned and smiled at Lou Jing, offering a small bow.

His manner was gentle and dignified, making him appear even more feminine than Lou Jing.

Lou Jing nodded to him.

Not understanding Zhan Sanxiao’s purpose, she returned her gaze to her and waited for the rest.

“Beginning today, you will no longer remain beside me,” Zhan Sanxiao said. “Huashan will accompany you to Apricot Blossom Heaven in Xuzhou. You will stay there and follow the instructions of a manager named Madam Yan.”

“Why are you suddenly sending me away?”

After half a year, Lou Jing could finally leave the estate and even return to the Central Plains.

Yet her first thought was that, once far from this place, how would she meet Helian Que?

“Why?”

Zhan Sanxiao raised her brows slightly, a faint smile appearing.

“Your tongue is too clumsy, your heart too straightforward, your temper too stubborn, your judgment poor, and your experience lacking.

“To summarize it in seven words: I am sending you away to grow a brain.

“That way, you may learn how to deal with Helian Que in the future.”

“…”

Lou Jing surprisingly did not argue.

Instead, she lowered her head slightly and thought, It is already fortunate that she is not ordering me to commit some unforgivable atrocity.

“When will I return?”

“When Madam Yan believes you are ready and decides to release you, you may return.”

Zhan Sanxiao quietly observed Lou Jing.

Despite all these criticisms, Lou Jing remained calm. Not only did she offer no objection, but she obediently accepted the order.

How was this the same eccentric and irritable person described in the rumors?

Had Lou Jing behaved this way before Lou Xuanzhi, perhaps father and daughter would never have quarreled to the point of complete estrangement.

After enduring suffering and hardship, she had finally learned to restrain her temper.

But some matters could never be reversed.

Thinking of this, Zhan Sanxiao was reminded of herself. Her gaze became melancholy, and she could not help sighing inwardly.

“When do I leave?” Lou Jing asked.

“There is no better day than today. You will leave now.”

Zhan Sanxiao added, “Hold out your hand.”

“What for?”

Her experiences had made Lou Jing increasingly suspicious.

Even after becoming Zhan Sanxiao’s subordinate, she instinctively demanded an explanation before doing anything.

“I am giving you something for protection. Hold out your hand.”

Half believing and half doubting her, Lou Jing extended her open palm.

Zhan Sanxiao held a small object between her fingers and placed it in Lou Jing’s hand.

It was cold, hard, and no larger than the tip of a finger.

Zhan Sanxiao spoke softly.

“I hope the things you wish to accomplish and the path you must walk will become somewhat easier.”

Lou Jing raised the object to examine it.

It was a copper coin.

She turned it over repeatedly but found nothing unusual.

It was the sort of coin found in every household. How could it protect her?

Yet Lou Jing did not believe Zhan Sanxiao would perform such a pointless act merely to amuse herself.

There had to be some deeper significance.

After hesitating, she thanked her and placed the coin inside her robe.

“A sobriquet, merely to make addressing you more convenient,” Zhan Sanxiao said unhurriedly as she turned another page of her book.

Her brows shifted slightly.

“How does Yuanfu sound?”

Lou Jing’s gaze trembled faintly.

Zhan Sanxiao looked up at her.

“You dislike it?”

Lou Jing pressed her lips together.

Yu Jingqiu’s childhood name was Shanjun.

For as long as Lou Jing could remember, Lou Xuanzhi had called her that.

Yu Jingqiu had been raised upon the mountain since childhood. Who else could have bestowed that childhood name except Lou Xuanzhi?

Lou Jing’s own surname had come from her father, while her given name had been chosen long ago by her mother.

When she was young, she had wandered for a time with her mother and suffered the criticism of others.

Sensitive by nature, she had developed resentment toward Lou Xuanzhi for what she perceived as unequal treatment.

It had created an indescribable sense of grievance and disappointment, making her particularly concerned with the matter of being given a name.

Receiving a name inevitably created a certain sense of belonging.

A strange trace of happiness surfaced inside Lou Jing.

Still feeling awkward, she said, “It is only a form of address. I neither like nor dislike it.”

Huashan was skilled at observing expressions and could tell that Lou Jing liked it.

He glanced at Zhan Sanxiao and asked, “Does the name have some particular origin?”

For once, Zhan Sanxiao laughed softly.

Yet she said, “I merely chose it at random. Prepare yourselves and depart.”

“Yes.”

The two bade farewell to Zhan Sanxiao.

Just as Lou Jing was about to leave the room, she suddenly turned back.

“Tower Master.”

After joining Fengyu Tower, Lou Jing addressed Zhan Sanxiao only as Tower Master.

“Mm?”

“Have you met me before?”

Lou Jing had always found Zhan Sanxiao familiar, as though they had encountered each other somewhere.

Fengyu Tower belonged to the Feihua Alliance, not some charitable institution, and Zhan Sanxiao was hardly a great benefactor who wandered everywhere rescuing the suffering.

Perhaps an impulse had moved her to save Lou Jing.

But afterward, apart from keeping her imprisoned, Zhan Sanxiao had treated her thoroughly and patiently.

Who would believe she did so merely because she had a gentle temper?

Zhan Sanxiao turned a page and replied coolly, “Did I not see you before when the people of Caoliu Manor were pursuing you?”

“…”

Seeing her pretend not to understand, Lou Jing knew she had no wish to explain.

Since she would obtain no answer, she asked nothing further.

After leaving, Lou Jing returned to her room.

She had little to pack—only several garments and one sword.

Just as she prepared to leave, Huashan arrived gracefully carrying a box.

A maid followed him, holding a length of light gauze.

The two forced Lou Jing back into the room.

Lou Jing did not understand why until Huashan opened the box.

The lacquered and gold-trimmed case contained smaller compartments and hidden drawers, one layer concealed beneath another with exquisite craftsmanship.

It was a cosmetics case.

On their journey to Xuzhou, Lou Jing would inevitably need to appear in public.

Not only did she need to conceal her name, but her face also required careful alteration.

Lou Jing was pressed onto a round stool and forced to endure her discomfort.

People traveling through the martial world spent their days covered in dust and rarely cared about appearances.

Someone like Lou Jing, who was nearly obsessed with martial arts and had never experienced romantic feelings, had never used cosmetics.

Even Yu Jingqiu never touched such things. Among them, only Yun Yao had occasionally bought rouge for amusement.

The maid arranged Lou Jing’s hair while Huashan used various objects whose names Lou Jing did not know to paint her face from brows to lips.

She felt only cool touches against her skin.

After nearly half an hour, Huashan smiled in satisfaction and finally released her.

He held a bronze mirror before her.

Lou Jing stared at the person reflected inside and froze slightly.

Forget outsiders—even someone from the Qianyuan Sect might mistake her for another person unless they examined her carefully.

Since falling into the serpent pit, Lou Jing had not properly seen her own face for more than a year.

Wind and hardship had sharpened her brows and features, while snake blood had made her gaze increasingly cold and indifferent.

Huashan followed these changes, adding a touch of color to her cold, pale face.

Rouge upon her lips brought out a trace of captivating beauty, while the decorative mark upon her forehead was so striking that it made one instinctively wish to reach out and trace it.

Lou Jing had always possessed the foundations of great beauty.

But in her youth, her boldness and vitality had been more noticeable.

Now she had grown older. Her features had fully developed, and she had shed her childishness.

Huashan’s skill drew out a seductive elegance within her.

Every turn of her eyes was exceptionally beautiful.

Yet even Huashan could not conceal the gloomy coldness within Lou Jing’s expression.

Her beauty remained sharp and intimidating.

A single sideways glance from her sent a chill through the heart.

Upon close inspection, one could still see traces of her former appearance.

At first glance, however, she seemed like an entirely different person.

Lou Jing was also given a new set of clothes.

They resembled drifting clouds and flowing mist.

They were beautiful, certainly, but cumbersome and inconvenient for movement.

Once everything was prepared, Huashan departed with her.

After so long, Lou Jing finally walked through the estate’s gates.

She returned to the Central Plains and entered Xuzhou City.

Watching pedestrians come and go and seeing the ordinary smoke and bustle of mortal life, she felt as though nothing around her had changed.

Yet within her heart, oceans had dried and fields had become seas.

Huashan brought her to Apricot Blossom Heaven.

The moment Lou Jing saw the prosperous restaurant, she found it strangely familiar.

Was this not the very place she and Cao Ruxu had pursued a thief to the previous year?

Had they not mistaken someone’s identity back then, none of the later entanglements might have occurred.

This place was actually part of Zhan Sanxiao’s territory.

Lou Jing’s brows tightened.

If that were so, could Zhan Sanxiao have been connected to Cao Ruxu’s death?

While Lou Jing was distracted, a waiter led her and Huashan into a reception room.

Huashan spoke for some time with a woman in crimson.

The woman’s beautiful eyes shifted toward Lou Jing.

She approached gracefully and examined her from head to toe.

“One of the Little Immortal’s people? Very beautiful indeed. From now onward, you will follow me.”

The woman was Madam Yan, and every movement she made was filled with alluring charm.

Lou Jing had assumed Zhan Sanxiao had sent her to serve Madam Yan as a guard, at the very least.

Instead, Madam Yan placed a serving tray directly into her hands.

And so Lou Jing began working as an ordinary servant in the restaurant.