WJ Chapter 54

Guan Ju (2)

“——You!!”

Having been pampered and spoiled since childhood, how could the young miss have ever imagined that one day she would be reprimanded like this by a mere medicine person? Yun Chanjuan’s beautiful face suddenly flushed red. She pointed at Ye Ru, her whole body trembling with anger, tears welling up in her eyes as she roared:

“That’s not it… that’s not it at all! You’re talking nonsense! I thought you were obedient, but it turns out you’re in league with them… you’re all in it together!”

Ye Ru was at a loss for words. Yun Chanjuan suddenly shoved him. Without even looking at him, she stamped her foot indignantly and ran off crying.

That pink figure quickly disappeared at the other end of the path.

……

Xifeng City, Xiaoxiang Palace.

If one were to discuss the most magnificent and splendid place in Xifeng City, if Xiaoxiang Palace claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.

Cloud-pattern square small blue bricks paved the way from outside the palace all the way in, and upon entering the palace they changed to golden bricks that only imperial halls could afford. Redwood small tables were exquisite and delicate, with dark gold incense burners inlaid with red agate burning expensive Hengwu incense, filling the palace with a faint fragrant aroma.

Going further inside, curtains of gold-threaded brocade hung down. A crowd of maidservants held their breath and maintained strict decorum. On a beauty couch reclined a beautiful lady in purple robes, her makeup and attire strikingly elegant. A pair of lotus-white arms crossed and rested at her waist, as if she were dozing lightly.

Three young maids around thirteen or fourteen years old stood by the couch—one dipping her finger in floral oil to massage the lady’s temples, while the other two on the left and right massaged her shoulders, all with extremely practiced movements.

This purple-robed beautiful woman was none other than the youngest daughter of the current Yulin Hall Master Lin Wuyue, wife of the former Zhuyin Sect Leader Yun Guyan, and mother of the young miss Yun Chanjuan—Madam Lin Wanxia.

Light footsteps broke the tranquility within Xiaoxiang Palace. A maidservant entered from outside and respectfully curtsied toward the couch. “Reporting to Madam, the young miss has arrived.”

By rights, since Yun Changliu had succeeded as Sect Leader five years ago, only his wife would be entitled to be called “Madam”; and as the wife of former Sect Leader Yun Guyan, Lin Wanxia should properly be called “Dowager Madam.”

However, Yun Changliu remained unmarried to this day, not even showing the slightest inclination in that direction, so Lin Wanxia continued to occupy the title of “Madam.”

“Mm…”

The beautiful woman reclining on the couch let out a light breath, lazily raised one hand, and waved it, signaling the maidservants to withdraw.

The red coral bead bracelet on her snow-white wrist lightly clinked with her movements, gleaming with a restrained luster.

Lin Wanxia slowly opened her eyes and was helped up from the couch by the young maid at her side.

She was born with a pair of peach blossom eyes, the corners sharp and upturned, adding a somewhat harsh air to her natural charm. Though she was at an age when ordinary women worried about aging and fading beauty, every gesture still carried an air of graceful elegance.

“Mother!”

Yun Chanjuan, eyes reddened, lifted her skirts and ran in, nearly knocking over several maidservants along the way.

The young miss never observed any rules or etiquette. She plopped down beside Lin Wanxia and complained with whimpers and grumbles. “That new medicine person is so annoying! He actually dared to lecture this young miss…”

Lin Wanxia looked lovingly at her daughter, still innocent and naive to worldly affairs. Her gaze swept around and she said to the maidservants, “This lady wishes to speak with the young miss. You may all withdraw.”

The maidservants acknowledged and withdrew. Seeing the palace had grown quiet with only the mother and daughter remaining, Madam Lin arranged her wide sleeves, reached out to rub the top of Yun Chanjuan’s head, and said gently, “Chanjuan, my Juan’er… you will soon be the one to succeed as Sect Leader. It won’t do to continue being so impulsive.”

Yun Chanjuan was startled, then laughed. “Succeed as Sect Leader? Mother, you’re joking again. Brother Changliu is doing perfectly well as Sect Leader—when would it be my turn to succeed anyone?”

She fiddled with her hair ornaments, making the pearls and jade tinkle chaotically. “…Oh Mother, look, you’ve messed up Juan’er’s hair!”

“This child.” Lin Wanxia slowly arched her painted eyebrows and elegantly rearranged Yun Chanjuan’s hair. She then removed a golden hairpin from her own hair and carefully inserted it into her daughter’s black locks.

She spoke in an unhurried tone. “Yun Changliu’s Fengchun Sheng poison has already penetrated his bones and invaded his organs—he won’t live much longer. After he dies, you should naturally succeed to the position of Sect Leader… You should make some early preparations. It can only be beneficial.”

Yun Chanjuan pouted. “There you go again, Mother. I know you don’t like Brother Changliu. Since childhood you’ve always told me he’s about to die, but isn’t he still doing perfectly fine now?”

She picked up a bronze mirror from the small table beside her and examined with interest how her mother’s golden hairpin looked in her own hair, saying absentmindedly:

“Mother, I think you should stop hoping for his death… Brother Changliu has looked sickly like that since childhood. I still remember when he was small, he couldn’t even leave his room! Hmph, now he can even strike me so imposingly—clearly he’s far from dying!”

“Juan’er,” Lin Wanxia’s expression darkened. She suddenly cupped Yun Chanjuan’s face with both hands and examined it carefully. “Yun Changliu allowed Guan Wujue to kill Ah Jing, to kill your own brother. Don’t you hate him?”

She asked coldly, “Don’t you want to avenge Ah Jing? Don’t you want to cut Guan Wujue into a thousand pieces with your own hands!?”

“Of course I do, naturally I do!” Yun Chanjuan answered without thinking, but then stuck out her tongue. “But I don’t want to be Sect Leader. I see that being Sect Leader looks exhausting for Brother Changliu.”

Hearing this, Lin Wanxia curved her red lips, slight smile lines appearing at the corners of her mouth.

She wrapped both hands around Yun Chanjuan’s back, drew her daughter into her embrace, and said in a low voice, “It’s alright, Juan’er… Mother will help you. You must remember—only by becoming Sect Leader will you have the power to avenge your brother…”

“Mother will help you with everything… you just need to be good and listen to Mother.”

She leaned by Yun Chanjuan’s ear and whispered, her hand slowly stroking the golden hairpin in her daughter’s hair, her eyes gradually darkening.

This hairpin…

Old memories surged forth like a tidal wave. How old had she been that year—fourteen or fifteen? Still a young girl, able to perform lightness skills across rivers and pluck flowers from leaves. Suitors numerous enough to break down the threshold of Yulin Hall, yet she had fallen for Yun Guyan, who in his prime wore black robes and wielded a silver whip as he dominated the jianghu.

She had pestered her father relentlessly to arrange this marriage with Yun Guyan’s father, and the betrothal gift sent was this very golden hairpin.

But Yun Guyan would rather forfeit this hairpin cast of pure gold than accept it, choosing instead that plain and unremarkable white jade pendant.

She, the young miss of Yulin Hall, had been personally rejected by the man she loved… How humiliating, how unwilling she had been.

But that was all so very long ago now.

Now Juan’er was already older than she had been then—a graceful young lady.

And she, after all these years of wasted youth, had finally grown old.

Lin Wanxia sighed softly, gently patting Yun Chanjuan’s back. “My good Juan’er, my dear daughter… in this world, there is no one who loves you more than Mother does. Do you understand?”

Yun Chanjuan, held in her mother’s embrace, hummed a few responses innocently and casually.

The young miss didn’t see Lin Wanxia’s suddenly fierce gaze—a viciousness she would never reveal even slightly before her daughter, carrying decades of unresolved old grievances and the fresh hatred of her beloved son’s murder.

Love and hate are always a quagmire.

Once fallen in, one cannot pull oneself free.

The more one tries to escape, the deeper one sinks.

……

When Yun Changliu returned to Yangxin Hall, it was not yet noon.

At this hour the sun was high, and though the snow in the courtyard was gradually melting, it was still the last cold spell. However, a warming brazier had been set up in Yangxin Hall a few days earlier to help the Protector recover from his injuries, so not a trace of the outside chill could penetrate within.

The two maids Jin Lin and Yin Lang had gone to prepare the noon meal. Guan Wujue wasn’t nestled in a chair reading as he had been the previous days, but was chatting idly with Wen Feng while peeling oranges.

The two of them noticed the Sect Leader enter at almost the same time. Wen Feng, just released from confinement, immediately assumed a solemn expression and bowed. “This guilty attendant Wen Feng greets the Sect Leader.”

Guan Wujue smiled at Yun Changliu and held out a freshly peeled orange segment. “Would the Sect Leader like some?”

“……”

Sect Leader Yun, who had intended to admonish Wen Feng further, expressionlessly leaned down and bit away the orange segment from the Protector’s hand, waving to excuse the attendant from further formalities.

…Eighty percent sweet, twenty percent tart—the flavor was quite good.

The Protector stood up to yield his seat to the Sect Leader, quite naturally passing over the remaining half of the orange as well. “The Sect Leader has returned quite early. Wujue thought you would spend most of the day at the Archives Hall… Did you make any discoveries?”

Yun Changliu shook his head and sat down. “Precisely because there were no discoveries did I return.”

As he spoke, he broke off an orange segment and ate it, then casually fed one into Guan Wujue’s mouth.

Wen Feng, left to the side, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself that the Sect Leader and Protector had finally thoroughly reconciled.

Not only that—it seemed they’d intensified considerably.

Unfortunately, before he could continue with these reflections, Yun Changliu’s gaze turned toward him, falling on Wen Feng’s bandaged right hand as he frowned slightly. “How did this happen?”

Wen Feng had long since coordinated his story with Guan Wujue and casually mentioned an accident to brush it off.

Yun Changliu seemed somewhat distracted and didn’t press further, only reproaching him with a few words about being careless. He turned into the inner chamber to retrieve some Golden Wound Medicine left over from his own previous injury and gave it to Wen Feng, saying, “Go apply the medicine. This lord has matters to discuss with the Protector alone.”

Guan Wujue was startled, his heart giving an empty flutter.

Wen Feng was the Sect Leader’s personal attendant—Yun Changliu rarely had anything he deliberately avoided discussing in front of him. Why was he being so serious today…?

Given his guilty conscience, he couldn’t help but steal a glance at Yun Changliu’s expression, only to collide with the Sect Leader’s cool gaze looking back at him.

The Protector wasn’t embarrassed, however. He smiled openly. “The Sect Leader seems displeased. Could it be something on your mind?”

He blinked and teased. “Or perhaps… someone on your mind?”

Yun Changliu ignored him, taking his time eating the half orange Guan Wujue had given him, thinking to himself: If there’s a matter, it’s your matter. If there’s someone, it’s you.

The Sect Leader not answering was already commonplace. Guan Wujue didn’t mind and continued, “It’s good that you’ve returned early—this subordinate happens to have something to discuss with you.”

Yun Changliu asked, “What is it?”

Guan Wujue said, “You must first promise not to be angry, then Wujue will dare to speak.”

Yun Changliu had been trapped by the Protector’s routine countless times before, yet each time he still consciously jumped into the pit, even with a somewhat willing air about it. “Fine. I won’t be angry.”

Guan Wujue then said seriously, “Thanks to the Sect Leader’s favor, this subordinate is deeply grateful. However, Wujue cannot continue to impose upon Yangxin Hall…”

Before he finished speaking, Yun Changliu’s expression darkened slightly, and he set down the orange in his hand on the table.

The red-robed Protector lowered his eyes and bowed his head before him, saying solemnly, “The inspection of the branch halls is not yet complete. In a few more days, this subordinate should also leave Xifeng City. I beg the Sect Leader’s permission to depart.”

“……”

The Sect Leader said coldly, “Have you taken today’s medicine yet?”

Guan Wujue immediately fell into helpless silence.

——Actually, he knew very clearly that the Sect Leader’s meaning was truly just a simple reminder to supervise whether he had taken his medicine on time.

But this statement, no matter how one heard it, sounded like he was cursing at someone…

Sect Leader Yun naturally didn’t realize the ambiguity in his words and simply took his silence as guilt for not daring to speak. Yun Changliu’s expression grew colder. He stepped forward and without allowing any argument, scooped Guan Wujue up around the waist… or rather, hoisted him up. “Back to the room to take your medicine!”

The poor Four Directions Protector was badly frightened. “——Sect Leader! This won’t do… Sect Leader, you promised not to be angry!”

A few days ago when his injuries were still serious, his body weak and his spirit depleted, he had simply allowed Yun Changliu to carry and hold him. Now he considered himself nearly fully recovered—to continue like this was truly unbearable.

“Not angry,” Yun Changliu baldly lied, his handsome face cold as ice as he said, “This lord is happy, so I’m carrying you.”

——This was hardly the appearance of happiness!

Guan Wujue was in agony. He did want to resist, but didn’t dare truly exert force against the Sect Leader. His soft, weak struggles of one or two attempts instead resembled playing hard to get.

The Protector was thus thrown onto the bed in the inner chamber and once again forced by the Sect Leader to drink his medicine. Just as he was feeling the customary heartache over those precious medicinal ingredients, he heard Yun Changliu say impassively:

“Coincidentally enough, this lord also has matters to discuss with the Protector. This lord is the master, you are the subordinate. Naturally you should first listen to what this lord has to say. What does the Protector think?”

Guan Wujue said helplessly, “Yes, yes, yes… the Sect Leader speaks first?”

Yun Changliu paused to consider. “You must also not be angry.”

Oh my, he’d learned this trick from him.

The Protector couldn’t help but smile and readily agreed.

Guan Wujue was still idly guessing what the Sect Leader could possibly say that would make him angry. He saw Yun Changliu fold his sleeves and, looking at him with complete calm, said:

“Regarding the next succession to the position of Sect Leader, this lord does not wish to pass it to Yun Chanjuan. What does the Protector think—who within the sect could bear this great responsibility?”