Chapter 28 — Where Love Begins (Part 1)

　　At Gushu Peak, Ruoshui still slept. The barrier around the room trembled. Qiwu Jun, meditating inside, sensed an uninvited arrival; a phantom manifested — Fangyi Jun. Qiwu Jun let down his guard and asked, “What brings you?”

　　Fangyi Jun feigned ease. “Bringing some food for Ruo… for her.” He waved the parcels in his hand.

　　“She has not awakened,” Qiwu Jun said in that emotionless tone.

　　Fangyi Jun: “She sure can sleep.”

　　Qiwu Jun: “She drank too much.”

　　Fangyi Jun smiled bitterly — not from drink, but because of Qiwu Jun himself. He asked earnestly, “Brother, do you know why she insisted on finding you before?”

　　Qiwu Jun said nothing, only looked at him, waiting.

　　Fangyi Jun continued: “Because she needed you. You let her sleep at peace; without you she is tormented by nightmares. When I first met her she was always dozing in shaded places. I then saw her suffer night after night in her sleep, wracked by nightmares.”

　　“I know you are used to solitude and indifferent to many things. Whatever she was tricked into, she was nonetheless your legally wedded wife. For three years she’s endured public scorn and become a figure of ridicule. I’m angry she deceived me, but in that period she had no choice. Even if you do not care for her, I beg you to show her leniency.”

　　Qiwu Jun looked toward her room. Had she been trapped by nightmares since he left?

　　Inside, Ruoshui stirred awake. Her head throbbed from drunkenness. She remembered last night’s events and felt panic. Su Mu had called her his wife — was it now lawful that she stay with him? A blessing from misfortune perhaps. She giggled, wrapped herself in quilts and rolled on the bed, excitement making her tumble under the bed by mistake.

　　“Ah!” she cried.

　　Qiwu Jun heard the shout and came; Fangyi Jun paused at the doorway, hesitant. To this day, better safe than sorry.

　　Wrapped up like a cocoon, Ruoshui smiled foolishly at Qiwu Jun — a smile born of inner ease like a summer breeze or winter sun. Fangyi Jun came quietly and left quietly, leaving a leather packet on the stone table.

　　The five-year Immortal Sect Tournament went on. A young man named Tian Zhan took the top prize and joined Lord Qingshan’s ranks, becoming a right hand to Yun Bumei.

　　Ruoshui achieved her wish: recognized as Qiwu Jun’s wife, she took residence at Gushu Peak. Though she lived in a side hall, she was under the same roof and could finally sleep soundly. The little white crane brought her to Qingxue Peak for meals daily. This “wife” was simply a mortal who accepted the hardships of being the lord’s spouse.

　　She named the little white crane “Qianyu.” The bird pretended to dislike the name but liked it in secret. Though Qianyu tended to look down on Ruoshui, she was nonetheless recognized as Qiwu Jun’s legitimate wife.

　　Gushu Peak, lonely for millennia, gained a hint of life.

　　For Qiwu Jun, whose days had been unchanging for a thousand years, the change was extraordinary. He never expected to be saved by another. Confusing feelings stirred in him. He worried she might be dragged down by him—he had the misfortune-mark of disaster. So he kept his distance, instructed her in cultivation at times, let her stay in a side hall, and constantly monitored her.

　　A craving for closeness lurked in his long solitude, yet he feared intimacy because those who had been close to him had met misfortune.

　　Fangyi Jun still drifted the world but no longer wandered for years at a time; he returned regularly to Zhaoyao bringing small delights for Ruoshui.

　　One day at Gushu Peak, Ruoshui practiced swordplay. Fangyi Jun arrived jubilant with news and expected a friendly bout. He struck, Ruoshui blocked, and her sword clattered to the ground.

　　Fangyi Jun was stunned to see her double over as if in sudden pain. “I barely used force — I didn’t even hit you. Why are you like this? You’ve practiced half a year — how are you so weak? How did Brother teach you?”

　　Qiwu Jun heard the noise and shook his head; he didn’t know. She had trained with semblance and looked competent until an actual duel, where she’d fail — one round and the sword dropped.

　　“So it’s not his fault—it's mine,” Ruoshui half-joked. “So what did you bring today?”

　　Fangyi Jun announced proudly, “I acquired a purple cereus — should bloom in two days. I want you to see it.”

　　“Purple cereus?” Qiwu Jun echoed.

　　Fangyi Jun: “Yes. I’ve lived thousands of years and seen countless cereus — white, yellow, pink, red — but never purple. I thought perhaps you’ve never seen it, so I invited you to watch its fleeting bloom.”

　　Ruoshui was genuinely curious and darted into the inner room. “Su Mu, Fangyi Jun says—”

　　“Go. If you’re tired, come back early,” Qiwu Jun’s voice floated from within the hall.

　　Fangyi Jun and Ruoshui went to the Herb Valley. The flora and fauna there seemed sentient; when Ruoshui arrived, flowers bloomed brighter and birds sang louder. Butterflies swarmed at her.

　　“They all like you,” Fangyi Jun said.

　　Ruoshui, shameless, said, “I’m naturally charming — people and flowers respond.”

　　Fangyi Jun smiled without a reply. He would once have mocked her, but now his heart was taken and he no longer could mock. He watched her instead.

　　The cereus sat on the windowsill, its reddish-purple bud unusual. Ruoshui stared at the bud; Fangyi Jun stared at her. “You look at the scenery, the scenery watches you,” as the saying goes.

　　Ruoshui cocked her head; Fangyi Jun glanced away and changed the subject, “You’ve been training half a year with my brother — why are you still so bad?”

　　“You wouldn’t understand,” Ruoshui said helplessly.

　　“So why ask?” Fangyi Jun pressed, sensing something hidden.

　　Ruoshui leaned against the wall. “Because it hurts.”

　　“That’s normal — training hurts, getting hit hurts. If you won’t be able to endure pain you can’t improve and will be bullied. Neither Brother nor I can be with you every moment—” Fangyi Jun, seeing her melancholy, bit back words he’d been about to say. He wanted their time together to be pleasant.

　　“No, it’s not that I’m afraid of pain.” Ruoshui hesitated. “For example, if you strike me in sparring I can endure; but if I strike you I feel pain all over and can’t stand it.”

　　Fangyi Jun was stunned, “That’s possible?”

　　“When I was at Qingxue Peak I discovered I couldn’t hit people — even in training. I wanted to learn, but I couldn’t bear hurting others, so I stopped. The other day at Lingxiao Peak, that Gu Ning from Yingzhou — if Su Mu hadn’t arrived in time I wouldn’t have been able to resist. When I tried to fight back it felt like my whole body was pricked with needles.”