Chapter 1#

Hua Qianjue’s hand slid over the woman’s body. On the bed covered with a phoenix quilt, her black hair flowed like water, and her lips were like a calamitous fire. The whispers and panting behind the gauze curtains bloomed to the point of decadence amidst the clouds and rain of Wuxia, then tremblingly welcomed a cold, waning rain.

Hua Qianjue pushed the woman away. That face, which still retained the childishness of youth, slowly floated with a layer of weariness. He sighed softly, “Matters between men and women are nothing more than this.” This young master, whose power tilted the world, was also famous for being heartless and unintentional. The wedding candle by the bed shone with a fading light, and the moon hung on the sparse paulownia outside the window. The woman timidly persuaded, “Young Master, it is late. Why not stay for the night?”

Hua Qianjue looked back, his face cold as if covered with a thin layer of frost. Just when the woman thought he would refuse, he walked to the bed and blew out the candle. The Pixiu gold incense burner in the room was filled with sandalwood, inducing sleep. Hua Qianjue looked at the bamboo shadows on the window, lay on his side, lay quietly for several watches, and then fell into a dream.

In his dream, he seemed to be wandering in the Kingdom of Huaxu, standing by a dark golden river. Manjusaka flowers bloomed wildly all over the mountains and plains. A group of people carried a red sedan chair from the other side of the sea of flowers, going deep into the flowers, opening up a path. The two people at the front, with green faces and fangs, twisted their heads and scratched their hands while blowing suonas that dripped and blared. Behind them, a group of little ghosts dressed in red, each with two sky-pointing braids on their heads, barefoot and wearing short pants and small jackets, came noisily treading on the sea of flowers. Seeing them slowly swaying towards this side, Hua Qianjue frowned slightly, wanting to avoid this welcoming team that exuded a ghostly air. The two people in the lead, the one on the right opened his bloody mouth and shouted: “Please stay—” The person on the left also stared and shouted: “Your Honor, please stay—”

Hua Qianjue turned around coldly. He saw the sedan chair land not far in front of his eyes. A bunch of ghosts and monsters dressed in red and green, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, or with fangs rampant, or eyes like copper bells, but they dared not come over. The person on the left in front of the sedan chair stared and shouted: “This can be considered a formal wedding—” The person on the right opened his bloody mouth and shouted: “Begging you to treat him well in this life—” Hua Qianjue swept a cold glance over them. The two men’s faces were as pale as paper and they trembled incessantly. The group of little ghosts following behind the sedan chair chattered non-stop, jumping around behind the sedan chair. Hua Qianjue gave a cold look, and they all drilled into the sea of flowers and disappeared.

A wind blew, lifting the sedan curtain. Tassels danced lightly, and a subtle fragrance floated. A person dressed in wedding robes slowly walked out of the sedan chair with his head lowered. The wedding robes were embroidered with bright yellow threads outlining phoenixes soaring and luan birds flying, ruyi, peonies, and flowers of the four seasons—indescribably joyous and auspicious. That person stepped over the sedan threshold and stood a few steps away from Hua Qianjue. Flowers bloomed recklessly around him, brilliant as a sea.

“Life after life, century after century, knowing full well that entanglement is useless yet still unwilling to give up. Your Honor, this is the last time. Turning through reincarnation, only seeking to love each other.”

As that person spoke, he took the gold cup handed by the two people in front of the sedan chair and said, “I toast to Your Honor.” As he spoke, his long hair blew in the wind, and he drank the liquid in the gold cup in one gulp. The sea of flowers drifted with fragrance, and the dark golden river behind flowed quietly, unchanged for ten thousand years. A hurricane lifted the red clothes, rolling them into the air. Fallen petals were profuse, drifting flowers like rain.

Hua Qianjue watched coldly. Seeing everyone scatter, he faced a red sedan chair alone in the sea of flowers. After a long time, he suddenly heard someone calling in his ear: “Young Master, it is noon.” He opened his eyes abruptly; it was but a dream. Only pity that the flowers blooming in the dream were as complex and numerous as brocade.

He looked up at the window and saw a painting of a flower stream hanging there. Beside it, a five-character quatrain was written in small seal script:

“Looking at the branch tips in Taibai,

Flowers bloom without remembering the years.

Sun and moon float in the goblet,

Outside the tower is the blue sky.”

Hua Qianjue whispered: “Flowers bloom without remembering the years, flowers bloom without remembering the years. Red clothes, I had a dream.”

“Before the jade tree in the back courtyard, beside the jade grass vanity mirror, last year the flowers did not age, today the moon is round again. Do not let it be biased, with flowers and with the moon, heaven teaches eternal youth.”

A child of about eleven or twelve years old, amidst a scene of singing and dancing, dressed in white, leaned diagonally on the railing. He wore a jade crown with two dragons playing with a pearl. His face was like powdered jade, his lips like containing cinnabar. His appearance was so regular that the passing maids were all moved. clearly at an age where he should be ignorant of worldly affairs, his face already had a somewhat precocious indifference.

Looking across the water, the Red Sleeve Tower opposite had vermilion railings and jade tiles, with colored ribbons flying across. The entire sky was paved with red silk and green gauze. On the water surface, lotus lanterns woven from gauze, transmitting orange light through pink gauze scarves, illuminated the water surface in the entire night, shining with the reflections as pairs. Songs of decadent sounds, sections of dancing sleeves and rouge fragrance, times of silk and bamboo music winding around the ears, decorated with overwhelming wealth into a luxury of paper drunkenness and gold fascination. There were also countless fine wines, Wu children urging to taste, mixed with the babbling of wind and string instruments, gentle enough to almost turn a hero’s iron bones into a cavity of tenderness, never to wake up in this soul-consuming township.

“Little Young Master, this place is a mix of fish and dragons, it is better to return to Chaohua Pavilion with Tianxiang first.” The child looked towards the sound and saw a beautiful woman wearing a silk dress. Two trembling gold steps were inserted in her temples, and dozens of pearl hairpins set off her high emerald snail bun. She looked full of jewelry and jade aura. Her double sleeves touched the ground, and a jade pendant and red ribbon hung on her slender waist. When she walked, the ring pendants jingled, which was very pleasant to hear.

The child bowed slightly and called softly: “Sister Tianxiang.” He looked at the singing opposite and asked faintly: “I heard others say that the Fortress Master is returning to the fortress tonight?”

Tianxiang heard this and smiled: “Is the Little Young Master afraid of not seeing his own father? Quickly go back with Tianxiang. When he finishes summoning the hall masters tomorrow, he will naturally want to see you.” The child’s face blushed slightly, and he frowned and whispered: “I made Sister laugh. I have never seen him, for a moment… I heard others say that Mid-Autumn Festival is for family reunions, so my heart always feels a bit empty.”

Tianxiang scolded lightly: “Don’t say that. Little Young Master is at the age where he should be carefree. Why always keep a straight face, looking like an old school teacher! Quickly relax your heart.” The child turned his head to look at the maid’s feigned angry face, hesitated for a moment, smiled gently, considerately took the lamp from Tianxiang’s hand, and said softly: “Sister, don’t be angry. Jinian will go back with Sister right now.”

Tianxiang was stunned, looking at her empty hand and the child walking unhurriedly in front of her holding the lamp for her. Outside the white jade railing, the pool full of orange lotus lanterns flickered with the waves. Only the lamp in his hand, red as the setting sun, was steady and calm, the candlelight stretching out. She felt her face flush slightly and followed a few steps, stealing a glance at that figure that had not yet fully grown, whispering: “You are so good at pleasing people when you are young. If you grow up, I don’t know how many women will lose their souls for you.”

Before she could finish this thought, she heard a sudden bell ring in mid-air. The colorful tower instantly fell silent. People looked towards the night sky, leaving only the candlelight turning gently. However, following a burst of bells from far to near, there was another bell ring. The lingering sound had not yet ceased when everyone suddenly realized. Between the towers and terraces, bells and fou drums rang together, drums and cymbals moved together, singing girls sang together. The music of the nine heavens could almost move the heavens.

In the deep indigo sky curtain, a red cloud flew over. Looking closely, it was twelve women in heavy makeup and palace attire, carrying a half-open large red soft sedan chair, descending like fairies from the nine heavens, flying slowly. The women were barefoot, their ankles like beautiful jade, wearing exquisite gold bracelets on their ankles. The bracelets were set with countless fine gold bells. As the ribbons fluttered and red gauze danced, they made sounds as fast as a sudden rain and as clear as a warbler’s cry.

The soft sedan chair was like a red leaf, lifted by the light breeze, falling elegantly into the tower terrace. The colored ribbons filling the tower were blown outwards by the wind raised during this entry and exit. The lights were charming, the wine cups fragrant and warm, too beautiful to be absorbed all at once. Hua Jinian watched the soft sedan chair flying slowly, gave a soft “Ah”, his soft black hair blown up by the night wind, his eyes bursting with a look of both surprise and joy. Tianxiang sighed and advised in a low voice: “Little Young Master, before the Fortress Master returned, he ordered that tonight is for temporary enjoyment, and no one is allowed to disturb.”

Hua Jinian hesitated. That figure in the sedan chair with red robes and ribbons, vermilion crown and black tassels, looked indistinct from ten zhang away. He sighed and still took steps towards the long bridge in the opposite direction. The wind blew, the lamp remained motionless as a mountain. The childish yet round and steady voice was trembling slightly, drifting into Tianxiang’s ears with the wind: “Sister Tianxiang, not returning to the fortress for ten years, Father… wouldn’t have completely forgotten that he has me, right?”

Tianxiang was stunned for a moment and forced a smile: “Little Young Master, don’t think too much. How could the Fortress Master forget his own flesh and blood?”

Hua Jinian frowned and said softly: “True, I made Sister laugh.” Tianxiang covered her vermilion lips with a jade hand, but a smile remained in her eyes and brows. Clearly such a doll carved from pink and jade, yet he insisted on learning to bundle his hair like an adult, wear a belt, and step on high shoes meticulously and neatly, looking like a young adult, weighing every word and action. Compared to those naughty children chasing and fighting in the yard with bamboo horses and paper kites, he was really… sensible too early.