Love & Redemption
Chapter 283: Liuli Fan Creation - "Jiangnan

Chapter 283: Liuli Fan Creation - "Jiangnan

Another side story from "Tianjie Xiaoyu Runrusu" personally! And it’s about the Vice Palace Master of Lize Palace~~

The writing is truly first-rate, very touching. ^_^

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Ye Qian gazed at the tall and well-proportioned figure in the distance and once again asked in a low voice to the middle-aged scholar beside her, who was rubbing his hands and stamping his feet in full official garb, "Dad, are you sure this Demi Immortal isn’t deaf?"

Following her gaze beyond the multiple crystal curtains, a man in a green robe was turning his back to all visitors as if they were not there, grabbing his wide sleeve with one hand and swiftly writing with a brush on plain white silk with the other. Through the gauze of the curtains, it was faintly discernible how the dense black ink traveled along the fine rabbit hair tip—his strokes swift and fluid, his turns graceful, and his lifts decisive. Each gentle touch was elegant, while each pressing motion created a hazy and misty effect, rendering the whole process natural, vivid, and exhilarating.

What he was writing was none other than a famous little poem by Le Tian:

"Jiangnan is good, the scenery has long been familiar. At sunrise, river flowers are redder than fire, in spring the river water is as green as blue. Hard not to reminisce about Jiangnan."

Hearing his daughter’s complaint, the middle-aged scholar frowned and chided in a low voice, "Don’t speak nonsense, child. What do you know! That is the Great Immortal who saved our entire town. How could he be, well, hard of hearing?"

"Then he must have heard our announcement to come here and give thanks for half a day now," retorted Ye Qian, pouting, "Dad, if he really wanted to see us, he would have come out long ago. He wouldn’t ignore us like this."

"He must feel that our sincerity is not yet enough... Oh, Qian’er, don’t wander off. Come back here and stand properly... Qian’er!"

Ye Qian disregarded her anxious father’s calls, humphed, and took a few steps forward, intending to lift the crystal bead curtain and barge into the inner chamber. Before her hand could touch the sparkling transparent beads, her entire body was flung into the air by a powerful force. She hadn’t even had the chance to scream before she landed on her buttocks in the corner of the guest room, her back scraping heavily against the vermilion-painted beams, plunging her vision into darkness. The place where she landed throbbed painfully as if pricked by needles.

"Damn it."

Ye Qian cursed aloud, trying to stand up while supporting herself on the ground without noticing her dad hadn’t come over to help her or scold her. Instead, he muttered, "Mom also said that this Lize Palace is really shady, with everything off-kilter. Even my uncles were scared by that Demi Immortal’s appearance when he was expelling demons. Who knows, he might be some sort of evil spirit. Dad, we should go back... Perhaps..."

She almost choked on her saliva. In that moment of looking up, she felt as though her soul was captured by those close and piercing azure eyes. Then, Ye Qian staggered backward a few steps, pointing at him with astonishment, "You, when did you step out?"

The young man rolled up his sleeves and responded to her rudeness with a faint smile, "Right when Miss Ye was calling me an evil spirit."

Amid flustered apologies, Ye Qian felt completely blank until her dad pinched her hard on the back of her hand, bringing her back to her senses. As she clumsily backed out, the young man’s voice distinctly followed, "Are you the sole daughter of County Magistrate Ye, simply named Qian?"

Her response came with an eyeroll, a touch abrupt, "Could there possibly be someone impersonating me, Ye Qian? Or did my dad introduce me to a bunch of people just now and it all failed to reach your honorable ears?"

A chuckle was the response to her sarcasm; the man in the green robe then added, "The wound on your back, remember to bathe in Rootless Water for seven days when you get home to heal."

Annoyed, and with the frustration of waiting boiling inside her, Ye Qian bit back sharply, "This Rootless Water probably requires a rootless person to collect it accordingly. Since I got injured in your presence, I’m afraid I’ll have to take advantage of you for a solution. I thank you in advance, sir."

With that, she exited indignantly, face white with anger.

Little did she expect that the Rootless Water would be personally delivered to her boudoir during the deepest part of the night by this man claiming to be the Vice Palace Master of Lize Palace.

Ye Qian hugged her outer robe to her chest, crouching in the corner, her hair nearly standing on end from nerves: "You, what, what, what are you doing, don’t, don’t come any closer or I’ll call for help..."

"Miss Ye asked for me. I believe you must have been sufficiently troubled with back pain since your return this afternoon. How could you forget such a key promise?"

The gentleman in green stood at the doorway, holding a huge celadon jar as effortlessly as if it were a brocade pouch, leisurely watching her. Ye Qian could almost see her own panicked reflection in his eyes. Remembering the back pain and the splitting headache she’d suffered all afternoon, the nameless fire within her heart flared up again.

She rolled her eyes and said, "If the gentleman has come to deliver the water, he must be a person without roots, pitiable, indeed, pitiable. Well, I, Ye Qian, am not petty. Let’s consider my earlier fall a non-incident. I can also assure you that I won’t spread word of this, so the gentleman can be at ease."

The gentleman in green just looked at her and smiled.

Ye Qian glared at him and added, "At first glance, I mistook you for an immortal and thought you must be a person of good sense and understanding. It seems I was mistaken."

The smile on the gentleman in green’s face grew thicker, and still, he said nothing.

Ye Qian took a deep breath and clenched her fists. "Aren’t you leaving?"

Suddenly, a warmth brushed by her ear. Ye Qian shuddered and sprang up, only to fall with a thud as if she had collided with something, yet she felt no pain. Angered and embarrassed, she opened her mouth to shout, but her throat tightened, and to her surprise, she found she couldn’t make a sound. When she looked up again, it was as if the scene from the morning replayed—a pair of shallow, azure eyes that were green like the waters of Jiangnan in April, yet translucent like fine jade; in their lustrous depths, a thousand words seemed hidden, yet they were as silent and profound as an ancient well, all conveyed through meaningful, speechless exchanges.

This time, different from the day, Ye Qian saw herself in his eyes.

There she was, leaning against someone she felt she knew very well yet did not recognize, hands protecting her abdomen, smiling through her tears. There she was, kneeling before a group of sword-wielding cultivators, her face expressionless, her eyes reflecting the familiar rooms and courtyards she had grown up in. There she was, wandering in the grand palace, facing splendor with a lonely and sorrowful countenance.

Who had she met? In the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan in April, a wonderful story had begun, and then ended. She had lived freely and without regrets because someone had once said to her on a small boat in the river: "Do not lament that the flowers of each year resemble those of the past; it is because people differ from year to year."

That self was not her, so who was she?

Perhaps, she was her past life? And what exactly was this gentleman in green...

Ye Qian felt an icy chill all over her body. She didn’t know why, but from the moment she saw him, she inexplicably became angry. Beneath that anger, it felt as though her soul might leave her body. But now she understood.

"What, what have you done?"

She opened her mouth and found her voice had returned, though it was extremely weak.

"I splashed Rootless Water on you."

"Not that..." Ye Qian lifted her hand and wiped her face, her previously bold bravado extinguished, much like how his bucket of water had doused her from head to toe. She looked at him bewilderedly and incredulously, waiting for his answer.

But the man just sighed: "Although Miss Ye is quick-witted, your memory fails you. To think you would ask me what I have done, even after you’ve collided with the Barrier, restored your Spiritual Sense, and been cleansed of the Water of Oblivion. Could it be that my dousing was not gentle enough, and instead of cherishing your delicate frame, I have drenched you into stupidity?"

"You... are a demon."

"Of course, I am."

"I, I can’t beat you."

"Then marry me."

"..."

Ye Qian suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze burning bright: "You think by taking on my brother’s appearance, I wouldn’t recognize you?"

The man in the green robe flashed a moment of joy in his eyes: "Indeed worthy of Hao..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ye Qian clutching her abdomen in pain, her brows furrowed tightly, and blood gradually seeping from the corners of her mouth. The scene was all too familiar, as if from many years ago.

Could it be that even after the trials of reincarnation, that injury still couldn’t be washed away? The expression in the green-robed young master’s eyes changed several times when he saw Ye Qian’s hand moving towards her waist. Without further hesitation, he stepped forward, and with a palm carrying a tranquil light, he firmly pressed it to her smooth forehead.

As if waking from a dream in Nanke, Ye Qian opened her eyes to find a crowd of people anxiously gathered around the bed, her father holding her hand, his face unable to hide his worry: "Qian’er, how do you feel? Are you uncomfortable?"

Ye Qian, speechless, pushed away her father: "Of course, I’m fine. Huh? What’s gotten into all of you? Eh, how come...?"

Someone from the crowd answered: "Miss, you scared us to death. You’ve been off since visiting that Great Immortal at Lize Palace yesterday, and early this morning your father found you drenched and unconscious on the bed. None of the doctor’s methods could wake you. Thank heaven, Buddha be praised..."

"How is that possible?" Ye Qian looked out the window in utter disbelief, shocked by the daylight: "It’s noon already?"

"...Qian’er, do you truly not remember what happened?"

"No, I had a good sleep until dawn. Father, you must have dreamt it."

Mr. Ye shook his head, patted his daughter’s shoulder, and advised her to rest well. Just as he was about to leave, his daughter grabbed his hand. Beaming with a smile, she asked: "By the way, Father, did that Demi Immortal deliver the water today? We had arranged it."

Mr. Ye’s eyes widened: "What water?"

Ye Qian was taken aback and touched her head: "Could I have remembered wrong? Humph, probably he was too embarrassed to come."

On the rooftop, a person suddenly turned their back, lightly touched the ground with their toes as if about to take flight, arms spread out, ready to soar away. Standing beside him was a slightly shorter individual wearing a grotesque mask, blocking his way, their voice sharp and strange, utterly eerie.

"Big brother, I want to try going down again."

"She is Ye Qian."

"I’m sure I’ll find a way to turn her back into Hao Feng."

The masked person’s voice was filled with stubborn perseverance. The man in the green robe shook his head gently, his eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips sliding by the edge of the porcelain-white cheek beneath the mask, stopping on the other’s shoulder to brush off a fresh green leaf.

The masked person took another step forward, seizing his sleeve:

"But you finally convinced Liu Yihuan to use the Heavenly Eye to find her. I’m certain this is her, there’s no mistake. You saw it yesterday too—the venomous fangs, the fiery temper, and the words you once said—she remembers them all, she just can’t recall them at the moment. Big brother, perhaps we could..."

"It’s her, yet it can never be her. Besides, we have more important things to do, don’t we?"

The green-robed young master’s sleeve had slipped out of the masked person’s grasp without notice. His figure was as light and distant as a cloud, carrying a gentle sorrow like the mist of Jiangnan, vanishing in an instant.

The masked person clenched their fist.

In their palm lay a silk handkerchief embroidered with a poem by Bai Le Tian, the woman’s favorite. The mask was gently removed to reveal an intricately sculpted face, as meticulous as a woman’s, radiating a captivating beauty. A cryptic yet mesmerizing smile played upon his lips, inscrutable as a spirit.

The white silk handkerchief was held to his ear. The Vice Palace Master of Lize Palace closed his eyes, quietly listening to a memory covered in dust, related to that year in Jiangnan.

"You... are a demon."

"Of course, I am."

"Alright, I can’t beat you, I give up."

"Then marry me."

"Hey! Don’t push your luck, who knows when you might reveal your true form? Besides, you’re a bird, right? How can I marry a bird?"

"You’re also a bird, aren’t you? Aren’t you called Hao Feng?"

I remember how beautiful Jiangnan was that year, with the sunrise over the river and the flowers more crimson than the flames, spring made the river water as green as blue.

I remember how beautiful Jiangnan was that year, reading The Song of the Buddhist Priest of Persia. Dreaming of Jiangnan, I smile as I watch the orchids fade, the red bananas darken; the shadows of your green robe can’t be dispelled, as the spring water of the rippling waves are bluer than the sky, and the painted boat sleeps to the sound of rain.

Jiangnan, a place of old and familiar sights.

The end