The Reticent Blade
Chapter 312 - Yearning Rhapsody

Chapter 312 - Yearning Rhapsody

The first time they met was in the city of Jingchu, in Xiangzhou.

Ye Beizhi received a task worth three hundred silver taels at the Wuchang branch hall. The target was Hu Guangxiao, the leader of Xiangzhou's Green Bamboo Gang.

After arriving in Xiangzhou, Ye Beizhi didn’t rush to make a move. He spent a few days gathering information on Hu Guangxiao and learned that his target had recently begun frequenting a brothel called the Clearmoon Pavilion.

It was said that there was a newly arrived courtesan, who entertained not with her body but with her musical talents. She had the appearance of a celestial maiden and her skill on the zither was extraordinary. Listeners likened her music to the melody of the heavens.

However Ye Beizhi was not interested in that. All he cared about was the information that Hu Guangxiao would visit Clearmoon Pavilion that night.

As night fell, Clearmoon Pavilion was festooned with lights. Ye Beizhi, clad in black, crouched on the rooftop opposite the pavilion and seamlessly blended into the shadows. He quietly listened to the gentle zither music drifting from Hu Guangxiao's room.

After waiting a moment longer, Ye Beizhi glanced at the moon. It was time.

He stood up, pushed off with his feet, and leapt from the rooftop, diving straight toward the window.

Inside the room, Hu Guangxiao was reclining on a soft divan with a broad smile as he watched the beautiful woman across from him pluck the zither strings. Unknowingly, he was tapping along the rhythm of the song.

Suddenly, a shadow burst in through the window!

Hu Guangxiao’s face changed drastically. He immediately straightened up, preparing to call for the guards outside the door.

Before he could react, a flash of white light shot toward him!

Thunk!

Alas, the pitiful Hu Guangxiao, a mighty gang leader, couldn’t even utter a word before a blade pierced his skull, pinning him to the wall.

The melody of the zither quickened, as if entering a crescendo.

Without saying a word, Ye Beizhi walked over to Hu Guangxiao, drew his blade and severed the gang leader's right thumb with a flick, sending it flying into the air. Ye Beizhi reached out and caught it, removing a jade-green thumb ring from the severed digit. The gang leader's token for the Green Bamboo Gang was the only proof needed to confirm the completion of his mission.

Ye Beizhi tucked the ring into his chest pocket for safekeeping.

The zither music continued unabated.

Ye Beizhi turned suddenly; he seemed to have sensed something. He gave the zither-playing woman an inquisitive glance. She was stunningly beautiful, draped in a crimson silk dress that revealed her delicate and alluring collarbones. Her fair, jade-like hands flowed across the strings like two dancing spirits.

Her face was unforgettable at a single glance, her gaze brimming with a delicate charm. Her skin was as smooth as porcelain, her lips as crimson as blood, and her hair, a cascade of jet-black silk, was tied back with three jade hairpins fixed in her bun. Her breathtaking beauty was obvious to all.

Surprisingly, from the moment Ye Beizhi dove through the window until now, the woman’s posture hadn’t shifted in the slightest, as if she were oblivious to everything that had just unfolded. Her calm behavior was far from normal.

Nevertheless, Ye Beizhi had accomplished his mission and had no intention of stirring up more trouble. He shifted his gaze away from her and headed straight for the window.

Just as he was a few steps away from the window, disaster struck!

A torrent of water surged in from outside, crashing toward Ye Beizhi!

Ye Beizhi’s eyes widened with confusion! He was on the third floor of a building in the middle of a city. Where could this water possibly be coming from?!

Instinctively, he turned to retreat, but what he saw made his heart skip a beat. The room he had been in was gone, and behind him was now a steep cliff. A single misstep would send him tumbling down to the street below!

What was happening? What was going on?!

Ye Beizhi was momentarily at a loss. He had never encountered such a bizarre situation before. Forced to turn around again, he saw the rushing water surging straight toward him! Instinctively, he shut his eyes as the sound of the zither echoed faintly in the distance, like a tempestuous storm or waves crashing upon the shore...

Ye Beizhi’s eyes flew open. Without hesitation, he struck out, slashing his Tang blade toward the direction of the zither’s sound!

Clang!

The zither music abruptly paused. The water, the cliff, all of it vanished in an instant. He was back in the same room; the window right before him.

Ye Beizhi turned his head, coldly glaring at the woman who was still playing the zither with her head bowed.

With his blade in hand, he strode toward the woman.

After only two steps, the scene before him shifted once again!

A towering mountain, thousands of feet high, appeared before him. Just a single glance upward gave the sense that its insurmountable height was impossible to overcome. Ye Beizhi furrowed his brow and stepped forward to ascend the mountain.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, the mountain split open! Countless boulders thundered down from its slopes, stirring up clouds of dust wherever they passed. Birds and beasts fled in all directions, and even the massive trees on the mountainside splintered under the barrage of boulders!

Ye Beizhi didn’t stop. He pressed forward into the path of the falling boulders. His Tang blade slashed out in rapid succession as the landslide threatened to crush him. No matter how many boulders came his way, they all disintegrated into powder under the gleam of his blade. Nothing could halt his advance.

Ye Beizhi had no idea how long he had been climbing or how many boulders he had shattered, but the mountain peak remained distant and unreachable. Just as he prepared to slash through the next boulder, a crisp voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Stop!"

The illusion before him vanished. His blade, suspended in the air, froze mid swing. Beneath the blade was the woman with the guqin. A single strand of her hair, severed, drifted down softly, landing atop the guqin.

The woman’s eyes shimmered like rippling water. She blinked and spread her hands in resignation and said, "Alright, I can't beat you. You win."

Ye Beizhi didn’t respond, nor did he lower his weapon. It seemed like he was debating whether or not to strike.

The woman didn’t seem concerned. With a smile twinkling in her eyes, she asked, "Are you from the Ghostbane Association?"

Ye Beizhi remained silent.

The woman was unbothered by Ye Bezhi's impassivity and introduced herself, "Heaven-Ranker Yearning Rhapsody. And you?"

Ye Beizhi furrowed his brows slightly, as if deep in thought. After a moment, he finally withdrew his blade and replied, "Stormqueller."

Upon hearing the title, Yearning Rhapsody arched her delicate brows, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on her lips. She then stood, walked over to the table in the room, and sat down. Waving at Ye Beizhi, she said, "Come, have a seat."

Ye Beizhi hesitated for a moment before finally walking over and sitting down beside Yearning Rhapsody.

Yearning Rhapsody picked up two wine cups, placing one in front of Ye Beizhi and the other before herself. Pouring wine into each, she said, "I took this job half a month ago. Didn’t expect you to suddenly snatch it from me." With that, she raised her cup in a mock toast to Ye Beizhi and drained it in one go.

After downing her drink, Yearning Rhapsody casually wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. Noticing that Ye Beizhi hadn’t touched his drink, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "What’s the matter? Don’t drink?"

Ye Beizhi glanced at the woman beside him, then looked down at the wine cup. "I rarely do."

"Then that means you still drink. What are you waiting for?"

Ye Beizhi thought for a moment, then picked up the cup and downed it in one go.

Yearning Rhapsody beamed with a smile. "Now that’s more like it. How could someone of the jianghu not drink?"

Ye Beizhi nodded, then shook his head slightly. "Rarely."

Yearning Rhapsody chuckled. "How rare is rarely? When do you usually drink?"

Ye Beizhi’s gaze darkened. "When a battle is won."

Yearning Rhapsody blinked. "You were in the military?"

Ye Beizhi nodded but said nothing more.

Yearning Rhapsody, however, was naturally talkative. Noticing that Ye Beizhi didn’t want to discuss the topic, she shifted to other conversations. At first, she asked about Ye Beizhi’s life, but when he barely responded, she began talking about herself instead.

She spoke endlessly, recounting when she joined the Ghostbane Association and her experiences along the way. Her words seemed to flow as endlessly as the wine in her cup. Every time she tipped her head back, her cup was emptied without fail. Ye Beizhi, on the other hand, seldom raised his cup, drinking only when she persistently urged him to.

The two talked for a long time, and before they realized it, the moon had climbed to its zenith. Suddenly, Ye Beizhi felt something soft against his chest. Looking down, he saw Yearning Rhapsody half-leaning against him, her face flushed from drinking. Despite being drunk, she kept up a steady conversation.

Ye Beizhi adjusted Yearning Rhapsody to sit upright again, but she immediately poured herself another cup of wine. With a sultry look in her eyes, she gazed at Ye Beizhi and asked, "What’s your name? You know, I’m not asking about your alias. I mean... your real name."

Ye Beizhi twirled the wine cup on the table, remaining silent for a moment before answering, "Ye Beizhi."

"Mmm..." Yearning Rhapsody’s eyes were half-closed as she slumped into Ye Beizhi’s arms once again.

Just as Ye Beizhi was about to help her sit upright again, Yearning Rhapsody placed a hand on his chest, giggling softly. "Heh... your heart... it’s beating so fast..."

Ye Beizhi’s face flushed red. As he lowered his head, his eyes met hers. Yearning Rhapsody beamed a smile at him, dimples adorning her cheeks like blooming flowers.

"You’re blushing..." Yearning Rhapsody laughed even more gleefully, slowly leaning closer to Ye Beizhi until their faces were almost touching. Her breath was fragrant as she softly said, "Are you shy? Hmm?"

Ye Beizhi flusteredly helped Yearning Rhapsody sit upright, suddenly assuming a proper and rigid posture himself.

Yearning Rhapsody suddenly stood up. "We’re out of wine. I’ll go get some more." As she passed by Ye Beizhi, she paused briefly. Her delicate hand lightly brushed against his cheek, and she whispered softly in his ear, "My name is Zuo Nianchou... don't forget me."

With that, she turned and left the room, leaving Ye Beizhi alone.

As Zuo Nianchou left the room, Ye Beizhi let out a long sigh. Instinctively, he touched his face, wondering to himself, Was I really blushing?

After a pause, he placed a hand on his chest and wondered, Was my heart really racing?

It didn’t seem like it.

This woman is truly strange, Ye Beizhi thought to himself.

As the thought crossed his mind, Ye Beizhi suddenly realized something. His hand shot to his chest again, and his expression immediately changed.

Damn, I’ve been duped, he cursed inwardly.

The token ring was gone.