The Yi Family, Chapter 27

Returning to the long-missed Pavilion of Longing, Mingyue rushed straight to her own room. The elders of the Jun family had bestowed her with plenty of gifts, and the final payment from Jun Xiao was even more generous. With such gains, she needn't worry about her livelihood for three or four months, even if business ceased entirely. Having food without needing to work, Mingyue was naturally content to idle away her days. Especially since Jun Xiao’s variant of the “Longing Elixir” had left such a bitter impression on her that she nearly developed a trauma—thus, for the sake of her long-term well-being, Mingyue decided to take no new business for now and to rest for a month.

But things rarely unfold as one wishes. On the seventh day after her return, a plain carriage stopped outside the Pavilion of Longing. A man clad in a dark indigo robe greeted Mingyue with a respectful bow and said, “Miss Mingyue, my young master requests your presence.”

“And who is your young master?” Mingyue’s mind was set on resting, and her expression betrayed no warmth.

“The Yi family.”

These gentle, unadorned words immediately restored Mingyue to her cautious self. She sidled up to the man with a fawning smile. “Please wait a moment, brother. I’ll just gather a few necessities and come with you.”

The so-called necessities were nothing more than her attendant, Qin Shi.

Upon arriving at the legendary Yi Estate in the southern city, Mingyue finally understood what it meant to enter a household of true nobility. Every tree, every blade of grass, every pavilion and pond was simple yet somehow exuded an inescapable sense of grandeur, compelling visitors to lower their voices and bow their heads, not daring to act brazenly.

Their party of three finally halted on a broad lawn. The guide gestured toward a pavilion ahead. “Miss Mingyue, the young master and his guests await you there. Please.”

Mingyue nodded meekly, clutching Qin Shi’s sleeve as she walked forward one step at a time. Only when they drew near did she realize there were three people in the pavilion. A few steps closer, as their faces became clear, Mingyue couldn’t help but leap in surprise. Pointing at a slender man, she exclaimed, “Gu Qianrun, why is it you again?”

“You know my master?” asked a gentleman in white seated nearby.

Mingyue faltered, uncertain how to respond. Her hand brushed Qin Shi’s sleeve, and a sudden thought struck her. She said, “Naturally. He’s been scheming to send our Qin Shi to his death.”

Gu Qianrun was taken aback, fixing Mingyue with a deep, unsettling stare.

Mingyue shrank behind Qin Shi. At this, the man in white turned to Gu Qianrun and asked, “Master, is this true?”

Meanwhile, the man in purple had already bustled over to Qin Shi, pulling at his cheeks as he anxiously asked, “Are you hurt?”

Mingyue was utterly perplexed by the situation.

Qin Shi took a few steps back, shaking his head, though he eyed the man before him with suspicion.

As for Gu Qianrun, he admitted frankly, “Indeed, I do wish Qin Shi dead.”

“Gu Qian, how dare you!” The man in purple swept his sleeve, and Mingyue snapped to attention just in time to see Gu Qianrun’s face turn deathly pale, a thin line of blood appearing at his lips.

The man in white raised a hand to halt him. “Brother, the master is still my teacher. You might at least ask me before you act.”

“With the bond you two share, would you really let me lay a hand on him?” The man in purple tucked his hands into his sleeves, his tone cool.

Hearing this, Mingyue couldn’t contain her excitement and tugged at Qin Shi’s sleeve, exclaiming, “Am I witnessing the legendary love between gentlemen?”

At these words, both the man in white and the man in purple coughed into their hands, while Gu Qianrun’s face flushed scarlet with either embarrassment or anger. At last, the man in white said, “You misunderstand, miss. There is nothing of the sort between my master and me. On the contrary, I invited you here today because I wish to commission a batch of Longing Elixir.”

“You? Even you, Yi Yanzhi, have a lady whose heart you cannot win?” Mingyue asked in astonishment, earning shocked looks from everyone present, Qin Shi included.

That’s right—though Mingyue hadn’t recognized him at first, after a few exchanges she recalled who he was. She did indeed know this gentleman in white, and remembered quite a bit about him. He was, after all, the very man her neighbor’s mother had warned her not to risk her life for: Yi Yanzhi. Mingyue touched her nose, puzzled at how she hadn’t realized before that he was the young master of the southern city’s Yi Estate. In Yinzhou, there were few families with the surname Yi. Since she knew his name, how could she not have known his family background?

Gu Qianrun asked, “You know Yanzhi?”

“I suppose… I did. But I’ve forgotten most of it, which is why I didn’t recognize him at first.”

Gu Qianrun’s brows twitched, and the others’ expressions were all a bit odd.

Mingyue rubbed her nose and said, “Let’s get to business. Young Master Yi, is your matter urgent? If not, I’d like to rest for a few months first.”

“...It’s not that urgent,” Yi Yanzhi replied, his expression strange. After a moment, he added, “But a few months seems rather long.”

“One month at least. If you can’t wait, I’ll have to decline this commission.” Mingyue smacked her lips, deciding to be forthright.

Yi Yanzhi’s impatience flickered in his eyes, but he quickly regained his usual calm composure and smiled faintly. “Will you not reconsider, Mingyue? Perhaps you’ve forgotten some things, or are troubled. If I could help you, would that change your mind?”

Mingyue’s heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Qin Shi’s sleeve. But after a moment, she let go, and looked coldly at Yi Yanzhi. “Why should I trust you? Don’t forget, your master wants Qin Shi dead, and you protect him. In my eyes, your brother is more trustworthy than you. Am I to believe you’ll help me just because you say so? I might end up with nothing to show for my efforts.”

A flicker passed over Yi Yanzhi and Gu Qianrun’s faces, while the man in purple only smiled all the more broadly.

“So loath are you to see Qin Shi die?” Gu Qianrun asked.

Mingyue shot Gu Qianrun a glare. “If he dies, I won’t last long either. You trying to kill him is the same as trying to kill me. I want to live well, so of course I can’t let you harm him. Besides, what has he done to offend you, that you would try to have Jun Yi do away with him?”

“So you love him dearly?” the man in purple asked, grinning.

Mingyue rubbed her ear. “Sorry, I’m not sure I understand what you mean by ‘love.’ I’m simply stating the facts: if Qin Shi dies, my body won’t hold out. If you’re going to kill him, you might as well kill me first.”

The faces of Yi Yanzhi and his companions shifted again. Mingyue found their lack of composure almost amusing—why did they wear their hearts on their sleeves so easily? Qin Shi’s steady calm was more reassuring. Waving her hand, she said, “In any case, Young Master Yi, you’d better think things over. When you’ve decided, send word for me.”

With that, Mingyue tugged Qin Shi away, retracing their steps. Just as they were about to leave the lawn, a voice called after them, “In a month and a half, I’ll send for you at the Pavilion of Longing.”

On the way back, Qin Shi opened his mouth to speak several times, but each time he saw Mingyue’s profile, the words died on his lips. Thus, they returned home in silence. His real question wasn’t about the effect his life or death had on Mingyue—he knew well enough that without his soul lamp, extracting the Longing Elixir would be far more difficult for her. What he truly wanted to know was, if the past could never be clarified, what would she do? But in the end, he didn’t ask.

“Qin Shi, don’t you feel that there’s something odd about the Yi family? If Gu Qianrun is Yi Yanzhi’s teacher, why did he go to the Que Kingdom and become so close with Gu Yanrong? That shouldn’t be possible in such a short span. And those other two—neither of them seemed like ordinary people. For a mansion that grand, we didn’t see anyone else besides our guide and the three of them, did we?”

Qin Shi returned to himself, looking at Mingyue resting her cheek in her hand, blinking in confusion. He said, “Even if we’re suspicious, there’s nothing we can do for now—not just anyone can enter the Yi Estate.”

Mingyue nodded. “True enough. When they come for us again, let’s stall them a few more times and see if we can learn anything useful.”

Watching Mingyue’s retreating figure, Qin Shi didn’t ask what she meant by “useful information.” He simply set about preparing her food and pastries. Thanks to Mingyue, Qin Shi’s culinary skills had improved greatly; he could now prepare a full banquet without difficulty.

More than a month of peaceful, uneventful days passed, with the Pavilion of Longing all but closed for business. Then, one night, as Mingyue decided to take a rare walk after dinner, she stepped out her door only to see a beautiful woman in green awaiting her—cool and pensive, standing quietly, as if she had appeared for this very moment.