Jiang Feng Xun first married Xie Jing, the Palace Master of Beizhu Palace, and bore a son, Xie You Lan. Later, she eloped with Wei Huai Jun, a disciple of Linghua Sect, and gave birth to a second son, Wei Fu. The couple once stayed temporarily in Fengdu, Xiling, but not long afterward entrusted their three-year-old son to the Duke Zhenguo’s Manor before disappearing together into the wider world, never to be heard from again.
True to her name, she was like a gust of wind—impossible to grasp, impossible to find.
The moment Xie You Lan saw her, his anger flared. Before Jiang Feng Xun could even respond, he launched into a barrage of accusations like arrows shot from a crossbow.
“Why are you running? Wasn’t it you who deliberately sent out that ring to lure people into searching for you? Then why are you skulking around and refusing to show yourself? Or did you think your precious Guanlang would be the one to come? Are you disappointed to see me instead?”
Perhaps the name “Guanlang” struck a nerve. Jiang Feng Xun suddenly lifted her head, her lips parting as though she wanted to explain something. Yet for reasons unknown, she hesitated and lowered her gaze again without speaking.
Seeing her like that only made Xie You Lan angrier.
“Where’s Wei Huai Jun? You were willing to be hunted by Beizhu Palace just to run away with him, and in the end he left you hiding in this godforsaken wilderness like some hermit? Has he gone mad, or have you? You couldn’t stand living in Beizhu Palace, but you can stand living in a place like this? And if things are this bad, why haven’t you run again?”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. His furious scolding seemed to shake the entire forest. Tears gradually gathered in Jiang Feng Xun’s eyes. She was a beautiful woman, and with tears trembling unshed, she looked all the more pitiful and submissive. Unfortunately, that was exactly the sort of thing Xie You Lan was least susceptible to. His temper shot straight through the roof.
“What’s the point of crying? Speak!”
By now, everyone present had spent enough time around him to know that even if Xie You Lan were burned to ashes, his mouth would somehow survive intact. It was obvious he was distressed by the thought of his mother wandering alone through the mountains and suffering untold hardships. Yet he also resented her for abandoning him. The result was that every word he spoke came out unbearably sharp and bitter. It was no wonder she wanted to avoid him.
The boatman was merely enjoying the spectacle. Ying Yue knew the circumstances but felt it inappropriate to interfere. Yu Gong Zhao Ye stood on Wei Fu’s side and likewise could not insert himself into a matter between mother and son. Only Cheng Yu dared step into a situation where the two parties looked liable to draw blades at any moment.
He lightly patted Xie You Lan’s arm and said in his usual calm, unhurried tone, “There’s no need to be like this. Concern makes people lose their composure. You’re the one who’s already thrown yourself into confusion. Madam Jiang has been living in seclusion here for quite some time. She hasn’t spoken with outsiders in years. It’s perfectly normal for her to struggle to find her words. Don’t rush her. Be patient. Talk to her slowly.”
Everyone else breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Only Xie You Lan froze.
Caught off guard by the sudden flood of joy, anger, grief, and shock, he had completely forgotten about that possibility. Cheng Yu’s reminder was like a basin of cold water poured over his head. His blazing fury hissed out in an instant, leaving behind only a thin wisp of smoke.
“You…”
Xie You Lan stared blankly for a moment before walking toward her.
Yet Jiang Feng Xun reacted as though startled, suddenly retreating a large step.
In a hoarse voice, she rasped, “Don’t… come… closer!”
Cheng Yu: “…”
Madam Jiang’s slap to the face had arrived far too quickly.
Those three stammered words were the equivalent of setting off fireworks under Xie You Lan’s tail. His expression darkened immediately. Drawing a sharp breath, he was just about to unleash another torrent of venom when Jiang Feng Xun forced her stiff tongue and throat to cooperate and struggled out:
“You Lan… I’m sick… Don’t… come close…”
Everyone immediately thought of the plague that had supposedly swept through the villages and Lu County. Then they all realized that couldn’t be the case. If it had truly been plague, she would have been a pile of bones by now.
Xie You Lan frowned so hard it looked painful.
“What happened to you?”
Jiang Feng Xun shook her head, clearly indicating that the explanation was complicated. She bent down, picked up the cloth she had been using to cover her face, and carefully tied it back over her mouth and nose. Only then did she gesture for them to follow her.
The group trailed after her through the labyrinthine forest. After nearly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they climbed a narrow and treacherous goat path winding along the cliff face and finally arrived at a hidden cave concealed within the rock wall.
The cave where she lived sat roughly twenty to thirty feet above the ground. It was dry and relatively secure. Inside stood a stone slab covered with woven bamboo mats that served as a bed, a crude table and chairs fashioned from wood, and a small clay stove built from packed earth.
Xie You Lan surveyed the surroundings and asked quietly, “How many years have you lived here? Why haven’t you left?”
A shaft of golden sunlight pierced through a gap in the clouds and fell directly into the cave entrance, stretching all the way to the edge of the stone bed and Jiang Feng Xun’s feet.
The single beam of light brightened the cave. Dust motes floating through the air became visible down to the finest detail. Dressed in black, with white hair framing her face, Jiang Feng Xun sat precisely at the boundary between light and shadow. Only her eyes, visible above the veil, shimmered with life. She looked like one of the mountain spirits or demons described in old, yellowed storybooks—something not quite human, detached from the mortal world.
“I can no longer remember exactly how much time has passed,” she said hoarsely. “You Lan… how old are you now?”
Xie You Lan gazed at her steadily.
“Thirty-one. My father passed away last year. You… don’t need to keep hiding anymore.”
Her eyes seemed to curve slightly. Whether it was relief, comfort, or a bitter smile was impossible to tell.
She shook her head.
“I’m not here to hide from him. I stopped being here for that reason a very long time ago. Then I must be forty-eight this year. So in these mountains… five springs have already passed.”
“Five years?”
Xie You Lan had a mountain of questions.
“You… Forget it. Start from the beginning. Tell everything from start to finish. Where have you been all these years? What have you done? How did you end up like this? I have plenty of time.”
Still fuming, he dragged over the cave’s only chair. After shaking it and deciding it probably would not support his weight, he simply sat down on the ground instead. Then, without thinking, he reached out and pulled Cheng Yu down beside him.
Xie You Lan was so accustomed to acting however he pleased that he noticed nothing strange about it. The simple gesture, however, immediately drew everyone’s attention—including Jiang Feng Xun’s—to Cheng Yu.
Unlike Xie You Lan, Cheng Yu possessed proper manners.
He smiled faintly and offered a respectful bow.
“Greetings, Madam Jiang. This junior is Cheng Yu, a friend of Young Master Xie.”
Halfway through, he caught himself. Considering that Jiang Feng Xun had fled Beizhu Palace, she probably would not appreciate hearing the title “Palace Master Xie.” So he changed his wording.
Yet Xie You Lan still noticed that tiny pause. A strange softness spread through his chest, and he quietly squeezed Cheng Yu’s palm.
The others followed suit, taking turns greeting Jiang Feng Xun. Yu Gong Zhao Ye was the last. Composing himself and adopting a serious expression, he said, “This junior, Yu Gong Zhao Ye, greets Madam Jiang. I acted rashly earlier and hope Madam will forgive the offense.”
Now that Xie You Lan had shouted his real name loudly enough for every bat in the mountains to hear, continuing to use the alias “Xie Ying” would have been nothing more than self-deception. He simply introduced himself honestly.
Jiang Feng Xun returned the courtesy with a slight incline of her head.
“At the time, friend and foe had yet to be determined. It does not count as an offense. Young Master need not dwell on it. Your surname is Yu Gong—you must be a member of Longsha’s royal family?”
Yu Gong Zhao Ye nodded.
Jiang Feng Xun, however, seemed unusually interested in him.
“Are you also one of You Lan’s friends?”
“No.”
Xie You Lan denied it immediately.
“I’d sooner swear brotherhood with a wild boar than be friends with him.”
Even after years of living in seclusion among the mountains, Jiang Feng Xun still possessed the dignified and reserved bearing of a well-bred noble lady. She blinked a few times and looked apologetically toward Yu Gong Zhao Ye.
Yu Gong Zhao Ye replied, “You just called your younger brother a wild boar.”
Xie You Lan: “…”
“You were the one who identified him.”
He shot Yu Gong Zhao Ye a glare before turning back to Jiang Feng Xun.
“He’s a wild boar’s friend. The two of you can chat later. Sit down, stop talking nonsense, and discuss the important matters.”
His overbearing, self-centered personality seemed not to have changed in the slightest. Back then, Jiang Feng Xun had looked at him and felt only despair, because he had been molded from the same template as his father, Xie Jing. Yet seeing him again now, she found him oddly endearing.
The realization was immediately followed by a crushing wave of guilt.
She had spent only a little over three years with Wei Fu. When she left, he had been too young to remember much. She had believed he would soon forget her and grow up unburdened, living his own life. But when she left Beizhu Palace, Xie You Lan had already been nine years old. She knew exactly how deep a wound she had left in that child’s heart.
She had suffered harsh retribution and later been saved and healed in turn. Yet fate delighted in cruelty. Life flowed onward like an unstoppable tide. There was no going back, and no way to make amends.
“From the beginning…”
She murmured softly.
“But where is the beginning?”
A lifetime filled with disasters and mistakes beyond counting.
At which step in her youth had she gone astray?
Was it when her beauty first became renowned, and every fortune-teller, monk, and Daoist predicted she would one day marry an exceptional husband?
Or when she demonstrated her perfect memory by copying an entire volume of the Lianbi Sword Artfrom memory?
Or when engagement gifts filled the courtyard, and she peeked from behind a screen at the handsome man seated in the reception hall, only for him to notice her gaze and pretend not to, answering instead with a faint smile?
At sixteen, Jiang Feng Xun became the wife of Xie Jing, Palace Master of Beizhu Palace. The following year she gave birth to a son. Her marriage was harmonious. Her child was bright and clever.
Immersed in the illusion of happiness, Jiang Feng Xun believed such peaceful days would continue forever.
Then one day, after being away for many days, Xie Jing finally returned. He spent some time playing with their son before having the servants carry the child away. Then he suddenly turned to Jiang Feng Xun and said that if one day he was no longer around, she must take care of herself and raise their son well.
Madam Jiang, beautiful, gentle, and so innocent that she scarcely understood the darker sides of the world, was horrified.
“What happened?” she asked anxiously. “Everything was fine. Why would you suddenly say something so ominous?”
Dark clouds hung over Xie Jing’s face. His brows were tightly furrowed as he gently stroked her hand.
“A’Xun, do you remember Yue Huan, the Hall Master of Zhenhai Hall, who betrayed our sect and challenged me to a duel at the summit of Mingxia Mountain years ago?”
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Feng Xun nodded.
“I remember. The two of you fought for an entire day and night. Out of respect for your years of brotherhood, you spared his life and exiled him overseas, forbidding him from ever setting foot in his homeland again.”
Xie Jing let out a miserable sigh.
“That’s him. But Yue Huan did not keep his promise. He has returned—and he came back for my life. His Hidden Dragon Palm has improved again. Even I am no longer his match.”
He covered his mouth and coughed several times. The handkerchief came away stained with blood.
Jiang Feng Xun knew nothing of martial arts. Living in Beizhu Palace had given her only the most superficial understanding of such matters. Panicked, she reached for his pulse. The pulse beneath her fingers was weak and intermittent. The true qi within his body was in complete chaos.
“Have you consulted a physician?” she asked hurriedly. “Can it be cured?”
“The Hidden Dragon Palm is fierce and domineering. Those struck by it normally die instantly when their heart meridians shatter,” Xie Jing sighed. “My internal cultivation protected me from immediate death. But the frigid poison hidden within the palm strike invaded my organs. Every time I circulate true qi, my injuries worsen.”
“Then if you cannot use your own qi,” Jiang Feng Xun said, “could you not find a subordinate with profound internal cultivation to help heal you?”
“Of course I tried.”
Xie Jing shook his head.
“But none of them possess deeper cultivation than I do. Instead, they were injured by the backlash. As for those whose cultivation surpasses mine, how could I possibly reveal my condition to them so easily? You know the kind of family we are. If outsiders learn of my injuries, there will never be peace again. This matter must remain absolutely secret. No one beyond us can know.”
Tears streamed down Jiang Feng Xun’s face. Clutching his robes, she refused to give up.
“There has to be another way, doesn’t there? There are countless profound martial manuals in the world. Countless stories of miraculous recoveries and people brought back from death’s door. Why is it that when it comes to my husband, all that remains is waiting to die?”
Xie Jing had no answer.
After a long silence, he shook his head.
“Perhaps this is simply fate.”
Seeing his pale face and exhausted expression—seeing the spirited man she had once known reduced to such despondency—Jiang Feng Xun felt as though her heart were being torn apart.
She broke down crying.
“You showed mercy because of old friendship, yet that ungrateful villain repaid you by harming you. Why hasn’t heaven struck him dead with lightning?”
Xie Jing held her and comforted her for a long time. Thinking of how little time he had left, he inevitably spoke of things like:
“Our child is still so young. It’s a pity I won’t see him grow up.”
“I’m not afraid of dying. I’m only afraid of what they might do to you after I’m gone.”
Every word drove another knife into Jiang Feng Xun’s heart. She wished she could die in his place. Or abandon everything and follow him into the underworld.
Several days passed in such despair.
One day, while Xie Jing was resting in her chambers, his trusted subordinate Jiang Shen Tong arrived seeking an urgent audience. Jiang Feng Xun woke Xie Jing, and the two men went to discuss matters in the reception hall.
Consumed by worry, Jiang Feng Xun naturally had no intention of eavesdropping. She sat staring blankly at the folding screen. Then suddenly she heard a violent fit of coughing from the front hall, followed by Xie Jing’s unusually emotional shout:
“No! If it means harming my wife, then I would rather die!”
Jiang Shen Tong argued urgently:
“Palace Master, saving your life comes first! This is the only method. If we miss this opportunity, regret will come too late!”
“What method?”
Startled, Jiang Feng Xun rushed out from behind the screen and entered the hall.
Both Xie Jing and Jiang Shen Tong looked shocked.
Xie Jing remained silent.
Jiang Shen Tong immediately lowered his head.
Jiang Feng Xun’s expression darkened.
“Hall Master Jiang,” she said. “Tell me.”
“Madam…”
Jiang Shen Tong dared not continue. He kept glancing toward Xie Jing for guidance.
Jiang Feng Xun strode forward and placed herself between them.
“I am asking you a question. Why do you keep looking at him?”
“Madam, please forgive me. This matter truly…”
Jiang Shen Tong looked left and right. Finally, gritting his teeth, he dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor.
“This subordinate has a plan that may save the Palace Master’s life. However, it would require Madam to endure considerable suffering. The Palace Master cherishes Madam too deeply and refuses to agree. Yet now, the only person who can save him is Madam herself. This subordinate risks death by speaking out. I beg Madam to consider it carefully.”
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