And so, because of this commandery princess’s love for Zongzheng Wuyou, fruit milk tea—which would never have been easy to promote—began to rise in popularity among the nobility in this unfamiliar era, and for a time became all the rage. The name “Young Master Liyue” also spread throughout the entire capital the very next day. From imperial kinsmen and nobles to officials and wealthy landowners, anyone with money, power, and status took pride in obtaining a single design from “Young Master Liyue” when building their estates and residences.
Zongzheng Wuyou became a regular at Longyue Tea Garden. For the next half month, whenever he came, he no longer let the Ninth Prince follow him. He would sit alone beneath the cherry blossom tree, order a pot of top-grade West Lake Longjing, and sit there quietly.
On this day, it was already very late, time for the tea garden to close, yet Zongzheng Wuyou still showed no intention of leaving. The pot of tea on his table had long gone completely cold, and he had not asked anyone to add hot water or brew a new pot. Man Yao could not urge him to leave, so she let everyone in the garden go back and rest, staying behind herself to attend to things. In any case, these days, to avoid having her identity discovered when going in and out of the princess’s residence, she had been living in the garden.
Chen Yu left as well, and the tea garden suddenly grew quiet.
Man Yao sat at a glass table not far from him, watching as his white robes were draped in the cold radiance of the moonlight. He looked so very lonely. As if bewitched, she rose and walked toward him. Only when she reached his side did she suddenly come back to herself, and she quickly asked, “Your Highness, your tea has gone cold. Would you like another pot?”
Zongzheng Wuyou lifted his eyes and looked at her without speaking. Beneath the same cold moonlight, she too was dressed in plain white, wearing a faint smile, yet from her very bones there seemed to seep an indescribable loneliness and desolation. Something stirred in Zongzheng Wuyou’s heart. He pushed the teapot toward her. Man Yao replaced it with a fresh pot of tea for him, then sat down across from him and asked with a slight smile, “Your Highness doesn’t mind, do you?”
Zongzheng Wuyou kept looking at her, his gaze shifting, and said lightly, “Whether I mind or not… you’ve already sat down. What does make this prince curious is this: you are a woman, yet instead of waiting at home to marry and bear children, why did you run out on your own to create a tea garden like this?” What puzzled him even more was the rule she had set that the tea garden would receive only twenty customers a day. Clearly, she was not doing this for profit. Then why had she spent so much effort, money, and energy to open this tea garden? Over the past dozen days or so, he had often seen her holding a cup of tea alone, sitting quietly somewhere in a daze, as if her soul had drifted out of her body. She always looked calm and indifferent, as though even if heaven collapsed and the earth split open, it could not move her in the slightest. He suddenly wondered whether there existed, in this world, some matter or some person that could make those calm yet clear eyes of hers reveal a look of panic and helplessness.
Man Yao froze slightly. As expected, Zongzheng Wuyou had seen through her identity as a woman! She frowned and said, “Who said women can only stay at home waiting to marry and bear children? They can have their own interests and pursuits. They can be independent, and don’t necessarily have to rely on men to survive. If I could, I would rather never marry, and spend the rest of my life alone guarding this garden. That too would be a kind of destination.”
Unfortunately, her status would not allow it.
Zongzheng Wuyou was visibly startled. When he looked at her again, countless expressions flashed through his eyes in an instant, very strange indeed. Man Yao abruptly realized that such thoughts were far beyond the ordinary in this era where men stood supreme. She hurriedly smiled and was just thinking of how to change the subject when she saw Zongzheng Wuyou lean back and suddenly ask, “Do you know how to play chess?”
Man Yao’s thoughts could not quite keep up with his rhythm. She paused, then shook her head, thinking Zongzheng Wuyou would be disappointed. Unexpectedly, he said, “This prince will teach you. Leng Yan, bring the chess set.”
Man Yao stared blankly for a moment, almost thinking she had heard wrong. In extreme puzzlement, she looked at his expressionless, handsome face and thought that this man’s way of doing things truly made him impossible to read. Could it be that he had been lonely for too long?
A quarter of an hour later, Leng Yan appeared with astonishing speed and placed a chessboard and a brocade box filled with chess pieces on the table. Man Yao lowered her eyes and glanced at them. The chessboard was made of white jade, crystalline and translucent; it was surely worth a fortune. In the center of the chessboard, four characters were carved upright: Chu River, Han Border.
It was… Chu River, Han Border?!
Man Yao’s entire body froze there as her eyes widened in astonishment.
Xiangqi! What he meant was actually xiangqi!!!
Utterly shocked, Man Yao raised her head and stared blankly at Zongzheng Wuyou, but Zongzheng Wuyou did not lift his eyes. He only asked indifferently, “You recognize this game?”
She did not answer. In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Who was Zongzheng Wuyou? Why did he have xiangqi? Where had this xiangqi come from? Why had he placed it before her…
While she was still stunned, Zongzheng Wuyou had already arranged the pieces and briefly explained to her the movement of each one. Man Yao came back to herself and looked into his wicked, unfathomable eyes. In the end, she did not ask the questions in her heart. Instead, she settled her thoughts, pretended to be a beginner, picked up pieces, and moved them about at random.
Zongzheng Wuyou let her make random moves, even playing along with her. Even when a red piece was delivered right to the black pieces’ mouth, he did not take it.
Man Yao said nothing and asked nothing, simply playing with him like this. Her expression was calm and composed, yet in her heart, a hundred twists and turns surged.
Zongzheng Wuyou watched the hand with which she moved the pieces, his mind drifting. How long had it been since he had played chess with someone else? He could no longer quite remember. His fingers unconsciously rubbed a black piece. Just as he was about to place it down, he swept a glance over the board. Suddenly, his heart shook, and only then did he realize that he had no path left. Looking over the entire board, all his routes had been sealed; every one of his pieces was trapped. The chariot could not move, the horse could not leap, the elephant had nowhere to fly, the advisor could not support… He had not lost a single piece, yet his general could not be saved. The outcome had already been decided.
“You know how to play this game?” Zongzheng Wuyou’s sharp gaze locked tightly onto her, and he asked with a faint urgency, “Where did you learn it?”
Man Yao did not answer. She raised her head and looked back into his eyes, trying to see something within those wicked, arrogant pupils, but those eyes were obscure and impossible to fathom; she could make out nothing. She smiled faintly and, instead of answering, asked, “Then how did Your Highness learn it?”
The moonlight was like water, pouring over the two of them. They gazed silently at each other, both guessing, both doubting, each with their own thoughts. It seemed as though a century had passed. The freshly added hot tea on the table was still sending up curling steam, which rose and twined between their lines of sight before slowly dispersing.
Zongzheng Wuyou suddenly laughed. That smile was dazzling, outshining all the flowing light in the garden. He said, “Another game.”
Man Yao did not object.
The pieces returned to their places. She still played red, he still played black. Man Yao smiled faintly and said, “Your Highness first.”
Zongzheng Wuyou did not decline. He made the first move, no longer as careless as at the beginning. Every step was carefully considered. The more moves Man Yao made, the more alarmed she became. Chess was like life. Through a person’s chess skills, one could look into that person’s mind—and his was truly unfathomable. Even though she went all out, she still felt somewhat strained.
This game lasted more than an hour. They both moved very slowly, and neither spoke to urge the other on, giving each other ample time to think.
There was a faint fragrance in the air, lingering at the tip of the nose as if there and not there, making one’s mind unconsciously grow hazy. Zongzheng Wuyou looked at the woman sitting quietly across from him, at her face deep in thought, at her eyes filled with wisdom, like a clear spring beneath the moonlight—quiet, bright, serene, and beautiful beyond belief. This was the first time in many years that he had looked at a woman with care, and he did not feel repelled.
“Your Highness? Prince Li?” After Man Yao placed her piece, she saw that he had no reaction at all. When she raised her head, she found him staring blankly at her, lost in thought. That kind of gaze was one she had never seen before… vast and empty, steeped in memory. She frowned and called softly.
Zongzheng Wuyou abruptly woke from his daze. His expression changed slightly, and a trace of cold severity flashed through his eyes, vanishing in an instant. He returned to his usual wicked, unfathomable manner, picked up a chess piece, and asked as though casually, “What is your name? Don’t tell this prince you are called Liyue.”
Man Yao could not help laughing softly and gave the name from her previous life. “Man Yao.”
Zongzheng Wuyou asked, “The yao from ‘the peach tree is tender and fair, brilliant its blossoms’?”
Man Yao shook her head, her gaze lowering slightly as she said indifferently, “The yao from ‘to die young.’ A life of hardship, destined not to be long-lived.” That was what the fortune-teller had said in her previous life, and in fact, it had come true. Holding a piece, she looked at him and asked softly, “What about you? Zongzheng Wuyou… Your parents must have hoped you would live a life free of sorrow.”
Zongzheng Wuyou did not speak. He picked up the tea that had gone completely cold and took a shallow sip. The icy tea water carried a bitter, astringent taste.
He said lightly, “Why could it not mean standing at the highest place, looking down upon all living beings, yet possessing nothing?” Wuyou—without sorrow, without possession. The faint smile at the corner of his mouth carried a trace of mockery as he looked toward her.
Man Yao’s heart trembled. Suddenly, she felt as though the distance between them had grown very close. Perhaps the candlelight was too soft and the moonlight too beautiful; perhaps, after years of searching, it was rare to encounter an opponent equal to oneself. In that dazed moment, she felt that in certain aspects, they were strangely similar. It was merely a name, and there could have been countless interpretations. Yet if one had not endured the vicissitudes of life, who would assign their own fate the most desolate annotation?
That night, that game lasted two hours. In the end, it was a draw; neither had defeated the other.
Suddenly, wind rose, sweeping up the tips of the willow branches, carrying an icy, murderous chill as it struck the remaining red blossoms on the tree. The fallen petals looked like blood.
The aura abruptly changed. An intense killing intent instantly filled the entire garden. Zongzheng Wuyou’s gaze turned cold at once, yet his expression remained calm and composed. He curled his lips in a cold smile and said, “Show yourselves. This prince has no patience to wait any longer.”
More than ten masked men in black abruptly appeared, surrounding them completely.
Man Yao was startled. Such powerful killing intent, so many people—yet she had not sensed a thing?! Secretly circulating her qi, she suddenly discovered that she could not summon her inner strength. Her heart was instantly filled with shock. She swept a glance over the black-clad men around them and saw them gripping the long swords in their hands, their expressions grave as they stared fixedly at Zongzheng Wuyou. It seemed these people had come for him. But why had she suddenly lost her internal strength, while Zongzheng Wuyou seemed perfectly fine?
Zongzheng Wuyou drank the cold tea with elegant ease, a smile at the corner of his mouth, yet he snorted coldly. “He truly refuses to give up! Unable to hire the people of Wuyin Tower, he found low-rate assassins like you and thinks he can take this prince’s life?”
He seemed to know who wanted to kill him, yet he still faced it with such indifference. Presumably, this sort of assassination had long since happened more than once or twice. And the person who wanted his life, even when Zongzheng Wuyou clearly knew who it was, could still live perfectly well—how strange!
The eyes of the leading man in black sharpened, his killing intent growing even heavier. Without further words, he gave the others a look, and they raised their swords, thrusting at him all at once. Their speed was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, several swords formed a meticulously woven net of death, descending over his head.
Zongzheng Wuyou acted as if he did not notice, still drinking his tea at leisure, his bearing calm. Man Yao’s heart tightened despite herself. She wondered if Zongzheng Wuyou, like her, had also suddenly lost his internal strength. Just as her thoughts ran wild, a figure as swift as a ghost appeared out of thin air, drawing a streak of cold light beside Zongzheng Wuyou and blocking the sword-glare around him.
Leng Yan? She had almost forgotten that by his side was such an elusive figure, appearing and disappearing like a spirit. And those assassins were not truly as low-rate as Zongzheng Wuyou had claimed. At least, not to her. They were well trained, each and every one a first-rate expert, their every move decisive. Leng Yan was surrounded by them at the center. Though he showed no sign of defeat, if he wanted to deal with them all, it did not seem easy.
One man in black slipped out from the fight, his sharp blade suddenly slicing toward the back of Zongzheng Wuyou’s neck. His eyes were vicious, his movement swift and fierce, yet utterly silent.
Startled, Man Yao cried out, “Your Highness, be careful—” Before she finished shouting, that man in black had already fallen, a broken sword lodged in his throat. Zongzheng Wuyou still sat there at ease, as if nothing had happened. His phoenix eyes lifted slightly, and his tone carried mockery. “With swords of such poor quality, has Wuxiao Sect’s business already declined to such a state?”
Wuxiao Sect? Man Yao’s heart shook. That was an assassin organization whose reputation was second only to Wuyin Tower. As long as one could afford the silver, they dared accept any task. It was said they had never failed to date.
The men in black froze for a moment after their identity was exposed, clearly somewhat panicked. No longer caring about entangling Leng Yan, they raised their swords and stabbed toward Zongzheng Wuyou’s back. Zongzheng Wuyou lifted his hand. This time, Man Yao heard the sound of sharp weapons cutting through the air, followed immediately by a series of screams behind him.
Nearly ten men in black rolled on the ground, clutching their eyes tightly with both hands. Fresh red blood flowed from between their rough fingers, spreading across the ground. Man Yao froze, and her body instantly stiffened.
From beginning to end, Zongzheng Wuyou had never turned his head. His expression was indifferent and calm, as though he had merely killed a few ants.
The air was filled with a heavy, pungent smell of blood. A wet, hot, sticky liquid spread beneath her feet. Although she knew martial arts, she had only ever used them for self-defense and had never killed anyone. This was the first time she had faced such brutal, bloody combat so directly, witnessing living people who had still been breathing a moment ago fall at her feet the next, eyes wide, faces contorted, their breathing stopped. She only felt cold all over. Perhaps someone who had died once was especially sensitive to death.
There were three men in black left. Under Leng Yan’s sword, one died and two were wounded. Looking at their fallen companions, fear gradually rose in their eyes, and they began searching for a way to escape. Even assassins feared death!
Zongzheng Wuyou’s gaze rested on Man Yao. Seeing her brows tightly furrowed and her face slightly pale, he suddenly leaned forward and said with concern in his voice, “Did that frighten you?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the two men in black immediately locked their gazes on her. With astonishing speed, their cold swords were already pressed against her neck. Man Yao glared at Zongzheng Wuyou, who still wore a smile. He had done it on purpose!
“Don’t move, Prince Li. If you want him to live, let us go.” The men in black had completely taken her for a talisman that would preserve their lives.
Zongzheng Wuyou cast an idle glance over and said coldly, “What does her life or death have to do with this prince?”
Man Yao was choked with anger. This man had deliberately drawn the men in black’s attention to her, and now he did not care whether she lived or died. What was he trying to do?
The men in black were stunned as well. Just now, Prince Li had clearly seemed very concerned about this man who was even more beautiful than a woman. Why had he now become so utterly indifferent? He even leaned back against his chair, folded his arms, and looked entirely like someone watching a show that had nothing to do with him.
Man Yao secretly gritted her silver teeth. Unable to figure out what Zongzheng Wuyou was thinking, her eyes shifted. She raised her hand and lightly touched the chess pieces before her, sending Zongzheng Wuyou a meaningful look.
Zongzheng Wuyou gave her no reaction, but the men in black did not disappoint her. Thinking there was some hidden mechanism in the chess pieces, they decisively flew up with a kick and overturned the glass table. With a crash, the tea set shattered all over the ground, the white jade chessboard broke into several pieces, and the delicate, rounded chess pieces rolled everywhere.
Zongzheng Wuyou’s gaze sank. An incomparably cold aura instantly filled the entire tea garden. His eyes narrowed, his wrist turned, and something shot at high speed toward the limbs of the men in black.
A shrill scream almost pierced her eardrums. The man in black collapsed to the ground, his entire body convulsing. Only then did Man Yao see clearly that the deadly hidden weapons Zongzheng Wuyou had shot out were actually four willow leaves he had casually plucked.
Zongzheng Wuyou did not even look at that man in black. He only stared fixedly at her, his phoenix eyes half narrowed. This woman… had done it deliberately! Transmitting a message with her eyes had been false; luring the men in black into destroying his chess pieces so he would make a move had been true. Her thoughts were truly meticulous, to have seen how much he cherished this chess set. Under the cold scrutiny of his gaze, Man Yao lifted her chin slightly, silently expressing her dissatisfaction: You were the one who plotted against me first.
The last man in black looked at the willow leaves deeply nailed into the previous man’s meridians at all four limbs and instantly understood that the difference in strength between them and Zongzheng Wuyou was enormous. In a burst of panic, he shoved Man Yao out fiercely like a shield, then turned to flee.
Caught off guard, Man Yao’s body uncontrollably lunged toward Leng Yan. Leng Yan frowned and dodged aside, chasing after the man in black. And so she had no choice but to fall straight, straight into the arms of the peerless man behind Leng Yan—the man who would not even let a woman touch tea he had already drunk.