Chapter 50 Yunling Tomb: Drunkenness
So alluring, you wouldn't want him to fall to the ground.
The night was cool and still, and under layers of gloomy clouds, only a faint moonlight shone through the mountains.
It was late at night, and apart from the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs, there was no sound of human voices; everyone had clearly fallen asleep long ago.
But some people just can't sleep, and coincidentally, there's more than one.
Tang Yu, wearing an outer robe, had just stepped out of the house when her gaze pierced through the night mist and landed on the lonely figure on the stone bench in the courtyard.
The dappled moonlight fell on Xie Xingzheng's handsome, indifferent face. His eyes, which were originally as bright as the starry night, now appeared much dimmer due to his blindness. He seemed cold and aloof, keeping everyone at arm's length, but Tang Yu knew that it was just an illusion caused by his infrequent display of emotions.
Tang Yu smiled and stood watching from a distance for a while before turning around and walking into the kitchen.
Xie Xingzheng naturally noticed her movements.
At first, my heart was beating a little fast, but after hearing her footsteps receding into the distance, for some reason, a little sense of loss welled up in my heart.
However, it only lasted for a brief moment.
The aroma of wine wafted over, and Tang Yu's cheerful voice came from beside me.
"The mountain is very humid. General Xie doesn't have internal energy to protect him. He won't feel it after sitting for a while, but once the cold enters his body, it will be too late to get sick."
Tang Yu pushed a pot of warmed rice wine in front of him and joked, "Father usually warms up some rice wine, just in case anyone is feeling down at night, so they can have a drink to warm themselves up."
Xie Xingzheng did not refuse. He reached out and touched the pot of warm wine, and following the sweet aroma, took a sip.
This wine has a mellow, not harsh, flavor that slides from the tip of the tongue down the throat and finally into the stomach, bringing a rich and gentle warmth that slowly spreads throughout the body, dispelling the chill of the night wind.
"How is it? It's different from any other wine you've had before, isn't it?"
Tang Yu smiled broadly and tilted her head back to take a big gulp.
“It is indeed different,” he replied.
This wine is unlike the scorching, fiery brew of the harsh frontier, nor is it like the expensive, clear dew served at official banquets in the capital. It is neither domineering nor aloof, but carries a gentle, familial warmth.
He hesitated slightly, then lowered his voice: "However, the senior had already intended to see us out, but now we've not only stayed, but also drunk his wine..."
"It's alright," Tang Yu chuckled, her tone gentle. "Father won't mind. Besides, keeping you here is my own selfish reason; I want you to do me a small favor."
"A little favor?"
"The day after the Tang Clan encountered the 'ghost,' when I returned to Yunling Mountain, I stopped by to visit a grave from many years ago. Strangely, the remains in that grave had mysteriously disappeared." Tang Yu's eyes darkened slightly as she took a sip of wine and said calmly, "Before confirming that the female ghost was my aunt, I also suspected that the two were related."
The smile on her lips faded. "But now, I am almost certain that the grave was robbed by the people of the Southern Frontier."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xingzheng's expression hardened slightly: "Whose grave is it? And why was it robbed?"
"It was an uncle from southern Xinjiang who once saved me."
Tang Yu paused for a moment, looked at Xie Xingzheng, and her expression was complicated.
She hesitated.
I'm wondering if now is a good time to be honest?
Should I use this opportunity to reveal my identity as a person from southern Xinjiang?
But the cause and effect of this matter were too complicated. She finally sighed and vaguely said, "The things I experienced on this trip down the mountain made me feel that the grave might be the reason why people from the southern border came to Sichuan."
She unconsciously tapped the porcelain surface of the wine pot with her fingertips, her eyes darkening slightly: "You know, my brother and you share the same source of poison. You were poisoned by the Blood Pool, while he was poisoned by the Southern Frontier assassins who broke into Yunling Mountain. However, those people... were not visiting Sichuan for the first time."
"Not the first time?" Xie Xingzheng raised an eyebrow.
"Initially, this uncle was being chased by people from the Southern Frontier and fled into Yunling Mountain. However, at that time, the Southern Frontier was in turmoil and there were many refugees. My father did not investigate further and simply built a grave for him in the mountains."
Tang Yu looked at the amber-colored wine, lost in thought: "A few days ago, I asked about the details of that year again. Father said that when the burial took place, it seemed that the uncle had something hidden in his throat. But out of respect for the dead, we didn't investigate further. But when I went to check, the grave had already been looted."
The aroma of wine filled the air as the night deepened.
Even though Tang Yu didn't mention the blood ties with the people of Southern Xinjiang, it doesn't affect the inference that this grave is important to the people of Southern Xinjiang.
Even if she really was "Yue Qimeng," she could have easily hidden herself at the ends of the earth. Why would the people of Southern Xinjiang be so persistent and go to such lengths to search for her in Sichuan?
She lightly tapped the wine pot with her fingertips, her voice soft and gentle: "The second time was when my younger brother and I ran away at night when we were young. On our way down the mountain, we encountered a group of people from southern Xinjiang who were searching all over the mountain, and we were chased to the brink of despair."
Slightly tipsy, my thoughts drifted back to that night many years ago.
It has only been two years since she was taken in and brought home, and she can still barely understand and speak a few simple words.
Although she was clearly loved and pampered by her parents, she always felt a sense of unease and distance, as if the place wasn't her home. It was precisely because she envied and longed for the warmth of this family that she wanted to find her "real" home, which is why she always wanted to sneak away from the mountain.
Tang Yang was only five years old then, the kind of age where people are clingy and love to follow others around. Somehow, he discovered that she was sneaking out at night, and he followed her out as well.
That night, the mountain road was pitch black. They accidentally bumped into a group of thugs from southern Xinjiang and fled into a cave in a panic.
Even though Tang Yang himself was terrified and trembling with fear, he still comforted her while wiping away his tears, saying that he would definitely protect his sister.
It was from that night that her mindset began to change; family members sometimes transcend blood ties, but are concerned for each other.
So she became a true member of the Tang family, learning to be an older sister who could protect her younger brother.
As her thoughts returned, she smiled and sighed softly, "Fortunately, Yunling Mountain is shrouded in mist all year round, which allowed us to wait until Father came looking for us."
Xie Xingzheng pondered for a moment and asked, "So you suspect that what they've been searching for all these years is that grave?"
"Yes." Tang Yu nodded. "Later, Father used the mountain's terrain to set up traps in many places, and the Tang Clan also strengthened patrols, so Yunling Mountain was finally quiet for a while. However, more than half a year ago, the people from the Southern Frontier broke in again, which led to Yangyang being poisoned while saving me. It was when I came down the mountain to find medicine that I met you."
"How many years ago did that uncle flee into these mountains?"
About twelve years ago.
"That is, less than half a year after the fall of Nanyue..."
Xie Xingzheng lowered his voice and guessed, "Back then, he led troops to launch a surprise attack on Nanyue, and the great Southern Frontier Kingdom was destroyed overnight, but it also left behind many hidden dangers. For example, some of the records of Southern Frontier Gu techniques were burned on the spot, while others were taken away by royal assassins. It is likely that he carries a similar secret."
Tang Yu nodded thoughtfully: "But if it were books, they would have rotted long ago after more than ten years of wind and rain. It seems that what was hidden in the body was something more important."
Xie Xingzheng nodded.
At the same time, doubts arose in my heart. Whether the Southern Frontier assassins were burned or taken away, it was mainly to protect those secrets from being obtained by the Great Xia.
What secret did this person carry that led to him being hunted down by the people of Southern Xinjiang all the way here? And why have they searched for him at such a cost?
"I originally thought that the Tang Clan was heavily guarded, which was why they had no way to make a move. So I deliberately brought you to live in Yunling Mountain, so that they could take advantage of the situation."
Tang Yu raised his wine pot and gently clinked it against his. "I never expected that tonight would be so quiet, with only the two of us drinking together under the moon."
The crisp sound of porcelain was especially clear and pleasant in the quiet night.
After taking a big gulp of wine, Tang Yu suddenly became curious: "The Battle of Nanyue you just mentioned, is it the one that made you famous?"
"Yes," he answered calmly, without the slightest hint of emotion.
Tang Yu was unusually sentimental, and murmured softly, "Back then... you must have been only a teenager, right? And you dared to go into battle to kill the enemy?"
Xie Xingzheng remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "What can I do if I dare not? At that time, my eldest brother was captured by the barbarians. When he was rescued, he was barely alive and his legs were crippled. My second brother and grandfather still had to guard the northern frontier. Apart from me, there was no one else to go."
With just a few words, he briefly recounted his teenage years.
At an age when others are carefree, playful, and unaware of the bitterness of life, he has already donned armor and gone into battle, ready to fight on the battlefield.
Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes?
Rushing to the battlefield to kill the enemy and defend the country. If spoken aloud, it should be full of the lone courage of a young hero. But she sensed no spiritedness or passionate fervor in Xie Xingzheng; instead, she heard a faint sadness.
"War is about people constantly dying; it's cruel and bloody," he said calmly.
Tang Yu didn't speak, she just looked at him quietly.
She wondered what she was doing when she was fifteen or sixteen.
It was the carefree time after enduring the years of feeling out of place, when my brother and I ran freely in the mountains, cracking chestnuts, picking wild fruits, catching fish and birds. It was the age when we hesitated for ages before even killing a chicken or fish. It was the real-life record of secretly lighting a fire for a barbecue and almost setting the mountain on fire.
Only after realizing they couldn't control their parents did they send them to the Tang Clan to study and learn martial arts.
But he was burdened with the weight of life and death far too early, and in the battlefield where blood, tears and lives were intertwined, he was forced to develop a desolation that was incongruous with his age.
Tang Yu stared at Xie Xingzheng, at his unfocused eyes, which were slightly vacant due to blindness. Then she moved her gaze to his sharply defined profile, as beautiful as a work of art.
Perhaps it was because the lingering poison in his body had not been cleared, or perhaps it was because the moonlight was too hazy, but his face was somewhat pale, with a fragile and delicate beauty.
Beneath that thin robe lay the robust physique of a martial artist, yet the night breeze inexplicably gave Tang Yu the feeling that—
He was like a withered leaf on an autumn branch, about to fall but not yet, which would shatter at the slightest breeze.
It's so alluring, you can't bear to let it fall to the ground.
In common folk tales, men often have a strong protective instinct and an irresistible attraction to fragile and vulnerable girls.
Tang Yu wholeheartedly agreed, thinking: So, it's the same the other way around.
The person before me is melancholic and sentimental, soft-hearted and kind-hearted; he's really not suited to be a general.
They are more suited to be held in someone's palm and kissed tenderly.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps the night was too alluring, but Tang Yu felt a burning sensation throughout her body from this thought.
Even if the other party did nothing at all.
She suddenly asked, "Hey, are you drunk?"
"No." Xie Xingzheng shook his head.
How could one get drunk so easily with just a little bit of rice wine?
"So how do you get drunk?"
"I have never been drunk."
Undeterred, she asked, "Then... could you pretend to be drunk for a bit?"
Why?
Xie Xingzheng was puzzled and turned his head to look at her.
Their eyes didn't meet, but Tang Yu didn't care. She felt that his unfocused black pupils seemed to be filled with starlight, a hundred times more beautiful than the night sky.
She licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, leaned forward, and gently covered his eyes with her hand.
The moment their skin touched, Xie Xingzheng shuddered slightly, instinctively wanting to back away, but he stopped himself.
He was about to ask what was wrong when he was interrupted by the warm breath, which was tinged with the smell of alcohol, so close that they were practically touching.
Then……
That's all.
Tang Yu did nothing to him.
He gently placed a light kiss on the back of his hand that covered those eyes.
The kiss is for oneself, yet also for another person beneath the palm of one's hand.
The wine doesn't intoxicate, but like the night, it's intoxicating.
[Author's Note]
Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes? — Li He, Tang Dynasty, in "Thirteen Poems of Nanyuan"
Mini-theater:
Xie Xingzheng: What image do you have of me?
Tang Yu: Lin Daiyu, who could uproot a willow tree, right? :D
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