Chapter 112 Where the Rune Beauty Walks, Each Step Slow and Steep
"Just... an old sword?" Mu Chenbi asked in a low voice, "Does Mother know where Father got it?"
"I don't know!" Shen Yu was unusually flustered. "I don't want to know... It's just a sword, just a sword." Shen Yu murmured to herself, her face pale. "The Emperor loves her so much, and I just wanted to touch her... His expression changed, as if... he became a different person." Shen Yu clutched her chest, and the sinister face of Mu You appeared before her eyes. "It's as if what he loves more than life itself isn't the sword, but... a person."
—What he loved most was not the sword, but a person. The person buried deep in his father's heart. But if he loved him so much, why couldn't he see him for twenty years, never seeing him in life and without a memorial tablet in death?
When Ajiu entered Chengen Hall, the way her father looked at her... Mu Chenbi tried her best to recall, that look... was so familiar. Mu Chenbi suddenly opened her eyes, and realized that her father had the same look in his eyes when he looked at her.
Mu Chenbi is his son, but who is Ajiu...?
Shen Yu cupped her son's face in her hands, "There's no need to wait for your father's summons; spend more time with him."
"Mother..."
Shen Yu gestured for Mu Chenbi to listen to her continue, "You've walked a smooth path since childhood, knowing nothing of sorrow or hardship, and you've never shown kindness to anyone. You think you have a deep father-son bond with the Emperor, but you don't know that the royal family is cold and indifferent. What they have in abundance is offspring. Under imperial power, fathers and sons turning against each other and brothers killing each other are commonplace. Just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean it hasn't happened..."
"Mother." Mu Chenbi raised her phoenix-feather eyelashes in surprise, "How did things come to this between Father and me? What you're saying is far too serious."
Shen Yu's eyes were red, revealing a resolute expression. His cold palm slid across his son's firm chin and pressed on his shoulder. "Shen Bi, remember this: you are the Emperor's own son, the rightful Crown Prince of Jin. As long as you don't make mistakes and don't disobey the Emperor, you will sit in this position forever and will not be replaced by anyone."
Mu Chenbi was deeply confused. He couldn't understand why Ajiu's appearance could cause his mother such great fear. A visitor from Canglang, a swordsman from Xingguo, he had a traceable past. He was a joke played on him by fate, not a terrible fear.
Everyone is speculating, but no one knows the truth.
"He's back." Chen Yu lowered her limp hand, turned, and left sadly.
"Him?" Watching his mother's faltering figure, Mu Chenbi suddenly realized that there were some people and some things that even his mother was powerless to resist.
Outside Chengen Hall, Mu Lexiu saw Cui Jin standing by the palace wall. Cui Jin was wrapped in an unchanging black robe, revealing only one eye that gleamed with a black luster. His face was covered in tattoos, which were faintly visible against the sunlight. Mu Lexiu was well-versed in books, and when he was young, he had wondered about the meaning of the tattoos on Cui Jin's face. He had secretly memorized them and copied them one by one onto paper. Mu Lexiu asked his teacher what these runes meant.
No one recognized the runes on Cui Jin's face, but Mu Lexiu was stubborn. The less people recognized them, the more determined he was to find out. He searched through all the ancient books in the palace and finally found similar runes in an ancient Taoist scripture called the "Beauty's Return Spell."
"Where the beauty walks, her steps falter; I now wield my sword, and she shall turn back."
This rune also dispelled the enchantment from the Imperial Preceptor Cui Jin. His father praised his Taoist skills, his elder brother respected his character, and the people of Cangshan revered him as an immortal. Mu Lexiu sneered, only he knew that a Taoist with the "Beauty Returns Curse" tattooed on his face could not possibly possess boundless Taoist skills or a noble character, and was even less worthy of the title "immortal."
Immortals are free from desires and seek only to ascend to immortality. The "Return Step Spell" is a mysterious and little-known secret technique in the Taoist canon. By casting this spell, one can achieve their wishes through the interaction with the footprints of others. If one's beloved glances back, they will fall in love with the spell caster. According to legend, Fuxi was born when his mother, Huaxu, stepped on the footprints of the Thunderous Steps.
Cui Jin's face is pierced with this curse, surely he has some unseen desire. He walks in broad daylight, yet he only hides himself in a wide black robe, perhaps because his heart is dark and he has no face to stand between heaven and earth.
Mu Lexiu harbors the secret of the "Returning Step Spell," and he is happy to see others elevate Cui Jin to a divine status, treating him with utmost respect. After all, they are all fools. His elder brother is, and so is his father.
"—Your Highness." Cui Jin had already noticed that Mu Lexiu was spying on him. He slowly unfolded his black robe and nodded to Mu Lexiu.
Mu Lexiu felt no embarrassment at being discovered. The young man strode forward, clasped his hands in a salute to Cui Jin, and said, "Greetings, Imperial Preceptor."
Cui Jin scrutinized Mu Lexiu's clean-cut face with his single eye. "Is Your Highness going to Cheng'en Hall to see the Emperor?"
Mu Lexiu waved his hand and said, "How could I, Lexiu, be qualified to enter there? The Imperial Preceptor is making fun of me. I was just passing by and took a few extra glances." Mu Lexiu started to leave, then paused and asked, "Is the Imperial Preceptor waiting for someone? In the Cheng'en Hall... who did Father Emperor summon?"
“A-Jiu,” Cui Jin said in a deep voice.
Mu Lexiu seemed to have heard this name somewhere before—Ajiu? Yes, he had even overheard palace servants discussing this person, Ajiu, the swordsman from Xingguo Ward. The servants said that Ajiu looked just like the Crown Prince. Seeing is believing, and Mu Lexiu hadn't taken the servants' claims to heart. Now that he was outside Chengen Hall, with the person inside, Mu Lexiu became curious. Just how similar did they look?
Cui Jin had already seen through Mu Lexiu's thoughts, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Your Highness hasn't met him yet?"
Mu Lexiu snapped out of his daze and shook his head. Cui Jin followed up, "Ajiu has been inside for an hour and should be coming out soon."
An hour? Mu Lexiu was startled. His father usually only summoned his ministers for a meeting for an hour or two at most, and even when he saw him and his elder brother, it wouldn't take that long. How could a mere swordsman be so highly regarded by his father? He'd heard from the palace servants that Ajiu was summoned to the palace every few days, entering and leaving with his fish-shaped tally as if it were empty…
"Is the Imperial Advisor also waiting for Ajiu?" Mu Lexiu cautiously probed.
“The Emperor has summoned me. I will wait for A-Jiu to come out before I go in,” Cui Jin replied calmly.
"Oh." Mu Lexiu glanced at the tightly closed doors of Cheng'en Palace out of the corner of his eye. Just as he was about to ask a few more questions, the palace doors suddenly opened. His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "They're out. Is that A-Jiu in the black brocade robe?"
“It’s him.” Cui Jin stood tall and unmoving.
Ajiu in black. Mu Lexiu took a few steps forward, squinting to see the face more clearly. As the face gradually became clearer, Mu Lexiu's legs went weak, and he stood there speechless for a long time—it was more than just similar...it was clearly the same person...If he hadn't known in advance that it was Ajiu, he would have called out "Royal Brother" as soon as he met her on the palace road.
"He... is... Ajiu from Xingguo Ward?" Mu Lexiu didn't even know what he was talking about.
“Yes.” Cui Jin had anticipated Mu Lexiu’s reaction.
"They look...too alike." Mu Lexiu's mouth hung open, unable to close. "Grand Preceptor, how can there be two faces like these in the world? Did you Taoists create them using magic?"
"Hahahaha." Cui Jin laughed sinisterly, making Mu Lexiu shudder. "Second Prince, you're really joking. You conjured it with magic? Very well, I'll go back to Cangshan to cultivate and see if I can master such a heaven-defying secret technique."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mu Lexiu wished he could sew his mouth shut. "I was just talking nonsense, Grand Preceptor, please don't take it seriously."
“Children speak without thinking.” Cui Jin stopped laughing. “Your Highness is still a child.” Cui Jin gestured with his sleeve in the direction A-Jiu had left the palace. “Would Your Highness like to get to know A-Jiu?”
"Is that okay?" Mu Lexiu blurted out anxiously.
Cui Jin found it amusing again. Mu Lexiu thought he was precocious, but he was actually naive and stupid without realizing it. His little thoughts were written all over his face. If anyone had designs on him, they could easily subdue him without much effort.
“Of course.” Cui Jin led Mu Lexiu to chase after Ajiu. “It’s a blessing for a mere swordsman like him to be able to get to know royalty.”
On the palace path, the swordsman's keen senses allowed Ajiu to detect the footsteps behind him early on. He could have stopped, but Ajiu unconsciously quickened his pace, as if he had already guessed who was behind him.
"—Crown Prince?"
Ajiu suddenly stopped. At the fork in the palace road stood a beautiful young girl, dressed in a turquoise satin dress, with her hair styled in two buns tied with a light green ribbon. She was as fresh and tender as a willow bud that had just sprouted in early spring. Her round, clear eyes stared straight at Ajiu, and her words carried a hint of coquettishness.
"Crown Prince Brother." Seeing the man standing there in a daze, ignoring her, the girl slowly approached, holding a white gauze fan embroidered with peonies. "Crown Prince Brother, are you still leaving the palace so late?"
"Brother Crown Prince... This girl must have mistaken me for Mu Chenbi. Judging from her attire and how she addresses me... Could it be...?" Ajiu took a few steps back warily, thinking to herself how to escape.
"Runhe, you've mistaken me for someone else." Mu Lexiu caught up with Ajiu as he wished, stepped between the two of them, turned around to face Ajiu, and looked at Ajiu's face with great interest in his dark eyes. "Ajiu, you are Ajiu."
Ajiu caught a glimpse of Cui Jin out of the corner of her eye, her eyes filled with doubt. Cui Jin opened his black robe and said in a low voice, "Let me introduce you." He gestured to Mu Lexiu with his sleeve and said, "Ajiu, why don't you greet the Second Prince?"
The second prince of Jin, Mu Lexiu. Ajiu clasped her hands and bowed, "I am Ajiu, greetings to Your Highness the Second Prince."
“This one,” Cui Jin said with a smile, pointing to the girl in the green dress, “is…”
"Runhe, Mu Runhe," Mu Lexiu interrupted, "You really dare to call me Crown Prince."
Princess Runhe was so frightened that she dropped her fan to the ground. "He...he's not my brother, the Crown Prince? His face..."
Mu Runhe's mother was just a lowly concubine in the harem. Years ago, she was demoted for entering Chengen Palace without permission after giving birth to a princess. Mu Runhe was raised by nannies. Mu Lexiu had never looked down on this younger sister who came from a humble background since childhood. Seeing her making such a fuss now, he was even more annoyed that she had disgraced the royal family.
"You look so naive." Mu Lexiu picked up her fan and handed it back. "You've taken your things, aren't you going back?"
Mu Runhe looked about the same age as Ji Yuan, but not as arrogant. What was Ji Yuan's attitude towards his elder brother Ji Fang? He could yell at Feng Shisan. Mu Runhe, a princess of the Great Jin Dynasty, turned pale with fright after a few words from Mu Lexiu. She took the fan, lowered her head, and hurriedly left. After taking a few steps, she couldn't help but look back at Ajiu's face, and a shiver ran through her body again.
“My younger sister has always been timid, I’m sorry you had to see that.” Mu Lexiu stared at Ajiu without blinking. “No wonder she mistook her for someone else, they look so alike… they really do look so alike.”
Ajiu felt uncomfortable under Mu Lexiu's gaze and lowered her head, saying, "I have important matters to attend to in the workshop, so I will take my leave first."
"You're busy...you're busy," Mu Lexiu said hastily. "We've only just met today, and we've only gotten to know each other a little. Another day...another day I'll invite you to Shiya Pavilion for a chat, how about that?"
Ajiu clasped her hands and bowed, "Thank you, Second Prince."
Watching Ajiu's receding figure, Mu Lexiu stood still for a long time, not knowing how long he had been standing there. When he turned around, Cui Jin had already stepped into Chengen Hall and the hall door was closed. When Mu Lexiu looked for Ajiu again, he had already left the palace and was probably going back to Xingguo Ward.
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