Chapter 50

A Muddled Affair, Brothers in Distress

The next day, Shi Mei awoke to the crisp chirping of birds in the mountains, feeling a sore neck and a numbness on one side of her body before she was fully awake.

"Hey."

"Hmm…" Shimei turned over, rubbing her neck.

"Does your neck hurt?"

"Yeah." Just as Shi Mei finished mumbling, she felt someone gently kneading her neck.

The sensation was quite soothing. Slowly opening her eyes, Shi Mei saw Bai She watching her.

"Finally awake? My legs are numb."

Only then did Shi Mei realize she had been lying on Bai She's legs, and, feeling awkward, she quickly got up.

Bai She rubbed his legs, "Hungry?"

"Yes, very." Shi Mei nodded, watching as Bai She handed her some steaming pastries.

"Where did these come from?" Shi Mei asked, setting them down and heading to the pool to wash up.

"The brothers went out to buy them this morning. Heard yesterday that Qin Diao got chased out of the other residence by Hong Ye." Bai She explained.

"Cough cough..." Shi Mei, who was rinsing her mouth, choked upon hearing Bai She's words, coughing incessantly, "Did Qin Diao really try to steal the Fire Kirin?"

Bai She smiled, gesturing towards a Ghost Blade Clan brother nearby, who jumped down from a tree, "Master."

"What did you hear this morning?" Bai She asked him to share with Shi Mei.

"Oh, Aunt Huo said last night that the second-in-command went to see the Fire Qilin at Red Ye's other courtyard. That horse is fiercely spirited and chased him around the yard. Red Ye discovered them and refused to sell the horse, saying it was her dowry. The second-in-command, not realizing what dowry meant, grabbed Red Ye's sleeve and proposed to marry her. Angered, Red Ye chased him down two streets with a knife…"

Shi Mei stomped her foot, outraged, "How could Qin Diao be so outrageous, proposing for a horse, treating Hong Ye like that!"

Bai She shook his head, standing up to wash up by the pool, "Don't be angry. Qin Diao is just crazy, probably no ill intent. Auntie Huo will handle him."

"I should go back and comfort Hong Ye. Despite her carefree appearance, she's quite sensitive. She must be really upset about this." Shi Mei, having washed her face, sat by the fire to eat and asked Bai She, "So, are we still going to search the mountain?"

"Well..." Bai She was about to agree when a Ghost Blade Clan disciple interrupted, "Master, Qin Xiang Lian's men are just outside the mountain with more troops this time, including some from the Imperial City Army. Qin Xiang Lian is accusing you of luring the princess into the mountains and causing her to fall off a cliff."

"What a case of the pot calling the kettle black!" Shi Mei frowned, "How can he twist the truth like that? If it wasn’t for his men attacking us, would we have fallen off the cliff?!"

"They'll probably start searching the mountain soon."

"Eat quickly," Bai She urged Shi Mei, "We need to act before they do!"

"Okay!" Shi Mei quickly ate a few bites and then set off with Bai She into the mountains, following the map to the supposed location of the Jade Buddha.

As the old witch had said, the terrain in the mountains was complex and seemed to have undergone many changes. Some flat areas had even turned into hills, making it hard to start searching.

"Was there a landslide here before?" Shi Mei muttered, "The terrain seems completely altered."

"This area is known for its many tombs," Bai She speculated, "It's possible that excessive tomb raiding led to landslides that changed the landscape."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Let's make a trip to Qianzhong." Bai She, spotting the Imperial troops approaching from a distance, guided Shi Mei into the woods. "Aren't you curious about the old witch and her enemy's story? This is a good opportunity to investigate."

After pondering for a moment, Shi Mei nodded in agreement. "Right."

As the officials and soldiers neared, Bai She carried Shi Mei down the hillside, taking shortcuts to swiftly leave Dayu Mountain and return to the Fragrance Powder Residence.

Upon dismounting at the residence, Shi Mei immediately heard Hong Ye ranting angrily, "That Qin Daiyu is shameless, infuriating me to death!"

"You all came back?" Shi Mei rushed in and saw Zan Yu and others. "Weren't you at the other residence?"

"Oh, don't even mention it," Zan Yu shook his head. "Last night, Qin Daiyu rode the Fire Kirin, which ran wild back here. Hong Ye chased it back, so we all followed, making a ruckus till dawn."

"Really?!" Shi Mei approached, taking Hong Ye's hand. "I'm sorry, Hong Ye. It's my fault for letting slip about the Fire Kirin, which led Qin Daiyu to find out."

"It's not your fault. That man is like a madman; he would have found out sooner or later," Hong Ye said indignantly. "It's so infuriating, especially since he was shouting all over the streets..." She couldn't continue and stamped her foot in frustration.

"Shouting what?" Shi Mei turned to ask Zan Yu.

Zan Yu whispered, "That... Qin Daiyu said he wants to marry Hong Ye, so the Fire Kirin would be part of the dowry."

"That's outrageous!" Shi Mei found Qin Daiyu's behavior unacceptable.

"Fire Kirin dowry, my foot! It's clear he wants me as his bride!" Hong Ye grew angrier, kicking over a stone stool nearby. "The jerk! I'm less valuable than a horse to him, such an insult! He can dream on about marrying me. If I see him again, I'll castrate him!"

Both Shi Mei and Zan Yu were startled, silently blaming Qin Daiyu for his insensitivity. Hong Ye was beyond furious this time.

As they were discussing, they heard Zhong Bo rush in. "Miss, the Bai residence has sent a betrothal gift."

"What?!" Shi Mei and Hong Ye exclaimed in unison. "Who's getting married? Not happening! Send it back."

Zan Yu looked at Hong Ye and then at Shi Mei.

Shi Mei's face flushed, thinking it couldn't be Bai She's doing, and it must be Qin Daiyu. She quickly took Hong Ye's arm and asked Zhong Bo, "Did Qin Daiyu bring it himself?"

"Yes, indeed."

"I'll give him a piece of my mind!" Shi Mei, lifting her skirt, stormed outside, while Hong Ye, huffing angrily, went back inside.

At the door, Qin Daiyu was indeed waiting eagerly, and not far from the Bai residence, Bai She, with his arms crossed, leaned against the door, looking resigned. Numerous Ghost Blade Clan disciples were on the rooftops, watching the spectacle.

Shi Mei, visibly upset, confronted Qin Daiyu as soon as she saw him, not letting him speak first, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm proposing," Qin Daiyu said, "I want to marry Hong Ye."

"Hong Ye won't marry with the Fire Kirin as her dowry."

"That's not acceptable," Qin Daiyu immediately objected.

Shi Mei frowned, her gaze turning cold as she looked at Qin Daiyu, "What are you trying to say, Qin Daiyu?"

"Uh..."

Shi Mei, usually cheerful and polite to everyone except occasionally stern with Bai She, rarely showed such a demeanor. This was the first time Qin Daiyu saw her change her expression like this.

Behind her, Bai She shook his head with a smile and went back inside the house.

"Qin Zai, do you look down on the people of my Xiangfen Residence?!" Shimei questioned loudly. "Even if the Fire Qilin is precious, it's just a horse, an animal. You'd marry Red Ye just for a horse? Would you keep her in the stable like the horse?!"

"I didn’t mean…" Qin Zai’s face flushed with embarrassment, at a loss for words, thinking he hadn’t thought this through.

The onlookers from the Ghost Knife Clan vanished in an instant.

"I respect that you Ghost Knife Clan members are all heroes, but what you did was really unreliable!" Shimei exclaimed. "Making such a scene, what would the neighbors think? If word spreads, how will Hongye ever hold her head high again? In your eyes, is she worth less than a horse?"

"I..."

"Someone, come here!" Shimei called out, "Throw him out."

……

Consequently, Qin Dai was dejectedly ushered out, feeling quite annoyed with himself for not considering this earlier. He was so focused on acquiring the Fire Qilin that he lost sight of everything else.

Upon returning to the Bai residence, Aunt Huo caught him by the ear, scolding, "You're going to be the death of me. To think up such a thing, even a beating is too light for you. I'll have the master discipline you. Go carry firewood to apologize to Miss Hongye!"

"Alright, alright, stop hitting... Ouch!" Qin Dai pleaded, waving his hands. "I didn't say she was worse than a horse. I just thought she was nice too, and marrying her while getting the Fire Qilin would be even better."

"You really deserve a beating!" Aunt Huo chased after Qin Dai, giving him a good thrashing. Eventually, Qin Dai decided to find a place to lie low and dared not leave.

Reflecting in the room, Qin Dai thought that if it were Shimei or Zan Yue, nobody would dare to do this.

Hongye, usually straightforward and seemingly robust like a martial artist, was somewhat underestimated by others. Thinking about it now, it felt unfair.

Shimei, having thrown a stick, ordered the doors closed and stormed off. Hongye, seeing Shimei really punish Qin Dai, had already cooled off and stopped being upset. Hearing that Shimei and the others were going to Qianzhong, she expressed her desire to join them.

Shimei thought it would be dull for her to stay here, possibly leading to more issues with Qin Dai, and agreed, "But what about Zan Yue staying here alone?"

"It's fine," Zan Yue said, "Aunt Huo can come stay with me, or I can stay with her."

"Right, Mei Zi," Xiang Er said with a beaming smile. "I can keep Zhan Yu company too."

Shi Mei was taken aback and narrowed her eyes at Xiang Er, gesturing with her finger, "You little girl, you always wanted to go out and have fun with me. Why pass up such a great opportunity to go out?"

Xiang Er's face turned red with a shy giggle.

Shi Mei was puzzled until she caught a knowing glance from Zhan Yu, who subtly gestured towards Xiao Xi Zi peeking around the corner.

"Oh..." Realization dawned on Shi Mei, understanding the delightful reason behind Xiang Er's decision, and she nodded, deciding not to probe further.

After a short while, Bai She arrived to inform Shimei that they would meet discreetly at the back door of the Incense Powder Residence tonight to avoid attracting attention.

Behind Bai She was Qin Daiyu, looking dejected and downcast.

Hongye turned and walked away.

"Wait, wait." Qin Daiyu hurried over to Hong Ye, bowing apologetically, "Miss Hong Ye, I admit I've been careless and overstepped this time. I've reflected on it. I deserve the scolding and the beating... please don't be mad at me. I'm here to apologize."

Shi Mei nodded in approval, thinking this was a more reasonable response.

Hong Ye glanced sideways at him, seeing his sincere apology, her anger had already dissipated. Qin Daiyu was, after all, the second-in-command of the Ghost Blade Clan.

Noticing Hong Ye's still faintly upset expression, Qin Daiyu quickly added, "I didn't mean you were less than a horse... Even without the Fire Kirin, I'd marry you. You're beautiful, and I'm not at a loss."

"You..." Hong Ye blushed furiously, pushing him away, "You're hopeless!" she exclaimed and ran inside.

Qin Daiyu, standing perplexed in the yard, turned to the others, "Is it wrong to compliment her beauty?"

Shi Mei shook her head in disbelief, then heard Bai She suddenly say with concern, "This is bad."

"What's wrong?" Shi Mei turned to Bai She, curious about his concern.

Bai She said worriedly, "Qin Daiyu is all over the place, and I've been listening to him all along. No wonder you refuse to marry me."

His voice wasn't low, and everyone nearby, including Xiang Er, overheard, gasping in surprise.

Shi Mei's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she pushed Bai She, exclaiming, "Everyone in the Bai Residence is crazy!" Then, she turned and ran off.

Bai She, slightly taken aback by the push, looked back at Qin Daiyu with a hint of blame – See, this is all because of you, isn't it?

Standing in the yard, Qin Daiyu held his forehead, thinking, "Well, I might as well follow Bai She to Qianzhong. I can't stay in the capital any longer!"

……