Chapter 48: Boat Trip

Chapter 48: The Pleasure Boat

The painted pleasure boat glided slowly across the shimmering river, its interior brightly lit, figures moving like shadows.

Xiuchun had finally recovered from her earlier fright. She prepared warm water, helped Li Ci take the antidote, and then, with a touch of novelty, gazed at her mistress's attire. "Miss, with this makeup, you truly look the part. When I saw you on the deck earlier, I thought a celestial immortal had descended from heaven—I barely recognized you!"

Her mention of deities made Li Ci's face stiffen again.

She puffed out her cheeks and rubbed the corners of her mouth, which had been held in a smile. This time, when she spoke, she finally heard her own voice: "Being a celestial isn't all that great. You have to worry about this and that. It's better to be mortal—at least you can do as you please."

Xiuchun chuckled at this. She helped her mistress remove the silver-embroidered black bamboo-patterned Guanyin cape and changed her back into a moon-white luminescent satin robe embroidered with double-layered lotus flowers. Since there was no cleansing formula available, the facial makeup was left on for the time being.

She then took off the lotus crown from her mistress's head, re-styled her hair, and finally pinned it with the previous pearl-thread inlaid phoenix hairpin.

Xiuchun examined her carefully, marveling inwardly. Whoever had dressed her mistress earlier certainly had skill. Even though Miss had changed back into her usual attire, with only the makeup remaining, she still carried an air of sacred compassion.

The crimson vermilion dot between her eyebrows seemed to shimmer, adding a touch of earthly warmth and liveliness to her serene purity.

After changing, Li Ci eagerly went to find Xie Zhenchuan but didn't see him on the deck. Instead, she spotted Nan Xuan directing people to move fireworks ashore and asked, "Where is Lord Xie?"

Nan Xuan pointed to the second-floor cabin. "The Young Master is inside painting."

Li Ci nodded and climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor.

The cabin door was wide open, the room brightly lit as if by daylight. Xie Zhenchuan sat at the table, focused on painting on rice paper with a brush.

Li Ci tiptoed in and saw that he was recreating Grandmaster Cang’s "Portrait of Guanyin," which had been destroyed in the fire.

Most of the painting was already completed, showcasing precise brushwork with delicate details, down to the tiny Buddha figurine ornaments on the lotus crown. The flow of Guanyin’s robes and ribbons perfectly captured Cang Yunzi’s style, indistinguishable from the original.

Only the face of the Bodhisattva remained blank. Xie Zhenchuan had filled in all other details but paused here, gazing at the Xuande paper, hesitating.

Li Ci quietly sat opposite him, tilting her head to watch him paint.

Noticing the movement, Xie Zhenchuan glanced up at her.

Her elaborate makeup remained intact—her willow-leaf eyebrows finely drawn, her round eyes slightly upturned at the corners. The pearl powder had muted the rosy hue of her cheeks, making her youthfully full face appear plump and radiant.

Though she bore the compassionate likeness of Guanyin, her demeanor was unusually casual. Leaning her head on her hand, she tilted sideways to look at the painting, her peach-blossom shaped lips curved slightly as if naturally joyful.

The gentle, compassionate smile of Guanyin suddenly seemed to grow clearer and more profound.

Xie Zhenchuan lowered his gaze and resumed painting with fluid strokes, completing the painting in one continuous flow.

Soon, a lifelike portrait of Guanyin emerged on paper. Her eyelids slightly lowered, her gaze soft and compassionate, her faint smile seeming capable of alleviating all mortal sufferings. With just a touch of light coloring, it would be complete.

Li Ci couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s so well done! You didn’t even need a reference to capture the divine essence so perfectly."

Xie Zhenchuan’s hand holding the brush paused slightly. He replied calmly, "If the Buddha is in your heart, every place is a Sacred Mountain."

Having said this, he deliberately set down the brush and stood up. "I’ve had some snacks prepared. Would Miss Li like to try them?"

Li Ci immediately forgot about Sacred Mountains and nodded devoutly.

***

Fireworks rose continuously from the shore—crimson flames, silver sparks, emerald glows, and golden sand—turning Jinling into a city that never slept.

They went up to the third-floor cabin, which resembled a pavilion built on the boat, offering an even better view of the shimmering river and the sky.

A carved ashwood square table in the pavilion was set with tea and pastries, surrounded by wind-blocking curtains that enclosed the space.

For the first time, Li Ci wasn’t in a hurry to eat. Instead, she leaned against the railing to look up at the sky. Besides the common festival fireworks like "Jade Medicine," "Bright Fire," and "Central Flame," there were rare varieties such as "Purple Grape," the ever-changing "Fish Transforming into Dragon," and "Coins Transforming into Butterflies."

Her favorite was the "Coins Transforming into Butterflies" spectacle. First, a shower of golden rain exploded in the night sky, countless coin-shaped sparks falling and crackling as if money were truly raining from heaven. As the golden light dimmed and was about to fade, crimson fireworks suddenly rose exactly where the coins had vanished, as if the myriad coins had transformed into countless dancing fiery butterflies.

Li Ci watched intently for the duration of a cup of tea, until her neck grew tired from looking up, then reluctantly returned to the pavilion.

As it was already late night, Xie Zhenchuan didn’t serve tea but prepared spiced tea.

The steam from the spiced tea carried the fragrance of osmanthus, orange, and jujube, sweetening the air before even tasting it. Cloisonné lotus-shaped plates held carefully crafted Qixi festival pastries in various shapes of flowers and birds. Li Ci looked at one, then another, reluctant to eat any.

After much deliberation, she finally picked a pastry shaped like a glaze-patterned sparrow—plump and detailed down to the patterns on its wings.

Looking into the sparrow’s dark sesame-seed eyes, she whispered as if negotiating with it, "I’ll just have one."

A softness flickered in Xie Zhenchuan’s eyes. He took a sip of spiced tea and said lightly, "No one will compete with you. They’re all yours."

Li Ci shook her head firmly. After all, these pastries were filled with maltose syrup, and she didn’t want to end up visiting Physician Xue on the mountain tomorrow after celebrating today.

But upon tasting it, she immediately noticed the difference. The pastry skin was thin and crispy, while the filling seemed made from yam paste mixed with milk, already sweet without any added sugar.

She thought, since it was Qixi night, it’d be better to have things in pairs, so she picked another pastry shaped like a magpie to pair with it.

After finishing the pastries, she took a sip of spiced tea and felt all the fear and fatigue of the day melt away. It was only later, when she saw the Zhuoying Department arrest the culprits, that she learned the two assailants had found her again. If Xie Zhenchuan hadn’t arrived in time, she and Xu Shucui would likely have been captured again.

She said earnestly, "I haven’t thanked you yet, Lord Xie. If you hadn’t come to our rescue tonight, Xu Shucui and I wouldn’t have known what to do."

"Ah Ci, you exaggerate," Xie Zhenchuan replied, his fingers tightening slightly around the cup. "The Zhuoying Department has confirmed that the assailants tonight were acting on orders from the Nanjing Garrison Commander Feng Ruicai, and it’s also related to the imperial examination corruption case in Jiangnan. If you hadn’t been implicated because of me, you wouldn’t have suffered this. Rescuing you was only natural."

He had been careless, never expecting Feng Ruicai to dare target Li Ci.

"So that’s how it is," Li Ci said, finally understanding the reason for her abduction. She shook her head generously. "It’s alright. Today was my first time dressing as Guanyin for the Qixi procession prayers. Even if it was a trial, it felt like spiritual cultivation."

Her eyes shone brightly, showing no lingering fear—at most, she found it a bit exhausting. Recalling the night’s events, she still felt it was magical and asked, "How did you know to find me there?"

If Bei Ming were to answer, it would be because the Lord had arranged to meet Miss Li but grew anxious when she didn't arrive, sending multiple inquiries, which allowed him to learn of her abduction immediately, order the city gates of Yingtian Prefecture sealed, and personally ride out to pursue them, leading to the night’s outcome.

But Xie Zhenchuan raised his cup, took another sip of spiced tea, and said without a change in expression, "A coincidence. Perhaps it was fate."

Li Ci was immediately convinced by this explanation and nodded. "It must be the Bodhisattva’s blessing. I’ll visit Pure Brightness Temple another day to offer incense."

Xie Zhenchuan thought of Master Fanxian at Pure Brightness Temple, who speaks nothing but deceit, and frowned slightly, though he quickly relaxed, as if not wanting to be noticed.

"Offering incense to fulfill a vow is appropriate," he said, turning his cup thoughtfully. "But this case has reached a critical point. After failing tonight, the Feng family may not stop. Although Pure Brightness Temple is a Buddhist place of purity, we mustn’t let our guard down. Since Ah Ci already has sincerity, I believe Buddha will understand."

Li Ci found this reasonable. "Then I’ll go another day."

Xie Zhenchuan nodded, the corners of his lips curling almost imperceptibly. "Once this busy period passes, I can escort you there."

Li Ci blinked, thinking to herself that Lord Xie had a myriad of duties and such a small matter wasn’t worth troubling him.

But speaking of fate, she remembered her river lantern, which had drifted to the middle of the river and sunk—an ominous sign.

Growing worried, she asked, "Lord Xie, you previously promised to inquire about the three scholars from the academy. Have you made any progress?"

The smile on Xie Zhenchuan’s lips vanished instantly, his eyes darkening.

He said quietly, "I only learned of this yesterday. Since it concerns Ah Ci’s lifelong matter, it must be handled with care."

"I didn’t mean to rush you," Li Ci explained, unable to keep things to herself. "It’s just that tonight, when I went with the two sisters to release lanterns by the Jinling River, I prayed to the river god to help me choose a satisfactory live-in husband from among the three gentlemen. But when my lantern sank, I grew worried."

Xie Zhenchuan lowered his gaze and tilted his head, hiding the amusement in his eyes, though a hint of mischief seeped into his words. "The world is unpredictable—all is fate. If some are unlucky, Ah Ci need not worry about it."

Li Ci nodded subconsciously, then sensed something amiss and looked up at him.

Xie Zhenchuan cleared his throat lightly and regained his serious demeanor. "What I mean is, the world is like a chess game—each move brings new changes. Even heaven’s will cannot be fully trusted."