A fine drizzle swept across Dingzhou City as twilight sank deeper into the misty dusk. Lanterns flickered to life, casting warm glows against the rain-washed streets. It was an unusually quiet evening, as if the city's usual clamor had chosen to retreat into the shadows. Only the gentle patter of rain whispered across the silent world.
To Du Xiaoyan, that rain was all she could hear.
She stood quietly at the window of the Du family estate on Qilin Street, gazing out at the distant mountains cloaked in dusk. Her heart felt shrouded in the same quiet melancholy as the landscape.
Twilight was black tinged with dark green. Her treasured guqin, a deep red scattered with worn flecks, lay on the low table before her.
A flickering candle threw dancing shadows across the room. A chilly wind slipped in through the half-open window, rustling her thin robe and blowing fine droplets of rain onto her smooth, dark hair.
She sighed, long and wistful, and with it came a wave of unspoken sorrow that circled the room like a ghost, heavy and unresolved.
She sat and laid her slender fingers on the guqin. A gentle strum sent a stream of delicate notes spilling into the air, soft and flowing like spring water.
"Do you know the difference between wine and water?" A familiar voice echoed in her memory. "The more you drink wine, the warmer you feel. Water, the more you drink, the colder it gets."
She suddenly wanted a drink. She suddenly missed him.
He used to hum a strange song sometimes—odd, haunting, and unlike anything in the Great Qin Empire. She tried now to remember it, hesitantly pressing the strings, forming a tune that no court musician would dare recognize.
And then, the words came.
The lyrics were strange, a dialect she couldn't place. But she hummed them anyway:
"Once before, and now again—gone, and never returns.Red leaves fall, buried deep beneath the dust.Beginnings and endings—always the same.You, on the horizon, drift beyond the clouds..."
"A lover parted, never to return again.Silent, forlorn, may we meet another day.Flowers may fade, but bloom again,And the one I love remains… beyond the clouds..."
"In this sea of suffering, love and hate arise.In this world, destiny cannot be defied.Two hearts near, yet never meet.Perhaps… it's all just fate."
Her clear, tender voice gave the mournful song a soul-stirring beauty that echoed her heart's own longing.
Outside, a young man moved silently through the courtyard, soaked in rain. When he heard the voice drifting from the upper window, his heart stirred with an emotion he couldn't name.
"Whoosh—" A sudden gust of wind burst through the window, shaking the candle flame violently.
The wind carried more than chill—it held a trace of heat, the kind only a man's body could possess. And with it, a scent that was unmistakably male.
Du Xiaoyan struck the final chord. Her hands froze on the strings as she stared, stunned, at the window.
A figure sat casually on the windowsill—soaked, smiling, and looking at her with eyes as warm as sunlight, eyes that scattered the gloom in her chest like dawn breaking through mist.
Rain dripped from his hair and clothes. He looked like a vagabond, yet his smile was the same lazy grin she remembered. One leg swung idly, the other propped up. His left hand rested on his knee; in his right, he held a folding fan painted with a landscape, which he waved lazily, as if trying to shoo the rain off his skin.
A droplet of rain fell with a crystal plink onto the guqin.
Du Xiaoyan leapt up—but before she could say a word, he had swept in like a gust of wind, pulled her into his arms, and drowned her world in a scorching, wordless kiss.
The candle flickered red. Robes slipped. Words no longer mattered.
"Where's Ah Ren? Have you seen Ah Ren?" Tie Xuanxuan burst into the kitchen at Uncle Li's residence, almost tripping over herself as she grabbed Li Xiaoye, who was preparing dinner.
Li Xiaoye pointed calmly toward a nearby building. "Isn't the Third Young Master in his room resting since he got back?"
Tie Xuanxuan shook her head. "Nope! I remembered a healing technique Master once taught me—channeling qi into needles to stimulate acupoints! Figured I'd give it a shot. Went to help him recover his injuries, but when I got there, his room was a mess! Sheets everywhere, and the brat was gone—didn't even fold the blanket!"
Li Xiaoye looked at her seriously. "Have you ever actually used that needle-and-qi technique on anyone before?"
Tie Xuanxuan scratched her head. "Uh… no. I only just learned it. Haven't tested it yet! But Ah Ren's injured, right? Perfect test subject! I could help him and test my skills at the same time."
Li Xiaoye stifled a laugh. "Sister Xuanxuan, maybe he ran away because he knew you were planning to experiment on him! Don't worry, he can't be far. Might even be hiding in the courtyard right now, laughing at you."
Tie Xuanxuan muttered, "But he doesn't know I was gonna experiment on him... and I didn't tell him either... And I've already searched every corner of the courtyard—where else could he be?"
Li Xiaoye smirked. "Did you check the outhouse? Maybe he's hiding in there."
"Ah! Why didn't I think of that?" Tie Xuanxuan slapped her forehead. "Thanks, little sis—I'll check right away!" She bolted off like a whirlwind.
Once her footsteps vanished, Li Xiaoye finally doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. Between giggles, she managed to whisper, "Now I finally understand… why you all got pranked so badly by the Third Young Master when you were kids… hahaha!"
During dinner, Tie Xuanxuan was still gnawing on a chicken leg while grumbling, "You said he was in the outhouse. I didn't find him."
Li Xiaoye picked at her rice like a proper lady and said sweetly, "Sister Xuanxuan, the Third Young Master does have legs. He can run. Remember how fast he was when you were kids? He's probably playing hide-and-seek with you. Every time you head to one spot, he slips away to another. With his agility, it's no wonder you can't find him."
Tie Xuanxuan's eyes widened. "Ah! That explains it! Alright then, once I finish eating, I'm going to find that monkey! If he's running around like that, his injury must've healed! That 'Revival Pill' really is something! If he's all better, then what's the point of me taking care of him anymore? I'll find him and ask!"
Muttering to herself, she propped one leg up on the chair beside her and rolled up her sleeves, ready to spring into action.
"Ahem." Qiao Wei gave a stern cough. "A true lady is known by her grace. You're a noble young woman. Please act accordingly."
He looked pointedly at her boot on the chair.
Tie Xuanxuan chuckled sheepishly and put her leg down.
Uncle Li sipped his wine and wiped his beard. "Miss Tie, I've heard much of your father, the great 'Iron Hand' Tie Kongshan, Lord of the Iron Blood Fortress. Do you know what level of mastery he's reached in the Iron Hand technique?"
Tie Xuanxuan, still chewing on her chicken leg, shrugged. "Dunno. Ten years ago, he was already at level thirty. Not sure if he's gotten any stronger since."
Uncle Li nodded. "Iron Hand has thirty-three levels, matching the heavens. It's easy at first—each level doubles the power. But the higher you go, the harder it gets. Past the twentieth level, one is considered a top-tier master. At level twenty-five and beyond, you reach the realm of supreme experts.
"If your father was at level thirty ten years ago, he's likely not far from the final three. They say at level thirty-three, even the heat from the user's body can melt steel. No weapon can touch him—they burn before they even make contact."
Tie Xuanxuan beamed with pride. "That's what Dad says too! Last year during New Year, he showed off to the disciples. A hundred eighty-eight steel sabers came at him from all directions—and every single one melted a foot away from his skin! Only the hilts were left! Dunno if he can melt steel with every body part now though..."
Uncle Li and Qiao Wei exchanged a surprised glance, a flash of delight passing between them.
Uncle Li asked slowly, "If that's true, then your father is already nearing invincibility. Do you know if he plans to attend the upcoming Martial Assembly?"
Tie Xuanxuan shook her head vigorously. "Nope. He said today's martial world belongs to the young. He's too old to meddle. This time, it's just me and my big brother representing the Iron Blood Fortress."
A flicker of disappointment crossed both men's faces.