Chapter 6
Chapter 6: So You Know How to Come Back?
Qi Chuyao was a martial practitioner—though not of high rank, she had made some decent progress in her training.
Her stride was swift, her feet striking the blue stone slabs, stirring up a gust that sent the red silk hanging beneath the covered walkway swaying gently.
The entire courtyard was red.
Red silk wound around the pillars, double-happiness characters were pasted on the windows, and even the flowering trees along the path were tied with red cords that dangled in long clusters, drifting back and forth in the evening breeze.
From somewhere in the distance came the faint sounds of servants busying themselves—some carrying things, some arranging furniture, and a steward calling out loud instructions—all of them preparing for the upcoming wedding.
Qi Chuyao glanced at it all, her brows furrowing tighter.
All that red everywhere made her heart uneasy.
She looked away, quickened her pace further, and charged forward as though driven by a surge of temper.
Her hem brushed against the low shrubbery along the path, rustling softly as a few leaves were swept up and then drifted back down to the ground.
Qin Junyue followed behind her, watching that rapidly retreating figure, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
She said nothing, only followed in silence.
But her eyes were not idle—they stayed fixed on the decorations around them, and a faint trace of envy and wistfulness quietly rose in her chest.
Qi Chuyao walked fast, yet her steps were not as careless as they appeared on the surface.
Her gaze swept intermittently over the pillars on either side, the corners, the flowerbeds—those beautiful eyes darting left and right, as though guarding against something.
Qin Junyue noticed, but asked nothing.
The two passed through a moon-gate and entered the inner courtyard.
There was even more red here, so much that it nearly swallowed a person whole.
Qi Chuyao's steps finally slowed—not because she wished to, but because the path ahead was blocked by a great pile of gift boxes stacked for the betrothal.
She stopped, turned her head, and suddenly spoke:
"Qin Junyue, don't leave tonight—just keep me company."
Qin Junyue raised a brow slightly and smiled. "That was my intention exactly. I won't leave tonight."
"Tomorrow." Qi Chuyao kept the smile on her face as she continued forward, weaving around the pile of boxes. "Tomorrow we'll get up early and go hunting outside the city again."
Qin Junyue's expression stiffened, a faint smile frozen awkwardly on her lips as she gave a slight nod.
Inwardly, she was cursing her terrible luck.
‘How is it that you still want to go hunting tomorrow? Will this never end?’
Word had long spread throughout the capital that this year, Qi Chuyao was to send an Auspicious Letter to the Song Family. The news had circulated everywhere.
The moment Qin Junyue heard it, she had carefully counted out the days well in advance and arrived early at the Qi Family Residence with flowery words on her lips:
"Elder Sister Qi, I've missed you."
"Best sisters, for life."
All those pretty words had one purpose: to go along with Qi Chuyao to the Song Family Estate and catch a glimpse of Song Ning.
She hadn't seen him in a long time.
The last time—when had it even been?
Qin Junyue thought about it. It seemed like two months ago.
The Song Family had invited the Qi Family as guests, a sort of banquet. She had a decent relationship with both families, and as Capital Garrison Commander, she was considered one of their own and had naturally been invited too.
There had been many people that day. She had only caught a few distant glimpses of him; not a single word had passed between them. It had been all the Song and Qi mothers chatting together.
Occasionally, her strong martial abilities and bright future would be praised in a few words, and after that—nothing more.
Both the Song and Qi Families had intentions of promoting her, and when the two families met privately, she would sometimes be called along. That was the only way she had ever exchanged a few words with Song Ning—together at meetings to discuss affairs.
The sole opportunity for a private meeting was during festivals and holidays, when she could justify paying a visit to Song Ning.
But those chances were far too few.
She was the Capital Garrison Commander, a woman of a different surname with no blood ties to the Song Family. She truly had no reason to frequently seek private meetings with an unmarried young master—let alone one who was blind. If word got out, it would ruin a reputation entirely.
Qin Junyue had waited and waited, and at last this opportunity had come.
Qi Chuyao was going to the Song Family Estate to deliver the Auspicious Letter—surely it was only natural for Qin Junyue to accompany her?
Yet somehow she had never expected Qi Chuyao to be so impossibly inconsiderate.
The moment she saw Qin Junyue had arrived, Qi Chuyao said nothing about going to the Song Family. Instead her eyes lit up, she grabbed Qin Junyue by the arm, and dragged her out of the city:
"Let's go—hunting!"
Qin Junyue had been struck completely dumb on the spot.
She had tried several times to drop subtle hints, gently reminding Qi Chuyao that today was the day she ought to personally deliver the Auspicious Letter.
Before she could even finish speaking, Qi Chuyao had waved her off with a voice full of impatience:
"I'm not going. What's there to go for? My attendant can go in my place."
As she spoke, she drew the bow, tested the string, and added offhandedly:
"Besides, whether I'll even keep him is still up in the air. He's not worthy of me."
Qin Junyue's heart plummeted. A flash of cold ferocity passed through her phoenix eyes.
"My mother insists I marry him, otherwise I wouldn't spare him a single glance." Qi Chuyao narrowed her eyes, lining up her shot at the distant target. "When the time is right, I'll divorce him. A blind man."
She released the bowstring. The arrow split the air.
Straight through the center.
Qi Chuyao smiled, set the bow down, and turned to look at Qin Junyue.
Sunlight fell across her face; her dark hair floated lightly in the breeze, her brows and eyes animated and vivid—beautiful beyond reason.
"Right, Qin Junyue." She suddenly said. "I seem to recall you know him, don't you?"
The expression on Qin Junyue's face vanished instantly.
She smiled faintly, the corner of her lips curving into a light arc.
"Know him, more or less." Her tone was flat. "I'm the Capital Garrison Commander after all—sometimes the Song Family calls me over to discuss affairs, so I see him fairly often."
She paused, then added: "Do you remember, back then……"
Before she could finish, Qi Chuyao tossed the bow in her hands over.
"That bow was well chosen." She laughed, dusting off her hands. "Come on, let's go have fun."
Qin Junyue caught the bow. The words stuck in her throat and never made it out.
She watched Qi Chuyao swing herself up onto her horse, and felt a wave of frustration rise in her chest.
That frustration was like a flame, burning hot enough to make her unable to sit or stand still.
She mounted her horse and followed behind Qi Chuyao, watching that bold and unrestrained figure ahead, those words echoing over and over in her mind.
"He's not worthy of me."
"A blind man."
"When the time is right, I'll divorce him."
Qin Junyue's hand gripped the reins tightly. In a place where Qi Chuyao could not see, her face had taken on a darkened cast, a dangerous glint passing through her eyes.
****
At this moment, Qi Chuyao was leading Qin Junyue quietly through the courtyard toward her own quarters.
The sky had already darkened. Dusk was closing in on all sides, the courtyard lanterns not yet fully lit, the light dim and shadowy.
The two passed through a Decorated Gate and turned into a long, narrow passage between walls.
The passage was tight, with tall courtyard walls on either side, and overhead only a slender strip of sky.
The evening wind poured in from the mouth of the lane—cool and sharp, sending a chill across the back of the neck.
Qin Junyue followed behind her, sensing vaguely that something was off.
From around the corner ahead, a tall figure suddenly stepped out.
The person wore a vermilion official robe and held a long whip, standing squarely in the middle of the passage, blocking the path completely.
In the fading light their face was impossible to make out—only those furious eyes were visible.
Qi Chuyao's steps lurched to an abrupt halt.
She hunched her back, and the trace of impatience that had been on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning smile.
"Mother……" Her voice softened. "You're not resting?"
A cutting sound tore through the air.
CRACK!
The whip came down—fast and merciless.
"So you know how to come back?"
"Do you know what day it is today? Why didn't you just die out there?"