Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 16

At this moment, Gu Xiyan’s cloak fell to the ground, completely revealing her appearance. She was dressed in a white brocade robe with cloud patterns, over which she wore a layer of gauze. She stood there quietly, her clothes gently floating, showing no trace of fear from the attack. Her face, as delicate and soft as carved white jade, was radiant, with a brilliance that shone through her brows and eyes. Her beauty was not ostentatious; at first glance, it even seemed somewhat plain. But once your gaze fell upon her, it was hard to look away. Her demeanor was elegant and graceful, and her ever-constant gentleness and refinement exuded a sense of compassionate purity.

The people who saw her felt as if an immortal had descended. For a moment, apart from the soft gasps, the scene was eerily quiet.

Even Nangong Pei, who had torn off her cloak, couldn’t help but pause for a moment. He then composed himself and continued to watch Gu Xiyan.

Gu Xiyan knew he was looking at her, but she didn’t glance toward the pavilion. Instead, she instructed Ah Da, “Accompany Ah Lang and bury Uncle and Auntie Zhuo.” After saying this, she gave a slight bow. “Thank you, Daoist Master.” She then turned to help Ah Lang up.

Ah Da lowered his guard and stood protectively by Gu Xiyan’s side, giving orders to the others.

“Let’s go.”

Ah Lang didn’t get up immediately but instead took a step back, bowing deeply to Gu Xiyan along with Little Qiao’er and Ling’er. He then bowed to the beggar who had pleaded for them. Gu Xiyan paused her hand, which had been about to help him up, allowing the young boy to finish his kowtow before rising.

Ah Da had people take away the bodies of the Zhuo couple, and Gu Xiyan slowly descended from the Atonement Platform. A woman standing close to her noticed her appearance and was shocked to discover that those beautiful eyes were unfocused. Although her steps were steady and relaxed, the emptiness in her gaze was quite evident.

“Is she actually blind?” the woman exclaimed in disbelief.

At this, the surrounding people all turned their attention to her eyes. Gu Xiyan’s face remained unexpectedly calm, showing no signs of embarrassment or anger, as if the comments weren’t about her. She led Ah Lang and the others through the crowd, which quickly parted to make way.

Ah Qi, however, felt offended and glared fiercely at the woman.

“She really is blind. It’s such a pity that someone like her is blind.”

“Isn’t this blind girl the eldest daughter of the Gu family?”

“Yes, it seems the Gu family servants are with her. I had no idea the Gu family’s eldest daughter was so beautiful.”

Ye Qinming watched everything from afar, a stone she had been holding in her hand crushed to pieces. Her eyes showed a hint of dissatisfaction. “This woman dares to show her face at a time like this. She’s either fearless or foolish!”

Once people are dead, what does it matter about their bodies? They’re just empty shells. Those two little demons brought their deaths upon themselves. Instead of living peacefully as demons, they chose to mingle with humans and ended up killed by a mad Daoist. What a disgrace to the demon race.

Her eyes glinted with a faint red light as she glanced at Nangong Pei, her lips curling in disdain. He was just like those so-called gods, though he hadn’t learned their hypocrisy, only their ruthlessness.

Despite her internal criticisms, Ye Qinming still flashed over to follow them. If that fox spirit who had been eyeing her made a move, her “snack” would be gone.

The Zhuo couple were not from Danyang. Although they lived here, they didn’t have a family ancestral grave or shrine. Knowing they were demons, their neighbors naturally refused to allow them to be buried on their mountain.

Gu Xiyan sought her parents’ permission and found a place with good feng shui in their family’s woods to bury the couple.

Ah Lang and his two sisters knelt by the grave for a long time. Gu Xiyan felt deeply for them but didn’t try to console them, simply standing by their side to accompany the three children.

After what seemed like an eternity, the boy dressed in mourning clothes stood up and looked at Gu Xiyan. “Sister Gu, thank you for arranging the funeral and finding a burial place for my parents. This kindness, the three of us will never forget. But I have nothing to repay you with. If you don’t mind us being young, I am willing to sell myself to the Gu family and serve you as an ox or horse to repay your kindness.”

Gu Xiyan shook her head. “Uncle and Auntie Zhuo are gone. Make sure to take stock of what they left behind. Little Qiao’er and Ling’er are still young, and you’re only twelve. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you on your own. But there’s no need to sell yourself. You can stay at the Gu residence with your sisters and learn some skills from the stewards. How does that sound?”

Ah Lang’s voice choked with emotion as he nodded vigorously. He knew Gu Xiyan was trying to help them.

The events of the day left Gu Xiyan feeling utterly exhausted. After returning home, she sat quietly in her room for a long time.

Meanwhile, Gu Ye, upon learning that she had gone out and been seen, was extremely anxious. But since it had already happened, he couldn’t blame Gu Xiyan. He too was deeply moved by the fate of the Zhuo couple. He could only headache over how to fend off the eager matchmakers who, upon seeing his daughter’s beauty, were now clamoring to arrange a marriage. As if!

Gu Xiyan had Ah Qi and the others leave, sitting alone in her room as she slowly ground a tea cake. The bitter taste of the tea was overshadowed by a refreshing, mellow fragrance that soothed the soul.

But her heart remained unsettled. The words she had heard from the onlookers, the smell of blood that lingered in her nose, and the lingering sense of disgust from her senses continued to haunt her.

She couldn’t see the tragic state of Uncle and Auntie Zhuo, but the oppressive feeling Nangong Pei had given her, along with the sounds of Ah Lang and Little Qiao’er’s grief, allowed her to imagine the scene all too well.

Having grown up under her parents’ protection, Gu Xiyan had always been taught to embody the virtues of a noble person. Her parents were kind-hearted, and from a young age, she had been educated in literature and ethics. Her teachers had instilled in her the importance of acting with compassion, treating others with courtesy, standing firm in virtue, and helping others with righteousness. To be sincere, strict with oneself, persistent in actions, and loving in assistance.

She had never doubted these teachings and had always lived by them. But today, she realized how difficult it was for the world to uphold such values.

Gu Xiyan slowly put down the tea cake and sighed softly. Just then, she heard footsteps—not from Ah Qi or the others, but a familiar sound she hadn’t heard in a long time. She instinctively looked up, about to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she focused on the movements of the newcomer.

“This might be the first time I’ve heard you sigh. How rare,” Ye Qinming said, her eyes never leaving Gu Xiyan. It had been a long time since she had seen her up close, and the feeling was strangely nostalgic.

Gu Xiyan had been lost in thought, but upon hearing Ye Qinming’s voice, she suddenly felt a sense of calm.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

She tilted her head slightly, a habit she had developed due to her blindness, as if listening intently. Her fair, jade-like face was soft and gentle, no longer as downcast as before, returning to the same tenderness as when they first met.

Ye Qinming didn’t speak immediately, her gaze intently scanning Gu Xiyan’s face.

Though she couldn’t see, Gu Xiyan could clearly sense Ye Qinming’s focused scrutiny. A faint smile curved her lips. “Is there something on my face?”

Ye Qinming quickly looked away, sitting down on a nearby chair. “No, I was just curious that you finally showed some other emotions.” Gu Xiyan’s expression stiffened slightly, and her smile faded. Seeing this, Ye Qinming immediately regretted her words and changed the subject. “I haven’t seen you at the tea garden lately. After picking the tea, you just left it alone. How heartless.”

Gu Xiyan was taken aback, then chuckled softly. Finally, she lowered her eyes and said quietly, “You seemed very angry that day. I thought you might not want to see me.”

Ye Qinming was momentarily speechless. She stood up and paced back and forth a few times before clearing her throat. “Didn’t you think my outburst that day was unreasonable? Since it was my fault, I can’t blame you. Why wouldn’t I want to see you?”

To others, this might have sounded like a tantrum, but Gu Xiyan strangely detected another meaning in her words. Was Ye Qinming indirectly admitting her fault that day? And was she saying that…

“So, do you want to see me?” Gu Xiyan asked, almost involuntarily.

“If I didn’t want to see you, why would I follow you and even sneak into your…” Ye Qinming immediately stopped herself. After a brief silence, her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her voice. “I already told you Danyang isn’t safe, yet you still went out at such a critical time. I just didn’t want the elixirs I left to be snatched by someone else. Don’t overthink it.”

The shift in her tone and her awkward attempt to cover up her true feelings revealed a touch of endearing stubbornness. Gu Xiyan found it amusing but continued to explain gently, “Uncle and Auntie Zhuo were very kind to me. They didn’t deserve such treatment. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Ye Qinming’s narrow eyes held a scrutinizing gaze. “Even though they were demons, you still believed in them? Don’t you all think that demons are inherently evil, killing innocents, and deserve to die?”

Gu Xiyan turned to face her. “All living beings have spirits. As long as there are desires, there will be delusions. Thus, unless one is free from desire, malice will always exist. Demons are like this, and so are humans. The reason people fear demons is that demons possess supernatural powers, making their evil deeds more unrestrained. However, where there is desire, there is also restraint. Humans have kindness, and thus, they have boundaries. The same goes for demons. Good and evil, right and wrong, are not absolute. Judging solely based on origin is the most unjust. Moreover, the malice of humans can sometimes be even more ruthless than that of demons.”

As she spoke, her expression grew somewhat lost and somber, much like what Ye Qinming had glimpsed earlier.

“Is it because of what happened today?” Ye Qinming asked. Although she thought it wasn’t a bad thing for Gu Xiyan to recognize the harshness of the world—in fact, she felt she should be gloating—now, she didn’t want to see Gu Xiyan wearing such an expression.

“Today just showed me that the stories recorded in the classics, whether about good or evil, are all real, and perhaps even more terrifying. The ancients said, ‘Do not reject a person’s great virtues because of their minor faults, nor forget their great kindness because of small grievances.’ The so-called evil of the Zhuo couple was simply being born as demons. Their past kindness and benevolence were completely forgotten by others.”

“But there are still those who remember, aren’t there? The three children they raised aren’t ungrateful, and those beggars did step up in the end. And you—didn’t you go yourself to ensure they were properly buried, saving them from being left to rot in the wilderness?” The Demon Emperor, who had just been on the pavilion scornfully criticizing Gu Xiyan for her foolishness in risking herself for mere corpses, was now using this very act to comfort the “foolish” woman. Gu Xiyan was slightly surprised. The gentle beauty of her face revealed an astonishment that made Ye Qinming feel awkward, yet she also found this side of Gu Xiyan strangely endearing. She stiffly added, “Am I wrong?”

Gu Xiyan shook her head, her voice filled with obvious joy. “No, you’re right.”

After a pause, a smile blossomed on her face. It wasn’t the usual faint smile but one that seemed to ripple like a breeze across a spring pond, creating waves of light. For a moment, the room was filled with a radiant glow, as if spring had arrived.

This smile, which dispelled the gloom and cleared away the shadows, was indescribably dazzling, like the warm sun of spring—bright but not harsh, beautiful but not ostentatious. The ripples it created spread all the way into Ye Qinming’s heart.

Outside, the twilight sun and dusk evenly divided the world. Golden light streamed through the window, illuminating the room. The woman in red, her eyes shining, gazed intently at the white-clad girl whose smile was intoxicating. Unbeknownst to her, a gentle smile had also formed on her own lips.

Author’s Note:

Green Tea: I may be proud and love to argue, but I’m also warm-hearted.

White Lotus: Mm, you’re very good.

Green Tea: You’re truly heartless, those tea get picked and then left behind.

White Lotus: They’re not you. Once I’ve picked you, I’ll definitely keep picking you.