The rain outside did not fall on Pei Lianyi, yet his heart felt as if it had been pierced by a dense, myriad of things—aching, weak, and almost unable to hold him upright.
Noticing his wavering, brimming eyes, the Ghost-Faced Man seemed to raise a hand, wanting to steady his shoulder. But just before touching his upper arm, the man stopped, leaving only the words, “I’ll come again tomorrow night,” before vanishing from the bedroom.
“Ugh…” After he left, Pei Lianyi crouched down by the trembling door panel. He grit his teeth, closing his eyes. His originally pale face flushed completely red.
The night rain carried a slight chill. Even through the door, his back, clad only in a thin sleeping robe, seemed to be tainted by the damp.
Pei Lianyi did not rise for a long time. He dug his fingers into the doorframe. His mind was filled with the moment his fingertips had dug into the Ghost-Faced Man’s arm.
“Family Head…! Family Head, what’s wrong?!” Seeing no light from his room, Cao Xian, who was patrolling the night, rushed over and placed his lantern outside the door.
Feeling the warmth from outside, Pei Lianyi finally came back to his senses and said hoarsely, “It’s nothing. Just a bit of a chill.”
As he spoke, he stumbled to his feet, draped a fine outer robe over himself, and opened the door.
The servants quickly sent in steaming hot Jujube and Ginger Soup with golden threads, along with a plate of Magnolia pastries.
To keep anyone from noticing anything amiss, Pei Lianyi had to act as if nothing had happened and casually ate his late-night snack.
Seeing his strange expression, Cao Xian lowered his aged eyes and said, “In this old servant’s view, ever since the Little Young Master ran away, our manor has been lacking in yang energy. Once the most important male is gone, doesn’t it just invite all sorts of things in…”
Pei Lianyi’s hand, holding the silver chopsticks, paused. He was a bit helpless.
After what happened just now, feeling the bulging veins on the Ghost-Faced Man’s hand, he knew this wasn’t about demons or ghosts.
That man, though powerful beyond human measure, had burning breath, flowing blood, and… the reactions of an adult man. He was clearly a living person.
However, Cao Xian had a point. Since Ziying ran from the wedding, leaving home, without his son’s noise, this household had lost most of its vitality.
Male? Thinking of these two words, Pei Lianyi’s mind conjured Huo Jingzhao’s warm, genial, and frank face.
If he were here, perhaps he could resist these strange events.
Stirring the light golden soup, Pei Lianyi found this thought, once it surfaced, rather unstoppable. But remembering the Ghost-Faced Man’s threat, another wave of heart palpitations hit him.
Just when Master Pei was agonizing over “how to let that male enter the household legitimately,” an opportunity came. Rongchu City welcomed a grand, once-in-a-decade event—the Dragon Boat Festival.
Ancient texts said the Dragon God once settled in the Rong Kingdom and had six sons and six daughters. Later, the six children each married, giving birth to the Sea God, Earth God, Wind God, Fire God, War God, and Wine God.
Ever since, Rongchu City revered the sea above all. They built a dragon boat for generations, letting people shout along the lakes and seas to search for the Sea God’s trail.
The maritime transport here was long controlled by the Four Great Clans. To ensure a fair rotation of power, the Chamber of Commerce and the Four Great Clans jointly held the dragon boat race.
Any merchant family in the city could choose a representative to compete. The winner would not only gain the pricing power for sea transport for a year but could also have their family offer incense at the city’s largest royal temple—Celestial Sound Temple.
All in all, this was a matter of bringing glory to one’s ancestors. Yet the small merchants willing to compete were few and far between.
If asked, the answer was fear of death.
Although the race’s rewards were generous, conditions at sea were unpredictable. One slight misstep and one could fall into the sea and die.
What’s more, the Four Great Clans were rich and powerful. The contestants they sent were either strong soldiers or seasoned river dragons. What could ordinary folks use to compete with these masters?
Over time, people thought the race was just a show the Four Great Clans put on. In the end, the winner would only ever come from among them.
But no one expected that in this edition of the Dragon Boat Festival, a roadblock would appear halfway through.
Sang Sha found Huo Jingzhao by the lake, sitting and skipping stones.
He hadn’t changed out of last night’s black armor. His black hair was loose, the tips slightly curled from the rain. He looked a bit lazy, with a trace of deep, sinister charm.
“The Young Sect Master is in a good mood today,” Sang Sha said quietly, watching the small stones fly from his palm, skimming smoothly across the water.
Every time Huo Jingzhao threw a stone, he took a small sip of wine.
Sang Sha knew that was a form of self-control for him.
Unlike the gentle, unambitious facade of the Huo family’s Young Master, the Young Sect Master of Nine Blossoms Sect was actually a man of heavy desires. Wine, lust, food, greed—these were displayed vividly in this mature male body. But to cultivate his Internal Cultivation and complete his plans as soon as possible, he had to suppress them constantly.
Those unreleased things eventually turned into a filthy blackness, following him like a shadow during cultivation rampages and life-or-death crises.
The stones were all thrown. More than half the wine remained, but Huo Jingzhao didn’t drink any more. He poured the remaining wine into the water and suddenly smiled. “Last night, he wanted to bite me.”
He touched his arm, his eyes full of interest. “He took the initiative to hug my arm, holding up my right arm, trembling like a newborn lamb, all milky white.”
Remembering the glimpse of pale skin he inadvertently saw from that angle when he lowered his head, Huo Jingzhao’s pupils deepened.
No wonder he hadn’t changed his clothes… Sang Sha’s brow twitched. He immediately realized who he was talking about.
“Is the Young Sect Master injured?” he probed.
“If he’d actually dared to bite, I would’ve dislocated his jaw.” Huo Jingzhao stood up. He took the Dragon Boat Festival life-and-death contract he’d just signed from his chest and threw it to him, saying coldly, “You came looking for me today for this, didn’t you?”
Taking the paper the man threw, Sang Sha, sweating coldly, brightened and nodded repeatedly. “Yes. The Sect Master said this Dragon Boat Festival is a good time to disrupt the Four Great Clans and cause internal strife. We…”
He had been wondering how to report this to the man. After all, with Young Master Huo’s current lowly status, it wouldn’t be easy to openly compete. He hadn’t expected the man to have already signed up.
“I will satisfy him.” Huo Jingzhao interrupted him. He put his hands behind his back, his tone becoming flat. “But this isn’t for him. It’s for the Huo family. And to offer those two sticks of eternal incense at Celestial Sound Temple.”
He gazed at the lake surface, a crack seeming to appear in his dark pupils.
He wouldn’t even furrow his brow when cultivation injuries flared, when cutting away rotting flesh with a blade, or when disinfecting wounds with strong liquor. But at this moment, Sang Sha caught a faint sense of desolation in the man’s features.
And… loneliness.
The Young Sect Master who possessed the world’s most luxurious Nine Blossoms Sect, surrounded by countless beauties, could he feel loneliness too…? Sang Sha shook his head, thinking he must be mad, and cupped his fist. “Understood. This subordinate will report back to the Sect Master.”
On the other side, at the Huo residence, upon learning their son would compete, the Huo couple felt some worry, but more joy.
Thinking that if their son won, he might not need to become the live-in son-in-law of the Pei Manor, no longer having to live under someone else’s roof, Madam Huo, despite her ill health, made competition clothes and a paddle with her husband.
When Huo Jingzhao returned, the couple was still busy.
“Father and Mother, what are you making?” As soon as he entered, he walked into the woodshed, ladled some water to drink, changed into a white tunic, and wiped his hands as he returned to the courtyard.
Seeing her son appear in the daylight, looking fresh and clean, Madam Huo’s eyes curved. She hurriedly picked up the new clothes and measured them against him. “We’re making your competition outfit. Old Huo, see? I told you this color suits Jingzhao!”
As she spoke, she glared at the middle-aged man beside her.
The fabric in her hands was a mix of red and white, pasted over with waterproof oilcloth, shimmering in the sun like scales.
“It does suit him. He looks like a carp,” Huo’s father said, spreading his hands.
Madam Huo immediately shot back, “Looking like a carp is good! A carp leaping over the Dragon Gate!”
Hearing their exchange, Huo Jingzhao laughed heartily.
He was handsome and refined like jade. His usual smile was just innocuous honesty. But when he genuinely smiled at his family, it was full of youthful spirit.
Seeing him smile like that, Madam Huo froze. With a somewhat bittersweet feeling, she pulled her hands back.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” Huo Jingzhao put away his smile upon seeing this.
“It’s nothing.” Madam Huo secretly wiped a tear. “Thinking of you going out to work all alone, carrying the family’s burden on your shoulders all these years. If you had little brothers and sisters…”
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Huo Jingzhao’s expression shifted slightly. After a moment, he crouched down and said gently, “It’s not hard.”
“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll do my best in the competition.”
“Good, good.” Madam Huo patted his hand, smiling with relief. “Your father rowed a dragon boat in his youth too. But the boat was too narrow, and he was too fat. It capsized as soon as he got on…”
“Hahaha…”
“Ha, a man whose engagement was broken off! What right does he have to compete?!”
Just as the family was happily chatting, a mocking voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Huo Jingzhao turned his head. It turned out to be people from the Leng and Shi families who had come knocking.
Among the Four Great Clans of Rongchu City, these two families were the most “active.”
Unlike the Pei family, who had been merchants for generations, the Leng family’s ancestors had made their fortune through shady dealings. Perhaps too many unscrupulous businesses brought their own retribution. Master Leng passed away from illness before he was forty, leaving only a single sapling, Young Master Leng.
The Young Master Leng’s full name was Leng Huan. It was said his mother had a difficult labor, causing him to be born underdeveloped. Not only was he sickly, but his stature was shorter than that of ordinary men.
Precisely because of his congenital deficiencies, Leng Huan relied on the Leng Manor’s background and often bullied the poor at the academy and wharves, especially the young and strong poor men.
The Shi family, on the other hand, had a thriving population. Not only did they own the largest silk brocade shop, but they also controlled the major temples and sacrificial events in the city.
With Leng Huan as the front man, the Shi family was happy to send people to cause trouble with him, later reaping the benefits.
For them to pay such close attention to the Dragon Boat Festival, they must have already decided on the winner behind the scenes.
After thinking for a moment, Huo Jingzhao took a step forward, cupped his fist, and smiled lightly.
“Young Master Leng, I, Huo, have only heard that men with incomplete limbs cannot compete. I’ve never heard that those with broken engagements cannot compete.”
His smile was respectful, his tone gentle. As he spoke, he frowned slightly, as if thinking carefully and cautiously. He looked utterly harmless.
But Leng Huan was enraged. Pointing a short finger at him, he said, “You… are you subtly mocking me?!”
Huo Jingzhao let out an “Ah,” and immediately raised his hands, stepping back. “I was only stating the rules of the competition.”
“I meant no offense.”
Looking at his smiling face and remembering how this poor man had stolen the limelight because of the Pei Manor’s marriage arrangement, Leng Huan ground his teeth in fury.
“Huo Jingzhao, do you really think you’re Master Pei’s son-in-law? Let me tell you, the Pei Manor is just toying with you! A shabby, poor man like you dares to compete with us for maritime supremacy?”
As he spoke, he turned and commanded his men. “Go over there. Tear that outfit of his for me!”
“Yes—!” The servants immediately lunged towards Madam Huo.
“No…!” Madam Huo hastily shielded the fabric in her hands, pleading, “Young Master Leng, it’s all Jingzhao’s fault. He misspoke and offended you… You, you are magnanimous, please let him go.”
Seeing her hair become disheveled in the scuffle, Huo Jingzhao’s expression changed.
“Mother…” He opened his mouth, called out.
Madam Huo was ill and naturally couldn’t withstand the tearing and pulling of several men. She quickly fell to the ground.
Seeing his wife being bullied, Huo’s father also grabbed a nearby oar and rushed forward to fight them desperately.
Rip— A tearing sound echoed in the courtyard. Looking again, the outfit in Madam Huo’s hands was beyond recognition.
“Everyone, stop—!”
Just as everyone was stunned, an angry shout suddenly came from outside the door.
Immediately after, a group of Manor Guards and servants rushed into the Huo residence, standing on both sides of the courtyard.
Cao Xian, who had shouted, followed behind them and stood guard at the door.
“It’s… it’s Master Pei who’s here!”
Seeing this display of force, Leng Huan and the Shi family people were both shocked and afraid. And seeing the person who walked out of the sedan chair, everyone’s eyes widened.
The ornate sedan chair landed gracefully. A slender, boneless hand lifted the curtain, followed by a pair of noble black jade boots with tassels.
Unlike last time, when he wore a thin, gauzy robe, Pei Lianyi today was dressed in a formal dark purple robe. The neat patterns, the tightly closed buttons—this was his unique authority and conservatism.
Because it was hot, his waterfall-like long hair was bound into a purple-gold crown, hanging smoothly down by his waist, adding a touch of radiant beauty to him.
Everyone held their breath and stood, watching him. But Pei Lianyi only said to Cao Xian, “I feel nauseous.”
Knowing the Family Head was still dizzy from the sedan chair ride, Cao Xian quickly had someone bring a chair and place it in the middle of the courtyard.
Pei Lianyi sat down. From his line of sight, he could just see Huo Jingzhao’s palm.
“Master Pei, you, why have you graced us…”
“Get back down.”
Just as Leng Huan was about to approach, he was shouted down sharply by Cao Xian.
“I… I…” The person who had just been swaggering instantly flushed red, rubbing the corner of his clothes, at a loss.
At this moment, Pei Lianyi said coolly, “Young man, even if your great-grandfather were here, he would have to kneel to speak with me.”
“Where did you get the audacity?”
Leng Huan instantly broke out in a sweat, because he knew Pei Lianyi was right.
The person before him was the Pearl of Rongchu, who had seized ships from generals, burned the sea, and even made the imperial court wary. In terms of seniority and status, no one present was qualified to speak with him on equal footing.
The Chamber of Commerce was strictly hierarchical. In every meeting, as long as Pei Lianyi stood, no one dared to sit. When he took his seat, the others generally couldn’t look down at him or meet his gaze on a level, so they could only kneel on prayer mats and listen.
Over time, this became an unspoken rule.
“Master Pei! The Huo family hasn’t been in business for a long time! This junior just… just felt that Huo Jingzhao isn’t qualified to participate in the Dragon Boat Festival.”
Leng Huan knelt straight, his face pale, and said, “Furthermore, his conduct is improper! He’s no Honest Man at all!”
“Yes!” At this moment, a thug behind him chimed in, “That guy even skipped his fare on a boat the day before yesterday! We brothers beat him up good for it.”
Hearing that her normally upright son would skip a fare, Madam Huo was stunned.
Pei Lianyi’s expression was blank. “Before Huo Jingzhao and Ziying’s marriage is settled, he is considered half a member of the Pei Manor. For this Dragon Boat Festival, he will represent the Pei Manor.”
Huo Jingzhao’s gaze had been glued to him since earlier. Now, hearing these words, it stirred slightly.
“Wha… What…!” Leng Huan’s vision went black. He could only stand up with a servant’s help.
Watching him turn into a puddle of mud, Cao Xian waved a hand at the Manor Guards, signaling them to clear the yard.
After the Manor Guards dragged the troublemakers away, Madam Huo let out a long sigh of relief and urgently asked her son, “Jingzhao, how could you skip a fare?”
“Where did they hit you? Let Mother see…”
Hearing this question, Pei Lianyi, who had risen to walk toward Huo Jingzhao, stopped. He raised his eyes and looked at the man, as if waiting for his answer.
Huo Jingzhao fixed his gaze on him, lingering on his tightly closed collar.
Pei Lianyi clearly felt his face heat up. That day, the boat had rocked violently. He had no time to think much before Huo Jingzhao firmly held him.
Compared to that handsome face, his arms were unbelievably strong.
Just a brief moment, a single time, yet it made Pei Lianyi’s mind confused and unforgettable.
While Madam Huo was still frantically checking her son’s injuries, Huo Jingzhao suddenly said, “It’s a secret.”
“What? You child… what can’t you tell your own parents?” The Huo couple were very surprised.
Huo Jingzhao merely curled the corner of his lips.
Then Pei Lianyi strolled over and said, “Since Jingzhao doesn’t want to say, you two should not press further.”
The Huo couple immediately became flustered and deferential. “Yes, yes… if Master Pei says so, we certainly won’t press… we won’t press.”
“Ahem… Mm.” Pei Lianyi stood there, pursing his lips.
“Ah, well, Master Pei and Jingzhao should talk. We’ll go back inside first.” Seeing the two had something to say, Madam Huo immediately dragged Huo’s father back into the house.
After they left, Pei Lianyi’s tone softened. “Are you alright?”
“It’s nothing. I’m used to it.” Huo Jingzhao replied, his voice unusually hoarse.
“That injury on your face…” It was as if Pei Lianyi’s heart was scratched by his rough tone. He raised his hand, wanting to touch the man’s face, but stopped. “Don’t drink alcohol in the coming days. It wouldn’t be good if it got infected.”
As he spoke, he was about to put his hand down, but Huo Jingzhao caught it in a firm grip.
“That day, when Master Pei crashed into my arms like a fawn, I won’t tell anyone.”
The man’s pupils deepened, reflecting Pei Lianyi’s blushing face. “I want to keep this secret to myself.”
