Chapter 131: Do I Look Like a Loser to You?

“Splash, splash.”

“Why did you give me a man’s clothes? They’re a little loose, but I can make do.”

By the hot spring, Chu Ge was talking to herself. When she turned around, a pair of bright green eyes was staring at her.

“Whoa! Don’t you make any sound when you walk? You scared me.”

A flicker passed through Chong Li’s eyes. “There are only the two of us here. I never intended to prepare women’s clothing. This set is mine.”

Chong Li had imagined that Lianbao would show at least a little surprise, then throw her arms around him and, blushing shyly, murmur, “Chong Li, you…”

But reality often strayed far from imagination.

There was no embrace. Instead, a fist came flying.

“Chong Li, look! Don’t I look pretty good in your clothes? I’ve always thought Chu Ge’s little face was perfect for a young gentleman’s outfit!”

Her fist landed against his chest. It neither hurt nor tickled, yet it stirred Chong Li’s imagination all the same.

Who could have guessed that beside a hot spring, with mist billowing through the hazy air, this girl was thinking of nothing more than comparing which of them looked better?

The two walked shoulder to shoulder. Beneath the sunlight, through the desolate residence, their backs looked almost like those of two men strolling together in conversation.

“How could you not buy a few servants after taking on the identity of the Prince of Qi? Today is our wedding day, after all. This place is so terribly cold and empty,” Chu Ge complained under her breath.

Chong Li merely smiled. “I heard from the imperial edict that the girl I was to marry was not the Second Young Lady of the Marquis of Chu’s household. Naturally, I never intended to bring her through the gates.”

“Wow, wow, wow! Chong Li! Are you always this ruthless toward women?” Chu Ge raised her hand and lightly poked him on the shoulder.

“Not always. There is one exception.”

With that, Chong Li quickened his pace. The curve of his lips could no longer be forcibly suppressed, leaving a certain someone standing there in a daze.

“One exception… Is he talking about me? It should be me… Wait for me! You awful Chong Li!”

Hearing that, Chong Li slowly reduced his pace. Otherwise, the little one would surely bristle.

He had already gone far ahead, so she hurriedly pumped her short legs and scurried over to his side.

“Then how did you know the bride had been changed?”

In his heart, Chong Li answered: Because it was you. That is how I knew.

“Oh. I guessed.”

“You guessed?” Chu Ge’s voice rose. She clearly did not believe him, but his expression did not look false either, so she decided not to investigate further.

Chong Li smiled as he looked at the little one who came only to his chest. She had never truly been so short, and she had been far more beautiful than she was now. But once she was herself, he could sense her no matter whether it was her soul or her aura.

The Crown Prince’s Residence.

Crown Prince Qi Ming normally lived in the Eastern Palace within the imperial palace. But this was not a formal princess consort he was marrying, and according to their customs, an unmarried crown prince could not bring a concubine into the palace.

Dressed in wedding robes, Crown Prince Qi Ming waited for his bride. The assassin had sent word the previous night and had already collected his payment. By all rights, Chu Ge should have been thoroughly dead, and today’s wedding ought to have been canceled.

Qi Ming was still wondering why the ceremony was proceeding. Surely the Marquis of Chu’s household could not possibly have sent him a corpse.

But this bride… Could it be someone else?

“Your Highness! The bride has arrived!”

The matchmaker had a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth. She raised her voice into a shrill, gong-like cry.

At the entrance to the Crown Prince’s Residence, gongs and drums thundered. Even if he was merely taking a concubine, she was still the crown prince’s concubine. The dignity of the royal family could not be neglected.

Yet because she was only a concubine, she could not enter through the main gate, as custom had decreed since ancient times.

“Why have we stopped, Matchmaker? Have we arrived?” Chu You could not resist lifting a corner of her red veil and peering through the sedan’s window.

How many times had she once walked beneath these red walls and blue tiles? How many times had she dreamed of living here one day? She had never imagined that her wish would actually come true.

Joy tugged constantly at the corners of Chu You’s lips. Since waking that morning, she had not stopped smiling. She lowered her veil again and waited for the servants to help her from the sedan.

“Lady Chu, time to leave the sedan!”

Chu You was a daughter of the Marquis’s household, after all, and her manners were impeccable. Once she stepped down, she walked with graceful composure.

Because she was merely a Lady of Attendance, Crown Prince Qi Ming did not need to receive her personally. Ordinarily, he only had to wait until nightfall before consummating the marriage.

The matchmaker led Chu You into the bridal chamber, dismissed the maids, and left Chu You there alone.

Her heart full of delight, Chu You sat beside the window and waited for the crown prince to claim her. After tonight, she would belong to the Crown Prince.

It had only just passed mealtime. She still had several hours to wait.

Meanwhile, at the Prince of Qi’s Residence—

“What expression do you think Qi Ming will have when he sees Chu You?”

Chu Ge cracked melon seeds as she spoke to Chong Li, who was playing the qin.

For convenience, the two of them had used a cleansing spell to tidy the courtyard. It now looked, at least, somewhat like a prince’s residence.

Chong Li’s long, distinct-knuckled fingers rested lightly upon the strings.

“If he realizes that the person who married him was Chu You and not Chu Ge, what do you think he will feel?”

Chu Ge’s hands paused mid-crack.

“Oh, right, I forgot. In Qi Ming’s eyes, Chu Ge is already dead. So if Chu You married him… isn’t she taking my punishment in my place?”

“Do you think Chu You is clever?”

Chu Ge did not want to judge too directly. After all, this was not a sister she particularly cared for.

“Average, I suppose.”

“Exactly.” Chong Li looked straight into her eyes, his gaze utterly undisguised. “She will not die. And Crown Prince Qi Ming will conceal her true identity for her. In his eyes, compared with Chu Ge, Chu You is a young lady known to everyone, while Chu Ge is a fool and a useless girl known to everyone. Chu You is advantageous to him.”

Chu Ge nodded thoughtfully. “Mm, mm… That makes sense. Hmm? A fool and a useless girl?”

Seeing her fur bristle, Chong Li could not hide the smile on his lips. “I was speaking of the real Chu Ge, not you. You are very clever.”

Irritated, Chu Ge rose with her hands on her hips, looking ready to argue with him. Then she lightly brushed the dust from her clothes.

“That’s more like it.”

She turned back toward Chong Li. Even with the glowing clouds behind him, even after several centuries, he remained as handsome as ever. Whether she looked at his back or his face, she could never grow tired of him.

Chu Ge found herself staring.

“Do you like what you see?” Chong Li asked, his voice rich with amusement.

“Very much!”

The answer came without thought. It had not passed through her mind at all; it had risen straight from her heart.

The smile on Chong Li’s lips deepened, and his spirits lifted as his hands plucked the qin strings.

“Phoenix, oh phoenix, return to your homeland.
Roam across the four seas in search of your mate.”

How could Chu Ge, who also understood music, fail to recognize the piece Chong Li was playing?

“‘Phoenix Seeking Its Mate.’ Chong Li, you…”

His warm, velvety voice brought forth the words Chu Ge had awaited for months.

“A song of devotion.”

Chu Ge’s pupils contracted.

She did not know when the respect she had once held for her master had transformed into love.

Was it when he had descended from the heavens to save her after she had become stranded on Snowpeak? Or when they had first met within the Immortal Sect, when he had held a jade flute and said he wanted to see whether her true identity had been taken over by another soul?

Perhaps it was when he had suddenly descended from the heavens again, or when he had passed through a sea of beautiful women without wavering before their temptations, remaining faithful and untouched for her sake.

Everything about Chong Li as he sat there playing the qin made her heart tremble.

Do you know how long I have waited to hear you say those words?

Enough. There was no need to think about it anymore. Those words alone were enough…