Chapter 9: The Mystery of the Heartless Lover
As it turned out, Lotus Seed Town wasn’t that big. When Du Yu was invited to the second floor, he indeed saw the young lady from yesterday. She looked a year or two older than him, with picturesque features that evoked a sense of pity. Du Yu’s gaze moved downward, noticing her hand holding a brush. Her arm was slender and graceful, her fingers white and delicate, tapering like the sprouts of mountain taro in early spring. Sure enough, the woman who opened the window and hung the lantern yesterday was her.
The moment he saw her, Gongsun Ruo, who had been following Du Yu in boredom, suddenly became alert. Was it because this woman was highly skilled in martial arts, triggering a martial artist’s instinctual vigilance? Du Yu guessed.
Compared to the inexplicable anger from yesterday, this nameless young lady seemed much calmer today. She merely glanced at Du Yu indifferently, not even looking at Gongsun Ruo. “Little Daoist, please sit. I am currently the owner of this rice shop and the eldest daughter of the Li family. How should I address you, Daoist?”
Before coming, Du Yu had inquired with Du Yao. This young lady’s full name was Li Qingya. She was twenty years old, young but generous and capable. She took over the rice shop business last year and was already the de facto mistress of the Li Family Rice Shop in Lotus Seed Town.
“I am Du Yu, a disciple of the Boundless Sect on Mount Seeking Immortals.” Thinking about the somewhat undignified encounter yesterday, Du Yu forgot to correct her that he wasn’t a Daoist priest.
“Du Yu?” Li Qingya raised her eyebrows slightly, seeming a bit surprised. “Personally, I think the name Du Yuge would suit the Little Daoist better.” Before Du Yu could ponder this rather abrupt remark, she continued, “I have some fate with the Little Daoist. We already met on Vermilion Bird Street yesterday, but unfortunately, we didn’t exchange names. What wind blew the Little Daoist here today?”
Unlike the enthusiastic townspeople, the beautiful Li Qingya didn’t seem to care much for Du Yu. Her appearance wasn’t breathtakingly stunning; rather, it was a gentle beauty like flowing water that withstood close scrutiny, like a pot of tea with an endless aftertaste. She just asked Du Yu casually, then picked up her brush and continued to write and draw in the account book. According to social etiquette, this was a signal to see the guest out.
But how would Du Yu know these things? Being a bit dense, he thought Li Qingya was still angry about yesterday, so he said, “Miss Li, I was walking without looking yesterday. Please forgive me.”
Li Qingya replied indifferently, “I’m not angry.”
Yeah, right. Du Yu clearly remembered her furrowed brows and widened eyes when she first saw him yesterday, not to mention how she left without a word afterward.
“But yesterday…”
“I’m not angry!” Li Qingya emphasized, her tone sounding like she was gritting her teeth. This time, she even omitted the humble self-address “slave family” (nujia).
Gongsun Ruo had been holding back for a long time. Hearing this, she suddenly stood up. “Hey, my Brother Yu didn’t bump into you on purpose, and he’s already apologized. Why are you still holding such a grudge?!”
The maid Xiao Qing, sitting behind Li Qingya to the side, also chimed in, “Are you done yet? My Miss already said she’s not angry!”
Gongsun Ruo retorted, “Does she look like she’s not angry? We haven’t even been served tea since we came in, and she’s in a hurry to see us out. We didn’t even want to come! Senior Brother, let’s go…”
Hearing the words “Senior Brother,” Li Qingya’s hand writing paused slightly. She finally raised her eyebrows and looked at Du Yu properly. “Xiao Qing, don’t be rude. How could you forget to serve tea to the guests? Go serve tea quickly.”
Seeing Li Qingya’s attitude soften slightly, Du Yu, who had intended to leave, skipped the polite remarks and got straight to the point. “Miss Li, we heard you encountered a difficulty and are looking for someone, is that right?”
“The Boundless Sect’s annual guidance has made huge contributions to the development of Lotus Seed Town over the years, and the sect also takes it as its mission to help townspeople solve difficulties.” Li Qingya’s voice was very pleasant, clear and bright, making people want to listen attentively. “Naturally, you would find me. However, I am also very curious: who told you that I am looking for someone? In the entire Lotus Seed Town, the number of people who know about this can be counted on one hand.”
Du Yu tactfully kept his mouth shut. He wouldn’t sell out Du Yao. Although she had a world-weary face all day looking like she hated everyone and her personality wasn’t very gentle, she was still his sister after all.
“I know, it was the Little Sister of the Du family, wasn’t it?” Li Qingya didn’t care about Du Yu’s answer. “She always gets involved with some mystical and ghostly things. It’s not strange that she knows about this.”
Mystical and ghostly things? Du Yu looked up in confusion. What did Li Qingya mean? Was she talking about Du Yao?
“Don’t you know? Hehe… Some people say your sister is a fox demon because the night watchman saw a fox scurry into the Du family’s backyard at night… Most of the bizarre things that happen in town usually have something to do with her.” Seeing Du Yu’s blank face, a smile finally bloomed on Li Qingya’s face—a joyful smile like finding a lost childhood toy. “Little Daoist, do you believe there are demons in this world?”
This question made Du Yu’s heart tremble inexplicably. He was absolutely certain that there were martial artists in this world capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks, flying into the sky and burrowing into the earth. But even living on Mount Seeking Immortals, he didn’t believe in gods, ghosts, or spirits.
Since humans could write, they had fantasized about the existence of a transcendent being who could solve all their regrets and problems—perhaps immortals, perhaps ghosts and monsters. They had pursued this transcendent existence for thousands of years, but no one had ever found a trace of them.
“I believe. Because a monster abducted my heartless fiancé.” Li Qingya put down the hard brush in her hand. “Xiao Qing, take the Daoist’s ‘Junior Sister’ to the clothing shop and gift her a new set of clothes on my behalf.”
Junior Sister raised an eyebrow. “I don’t…” Before she could finish, she was interrupted by her dear Senior Brother. “Ruo’er, go ahead first. Be obedient.” She looked at Du Yu with extreme reluctance. A solitary man and woman alone in a room, and this little wench was so beautiful; naturally, she felt incredibly uneasy.
Li Qingya smiled faintly. “Rest assured, my heart only holds that fiancé of mine who deserves a thousand cuts. There is no need for such worry.” This smile seemed gentle, yet it hid a vague hint of mockery.
Du Yu’s confusion deepened. He could sense Li Qingya’s obvious hostility towards him and Gongsun Ruo, though he didn’t know where it came from… But strangely, if she really disliked them, why invite them upstairs for a face-to-face talk?
What exactly is she thinking?
Du Yu’s head was a mess. He used to think the arithmetic Master taught was the hardest thing. Now, after coming down the mountain and encountering Du Yao and Li Qingya successively, he felt that a woman’s mind was the hardest thing to fathom. Next time, I won’t deal with women anymore. Dealing with women is worse than learning that ugly-to-the-point-of-funny Iron Palm Kung Fu from the Iron Palm Sect… Du Yu thought to himself.
“Little Daoist, I need you to find my fiancé—that man who seduced me and then abandoned me, leaving behind his wife and child,” Li Qingya said, looking into his eyes and enunciating each word clearly.
