Chapter 14: Drinking

Thwack—thwack—thwack. The sounds of the stick thudding against flesh through the coarse sack echoed through the night.

Shi Yuning, the so-called “gentle beauty,” was clad in black. She had rolled her sleeves up slightly, revealing an arm with sleek, powerful lines.

In her plump little hand, she gripped a stick as thick as her forearm. She raised it high and brought it crashing down.

Again and again.

The sack on the ground let out muffled whimpers. It writhed desperately, scrambling about like a headless chicken, but it couldn’t escape the precisely aimed blows raining down on it.

Qin Xiao and Qiangdi stood guard at the mouth of the alley. They exchanged a glance, then scanned the hidden guards posted at various spots up above and down below. No danger in sight.

The two of them sidled closer together and began whispering.

“I really misjudged her before. I always thought girls from Jiangnan were gentle and refined, but watching Miss Shi beat on him like this… not a trace of gentleness anywhere.”

Qin Xiao had grown up in the Desert North, where women tended to be fierce and bold. She had heard plenty about Jiangnan ladies and was used to the comparisons.

But now, seeing this, she realized not every Jiangnan girl was demure. It was all just stereotypes.

“I like Miss Shi’s personality, though.”

Qiangdi grinned as she glanced back at her mistress. “Look—our lady’s eyes are sparkling like stars.”

Qin Xiao followed her gaze, and sure enough.

Moonlight scattered silver glow across the world, as if it had all gathered in Xie Zhaoran’s eyes.

She stood there with a smile playing on her lips, watching tenderly from the side. Her eyes shone brightly.

There was a saying back in the Desert North: when someone liked another person, stars would sparkle in their eyes.

Qin Xiao had never quite understood it before—how could eyes sparkle like that? But now she got it.

She glanced at Shi Yuning, who was pounding away without a clue, huffing and puffing. For the first time, Qin Xiao felt a twinge of worry for her mistress.

When would Miss Shi ever realize her lady’s feelings?!

This was the first time Shi Yuning had ever beaten someone so freely. She started out hesitant, but soon enough, her hands moved on instinct, as if she’d been transported back to her village days by the little riverbank. Washing clothes had felt just like this—swinging the laundry bat down over and over.

Prince Yu inside the sack had his mouth stuffed tight. Whether he started with curses or ended with pleas for mercy, all that came out were garbled whimpers.

Through the tiny holes in the sack, he could vaguely make out two figures outside. But they said nothing, heads down, just kept beating him.

He couldn’t even guess who had the guts to kidnap him right out in the open like this.

Pain sent his veins bulging, sweat pouring down his face. His hands and feet were bound tight—the more he struggled, the tighter the ropes grew, until blood seeped from his wrists and ankles.

He suspected the people outside meant to beat him to death. He thrashed about, trying to cry out for help, but with his mouth sealed, all anyone could hear was “mmph-mmph, mmph-mmph.”

Suddenly, the stick stopped falling. It pressed down hard on his back.

Shi Yuning leaned on the stick like a crutch to support her exhausted body. She wiped the sweat from her neck with the back of her hand.

In that instant, a handkerchief appeared right under her eyes.

She looked up. Xie Zhaoran mouthed the words “wipe it off.”

Shi Yuning took the handkerchief without ceremony and dabbed the sweat from the exposed part of her face above her mask. Then she leaned in close, rising on tiptoe until her lips were near Xie Zhaoran’s ear.

In a soft whisper, she said, “I’m done. Too tired.”

“How about you take a turn?”

Xie Zhaoran: !!!

Xie Zhaoran fidgeted uncomfortably, pinching her earlobe. When Shi Yuning had spoken, her warm breath had felt like a little tongue darting right inside, making her ear itch and burn.

And that line—it sounded just like something out of one of those romance novels she read!

It left her all flustered for a moment.

Shi Yuning panted for breath, thinking that beating someone was hard physical work.

Xie Zhaoran just stood there, staring blankly at the sack with no response. Puzzled, Shi Yuning nudged her waist with an elbow.

Xie Zhaoran snapped back from her wandering thoughts. Her hand clenched faintly inside her sleeve. Leaning toward Shi Yuning’s ear, she whispered, “How do you want to deal with him?”

Shi Yuning pulled back a little. Xie Zhaoran’s breath had brushed her earlobe just now—hot enough to make her flush.

She glanced down at the person on the ground, thought for a moment, then leaned back in toward Xie Zhaoran’s ear. In a breathy whisper, she said, “Break his legs and toss him back.”

Xie Zhaoran’s hand clenched tight in her sleeve. Only after Shi Yuning pulled away did she suddenly relax it.

“Alright. You rest—I’ll handle it.”

As she spoke, the meteor hammer she had kept gripped in her other hand shot out with the force of a storm breaking through the clouds. In a single strike, it changed the sack’s shape entirely.

A crack of shattering bone rang out from inside the sack, accompanied by a scream that pierced the heavens.

Dogs in the vicinity erupted into a frenzy of panicked barking, startled by the cry.

Xie Zhaoran shot the area a cold glance. With a wave of her hand, she signaled Qiangdi and the others to come over. She instructed Qiangdi and her team to dump the man back at Prince Yu’s Mansion.

At the gates of Prince Yu’s Mansion, the guards had assembled with their hunting hounds.

“Hurry it up! If we don’t find Prince Yu by dawn tomorrow, we’re all dead men!”

The guard captain’s face was ashen as he bellowed the order. Once everyone was accounted for, he divided his men into groups, assigning each a hound. They were to comb every inch of the Capital if they had to.

He still shuddered at the memory. They had just left the palace and hadn’t even reached Brocade Radiance Street when a gang of black-clothed figures burst out. In moments, they had subdued everyone. Then they had swaggered off with Prince Yu right in front of their eyes.

If anything happened to the prince, none of them would live.

The guards had just been assigned their search areas and were about to set off when a carriage came hurtling toward them. Without a word, it hurled a sack at them and sped away.

The quick-witted guards were caught off guard!

The captain had a hunch. He rushed forward and yanked open the sack’s ties.

Inside was the kidnapped Prince Yu!

His hands were bound, his mouth stuffed with a filthy rag. His face was a mass of bruises and swelling. His eyes were squeezed shut, veins throbbing on his forehead amid beads of sweat. His expression was one of utter agony, and he looked to be in dire straits.

“Help! Your Highness, are you alright?”

“Someone fetch the imperial physician—get a doctor!”

“If anything happens to Prince Yu, we’re all goners!”

The guard captain shouted in a panic. Prince Yu’s Mansion descended into chaos.

Shi Yuning didn’t get to witness the scene. Once the deed was done, Xie Zhaoran had insisted on escorting her home.

Clang—clang—clang.

Xie Zhaoran saw Shi Yuning to the outer wall of Shi Mansion just as the third-watch drum sounded.

“I didn’t realize it was so late. Tonight was truly unforgettable.”

Shi Yuning sighed from the heart. It might just be the most thrilling night of her life so far.

“What should we do? I don’t really want to just go home and sleep.”

“How about we find someplace to have a drink?”

Shi Yuning blinked at Xie Zhaoran, eyes brimming with excitement. If she went home to bed now, she’d never get to sleep.

Her eyes sparkled brightly, as if stars had slipped down from the sky and fallen right into them.

Her dark pupils gazed straight at Xie Zhaoran through the gloom, full of mirth—and clearly reflecting her image.

Gazed at like that, Xie Zhaoran felt that even if Shi Yuning suggested drinking poison right then, she still wouldn’t agree.

But wine? That was certainly fine.

“Come with me.”

Shi Yuning thought they were heading back inside Grasping Moon Tower for drinks when Xie Zhaoran led her there. Instead, Xie fetched two jars of wine from that familiar private room and took her straight up to the rooftop.

Though Grasping Moon Tower was only two stories tall, each floor stood five or six meters high—for a total of over ten meters.

Legend had it that without the city ordinance limiting building heights to below that of the drum tower, Grasping Moon Tower would have gone even higher.

Shi Yuning figured this height was plenty. Any higher, and her legs would turn to jelly.

If Xie Zhaoran hadn’t been with her, she never would have dared come up.

Xie Zhaoran handed one jar to Shi Yuning. With her free hand, she flicked the dust from the ridge tiles before Shi Yuning sat down.

Shi Yuning paused. “Thank you.”

Once they were seated, Shi Yuning was the first to peel back the red sealing paper on her jar. A rich, intoxicating aroma wafted out.

“What kind of wine is this? It smells amazing.” Shi Yuning inhaled deeply, feeling as if the scent alone might make her drunk.

“Burning Spring Wine.”

Xie Zhaoran peeled back her own seal and drank straight from the jar’s rim.

The mouth of the jar was wide—not like a cup—so a little liquor trickled from the corner of Xie Zhaoran’s mouth and slid down.

Shi Yuning’s gaze followed the glistening droplet as it slipped into Xie Zhaoran’s collar and vanished.

Unthinkingly, she swallowed in time with Xie Zhaoran’s gulp.

Shi Yuning hurriedly looked away and took a big swig herself.

“Whoa—it’s so spicy!”

Back home, Shi Yuning had only ever drunk sweet wines like plum liquor or osmanthus wine. She’d never tried anything this fierce.

One gulp scorched all the way from her throat to her lungs.

“Take it slow—that stuff sneaks up on you,” Xie Zhaoran said with a laugh. “Grasping Moon Tower has all kinds of fine wines. If you like it, next time I’ll bring you to try them all.”

“Yes!”

In that moment, Shi Yuning felt strangely like she was out in the jianghu. Maybe it was Xie Zhaoran’s bold smile, or the moonlight, or their perch overlooking the world from the rooftop.

She recalled hearing a storyteller in a teahouse once, spinning tales of jianghu legends. She couldn’t remember which hero had said it.

“As long as your heart is free, anywhere can be the jianghu.”

“Right—that private room earlier. What’s the deal?” Shi Yuning had been wondering. It had clothes perfectly sized for the two of them, and now wine too.

“Families of rank in the Capital all keep their own private rooms at Grasping Moon Tower,” Xie Zhaoran explained. She knew Shi Yuning wasn’t familiar with these unspoken perks of noble life. Some nobles rented rooms long-term for hosting guests or holding private talks in safety.

Shi Yuning listened as she sipped, learning all about these Capital secrets she hadn’t known. Her only prior visit to Grasping Moon Tower had been with her father and mother, just to see the sights.

She hadn’t realized Xie Zhaoran kept a permanent room here.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Xie Zhaoran laughed and clinked her jar against Shi Yuning’s.

Under the moonlight, the smile on Xie Zhaoran’s face bloomed like a lotus in a clear stream. Shi Yuning found she couldn’t look away.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Shi Yuning thought back to that first time she’d laid eyes on Xie Zhaoran in the palace.

Xie Zhaoran had worn an elaborate crimson palace gown, its begonias in full bloom. The skirt had pooled around her feet like a garden in flower.

Shi Yuning hadn’t known the court etiquette back then and had made a fool of herself. Xie Zhaoran was the first to approach her side and help her up.

In that moment, Shi Yuning’s heart had skipped a beat, just like now. She had wondered how there could be such a beautiful girl in the world.

Xie Zhaoran’s beauty stood apart from other Capital ladies. Her eyes were slightly almond-shaped, with sharp inner corners and tails that flicked upward—a shape that should have seemed seductive and vulgar.

Yet her unique gaze lent her an air of unfathomable mystery.

Her nose had a high bridge, but the tip was delicately refined, giving her a dashing, heroic edge.

That singular temperament, paired with her peerless features, made Xie Zhaoran strikingly recognizable in her beauty—ethereal, unparalleled, radiant beyond compare.

Shi Yuning felt that no words of praise were too lavish for her.

“What, am I that stunning? Made you lose yourself staring?”

Xie Zhaoran pursed her lips and gently tapped the tip of Shi Yuning’s already-flushing nose with a free finger, finally snapping her out of her daze.

“I really did zone out,” Shi Yuning admitted honestly. “The first time I saw you, I was stunned. I couldn’t believe there was such a beautiful girl in the world.”

“Even then, I wanted to be friends with you—so I could look at you every day. It had to be wonderful.”

Shi Yuning giggled dreamily, feeling like some lecherous rogue flirting with a girl.

Now that she knew Xie Zhaoran hadn’t disliked her back then, all her old grievances melted away.

Shi Yuning let out a little wine burp and grinned foolishly as she raised her jar to clink against Xie Zhaoran’s. “Finish this jar, and we’ll be best friends!”

Ever since surviving that assassination attempt together at the hunting grounds—from the pursuit tonight to teaching Prince Yu a lesson—they’d shared so many trials. Surely that made them friends now.

Friends who had been through life and death together.

Shi Yuning was thrilled. Her face flushed red, her eyes hazy. She lifted the jar and took another heroic swig.

She didn’t bother wiping the wine spilling from her lips. Seeing Xie Zhaoran sitting frozen, she nudged her arm with an elbow.

“Why aren’t you drinking? Don’t you want to be friends with me?”

Xie Zhaoran gazed deeply at Shi Yuning. Her smile was so foolishly endearing, her face aglow with a rosy flush, the corners of her eyes tinged red—dazzling and vibrant.

Xie Zhaoran’s hand dropped abruptly, the jar dangling at her side. The wine inside sloshed wildly, mirroring the shimmer in her eyes—drenched in moonlight, flashing silver.

“But I don’t want to be just friends!”