The next day.
Ye Zhibai was woken up by a splitting headache.
When she managed to force her eyelids open, she found herself in an unfamiliar guest room. There were grayish-blue curtains, old wooden beams, and an oil lamp on the table that had long since gone out.
“Is this... a guest room in Wangbei Tower?”
Ye Zhibai struggled to recall the events of the previous night.
She remembered drinking the bowl of wine Chen Zui had handed her, then taking the initiative to drink a second, then a third...
And then, there was nothing.
Her memory was a complete blank, as if a section had been cleanly sliced away by a sword.
Ye Zhibai struggled to sit up, and the quilt slid down from her shoulders.
Looking down, she realized her outer robe had been removed at some point. Now, she was wearing only a moon-white inner robe.
She snapped awake, looking around in a panic.
Her belt was also gone...
Only one of her silk socks remained; the other was nowhere to be seen.
Even more dire was the fact that her snow-white longsword, which never left her side, was currently resting quietly against a pillar at the foot of the bed, a full three feet away from her.
A swordsman’s sword never leaves their side.
This was a rule carved into the bones of every practitioner from their very first day of training.
And she, the once-in-a-century sword dao genius of the Frost-Sigh Sect, had actually abandoned her sword three feet away after a night of heavy drinking.
What exactly happened last night?
Who took off her clothes?
Who untied her belt?
Who removed her hairpins?
At the thought, Ye Zhibai’s head buzzed, and the remnants of the alcohol turned into a cold sweat that soaked her back.
Chen Zui!
She remembered the last person she saw last night was Chen Zui. That fellow was still gulping down wine bowl after bowl, wearing a smug, punchable grin.
Ye Zhibai threw off the quilt, leaped out of bed barefoot, and grabbed her longsword. The blade slid three inches out of its sheath, its cold glint flashing through the dim room.
Right then, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Chen Zui walked in carrying a coarse porcelain bowl, with steam curling up from it.
He caught sight of Ye Zhibai with her hair disheveled, her clothes in disarray, and her barefoot stance holding a sword. He paused for a heartbeat before setting the bowl on the table as if nothing were wrong.
“The kitchen made some hangover soup. Drink it while it’s hot.”
His tone was flat, as if nothing had happened last night.
This composure only made Ye Zhibai more certain of her suspicions.
She gritted her teeth, pushing the blade out another two inches.
“What did you... do to me last night?!”
Chen Zui turned around and looked her up and down.
His gaze traveled from her messy hair to her loose collar, then down to her bare feet on the cold floor, before finally returning to her face, which was flushed red with shame and indignation.
“What do you think I did to you?”
He countered with a question, his tone carrying a hint of a teasing smile.
“You!”
Ye Zhibai trembled with rage, pointing her sword directly at Chen Zui’s throat.
“I’m asking you! What exactly did you do to me last night? Who took off my clothes? Who let down my hair? Why is my sword at the foot of the bed? You...”
Chen Zui sighed and used two fingers to flick her blade aside.
“First, you took off your outer robe yourself.
“Last night, after you finished your fourth bowl of wine, you insisted on performing a set of the Frost-Sigh Sword Forms for us.
“Then, as soon as you drew your sword, you complained that your outer robe was in the way and tore it off. No one could stop you.”
Ye Zhibai’s sword froze in mid-air.
“Second, you pulled out your own hairpins.
“You said your hair was tied too tight and made your head ache, so you ripped them out and threw them under the table. They’re still lying on the floor; go see for yourself if you don't believe me.”
Ye Zhibai’s lip twitched.
“Third, Xiao Chengyan put your sword at the foot of the bed for you.
“You collapsed onto the table unconscious before you even finished the third form. I was afraid you’d have neck problems if you slept on the table all night, so I had that Xiao kid carry you back to your room. After he put you on the bed, he leaned the sword against the footboard. It’s as simple as that.”
Chen Zui’s gaze fell on Ye Zhibai’s tender white feet, his lips curling slightly.
“As for your sock, you kicked it off yourself. You almost slapped it onto that kid Xiao’s face. He would’ve gotten a bargain if it had,” Chen Zui said, pointing toward the foot of the bed, where a crumpled white silk sock was indeed hanging.
Ye Zhibai stood frozen, her face turning green, then red, then white, looking like a color palette from a dye shop.
The room remained silent for a full ten breaths.
Clang—
Ye Zhibai could only silently return her sword to its sheath.
“What’s wrong? Didn't Heroine Ye want to cut me down just now? Not going to do it?”
Chen Zui leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with great amusement.
“Shut up,” Ye Zhibai muttered, her ears turning so red they looked ready to bleed.
Chen Zui leaned in a step closer.
“By the way, what did you think I did to you?”
“Get out!”
Ye Zhibai’s chest rose and fell rapidly with anger.
Seeing this, Chen Zui laughed and shook his head, turning to walk out the door.
“Fine, fine. Get cleaned up and come downstairs for breakfast. That kid has been waiting for ages. He said if you don’t come down soon, he’s going to eat all the braised meat buns.”
Ye Zhibai glared at his retreating back until he disappeared, then looked down at her disheveled state and stomped her foot in shame.
In her twenty-some years of life, she had never been this embarrassed. If this ever reached the Frost-Sigh Sect, she could never show her face again. After all, she maintained the image of a cold and aloof senior sister back at the sect.
“It’s all that Chen Zui’s fault! Making me drink that wretched wine!”
Ye Zhibai cursed him in her heart and began to wash up.
After the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, she regained her usual cold and frosty swordsman demeanor and headed downstairs. However, the faint flush on her ears had not yet fully faded.
Downstairs in the main hall, Chen Zui and Xiao Chengyan were sitting by the window eating breakfast.
On the table were three steamers of buns, two dishes of pickled vegetables, a bowl of millet porridge, and several golden-fried dough sticks.
Xiao Chengyan had half a bun stuffed in his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a hamster’s. When he saw Ye Zhibai come down, he hurriedly swallowed and waved at her excitedly.
“Miss Ye! You’re finally down! You have no idea, last night after you got drunk...”
“Shut up!” Ye Zhibai interrupted him coldly.
Xiao Chengyan was startled by her murderous aura. He shrunk his neck and looked at Chen Zui for help.
Chen Zui slowly broke off a piece of a dough stick, ignoring Xiao Chengyan’s SOS signals.
“Not a single word of what happened after I got drunk last night is to be repeated.”
Ye Zhibai’s voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
“Otherwise—”
She patted the scabbard at her waist.
Xiao Chengyan nodded frantically like a woodpecker.
“I won’t tell, I won’t tell! I, Xiao Chengyan, swear to the heavens that if I speak a word of Miss Ye’s business from last night, may I never return to Grand Shuo in this lifetime!”
Only then did Ye Zhibai nod in satisfaction, picking up her millet porridge and taking small sips.
Watching this from the side, the curve of Chen Zui’s lips widened further.
Getting drunk wasn't scary; what was scary was having someone help you remember the next day. As a drunkard himself, he had deep experience with this.
After breakfast, the three packed their gear and prepared to set off.
Shopkeeper Zhou personally saw them to the tavern door, bowing with his hands clasped.
“You three, please be careful on your journey north. I hope you keep my words in mind. Luoyan City is a chaotic mix of people these days; if you can bypass it, do so.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Shopkeeper Zhou. we will remember your kindness,” Chen Zui replied, returning the gesture.
Shopkeeper Zhou looked at Xiao Chengyan, hesitated slightly, then produced a blue cloth bundle and offered it with both hands.
“Young brother, I was blind last night and neglected you. This bundle contains a few changes of clothes and some dry rations. Please accept it as a small token of my regard.”
Xiao Chengyan was stunned for a moment, then took the bundle with a grin, not standing on ceremony.
“You’re too kind, Shopkeeper Zhou. Then I shall accept it.”
Afterward, Chen Zui and the others took their leave, their figures gradually merging into the white snowline at the edge of the north.
Shopkeeper Zhou stood at the tavern door for a long time before sighing softly and turning back inside.
But just as he stepped into the hall, before he could instruct the workers to clear the tables, three more figures suddenly appeared amidst the wind and snow outside.
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