Volume Two: An Abundance of Blossoms Always Feels Lonely
Danger Surrounds Life
I think of you, are you also thinking of me?
Business dealings have always been about settling goods and silver clearly. Qin Junlan did not bring food with her, so it is reasonable for her to request to personally verify the other party’s financial capability beforehand. In truth, she only wanted to confirm whether the silver here was official.
Yun Yao led her to a cave, guarded by four people at the entrance, with both obvious and hidden sentries on either side. This cave had been carved into a mine-like cavern, and entering from the entrance, one could feel the wind blowing from within, indicating its depth.
The passageway was relatively narrow, with torches providing light, and the rumbling sounds, like the noise of forging iron or the crackling of a furnace, echoed in their ears. However, before reaching the deeper parts, Yun Yao stopped at a place. It was another door, and upon seeing Yun Yao, the guards respectfully opened it.
A dozen seemingly inconspicuous wooden boxes were stacked together. Yun Yao gestured, and one of the boxes was moved out and opened, revealing rows of shiny silver ingots neatly arranged within. Qin Junlan slightly bent forward, reaching out to touch them back and forth, acting very much like a money-seeking merchant, so convincingly that even Li Yue almost believed it.
“Hahaha, Boss Yan, you can rest assured now; this is only the first batch of the deposit. If you really have that much grain, the rest is all yours.” Yun Yao spoke with wealth and arrogance, as if these dozen boxes of silver ingots were just the tip of the iceberg for him.
“It seems that coming south this time, Yan has truly come to the right place. Elder Yun is indeed a big client.” Qin Junlan smiled lightly, deliberately showing a money-desiring demeanor, and casually picked up a silver ingot, weighing it in her hand while taking the opportunity to inspect the bottom of the ingot.
Nothing? It was actually empty, without the official silver mark. Listening carefully to the faint strange sounds, could it be that the official silver was remade once it arrived here?
“What about it? When can the grain arrive?”
“Tomorrow, twenty loads first, settle the money and goods clearly, and then discuss the next batch of transactions, how about that?” Qin Junlan seemed like a seasoned businessman, displaying the composure of a wealthy family young master, yet without the arrogance and domineering nature of an official family, nor the worldly morale of a money-seeker, instead possessing a kind of noble coldness.
Yun Yao admired such a person very much, gently stroking the corner of his mouth, his gaze always wandering around Qin Junlan’s whole body, “Since the grain will only arrive tomorrow and it’s already late, why not rest in the camp, Boss Yan?”
“This…” Qin Junlan feigned difficulty, yet this was truly her real purpose for coming up the mountain. Without entering the tiger’s den, how could one get the tiger cub? She hadn’t yet discovered what she wanted, so how could she leave so easily?
“What? Can’t my mountain temple accommodate Boss Yan, this great Buddha?” Yun Yao’s face showed displeasure. Qin Junlan naturally offered him a way out, bowing and saying, “Then it’s better to accept your kind offer, pardon the intrusion, Elder Yun.”
“Calling me Elder Yun feels too formal; if Boss Yan doesn’t mind, call me Big Brother Yun. I can also call you Little Brother Yan, how about it?” Yun Yao was very enthusiastic. Besides this business dealing, he also wanted to get closer to Qin Junlan.
“Big Brother Yun, younger brother greets you.” Qin Junlan possessed a chivalrous spirit, clearly a descendant of a wealthy merchant, yet bold and straightforward, which made Yun Yao fond of her.
He embraced Qin Junlan’s shoulder, saying, “Good, tonight there’s a feast, let’s go drink, brother.”
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Qin Junlan only felt Yun Yao’s chest was hard and solid, his body emitting a faint sweaty, fishy smell, making her feel uncomfortable. It was her first time feeling so uneasy being close to a man; she suddenly remembered that night, holding Liu Qianxun.
That warmth surrounding her, touching the softness of her heart, intoxicated her. If she hadn’t controlled herself, she feared her rationality would collapse, craving a deeper connection.
Thinking of this, longing flooded her heart, thoughts of Liu Qianxun’s smile lingering in her mind. Only one day apart, yet she missed her so much. She didn’t know when these feelings deepened, always lingering in her heart, occupying the deepest place. It had always been empty, waiting for someone to arrive, now slowly being filled by her.
“Then tonight, I must witness Big Brother Yun’s great drinking capacity.” She said the words of courtesy, while being led by him, knowing it would be inappropriate to struggle. If Yun Yao could be handled properly, perhaps he could make the whole Qionglong Mountain submit to the court, which would atone for past misdeeds.
Qin Junlan highly valued talent, especially that of a good general. Back then, King Cheng Yunze was brave and adept at warfare, but unfortunately died violently on the battlefield. Yun Yao, having followed Yunze for many years, deeply understood military tactics.
The two of them talked and laughed as they walked towards the mountain camp.
“Hiss~ this vulgar person, I really want to cut off his hand for daring to embrace the master.” Li Yue’s eyebrows knitted together, finding Yun Yao’s eager expression unpleasant, and she wondered how many soldiers he might have misled over this past year.
“Just thinking about it is… disgusting~~” Xiao Yi, being a man, found it even harder to accept a Longyang, even though he knew the master was a woman, he still got goosebumps all over.
At night, the mountain stronghold was brightly lit and bustling, with soldiers gathering in small groups to enjoy a communal meal.
Taking advantage of the time Qin Junlan spent drinking with Yun Yao, Li Yue and Xiao Yi patrolled the area and discovered a strange phenomenon. The number of posts and teams they saw at night did not add up to the twenty thousand Madam Ying had mentioned.
Moreover, it was said that Lord Ying of the Yuzhou government office had not yet descended the mountain, so where was he? This was also a point of confusion for Qin Junlan. Drinking with the soldiers was somewhat challenging for her, but she had to maintain a smiling demeanor and drink along, to appear as a shrewd merchant and lower Yun Yao’s guard.
After three rounds, some people were already drunk, and suddenly someone shouted, “Brothers, we’ve been living in this mountain for so many years, when can we finally leave?”
“Don’t rush, it should soon be our turn, right?” someone loudly replied.
Qin Junlan was startled, soon be their turn? What did that mean, had some people already left? She signaled to Li Yue and Xiao Yi, who immediately pretended to be drunk and collapsed to one side. Qin Junlan herself also feigned a muddled state, pretending not to have heard anything.
Though Yun Yao was slightly drunk, he still maintained his composure, knowing that with outsiders present, the stronghold’s secrets couldn’t be revealed. He threw the wine jar towards the two, “Get back to the barracks!”
The two were frightened by Yun Yao’s anger, and their drunkenness vanished, leaving dejectedly and stumbling as they went.
“Little Brother Yan? Little Brother Yan? Are you alright?” Yun Yao gently nudged Qin Junlan, testing her.
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“Mm? Big Brother Yun, I’m a bit dizzy, I’ll go back to rest first.” Qin Junlan got up unsteadily, nudging Li Yue and Xiao Yi with her foot, “Let’s go, back to the room to sleep, sleeping on the ground is improper.”
Li Yue and Xiao Yi groggily jumped up, quickly following Qin Junlan out, returning to their assigned quarters.
The mountain accommodations were simple, and the room arranged for Qin Junlan was the best available, but with limited space, the three were placed in the same room. Upon entering the room, Qin Junlan immediately surveyed the surroundings, searching for useful items.
“Master, there’s brush and ink here.” Li Yue was the first to find what Qin Junlan needed, having followed her master for many years and knowing her mind well.
Qin Junlan sat upright at the table, with Xiao Yi quickly taking position at the door, ready to observe the outside situation. Qin Junlan held the brush, her eyes slightly closed, as she began to recall the path up the mountain. After a moment, she opened her eyes, moving the brush with divine precision, beginning to draw. Though not a world-shattering masterpiece, it possessed the spirit of commanding mountains and rivers; her upright posture exuded the aura of a sovereign reviewing memorials.
From the mountain paths to the sentry posts, from the distribution of army camp points to the location of the treasury cave, she marked everything correspondingly. In about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a map of Qionglong Mountain was completed. Li Yue was amazed by her meticulousness and extraordinary memory; despite her own efforts to observe, she couldn’t match Qin Junlan’s attention to detail, missing many sentry posts and layout specifics.
“You two, memorize this map immediately, especially the sentry points.”
Li Yue and Xiao Yi quickly reviewed it, as being familiar with every sentry post was essential for the successful completion of their upcoming mission.
“Have you memorized it?” Time was tight, and Qin Junlan didn’t give them too much time.
“Memorized, Master.”
“Put it away.”
Li Yue blew the ink on the map dry, folded it into a small paper roll, and hid it in her hair. Xiao Yi returned to the window and noticed an unusual flow of air outside, immediately sensing something was amiss.
“Master, it seems someone is watching us.” Xiao Yi, skilled in observation and searching for hidden sentries, wouldn’t miss any surveillance within sight.
“Extinguish the candle!” Qin Junlan commanded decisively.
Li Yue extinguished the candle, leaving the room in complete darkness. The hidden sentry, seeing that they had rested, relaxed his vigilance, wondering why General Yun wanted them to monitor just a cultured businessman.
After a silent moment, Qin Junlan, as if having calculated the timing, issued the order to scout the mountain, “Two tasks: first, count the specific number of people in the mountain; second, find Lord Ying of Yuzhou, and you must return within half an hour.”
“Subordinate accepts the order.” With those words, Xiao Yi quietly slipped out, taking advantage of the drowsy guards, easily avoiding detection, and using his Qinggong to delve deep into the mountain.
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“According to the plan, tomorrow Jiang Wei will disguise himself as my grain transport attendant to bring the prepared twenty loads of grain and fodder. The most challenging part will be the grain inspection. I can only hope the plan goes off without a hitch.” Qin Junlan was employing psychological tactics this time, uncertain of the outcome. This operation carried significant risks, but as long as her forged grain mixed with black fire sand was delivered into the mountain the next day, it would already be half successful.
“Tomorrow, this servant will give this map to Jiang Wei, so he can pass it to the shadow guards in the army camp, ordering the Red Armor Army to be on standby at all times.” Li Yue was responsible for receiving the grain tomorrow and delivering the map safely into Jiang Wei’s hands.
According to Qin Junlan’s plan, as long as the grain entered the mountain, she could leave. The next step of the plan would depend on the situation within the mountain, which is why she promised Liu Qianxun to return in two days.
Qin Junlan stood by the window, gazing at the full moon in the sky, lost in thought, with stars embellishing the night sky, stirring her deep longing. It is often said by the ancients that the person you miss becomes the brightest star in the sky, watching over you. At this moment, though only tens of li away, she could not meet her.
Tonight, she must be more beautiful than the flowers under the moon. Missing someone might indeed create illusions, just like the sky at this moment, showing Liu Qianxun’s smiling face as radiant as a flower.
As night fell, had she rested yet? Would there be a hint of longing for her? Why, after just one day apart, did she miss her so much? In Jidu, they only saw each other every two or three days, not to this extent.
One kind of longing, two places of idle sorrow. This feeling has no way to be dispelled, just leaving the brows, yet entering the heart. In this feeling and this scene, is she also missing her?