Volume Three: Those Years I Was a Wangye
Have you ever seen her?
Ji Ge was hidden in a valley in the North Mountain of Wangfu City. Outside the valley, a white poisonous miasma was set up, continuously billowing out from the jungle at the foot of the mountain like an ethereal mist, to prevent outsiders from intruding.
If an ordinary person came into contact with the edge of the poisonous miasma, they would suffer from dizziness, a splitting headache, and incessant vomiting. These symptoms would lessen once they moved away from the miasma’s range.
But if someone forcibly broke in, the poison would seep into their bones, and they would be beyond saving1.
Beyond the poisonous miasma were various dangerous traps, venomous insects, and wild beasts, heavily guarded and forming strict barriers—a veritable copper wall and iron bastion2 that not even a fly could penetrate.
In the original plot, Ji Chenwei was caught off guard and poisoned by the miasma, allowing the Ji Ge assassins to capture her in time and cruelly murder her.
The poor child didn’t even make it into Ji Ge’s main lair and died directly at the first hurdle.
Faced with the layers of obstacles around Ji Ge’s main lair, Wen Nuan could only lure out the Ji Ge assassins. She deliberately had the shadow guards capture them alive because the assassins’ blood could counteract the poisonous miasma and venomous insects. As for disarming the traps, that would depend on whether Fang Shangwei could lure out a big fish.
Lai Yi had already been killed by Ji Chenwei, Fang Shangwei was imprisoned, and Wangfu City was now under the management and reorganization of Prefect Song from Fengyong City3. Everything was clearly perfect and harmonious, so why did the female lead’s blackening value suddenly increase?
Qi Hanrong walked out of his room and saw Wen Nuan standing silently at Lin Tinghan’s doorway for a long time. He walked over and asked, “Wangye, are you looking for Miss Lin?”
Wen Nuan nodded, then shook her head. “I want to see her, but I don’t know why I’m looking for her.”
She doesn’t know why the female lead is blackening?!
She doesn’t even have a solution.
Seeing Wen Nuan’s worried expression, Qi Hanrong tentatively asked, “Did you and Miss Lin have a fight?”
“I guess…” Wen Nuan thought for a moment, then changed the subject slightly, “…you could say that?”
“Seeing Wangye so troubled, if you’d like someone to talk to, this commoner is willing to listen attentively4.” Qi Hanrong still wore a veil, as Wen Nuan had specifically requested.
After all, Qi Hanrong was male, and in this world, beauty was not necessarily a good thing for him, especially when Ji Ge had not yet been completely eliminated. He had to protect himself.
Wen Nuan saw his bright eyes and gentle features and sighed, “Can you drink?”
Qi Hanrong nodded. “A few small drinks are fine.”
The night was as cool as water. Perhaps a heavy rain was expected tomorrow, making tonight exceptionally refreshing.
Ji Chenwei was still at Weng River with Prefect Song, busy rushing to repair the dam. For the past few days, she had practically been living near the dam, striving to get it repaired before the heavy rain arrived tomorrow.
Ruilin, along with the guards brought by Prefect Song, had re-inspected Wangfu City’s drainage system. Damaged houses were promptly repaired, and the sick commoners were managed collectively, treated by doctors gathered from Fengyong City.
At this moment, in the vast residence, there were only Wen Nuan, the other two, and a few shadow guards hidden in the dark. The rest of the shadow guards had been sent by Wen Nuan to support Prefect Song and the others.
Wen Nuan sat in the pavilion in the courtyard. Qi Hanrong had gone to prepare drinks.
“System, give me a smoke.”
Since coming to this world, Wen Nuan rarely smoked. Mainly because exhaling clouds and mist5 in this world always felt a bit strange.
【Alright.】The System delivered a cigarette into her hand.
Wen Nuan took it out, lit the tip with a candle flame, and slowly began to smoke.
“I still can’t figure out why her blackening value suddenly increased.” Wen Nuan had thought a lot. The most likely thing to cause Lin Tinghan’s blackening value to rise was her overly forward actions when she held Lin Tinghan in her arms a few days ago, which might have caused Lin Tinghan’s displeasure.
But Lin Tinghan hadn’t shown much resistance or dislike towards it, which left Wen Nuan still completely in the dark6 and at a loss.
Qi Hanrong, carrying two bottles of Yuqing Jiu7, walked towards the pavilion. He saw a spark suddenly flickering in the pavilion, hidden by the night, like the glimmer of starlight, and that glimmer seemed to emanate from Xian Wang’s hand.
He walked into the pavilion and saw Wen Nuan holding a thin stick between her fingers. The glimmer from before was emanating from one end of the stick.
Wen Nuan saw Qi Hanrong staring at the cigarette in her hand and chuckled lightly. “Curious?”
Qi Hanrong placed the wine jug and cups on the table, filling them. “I’ve never seen it before. I am indeed a bit curious.”
Although he found it strange, the person before him was, after all, Xian Wang of the Jianing Kingdom. Everything she possessed was likely rare treasures and valuable items.
Wen Nuan took a drag from the cigarette and slowly exhaled. “When I was traveling the jianghu, I happened to meet an old woman. I saw her smoking this often, found it interesting, so I learned how to make it and made some for fun.”
The System stated frankly: 【Your ability to spin tales is getting more and more proficient.】
Wen Nuan: “…”
Qi Hanrong watched her exhaling clouds and mist, resembling a Penglai immortal8 breathing out white vapor. The fragrance was light and subtle, like flowers but not as rich, like plants but not as fresh.
Wen Nuan, afraid of the smoke bothering Qi Hanrong, quickly finished it, stubbed out the cigarette butt, and put it away.
After all, she still possessed good morals—don’t litter.
Qi Hanrong handed her a wine cup. “This is the Yuqing Jiu brought by Prefect Song. It’s a specialty of Fengyong City. Its aroma is distant and lingering. When it enters the mouth, it’s sweet and crisp; when it goes down the throat, it’s scalding and fiery; when it settles in the stomach, it leaves a warm, lingering fragrance. That’s why it’s named ‘Yuqing Jiu’.”
Wen Nuan took a sip. It was indeed as Qi Hanrong described; one sip offered a multitude of flavors.
“This wine is quite interesting.” Wen Nuan drank another cup.
“Drinking too much of this wine can easily lead to intoxication. Wangye, please don’t overindulge.” Qi Hanrong advised with a smile, seeing Wen Nuan down three cups in the blink of an eye.
“It’s fine. This King can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and ten thousand without falling. This little bit of wine isn’t enough to get This King drunk.”
The things Wen Nuan loved: good food, cigarettes, and her.
As for alcohol, she had specially trained herself in the past to avoid getting drunk and messing things up when trying to attract men. Even if various alcoholic drinks were mixed together, Wen Nuan could always maintain a clear head and not be easily manipulated.
Qi Hanrong smiled. “Wangye was standing at Miss Lin’s door just now. What were you troubled about?”
Wen Nuan’s hand, holding the wine, paused. “Do you think a person can get angry for no reason?”
“No, nothing happens without a reason,” Qi Hanrong said, uncertainly. “Did Miss Lin… get angry with you?”
Wen Nuan nodded helplessly. “Mhm, she suddenly got angry. I don’t know why. I even apologized to her, but she’s still angry.”
The blackening value hasn’t even decreased. How frustrating!
Qi Hanrong thought for a moment. “Then, would it be convenient for Wangye to explain the whole situation? This commoner knows a little about these matters of love and affection. Although I can’t help Wangye solve it immediately, I can offer some small suggestions within my ability.”
“Alright, I’ll tell you in detail…” Wen Nuan frowned, looking up at Qi Hanrong. “Did you just say ‘matters of love and affection’?”
Qi Hanrong feigned confusion. “Isn’t Wangye troubled because your beloved is angry with you?”
“You truly are an exquisitely perceptive9 person.” Wen Nuan chuckled lightly. “Don’t you find it shocking and unconventional?”
“At first, I was shocked, but after thinking it over, I don’t find it surprising,” Qi Hanrong sipped his wine. “Under all heavens, for you, for Miss Lin, no one else is a suitable match. Only Miss Lin and Wangye are a match made in heaven.”
“A match made in heaven?” Wen Nuan toyed with her wine cup, a self-deprecating smile on her face. “Nowadays, if two women love each other, far more people would curse them as heretical and rebellious than call them a match made in heaven.”
“Does Wangye care much about others’ opinions?” Qi Hanrong said lightly.
Wen Nuan scoffed. “What they think has nothing to do with This King.”
“Then isn’t that settled? Since Wangye doesn’t care about worldly views, why still wallow in self-pity?”
“Feelings aren’t a one-person affair. I can not care about anything, but she might not be the same.” Wen Nuan sighed deeply. “Especially since she might not even like me. She resists my approach, pretends not to notice my advances. No matter how brave and fearless I am, it’s still a futile effort.”
The more Wen Nuan spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, her heart aching with bitterness. She directly grabbed a bottle of wine and started drinking from it.
Hearing her words, Qi Hanrong was taken aback, then said in surprise, “…Wangye, did you just say Miss Lin doesn’t like you?”
Wen Nuan wiped her mouth. “Mhm, she doesn’t like me.”
Her blackening value even went up.
“Wangye must be joking, right?” Seeing Wen Nuan’s sorrowful expression, which didn’t seem fake, Qi Hanrong asked, “Can’t Wangye see that Miss Lin is also in love with you?”
“…” Wen Nuan’s drinking motion paused. She looked at Qi Hanrong in disbelief. “What?”
Qi Hanrong felt there must be a huge misunderstanding between them. They clearly loved each other, yet each believed the other wouldn’t love them back, leading them to be full of remorse and self-pity, melancholy and dejected.
“Wangye, can you truly not sense Miss Lin’s affection for you?”
Wen Nuan’s head was a bit fuzzy from drinking. This wine indeed had some kick; drinking too much had a delayed effect.
“Why do you think so?” Wen Nuan asked, puzzled. “Tinghan hasn’t done anything to me. How did you figure it out?”
Qi Hanrong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Some feelings don’t need to be spoken or acted upon to be discovered. Of course, it might be better if they were directly spoken or acted upon, but as you said, the love between two women is not accepted by the world. Miss Lin knows this, so she wouldn’t openly show her affection for you.”
“But if you observe carefully, you can sense that Miss Lin treats you differently.”
Wen Nuan frowned. “…Different? We’re good friends, so naturally, it’ll be different from how she treats others.”
“Friendship and love are ultimately different. Can you really not tell if Miss Lin’s feelings for you are friendship or love?” Although Qi Hanrong didn’t know Lin Tinghan very well, through their acquaintance over the past month, he could sense Lin Tinghan’s different treatment of Wen Nuan.
“Think about it. Miss Lin has a cold temperament and is unwilling to interact with others. Why is she only willing to be intimate with you?”
“Moreover, this commoner heard that before you traveled the jianghu, Miss Lin’s reputation among the common folk was that of a gentle, virtuous, and mild-tempered person who never argued with anyone. But only with you does she often throw little tantrums, showing her truest self to you?”
“Also, if Miss Lin truly cared about these excessive formalities and conventional rules, she could have directly rejected your advances. She wouldn’t let you…” Qi Hanrong chose his words carefully, “…hug and embrace her like that?”
Wen Nuan listened, stunned. “…Huh?”
Qi Hanrong sighed. “And, there’s one more crucial point. Qingfe Tower is Miss Lin’s business. You know that, right?”
He knew because Ji Chenwei had investigated Qingfe Tower beforehand, so naturally, he knew that the owner behind Qingfe Tower was Lin Tinghan.
But as for whether Xian Wang knew about this, Qi Hanrong believed she was aware.
Wen Nuan nodded. “…I know.”
“Then you should also know that Qingfe Tower’s Hualang game involves selecting men from various countries and bringing them back to the Jianing Kingdom for selection. Do you know why Miss Lin doesn’t directly use men from the Jianing Kingdom to start the Hualang game, but instead specifically goes to other countries to choose people?”
Wen Nuan didn’t know this. She asked the System, “System, do you know?”
The System shook its head: 【This might be a hidden plotline. I don’t have the authority to view hidden plotlines.】
A hidden plotline?!
Wen Nuan looked at Qi Hanrong and shook her head. “…I don’t know.”
Qi Hanrong’s expression was hard to put into words. He said frankly, “It’s because Miss Lin is searching for your whereabouts. Every time Qingfe Tower goes to a country to select people, they don’t ask anything else first. They start with one question: ‘Have you seen the person in this portrait?'”
“And the person depicted in that portrait is you.”
This was also why Qi Hanrong was surprised and puzzled when he first met Xian Wang.
Because the portrait was remarkably similar to Xian Wang herself, as if the person who painted it was the subject herself; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been drawn so remarkably true to life and lifelike.
Every brushstroke, every line seemed to have been drawn with all her being, full of spirit and charm, smooth and natural as drifting clouds and flowing water10.
Anyone who glanced at it would know the painter’s dedication and feelings.
To convey emotions and artistic sentiment through painting—it was all deep affection and profound love.
The author has something to say:
System: The male lead is pushing the female lead and the cannon fodder together. This plot twist can freaking go down in history again.
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Better than being a tool person I like this male lead!