Chapter Thirty-Six: The Rise of Floating Jade Mountain

The child’s family finally arrived to pick him up, and the honest farmer kept thanking them profusely. Mingchu and her companions smiled and told him it was no trouble.

Having learned what had happened, Chen Shanglu cursed, “These government officers are getting more and more reckless, charging through the streets like that.”

Rong Xianer skipped forward and happily took Mingchu’s hand. “Mingchu, I’m so glad to see you again!”

“Me too, Rong Xianer,” Mingchu replied warmly.

Jiang Zhenyuan tilted his head and said, “You should call her Little Rong Xian—it sounds so much better.”

Mingchu raised her brow with a smile. “Little Rong Xian, Little Rong Xian.” Rong Xianer answered each call, and both erupted in laughter.

Jiang Zhenyuan and Rong Xianer wanted to join them for an outing, so the five of them set off together.

Mingchu’s horse was out of commission, and Chen Shanglu enthusiastically invited her to share his. He patted its head, boasting, “This is a sweat-blooded steed—top quality, smooth as silk, not a bump in the ride.”

“I’ll stick with my own horse,” Mingchu said, moving toward Yuewu, grabbing his hand to help her mount. Mingchu looked down at Yuewu, who stood unmoving. “Why don’t you get up?”

“Yuewu will lead the horse for Miss,” he replied.

Chen Shanglu called out, “Yes, yes, let Yuewu lead it, just in case something happens again.”

“What else could happen?” Jiang Zhenyuan shot him a glare.

In the end, Yuewu insisted on leading the horse, so Mingchu decided not to ride at all. They stabled the horses and sauntered leisurely toward Fuyu Mountain.

Beyond the city, fields stretched as far as the eye could see. Green wheat stood in neat rows, wildflowers blossomed freely along the roadside. Rong Xianer skipped about, picking flowers, and stealthily tucked a big red one into Jiang Zhenyuan’s hair. When he finally noticed, he chased her all over. Rong Xianer shrieked and ran, and Mingchu couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Clutching her belly, she laughed, “Did you see Jiang Zhenyuan’s face? White tinged with red, red shaded with black!”

After a while Chen Shanglu quieted, fixing his gaze on Mingchu, his eyes shining.

He spoke softly, “Chu’er.”

“Yes?” she replied.

“You...” He hesitated. “When you laugh, you look so much like my mother.”

Page (1/3)

“She’s been gone for ten years now.”

Mingchu was startled, and Yuewu lifted his head slightly, intentionally falling behind the two.

Chen Shanglu smiled, a hint of bitterness and nostalgia in his expression. “In my memory, she always loved to laugh—so hard her eyes would stream with tears. Sometimes she’d sit beside me as I did my lessons, suddenly burst out laughing and scare me half to death.” He shrugged. “Nothing funny at all, but she’d still laugh—and so loud! I used to be annoyed by her, but then she died.”

He lowered his head. “When I could no longer hear her laughter, I began to miss it terribly.”

Mingchu bit her lip, as if she wanted to speak but stopped.

“She said something before she died: ‘Heaven will never be unfair to those who love to laugh.’ But she loved to laugh so much—why did she have to leave so early?”

“Sometimes, in dreams, I hear her laughter, but it’s less and less now. What girl would laugh so heartily, so unconcerned with propriety? I’ll never hear it again.” Chen Shanglu’s tone was light, but sorrow clouded his brow.

“I’m here now! You can listen to my laughter. You know, I’m the type who doesn’t care about appearances when I laugh.” Mingchu feigned lightness.

She bent her head, peering at Chen Shanglu. “Don’t doubt me—I’ll laugh for you!” She then laughed boldly, her face flushed from the effort.

Yuewu watched quietly. Surely his mistress was the kindest, most lovable girl in the world.

Chen Shanglu stared at her in amazement, his hand slowly curling into a fist. For a moment, he could distinctly hear his own heartbeat—as if, in some frozen corner, three feet of ice suddenly blossomed with spring, a frost flower blooming, and her laughter was the thawing wind.

Chen Shanglu’s lips curled. “Chu’er, Chu’er,” he called softly. “Enough, you don’t need to laugh anymore. I... I’m very happy. Thank you.”

Mingchu blinked, smiling warmly. “From now on, whenever you want to hear it, I’ll laugh for you. For our friendship, it’s nothing at all.”

A breeze swept past, lifting Mingchu’s long hair, and for an instant Chen Shanglu was utterly captivated. But he quickly grinned, “If you laugh for me, I’ll pay you—how about that?”

Mingchu waved her hand at him. “Trying to trick me? Go buy a smile from a courtesan instead! Hmph!”

She turned and pulled Yuewu along. “Let’s go. Ignore him.”

“No, don’t, Chu’er!” Chen Shanglu pleaded, making a face.

By the time the five reached the foot of Fuyu Mountain, it was already midday. The hot springs lay halfway up the slope, along a winding mountain path. They followed each other through verdant pine forests, mist hanging lightly in the air.

“No wonder it’s called Fuyu Mountain—seen from afar, it really looks like jade floating in the sky.”

When they arrived at the hot springs, Mingchu and Rong Xianer cheered, “Wow, it’s beautiful!” The first sight was two pools, like two enormous crescent moons. Steam drifted lazily. In the center was a large stone big enough to seat a hundred, riddled with small holes. When the wind blew, water and air collided, producing a chorus of sounds.

Page (2/3)

All around the hot spring, flowers of white and yellow swayed gently in the mist, unreal as a fairyland. Rong Xianer eagerly approached, spreading her arms wide. “So beautiful, so fragrant!”

“There’s a pool to the east and one to the west—the east is deep, the west is shallow. So Chu’er and Little Rong Xian will use the west, and we’ll take the east.”

“Great, great!” Rong Xianer chimed in, and Mingchu nodded with a smile.

Jiang Zhenyuan cautioned Rong Xianer, “Don’t wander off, or you’ll get lost.”

Yuewu said he wouldn’t go in, and Chen Shanglu raised a brow, “You planning to sit here and watch the ladies bathe?”

Yuewu glanced at him, replying coolly, “I’ll sit under that tree—can’t see anything from there. Sometimes there are woodcutters in the mountains. I’ll protect Miss.”

“Hmm, Yuewu is always thoughtful,” Jiang Zhenyuan remarked.

He pulled the protesting Chen Shanglu away, and Yuewu went off to sit in the distance, cradling his sword. Rong Xianer laughed as she shed her outer garments and jumped into the hot spring.

“Mingchu, hurry up! The water is wonderful.”

Mingchu glanced around, confirming that Jiang Zhenyuan and the others had gone far before removing her clothes and slowly stepping into the spring.

The water was warm, and little fish darted beneath the surface.

Mingchu smiled, “So comfortable.”

“Yes, yes! And you can smell the flowers, too.”

The two girls leaned back against the stone, eyes closed, savoring the hot spring, the breeze, and the fragrance of flowers. Suddenly, Rong Xianer splashed a handful of water at Mingchu, soaking her thoroughly.

“Little Rong Xian, a sneak attack! Just wait for my revenge.” Mingchu returned the splash and lunged to tickle Rong Xianer, who laughed and dodged around.

“No more, no more! It tickles, haha!”

Page (3/3)