Chapter 56: That Night

Night had fallen, and Fang Xu barely managed to drift into a dream-filled sleep.

But beside him, Qiu Chuji lay wide awake, unable to rest. There was no helping it, really; after all, this was the first time Qiu Chuji had ever slept alongside a man.

Why was that? Because, truth be told, Qiu Chuji was not a young priest but a young priestess.

Everyone at the Quanzhen Monastery knew this, and even the villagers at the foot of the mountain were aware. Perhaps this was why, when the abbot took all the disciples down the mountain to the frontier, he insisted Qiu Chuji remain behind—her gender was the reason.

This also explained why Qiu Chuji’s living quarters were always apart from those of her brothers. After all, propriety demanded a clear separation between men and women.

Yet, Fang Xu’s sudden appearance had completely shattered this rule, leaving Qiu Chuji blushing with embarrassment as she lay there now.

She could not help but study the sleeping Fang Xu at her side. In these ten miles, she knew every young scion of wealthy families and officials, but Fang Xu was unfamiliar to her, and by all appearances, he was not a local.

If he were, surely he would never have insisted on sharing a room with her, would he?

Qiu Chuji gazed at Fang Xu, who slept so soundly, recalling how she had indeed been startled by him earlier.

After refining her elixirs each day, she had made it a habit to bathe. What girl did not love to be clean? After every session, her face would be covered in soot, and she certainly did not wish to be seen in such a state.

Once she had washed, she would lean habitually beneath the peach tree outside her room—a tree that, since her birth, had stood in full bloom year-round, never withering in summer’s heat or winter’s chill.

Rumor had it that if lovers met beneath this peach tree, their fates would be entwined for three lifetimes.

Qiu Chuji, though, dismissed this as mere superstition—never once had she taken it seriously.

Yet tonight, for reasons she could not name, her heart was far more restless than usual, so unsettled she could not bear to linger outside.

As she turned to go back inside, a voice reciting poetry drifted from beneath the peach tree.

Qiu Chuji was not only skilled in alchemy, but also well versed in poetry and song. The verses caught her off guard, so fitting for the moment. She heard in them the poignant frustration of unrecognized talent, mingled with a carefree defiance of the world.

The lines, “Others say I am mad; I laugh at their blindness,” lingered in her mind.

Thinking to see who could be reciting such words, she looked up—only to meet Fang Xu’s gaze. Instantly, her cheeks flushed crimson. She had never been seen in such disarray.

Shy as any girl would be, she darted away. If Fang Xu had paid closer attention, he might have noticed that touch of embarrassment on her face.

But, alas, Fang Xu had not the slightest idea that Qiu Chuji was a girl. Old Wu and the others hadn’t realized it either. Perhaps it was her air of gallant vigor that misled them.

In the end, Qiu Chuji simply could not accept sleeping side by side with Fang Xu. As she tried to get up, however, Fang Xu suddenly pulled her into his arms—even in his sleep, he drew her closer, seeming perfectly content.

Qiu Chuji panicked, but could not break free. Was Fang Xu asleep or awake? At last, she confirmed he was deeply asleep. Yet who could have guessed his sleeping posture would be so improper?

If Fang Xu could hear Qiu Chuji’s thoughts, he would surely laugh—because Qiu Chuji had never seen Qin Suwen’s sleeping habits. Compared to her, Qiu Chuji was positively well-behaved.

Fang Xu himself had no idea what came over him, only that some instinct made him want to merge the softness in his arms into his own being. He inhaled the faint fragrance lingering in Qiu Chuji’s hair, and a smile played at his lips as if he were lost in a pleasant dream.

Qiu Chuji noticed that smile and, without knowing why, reached out and poked Fang Xu’s cheek with a finger.

“Are you doing this on purpose, you rascal? How many girls have you taken advantage of like this?” she muttered, her lips gently biting down in feigned annoyance. “Grinning so shamelessly—you must be a scoundrel! What did you come here for anyway?”

If Fang Xu were aware of her thoughts, he would be utterly aggrieved. He truly hadn’t done it on purpose—moreover, he had no idea Qiu Chuji was a girl. Had he known, he never would have insisted on sleeping together.

Despite her indignation, Qiu Chuji could feel the heat radiating from his chest. This was the first time she had ever been so close to a man. Even with the abbot and her fellow disciples, she had always kept a proper distance. She never imagined she would find herself in such a situation.

Lost in these thoughts, a faint smile appeared on her lips. At last, she, too, drifted into sleep.

All that could be said was that tonight, both Fang Xu and Qiu Chuji slept more soundly than ever before. Qiu Chuji felt a warmth she had never known, and in spite of herself, snuggled closer to Fang Xu, while he greedily breathed in her delicate fragrance—a scent unlike Qin Suwen’s, with the subtle sweetness of peach blossoms intermingled.