Untouchable Lovers

Chapter 99: Chapter 94 Accompanying the Emperor on a Shopping Trip

Chu Yu was well prepared. Hearing what Liu Ziyue said, she first asked Fendai to take him to the flower hall to rest while she herself returned to her room to change into men’s clothing. Then, following the arrangements made yesterday, she and Liu Ziyue climbed over the wall on one side of the Princess Mansion.

After passing through the deserted alley, they arrived at the street. Liu Ziyue, holding Chu Yu’s hand, looked around with interest. Even when he had gone out before, he had been carried in a carriage, surrounded by guards, never having experienced such freedom, every bone in his body feeling lighter by several degrees.

Although both Chu Yu and Liu Ziyue were extremely good-looking, the people on the street did not react to them as they had reacted to Chu Yu’s first outing. One reason for this was probably Liu Ziyue who, despite being dressed in ordinary clothes and even feeling quite relaxed, still unintentionally exuded a certain fierce and intimidating air.

Liu Ziyue was usually close to Chu Yu and did not put on airs in front of her, so she did not pay much attention to maintaining a clear distinction between their social statuses. However, in other people’s eyes, Liu Ziyue still carried a bit of the air of a superior who held power over life and death.

The more important reason, however, had to do with the two people following them. Chu Yu and Liu Ziyue walked side by side ahead, with two men trailing three to four feet behind them. One was Yue Jiefei, who always served as Chu Yu’s guard, while the other man looked to be in his early thirties. His features were originally quite handsome, but a scar slashed across his face from his forehead and continued down across his nose, extending to the bottom of his left ear. This terrifying scar twisted his features slightly, giving him a fearsome appearance.

This man was named Lin Mu and was Liu Ziyue’s personal bodyguard, somewhat similar to the role Yue Jiefei played for her, only Lin Mu was more hidden. Chu Yu had entered and left the Imperial Palace many times and had never once seen Lin Mu until today, when Liu Ziyue called him out from his hiding place to help them climb over the wall.

Lin Mu was very silent, keeping to himself not just in speech but also in demeanor. No matter how Yue Jiefei talked to him, he maintained his silence. If it weren’t for the fact that Liu Ziyue ordered him to do something and he responded with a single “Yes,” Chu Yu might have thought he was mute.

From the way Yue Jiefei addressed Lin Mu, Chu Yu knew he was his senior fellow disciple. It seemed that Tian Rujing had at least three senior disciples. Rong Zhi had disposed of one, and now there was Yue Jiefei and Lin Mu. She wondered if there were other contenders.

The two of them first went to the East Market on the edge of Jianye City. The market sold all kinds of things. Although Chu Yu was not going out for the first time, it was her first visit to such a dedicated trading marketplace. Vendors crowded together, bustling and noisy with overlapping shouts, a mix of goods for sale including poultry, grains, fabrics, and various handmade trinkets.

Chu Yu, who had seen modern supermarkets, lost interest in the ancient market after a brief novelty, but Liu Ziyue was full of enthusiasm. He bought this and that, simply choosing whatever he liked, with Yue Jiefei handling all the payments, while Lin Mu acted as porter, carrying newly purchased goods on both hands and back, whether tied with straw, wrapped with leaves, or bagged in jute. The battle-scarred cool guy was soon laden in such a way that his image was utterly lost. At the end, Liu Ziyue even wanted to buy a live goose to play with in the Imperial Palace, but Chu Yu strenuously stopped him.

Finally, when Liu Ziyue had bought to his heart’s content and it was almost noon with the air growing hot and dry, Chu Yu suggested they rest at the nearby Jianchusi Temple. Yue Jiefei led the way, and the four of them made their way through the crowded market—not that they had to force their way much, as Lin Mu’s scarred face, when he let it darken just a bit, was enough to make people move aside.

On the road, Liu Ziyue fiddled with the items he had bought, losing interest after a short while, and discarded them one by one on the ground. He left a trail of discarded items as they walked, and by the time they left the market, he had thrown away nearly ninety percent of his purchases.

Yue Jiefei was somewhat pained by the waste of money, but since that money had been given to him by Chu Yu in advance, what objections could he have if an imperial family member enjoyed buying things only to throw them away? As for Lin Mu, now that most of the miscellaneous items had been discarded, his movements seemed much more relaxed, even though his face remained expressionless.

The distance to Jianchusi was not far, and soon they arrived. This temple, built by Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms period, also had some history. From a distance, the first thing you would see was a pagoda standing in the center of the temple.

At this time, Buddhism was very prevalent. Speaking of temples alone, in and around Jiankang City, Chu Yu had seen no fewer than five or six, yet Jianchusi was arguably the most luxurious. It was barely inferior to Chu Yu’s Princess Mansion, though not by much.

A huge plaque hung in front of Jianchusi with the gilded characters “Jianchu Temple” written in a robust and powerful script. As Chu Yu and her group approached, they saw a person emerging from the temple who somewhat surprised Chu Yu. Even under the fierce midday sun and beside the solemn temple, this individual’s demeanor remained as leisurely and natural as flowing water.

“Brother Yizhi, what are you doing here?” Chu Yu hurried forward, unable to hide her surprise, although she did not know why she felt surprised. Yet seeing Wang Yizhi seemed to lessen the oppressive heat around her.

Wang Yizhi, upon seeing Chu Yu, was also taken aback. His gaze first settled on Chu Yu, then swept over the three people behind her; a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes before he asked her, “What brings you here?”

At the same time, Chu Yu asked, “What brings you here?” She remembered Wang Yizhi as a free-spirited and idle person, with no apparent connection to the solemnity of Buddhist studies.

Their voices overlapped word for word, both echoing the same tone of surprise.

Wang Yizhi paused for a moment, then couldn’t help laughing together with Chu Yu.

Chu Yu, still laughing, said, “My apologies, my apologies, I had forgotten, Brother Yizhi, that you are someone capable of finding interest in the dullest things. You must have found something intriguing here as well.”

Wang Yizhi replied with a smile, “Your pardon, your pardon, I too had forgotten that Brother Zichu’s words and actions often surprise people, thinking of things others cannot foresee…” He mimicked Chu Yu’s speech, but he couldn’t quite capture the last phrase, adding only, “However, your visit here must be without other purpose than to rest your weary feet.”

His mind was so sharp and insightful that upon seeing Liu Ziyue’s appearance and the looks of the other two people, he quickly deduced what they had been doing and their purpose for visiting.

After finishing their exchange and sharing a laugh, they swapped praises of “The one who knows me is Brother Zichu” and “The one who knows me is Brother Yizhi.” Wang Yizhi then casually bowed and said, “Brother Zichu must have other responsibilities. I shall not impose upon your time further today. Let us meet another day. ” He pointed to the person beside him and continued, “This is a good friend of mine from the temple, a monk named Jiran, who has done extensive research on Buddhist theories and scriptures. He could guide you around the temple.”

Only then did Chu Yu notice the monk dressed in white robes standing beside Wang Yizhi. The monk, who appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, stood beside Wang with his hands clasped, eyes lowered, exuding a tranquil and composed demeanor. He must have walked out with Wang Yizhi, but Chu Yu’s eyes had been so fixed on Wang that she had completely overlooked the monk.